It's no laughing matter when Applejack fears she's turning into Pinkie Pie!
Strange discoveries. Mysterious twitching. The curious feeling of being watched. And a sudden urge to sing. Something's happening to Applejack, and no matter how often she laughs, this is no laughing matter!
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Chapter 1: No Laughing Matter
Applejack surveyed the orchard, trees resplendent with plump, ripe apples. Fall was her favorite time of year. It was also the busiest time of year. Soon, ponies would snack on Apple family treats while enjoying the festivities of Nightmare Night. And after that, she’d enjoy a competitive race in the Running of the Leaves. But before any such fun activities could be enjoyed, the Apples needed to get past cider season.
She scowled briefly at the position of Celestia’s sun in the sky. It was hours past dawn, yet Applejack had not bucked a single apple. Last night had been Pinkie Pie’s birthday party. Leading up to the event, Big McIntosh had told her in no uncertain terms that she was to go to the party, enjoy the company of her friends for as long as they wanted to celebrate, and then come home and get a full night’s sleep. She always hated to admit it, but in this case, big brother was right. Her friends were more important than another day rising at dawn.
Despite getting a full eight hours of sleep, and the late hour, Applejack still felt sluggish. Fortunately, she knew the cure, some good hard work. She headed out to tackle the southern orchard. Methodically, she went down one row. Place the buckets, assess the tree, turn, plant forelegs, buck. With a satisfying crack, her hooves impacted the tree’s bark, sending a message to the tree that it was time to release its apples. And release they did, the apples falling into the buckets the mare had placed under the boughs.
At the end of the first row, Applejack tipped her hat back and wiped the sweat from her brow. It was an unseasonably warm fall day, and she was already feeling thirsty. She turned, and felt her hoof knock something. It was a wooden pail of tempting, clear water, placed in between two roots. A ladle rested in it, ready to carry the water to her lips.
Applejack stared at the pail. It was one of many she could find around the farm, yet she didn’t remember leaving one all the way out here. How long had it been since anypony harvested the fruit from the southern orchard? She sniffed the water hesitantly. It lacked the off smell of stagnant water. She was again reminded of her thirst. Taking the ladle in hoof, she skimmed just a bit of the water, and then tasted it. It was good. In fact, it had the cool, crisp taste of water freshly drawn from the well. Applejack shrugged, and drank several ladlefuls.
On the way back to the barn, pulling a wagon full of freshly harvested cider apples, Applejack thought back to last night’s wonderful party. All her friends had chipped in to make Pinkie Pie’s birthday party the best ever. Applejack had provided freshly baked apple pies. Twilight Sparkle brought a book from the library, describing party games Pinkie Pie had never tried before. Rarity’s decorations had turned Sugarcube Corner’s main room into something fabulous. Rainbow Dash’s fresh bottle of liquid rainbow was just the thing to spice up the birthday mare’s drink. And Fluttershy thoughtfully brought friends for Gummy to play with; after all, it was the day after his birthday, too!
After the debacle of two years ago, however, everypony recognized that the gift Pinkie Pie wanted more than any other was to plan the party. It didn’t matter if she was doing something she did every day. It didn’t matter if it wouldn’t be a surprise. The smile on her face as she pulled her party cannon out of nowhere was worth it. And that’s just how it happened yesterday. The cannon produced food and decorations that perfectly complemented what her friends had already provided. Rarity’s decorations were surrounded by matching balloons and streamers. A five layer cake appeared next to her pies. And that’s not to mention the full punch bowl that landed on a table without spilling a drop, or the gramophone that materialized, its needle moving to the start of a record as it landed.
Buckets of apples were tipped into waiting barrels as more memories surfaced. Dancing, including that conga line. Pinkie Pie leading a train of ponies… come to think of it, wasn’t she at the end of the line too? Scrumptious cake, with half consumed at once by the birthday mare. Punch, delicious punch. The sight of a baby alligator and an old tortoise alternating gumming the other. Applejack couldn’t help but laugh.
As Applejack emptied the last basket of apples, she felt an itch in her left hock and a twitch in her right ear. It was time for lunch.
Applejack headed back to the farmhouse, wiping her hooves on the mat before stepping inside. She walked into the kitchen. Granny Smith looked up from the pot of soup simmering on the stove. “Eh? What are you doing back, Applejack?” she asked.
“It’s lunch time, isn’t it?” Applejack replied.
Granny Smith checked on the soup. “Soup’s done, but I didn’t call for lunch yet.” She assessed the metal triangle hanging by the open window next to the stove. “Or did I? Better call again, just to make sure.” Granny Smith took the ladle out of the pot, shook it off, and then rattled it around the triangle. “Soup’s on, everypony!” she screeched.
Applejack took her seat at the table. As she thought about it, she was certain she didn’t hear Granny Smith call for lunch. So how did she know?
Blossomwind. The pride and joy of the south orchard. This tree was the first tree planted by Applejack’s mother on her own, and was responsible for her earning her cutie mark. Branches from this tree were grafted onto trees sent by the Apples throughout Equestria. Whether distant Appleloosa or the Oranges’ summer home in the Ponyskills, the heart of the Apple family went with them.
This tree played an important role in cider season, one not seen outside the family. Apples from Blossomwind would be pressed into a small batch of cider, one that would be shared only by the family. Each year, two mugs were left at the graves of Applejack’s parents, so that they would remain a part of cider season.
Applejack placed two antique baskets under the tree, baskets woven by Granny Smith when she was a young mare. She examined the tree, and turned to buck it. But then, she stopped. From this angle, they would get a clear view of her rump. That wouldn’t be appropriate for a modest mare like her. She turned to walk around the tree.
Applejack stopped. What had made perfect sense in her mind just moments ago was totally nonsensical, now that she thought about it again. To confirm, she looked in all directions. The orchard was empty. No family members, no sleeping rainbow-maned pegasus, nopony whatsoever. There were just a few birds flitting through the orchard, none of which made any note of her.
She shook her head and returned to the correct place to buck the tree. She turned, but couldn’t kick. They were still watching.
Following several unsuccessful attempts to resolve this conflict, Applejack finally gave up. She searched the trunk of Blossomwind, finding two points to kick in succession that would convince Blossomwind to release her bounty of apples. As she delivered these two kicks, she thought about the nice view they would get of her cutie mark. Now that, Applejack was always proud to display.
Midafternoon, and Applejack was hauling another full wagon to the barn. Once inside, she unhitched herself from the wagon and started lifting buckets of apples. After uncovering the special baskets filled with apples from Blossomwind, and setting them aside, she emptied the rest of the apples into the waiting barrels. In the corner, the cider press sat, covered with a canvas tarp, and empty wooden casks were stacked next to it.
It was good, hard work, and even out of the sun, it made Applejack thirsty. She pulled a pail of water out from under the wagon and drank. Setting it aside, she turned to examine the bounty beginning to fill the barn. The barrels were about two-thirds full, but she wanted a more accurate count, to get a better idea how many more trees needed to be bucked.
As Applejack mentally counted, a cheery song filled the barn.
Gotta count these apples Gotta count them good Gonna make delicious cider And fill these casks of wood!
Gotta sell our cider Just two bits per pour Gonna help out thirsty ponies They’ll come back wanting more!
Applejack stopped mid-count as she realized the happy song was coming from her own mouth.
For the rest of the afternoon, Applejack lost herself in her work. Her count indicated that it would take Applejack and Big McIntosh working every minute of daylight to collect enough apples. Every time she was thirsty, she found a pail of water. She couldn’t buck while facing north. And she couldn’t get that song out of her head. Applejack tried not thinking about these things.
As Celestia’s sun began to dip below the horizon, Applejack pulled the cart back to the barn for the final time that day. Inside, she found her brother had beaten her there; the stallion was already unloading the apples from his cart.
“Good harvest today?” Applejack asked.
“Eeyup,” Big McIntosh replied.
The siblings worked in silence, hauling apples to the waiting barrels. Big McIntosh finished first, and started to stack the buckets. “Need any help, sis?” he asked.
Applejack shook her head. “Nah, you go on in and get cleaned up. I’ll see you for dinner,” she replied.
“Sure thing, sis.”
With a little more work, Applejack finished unloading the apples. The harvest filled the barrels, and three buckets were left over. It’ll be a good cider season, she thought, as she drank a ladleful of fresh water.
Again, Applejack found herself staring at the bucket of water. As much as she appreciated not having to trot over to the well every time she was thirsty, it just didn’t make any sense. What strange magic was this?
Applejack closed her eyes and concentrated. She focused on the comforting feeling of the earth’s magic, flowing through her hooves and invigorating her body. It was a natural part of being an earth pony, one that most never thought about. But unlike most earth ponies, Applejack had experienced other kinds of magic. The power of the Elements of Harmony was one such form of magic, its power like her own, mingled with two other forms of magic, and strengthened beyond the mere sum of their parts. Discord’s magic, on the other hand… well, she still shivered at times when she recalled the feeling of that creepy and corrupting magic.
There it was. She felt some other form of magic in her, something unfamiliar.
The ringing of the triangle brought Applejack back to the present moment. Twilight. If anypony knew how to help her understand what was going on, it was Twilight Sparkle. Applejack returned to the farmhouse, wiped her hooves, and opened the door.
Twilight Sparkle contemplated her options as she surveyed the contents of her icebox. She wasn’t particularly hungry. A sandwich would make for a light supper, but what kind? After weighing the pros and cons of each potential filling on a mental checklist, she decided to go with the traditional daisy sandwich. Now, to fetch the wheat bread from the pantry.
The unicorn trotted over to the pantry door and opened it. She jumped back and squealed as Applejack spilled from the pantry, the earth pony somersaulting before coming to a rest on her back. “What… why… how did you get in my pantry?” Twilight Sparkle yelled.
Applejack looked around, disoriented. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She got to her hooves, and then replaced her Stetson on her head. Finally recognizing the pony standing in front of her, she grabbed Twilight Sparkle by the withers. “Twi, ya gotta help me!” she implored.
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Chapter 2: Experimentation
Twilight Sparkle stepped back, separating herself from Applejack. “All right, Applejack. I will help you,” she said. “But first, how did you get in my pantry?”
“Ah don’t know,” Applejack said.
“Let’s approach this logically,” Twilight Sparkle said. “What were you doing before you came here?”
“Ah was headin’ inside for dinner, but when Ah walked through the door, it was all dark-like. Then you opened the door. But Ah was glad to see you, ‘cause Ah wanted to talk to you.”
“Why is that?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
Applejack started describing all the strange experiences she encountered that day. Pails of water whenever she was thirsty, the feeling of being watched, the sudden desire to laugh and sing. “So after Ah finished up mah apple buckin’, Ah tried to feel mah magic, and it’s wrong. That’s why Ah thought about seein’ you.”
“And then you opened the door, and appeared here?”
“Yeah,” Applejack said. Again, she grabbed Twilight Sparkle. “Now what am Ah supposed to do?”
Twilight Sparkle stepped back. This situation would require some care. “Now, the first rule in a crisis situation is to stay calm. Can you do that?”
“Ah don’t know,” Applejack admitted. “Ah mean, Ah’m used to sayin’ ‘That’s just Pinkie Pie’, but it’s somethin’ else to have it happen to you!”
“Don’t worry, Applejack. I think I know what to do. Follow me,” Twilight Sparkle said, smiling.
“Not too long ago, I was rereading my old friendship reports. I came across the letter where I told Princess Celestia about how I came to accept Pinkie Sense for what it is.” Twilight Sparkle opened the door to the library’s basement. “This way.”
“What’s down in the basement?” Applejack asked.
“Earlier that day, I had tried some tests, attempting to learn more about Pinkie Sense worked,” Twilight Sparkle continued. “I wasn’t able to get any evidence.” Twilight Sparkle pulled a book out of one of the basement’s bookcases. The bookcase swung outwards, revealing a concealed door. “Right through here.”
“Uh, Twi, why is there a secret door in your basement?” Applejack asked, nervous. She followed Twilight Sparkle as she opened the door, but only because she had come to trust the librarian implicitly. That, and she didn’t feel any twitches.
“So I’m glad you came to me, Applejack. Not only will I be able to help you, but you’ll be able to help me, by uncovering this mystery,” Twilight Sparkle concluded. Applejack wondered if Twilight Sparkle had even heard anything she had said.
The two ponies entered a musty chamber, dimly lit by torches and a strange multicolored glow. As they headed down another set of stairs, they reached a laboratory, something straight out of a mad scientist’s lair.
“Twi, why is there a creepy lab in a hidden chamber in the library?” Applejack inquired, now even more nervous.
Twilight Sparkle finally turned to Applejack, looking her in the eye. “Applejack, you know I’m a student of the magic of friendship. And students need laboratories,” Twilight Sparkle said, in a matter of fact manner, as if the monstrosity concealed in this subbasement was a typical laboratory. “Now, why don’t you sit over there, and rest your forelegs on that device?”
Applejack did as Twilight Sparkle asked. It seemed so wrong, but at the same time, she felt everything would be fine. It was bound to be funny for them to watch! Applejack clutched her head. “No, not again!” she moaned.
“What is it?” wondered Twilight Sparkle.
“Ah can feel us being watched.”
Twilight Sparkle looked around. “I don’t see anything.”
Applejack pointed a hoof to the wall. “It’s them!”
Twilight Sparkle peered intently at the wall, shaped from the roots of the great tree that housed the library. “I still don’t see anything. Wait. Do I have termites? That would be terrible! And I never studied an extermination spell. Do I even have a book with that kind of spell in the library?”
“Twi, calm down! You don’t have termites!” Applejack said.
“Oh, phew,” Twilight Sparkle said, relieved. “But, then, what did you mean by them?”
“Twi, you ever notice Pinkie staring at space, or talkin’ like somepony’s there?”
Twilight Sparkle nodded. “That’s just Pinkie being Pinkie.”
“Ah think she’s actually seein’ somethin’. Or she thinks she is. And now Ah’m feelin’… whatever it is.”
Still seeing nothing, Twilight Sparkle nevertheless concentrated, her horn glowing, until a faint lavender aura spread into the walls. “There. A simple warding spell will keep us safe.”
Applejack looked to the wall. “You know as well as Ah do that it won’t help.”
Twilight Sparkle seemed unaware of what Applejack had just said. “Now, could you put your forelegs back down?” she asked.
“Oh, sure.” Applejack complied, and then metal cuffs extended, entrapping her forelegs. She reflexively struggled against the bindings. “Now what in tarnation is this for?”
Twilight Sparkle happily trotted over, carrying in her telekinetic aura a strange metal contraption made of wires and flashing lights. She quickly swapped Applejack’s Stetson for the device. “This is to help you, of course.”
Applejack snorted. “More like you’re helping yourself.”
“Now I admit I do desire to figure out just how Pinkie Sense works,” Twilight Sparkle acknowledged. “But I’m being honest when I say I’m doing this to help you. Part of accepting Pinkie Pie for what she is meant accepting not knowing what Pinkie Sense is. And until I know that, I can’t create a remedy for you. Am I dealing with an enchantment? A curse? Pollen? Spores? Something in the water? I have so many questions.”
Applejack scowled. Her eyes opened wide when she saw a particularly large book hanging over her head. “Uh, Twi?”
Twilight Sparkle spared a glance at one of her machines, examining the jagged lines being traced as a roll of paper was fed through it. “This is one of Pinkie Pie’s more common expressions of her Pinkie Sense. Is your tail a-twitchin’, as she would say?”
“Eenope,” Applejack replied.
“Peculiar. Perhaps the sensations you’re experiencing are different from Pinkie’s.”
“Or maybe it’s because Ah know that book’s not gonna fall as long as you’re concentratin’ on it.”
Twilight Sparkle floated the book back to her; it hovered above her head. “You may be right. I’ll need to try something different.”
Applejack’s tail suddenly convulsed. “TWITCH!” she shouted.
Above, the door to the subbasement flew open, smacking the wall. Twilight Sparkle reminded herself that she needed to do something about that door, before realizing that she had forgotten to maintain her telekinesis. The book came crashing down on her head, knocking her to the floor.
“Twilight? You down there?” Spike called.
Twilight Sparkle groaned as she stood up. “Yes, Spike. I’m in the middle of studying, so could you please attend to your chores by yourself?”
“Sure thing,” the dragon called, closing the door with another slam.
Twilight Sparkle grinned as she looked at the paper. “We did it! The first record of Pinkie Sense in action!”
“Great,” Applejack huffed. “Now can Ah go?”
“My research would go much better with more data points,” she replied. Twilight Sparkle heard a low rumble. “Was that your Pinkie Sense again?”
“No. That was mah stomach. Ah was supposed to eat dinner half an hour ago.”
Twilight Sparkle’s own stomach reminded her that Applejack’s surprise appearance had interrupted her own supper plans. “Let’s call it a night, then. I’ll research what I have, but I’d like you to come back, so that I can do more tests. And I won’t use the cuffs.” She reached over to undo them, only to find Applejack already standing and donning her hat.
“Ah promise to come by tomorrow evening, but Ah don’t have much time to spare,” Applejack said.
“We’ll do what we can, then,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Do you want to head out the same way you came in?”
“Ah don’t trust anything other than my four legs to get me home, Twi.” Applejack laughed. “Wouldn’t want to appear in Princess Celestia’s private bathroom, now would Ah?”
In distant Canterlot, the princess of the sun involuntarily shuddered.
Fortunately, Applejack’s family accepted her explanation about an emergency meeting with Twilight Sparkle. It was the honest truth, but it wasn’t anything she wanted to discuss in further detail. Reheated pie was a small price to pay for avoiding an awkward conversation.
The next morning, Applejack headed to the barn bright and early. She had expected Big McIntosh would already be running, pressing the first batch of cider. Instead, the cider press was sitting outside, one of its side panels open, with a pair of small yellow legs sticking out of it. Big McIntosh paced next to the machine.
“Apple Bloom? What are you doin’ to our cider press?” Applejack asked.
The filly pushed herself out of the compartment. “Hi, Sis! Ah’m puttin’ in an apple sorter!” She wiped the grease off her hooves with a dirty rag.
Applejack trotted around to the other side of the cider press. “So that’s what this other conveyor belt is?”
“Uh-huh!” Apple Bloom responded cheerily. “Ah got the idea from that Flim-Flam machine. Ah can’t do any magic-like sortin’, but Ah can separate out the plump apples from the tiny ones that Granny Smith always throws out. It should help us make cider a little quicker once we start sellin’.”
Applejack examined her sister’s work. The new addition was a series of three elevated conveyor belts. The middle one could pivot downwards; Applejack guessed it triggered by weight. She could picture two buckets under the belt, one in the middle for the selected apples, and one at the end for the rejected fruit.
“Ah appreciate your help, little sis, but we’ve got a lot of work to do, and we can’t go without our cider press,” Big McIntosh said.
“But Ah’ve been busy with school, and this is my first free day,” Apple Bloom explained. “Ah got up real early to do this work, but Ah’m havin’ trouble gettin’ the gears and shafts tied together.” The filly’s eyes started to water. “Ah only wanted to help.”
“Now, Big McIntosh, you shouldn’t be too hard on Apple Bloom,” Applejack chided. “In fact, we should be supporting her doin’ somethin’ that will get her her cutie mark.”
Apple Bloom smiled. “You really think so?”
Applejack hugged her sister. “Ah do. Now let me help you get this here machine fixed.”
As Apple Bloom crawled back into the cider press, Applejack opened the panel on the other side. She paused. Why was she so confident that mechanics was her sister’s special talent? She hadn’t really thought about it much, but at the same time, it felt like everypony knew.
Applejack shook her head and examined her sister’s work. “Ah think Ah see the problem,” she said, pointing to a misaligned gear.
Applejack looked at her sister. The filly was just staring at her. “Applejack,” she said slowly, “how did you fit in there?”
Turning her head, Applejack saw she had worked her way into the middle of the machine, a space too small for a full grown mare, and which required twisting her body in a way that pony bodies just didn’t move. “Uh, Ah better get to mah apple buckin’,” she said as she retreated.
Applejack mentally chastised herself for not paying closer attention. It was bad enough turning into Pinkie Pie; she didn’t want to frighten her family as well. The damage might already be done. Still, there was plenty of work to be done, and a day’s worth of apple bucking provided her a chance to think up an explanation.
Working her way through the east orchard, she was relieved to not feel those strange eyes upon her. “Must be somethin’ more interesting goin’ on somewhere else,” she mused. That was another statement that made perfect sense until Applejack started thinking about it again.
In any case, the first twelve trees yielded their bounty of fruit easily. Bucking the thirteenth tree caused one hundred and sixty apples and one sleeping pegasus to fall from the branches.
“Of course. Ah don’t feel somepony there when there’s really somepony there,” Applejack muttered.
Rainbow Dash rubbed her head. “What was that?” she asked sleepily.
“Nothin’,” Applejack replied. “Say, don’t you have a sky to clear?”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it covered,” Rainbow Dash said, waving off her friend’s concerns. “I need to be rested so I can get in line tomorrow. And that branch is the perfect place to catch the morning sun.”
Applejack looked up to the sky. “Ah’d hate for there to be some unexpected rain tomorrow. It’d be mighty hard to produce enough cider if we had to roll barrels through the mud.”
“Relax,” Rainbow Dash replied. “As Ponyville weather manager, I put perfect weather onto the schedule for every cider season.” She picked up her fallen pillow and returned to her favorite branch. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got… preparations to do.”
Applejack felt a twinge in one of her shoulders, a tickle in her throat, and a tug on her tail. “You’d better be in line by 4:38 tomorrow morning!” she warned Rainbow Dash.
A light blue foreleg waved from the autumn-hued foliage. “Yeah, yeah.”
By the time Applejack returned with another full cart of apples, Big Macintosh was on the treadmill, powering the large cider press. Six barrels were already filled, stacked and ready for tomorrow’s opening of cider season. On the other side, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith were inspecting the apples. Apple Bloom’s addition was working fine, but Granny Smith still went through each of the rejected apples. “No good, no good, too rotten, too soft, no good,” she said. The neat bucket of bad apples was turning into a messy pile of discarded fruit.
The elderly mare looked up as her granddaughter returned. “Yer back! Once you get those apples inside, Ah think it’s time to feed the pigs,” she said.
“Sure thing, Granny,” Applejack replied.
Applejack poured the harvested apples into the recently emptied barrels. Afterwards, she took one of the empty buckets back outside. Carefully, to avoid splitting any of the more overripe apples, she scooped them into the waiting bucket. Balancing the now-full bucket on her back, she trotted into the barn, then into the back room with the animal pens.
The pigs squealed in excitement as lunch awaited them. “Now hold your horses, there’s plenty for all,” Applejack said. As she opened the door to one of the pens, Applejack thought briefly about what Twilight Sparkle might tell her tonight. But wouldn’t it make more sense to talk to Pinkie Pie? With one step into the pen, Applejack realized her mistake, as things went dark.
In the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie marveled at her latest culinary creation. A giant cake, all for the Apples, to celebrate cider season! She particularly loved the cider press, hoof-made with marzipan, as the cake topper. The cake just needed some garnish.
Pinkie Pie reached into a wooden bin, pulling fruit and placing it on the island in the center of the kitchen. “One apple, two apples, three apples, four apples!” she counted happily. She frowned as she stared at the four apples on the island, placing her hoof to her chin. “Hmmm. One of these apples is not like the others,” she said. “Aha!” she announced, pointing at the second apple. “That’s a Fuji, not a Red Delicious!”
Sitting in the position of the fourth apple, Applejack tapped her hoof on the island. “Sugarcube? You mind tellin’ me how Ah got here?”
“Oh, hi, Applejack!” Pinkie Pie responded. “Well, to answer your question, in the beginning, there was nothing but a void. Then, the Creator said….”
Applejack placed her hoof over Pinkie Pie’s mouth. “Pinkie, Ah’m bein’ serious here. Ever since yesterday, things have been happenin’ to me that if you’d been doin’ them, Ah’d say it’s just Pinkie being Pinkie. But Ah’m not you.”
Pinkie Pie inhaled with excitement before unleashing a rapid stream of words. “Oh! Yesterday, I had one doozy of a combo! Tail twitch, hoof itch, eye bugging out, left ear twitch, right ear flop. I knew something interesting and fun would happen! And it’s happening to you, and it sounds like fun, and we have so much to talk about….”
“Wait a minute. Ah thought a doozy was a combo,” Applejack interrupted.
“Well, a doozy is always a combo, but there are lots of combos, and some of them are doozies, but some aren’t, and a doozy is a combo that’s always a doozy, except for that one time, because I don’t think the griffins were impressed by the pants we gave them….”
“Pinkie, wait. We’re gettin’ off track,” Applejack said. “Somethin’s wrong. Ah think Ah’m turnin’ into you!”
Pinkie Pie bounced around the kitchen. “That sounds like super-duper fun!”
“It’s not!” Applejack exclaimed. “Not for me. Like appearin’ in this here kitchen when a minute ago, I was in mah barn. That’s just not honest.”
Pinkie Pie’s lower lip quivered. “Are you saying I’m not honest?”
“No! Ah mean Ah’m… all us Apples are proud of the honest work we do with our own four hooves. And doin’ things like appearin’ halfway across Ponyville… well, that feels a little like cheatin’.” Applejack looked her friend in the eye. “Is there anythin’ you can do to help me?”
“Are you having trouble doing your work around the farm?” Pinkie Pie looked genuinely concerned.
“Well, no, but….”
“Is it bothering your family?”
“Ah guess not….”
Pinkie Pie smiled, one of those huge grins that seemed larger than her face. “Then what are you worried about? There’s so much good magic in Equestria, and even if we don’t understand it, we can enjoy it! You should have fun!”
Applejack looked unconvinced. “Ah’ve just got so much to do, and Ah wasn’t expecting this.”
“That’s right! It’s cider season! And I have so much to do!” Pinkie Pie said. “I have to send out invitations to the let’s-all-wait-for-cider-and-camp-under-the-stars party! I need new decorations for my tent. And balloons! Lots of balloons, because it’s a party, but not too many, because I don’t want my tent to float away! And I need to finish my surprise cake for you, which isn’t a surprise anymore, because you popped into the kitchen! I know! Why don’t you take the cake back with you? I just need to finish up the garnish!”
Before Applejack could reply, Pinkie Pie was moving around the kitchen in a blur. She grabbed two more apples, peeled them, chopped them into straws, dipped the pieces in lemon juice, and using just the apples and some frosting, constructed a little fence around the edge of the cake. She held up the cake to Applejack, smiling.
“And it’s all for you and your family, to say thanks for making cider season the best time of year!” Pinkie Pie placed the cake on Applejack’s back.
“Ah’d love to stay and chat, but it’s a long way back to the farm,” Applejack said.
“Why don’t you go back the way you came?” Pinkie Pie suggested, opening the bin where the Cakes stored their apples.
“Uh… ah…” Applejack stuttered.
Pinkie Pie’s smile was warm and understanding. “Just think how super-duper fun it would be to be back home, and show your family this deeeee-licious cake!” she said, motioning to the bin with one foreleg.
I really should get back to my chores as fast as I can, Applejack thought, rationalizing her actions as she stepped into the tiny bin.
Applejack stepped out of the door to the barn, seeing her family at work. Unsurprisingly, the youngest Apple was first to notice the tempting treat Applejack carried, unmarred even though, just like her, it was too big to fit through that bin. Her siblings and grandmother crowded around her.
“Where’d you get that?” Apple Bloom wondered.
“It’s a gift from Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said.
“Ah didn’t see her come by the farm,” Big McIntosh observed.
“Well, ah, you know how Pinkie is,” Applejack said.
Granny Smith peered at the lettering on the cake. “Thank you for ader tune? Now what kind of newfangled music is an ader tune?”
“Ah think that says cider time,” Applejack suggested. “Now, who’s up for cake?”
As the Apples finished enjoying slices of the delicious cake, Big McIntosh asked, “The pigs all fed, Applejack?”
Applejack dropped her fork. “Ah forgot!”
The young mare hurried back to the barn. That big bucket of apples didn’t follow her when she made her strange trip to Sugarcube Corner, so she feared the worse. She found it spilled into one of the stalls, and one pig had taken it upon herself to eat as many as possible. Unfortunately, she overindulged; the pig lay with a distended belly amidst apple scraps.
Big McIntosh followed her sister into the barn. “This is no good,” he said.
“Sorry. Ah… um, got distracted by Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said sheepishly. She looked at the pig. “Poor Miss Plumpley. Ah’ll go get Fluttershy.” Suddenly, she had a better idea. “Or why don’t you go fetch her? Ah think Ah can handle the treadmill for a while.”
“Don’t you worry about me, sis. Ah’m fine workin’ here,” Big McIntosh replied, looking away.
“Ah insist, big brother. Ah’m goin’ on the treadmill, and that’s final.” Applejack trotted off, and stood on the treadmill that powered the cider press.
Big McIntosh followed his sister and stared her down. But he was no match for her stubbornness. “Fine,” he said. “Ah’ll go get Miss Fluttershy.”
Applejack smiled smugly. “And that’s what they all want to see.”
After just an hour working the cider press, Applejack discovered a new respect for her brother’s endurance. She had never been happier to get back to apple bucking. She first confirmed that Fluttershy didn’t need anything else, and then headed back to the orchard.
An afternoon without anything strange happening almost made Applejack forget about her troubles. But as she enjoyed dinner with her family and Fluttershy, she remembered her promise to return to Twilight Sparkle’s creepy laboratory. She excused herself after dinner and walked into Ponyville.
Twilight Sparkle looked just a little too happy to see Applejack return. “Let’s get started!”
“Can we talk, here, before we go into the lab?” Applejack asked.
“I suppose so,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Just tell it to me straight. What do Ah have?”
“To be honest, I don’t know yet. In studying the manifestation of the twitch I recorded, the magical patterns are consistent with earth pony magic,” Twilight Sparkle explained. “But I still have no idea how it works, or more importantly, why you’re suddenly showing this magic.”
Applejack walked slowly to the basement door. “Ah guess we need to go back to the lab.”
Soon, Applejack was hooked up to Twilight Sparkle’s machines, but nothing was happening. “This is a consistent problem,” Twilight Sparkle concluded. “A watched Pinkie never twitches.”
“Now, Ah won’t speak for her, but do you really think Pinkie wanted to let you record her Pinkie Sense?” Applejack offered.
“That is possible,” Twilight Sparkle suggested. “If she recognized that I would then follow her, she might have found that funny, which would be all the reason she would want to do that.”
“Well, Ah won’t hold back. Ah’ll talk about anything.”
“Let’s talk about every twitch you’ve experienced over the last two days. Perhaps by focusing on them, we could trigger them again,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“Ah knew when it was time for lunch. That won’t help now. Wait, Ah got a sense of when we’d run out of cider tomorrow. Ah told Rainbow Dash that she’d better be here by....” Applejack felt a twinge in one of her shoulders, a tickle in her throat, and a tug on her tail. “It’s still 4:38 in the morning.”
Twilight Sparkle beamed as she captured more of Pinkie Sense in action. “Wait. You said what time a pony would need to get in line. When will you serve that last mug of cider?”
This time, Applejack felt a pinch in the shoulder of her left foreleg, then a pinch in the elbow of her right foreleg, all followed by three flops of her right ear. “2:13 in the afternoon,” she said. Twilight Sparkle’s machine beeped, and its metal arms moved pens wildly across the paper.
“No more twitches.” Applejack replayed the day in her mind. “Ah encouraged Apple Bloom to fix up our cider press, and Big McIntosh to go talk to Fluttershy. That give you anything?”
Twilight Sparkle watched the machine. “That sounds like common sense, but it’s not causing any reaction.”
“Ah somehow found a way to get from our barn to the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner,” Applejack recalled. “Just like findin’ my way into your pantry.”
“Nothing from the sensors. Oh, I bet it would show some powerful magic if you did that right now, but these sensors wouldn’t go with you.”
Applejack sat in silence for a few more minutes, hoping for another twitch, or some unexplainable event. But nothing happened.
“I have an idea,” Twilight Sparkle said. She ran upstairs, returning with a plate of corn chips and a bowl of salsa in her telekinetic aura. “Have a snack, Applejack.”
“Ah just ate, Twilight.”
“Please, just try it,” Twilight Sparkle urged.
Applejack dipped a chip into the salsa and popped it into her mouth. “Good,” she said. Then the heat kicked in. “That’s spicy.”
“Have a few more,” Twilight Sparkle suggested.
Applejack complied with her friend’s request, but soon had to drink from a mug of water. The machine recorded something, and Applejack realized that mug of water wasn’t there before.
“Yes!” Twilight Sparkle yelled, jumping in the air.
“Ah guess that was there for thirst-related emergencies,” Applejack suggested.
The two ponies sat in silence, save for the slurping sounds as Applejack guzzled water. The earth pony set down the mug.
“So, can you fix me?” Applejack finally asked.
“I haven’t found anything yet. There’s one ritual, but let’s just say it’s not a good idea,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“You can tell it to me straight, Twi.”
“There are some rare magical diseases, where power flows through a pony at such high and uncontrollable levels that it will eventually kill her. This ritual cures the disease by severing all magical connections.”
“That sounds like what Ah need,” Applejack said.
“I said all magical connections, Applejack. If I were to use this ritual on you, you wouldn’t experience Pinkie Sense, but you wouldn’t be able to buck apples. You’d have to learn how, all over again,” she explained. “You might never be the same pony.”
Twilight Sparkle forced a smile to her face. “Besides, isn’t this a fun little happenstance? Pinkie Pie has these powers, and it’s never bothered her. Why is it bothering you?”
“Ah don’t know. It just worries me,” Applejack admitted. “And what if this is contagious?”
Twilight Sparkle’s jaw dropped. “I will redouble my research efforts.”
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Chapter 3: Cider Season
The first rays of Celestia’s sun illuminated four figures, standing on a slight rise. Above them, a lone apple tree stood. Unlike the orchard visible on three sides of the hill, this tree was left to grow naturally, with only minimal care to keep it healthy.
The branches of the tree shaded two gravesites. Granny Smith stepped forward, resting one arthritic foreleg on the tombstone of her daughter. “The farm’s as beautiful as ever, dearie,” she said, sniffling.
Apple Bloom stepped up to the two graves. “Ah’ve been studying hard at school, just like you always said. Applejack is teaching me how to buck apples, and Ah’ve been workin’ to fix things around the farm.” The filly closed her eyes and embraced one of the headstones. “Ah miss you, Ma, Pa.”
Big McIntosh stepped forward, shrugging a barrel off his strong back. “It’s cider season again,” he said, “and we brought some of our finest. You should be proud of your recipe, Ma. We have ponies linin’ up to drink our cider, more each year.”
“And we learned somethin’ about pride last year,” Granny Smith said. “Ah promise not to do anythin’ foolish. Ah won’t do anythin’ to hurt your children, even if somepony calls me chicken.”
Applejack grabbed her family members in her forelegs, forming an impromptu huddle. “Why so gloomy?” she asked, smiling.
There’s no need for sadness Just put those frowns away Be happy for the morning Be happy for the day!
The other three ponies stared as Applejack bounced around the tree, performing feats of acrobatics they didn’t think pony bodies were capable of handling. As she began the next verse, she jumped to each family member in turn, physically lifting their faces into smiles with her hooves.
Don’t think about the bad things Get those thoughts out of your head Just smile because you know that In the long run we’re all dead!
Life is one big party With cupcakes and frosting Cider’s made for drinking And ponies for dancing!
So live each day with gladness Just jump and dance and sing Be happy for the sunrise And for the evening!
Applejack finished her song with a jump, balancing on her rear legs while spreading her forelegs, ready for the hugs that were sure to come. Instead, there was silence, her grandmother and siblings staring at her, jaws on the floor.
“Sis, what was that?” Big McIntosh asked.
“Applejack, why did you do that?” wondered Apple Bloom.
“Applejack Apple! How could you disrespect your mother and father like that?” Granny Smith scolded.
“YAAAAAAAH!”
Applejack screamed as she sat up suddenly in bed. She struggled to free herself from a tangle of sweat-soaked sheets. She breathed heavily, and tried to calm the fierce pounding of her heart.
“It’s just a nightmare,” Applejack whispered. As she finally calmed down, she checked the clock on her nightstand. It was four thirty in the morning of the first day of cider season.
There was no way the mare could get back to sleep. She decided to go for a walk, to clear her head, before joining her family to share cider with her deceased parents.
“Ah wonder how the line’s lookin’ for this year?” she said to herself. That was as good a place to go as any, so she went to check it out.
Halfway to the gate, Applejack noticed she was wearing a skintight black suit. “Now where did Ah get this?” she muttered. “And why don’t Ah remember puttin’ it on?” She shrugged, and continued.
Right by the gate, just like last year, was a tent with balloons printed on it. On the front flap, Pinkie Pie had hung an invitation for the “it’s cider season and we’re all going camping and there’s a party in my tent and everypony’s invited party”.
She looked at the closed tent. “Looks like almost everypony’s there!” Applejack said, chuckling. “Wait, how did Ah know that?” she whispered.
There were a smaller number of ponies waiting in line behind the tent. It was highly unlikely they didn’t receive an invitation from Pinkie Pie, so these ponies either weren’t interested in the party, or arrived rather late. Among the ponies in line was Fluttershy. Her head rested on a pillow and she was curled up into a little ball under a quilt embroidered with apples; both items were borrowed from Big McIntosh.
Applejack reached the end of the line, not seeing one particular friend. “Poor Rainbow Dash,” she said, as she returned to the farm.
Sometime between leaving the line and reaching the barn, Applejack had somehow gotten out of her black suit. She chose not to think about how that happened, and rather focused on getting an early start to her chores. She fed the chickens and collected eggs. She drew two buckets of water from the well. Finally, she checked on the pigs. Miss Plumpley, the pig that overate the previous day, looked to be doing much better.
Applejack was in the kitchen, making eggs and toast, by the time the rest of her family arose and joined her.
“You okay, sis?” Big McIntosh asked.
“Jus’ fine,” Applejack replied. She was feeling fine, as memories of her nightmare faded. “Excited for a big cider season, hopefully without no good cheatin’ ponies this year.”
“Eeyup,” Big McIntosh said, nodding.
Following breakfast, the family made the short trip to the resting place of Applejack’s parents. She felt just a little nervous, as the scene looked just like her dream.
Granny Smith stepped forward, resting one arthritic foreleg on the tombstone of her daughter. “The farm’s as beautiful as ever, dearie,” she said, sniffling.
Apple Bloom stepped up to the two graves. “Ah’ve been studying hard at school, just like you always said. Applejack is teaching me how to buck apples, and Ah’ve been workin’ to fix things around the farm.” The filly closed her eyes and embraced one of the headstones. “Ah miss you, Ma, Pa.”
Big McIntosh stepped forward, shrugging a barrel off his strong back. “It’s cider season again,” he said, “and we brought some of our finest. You should be proud of your recipe, Ma. We have ponies linin’ up to drink our cider, more each year.”
“And we learned somethin’ about pride last year,” Granny Smith said. “Ah promise not to do anythin’ foolish. Ah won’t do anythin’ to hurt your children, even if somepony calls me chicken.”
Applejack gulped nervously. She knew what she planned on saying. As she worked that morning, she reminded herself of what she wanted to say. She doffed her hat and stepped forward.
“Ma, Pa, Ah still don’t know everythin’ about the farm. But when Ah’m not sure of mahself, Ah just think what you would have done. That’s never steered me wrong. Ah wish you could see your little Bloomie now. Ah wish you could see how Ponyville’s grown. And Ah wish you could meet my friends.”
Applejack exhaled slowly as she stepped back. Behind her, Big McIntosh kicked the tap into the barrel. Apple Bloom took out six mugs. Applejack then filled the mugs in turn, placing the first two on the graves of her parents. Each pony then took a mug in hoof.
“To the start of the Apple Family cider season,” Granny Smith announced, raising her mug.
“To cider season!” the three grandchildren echoed.
The taste of cider still on her tongue, Applejack trudged to the front gate, pulling the cider press behind her. Big McIntosh pulled a wagon with barrels of cider, and Apple Bloom pulled a smaller wagon with apples. As in previous years, Applejack would handle the sales while the rest of the family produced more cider, helping to stretch the day’s limited stock.
Applejack pulled out the megaphone from Apple Bloom’s cart and held it to her mouth. “Attention, everypony! Cider season is now officially open!” she called.
The flap of Pinkie Pie’s tent opened, and balloons of white, pink, blue, and black poured out. They flowed to the ground and then over each other, soon forming three meter tall sculptures resembling Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
Pinkie Pie then jumped out of the tent. “Do you like it? Huh? Huh? I thought the princesses would like your cider, but they’re always so busy, but then I realized I had lots of balloons, so I made balloon princesses!”
“Yeah, they’re quite nice,” Applejack said, staring up at the huge figures.
“I hope you have lots of cider today!” Pinkie Pie said, pulling out a huge sack of bits from somewhere. She dumped it out, and collected her normal dozen mugs of cider.
“Pinkie?”
“Uh huh?” she replied.
“Would you be so kind as to go to town, and bring Twilight Sparkle and Rarity here at…” Applejack paused, checking her body, “two thirteen this afternoon?”
“Okie dokie lokie!” she replied cheerily, before inhaling one mug of cider. Literally. After coughing the mug out of her body, she pulled the tent flap open. “All right everypony, it’s cider time!”
A long line of ponies formed out of the tent. In the distance, Rainbow Dash shouted, “Oh, come on!”
It took the good part of six hours to serve everypony that had attended Pinkie Pie’s tent party. Knowing the tent was bigger on the inside than on the outside, that didn’t faze Applejack. She kept turning her eye to the line of ponies not coming out of the tent. Among them was a familiar light blue pegasus, flying in place impatiently with her forelegs crossed.
All of the premade barrels of cider were gone, and they worked through most of the barrels Big McIntosh had pressed that day. The stallion brought the day’s final barrel as Fluttershy stepped to the front of the line.
“Just one mug, please,” the shy pegasus said, fumbling with her saddlebags to get at her bits.
Applejack pushed away the two bits after she offered them. “No charge, after how you helped us yesterday,” the earth pony said. “Just stick around and enjoy your mug.”
“Okay, if that’s what you want,” Fluttershy replied quietly. She stayed, watching the rest of the family clean up the dirty mugs and used barrels. Or watching one of them, Applejack thought.
Rainbow Dash was six ponies back in line when the final barrel ran dry. “Sorry, everypony, that’s all for today,” Applejack announced through the megaphone.
“Awww,” the crowd whined.
Rainbow Dash flew up to Applejack, pressing their muzzles together. “You ran out again,” she hissed.
“Ah told you to be in line by 4:28 this mornin’,” Applejack countered. “So when did you get here?”
“I… uh… I mean… Never mind that!” Rainbow Dash stuttered. She was then distracted by the arrival of Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle.
“Ooh, did we interrupt somepony’s special moment? Oh, please say we did!” Pinkie Pie said, grinning.
“No!” both mares replied, backing away from each other.
“Well, I for one am just dying to know what’s going on,” Rarity said. “Pinkie Pie was rather insistent that I come with her, and at a most peculiar time!”
“I didn’t mind the break from my work,” Twilight Sparkle commented. “I just wish we could have gotten here while you still had cider.”
“Yeah, about that,” Applejack said. She turned around. “Granny Smith? Big McIntosh? Apple Bloom? Could y’all come here?” she called.
A bit surprised by the change in routine, they joined Applejack. “What’s goin’ on, Sis?” Big McIntosh said.
“This mornin’? We forgot about our honorary family members. Think we still have enough to share?” Applejack said.
“Ah reckon so,” Big McIntosh replied.
Inside the farmhouse, the Apples and their five friends gathered, as Applejack placed the tap into the unmarked barrel. Rainbow Dash hovered in the air, her tongue hanging out, knowing just what was inside.
Applejack grabbed a mug, but paused before filling it. “Each year, we make one barrel of cider for the family. And we share it with those no longer with us, to remember Ma’s recipe and Pa’s marketing, that made cider season Ponyville’s biggest fall event.”
“What about Nightmare Night?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“And in terms of overall participation, wouldn’t the Running of the Leaves be the biggest event?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
Applejack shot a dirty look at her friends. “It’s biggest for us. Now, Ah thought that, since you were honorary family members, you should share in some of this special cider. That way, if you’re busy workin’ or too lazy to get your flank up in time to get in line, you can still enjoy Apple family cider.”
Rainbow Dash was about to protest, but Applejack offered her the first mug. She swallowed half of it at once. “This… is… AWESOME! It’s, like, twenty percent tastier than your normal cider!” she shouted.
As each of the friends got their own mug, there was a general nodding in agreement with Rainbow Dash’s assessment. “How do you do it?” Rarity asked.
“All Apple family cider is made with love and care, but this cider is made with extra love and care,” Granny Smith explained.
“We use only the apples from a tree planted by Ma and make the cider on an antique hoof-cranked press,” Applejack continued. “And cider is always sweetest when shared with family.”
“That’s right!” cried Pinkie Pie. “We are family.”
“Ah got all my ponies with me,” Applejack continued.
Pinkie Pie grinned. She added a melody as she repeated what she had just spoken
Applejack picked up the melody, urging everypony to join them in song. Pinkie Pie and Applejack were on their hooves, singing and dancing.
Three minutes later, Pinkie Pie and Applejack finished their song. Applejack became acutely aware that everypony, save for Twilight Sparkle, was staring at them.
“Uh-oh,” she muttered.
“So, that’s the story of these last few crazy days,” Applejack said after she finished recounting the strange things that happened to her. She didn’t mention her nightmare, but otherwise described each twitch, each strange feeling, each unexplainable translocation. “So, uh, what do you think?”
“Has anypony else had something super duper awesometacular happen to her?” asked Pinkie Pie.
The sound of crickets chirping filled the room.
“Fluttershy, would you mind?” Applejack asked.
“Oh, not at all,” she replied. The pegasus poked her head outside. “Could you please keep it down, if that’s alright with you? We’re conversing, and it’s just a little hard to hear.”
Even with the insects silenced, nopony was feeling inclined to talk.
“I have nothing that can compare to that story,” Rarity said flatly.
“I’ve been trying to help Applejack,” Twilight Sparkle explained. “At this point, I still don’t know why she’s becoming Pinkie Pie. Perhaps it would help if we all talked about our last few days? After all, we haven’t spent much time together in the last week. I’ll start.
“In addition to my normal duties in the library, I’ve been helping Applejack, and researching the magical nature of what we’ve always called Pinkie Sense. She has been gracious with her time, helping me measure the magical nature of these abilities. Perhaps one day, my research will lead to a groundbreaking discovery in earth pony magic. At the same time, I find myself at a loss in understanding why this happened to Applejack.”
“I’ve been working on some new designs,” Rarity said. “Between the glamorous royal wedding and our trip to the historic and exotic Crystal Empire, I have had a wealth of inspiration to draw upon. In fact, I’d say the last three days have been among my most productive ever!” Hearing this news made everypony smile.
“Nothing unusual has happened to me,” Fluttershy admitted. “Just the normal sick and injured animals, in need of care and love. Oh, and how is Miss Plumpley?”
“Lookin’ a lot better,” Applejack said. “How about you, Rainbow Dash?”
“The only strange thing to happen to me is hearing you give me a very specific time to get in line today.”
“That’s just Applejack being Pinkie,” everypony said.
The crowd turned to the lone stallion in the room. “Eenope,” said Big McIntosh succinctly.
A snore came from the now sleeping Granny Smith.
“Ah fixed up the cider press, but still no cutie mark,” Apple Bloom said.
“Keep it up, Apple Bloom. Maybe you need to fix somethin’ that isn’t workin’ at all,” Applejack suggested.
“Like an old mill!” Pinkie Pie interjected.
Applejack chuckled. “That’s a good one, isn’t it?” Again, she found herself wondering why she said that.
“And I’m working on a super new cupcake recipe! I can’t wait to share it with you!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “Soon, the time will be right for cupcakes!”
Perhaps the utterly mundane nature of Pinkie Pie’s revelation was the biggest surprise of all. In any case, the room fell silent again.
“Ah suppose it’s time to get back to work,” Applejack said. “We’ve got cider to press for tomorrow, and only so much sunlight left.”
“Thank you, dear, for inviting us to share this most excellent cider,” Rarity said.
“Yeah, invite me over any time,” said Rainbow Dash.
With that, Applejack bid her friends goodbye.
“Are you sure this can’t wait? Ah’m just beat.” After three days of making and selling cider, Applejack was tired. But at Twilight Sparkle’s request, she stopped by the library for more testing.
“What will you be doing next week?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“Makin’ apple treats to sell on Nightmare Night, and preparin’ our games,” she said.
“See? You’re always hard at work, Applejack. Tonight, I just want to ask you some questions. I promise, no lab tests or spells. But if you still want to reschedule, let me know.”
Applejack took a seat on the couch. “Ah suppose Ah could talk.”
“Excellent!” Twilight Sparkle said. She took a seat, summoning a scroll and quill, but left them on the ground. “Let me start by asking a question unrelated to this research. How did your family react to your situation?”
“We had a long talk over dinner that night, just the four of us,” Applejack said. “Ah told them how Ah was afraid of causin’ problems around the farm. They said they understood, and that they’d love me no matter what. And Granny Smith said that back in her day, she didn’t need a big song and dance number to talk about these kind of changes.”
“Does that mean you still want to get rid of these powers?”
“Ah do,” said Applejack. “It’s not mah magic. It’s not me.”
“While I’ve made good progress at understanding these powers, I still don’t understand how you might have received them,” said Twilight Sparkle. “So, I’d like to just talk about what you’ve experienced over the past week.” She brought her quill and paper to the ready.
“Ah’m listenin’.”
“Any other strange things happen to you recently?” asked Twilight Sparkle.
“Nah,” Applejack replied.
“Something must have happened. Did you spend any time in the Everfree Forest?”
“Eenope.”
“Did any Everfree Forest monsters visit the farm? Timber wolves? Hydras? Ursas? “
“Well, mah farm’s still there, so it’s not the last two, and Ah didn’t see any tracks or hear any commotion,” Applejack replied. “So probably not.”
“Have you traveled anywhere else unusual?”
“Nah. This whole week, I’ve either been on the farm, selling at the marketplace, or with you girls,” Applejack said.
“Is something happening with the zap apples?” Twilight Sparkle wondered.
“They’re not comin’ in ‘til later in the year.”
“Did you encounter any other rogue magical effects?” asked Twilight Sparkle.
“Twi, if there’s any rogue magic in town, you’re probably the reason,” Applejack said, laughing.
“Have you been sick at all? Even a cold?”
“Fit as a fiddle,” Applejack said proudly. “Other than this whole becomin’ Pinkie Pie thing, this week has been, well, ordinary.”
The paper drooped in Twilight Sparkle’s telekinetic grasp. “I have to say, I’m stumped. I feel I have a good understanding of the what of your situation, but I was hoping to get some clue that would help me investigate the why and how. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to come back for a large number of tests. I’m sorry. I wish I could narrow it down.”
“That’s all right, sugarcube,” Applejack said reassuringly. “Ah couldn’t ask for a better friend.”
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Chapter 4: Nightmare Night
“How are things going, Applejack?” Twilight Sparkle inquired.
“On the farm? Busy as ever. We’ve got treats to bake and games to prepare for the Nightmare Night celebration,” Applejack replied.
Twilight Sparkle looked at her friend crossly. “I’m asking about you. How do you feel?”
“Well, ever since the secret came out, all these strange happenin’s have started to feel normal,” Applejack said. “Ah don’t know if that should scare me or not.”
“When I talk to you, I still see the hardworking and honest friend I’ve grown to respect over these last few years,” Twilight Sparkle said. “You’re still you, and now that I’m fairly certain this won’t be a repeat of the Pinkie clone incident, we don’t have to proceed, unless you want.”
“Ah still do.”
“Do you mind explaining why?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
Applejack thought for a moment. “Best way to put it is, Ah’m not Pinkie. Pinkie is Pinkie, and she shouldn’t have to share her uniqueness.”
Twilight Sparkle nodded. “In that case, I’d like you to join me in the lab.” A scroll materialized in front of her. “I’ve researched the matter, and identified twenty-seven diagnostic spells that would help diagnose one of sixty-three possible causes.”
Applejack followed Twilight Sparkle with a groan. “Is that as fun as Ah think it is?”
It was just as fun as Applejack imagined. She spent hours in the laboratory, hooked up to Twilight Sparkle’s array of sensors, as the unicorn prodigy performed numerous rituals. Machines recorded results on rolls of paper as Twilight Sparkle made notes of her own. For the most part, Twilight Sparkle cast spells from her horn, but some of the tests involved potions, and others appeared to bypass magic entirely, utilizing various strange machines. Applejack tried to tune out the funny sensations, and occupied her time with knitting a scarf, trying to catch a ball on a string in a cup, and reading a cheesy romance novel. None of these things were originally in the laboratory or on her person.
Twilight Sparkle grunted and gasped for breath following one particularly long spell. A prickling sensation crossed Applejack’s coat, and she tasted mint. Twilight Sparkle recovered and recorded some notes on a scroll, before setting it on a tall stack of paper. “Well, that’s all of them,” she said.
Applejack offered her friend a glass of water. “Ah think you need this more than me.”
Twilight Sparkle accepted the water gladly. “Thanks, Applejack,” she said.
“So how long is this gonna take?” Applejack asked.
“At minimum, a week,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “But there’s another research project I have going on, a spell I’m hoping to perfect before the Running of the Leaves.”
“Then you do that first,” Applejack said. “Ah can handle bein’ Pinkie Pie for a couple more weeks.”
“Special delivery!”
Pinkie Pie arrived at the farmhouse, saddlebags loaded with colored sugar, dyes, fondant, and other products the Apples didn’t normally use in their baking. And Applejack nearly fainted upon seeing the method Pinkie Pie used to enter the farmhouse.
She came in through the front door.
The pink mare bounced into the kitchen and unloaded her bounty. A jar of dark blue sugar spilled, right onto the pie crust Granny Smith was rolling out. “Consarn it!” the elderly pony cried.
“Wait!” Applejack cried, staying Granny Smith’s rolling pin. She added a bit more sugar to the dough, turning a mistake into a rough picture.
“Ooooh! Nightmare Moon! How scary!” Pinkie Pie said, giggling.
“But what good is it, when it’s just gonna be covered in apples?” Granny Smith said.
“We make it the top crust, Granny,” Applejack replied.
“Oh. That does make more sense,” she said.
“So what else did you have in mind?” Pinkie Pie asked, poking her snout into numerous unfinished pastries.
“Ah’ve been gettin’ all sorts of ideas for Nightmare Night. Like apple tarts decorated to look like jack-o’-lanterns! Nightmare Moon pies! And moon apples!”
“Mmmm. Moon apples. Wait, what are moon apples?” wondered Pinkie Pie.
“Pass me the chocolate cookies and the silver sugar sand stuff and Ah’ll show you,” Applejack said.
After crumbling some cookies and pouring out the sanding sugar into a dish, Applejack prepared a normal caramel apple, impaling a beautiful Red Delicious apple on a stick, then dipping it in warm caramel. After spinning the apple to coat it evenly in caramel, she dipped it in the silver decorative sugar, covering it completely. Finally, the cookie crumbs were pressed into the front of the apple.
“And there you go!” Applejack announced proudly. The final product greatly resembled the moon on a clear night, the darker cookie crumbs shaped into the image of the Mare in the Moon.
“Looks tasty, Applejack!” Pinkie Pie said.
“Did somepony say tasty?”
Applejack turned to see Rainbow Dash poking her head through the window above the sink. That mare had a knack of showing up on the farm whenever she was hungry. Applejack then looked at Pinkie Pie sourly.
“Okay. Maaaaybe I mentioned that I was coming over here to help you make treats, and maaaaybe I was loud enough that everypony having breakfast at Sugarcube Corner could overhear me,” Pinkie Pie admitted.
“Fine,” Applejack said. She pulled out an undecorated caramel apple and passed it to Rainbow Dash. “On the house.”
“Thanks, Applejack! You’re the best!” Rainbow Dash said. She bit into the caramel apple, but became confused when she failed to get any of the apple into her mouth. She attacked the apple again, but still without success. After gnawing for twenty seconds, Rainbow Dash had managed to pulverize the apple underneath, but still it remained in its protective coating.
“Wait a minute,” she said, taking a closer look at the apple. “This isn’t caramel, it’s rubber!” She flew into the kitchen, heading for Applejack.
By this point, the cowpony was sprawled on the floor, laughing her hat off. “You should’ve seen yourself! First you were all”—she imitated Rainbow Dash’s perplexed look—“and then you were all rawr rawr rawr”—she imitated her furious chewing—“and now you’re staring at me all mad-like!”
Rainbow Dash’s irritation couldn’t last in the face of Applejack’s laughter. Soon she and Pinkie Pie joined her in uproarious laughter. Even Granny Smith was caught chuckling.
“That was some prank, Applejack. You got me good,” Rainbow Dash admitted.
“Anytime, pardner,” Applejack said, rising to her hooves.
“Ooh, I never knew you had it in you to prank like that!” Pinkie Pie said.
“Yeah, Ah…” Applejack said before pausing. The only pony known to like pranking as much as Rainbow Dash was Pinkie Pie. “Ah don’t think that was me, though.”
“Don’t be a silly filly! That was all your idea!” Pinkie Pie said.
“Yeah, if you have ideas like that, you should totally hang out with me on Nightmare Night!” Rainbow Dash suggested.
A small part of her wanted to do just that, yet it didn’t feel right. “But pranks just aren’t honest!” Applejack protested.
“Nightmare Night is all about pranks and frights! And candy,” Pinkie Pie mentioned, tossing some candy corn into her mouth.
“Nightmare Night is one night where everypony expects to get pranked! For just one night, it’s totally honest,” Rainbow Dash said.
“You know, Ah never thought about it that way,” Applejack said. She looked at Granny Smith and the pastries in progress throughout the kitchen. She gazed out the window to the farm, where Big McIntosh was working, preparing to run the hay ride on Nightmare Night. “But Ah have my responsibilities, just like the rest of mah family.”
“But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!” Rainbow Dash said.
“Sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said, going back to preparing apple pie filling.
“Or, all you need is somepony to take your place and sell for you!” Pinkie Pie suggested.
“But who? Big McIntosh already has a job, Granny Smith needs to be in bed, and Ah’m not gonna stop Apple Bloom from havin’ fun that night,” Applejack replied.
“Well, I know a pony who knows her way around pastries, loves games, knows how to sell, and is ready to help you out!” Pinkie Pie looked at Applejack, smiling. “Me!”
Simultaneously, bowls fell from the hooves of Applejack and Granny Smith.
“Ah… Ah don’t think that’s a good…” Applejack started.
“I promise to sell your baked goods with the honesty and integrity for which the Apple family is known, and I promise to sell the quality of your apples every time a pony goes bobbing for apples,” Pinkie Pie said solemnly. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She finished the motions, ending by sticking an actual cupcake in her eye, just before consuming it.
Skeptical, Applejack turned to her grandmother. “Whaddaya think, Granny?”
“Why, even I know to trust a pony who makes a Pinkie Promise!”
Applejack harrumphed. “Well, Ah suppose so. But Ah’m still gonna handle the bakin’.”
“So, uh, you want to prank with me on Nightmare Night?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“What the heck. Might as well make use of all this craziness.”
The next morning, Applejack was back in the orchard, harvesting fresh apples for the afternoon’s baking. Without the strange feeling of being watched bothering her, she actually felt lonely. There was plenty of time between kicks to think of ideas for Nightmare Night, but nopony to talk with about these ideas.
Late in the morning, Applejack noticed a rainbow streak in the sky. She smiled as it headed straight for the farm. Seconds later, Rainbow Dash skidded to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Howdy, Rainbow!” Applejack greeted her. “Care for a peppermint stick?”
Rainbow Dash reached out to the box of candy Applejack offered her. But rather than pull out a candy, her hoof was caught as a metal mousetrap snapped shut.
Applejack guffawed. Rainbow Dash wiped the surprise from her face. “Eh. That one’s overdone. Every foal knows it.”
“Yeah, yeah. So I thought I’d stop by on break and….”
“Break from what? Sure don’t look like yer workin’,” Applejack interjected.
“…stop by and hear about your ideas for Nightmare Night,” Rainbow Dash finished. “Are you going as a scarecrow again?”
“Ah’m gonna give that one to Pinkie. It’s tradition, you know. As for me, Ah’m goin’ as the coolest pony in Ponyville.” Applejack smiled deviously.
“If you need a wig, talk to Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash suggested. “As for me, a little yellow dye, a few clothes from Rarity, and I’m set. How about pranks? Got some more good ideas?”
“Well…” Applejack said, and then paused. “Ah want you to tell me the honest truth, Rainbow. Is this all just some big prank that you and Pinkie are pullin’ on me?”
“What? No! Why would you think that?” Rainbow Dash replied.
“It sure was mighty nice of Pinkie to offer to sell pies and help ponies bob for apples, but you expect me to believe she’s gonna give up free candy and frightenin’ foals?” Applejack said.
“She’s our friend! Friends do nice things for each other!” Rainbow Dash immediately said. “Look, there’s no trick, Applejack. If Pinkie Pie is planning some big prank, it’ll be a surprise to me, too.”
“Ah believe ya, Rainbow. Still’s mighty nice for Pinkie to give up free candy.”
“It’s very generous of her,” Rainbow Dash said.
Applejack smirked. “Think she’s turnin’ into Rarity?”
“That would be the worst… possible… thing!” both mares said in unison. They collapsed to the ground, laughing until they had trouble breathing.
Applejack was first to recover, and got to her hooves, helping Rainbow Dash up. “As for Nightmare Night, mah first thought was to make like Rainbow, and wing it,” she said, smiling. “But let me tell you what Ah have in mind for somepony bobbin’ for apples….”
Nightmare Night. What a fright. For Applejack, it had long ago ceased being frightening, as it was little more than another opportunity to give back to the community and sell a few tasty treats. For the first time in—had it really been nine years?—she was attending the festivities as an ordinary partier.
Ponyville always looked different at night, and it was even stranger to see the small town awash in activity after dark. Ponies, mostly in costumes, walked through a market square that was as busy as any day in the height of summer. Multicolor lanterns cast enough light that it was easy to see, but these lights left long shadows and patches of darkness between buildings. It was the perfect atmosphere for the evening.
The darkness also provided a great place for a pony to hide, particularly for ponies in certain kinds of costumes. Applejack kept her eye out for Rainbow Dash. She was fairly certain the mare would be dressed as her new literary hero; she didn’t need any Pinkie Sense to make that guess. After a few minutes of searching, Applejack found her target.
Rainbow Dash flew aboard a storm cloud, sticking close to the ground. Some large amount of yellow dye changed her coat to resemble that of the pegasus adventurer Daring Do. Similarly, gray dye concealed the colors of her mane and tail, creating a mane of different shades of gray that closely resembled the common representation of the character. An olive vest and tan pith helmet completed the costume.
While Daring Do had eyesight that was the stuff of legends, Rainbow Dash missed the cloaked figure in the shadows. With a quick leap, Applejack landed next to Rainbow Dash.
“Ah!” Rainbow Dash yelled in surprise, nearly losing her pith helmet. She turned to face the interloper, and scowled. “Oh, no, you didn’t,” she said.
Applejack laughed as she removed the hat and mask of her Mysterious Mare-Do-Well outfit. “Ah did say I was goin’ as the coolest pony in Ponyville, sugarcube” she said. “’Sides, I already had this costume at home.”
“Is that cloudwalking spell going to last all night?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Applejack looked down, and realized she was standing on a cloud, without having received such a spell. “Twitchy tail!” she yelled, the appendage flopping crazily, just before she fell to the ground. After picking herself up, she muttered something about stopping by Twilight’s. “See you back here?” she said.
“Sure thing!”
Twilight Sparkle smiled as she opened the door to the library. “Well, if it isn’t the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, savior of Ponyville and friend to all!” she said.
“Thanks, Twi,” Applejack replied. She examined Twilight’s costume, a long green dress in nature patterns, with a darker green shawl and gold corded necklace. “Lookin’ good, even if your outfit’s got me stumped again.”
Twilight Sparkle frowned. “I’m Clover the Clever! Everypony should recognize me!”
Applejack assessed her friend’s outfit. “But Ah thought Clover wore that simple brown cloak, tied off with a rope.”
“No, no, no!” Twilight Sparkle stomped her hooves. “That’s just her presentation in the Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant. While I can understand that representation, to highlight the humility that tempered the wizard’s brilliance, she was still an advisor to the Royal Court.” Twilight Sparkle paced around the room, looking much like a professor addressing her class. “As a respected wizard and advisor, and hailing from a time when clothing was much more common and formal among the nobility, it should be expected that Clover would follow the lead of the nobility. Besides, as one of the founders of modern Equestria, there are dozens of portraits of her surviving from classical times. A visit to any museum in Equestria would show a portrait of Clover the Clever, looking much like this,” she lectured. “I even have thirteen different varieties of clover represented in the patterns of my dress! Doesn’t anypony study unicorn history anymore?”
“Uh, Twi?” Applejack finally interrupted.
“What? Oh.” Twilight Sparkle looked past Applejack, seeing nearly a dozen foals waiting patiently for candy. She quickly remedied the situation by levitating candy into each pony’s bag. The foals mumbled thanks before departing in haste. “So what brought you here?” Twilight Sparkle asked Applejack.
“Ah was hopin’ to get a cloudwalkin’ spell for the evenin’,” Applejack replied.
“Now that I can do,” the unicorn replied. A magenta glow from her horn formed into a mist that coalesced around Applejack’s hooves. “But why do you need a cloudwalking spell to run your booth?”
“Ah’m doin’ somethin’ a little more fun tonight,” Applejack said with a smile.
“So, are you all set?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Applejack jumped onto the cloud again. “Sure am! Look, Ah can even look down and see Ah’m on a cloud, and Ah don’t fall!”
“Okay. Wait, what?”
“Ah… really don’t know.” Thinking about what she had done earlier, she felt something unlike Pinkie Sense. There were similarities, but this power somehow felt older, like a foundation upon which Pinkie Pie’s abilities were built.
“Never mind that. What do you want to do first?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“First things first. Ah’m gonna be responsible, and check on Pinkie,” Applejack stated seriously. But Rainbow Dash noticed a smile trying to break out of the stern visage. With that, she pushed the cloud across the market square.
It didn’t take long to find the Apple family booth. Pinkie Pie, dressed as a scarecrow, greeted them animatedly. “Welcome to the Apple family booth! Buc-KAW! We’ve got tasty treats for you! Moon apples, apple tarts, and moon pies! SQUAWK! And you can bob for the tastiest apples in Equestria!”
“Uh, Pinkie, yer not a chicken this year,” Applejack said.
“I know that, you silly filly!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “Since I’m a scarecrow, I’m talking like a scarecrow!”
“But that’s not what scarecrows sound like!” Applejack protested.
“So, how do they sound?” Pinkie Pie countered.
“Uh….” That stumped Applejack. “Oh, Pinkie, yer so random,” she finally said, admitting defeat.
“So, did you pull any super duper awesome pranks yet?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Not yet. Ah wanted to make sure y’all were all set first,” Applejack said.
“Everything’s great!” Pinkie Pie replied. “And look, there’s another sale!” Pinkie Pie dropped two bits into the chest and popped an apple tart into her mouth.
Applejack smiled. There was a good chance Pinkie Pie would buy any food she failed to sell. It would be a good night. Then, she remembered something she wanted to do here. She turned, and whispered to Rainbow Dash. The rainbow-maned mare smiled.
“Ohmygosh! Is that a giant cake in the shape of Princess Luna?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, pointing off to the distance.
“Where? Where?” Pinkie Pie turned around, rapidly turning her head and scanning the market square. Meanwhile, Applejack hopped down, slipped an elastic cord out from under her hat, and dipped into the apple-filled tub.
Once Applejack finished, she jumped back onto Rainbow Dash’s cloud. Taking the cue, Rainbow Dash spoke again. “Sorry, Pinkie, I guess it was just my eyes playing tricks on me.”
“Awww,” Pinkie Pie replied dejectedly. Her spirits lifted when she saw an earth pony colt approach the booth. He was dressed as a sportspony, carrying a mallet, smaller than the croquet mallets she was most familiar with. “Welcome to the Apple family booth! SQUAWK! We’ve got tasty treats for you! Moon apples, apple tarts, and moon pies! Buc-buc-BUCKAW! And you can bob for the tastiest apples in Equestria!”
“I’d like to bob for an apple!” the colt said, passing Pinkie Pie one bit.
Applejack nudged Rainbow Dash as the colt dunked his head in the water. Both mares poked their heads over the edge of the cloud. The colt sunk his teeth into a juicy Red Delicious apple and lifted his head. But something was fighting him!
Applejack and Rainbow Dash laughed as the colt struggled with the apple, which had the elastic cord wrapped around it and attached to the bottom of the tub. Finally, the struggle was too much, and the elastic cord snapped back, pulling the colt into the tub.
Applejack hopped down and helped the colt out of the tub. “Happy Nightmare Night!” she said to the sopping wet colt. “Guess you’re all set to play water polo now!”
“Thanks for the rescue, Mysterious Mare-Do-Well! And let me thank you in the best way I know how.” The colt grinned and shook off the water, getting Applejack all wet.
Applejack couldn’t help but laugh. She pulled an apple out of the tub and tossed it to him. “And you enjoy your Nightmare Night.”
Pinkie Pie scowled at Applejack. “That’ll be one bit for the apple, Miss. Don’t make Aunt Pinkie scold you!”
Applejack grumbled at having to pay for her own apple, but she was proud of Pinkie Pie for taking such good care of the booth.
The evening’s fun started with Rainbow Dash and Applejack passing out candies to passing foals. These candies featured all the prank classics, including dirt-flavored jellybeans, hot pepper lollipops, “gassy taffy”, and of course peppermint sticks from the box with the spring trap. Several rubber caramel apples were given to unsuspecting parents. Once these supplies were exhausted, the two mares searched the crowds for ponies in need of a shocking surprise.
A pegasus stallion, one of the ponies on the weather team, was Rainbow Dash’s first target. She coaxed lightning out of the storm cloud, singing his flank. As soon as he looked up, she delivered two more bolts to the ground by his forehooves, forcing him to jump.
“Daring Do, history’s greatest adventurer, does not take kindly to somepony hiding her book and placing a cheesy romance novel in its dust jacket!” Rainbow Dash called.
“Admit it, Dash, you enjoyed Fillydelphia Heat,” the stallion retorted.
“Not cool, Cyclone! And just you remember what happens when you try to get me. I will not be outpranked!” Rainbow Dash claimed.
“Just you wait, Dash, you never know when I might strike again,” he replied.
As the stallion left, Applejack nudged her friend. “Is this normal for your job?” she asked.
“What? Pranks? Oh, sure. I enjoy a good prank, and I run a weather department with a focus on fun. Collecting moisture from the weather factory, moving clouds, generating rain… all important, but none of these tasks are interesting. So it makes everyone happy if we play a game of dodgebolt before we set off a storm,” Rainbow Dash explained.
“Dodgebolt? Ah don’t wanna know,” Applejack said, though she had her suspicions.
“I guess things are different on your farm?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Yeah, not a lot of pranks, given it’s just family,” Applejack said. “It’s also important work, but Ah admit it’s hard to make it sound interestin’. Ah love it—apples are in my blood—but it’s not excitin’ like savin’ the Crystal Ponies or somethin’. Ah guess we use competition to liven things up.”
“Really?” Rainbow Dash replied in interest.
“Yeah. Back when Ah was a filly, Big McIntosh promised to buy me a toy Ah wanted if Ah could outbuck him. Ah never did, but that taught me hard work felt good. Maybe not in the middle of it, but at the end of the day, nothin’s better than knowin’ you worked real hard.” Applejack sighed wistfully. “Ah can still remember the first day I beat my brother. Ah was two days shy of fourteen. He had a cold, but a victory’s a victory.”
“And speaking of competitions,” Rainbow Dash started.
“You are goin’ down next week!” Applejack stated.
“You’re welcome to try, workhorse,” Rainbow Dash retorted. She smiled. “Look! I think I see a pony who needs a shocking surprise!”
Applejack followed Rainbow Dash’s gaze, and saw her brother, pulling his hay-filled cart, with some young fillies enjoying the ride. In his black suit, he played the wagon driver from Tartarus, the mythological figure known to drive ponies to their doom. He worked in silence; nopony knew if this wagon ride would be their last.
But something was different this year. A mummy was keeping Big McIntosh company as he tended to his rounds; the two ponies were walking side by side. Applejack remembered a couple of mummies from past years, but never one with canary yellow wings sticking out of the wrappings.
Applejack grabbed Rainbow Dash’s pith helmet and pulled it over her eyes. “Don’t you dare surprise those two,” she ordered.
“Okay, okay,” Rainbow Dash said, returning her helmet to its rightful place. Checking out the scene again, the pegasus rubbed her eyes. “Is that…? No way!”
“Ah’ve gotta get that story out of my brother after we’re done!”
Several more ponies got shocked before the night was over. Applejack was glad Rainbow Dash was having fun, but she wanted another big prank to end the night. Suddenly, she was inspired.
“Look, there’re a couple of ponies who need to get into the spirit of Nightmare Night!” Applejack said. She pointed, and Rainbow Dash spotted the pair of unicorns. They were dressed up, but not in costume.
“Let’s give ‘em a little fright,” Rainbow Dash said, and got ready to discharge another bolt from the cloud.
“No, wait, let’s do something special,” Applejack suggested. Rainbow Dash flew the cloud close enough so that they could eavesdrop.
“Dirt roads. How quaint,” Jet Set scoffed.
“I can’t believe we’re here, getting our hooves dirty,” Upper Crust replied. “I do enjoy slumming, but this is ridiculous!”
“Princess Luna did speak highly of this celebration. I had hopes, but I’m disappointed. There’s just no atmosphere,” Jet Set complained.
“So, they want atmosphere, eh?” Rainbow Dash said, smirking. Her wings unfurled, and she took off. Flying in a circular pattern, she began to form a small whirlwind. Then, with a kick and a solid blast from her wings, she directed the wind down the street, at speeds normally only seen in fierce thunderstorms.
The sweater tied around Jet Set’s neck by its sleeves flew up, covering his face. It snagged on his horn as he tried to remove it. The wind blew away Upper Crust’s hat. She struggled to catch it and move it with her magic as the wind persisted. Meanwhile, the wind was knocking her perfect manestyle out of order.
“Ah think we can add a little to this fun,” Applejack said, pointing to the cloud.
Rainbow Dash pressed her hooves into the cloud. Rain started to fall from the cloud. Caught in the gale, it flew sideways, soaking the snobbish unicorns.
“This weather has suddenly turned dreadful!” Upper Crust complained.
Rainbow Dash smiled, and kicked the cloud. Lightning struck just behind the unicorns.
“We must seek shelter immediately, dear!” Jet Set said. The unicorns retreated into the nearest building, a local business. Fortunately for them, the door was open.
A minute later, the wind died down. Rainbow Dash gave several light taps to the cloud, shutting off the rain and preserving its form for them to sit on.
“I hope they enjoyed a little piece of Ponyville’s atmosphere!” Rainbow Dash said. “But too bad for that shopkeeper!”
“Ah think things are gonna work out all right for her,” Applejack said confidently. And with that, they departed the vicinity of Carousel Boutique.
As the evening ended, ponies of all ages congregated in the market square. The new addition to Ponyville’s Nightmare Night celebration had been the talk of the town. Rather than leave candy at the statue of Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna had promised to return, using the guise of Nightmare Moon, to frighten the town once more. But nopony knew when she would show up.
Suddenly, a dark cloud formed over the market square. Bats squealed as they flew around the cloud. The wind picked up, and light seemed to disappear into the darkness of the cloud. The crowd gasped and stared, mesmerized by this display of power.
Pinkie Pie was one of two mares unimpressed. She stuffed her scarecrow costume with tarts, but looked to the other side of the market square.
Applejack was the other unimpressed mare. “Eh. That’s not her,” she said.
As the dark display continued, a shape rose from behind the crowd. Princess Luna quickly placed some fake teeth in her mouth, and then cloaked herself in darkness. She poked the back of the pony in front of her. The unsuspecting mare turned around.
“BOO!” Princess Luna bellowed. The mare in front of her jumped back in fright. The sounds of screams and dropped bags of candy were then replaced by laughter and conversation. All the foals surrounded the night princess, holding forth offerings of candy.
“Welcome, my subjects!” she declared. “Your actions and offerings tonight have pleased me. You shall be safe from Nightmare Moon for another year!” All around, ponies cheered. Applejack whooped and hollered.
Rainbow Dash, however, was maneuvering her storm cloud. “I’ve been waiting all year for this,” she said, smiling. But before she could kick the cloud, she noticed a small cloud hovering under Princess Luna’s wing. The night princess smiled and turned slightly, looking at the cloud, then at Rainbow Dash. She lifted her wing, revealing the cloud in all its glory. Lightning crackled over its surface. It looked like a thousand storm clouds condensed into one. Princess Luna’s hind leg rose towards the cloud.
“On second thought, this can wait another year,” Rainbow Dash concluded.
Not wanting the night to end just yet, Applejack and Rainbow Dash joined Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie in the library. Still in costume, it was the perfect way for Nightmare Night to continue.
“I still have two tarts and three moon apples left!” She obviously wasn’t counting the eleven tarts and five apples sticking out of her costume. Pinkie Pie offered a basket with the leftovers to Applejack, along with the chest holding the night’s revenue.
“Ah thank you again for helpin’ us out, Pinkie,” Applejack said. “But this night just doesn’t feel right until Ah do it myself.” She opened the basket and held out the two kinds of goodies. “Ah’ve got delicious apple tarts and Mare in the Moon caramel apples! Two bits each! Who’ll buy the first treat?”
“Me! Me!” replied Pinkie Pie.
“I’ve had taste for apples all night,” Rainbow Dash said. She blushed as Pinkie Pie snickered at the double entendre. “Apple treats!” the pegasus corrected herself. “I’ll take a tart and a caramel apple.”
“That’ll be four bits,” Applejack said. Rainbow Dash hoofed over the coins, and claimed her prize.
“None for me, thanks,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Wow, Pinkie Pie passing on Nightmare Night festivities? I never expected that!”
“Oh, I did it to help a friend, and that’s always fun!” Pinkie Pie replied excitedly. “Did you have fun, Applejack?”
“Ah did. It was nice to spend one night just embracin’ this little surprise of yours that’s in me,” Applejack replied.
“Oooh, a surprise of mine? Where? Where?” Pinkie Pie said, looking all around the library.
As Pinkie Pie started checking under furniture, Twilight Sparkle continued the conversation. “I had a lot of fun tonight, even if Princess Luna was again the only pony to recognize my costume.”
“Ah didn’t even see you talkin’ to her,” Applejack said.
“Oh, I was,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “She was in a variety of disguises all night, enjoying the party just like a regular pony, before she made her grand entrance.”
“You gotta tell me next year!” Rainbow Dash said. “I missed my opportunity to prank her, again!”
“Maybe you’ll have to keep your eyes open,” Twilight Sparkle said. “And how about you, Rainbow Dash? How was Nightmare Night?”
“Well, I didn’t get Princess Luna back for shocking me last year,” she replied. “But other than that? Best Nightmare Night ever!”
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Chapter 5: The Running of the Leaves
Everypony gathered around Town Hall, chatting with friends and acquaintances. A makeshift stage and podium had been erected, and Mayor Mare was there, just waiting for noon to arrive. At the designated time, she addressed the crowd. “Good afternoon, everypony. Please be quiet, so that everypony can hear.”
The crowd grew quiet, and the mayor continued. “This weekend is the annual Running of the Leaves. As per Ponyville tradition, we will run on a trail around town and through the Whitetail Wood, to shake the leaves off the trees before winter arrives. I know you’re all eager to help. Now, I’ll turn the podium over to the organizer for this year’s run, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight Sparkle stepped onto the stage, taking the podium as the mayor stepped aside. “Thank you, Mayor. After discussing matters with Mayor Mare and several prominent townsponies, I have come up with a new, more efficient organization for this year’s race.
“There will be three groups running this weekend. The main run will begin at eleven o’clock in the morning. This run will be most familiar to you all, with a focus on dropping the leaves from the tree. It’s a chance to spend time with your fellow ponies, help out the town, and get some good exercise. At three o’clock in the afternoon, we’re asking pegasi to participate in a fly through the Whitetail Wood. There are some leaves that just won’t fall, so this will be a chance to use your wings to make sure all the leaves have fallen.
“Finally, for those of you with a more competitive mindset, we’re starting off the Running of the Leaves at eight o’clock in the morning with a race. Each participant will be timed. But since the point of the race is to shake the leaves off the trees, you will also be scored on how many leaves you drop. I’ve just finished researching a spell that will follow the magic from a pony’s body to the trees and leaves, and enable us to count the fallen leaves. Thus, for the competitive race, each pony will be scored fifty percent on speed and fifty percent on how many leaves that pony knocks off the trees.
In the crowd, a light blue pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane shot into the air. “Oh, COME ON!” she yelled.
On stage, Twilight Sparkle was giving final instruction on signing up for one’s preferred run. In the crowd, not far from Rainbow Dash, Applejack smirked. “Looks like the race is all mine this year,” she said confidently.
Rainbow Dash flew down to Applejack’s eye level and threw her forelegs into the air. “This is totally uncool! How am I supposed to compete against your big legs?”
“You callin’ me fat, airhead?” Applejack challenged.
“No, it’s just your…” Rainbow Dash said, looking at Applejack’s legs. She quickly looked away. “You’re an earth pony, and you can kick apples off a tree, so of course you’re going to be better at shaking the leaves off the trees!”
“You ever try it, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.
“I… uh, no,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“It’s not too hard. Stop by the farm tomorrow, and Ah’ll show you,” Applejack suggested. “If you can keep your hooves on the ground enough to knock down at least half the leaves Ah do, Ah guarantee Ah’ll beat your time.”
“That sounds like a challenge,” Rainbow Dash said, leaning in closer to Applejack.
“It is,” Applejack said, not giving an inch.
Rainbow Dash flew back and spit into her hoof. Applejack repeated the gesture. They placed their hooves together.
“You’re on,” both ponies said.
Rainbow Dash flew away, leaving Applejack sensing a little feeling of disappointment from those watching her.
“So why am I here again?”
Applejack just stared at Rainbow Dash, and then pointed to the apple trees around her. While their fruit had been harvested over the past month, the trees still had all their leaves. “You want practice droppin’ leaves from trees? Good thing there’s lots of trees here,” she said.
“But why do you have to get the leaves off the trees?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Same reason we do the Runnin’ of the Leaves,” Applejack replied. Upon seeing Rainbow Dash’s blank stare, she continued. “We need to do it before you pegasi bring the winter snow.”
“But why? Wouldn’t it help the trees in spring if they didn’t need to grow leaves again?”
Applejack facehoofed. “Ya gotta get on the ground more, airhead! Ah don’t know if you ever noticed, but snow is heavy! If the leaves stay on the trees, the snow gets caught up in ‘em, and then the branches break. And Ah’m not gonna let that happen to Sweet Apple Acres!”
“Eh. The clouds always feel like the same weight to me,” Rainbow Dash said. “So now, what do we do with the trees?”
“Just run around ‘em.” Applejack demonstrated by galloping around one apple tree. Her hooves impacted the ground solidly. The branches of the tree shook, almost imperceptibly, and before long, leaves sloughed off the branches, forming a skirt of orange and red. “Now you give it a try.”
Rainbow Dash circled another tree, consciously altering the normal light touch she used while walking. Keeping her wings folded and letting her full weight hit the ground with each step, she completed her circuit. She looked up, and saw a tree still covered in leaves. Her efforts only loosened one leaf, which fluttered down and poked her in the eye.
“Ow!” Rainbow Dash muttered.
“It was good first effort,” Applejack said, fighting back a snicker. “Why don’t ya try again?”
Rainbow Dash circled the same tree, hoping that her first attempt loosened the leaves. If it did, the four leaves that fell didn’t make it obvious.
“What is wrong with me?” Rainbow Dash shouted, jumping up and down. No more leaves fell.
“Didja ask?” Applejack inquired.
“Ask?”
“You know, ask. Ask the tree to shed its leaves,” Applejack explained.
“Hey, tree, drop your leaves!” Rainbow Dash shouted. The tree, being a tree, didn’t react.
Applejack facehoofed again. “Didn’t ya ever pay attention in class?” she said, exasperated. “Oh, Celestia,” she muttered.
“Eh, not so much,” Rainbow Dash said. “I had better things to do.”
“So did Ah,” Applejack replied. “Ah wanted to go out and work, but Ma and Pa and Granny Smith wouldn’t cotton to me bein’ a lazy student. If you want the full egghead explanation, go talk to Twilight, but every schoolfoal learns that magic’s just a reflection of your will. If it weren’t, then every critter in the woods would knock the leaves off the trees just by walkin’ by.”
“Yeah, maybe I remember hearing about that in class,” Rainbow Dash said.
“So it’s not just landin’ on the ground hard with each step, it’s wantin’ the leaves to fall. It’s magic that comes easiest to us earth ponies, but it’s not beyond anypony’s abilities,” Applejack explained. “Whaddaya think? Want to give it another try?”
“Fine,” Rainbow Dash said. She stared at the tree, giving it her best intimidating gaze. The tree, being a cool customer, was unfazed. This time, her steps around the tree knocked off a quarter of the leaves.
“Try bein’ nicer,” Applejack suggested.
“Nicer? It’s just a tree, Applejack!” Rainbow Dash replied.
Applejack loomed over Rainbow Dash. “You did not just say that, Rainbow,” she hissed.
Rainbow Dash rose to respond to the challenge. Staring into Applejack’s eyes, she saw a hint of sadness behind the anger. The pegasus’ retort died in her throat. She remembered all the things that were important to her. The Wonderbolts were just a flying team. Daring Do was just a book series. Applejack was just a.... Okay, the way she named a tree Bloomberg and talked to it as if it were a baby was a little strange, but the tree was obviously important to her, in the way the clouds she created never were. “I’m sorry,” she croaked. “I’ll never have that same connection to these trees that you do.”
Applejack smiled. She turned to the tree and gave it a gentle pat. “See, Longbranch? She’s sorry. Now why don’t you give her another try?”
Okay, back to creepy, Rainbow Dash thought. She focused again on the tree, trying to send a helpful urge with each hooffall. The pegasus was surprised to feel leaves accumulating in her feathers as she went along.
“Good job, Rainbow!” Applejack said. Rainbow Dash looked up. There were still a noticeable number of leaves, but it worked!
“No problem at all!” Rainbow Dash said cockily.
“We’ll see about that, sugarcube. Not all trees are as nice as Longbranch here.”
Applejack continued to show off techniques useful to get the leaves off the trees. Rainbow Dash would fail at each of her first attempts, often in hilarious ways. But with practice, she picked up these techniques. She wasn’t going to knock down more leaves than Applejack, but with her newfound understanding of this magic, the pegasus wasn’t going to be embarrassed about her performance.
The two ponies finished clearing the branches of the trees in the north orchard. “Thanks for yer help, Rainbow. Least Ah could do is offer you lunch,” Applejack said.
“You had me at lunch,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“That was the last thing Ah said,” Applejack commented. She started back to the farmhouse, humming an up-tempo tune.
“What song is that?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Applejack reflected on the song. As she had trained Rainbow Dash, she had felt those watchers occasionally, for a few seconds at a time, normally when something new or funny was happening. There was music in the background. Taking all those moments together, there was the song she was now humming.
“Just a little somethin’ Ah picked up,” Applejack replied.
Rainbow Dash’s wings twitched as she drank her apple soup. “Stupid leaves!” she complained.
“Well, Ah warned you that Old Gnarlroot was a cranky tree,” Applejack lectured. “Ah told you to be gentle.”
“Yeah, but did the tree really have to drop that sap on me?” Rainbow Dash shook her wing. “Twigs. Leaves. Argh! They’re not coming out!”
Applejack laughed. “Just finish your soup, and then use the shower. If there’s one thing mah sister has taught me, it’s that hot water and a little scrubbin’ will take care of tree sap.”
Rainbow Dash took another sip of soup, the twitching in her wings increasing in pace. Finally, she lifted the bowl of soup to her mouth, and drank the rest of it in one large gulp. Applejack felt her tail twitch, then her hoof itch, her eye bug out, her left ear twitch, and her right ear flop. That means a big mess with food, she thought, holding her own bowl.
Rainbow Dash dropped her bowl on the table, and before it even finished vibrating, she had already flown upstairs. The extremely fast flight of a powerful pegasus tends to wreak havoc when unleashed in a confined space. Having the contents of a soup bowl blown onto one’s face and mane tends to make that point very obvious.
Applejack grumbled, heading over to the sink to wash her face and neck. She undid her ponytail to wipe out the small amount of soup that had blown into her mane. And I’m still hungry, she thought. Something felt wrong. She touched her head, and found her hat was no longer on her head. She looked over at the soup pot, and realized her hat was now resting in the soup pot.
The hungry and irate mare headed to the back room of the house. She pulled out the laundry soap and cleaned the food out of her hat. But it would have to spend the rest of the day drying. So, Applejack headed upstairs, to her bedroom. Normally, she’d hang her hat on the bedpost, but when it gets wet, it has to be treated gently. That lesson from her father played over and over in her mind.
Applejack turned her hat upside down and placed it on her nightstand. It’s bad luck to set your hat on the bed, Pa said. She flipped the sweat band inside out, to make sure it dried without shrinking. Her stomach growled again. A little hat flavoring in the soup wouldn’t hurt anypony.
Applejack stepped into the hallway the same moment Rainbow Dash exited the bathroom. The pegasus’ mane lay flat on her head, still damp. The two mares stared at each other.
“Thanksforyourhelpgottagobye!” Rainbow Dash said before leaving out the nearest exit, one of the windows.
Over the rest of the week, Applejack and her family cleared the remaining leaves from the trees in their orchard. It was good practice for the weekend, as well as necessary work. If family lore held true, the Zap Apples would be coming sometime next week, and that would monopolize all their time. Best to get this chore out of the way now.
Applejack rose before dawn the day of the Running of the Leaves. It was hard for her to sleep. She hadn’t been this nervous about a competition since… since ever, really. Even during rodeo last year, getting ready to start her last event, her last chance to win the prize money she promised Ponyville, she didn’t feel nervous. She remained confident.
But this. Did she make a bet her legs couldn’t back up? Rainbow Dash was fast, even without her wings. And even if Applejack scored better in Twilight Sparkle’s convoluted point system, it wouldn’t be a win if she didn’t cross the finish line first.
After attending to her morning chores, Applejack walked over to the starting line. Ponies were setting up bleachers and stalls. Twilight Sparkle was among the ponies already there. “Sorry, Applejack, I’m not ready to admit racers yet,” she said.
“That’s okay, sugarcube,” Applejack replied. “Ah’m just lookin’ to get a feel for the forest today.”
Twilight Sparkle stared at her sternly. “No funny business, right?”
“Of course not. Ah learned mah lesson good,” Applejack said. “But if Ah’m gonna knock down the most leaves, I gotta know how the trees feel.”
Twilight Sparkle nodded. “Good luck. Oh, and I’ve narrowed my research down somewhat, but I still don’t have an answer.”
“Answer to what?” Applejack wondered. Oh, that. “Look, Ah meant it when Ah said that new spell for the Running was more important. Shucks, that’s gotta be the hundredth spell you’ve created.”
“One hundred and eighteenth, counting only those spells officially submitted to the Mage’s Guild in Canterlot,” Twilight Sparkle clarified. “In any case, I know you’re not subject to any mage-created spell, so no curses or enchantments, and it’s not mineral in origin, but I haven’t been able to narrow down the mundane sources further than that.”
“Ah’ll worry about that later. See ya at eight,” Applejack said. She headed into the Whitetail Wood and listened, feeling the magic around her. The oaks were eager to shed their leaves, the maples bothered by the taps draining their sap, and the pine trees were just wondering what the big deal was. She quickly synthesized her leaf strategy, and prepared to stretch her muscles.
“That was fast,” Twilight Sparkle commented.
Applejack looked behind her. She had just visited trees throughout the Whitetail Wood, a circuit that takes more than two hours to complete at a full gallop, in a matter of minutes.
“Ah will win this thing fair and square,” Applejack said to herself.
“Everypony, please form a single line to receive your number and the spell,” Twilight Sparkle called. The group of dedicated racers, about twenty ponies in total, formed a line. About a hundred townsponies turned out to watch the race before running later in the morning.
“Here you go, Applejack. You’ll be Number 3, for three apples,” Twilight Sparkle said. Her horn glowed, and energy encased Applejack’s hooves.
“Sounds fine,” Applejack replied.
Five ponies later, it was Rainbow Dash’s turn. “Here you go, Rainbow Dash, Number 1.2.”
“What kind of number is 1.2?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“It’s 20% cooler than Number 1!” Twilight Sparkle replied cheerily. Rainbow Dash groaned.
The pegasus shot into the air as Twilight Sparkle cast her spell. “You should have warned me, Twilight! I don’t like ponies touching my hooves!”
“I wasn’t touching them. It’s just a little magic,” Twilight Sparkle said.
Applejack smiled upon seeing Rainbow Dash’s reaction. “If a little magic bothers you, what makes you think you have a chance today?” she taunted.
“I know I’m the better athlete, and I’m going to prove it again,” Rainbow Dash replied.
A few minutes later, everypony was checked in. “May I have your attention?” Twilight Sparkle called. “The route for this year’s race is unchanged. It has been marked clearly with yellow arrows. If you see a red arrow, that means somepony has moved the arrow.” She looked at Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “The arrow will turn yellow when it is again pointing in the right direction.”
Twilight Sparkle’s horn glowed, and a blackboard appeared just on the other side of the finish line. “When you cross the finish line, your time and your ranking in terms of number of leaves felled will be recorded. Because of the magic spell on your hooves, your time will be recorded automatically. No matter how close the race, the winner will be known.
“Pinkie Pie will again be providing aerial commentary from the balloon. And that about wraps it up. Let’s have a good, clean race, and watch out for tree stumps!”
The unicorn took a position near the starting line. The racers knew what that meant, and took their positions. “On your mark, get set, GO!” Twilight Sparkle announced.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash took no time in taking the lead. The earth pony veered to the right, where the trees looked a little larger. She willed her sympathetic feelings to flow through the earth to these trees, urging them to shed their leaves. A cascade of browns, oranges, and yellows followed her.
Rainbow Dash remembered her lessons well. Plenty of leaves fell down after she passed. She took it seriously, for once, Applejack thought. It wouldn’t surprise her to learn that she had practiced on her own over the last few days.
Applejack respected Rainbow Dash’s preparation, and so was unwilling to take anything for granted. She paced herself, keeping up with Rainbow Dash, for the first half of the race. Sometimes she pulled ahead, sometimes she lagged, but she was always within sight of her. They exchanged friendly taunts as they passed. By keeping her speed relatively slow, she made sure she was able to focus on the leaves. Near the end of the race, that might need to be set aside to focus on speed, so best to rack up the leaf count early.
Applejack also kept an eye on the other competitors. The confectioner, Bon-Bon, was a surprisingly hardy runner. And Applejack’s agricultural rival, Golden Harvest, was always near the front, her distinctive carrot-colored mane visible. Beating her, in both time and leaves felled, was goal number two.
Rainbow Dash again caught up to Applejack, but rather than brag about how she was going to leave her in the dust, she asked “So why isn’t your brother racing?”
“He decided he’d rather do the fun run with Fluttershy,” Applejack replied.
“Well, good for him,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Yeah, it’s about time,” Applejack said. She had always thought there might be something between the two shy ponies. Getting the two of them to walk from Fluttershy’s cottage back to the farm must have gotten them to talking a little, and their time together on Nightmare Night even more. Her brother did seem unusually happy over the last week.
“Ah gotta ask him how he convinced Fluttershy to come out of her cottage on Nightmare Night,” Applejack said to herself. She smiled. That smile turned to a frown when she realized Rainbow Dash had passed her and left her in the dust. “Consarn it!”
With a few minutes’ worth of hard running, Applejack pulled even with her rival. “How dare you, usin’ my family to sneak ahead!” she scolded.
“All’s fair in love and running,” Rainbow Dash replied, increasing her speed.
Applejack assessed the situation and smiled. Rainbow Dash had already been running fast, and was now running faster than she had been the entire race. Applejack decided it was time to burn a bit of the energy she had been conserving. She sprinted forward, waving her hat to Rainbow Dash as she passed. As expected, Rainbow Dash matched, and then exceeded her speed.
Just a little more, Applejack thought. If Rainbow Dash hit the wall, she’d be much slower for the rest of the race. Then a horrible thought filled Applejack’s mind. “Metaphorical wall!” she shouted. Fortunately, no real wall suddenly appeared in the middle of the woods. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash slowed down. Applejack easily passed Rainbow Dash as she dropped her speed, but she knew she’d have to slow down herself.
Applejack again picked up the sound of hooves behind her. But these were different; the sound of shod hooves hitting the ground was distinctive. Shoeshine had decided to make a move. She had already passed Bon-Bon and Golden Harvest, and was pulling ahead of Rainbow Dash. Applejack noticed the pegasus didn’t react to being passed, and she agreed. With a half hour left in the race, Shoeshine couldn’t maintain that pace. The orange pony let herself fall into second place.
Fifteen minutes later, after passing a now slower Shoeshine, Applejack sensed Golden Harvest making her move. She wanted to conserve her energy for her final showdown with Rainbow Dash, but pride would not let her spend even a second behind her rival. Applejack kept her lead, but fatigue was rising.
Out of the Whitetail Wood. Back to Ponyville. Even Applejack’s thoughts were shortened by the fatigue she was feeling. Still, she pressed on. Keep going. The finish line was coming. Soon. Soon.
The sound of hooves. A light touch on the ground. Rainbow Dash. She was running fast enough to leave a rainbow streak behind her. Applejack told her body to ignore the pain, ignore the tiredness, and go. Run. Faster.
The finish line was in sight. She didn’t look back. She relied on instinct, relied on her other senses. She was just fast enough. Rainbow Dash was just slow enough. She would cross the finish line first. Then, she sensed it. She first felt it in her hooves, a different sensation from each step. Then, she heard it. Where once there were two sets of hooves creating a discordant rhythm, now there was only one. She finally spared a glance backwards. For the first time this race, Rainbow Dash had unfurled her wings, and had taken to the air. Without even enough time to gain altitude in this close race, the pegasus was flying close to the ground.
Oh, no you don’t.
Applejack jumped, grabbing her friend by the barrel. The extra weight pulled Rainbow Dash to the ground. Together, the two ponies rolled, a ball of legs and tails, right across the finish line, kicking up a tremendous cloud of dust. Their speed was so great that not even crashing through a table holding mugs of water slowed their movement.
When the two ponies’ rolling finally stopped, they finally dared to open their eyes. They had ended up under some bushes, still tangled together. They were dirty, sweaty, and wet. Thorns scratched their hides. Leaves were stuck in their manes. When Applejack’s breathing finally slowed enough to let her speak, she said “Ah won.”
“No way!” Rainbow Dash gasped between heavy breaths. “My hoof… clearly… crossed the… finish line… before… you kicked me….”
Applejack brushed her mane back. Somehow, in all the tumbling, she had lost her hat and her hair tie. Rainbow Dash fared little better, the mugs of water plastering her mane to her forehead. Applejack pushed a red lock off of Rainbow’s eyes. “Ah want you to look me in the eye and tell me you’re sure you won.”
Rainbow Dash did look Applejack in the eye, a red glow rising in her cheeks. She willed her mouth to work, but no words came.
Applejack felt a twitch in both ears, a tangle in her tail, an itch on her muzzle, and a flush on her face. She continued to stare at Rainbow Dash.
Back at the finish line, Twilight Sparkle was announcing something. It was two distant for either mare to understand, but the sound snapped Rainbow Dash to attention. “That’s probably our times!” she said. “Don’t you want to see who won?”
Applejack thought about times and leaves dropped and winning, about being out there. She thought about what was in here, thorns and branches and Rainbow Dash. “Buck that,” she said as she kissed Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash’s eyes popped open. There she was, the strong and competitive and fun pony, and that mane, that loose mane that hadn’t left her mind for three days. She eagerly returned the kiss.
After a seeming eternity of bliss and dreams finally realized, physiology reasserted itself, and the two ponies broke the kiss, gasping for breath. “Best Running of the Leaves ever!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
The two mares returned to making up for lost time, just the sound of each other’s breaths and heartbeats to track the time, plus the tapping of a hoof.
Wait, the tapping of a hoof?
Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned to see an impatient Pinkie Pie. One foreleg was lifting the branches of the bush, while the other was tapping the ground. “You’re late for your super quick and super surprise party!” she scolded.
“What party?” Applejack asked.
“The twitch in both ears, tangle in your tail, and itch on your muzzle means there’s a party in that tent over there!” Pinkie Pie explained.
Applejack thought back to that combo, which didn’t make any sense to her. “But what about the flush in the face?” she asked.
Pinkie Pie pointed a foreleg at each mare’s face. “Well, duh!”
Applejack started to stand up, but then looked at Pinkie Pie. She was pointing at them while still holding up the branch and tapping her hoof. “Uh, Pinkie, where’d you get those extra legs?” Applejack asked.
“It’s simple!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “Just count two and two and two!”
“Two and two and two?” Applejack echoed. Looking down, the farmpony saw six orange legs. “Ahhhh!” she screamed.
“This is such an odd time for a party!” Rarity complained.
“I don’t feel right leaving Spike to handle the announcement of the winners. What if he gets my point formula wrong?” Twilight Sparkle worried.
“And I really am looking forward to the fun race,” Fluttershy said.
“Well don’t you worry!” Pinkie Pie announced. “All the guests are here, and it’s time to party!” Applejack and Rainbow Dash followed Pinkie Pie into the tent, looking like they had just escaped Tartarus, but they’d never looked happier.
“My, you two look dreadful!” Rarity said.
“Ah don’t think so,” Applejack said.
“Neither do I,” Rainbow Dash said.
“So what is this party?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“It’s a super duper fun celebration of everything good that has happened to my best friends ever party!” Pinkie Pie replied.
As everypony stared at Pinkie Pie, she pulled a cloth from the tower of treats that hadn’t been there seconds earlier. “Like me! I just finished my brand new cinnamon apple rainbow swirl cupcake recipe, and just in time!”
“In time for what?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
Applejack replied by giving Rainbow Dash a quick kiss.
“Oh! How delightful!” Rarity said, starry-eyed. “I must think wedding dresses! Fashion! But where will I find the time?”
“Now hold your horses,” Applejack protested. “You’re puttin’ the cart ahead of the pony there.”
“Did you say busy?” Pinkie Pie said.
“Well, yes,” Rarity replied. “It seems my latest line of fashions inspired by the Crystal Empire caught the attention of two of Canterlot’s chief trendsetters, and now they’re all the rage. That was a most unexpected happening on Nightmare Night!”
Pinkie Pie clapped her hooves. “And you, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Well, I did just complete my one hundred and eighteenth spell, but more importantly, I’m about to be published! My paper on ultra-rare earth pony transpositioning and sensory magic will be appearing in the Canterlot Journal of Applied Metaphysics!” The unicorn was practically beaming.
Pinkie Pie then turned to Fluttershy. The pegasus ducked her head under one wing. “Nope, nothing special happening with me,” she said quietly.
Applejack pulled her wing back. “Well Ah think you and mah brother make a cute couple,” she said. Being that she had two wings, Fluttershy promptly hid under the other.
“Eeyup,” Pinkie Pie said, imitating Big McIntosh. She even had a stalk of wheat in her mouth.
“Well, I think it’s wonderful that we’ve all found our heart’s desire,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Wait, that’s it!” Twilight Sparkle cast a spell, scanning Applejack. “Your Pinkie powers came from an application of….”
“The plant, Heart’s Desire?” Applejack interrupted. “That plant?” She pointed to Pinkie Pie. On further examination, that wasn’t wheat in her mouth, but rather a flower with rose pink petals.
“Uh-huh!” Pinkie Pie said.
“But I don’t remember encountering the plant recently,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“Well, all of my bestest best friends, that’s you, decided to throw me a party. Me, of all ponies! And you let me throw the party with you!” Pinkie Pie said rapidly. “So I thought what’s the best way to thank my bestest best friends? Whatever their heart desires! So I made delicious punch with a little floral extra!”
“You knew all along! Tail twitch, hoof itch, eye bugging out, left ear twitch, right ear flop. Ah had that happen a few days ago!” Applejack said. “You said somethin’ fun would happen, but that combo means somethin’ else!”
“Uh-huh!” Pinkie Pie said.
“You shouldn’t use plants like Heart’s Desire like that, Pinkie. Why, the effects could be catastrophic!”
“Nuh-uh! I didn’t know exactly what would happen, but I knew everything would be fine, because when I drank the first cup of punch, my heart’s desire was for each of you to find your heart’s desire,” Pinkie Pie explained.
“But what about your cupcakes?” Fluttershy asked.
“Oh, that’s not my heart’s desire! I create new flavors of cupcakes every day, and three times on Sunday!”
“Well, sugarcube, it’s been fun, but mah new heart’s desire is for you, Pinkie, to be the only Pinkie,” Applejack said. And with that, she bit down on the flower hanging out of Pinkie Pie’s mouth. She swallowed the flower and counted. “Two and two and two,” Applejack muttered. She looked down and realized how foolish counting to six using her four hooves was.
“Pinkie, I think we need to have a talk about the proper use of magical plants and…” Twilight Sparkle said, before a cupcake interrupted her.
“It’s time to race, but don’t forget to try a cupcake!” Pinkie Pie said. With a few impossible moves of her forelegs, everypony got a cupcake, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash each received a gift box with more cupcakes.
With the second run about to start, the shortest Pinkie party on record officially ended.
Before Twilight Sparkle headed to the starting line, she caught up with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you two!” she said, smiling.
“Yeah, it’s still a blur right now,” Rainbow Dash said.
“It’s like Ah won a race Ah’ve been runnin’ for years,” Applejack added.
“And speaking of running… A tie,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“Ah what?” Applejack uttered.
“The race. It was a tie. You crossed the finish line in such a way that not even my magic could see which pony was first,” Twilight Sparkle said. “But don’t you want to be evenly matched with each other? Isn’t that your heart’s desire?”
Applejack looked at her marefriend and smiled. “Ah guess it is,” she admitted.
As Celestia’s sun set following a day of harvesting Zap Apples, Applejack and Rainbow Dash headed back to the farmhouse. The two mares, tired and a bit sweaty, stepped inside. The roaring fireplace filled the rustic farmhouse with much-appreciated warmth.
“You know what would really hit the spot?” Rainbow Dash said. “Some of those awesome apple cinnamon cupcakes Pinkie Pie made. Are there any left?”
“Ah think so,” Applejack replied.
Applejack ventured into the kitchen, which was currently empty. Pumpkin soup simmered on the stove. She suspected it would still take another half hour for the soup to be ready. Still, she was famished, so she had no qualms about heading to the icebox.
She frowned as she opened the icebox. Somepony had taken one of the last two cupcakes. Probably Apple Bloom, she thought. Applejack could take the lone cupcake out to Rainbow Dash, but then they’d both do that dance where they say the other pony should have the cupcake even though they want it more than anything. And they were too hungry to be satisfied with half a cupcake.
Applejack frowned, and then pushed herself into the icebox.
In the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie heard the icebox open. She turned to see Applejack step out of it.
“Pinkie, we got a snack emergency. Got any more of those apple cinnamon cupcakes?” Applejack asked.
Pinkie Pie smiled widely, then grabbed her dear friend in a hug. She bounced up and down, forcing Applejack to move with her.
They broke the embrace, and Applejack smiled. “Ah won’t tell nopony if you don’t,” she said.
