The chilled, very morning air filled my lungs as each step shook the tiredness from my bones. The birds chirped and tweeted their little songs as Twilight, Spike, Stonehenge, and I walked down the mostly empty street. Spike was once again riding on Stonehenge as the ground shook with each step he took. The sun had just started to peak over the horizon with a pink hue.
"Why do we have to be up so early again?" I asked as I walked with my eyes half closed.
Twilight had waken us all up way earlier than normal, making sure to rush us out the door. In my sleep-deprived haze, I had failed to actually listen to why we were leaving so early. All I knew was that we were heading to Sweet Apple Acres to assist Applejack with something.
"Again. Weren't you listening the first time?" Twilight asked a hint of frustration in her voice.
"No," I replied bluntly, rubbing the bags under my eyes while yawning.
"Um… okay..." Twilight stuttered a bit at my honest answer before regaining her composure. "We are on our way to help Applejack with the final section of her acre before winter officially starts."
"Ahh, and how are we gonna help?" I asked as I lowered my hands from my eyes to look at Twilight.
"Oh, Applejack, Big Mac, and I will get the apples down from the trees while you, Apple Bloom, and Spike pick up any strays that don't land in the baskets. Stonehenge will help the pebble golems carry the apples to storage," Twilight responded.
"Hmm, but why do we have to be up so early?" I asked, a bit frustrated.
"Apple Bloom has school in a few hours, so they have to start early," Twilight responded before turning to look at me. "You went to bed at a decent time. I don't see why you're so tired. Unless… are you still having nightmares?"
"…yeah…" I said under my breath.
It barely felt like I had gotten any sleep last night. It was the same nightmare, but when I got out of bed, the door to the forest was already open. Luna was no longer there, at least in sight. It always felt like I was being watched while I was in the nightmare. Even when I finally walked through the door, it still felt like I was being watched.
"Was Luna there again?" Twilight asked.
"I didn't see her, so I don't think so," I responded.
"Ah… well, just because you didn't see her doesn't mean she wasn't there," Twilight said.
"What do you mean?" I asked as I tilted my head slightly to the side.
"Oh, well, she looks over all dreams and helps as many as she can. You'll probably see her again soon if the nightmares keep up," Twilight replied.
"Ah, I see. How many ponies are in Equestria, by the way?" I asked, wondering how many dreams Luna truly looked over.
"Well, that is a tricky question. Some jump to the conclusion of 2.5 billion, while others put it in the ballpark of 1.75 billion to 2 billion. Truth be told, with how large Equestria is and, how many small towns there are littering the land, and how unprotected they are. It can be hard to tell," Twilight responded.
"Unprotected?" I asked, confused.
"From what I know, it certainly has gotten better in the last hundred years. It used to be towns of hundreds that could be wiped out by roaming wild creatures and animals. Two hundred years ago, a small town could have been wiped out by a powerful hydra, a raging Ursa Major, or even manic maniacs with lofty ambitions. Sweet Celestia, I still remember reading about one village," Twilight responded with a shiver.
"What village?" I asked, wanting to know what she was talking about.
"Back around 300 years ago, there was a small mining town. Appleloosa was the closest large city nearby, about eight hours away. The small town was called 'Iron Hoof." If I remember right, there were at least 200 ponies that lived there," Twilight said.
"What happened to them?" I asked.
"Well, the short answer is they all, well, you know," Twilight said as she paused for a moment before moving her hoof under her neck and continued walking.
"What's the long answer?" I asked.
"Well, truth be told, no pony has any ideas about what happened. When the biweekly shipments stopped coming from the town, a group of ponies went to find out what had happened to the town. What they found well…," Twilight said as she paused.
"What did they find?" I asked wanting to know.
"They said that the town had been attacked. Apparently, there was dried blood and rotting bits, broken windows, and smashed doors in every house and on the streets of the town. They later found a mass graveyard outside of the town. It was filled with ponies, from young fillies and colts to elders nearing their eighties," Twilight said in a low voice.
"Wait, how did they know the ages if they were buried?" I asked, wanting to know if there was an answer.
"The grave markers they found. All were made, and 199 were found in the graveyard. One pony survived and dug graves for everypony else, with care given to four, in particular, two graves for a 'mother' and 'father' and one larger grave that held two twin fillies. Due to no names being on the grave markers and being at a time when documents were shoddy at best, no pony knows who survived the attack to dig the graves or what happened to them," Twilight said, her ears flapping down.
"Wow," I said as I put my hand behind the back of my head.
"Yeah…" Twilight replied.
"Well, what changed?" I asked.
"What?" Twilight asked in response.
"How has it gotten better to live in the smaller towns?" I asked.
"Oh well, the guard has gotten more advanced and more distributed throughout the land, and although they might not be everywhere, they can get places much faster. Then you have the fact that ponies are getting better at protecting themselves. Whether through magic, speed, or overall brute strength, they have been getting better. Even a few rare humans live outside of Canterlot like you," Twilight responded.
"Will anything happen like that to Ponyville?" I asked, a bit worried for our safety.
"No, no, no, we should be fine. Ponyville has been around longer than most of those off-the-path towns. Also, for some reason, most wild animals seem to be drawn to the Everfree and tend to stay there unless provoked to an extreme. Even chasing Manticores will stop at the edge of the forest," Twilight responded.
"Well, that's reassuring," I said as I rubbed my arms, feeling more awake as we reached the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres.
The four of us made our way up the main path toward the barn next to Applejack's home. As we made our way up, I noticed that the apple trees that had been bearing ripe, fresh apples almost a week ago were barren save for the leaves. As we reached the farm's gate, I could see the Apples, Wolfsbane, and their pebble golems busy preparing for the harvest. Applejack, feeling the footsteps of Stonehenge, turned to look at us.
"Howdy, ya'll. You're right on time. We're almost ready to get this harvest underway," Applejack said with more energy than I would have had all week.
Wolfsbane seemed to notice me and held a look of joy on her face, almost like an excited puppy, as she ran up to me, tackling me to the ground as she did. "Jack, it's good to see you," Wolfsbane said before looking at my face. "Why do you look so tired?"
"I didn't get the best sleep last night," I said, rubbing the back of my head before wrapping my left arm around Wolfsbane's neck. "It's good to see you, too."
Twilight tiptoed behind me as she lowered her head to speak, " Jack, I didn't know you knew Wolfsbane."
"Oh yeah, I met her at the party Pinkie Pie threw for me. Then I got to see her when you left me alone at that sister's festival," I said as I gently pushed Wolfsbane off me and stood to my feet.
"Sister hooves social," Apple Bloom interjected before running away.
"Anyways, yeah, he's really cool and a human. Plus, he's new, just like me. That's three for three," Wolfsbane said as she stood to her hoofs.
"Yes, well, he can be very 'cool,'" Twilight said with a little giggle with her awful attempt at a pun.
I shook my head in mild disapproval before turning to Applejack, "Is Wolfsbane helping as well?"
"Naw, she was just helping till y'all arrived. She already did her job today," Applejack responded.
"Yep, little to no varmints tonight as well. Not gonna lie a tad borin'," Wolfsbane said as she let out a little yawn.
As Wolfsbane let out her little yawn, I couldn't help but notice her teeth. For the most part, they looked like normal ponies, save for her canine teeth. They seemed to be more developed than most of her other teeth and slightly pointier than the rest. But my little observation was cut short as Wolfsbane's mouth closed.
"I'm going to go make myself sum' supper. See the rest of y'all later. Bye, Jack," Wolfsbane said as she gave me a wave.
Waving back, I watched Wolfsbane walk away before disappearing behind Applejack's barn. Turning back to the rest of the group, Spike was no longer on Stonehenge's shoulders and was standing behind Twilight. Apple Bloom and Big Mac were both setting out baskets for us to take with us.
"So, how are we going to go about this?" I asked as I watched Applejack push a few more baskets forward.
"we're gonna split into three groups," Applejack said as she pushed a bundle of baskets toward me as she continued. "Twilight and Spike are gonna take the left side of the final acre. Big Mac and Apple Bloom will take the right. Jack, you and me will be takin the middle. Stonehenge will help my golems with the heavy liftin.'"
Bending down, I picked up the baskets with both of my hands, feeling the light but durable material that they were made of. Twilight used magic to pick up a few while giving Spike a few to carry. Apple Bloom and Big Mac had already started making their way to their acre section.
"let's get a move on," Applejack said as she poked the back of my legs with her hoofs.
"Okay, okay, lead the way. Have fun, Spike. See you in a bit, Twilight," I said as I started following Applejack.
"See ya, Jack," Spike said as he started to walk towards Twilight's and his section.
"Have fun, Jack. Try not to overwork him, Applejack," Twilight said as she watched Applejack and I continue on our way.
"No promises," Applejack yelled back, hopefully joking.
Applejack and I walked away from the front of her lovely-looking home into the semi-dense apple tree farm. As we walked by, red apples lined the trees with baskets beneath them, making me realize that this was going to take a while. While looking at the apples, a thought popped into my mind. How did they pick apples if they didn't have any hands or fingers? I know Twilight had magic, but how did an earth pony like the Apples get their apples down?
"Hey, I got a question for you, Applejack," I said as we continued to walk.
"What's yer' question?" Applejack asked.
"How do you get your apples down? I know Twilight has magic and can get them down that way. But what about you and Big Mac?" I asked.
Applejack let out a laugh before responding, "Well, you're gonna find out how in a moment. Now I got a question for you."
"Shoot," I responded.
"How are you liking Equestria?" Applejack asked with a hint of genuine curiosity.
"Oh, it's beautiful here. More scenic than my old home. But the humans are meaner," I responded.
"Oh, and how so?" Applejack asked.
"My old home was, for lack of a better term, flat," I responded.
"Oh, I always thought that your world was like ours, just without magic," Applejack said.
"Well, it can vary from flat lands to mountains. It was just where I lived, an agricultural hot spot," I said as we walked closer to the edge of the acre.
"Oh, you did. Did you do any farming?" Applejack asked enthusiastically.
"No, I didn't really do any farming. My grandpa owned a farm, though, and I would visit him in the summer, but I never really got to help with that," I responded.
"So, you're a city colt with some country roots," Applejack said.
"You could say that," I laughed as we reached the edge of the acre.
"Set your baskets under that tree over there, and we can get started," Applejack said, pointing to a tree that didn't have any baskets beneath it.
Walking over, I looked at the other trees as a guide and saw that the baskets were lined up, one on each side of the tree. Grabbing one of the baskets, I placed it in front, behind, to the left and right of the tree, making it look like all the others. Turning around, I watched Applejack walk to one of the trees in preparation.
"So, how do you plan on getting these apples down?" I asked as Applejack turned her back to the tree.
"Like this," Applejack responded as she kicked the tree with her two hind legs, making a loud thud.
As the tree shook, the apples started to fall from the tree one by one, filling the baskets. As the apples fell, some bounced out of the basket and landed on the green grass next to it.
"Now it's your turn to get what bounced out," Applejack said.
"Wow, humans just pick them, not kick the tree to get them down," I responded as I walked over and started to pick up what was on the ground.
"Really?" Applejack questioned, hesitating for a moment before continuing. "You commented that the humans are meaner here. What do you mean by that?"
"Well, back home, people weren't the nicest, but they didn't usually yell at you. Plus, all the stuff I keep hearing about them from others. Then, all the ponies say I act differently from the other humans, like saving Twilight's life in the everfree. Everyone seems so surprised that I even did that," I responded as I picked up the last apple.
"Well, to be honest, sugar-cube, you're the only human I've, and some of us have ever met. Most of us hear stories about ya'll but never get to see ya.' That leaves expectations. Ones that you don't meet for all the right reasons," Applejack said as she walked over to another tree, giving It a kick.
"Well, that's at least good to hear. Still, I don't see why they act that way," I said as I walked over to start picking the next set of apples.
"Well… you did say that you were only half human. Maybe that also explains why," Applejack said, kicking another tree.
I shook my head in disagreement as I spoke, "I don't think so. I mean, don't ponies have some bad apples?"
"I mean, we do. But our mean ain't the same as a human mean," Applejack responded, walking over to the next tree.
"Still, you have them. Heck, if someone like my mother came here, she would be more like Fluttershy than even me," I said, putting an apple in a basket.
"I don't rightfully know then, sugar cube. Do you miss her?" Applejack asked, pausing to stare at me.
Caught off guard, I paused to think before responding, "Every day. She probably thinks that I am missing or even dead. If I could, I would tell her that I was safe and sound so she would worry less."
"I can relate to ya.' I lost my ma and pa at a young age. I would give a whole lot to see them just one more time," Applejack said with a heavy sigh while kicking a tree.
With a bit of mutual respect and sorrow, we continued to work our way through the acre, with Applejack kicking the trees and me picking up the wannabe escapees. With each tree, the sun started to get brighter, shining down on us. We talked about the smaller stuff, like Equestria and her farm, which reminded me of the varmints that the Apples were dealing with.
"Hey, applejack?" I said with a questioning tone.
"Yeah," Applejack responded.
"I was talking to Wolfsbane the other day, and she said that you all had been dealing with some pests. How has that been going?" I asked as I picked up an apple.
"it's… it's going," Applejack replied with a sigh.
"What do you mean?" I asked, tossing an apple in the basket.
"Well, we done and lost around 10% of this year's apples. Even one of the chickens was taken," Applejack responded.
"That sounds bad. Is Wolfsbane being any help with them?" I asked.
"of course she is. If it wasn't for her, those numbers might be doubled or tripled," Applejack responded.
"Does she really stay up all night just to take care of them?" I asked.
"Well, the boar squirrels are mostly nocturnal, so she kind of has to. But from the looks of it, she doesn't seem to mind all that much. It almost seems like she prefers it even," Applejack replied.
"Does she live on the farm or close by?" I asked.
"Well, we are letting her stay in one of the few guest cabins we have. They're not big by most cases, but for one pony, there enough to live pretty good,"
"Where are the cabins at? I might want to visit her sometime," I asked."
"Oh, there is a little path that leads to them behind the barn. The cabins are about a minute's walk," Applejack replied as she kicked another tree.
"Does that, you know…hurt?" I asked as I leaned down to pick up an apple.
"Apple bucking, no, of course not. It is just like stomping on the ground," Applejack replied.
"Huh. It looks like it would hurt," I said.
"Nah, don't hurt one bit. You wanna give it a try?" Applejack asked cocking a smile as she stepped to the side of one of the trees.
Walking up to the tree, I looked it over before looking at Applejack. "You sure? Aren't we on a time frame?"
"It's fine. We're making good time anyway. One tree won't hurt all that much," Applejack said.
Standing in front of the tree, I looked at it before turning my head to Applejack again. "I just kick it, right?"
"Yep, just get it at the base," Applejack replied.
Looking down, I readied myself as I planted my feet firmly on the ground while bending my knees. In one quick action, I moved my right leg, allowing the side of my foot to connect with the tree. This caused the tree to shake a bit and my heel to hurt, but no apples fell. Bringing my foot down, I couldn't put much pressure on it, but enough to still walk.
"You good?" Applejack asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied, keeping a straight face as I felt the unbearable heat starting to accumulate in my heel.
"You sure? You don't seem to be putting much weight on that foot of yours," Applejack said, coming a bit closer.
"Yeah, just a bit of pain. It will be gone in a moment. Although it might end up a bit sore," I said, knowing full well that soreness was a side effect of the heat.
"Okay, well, step aside so I can get that tree out of the way," Applejack said as she walked even closer to the tree.
"Wait, hold up. I want to try something before you do," I said as I raised my hands.
"Oh, and what would that be?" Applejack asked, raising her left eyebrow.
"Well, if a kick didn't work, I want to try a punch and see if that works," I responded as I turned to the tree.
"Fine. But this is your last try before we have to get back to work," Applejack said, stepping back again.
Nodding, I raised my hands up as the heat in my heel subsided, leaving me with a bit of soreness. Throwing the punch, it connected to the base of the tree, causing it to shake a bit more than if Applejack had kicked it. One by one, the apples fell to the waiting baskets below. Lowering my hand, I felt a bit of soreness, but nothing like my heel had been.
"Woah," I whispered to myself.
"Woah, Nelly, remind me not to get into a hoof fight with you," Applejack said as she approached the tree and looked at the apples.
"Oh, you would still win. Not much of a fighter," I said as I started walking over to pick up the apples that had bounced out.
"I know. Still, you'd probably give me a run for my bits," Applejack said as she walked over to the next tree. "Okay, let's get back to it."
"How much longer do you think it will take us?" I asked.
"Oh, no more than an hour left. Knowing twilight, she and Spike are already done and waitin' for us. Why, what do you got waitin'?" Applejack responded.
"My bed and the mail," I responded.
"What, do you got in the mail?" Applejack asked.
"A response letter from the Ponyville school board, remember?" I questioned Applejack's memory.
"Oh yeah. Eh, you've got plenty of time. Mail doesn't usually start getting delivered until 9 AM, " Applejack said.
"Still, my bed calls to me," I joked, causing Applejack to roll her eyes.
~~~~~~~~
With a final kick, the final section of our part of the acre came to a close. The apples fell to the baskets and the ground, and Applejack let out a satisfied sigh. I began to pick up the final apples from the grass, and Applejack started speaking.
"Woah. Don't it feel good to be finished? " Applejack said as she removed her cowboy hat, exposing her golden blonde hair to the chill air.
"Yes, it does. So, what are we going to do with all these baskets?" I asked as I leaned down, picking up a few apples.
Applejack put her cowboy hat back on and responded, "The golems will get that. Let's head back."
As Applejack started to walk away, I tossed the last apple into a basket. Breaking into a light jog with my still sore heel, I caught up to Applejack as we both made our way out of this 'apple field.'
As we walked through the field, one of Applejack's pebble golems passed us with a large box on its back filled about halfway with apples. Watching it for a moment, I saw that as it walked, it would pick up a basket and dump the contents into the large box before setting it down and moving on to the next.
"Huh, they seem useful to have around," I said as I turned my head back to Applejack.
"Oh, you have no idea. They are as dumb as a box of rocks, but ever since we got them last year, they have been so much help with the manual labor. Especially for the hard-to-carry things that basically need those finger things or magic," Applejack said, making a quick gesture to my hands.
"Yeah, these things are pretty useful," I said as I wiggled my fingers next to her face.
"Hey, cut it out," Applejack giggled as she swatted my hands away.
"Okay, okay," I said as I lowered my hands.
Slowly but surely, we exited the apple field to find Twilight and Spike sitting on the grass next to Applejack's barn. Spike was on his back looking at the clouds, while Twilight was looking down, reading a book. As we approached them, Spike turned his head and noticed us.
Sitting up, he tapped Twilight on her side, getting her attention as he spoke, "Twilight, look, Applejack and Jack are done…. The Jacks are done."
Twilight raised her head from her book with a warm smile as she started to speak. " Are you two done?"
"Yes, Surrey. Are Apple Bloom and Big Mac done yet?" Applejack asked.
"Well, from the looks of it, they just got done, too," Twilight said cocking her head to the side and looking at the trees.
Applejack and I turned around to see Big Mac and Apple Bloom walking out of the apple fields. With so much energy, Apple Bloom ran up to Applejack, stopping right in front of her.
"Applejack, Applejack! Can I go bowling with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo after school?" Apple Bloom asked, jumping up and down.
"Well, I don't see why not. Please stay out of trouble," Applejack said.
"Yay," Apple Bloom said as she ran off to her house, quickly going inside before exiting just as quickly with her saddlebags before running down the dirt road. "See ya'll later."
Turning to look at Twilight, she looked up at me with that same warm smile as I spoke, "Is Stonehenge sill out?"
"Yeah, he should be done soon. Sit next to me as we wait," Twilight said as she tapped the grass next to her.
Walking over to Twilight, I brought myself to the soft grass beside her. With that warm smile, Twilight turned her attention back to her book as Spike returned to cloud-gazing. Applejack and Big Mac started to take stock of what the golems had brought in so far, boxing and preserving them for the upcoming winter.
We waited for around 30 minutes as Stonehenge and the pebble golems walked in and out of the apple fields carrying large boxes of apples. With his larger stature, Stonehenge had a harder time fitting through the trees, but due to his more profound strength, he could carry three of the boxes in one hand, allowing him to get more in one go. I began to lay on my back using Twilight's side as a makeshift pillow.
As I lay there listening to Twilight's breathing as I faded in and out of reality, the golems started to finish. Applejack and Big Mac began to slow down, boxing the apples. Stonehenge made his way over to the rest of us. The ground shook normally as he stood looking down at us.
"We go?" Stonehenge asked, kneeling slightly.
"Yeah, we can go now," Twilight responded as she shifted her weight string me back to reality.
Lifting my head, Twilight used her magic to put her book back into her saddlebag as she stood up, stretching her legs. Spike quickly hopped to his feet before running over to Stonehenge, who eagerly picked him up and put him on his shoulder. Standing to my feet, I stretched and let out a yawn.
Applejack walked over to us as we readied to leave, "ya'll heading out?"
"Yeah, it seems like the best time to head home. See you tomorrow at Sugar Cube Corner," Twilight said as she hugged Applejack.
"See ya'll tomorrow," Applejack said before releasing Twilight and turning to me. "See ya later, Jack, and good luck with the school board."
"Thanks, Applejack," I said as we started to walk away.
Slowly, we made our way off the apple farm, watching the rustic countryside disappear behind us, only to be replaced by the small town in front of us. As we walked, we passed by the schoolhouse, where young fillies and colts entered past Cheerilee, who greeted them with an energetic smile.
Continuing our way home, I saw the familiar gingerbread house. I had learned that Pinkie Pie lived and worked under two ponies, a husband and wife called the Cakes, who were expecting in the next month or two. The place sold both hand or 'hoof' made candies and baked goods.
Walking past, I saw the treehouse come into view. As we approached, I saw a grey pegasus pony with golden hair flying clumsily toward the front of the treehouse before crashing into the wall face first. Picking up the pace, Twilight, and I both ran up to the wobbly pony, only to find that it was the pony with the cross eyes I had seen at my party.
"Derpy, are you okay?" Twilight asked concerningly.
The grey Pegasus rubbed her head for a moment before looking at Twilight. " Oh, hi, Twilight. What are you doing here?"
"Derpy, I live here," Twilight responded with less concern and a more deadpan tone.
Derpy looked at the tree house for a moment before turning back to us. " Oh yeah, sorry, but I'm looking for a…," she paused for a moment, digging in her back, before pulling out a letter and squinting her eyes. "A Mack…no Back…uhh Rack."
"Would it be for a Jack?" I asked.
"Uhh … m-maybe," Derpy responded.
"I'm Jack," I said.
Derpy looked at the letter and then back at me a few times before smiling, "Oh, hi Jack, long time no see. I got a letter for you," she said as she held out the letter for me to take.
Taking the letter in my hand before Derpy started to stretch her wings and began to take flight once more. Giving us a wave goodbye, she flew off as gracefully as a feather caught in the wind.
"So who is it from?" Twilight asked, trying to stretch her neck to see the letter better.
Looking down at the letter, I read that it was from the 'Ponyville school board.' Feeling my breathing increase, I quickly tore open the letter and began to read it quickly. They thanked me for reaching out and told me to come to the town hall on Monday to discuss a possible solution with the school board.
"What does it say?" Twilight asked on the tips of her hoofs, trying to read the letter.
"It's from the school board. They want to meet with me on Monday," I responded as I handed the letter to Twilight.
She looked over the letter before saying, "This is good. This is what you wanted."
"Yeah, but I need to look presentable. You think Rarity can make me a suit and tie?" I asked, a bit panicked.
"She would be more than willing to help you. We can head there tomorrow before heading to Sugar Cube Corner, " Twilight said as she pushed open the door.
"Yeah, okay, yeah," I said, frazzled with a mixture of happiness and fatigue.
"Yes, no rush. We have four days tomorrow, plenty of time to get ready," Twilight said with a smile.
"Yeah, you're right," I said as I started to pace around the room.
"When am I not? What are you doing," Twilight asked as she watched me walk in a large circle.
"Thinking," I responded as I continued to walk.
"Well, try not to wear yourself out," Twilight said as she started to look over my organization from yesterday.
I continued to spend the rest of the afternoon pacing around the room, playing the possibilities in my head. If this worked out, it would be a dream come true. It also meant that I would be getting paid, and I could finally pay back Twilight for all she had done for me. I had to make sure I nailed this.