"A lil' to the right!" Applejack said to Braeaburn and Big Macintosh as they were holding a long wooden table. They did as they were told.
"Too far, move left now!" She gave the new instruction. They both gave her a look that could kill but followed the order.
"Perfect!" She exclaimed, both stallions sighing with relief. Braeburn removed his hat.
"Are ya sure ya ain't worryin' yerself too much 'bout the festival? He asked.
"I'm worried as much as I oughta be, thank ya kindly." She replied with a pencil in her teeth writing something down on a board.
"It's just that…" Braeburn's eyes darted around. "Me and Mac are worried bout you. You've barely had anything for breakfast.
Applejack sighed. "It's just that …everypony will be judging us extra hard if something goes wrong today… you know?"
Her cousin nodded his head in understanding. "Trust me I get it. I also once wanted to impress somepony so hard I almost lost myself." A slight smile formed on his lips. "But then I remembered on who I can rely on."
The mare looked at him questioningly.
"Family." He finished.
Applejack could feel a warm feeling creeping up into her heart.
Braeburn put a hoof on her shoulder supportively. "We will always have your back, not matter what."
"Eyyup." Said Big Mac.
Applejack hugged both of them. "Thank you guys."
Something suddenly hit the ground with a thud loud enough to catch the attention of the gathered Apples.
"Weather patrol is in town!"
It was Soarin standing with a wide grin and folded wings.
A new voice sounded in the air.
"It's up to your supervisor to announce the arrival of the patrol, not you."
The farmers looked in the direction of the voice to see no one else but Thunderlane.
"But since you've already jumped the gun, I will just say that we're ready to start working right away." The pegasus said the last part looking at Applejack.
The mare smiled warmly. "Thank ya kindly for the help, Thunderlane. I promise I'll try not t' take up too much of y'all's time."
"Don't sweat it AJ. Everypony in town wants this festival to perform well." Said the pegasus stallion while looking at the sky. "First and foremost we need to do something with these clouds."
"We think alike then." Said Braeburn. "Once you guys are finished with the sky and we folks on the ground are with the stalls there will be a lunch break. Don't be late, though otherwise there might not be any food left."
Soarin grinned. "We'll try our best."
Cloud gathering proved to be easier than anypony in the weather patrol thought. Nevertheless because Thunderlane had to supervise everything the pegasi did he ate as the last of them.
He was about to place another Daffodil sandwich on his plate until he heard a familiar voice.
"First to work, last to eat, huh?"
He turned his head to see Applejack pouring herself some turnip soup.
"Guess I'm not the only one then." He replied. "Mind if I join you at the table."
"Not at all, sugarcube."
They both sat down, digging into their food.
"Say Aj, what is Apple Bloom doing? Haven't seen her anywhere today." Thunderlane asked, wanting to start a conversation.
"She's helpin' Granny Smith with the baked goods. Didn't want her hurtin' herself. We were workin' with wood and metal nails, after all."
He chuckled. "Guess that makes you a better older sibling than me. When Rumble told me he wanted to move the clouds with us I didn't give it much of a thought."
"Not at all. Puttin' up a stall's a whole lot more dangerous for an Earth pony foal than movin' clouds 'round is for the young pegasus. And we both know what happens when ya say no to a foal."
"Wonder if fillies are any different in that regard than colts." Said Thunderlane.
"No idea. I only had an older brother."
"Wanna trade?"
The mare chuckled. "As temptin' as it is sometimes, I'm gonna say no. I don't reckon there's anypony who could guide Apple Bloom through life better'n me."
"How do you even do that?"
"Do what, Sugarcube?"
"Manage to run such a huge farm while taking care of a ten year old foal. I know from first hoof experience how draining that is. And on top of that you're able to take head on a second challenge of running a family business. That's nothing short of amazing.
Applejack could feel blood running to her cheeks. "Thank ya kindly, Thunder, but like ya said, this is a family business. We all look after each other. I reckon from yer words that you, on the other hoof, take care of Rumble all on yer own?"
The stallion nodded and his mood changed almost instantly.
"Don't mean to be nosy, but I reckon yer parents ain't in the picture?"
He nodded again. "They're… both gone."
Applejack's face turned to that of compassion. She put a hoof on his shoulder. "I get ya. Better than anypony in town, probably."
"Do you remember that Hurricane near Manehattan eight years ago?" Thunderlane asked the mare.
She nodded.
"Mom and dad were part of the Ponyville weather patrol that was sent there to minimize the collateral damage…" He sighed. "They were one of the fourteen that didn't make it back to their homes."
Applejack lowered her head, clearly shaken by the revelation. "Ah'm terribly sorry to hear that. Sugarcube"
He tried to force a smile. "Nah, it's been eight years already. I'm past that already."
The mare thought about his words.
"Ain't nothin' to be ashamed of. I don't think I'm past the death of my parents, either."
He looked at her surprised by her words. "Really? I would've never noticed myself."
"Because I need to put up a facade of a strong older sister for Apple Bloom, but when I'm all alone-"
"You want to curl up in a ball and contemplate how life could've been if your folks were still around?"
She nodded silently. "And the pain is stronger every time I think about them."
Thunderlane chuckled morbidly. "Yeah we're definitely more alike than I thought."
"We've sure found ourselves a real fun topic of conversation, huh?" She joined with a similar gloomy laughter.
"Appplejack!" Braeburn's voice rang out in the autumn air.
"I'm afraid that's my cue to get back to work." Said the mare in question.
"Same thing with me. I better get going before Rumble comes up with another way to prematurely end his life."
Applejack snorted and laughed, this time genuinely.
They started to go their own ways.
"Thunderlane?" Inquired Applejack.
Pegasus looked back at the mare.
"Thanks."
Stallion gave her an encouraging smile. "You're welcome."
"Whaddya mean, cancel the festival ?!"
"Don't go puttin' words in my mouth. Ah didn't say cancel, Ah said postpone." Applejack explained to her disgruntled little sister.
Braeburn walked up to both of them.
"Have y'all found anything?" Asked the mare.
The stallion shook his head. "Not yet. Me and Soarin are taking east. Comet and Big Mac will go west?"
"Do you really have to, if none of you have found any of them ?" Inquired Apple Bloom, silently hoping that everything could return back to normal.
"Sorry, squirt, but Timberwolf sightings can't be taken lightly. If there's even a chance somepony could get hurt, we gotta investigate first 'fore we allow any more fun." Said Braeburn gently but firmly.
Applejack sighed. "Are ya certain ya gotta go with Soarin'? I need another adult here on the farm in case somethin' happens."
"Wouldn't ya know, I already thought o' that. Cheese Sandwich'll help ya set up safety measures in case anythin' happens. I hope ya don't mind lookin' after Rumble for a spell, neither."
"At least I won't die of boredom." Said Apple Bloom somewhat uplifted.
The mare bit her lip nervously. "Oh… ok"
The stallion noticed immediately. "What's the problem? Ya afraid ya won't be able to keep Rumble under control? If ya got any questions 'bout him, ya can always ask Thunderlane 'fore he leaves."
"No, Rumble's fine, he's a good kid from what I've seen, if a bit unruly. It's Cheese I'm worried about."
Braeburn raised his eyebrow. "What's wrong with Cheese?"
"Nothin'. He's a great guy an' all, it's just that... he ain't exactly the pony I'd trust with foals. Not to mention, I ain't entirely sure he's got his head screwed on the right way."
Before her cousin could reply Thunderlane landed next to them with a large bag over his shoulders, his little brother accompanying him.
"Alright, I have everything I need. We can get going." Said the pegasus stallion. Almost immediately after these words left his mouth he noticed something was clearly wrong. The tension hung up in the air.
"Is everything okay?" He asked. As a head of the weather patrol he knew the importance of keeping the morale high among the ponies participating. One weak link and everything can come crashing down.
"I'm a little skeptical 'bout leavin' Cheese Sandwich here on the farm. I think I need somepony else for the job."
Thunderlane listened to her words, understanding what she meant by that, all too well. An idea entered his mind.
"What if me and Cheese switched?" He asked.
Applejack thought for a moment. "I could work with that."
"You sure Thunder?" Asked Braeburn. "You were really eager to go earlier."
"I was because I thought this was the best solution, but seeing that not everypony would be content I changed my mind. I'm sure Cheese will do fine in my place."
The male Apple nodded his understandingly. "Alright I'll leave you guys to it." And with that he left to inform the rest of the group about the change of plans.
Thunderlane turned his head to Applejack, grinning. "So… I take it you guys have a couch to spare for a good ol' me."
Soon enough all four of them were sitting in the living room sipping on hot beverages. Hot chocolate for the foals, tea for Applejack and black coffee for Thunderlane in order to keep him vigilant. It was after all getting pretty dark outside.
"Sorry, Rumble, but in this house, ain't nopony got time to be playin' any o' them video games." The orange mare explained to the colt.
"That's… no problem really." He replied out of courtesy but couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Everytime he went for a sleepover at Button Mash house, they would spend most of the night playing them so it started to feel like a natural thing after a while.
"Good. You and your friends spend way too much time in front of these things. I don't want you to develop some kind of eye problem early in life.
A little spark of anger appeared in Rumble's mind, but before it could turn into a fire, Apple Bloom decided to blow off some steam.
"We can play some good old-fashioned games instead." Said the filly. Applejack immediately understood what her intentions were.
"Well then, I reckon it's time to bring out the big guns." The mare said smiling.
This caused Apple Bloom to trot out the room giggling.
"Big guns?" Asked Thunderlane intrigued.
"You'll see." The mare said smirking.
Soon enough Apple Bloom was back in the room with a large box in her mouth. She put it down on the table.
"Don't tell me…" Started Thunderlane
"What? What is it?" The thing now had Rumble's full attention.
"Mono-Pony." Said the orange mare proudly.
"It used to be really popular when me and Applejack were your age. It's really hard to come across a physical copy nowadays." Thunderlane looked at the mare dumb-founded. "Where did you get this?
"Eh, Ah badgered Pa into buyin it. Crazy what a 10-year-old filly can do."
"What are the rules ?" Asked Rumble. His older brother started unpacking the game.
"Whoever's the last one to run outta money wins." Exclaimed Apple Bloom excited.
Applejack chuckled. "That's the gist of it." She said and went on to explain the rules of the game in more detail.
After that all of them sit down to finally play.
"Hey! You're on my spot!" Said Rumble angrily.
"Was." Replied Thunderlane smugly. "If you want me to pay, you need to focus."
"He's right, Rumble." Said Applejack "Yah need to speak up before the dice is rolled again."
Young colt mumbled something under his breath but decided it wasn't worth arguing over.
"Don't worry, ah also had a problem with this at the beginning." Apple bloom cheered him up.
After all it was Applejack who had won, Apple Bloom coming at the close second. Rumble's face remained neutral. It was hard to determine whether or not he enjoyed the game.
The Applejack clapped her hooves. "So… what are we playing next?"
"Okay, so… I don't like the taste of apples, I'm scared of spiders, I've won Cloudsville junior flight competition once." Said Thunderlane.
The young ones started thinking but the answer came pretty earlier.
"For somepony who hates apples, you sure like to stockpile the jam made out of them." Said Applejack almost instantly with a smug.
Stallion shrugged his arms. "It's been over a year since I bought a jar. I thought you might have contracted memory loss by then."
The mare chuckled at the remark. Thunderlane thought that he wouldn't mind her doing that more often.
"Okay! My turn now!" Said Rumble now seemingly more engaged in the games.
Not long after that both foals were peacefully sleeping in their respective beds.
"I must admit, I thought that Rumble snored loud, but he has nothing on Apple Bloom."
Applejack smiled. "Apparently she takes that after mom. Or so I've been told by granny smith."
"Don't you think she might be little biased when it comes to her daughter in law." Asked Thunderlane teasingly.
"Ah'm not."
They turned their heads in the direction of the voice. It was the matriarch of the Apple family.
"Granny Smith, I.. I."
"The sound easily carries along these corridors, colt." She said but without any malice. "I understand why ya'd think that, though."
"Before she died grandma didn't really get along with my mom." Said Thunderlane trying to explain himself.
"Yeah, I was a bit skeptical of my daughter-in-law at first as well, but after gettin to know 'er…" Granny Smith sighed dreamily. "She was the closest I ever got to havin' a daughter. Ya start appreciatin' that after raisin' two colts."
"Two?" Asked the pegasus.
"Unlce Pippin, Braeburn's daddy." Explained Applejack.
"Anyhow, I think I'm gonna head out now, my eyelids are gettin' heavier. Y'all youngins make sure not to stay up too late, ya hear?"
With that she left the room.
"I wish I got to know my grandma a little better before she passed." Said the pegasus stallion.
"How old were you when she died?" Asked the apple farmer.
"Six, Rumble never got a chance to meet her."
"Ah'm sorry sugarcube." Said Applejack.
"Eh, It's fine. Now that I'm the only living relative he has left I've got to be his role model. Which is hard because that colt can be really stubborn when he wants to be."
"Tell me about it." The mare replied. "They always know better than us, huh?"
"You have to be their parent yourself, despite lacking in the life knowledge department."
"They deserve the best."
"True that."
Silence hung in the air.
"Do you wanna know?" Asked Applejack suddenly.
Thunderlane was not following. "Know what?"
"How ma and pa died, you told me what happened to your parents, so…"
His curiosity piqued but he decided to do what was appropriate.
"It's up to you. I don't want you to relive any painful memories."
"No, that's fine. You... feel like a stallion I can confide in."
She swallowed the lump in the throat.
"Nine years ago, the Apple branch in Appleloosa requested that another member of the family come supervise the new cultivar of apples that Uncle Pipp invented. Naturally, Pa decided to go, 'cause he couldn't turn down a plea for help from his own brother. Mom went with him, since it'd been a while since she'd seen Auntie Red Delicious."
The mare's voice started shaking slightly.
"They took a train n'…" She stoped, feeling something form in her throat again.
A memory has entered Thunderlane's memory.
"The train, derailed and killed half of the passengers on it?" Asked Thunderlane.
The mare nodded, tears tapping on the wooden floor.
He put a hoof on her shoulder. "Remember, if you ever want want to talk about it… I'll be open for a conversation.
Then something unexpected happened happened.
She went forward and hugged.
Thunderlane's heart started racing and his mind went haywire but eventually he returned the gesture.
They stayed like that for moment, until Applejack decided to speak up.
"Thunder?"
"Hmm?"
"You get me."
The stallion thought about it for a moment.
"Yeah. I guess I do."