Cider Season

Celestia's sun was shining brightly in the morning sky, its radiance being unobstructed by any clouds within sight. The warmth that came from the bright rays was but a light flicker, daunted only by the slow, refreshing breeze that blew peacefully along. Carrying along its back was the smell of the fresh water from the lake just outside of Ponyville, mixed in with the soft chirping of birds from their little nests high up in the trees.

Twilight walked along in relative silence, her eyes focused on where she was going while her hooves clopped almost silently along. She took joy in the breeze lightly tossing her mane and tail, the soft curl of its chilling grip running through her fur and wings seeming to be almost a relaxing sensation.

Beside of Twilight walked her ever faithful companion, younger brother figure, and number one assistant, Spike. A grin was spread across his lips while he seemed to have a slight spring in his step, almost as if this day was the best he had ever had. A fact that did not go unnoticed by Twilight, but made her giggle when she saw.

Aside from the majestic sun, Twilight noticed that everypony seemed to be happy, enjoying themselves. Many of the older mares and stallions sat down upon benches in the park, or were busy running about for their weekly shopping. Countless fillies and colts ran up and down the busy main rode leading in and out of Ponyville, laughing and carrying on all of the way. The sound of their laughter brought a sudden warmth to her heart, a warmth that she would hold onto until the day that she passed from this world.

An eye was kept on Spike as the two walked through the busy center of town, noting how his grin only seemed to grow the closer that they got to their destination. A light sigh escaped her lips, "Spike, I know that you want to spend some time with Applejack, and I am happy for you, but please remember that we are going to work."

Spike seemed to lose some of his grin as he looked up towards Twilight, a sparkle in his eyes, "I know that Twilight. I wasn't planning on talking too much or anything, I want to help her just as much as you do. Last year I didn't even get the chance to, but I am here now to make up for that mistake. I plan on helping in anyway that I can."

Twilight looked away from Spike when she felt a cooler breeze brush against her face. She found that they had just entered into Sweet Apple Acres, the sounds of the town far behind them. The sweet smell of apples was heavy in the air, along with the smell of dried hay, ceder, and just a slight tint of maple. It all mixed together to create an invigorating smell that seemed to create a slight hunger within the pit of her stomach.

A great waft of air washed into her nose before she could even breath it in, sending her senses into overdrive. Thus she felt herself go light headed for a moment and her wings begin to flutter, making everything around her seem like a dream. She was brought back to reality however when she felt a scaled claw placed against her side, brushing her fur and spine ever so gently. She looked towards Spike with a slight glint in her eyes, "Thank you."

Chuckling, though light, escaped his lips, "Hey, it's what 'us' number one assistants are for." They both shared a light laugh before heading over towards a break in the fence that ran around Sweet Apple Acres.

Here was the only place in all of Ponyville that one could hope to get the Apple's famous Apple Cider, sold and made right there at Sweet Apple Acres. This location was perfect for not only harvesting the best apples, but also a prime spot for setting up their stand. The area near the road was slightly flat, while behind it was a fairly large clearing, though with the trees being spread out so wide it was easy to see through them.

The pair could see the Apple family already hard at work harvesting the apples and making their cider for tomorrow's sales. Applejack, with her muscled hind legs, was bucking the trees with all of her might, making the ripe and ready-to-eat apples fall. From there Apple Bloom would catch the apples in a large wooden basket that she was balancing atop her head.

Once the basket was full, she would take them over to Granny Smith and Rarity, where the two would sort out the good apples from the bad. The bad apples were thrown on the ground for Applejack and Apple Bloom to pick up later, while the good apples went into another basket. When the basket was full, Big Mac would load them into a cart that was parked nearby.

Twilight wasted no time in heading over to help Rarity and Granny Smith with sorting apples, while Spike just stared at Applejack. No matter what he tried, he could no look away from her for more than a second. He watched as her powerful hind legs would buck the tree, shaking it down to the very core and making it drop all of its fruit.

A deep, cherry red blush began to form on his cheeks as he walked over to where Apple Bloom was standing beneath the tree with a basket atop her head, a second one laying on the ground beside her. Without a word, he picked up the basket and began to help Apple Bloom catch the apples. Almost immediately he found that he had to watch for when the apples were falling, or he would get hit in the head with one. This seemed to take his eyes away from Applejack, but every now and again when he would look over towards her he would see her look away, a light blush on her face as she did so.

Before long Spike and Apple Bloom had decided to start playing a game to help them pass the time, they would see how many apples they could catch at each tree. Whoever won, got to take a break at the next tree, while the loser had to work double time. Needless to say, Spike found that Apple Bloom was winning most of the time, but he was not surprised, seeing as how she is used to this. Spike didn't mind the work though, for he had gotten worse chores before, and ones that would make him fall asleep from exhaustion within a few minutes.

Applejack found that she was slightly impressed with the work load that Spike was taking on, aside from the fact that he was a strong dragon. I never noticed just how much he could do, but I guess he does do a lot working with Twilight all of the time. She found that she was beginning to think of Spike as a type of pony, or in this case dragon, that she could truly trust, truly rely on, a true friend. With that thought in mind, she let a smile spread across her lips while her eyes began to sparkle when ever she would look at the young dragon.

Spike took no notice as he was now too worried with catching the apples that were falling from the tree above him. He would hear a loud thud, followed by the rustling of leaves just before the apples fell.

---

Celestia's sun was nigh upon its peak when Twilight told Granny Smith and all that Bic Mac had enough apples to make several barrels of cider, so much so that they were going to have some that could possibly leak over into the next day of sales. With the new news, Apple Bloom and Spike slumped against a tree, side-by-side with Applejack beside Apple Bloom. They were all panting slightly from the work that they had been doing.

Granny Smith and Twilight had opted to go back to the farm and help Big Mac with making the cider while Applejack led all who were left towards a lake just beyond the row of trees where they had stopped.

The lake had a smooth, almost glassy surface, painting one of the most beautiful pictures of the sky in all of Equestria. On the far bank was the mouth of a river, where little pebbles could be seen just beneath the surface of the water, each one a different hue of blue. Further up, the river broke down into a small stream for a ways, going as far back as the eye could see towards the distant mountain. Looking closer towards the mouth of the river, one would think that they were looking at a magnificent painting of the river's bottom, for the hues of the pebbles formed together to make an almost perfect work of art.

Spike took in the sight as one who was looking to draw the image that he was looking at, locking it away inside the deep recesses of his mind. The picture was incomplete though, for his love, his heart's desire, was no where to be seen within the image that he held dear.

Applejack, who had seen the wonderful surface of the lakes many times, wasted no time in running forward and jumping into the water. A large splash of water flew high into the air, only to come down on those who were still standing on the lake's bank. Ripples spread out from where she had entered the water, running all the way to the banks.

Spike, who was now complete with the image that he planned to create, quickly joined her. Apple Bloom and Rarity were quick to follow in with him, wanting so desperately to cool off and to relax after their hard day's work. The cool, refreshing lake water was more than enough to wipe away the sweat that had coated their bodies, making each of them feel rejuvenated.

Rarity opted to go no deeper than her neck line, while Apple Bloom and Applejack began to swim around one another, trying to hard to completely soak the other with a large splash. Spike took a moment to stand beside Rarity, watching how much fun that Applejack and her little sister were having. They seemed to be at perfect peace, almost like nothing in the world could harm them, or cause them any pain.

Rarity took notice of Spike beside her, watching the sisters act like they did most of the days they were together. Over the months, Rarity had noticed that Spike had seemed to lose his interest in her. It had always been a question on her mind as to maybe what happened, and she found that now was as good a time as any to ask. "Spike, you seem a bit, uh, distant lately. I know that you used to have a crush on me, what I can't figure out is why you never chose to act upon those feelings, and where it has gone."

Spike let out a heavy sigh, almost like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He turned to glance at her, "Ya, I used to like you as more than a friend Rarity, but as time went on, I found that what I felt for you was nothing more than a childish dream. Anything between us was just friendship, and still is. I guess, I found someone that truly holds my heart."

His gaze fell from her back towards Applejack, a sign that did not go unnoticed by Rarity. She followed his gaze back towards Applejack, a slight smile starting to cross her lips. "Ah, I see. Well Spikey-Wikey, I hope you find what your heart is truly looking for." Rarity was afraid to admit it, but she felt a little pain in her heart that Spike no longer wanted to be with her. For the sake of her friends, and for her love for him though, she tried to push her feelings aside, not wanting to ruin anything for him.

Spike thanked her before he dove into the water, slowly making his way towards the sisters. Without any warning, he came up beneath Apple Bloom, and placing her hind legs over his shoulders, picked her up out of the water. She howled with laughter before she used this new position to turn around and land on her sister, sending all three of them below the water.

Spike was the first to resurface, looking around for either Apple Bloom or Applejack, but when he did not see them, he began to assume the worst. Looking around with panic on his face, he began to dive down into the water, when he did though, both Applejack and Apple Bloom used their fore hooves to push him out of the water and throw him into a deeper part of the lake. Both of the sisters shared a laugh before hoof bumping each other, much to the dislike of Spike.

Neither of the sisters had expected a quick strike from Spike, so neither one was aware when he had gone under the surface of the water with a sly grin. Both were still laughing when Spike came up beneath them, and using only his legs, managed to send them both flying towards the bank. Apple Bloom and Applejack looked at one another before grabbing hold of each other and bracing for impact.

No pain was felt, no feeling of dirt or mud was covering them, yet fear of pain still clung to their minds. Their eyes were sealed shut, thinking that what ever had happened was too bad to see, yet their was a burning curiosity to see why they felt nothing at all. Ultimately, it was Applejack who opened her eyes first, only to be stunned by what she saw.

Spike was standing in the shallow water near the bank, a set of wings upon his back with his hands held out. Resting in one hand and arm was Apple Bloom, in the other was herself. She could feel a blush start to come over her cheeks, a blush that seemed to deepen every time that she would look at him.

Feeling that their time in the water was done, Spike carried both sisters, in his arms, towards the bank, where he set them down in the grass. Applejack could not help but hold a higher appreciation for Spike, for although it was not a real life threatening injury that he had almost given them, it would still be a bit of pain that was his fault. "I am so sorry Applejack, I guess I just got carried away."

It seemed like he was whispering to her, almost as if he was afraid that she was going to yell at him for his reckless behavior, for almost hurting her and her sister. Instead, she jumped forward and embraced him in a friendly hug, holding him close. "Ah shucks, it's alright Spike. Guess we all sort of got out of hand there."

Silence slowly crept its way between the two, its frosty touch almost unwanted, but unable to push away all the same. Without even realizing it, both Spike and Applejack found themselves looking deep into each others eyes, seeing a raging sea of warmth, caring, and love for their friend. Applejack began to realize what she had been feeling all day in her heart, a deep sense of caring and longing for the young dragon.

With a crimson red blush on both of their faces, they pulled apart and looked back to Apple Bloom and Rarity, who were both smiling at the two. Neither one said a word, instead Apple Bloom ran up and tagged Applejack before running off through the trees, laughing wildly as she did so. Applejack just glared at her for a moment before she too took off, planning on chasing down her sister.

She stopped however when she became aware of the fact that she was being followed by Spike and Rarity. Without warning, she tagged Rarity and took off with Spike nipping at her hooves.

---

Luna's moon was just beginning it's rise into the sky when Twilight and Spike decided to head home with Rarity as company. The stars above twinkled and sparkled as the three walked along in utter silence, each sighing in turn when they left Sweet Apple Acres. Today had been one of the most wonderful days that they had shared together, and one of many that they hoped to come. Not all was calm among them however, and both Twilight and Rarity were curious as to what had happened between Applejack and Spike.

Shortly after running away from Rarity, Spike found that he and Applejack were hiding up in a tree, almost like she had done the day before. As they waited for the right time to drop and run, he could not help but watch Applejack, noticing just how beautiful she was. The way that her blonde mane flowed, though it was tied-off at the end, the simple way that her tail would almost always curl around her when ever she was anxious. It seemed to him, that he had missed a lot about her, and he wanted to get to know her better, on a level deeper than anyone else had cared to dive into.

Applejack had noticed that Spike had been staring at her as she watched the ground beneath them. It was odd to say the least, but it actually felt good to be looked upon by the one who had unknowingly captured her heart, yet it also felt a little strange. She began to think about what her family would say about her feelings for the young dragon, not to mention all of her friends, especially Twilight, who was now a princess.

Neither one said a word, both for fear of giving away their hiding place as well as anything awkward coming up. Spike took this though as a sign to try something daring, something that he had never tried once when he was in love with Rarity. He quietly moved from the branch that he was on to sit beside Applejack, slowly placing a hand on her back to run a claw along her spine and brush her fur.

The feeling was one that Applejack had never really felt before. At first, it was a little foreign, for though she had felt her fur being brushed before, it had never been by a pair of claws. After a while however, she began to feel a little relaxed, almost like she was at the spa with Rarity and getting a very well earned massage.

Right when Spike had gotten to her forelegs there was a slight creek that almost went unnoticed by the two, but Applejack, who had grown accustomed to the sound, immediately went wide eyed. She looked back towards the base of the branch and gulped when she saw a split appear in the wood and grow larger until, with a groan, the branch broke free from the tree. Spike and Applejack grabbed onto one another as they fell the few feet to the ground, landing with a loud thud.

Leaves and apples fell from the tree all around the two, who had no idea why neither one could move anywhere, but they both felt a great warmth. Spike opened his eyes to see Applejack looking up at him, a conflicting river of both anger and love within her eyes. Looking down, he saw that he was lying atop her, though over his back was the heavy branch that he could easily lift up, but they had already been caught.

Standing before the two was Rarity, a slight grin on her face. She began to giggle as Spike lifted off the tree branch and helped Applejack to her hooves, stating how sorry he was for what had happened. She just shrugged it off and stated that is was no big deal. As she talked, she could not help but blush a deep crimson red, no chance of going unnoticed by all who looked at her.

Needless to say, they had fun until it was time to go. Rarity and Twilight could not help but feel that there was more to the tale than he was telling, but they let it go for the moment, for they knew that if something more had happened, that he was not going to tell any time soon.

---

Spike lie curled in his bed, looking up through Twilight's window and at the stars high in Luna's night. He hoped to see whether or not Applejack was different from Rarity. In his heart he knew that she was the one for him, but his mind had yet to confirm this.

He now hoped that the answer his mind was seeking was within the stars, seeing as how they had always helped Twilight in the past. As he continued to watch though, he found that he was getting more and more tired, until the point that he could no longer keep his eyes open.

Dreams of Applejack quickly assailed his mind, so much so that, as he finally drifted into a deep sleep, he whispered, "I love you Applejack."