Have you ever had that almost out-of-body moment where, in the middle of a task, the question 'What the fuck am I doing?' pops up in your head? That was what happened with me when I went to help Fluttershy with the newborn bunnies she needed to round up. They were scattering themselves all over the place, and I practically had to walk on eggshells just to make sure I didn't spook them before I could gather them up. I never thought I'd be walking up to rabbits and trying to convince them to follow me with a soft and gentle tone of voice.

Compared to what I usually spent my time doing, this wasn't something I ever envisioned myself spending time on.

That was all after I went to retrieve Spike, of course. He was having a great time playing board games with Sweetie Belle when I left, or at least, that was what I was led to believe, based on the last thing she said before the two of them left earshot. When I stepped into the boutique again, they were downstairs at the same table I'd spotted Sweetie Belle at before, doing some doodling together with her crayons.

My eyes immediately darted to the walls, but to my surprise, there weren't any signs of him practicing his artistic inclinations upon them. He had a bad habit of doing that sometimes. It was the main reason I never let him have crayons at home.

Rarity and I didn't exchange many words, nothing of any particular significance. I didn't feel comfortable around her at the moment, the conversation from earlier still fresh in my mind. She didn't look very comfortable either. Whether that was from guilt or her feelings towards ponies of my particular gender, I couldn't really say. I simply remained amicable with her until Spike was ready to go...after he offered me a new drawing of the two of us in our new home. It looked like he'd remembered more of the details of it than I thought he would.

He was beaming when I said that it would be a perfect decoration for our new fridge.

Thus, we found ourselves heading to Fluttershy's after stopping to get something to eat. Something far, far away from Sugarcube Corner, at least. I felt sorry for Applejack if she really was the cause of whatever happened there. My money was still on food poisoning. The idea of the law not coming down on her wasn't even a possibility in my mind.

In any case, Spike actually proved to be a detriment to the bunny round-up. The vast majority of them were only recently born, and they were particularly skittish around big predators. While I wouldn't consider Spike to be a 'big predator', he definitely was to them, and that just made them run for the hills. Much to his disappointment, I had to have him stay at the cottage while we took care of that.

"So, not that I'm ungrateful or anything, but...why are you doing this instead of Applejack?"

I glanced over at Fluttershy, taking in her slightly exasperated visage. Even for her, the rabbits weren't cooperating, and they were starting to raid the outskirts of the town. She was talking to animals as we went along to keep track of where all the rabbits had wandered off to, but it was still fairly tedious work rounding them all up. She was thankful for the assistance of my magic. They couldn't scatter and flee from me very easily.

To a casual observer, Fluttershy's disheveled appearance was difficult to spot. She was always so neatly-groomed, her mane styled just so, not a single sign of stress or exhaustion on her. I could see a few frayed hairs and the slight sag in her wings, however. She was just a pony after all, and even she could become out-of-sorts.

"Well, Applejack's got a lot on her plate, so I offered to do this while she headed back to the farm," I explained, picking up another three bunnies in my magic. "She looked exhausted. Tomorrow I'm taking her out for drinks. I think she could use the break."

"Oh, that's right, it's Applebuck Season," Fluttershy said, glancing over at a chittering squirrel that pointed out two more that were nibbling on someone's flowers in front of their house. "She's always like that this time of year. Is it really bad?"

I shrugged. "She seems a bit delirious and extremely sleep-deprived. Moreso than most farmers are, anyway."

Fluttershy shook her head, frowning. "That's no good for anyone. I don't know why she's always been so stubborn about hiring some help during the season."

"That she is. It's hard to talk sense into ponies like her," I said, picking up the two bunnies in my magic as well. "Uh, I'm reaching the limits of my focus, and this is starting to become a strain. Mind if I take these ones back?"

She glanced at the forty or so small rabbits floating around me and nodded. "I didn't realize you'd grabbed so many. Of course, go ahead! I'll try to round up some more of them. Oh, I hope they'll stay in their pens this time, I really do need to count them all...."

That was how it went for the rest of the day. Unfortunately I had forgotten to pick up any sort of camping supplies, and the job with the rabbits had taken all day, but at least I managed to find enough time to stop in at the grocery store in town to buy some graham crackers, marshmallows and plenty of chocolate bars. I was already going to have to ask the Apple Family if we could borrow some camping supplies, I didn't want to ask them for treats on top of that. Seriously, I was moderately rich, it would just be really tacky.

When I returned to get Spike from Fluttershy's cottage, she was in the kitchen getting a few things together in preparation for making herself some dinner. Spike and I weren't sticking around to eat, so it made sense she was only cooking for herself. I'd informed her that we weren't sticking around that night, so she knew. Still...an idea snuck up on me.

"Hey Fluttershy. You want to come with us?"

She peeked her head out of the kitchen while humming in thought. "I suppose I could. I haven't really started cooking anything just yet, I could put everything back."

"Would you like to?" I asked, smiling. "More the merrier."

Spike crawled up onto my back and grinned. "C'mon! S'mores!"

"Well...okay!" she said, ducking back into the kitchen. "I have a sleeping bag somewhere around here. Just give me a little time."

It didn't take much time, all things considered. With Spike and I helping her look for her camping stuff, we tracked it down in record time, along with her tent. Judging by the weather however, it wasn't likely she'd need that. The skies were clear and there was no hint of rain at all. If anything, I was more curious about how I'd handle sleeping outside, even with a sleeping bag.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no stranger to being outdoors. Lots of my time was spent outside, walking the streets when I wasn't busy studying at the castle or at home. That's not counting when I was younger and I was constantly being forced to leave Canterlot and travel around. However, I always had a roof over my head back then. There was actually a small thrill to the idea of sleeping outside just to...y'know, do it.

I suppose having a secure place to do so had something to do with it, but that was just a small aspect.

Once Fluttershy had her sleeping bag on her back and a few drinks in a saddlebag for us, just some fruit juice, I don't recall what kind, we were ready to leave...until Angel hopped up onto her back and squeaked something at her. I suppose he had something to say about his caretaker going AWOL for a single night.

She looked back at him, then over to me. "Would it be okay if Angel came with?"

I stared at the little white brat of a bunny for a moment, pondering the question. I hadn't had much time to deal with him, so who knew if he was a jerk because he wanted to be, or if it was just because of some misguided sense of needing to defend his owner. Perhaps having him along would go the distance in getting on his good side more.

"I don't see why not," I said, looking back at Spike. "What do you think?"

Spike looked at the rabbit and grinned. "I don't mind!"

Angel stared at him for a while, just long enough for it to get awkward. His eyes were wide, and while I wasn't in the perfect position to accurately estimate, it looked like he was focused on Spike's mouth. He only looked away when Spike leaned over to my left to see what was up ahead.

I smirked and glanced over at Fluttershy. "Huh. Maybe your pet rabbit would be able to survive relatively well in the wild. He still has his survival instincts."

"Huh? What do you mean?" she asked, glancing back at Angel curiously.

"Well, unless I was reading it wrong, he looked a little freaked out when Spike flashed those chompers of his."

"Really?" she asked, smiling at Angel. "But you don't need to be afraid of Spike. He wouldn't hurt a fly!"

I wasn't going to mention that she was wrong about that. Meat may not be as openly available in Equestria as it is in griffon lands, but he has had it before. I'm not saying he'll run around hunting little animals and feasting on them, but if push came to shove, yeah, he'd probably be willing to do it. If you think I'm joking, well...you weren't there the first time he tore into a freshly-cooked steak. He completely forgot his table manners. As it stood though, he was well-fed enough with gems that his only dietary concerns were how much sugary sweetness he could pack in his belly later tonight.

I'd hoped that keeping his diet meat-free would make him less scary to others in Canterlot, but he's a happy little dragon. That means he flashes those razor-sharp teeth of his whenever he's in a good mood. All anyone has to do is see those teeth and suddenly their foals aren't safe around him and his scratchy claws. Fuck 'em.

I glanced over at Angel and nodded. "She's right you know."

"Yeah!" Spike called out. "I wouldn't hurt anyone! That wouldn't be nice."

Angel didn't seem to understand what he said, not completely anyways, but I had to assume he'd picked up on enough, because he calmed down significantly with just a little reassurance from his caretaker and us. I was a bit startled when I felt his small weight land on my back, right between Spike and the back of my neck, and I looked back to see what was going on.

Spike seemed to be startled by it too, since he almost fell onto his back from his sitting position. He was used to just holding on to my mane if he lost his balance, and I'd gotten used to bracing his weight in such a way that I could catch him as long as he kept a good grip. Failing that, I still had my magic.

The two of them stared at each other while Angel sized Spike up. He didn't seem so afraid now, reminiscent of the first time he met Spike and started messing with him. Perhaps it was just instinctual? I mean, under what seemed like above-average intelligence, he was still just a rabbit. Even an animal at the zoo knows to run when there's danger nearby.

Eventually, after he seemed to approve of Spike's presence enough to tolerate it, he decided that he'd make the biggest spine on Spike's head his new perch. I thought of saying something, but Spike didn't seem to have any problem with it, and even stood up on my back so Angel could get a better view. I could only imagine what his tiny mind was going through, being so high up. Then again, his caretaker was a pegasus, so for all I knew he'd been a whole lot higher up than that.

"So, what did you go to Stalliongrad for in the first place?"

I glanced over at her and tilted my head. "I didn't tell you? I could've sworn I did...."

She didn't remember, and neither did I, so I gave her the short synopsis while we headed for Sweet Apple Acres. The sun was going down and it was starting to get dark, but with a little illumination from my horn, we managed just fine. After walking these paths on the outskirts a few times, they really weren't as complicated to me as they'd initially been when I first arrived in Ponyville. It was a real bitch to find Fluttershy's cottage before. Now it was almost second nature.

By the time we reached Sweet Apple Acres, it was getting a lot darker much faster. That was usually how it went, during the period right between sunset and night. Granny Smith was waiting for us to show up, and Big Mac was finishing up his dinner inside with Apple Bloom, who hadn't noticed us just yet. I felt ashamed having to ask them for sleeping bags, but Granny seemed okay with it, so I suppose it was okay.

I glanced around for a moment, curiously. "Where's Applejack?"

"AJ? She's upstairs sleepin'. Turned in for an early night, got lots of work ta do t'morrow," Granny said, frowning a little. "Poor dear's gonna work 'erself into an early grave at this rate. Least I knew when ta step back n' breathe."

"Why not make her hire some help then?"

Granny Smith grunted. "Don'cha think I tried? She'll make a good matron o' this farm when I'm gone, with how dang stubborn she can be. Kept on refusin' even though she knows she's more overwhelmed than a newborn in a spellin' bee!"

I blinked a few times while Spike climbed down off of my back. "Wait, she's aware?"

"Oh, she won't say it out loud, but she knows! I didn't raise no dimwit filly, an' she'd hafta be plumb stupid not to," she said to me, just before she cleared her throat and sat up straighter. "Apple Bloom! Yer lil' dragon friend is here!"

There was a four-hooved thump from further in the house, and the sound of galloping punctuated a small filly barging her way into the room. She skidded to a halt in front of my startled son, and I couldn't help but chuckle as he stumbled back a few steps to avoid colliding with her. Her hooves clattered against the wood floor before she caught herself, her excitement almost causing her to faceplant in front of everyone. I don't know if I would've been able to hold back my laughter if that happened, and that would've been rude of me.

"Whoa! Uh, h-hey Spi-" she began to say.

"Apple Bloom!"

The snap in Granny Smith's voice almost made me jump to attention, with how authoritative it sounded. Even Spike jolted in place, lowering his head and clenching his teeth. He knew that tone. It was the kind I used whenever he did something particularly bad, like raiding our stash of gems because he thought he could get away with sneaking a few while I wasn't looking. Unfortunately for him, I'm rather obsessive about keeping track of that sort of thing.

Granny Smith glared at Apple Bloom for a moment, just long enough to make the poor filly fidget in place. It was the very image of a scolded filly that knew she'd done wrong, and she was just waiting for the hammer to fall. Even Spike seemed to be frozen in fear of a punishment that wasn't even his. Fluttershy and I shared a knowing look with each other as Granny Smith wiggled in her seat to get a bit more comfortable.

"What've I told you about runnin' in the house, sugarcube?" Granny asked, tapping a forehoof on the armrest of her rocking chair.

The little filly couldn't meet her grandmother's gaze, her eyes turned towards the floor. "I shouldn't be doin' it?"

"That's right. So why'd ya do it?" Granny asked patiently.

"I got too excited," she said, lowering her head. "I'm sorry."

Granny nodded once and cracked a smile. "That's alright honey, just don't do it again."

Fluttershy and I both breathed a small sigh of relief. It would've gotten awkward if she'd actually punished Apple Bloom after we'd just arrived. It's one thing to punish your children for their misdeeds, that's only proper disciplinary action. It's entirely different to do so while you have company over.

"Yes, granny." Apple Bloom replied with just a bit more life to her voice, perking up once more.

"That's a good filly. Now!" she said, motioning to the kitchen. "Go on an' get yer hooves washed up! Dinner'll be ready in a bit, then y'all can head on out to the campsite."

Apple Bloom quickly nodded, and I patted Spike's back. "You go wash your claws off too."

"Okay." he said, hurrying to catch up to Apple Bloom, who was already past the dining room.

Fluttershy looked back at Angel, who'd taken up his usual perch on her back, then looked to me. "I'd better take Angel to clean up as well."

The little rabbit protested, but Fluttershy was having none of it. Soon it was just Granny Smith and I, alone in the living room. She looked to me with a smile and there was a moment of companionable silence...until things began to get awkward. Thankfully, she had her own special way of dealing with that awkwardness.

"You wanna step outside with me for a while? I need some fresh air." she said, slowly getting out of her seat and cracking her back once she was on her four hooves.

I shrugged and nodded. "Don't see why not. Need any help?"

She quickly waved me off, a 'grmph' being muffled in her mouth as she shifted her weight on her rickety legs. "Don't you go frettin' over me, young'un. I can handle this."

"Heh. I see where AJ gets it from." I teased, walking over towards the front door while pushing it open with my magic.

'Darn tootin'," she said while hobbling out past me. "Ya'd be hard-pressed ta find an Apple mare that ain't ornery an' wild as our ancestors! Back when herdin' was the only way and we survived by bandin' together."

I followed her out and closed the door behind us. "Not much of that these days."

"Mmmhmm," she hummed, hobbling over to the rocking chair she kept out on the patio and taking a seat on it. "Lots of morals gittin' left behind. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Take that whole mare-on-mare marriage hooey...."

Inwardly, I cringed as I rose up onto my hindlegs and leaned my back against the side of the house, next to her chair. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

"Whazzat? Oh, psh, o' course not! T'ain't none o' my business who ponies go gallivantin' around with in the bedroom. Us Apples might be steeped in tradition, but we keep an open mind!" she said, hmph'ing and smacking the armrest of her chair with her hoof. "No, I just wish they'd passed that law a lot sooner! I woulda married Peach Seed if'n that'd been the case!"

"You...wait, you're into mares?" I asked, reaching for my cigar case only for a moment before thinking better of it.

"Eeehh..." she said, wiggling a hoof half-heartedly in the air. "Mares can look fine n' dandy, but I prefers me a big strong stallion. Still, Peachy had her some nice legs....!"

I did everything in my power to limit the reflexive shuddering only to my innards. The very thought of a mare like her having erotic fantasies of any sort set my young pony mind into a revolted tizzy. I couldn't fault her for it obviously, but it's one of those knee-jerk reaction things. You can't help but have your whole body cry 'Eeeww....!' all at once.

"Whole lot better than my late hubby, ah'll tell ya what!" she said, leaning back in her seat and beginning a slow forward-and-back rocking. "That stallion could talk a sweet game and paint a pretty picture, but he couldn't run a farm ta save his life! Least Peach would-a had the legs for it."

"Hm...well, what was your husband like?"

She closed her eyes while a wide smile slowly spread itself across her muzzle. I could tell she was walking through memory lane, an impressive feat for someone her age, and whatever she was seeing, she was enjoying it. Her chair began to rock just a bit faster the longer she lingered, and I gave her all the time she needed to collect her thoughts.

"Weeeeell, he was a layabout," she eventually said, groaning as she turned a little in her seat until something in her back popped. "Aah, there we go. Anyway, he was more of a city-slicker. Never did a hard day o' work in his life. One Tartarus of an artist though."

"Sounds like a match meant for Elysium," I said sarcastically, looking past her towards a section of the orchard. "What was his name?"

"Stencil Case," she said, grumbling a little. "Ain't never seen a lazier pony, but somethin' about 'im just captivated me. My daddy hired him from some agency up in Canterlot, said we needed ta drum up business outside of Ponyville if the farm was gonna survive. We needed good advertisin', and my husband came highly recommended."

She sighed wistfully and turned her gaze up towards the clear night sky. "He was such a charmer! Voice so rugged, he sounded like he was right out of a fairytale, and oh, the pictures he could paint...! I was smitten the first time I caught him up at the crack of dawn, waiting for the sun to rise just right so he could paint Sweet Apple Acres."

"He sounds like a nice stallion...." I said, unsure of what else to say.

"Mm, that he was. One thing led to another eventually and, well..." she said, motioning behind herself at the house. "Them ponies in there came from somewhere."

"Wow, conceiving out of wedlock?" I asked, quirking a brow. "Wasn't that really frowned upon back then?"

"Hoo-wee, yer darn right it was! Happened right around estrus season too, obviously! We shoulda known better, but you know how it is when you're young," she said, smacking her knee with a hoof. "My daddy was like right out of a cartoon, steam spewin' out his ears an' everything when he found out I was pregnant! Hunted that colt down real fast."

I couldn't help but giggle at the mental image of some big burly farmer stallion dragging some city pony off to his farm to get hitched, whether he liked it or not. That sort of thing happened more often than most would like to admit back then. The concept of separated parents wasn't really widely accepted or recognized in those days.

"I was real concerned, truth be told," she said, her rocking slowing down as she relaxed back in her seat. "Sure, it wasn't somethin' anyone liked, but there was nothing stoppin' him from just keepin' in contact here and there while livin' his own life somewhere else."

"But...that's not how it went, right?"

She smiled fondly and closed her eyes. "Nope. Moment my daddy showed up at his doorstep tellin' him he was gonna be a daddy himself soon, he proved that behind all that layabout city-slicker carelessness, there was a stallion instead of a colt. He marched right out to our farm himself and proposed to me on the spot!"

"You were right," I said, cracking a smile. "Sounds like a fairytale."

"Shoot, it felt like a fairytale at the time!" she said, before a brief fit of coughs took her. "Euh, s'cuse me. Anyway, long story short, we were married a week later, an' he moved onto the farm with me and my family. Farm life never suited him, not even a bit, but...eh, we made it work. He proved himself a real stallion by bein' willing to be there for our daughter and make the sacrifices he needed to make to ensure his little filly grew up happy n' healthy. Can't ask for more than that from a stallion in his position."

"Sounds like you had quite a happy family for yourself," I said, a thought hitting me just as she finished speaking. "What about Applejack's parents? Where are they?"

Like flipping a switch, her smile disappeared. Gone was her wistful joy and the aura of fond happiness that even a non-changeling could pick up on. Now she appeared somewhat upset, and uncomfortable with my rather poor choice of topic. I was curious, sure, but I really shouldn't have brought it up so suddenly.

Eventually, she settled into a better position in her chair. "They ain't with us no more, an' that's all I'm sayin' on the matter. Not my place to tell that story to ya. You're Applejack's friend, that's Applejack's burden."

"Oh. I'm...sorry, I didn't mean..." I tried to say, but I was unable to come up with anything that felt adequate.

"It's fine sugarcube, really it is. Can't fault ya for bein' curious, their absence around here was bound to catch the eye of a sharp one like you," she said, her eyes opening a bit wider as she looked over at me. "You got them observin' eyes. Takin' in every little detail around ya. Slick as a greased-up weasel, ten times as crafty too, I'll bet. You got brains and knowledge, more than yer average pony. Wouldn't expect anything less from the student of Princess Celestia herself."

"Ah. Well, er...I'm not sure how to take that." I said slowly, lowering down to all fours again and moving over to sit down next to her chair.

"Depends on how ya use that kind of gift. If ya use it to benefit those around you, then it's a compliment. But if yer usin' it the wrong way, well...yer a snake," she said, clapping her hoof against her armrest to punctuate her point. "But, you're the student of Princess Celestia. If that ain't a stamp of approval, I don't know what is!"

"Heh. I'm sure Applejack would have something to say about that," I muttered. "She's been in a bit of a bad mood ever since this harvesting season started, seems like."

"Eh, don't you fret none. She gets ornery as a mongoose in a snake den when she can't get her beauty sleep," she said, before clearing her throat. "Speaking of Applejack...."

She turned in her seat to look back and perk an ear up, listening to the goings-on inside of the house. I followed suit, even as I heard a few of the joints in her spine pop. Nothing sounded out of the ordinary, and I wasn't sure what she was listening for, but when she settled into her seat once more, I guessed that everything was fine.

"I wanna thank ya sugarcube, from the bottom of my old gizzard, for bringin' my fool granddaughter home safe n' sound," she said, deflating a little in her seat. "Sometimes she gets stupid notions in her head, like followin' a mare she barely knows into the Everfree Forest while her grandma sits at home and frets about whether or not she's okay...."

I blinked a few times at that. "What? You don't have to thank me for that. I'd be dead if it weren't for her. Not in any impressive way either."

"Yeah, she told me about what happened. I wouldn't let her sleep 'til she explained herself," she said, eyeing me with a glimmer of amusement. "Almost went right over a cliff, huh?"

I sighed and shook my head. "What a way for the student of Princess Celestia to go. Not in combat, not through some kind of magic mishap, but conking my head and tumbling over a cliffside."

She cackled out a laugh and reached over to smack me on my withers. "Wouldn't that've been a story! But no, she told me about what went down in the old castle. How you stood up to a Goddess and even tried to hold 'er off so the rest of 'em could escape."

"Well, I was just...I dunno, doing what I was supposed to do," I said, self-consciously reaching up to rub at an itch behind my ear. "I was the only one that could really put up a fight against her. I needed to get them out of there before they turned into a massive liability."

"Hmph! Every last one of 'em was stupider than a dog trottin' into a lion den, followin' you in there like that! Don't care what their reasons were," she said, scowling at nothing. "Like I said, Applejack told me everything. Like how she forced yer hoof on the matter."

"I didn't put my hoof down," I countered, shaking my head. "I should have, but I didn't. Didn't have time, I figured."

"Doesn't matter. Chances are, those idiots woulda chased after you anyway," she said, glancing over at me. "They was in yer way from the start. Cold as it might sound, ya could've just used yer fancy magic ta run an' leave 'em to the fate they was askin' for, doin' what they did. But ya didn't. You were willin' to sacrifice yerself to buy 'em some time."

I shrugged at that waved it off. "If they didn't follow me, the Elements of Harmony wouldn't have worked. Then who knows what would be happening right now."

"Mmh, maybe...but that just brings up a whole 'nother slew o' problems." she grumbled, tapping the arm of her chair in frustration.

"What do you mean?"

She stopped her tapping and looked to me once again. "Don't get me wrong, I know that it's a good thing what happened happened. Just makes an old mare like me worry, is all...."

I knew she had more to say, so I just glanced away to my left, looking over another darkened section of the orchard. With the sun down and the moon coming out, a new kind of light was being cast upon the farm, and with how clear the sky was that night, I could make out quite a few details. Some part of me wanted to get a closer look at the apples still hanging in the trees just to see how much the moonlight made them shine.

"I worry about what Applejack might have to deal with next. Bein' one of them Element Bearers now," she said, looking down at the ground. "Takin' care of some big dangerous beast that the Royal Guard can't deal with. What if y'all come back with her in a bodybag? What if none of ya come back at all next time? She ain't no soldier, not a single one of ya are!"

I couldn't help but frown as that thought hit me. Honestly, it had been something I'd thought about off and on ever since I returned to Canterlot after the whole Nightmare Moon thing. Considering we were now the Bearers for the Elements of Harmony, that technically made us assets of the crown. Specifically, a very special kind of military asset. Whether we liked it or not, if some diabolical nemesis showed up that the military couldn't effectively deal with, we'd probably get called in.

Granny Smith was right to be concerned about them. None of them were soldiers, though a certain pegasus might qualify down the line. She was not correct about me, however. I'm a soldier of my own design.

I turned my attention back to her when I felt her hoof on my wither. "Just promise me somethin', sugarcube. Promise me that if something like that ever happens again, you'll do everything you can to bring 'em back safe. You ain't no soldier, but you're better equipped up in that noggin o' yours than they are. If anypony could save their fool butts, it'd be you."

"Of...of course," I said, looking down at the hoof on my wither, then back to her. "I'll do everything I possibly can."

"That's all I can ask of ya," she said, patting my wither. "Thank you."

"No problem," I said, reaching onto my suit to pull out my cigar case. "Do you mind if I...?"

She glanced at the cigar case for a moment, eyes narrowing to try to bring it into focus before she realized what it was when I flipped it open. "Oh! No, go right ahead, sugarcube. Just don't blow it in my face."

I nodded and uttered a quick 'thank you' before pulling out the cigar I'd started on earlier in the day. With a quick burst of magic, I lit the end of it, leaned back, and let the gentle flavor invade my muzzle while the breeze began to kick up around us. It wasn't particularly hot out at the moment, not with the sun down, and the moon almost seemed to suck the heat from the air, leaving only the mild humidity to harass my sense of comfort. Granny Smith didn't seem to be bothered at all by it, which would make sense. Living out on a farm, in a house that didn't even have an air conditioner installed in a single window as far as I could tell, you'd have no choice but to be used to the more unforgiving outside temperatures.

Thankfully, the wind was blowing from Granny's side of me, so I could puff out my smoke without her getting a faceful of it. Long as that breeze kept up, I was fine. It was quite pleasant, and cooling on the skin as it brushed through my fur. For a time, that was how it went between us while we waited for them to call us in for dinner. Seemed like it was taking a lot longer than I would've expected.

I took in the steady sound of the curved feet of her chair rolling back and forth against the worn patio beneath our hooves, and the rustling of the rich and well-tended apple trees out in the fields. The moonlight painted quite a lovely picture, illuminating almost the entire orchard, with just a few stray clouds blotting it out here and there. I could understand perhaps a fraction of why Applejack worked this farm, in that moment. There was something peaceful and calming about seeing that place from where I was standing.

For a moment, I pretended in my head that it was all my own. I tried to see it from Applejack's perspective. I worked those fields, harvested those crops, and the farm grew through the sweat of my brow and the sturdiness of my own four hooves. I knew the trees as if they were family. I took pride in my work, and I got to look upon the fruits of my labor every day and night.

Yeah. That's an honest life. I could respect that.

It would've been easier to appreciate if it weren't for Granny Smith. She kept looking at me, usually when I wasn't looking in her direction. I could feel her eyes on me. After a solid five minutes of her doing that, I finally decided to speak up.

"Uh, is something wrong?"

She twitched and quickly shook her head. "Nah, nothin' wrong! You just do somethin', reminded me of when I was a little filly."

"What?" I asked, putting the tiny bit of what was left of my cigar out with my magic. "What am I doing?"

"The way your ears twitch and yer eyes dart around," she said, slowing her rocking down again. "S'just like when my parents would do that, workin' the fields."

I tilted my head in confusion. "I'm...not sure what you mean. I don't twitch my ears."

"More like ya don't realize yer doin' it! My mama didn't realize it either. Neither did my dad," she said, hmm'ing quietly in thought. "You really don't notice it?"

"I don't even know what you're talking about." I said, shaking my head slowly.

She nodded and took a breath. "When I was younger, older ponies lived in fear of the Everfree Forest nearby. Only took a few ponies disappearin' before they realized they were contendin' with wild animals for this land. Started makin' ponies real nervous...."

I watched as she reached up to mimic her ears with her forehooves, swiveling them left and right. "Ponies started movin' their ears like this, 'cuz they was always afraid a timberwolf or manticore would sneak up on 'em and gobble 'em up, 'specially if they were alone or they had to go out at night. You do the same thing. You were even doin' it when you stopped in while Braeburn was visiting."

I looked up, as if I'd be able to see my ears somehow. "I do? No one's ever mentioned it."

"Mmmhmm. You do this thing with yer eyes, too," she said, lowering her forelegs and motioning to the front door. "Like when Braeburn was here. Your ears were a-twitchin' left and right, and your eyes kept occasionally dartin' to the windows and the doorways. Like you was watchin' for something. Like you was afraid."

I suddenly felt a lot more self-conscious about my ears. Never thought that'd be a thing, really. I mean yeah, I groomed myself well enough, but outside of my unique gender, I never gave a lot of thought to how I carried myself. No one ever took issue with it, so I never paid it any mind.

"Now I don't know much about how ponies work up here," she said, tapping a hoof against her temple. "But that twitchy behavior was common back then. I didn't really understand it at first, 'til my daddy sat me down and explained that it was 'cuz ponies grew up afraid. Always lookin' over their withers for trouble that might be sneakin' up behind 'em."

I shifted uncomfortably where I sat, the worn grain of the wood beneath my rump making what sounded like a very noisy sound as my clothes rubbed over it. Yet another pony that had me pegged in a way that I didn't expect. I didn't much like how common this was becoming. First Gadget, now an old mare I barely even knew....

I heard one of the joints in her spine pop as she turned her head to look at me better. "But you're a Canterlot noblemare. What could you grow up bein' so afraid of that you'd be like that? My parents lived in constant fear...don't tell me it was the same for you?"

My thoughts immediately drifted to my childhood, and I looked away from her. "It's not something I want to talk about."

"Now you hold on a moment," she said, the sharpness of her tone a sudden contrast from how she'd been since we stepped outside. "You turn this way and look at me, sugarcube."

I hesitated, obviously. This old mare was far more observant than I gave her credit for, and I didn't like how vulnerable that made me feel. I was used to hiding myself from everyone around me, physical or otherwise. It made it difficult for others to figure out what I might be thinking or planning on doing, including my own crew. The fact that I didn't even know I did that thing with my ears bugged me something fierce.

The sudden grasping of my head gave me a moment of vertigo as she forced me to turn my head and face her. The furrowed expression on her face was very different from what I'd seen of her, and her eyes were staring into mine like she was trying to find my soul somewhere inside of them. It made me very uncomfortable, but up against even an old mare's earth pony strength, I wasn't going to get out of her grip without either hurting her, or hurting myself. Not in any extreme way, but enough to be unacceptable. I just had to put up with this.

She grumbled something unintelligible to herself, her expression souring. "Did someone hurt you, child? On the inside?"

I couldn't stop the sudden sharp inhale. I pulled my head back until she let me go of her own volition, reaching up to brush my mane back into place with my hooves. My lack of an answer was admission enough, and I certainly knew it, but I didn't much feel like trying to lie to her either. I got the distinct impression that she'd see right through it.

"Was it your parents? Someone else ya know?" she asked, her razor-sharp, no-nonsense tone giving her an air of authority. "You tell me who an' ah'll break mah good forehoof off in their ass!"

I snorted in amusement at that, the brashness of it making me snicker. It took me a moment to settle myself down, but judging by the fact that she wasn't laughing, it seemed that she was one-hundred percent serious about it. I wasn't sure how to take that. She didn't know me from a stranger passing through town.

I cleared my throat and shook my head. "My parents betrayed me when I was a little filly, and much like you with your daughter, I won't say anything more on the matter. I don't want to talk about it."

That clearly frustrated by her, judging by how she was glaring at me, but after a while, she relented. "Alright, sugarcube. Sorry. Didn't mean to upset ya."

"It's fine. I just want to leave it behind," I said, waving it off with a hoof. "Just move forward."

"Mmn...if'n you say so, child," she said, giving me an unsure look. "Just remember that if you need to talk, I'm always available. An old mare like me ain't usually got much goin' on every day. I'd welcome the company."

I gave her a quick nod. "I'll keep that in mind."

We fell into silence again before Big Mac's voice from inside called us in. Granny Smith and I walked back in with me holding the door open for her. It turned out that Apple Bloom and Spike had both stayed inside to help Big Mac finish up dinner alongside Fluttershy, and Spike's nigh-immunity to heat and fire made him perfect for helping out with the oven. He'd scared the dickens out of Big Mac when he initially reached in to pull the tray of biscuits out with his bare hands though.

Aside from Big Mac and Granny Smith, we ate a bit lighter than normal. Needed to leave some space for those s'mores, right? When I revealed the s'mores supplies I'd bought, Apple Bloom insisted that we were guests and she already had everything they needed. Of course, in her eagerness to show off the bags of marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers she'd stowed in the kitchen cabinets, she also showed me where she'd gotten them from. It wasn't difficult to float them into the cabinet while Apple Bloom wasn't looking.

Granny Smith saw me do it. She chuckled and gave me a wink.

With our supplies in hoof, we headed out to the campsite with Apple Bloom leading the way, a lantern hanging from her muzzle. It was a bit of a hike near the orchard, all things considered. Now that I was aware of it, I realized that my ears were indeed on a constant swivel, twitching this way and that, trying to pick up on everything around me. I tried to keep them still, and it immediately felt wrong to me.

We reached the campsite soon after that, and Apple Bloom quickly went to work trying to start the fire with two sticks and a piece of string. I could've started it up with my magic, but I'd never actually seen anyone do this in real life. I'd seen that classic method in cartoons, which always seemed horribly inefficient to me, but this method she was using intrigued me.

Soon, we had a fire going, with a small pile of wood nearby having been gathered earlier, courtesy of Big Macintosh himself. We immediately went to work grabbing some good sticks and spearing some marshmallows on them. Apple Bloom took to showing Spike what to do with gusto while Fluttershy and I just watched in passive interest while our marshmallows roasted over the fire. Angel turned out not to be a very big fan of the marshmallows, but he was very content to munch on graham crackers and just a little bit of chocolate.

Once we were all settled in, we had to think of something to do while we waited. It didn't take long for Apple Bloom to suggest telling scary stories, something that she quickly took the helm on. I could tell Fluttershy wanted nothing to do with it, but where could she go to get away from it? Spike was of course enthralled by the idea. Really, he was enthralled by the entire experience. He was a curious one, after all.

As Apple Bloom told her scary stories, I began removing the roasted marshmallows and getting the graham crackers and chocolate bars out. I made the s'mores for everyone, and I showed Spike how to make one. I'd never made one before, but it's not like s'mores are complicated. You see it once and you probably know how to do it for the rest of your life.

While he certainly enjoyed the s'mores, they didn't save him from the effects of the story about the shadow mare that hid in the closets of naughty fillies and colts, just waiting for the chance to strike and punish them for their bad behavior. I could see him trembling just a little bit while he was snacking on his second s'more, and oddly enough, so was Fluttershy. By the time the story was over, Fluttershy was cowering on the ground next to me while Spike was just hugging his knees with his arms. Eh, a safe amount of fear is good to feel when you're at his age. Helps you grow up a little more well-rounded.

Of course, Fluttershy and I were grown-up enough to know that it was just a story. I'd seen and experienced true terrors personally, so the story did nothing for me, but it was one I'd have to keep in mind in case I did something like this again. By the time we got ready to go to sleep, Fluttershy was looking okay, though she did move her sleeping bag just a little closer to me. Angel was, of course, a constant protector. I was getting an idea as to the dynamic of their relationship.

I couldn't say the same for Spike, however. Let's just say, he slept with me in my sleeping bag that night.

It was a strange and eventful day for me, and that talk with Granny Smith had been something else, but...out there, in the orchard? I felt peaceful. Or maybe that was the initial sugar high of melted marshmallows and chocolate in my gut. Hard to tell. Either way, that brief night of camping was pleasant, and I looked forward to more. With that thought in my mind, I hugged Spike closer to my chest and slowly fell asleep to the sound of creaking trees, whistling winds and rumbling dirt beneath us.

Author's Notes:

Well, this one was a bit of a trial for me to write. Still, I had fun with Granny Smith!

Gran-Gran is best Nan.