I awoke to the sound of wind blowing and the distinct creaking of wood. It was distant and muffled, but I could still hear it just fine. The rustling of leaves outside accompanied the sound of crickets making their chirping racket, and unlike the city, it was almost impossible to let the noise fade into the background. It was everywhere, and given the fact that Fluttershy didn't put screens on her windows, I was willing to bet that several of those crickets were currently inside the house.

I felt a little sore, having laid around for a few hours instead of doing my usual wandering rounds. Even when I was being a layabout for a day, I usually spent my free time with Spike, or on my studies. Naps weren't a thing I really indulged in very often. I stood up after crawling out of the bed and went to brush my mane back into place, getting into my clothes before my brain really began to shift its gears into action. That was when I went through the painstaking process of switching into something a bit more casual out of my suitcase, which then required me to check my mane and tail again to make sure they weren't all mussed up and messy. I was going to work on a farm tonight, but I was also going out with a friend for drinks. No reason to look like trash before the hard work.

Fluttershy and Spike were downstairs in the living room, relaxing after what I was guessing was a long day. I wasn't really around. Spike was occupied with acting as a mobile acrobatics gym for a lot of the smaller animals that Fluttershy kept in the house, and I worried that he might step on one of them, but they were making a point of avoiding his feet. Angel was perched up on top of his tallest spine, watching the goings-on like a stalwart sentry guarding his kingdom. He spotted me and his nose wiggled for just a second, then he turned away, looking towards one of the windows.

Without much else to do besides giving Spike a parting kiss on the head (and a more discreet lip-lock with Fluttershy as I left), I headed off to Sweet Apple Acres to meet up with Applejack. Hopefully she was already waiting for me, or maybe if I got really lucky, we could skip the whole alcohol thing and she'd be passed out by the time I showed up. I wasn't going to hold my breath on that, but still, fools will cling to their hopes!

I walked past a patrolling officer on my way, while I was still on the less traveled backroads. The familiar blue uniform was standard, along with the sidearm and crystal taser he had, but the other thing...that wasn't standard equipment for a police officer to carry around. It looked like a strange headband with runes woven into it all around in a strange, intricate pattern that I didn't recognize. When I asked him what it was, he said it was a timberwolf repellant that you had to activate before leaving the station on patrol when you were travelling the perimeter of the Everfree, or anywhere near it. The runes went active whenever a timberwolf drew near, and if they got too close, it would let out a pulse of magic that the timberwolves hated. Interesting concept...I could see the use, though it was very specific.

Runes were such a complicated thing to use, even in this day and age. They're a unique form of magic that's a mix of artistry and intent upon their creation, and that's the best way I can describe it, honestly. A person that has the ability to craft runes may or may not craft the same runes as other people, and often times their rune designs will be entirely unique to them. One person's single-swirl circular spiral rune can give a blade a sparkling sheen, while another person's same rune could do something else entirely. I tried my hoof at it once, and considering I don't surround myself with runes, that should tell you how good I am at it. It takes years, often a significant portion of a person's lifetime, to get good enough at runecrafting to match up to the Royal Guard's standards. I may be good at magic, but runes are a different beast entirely. The mayor must've paid a pretty bit to get them those headbands.

I didn't think much on it after that, instead focusing my attention on my surroundings as I continued forward. Timberwolves must've been a genuine enough problem for them to invest in something that expensive, especially for a small town like this one. I guess waiting until the evening wasn't the greatest idea, being so close to the Everfree Forest. It was something I'd have to keep in mind for later.

Of course, there was the day before the previous day, when Fluttershy let me take her out to get something to eat with Spike and myself. Did she really feel that safe, having me around? Or was it far more likely that she wasn't intimidated by the possibility of timberwolves because she could communicate with them? I mean there was also the fact that she could fly if she really needed to, so...eh. It wasn't important. Just idle ponderings until I reached the farm.

They really needed to invest in some proper lighting on the pathway leading up to the farmhouse. It was only because I was being so aware that I noticed Applejack leaning against the fence near the entrance to the property. If I'd been paying any less attention, she could've easily gotten the jump on me, if she really wanted to.

"Howdy, Twi!" she said, trying to cover up a yawn and failing miserably. "Hoo-wee, sorry. You ready to get goin'?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Question is, are you?" I asked, giving her a once-over once we were closer to the lamp post a short ways away from the front gate. "You look exhausted."

"Ah, hush about that! Big Mac gave me an earful earlier," she said, batting at me with her hat in her hoof before plonking it firmly back atop her head. "I'm perfectly fine, and that's that!"

"Alright, alright..."

"Really, ev'rypony's makin' such a big deal about nothin'...." she muttered, hanging her head a bit lower than one normally would.

"Says the pony dragging her hooves like a drunk," I teased, smirking. "You sure you didn't dip into the hard cider stash before I showed up?"

She responded by snorting at me and giving me a playful shove with a hoof while we walked. "Aw, you hush yer hayhole! We'll see who's the tipsy one when we get to the bar."

Oh, we would see indeed. I am by no means a heavy imbiber of alcohol, not to the point of being alcoholic at least, but I do tend to enjoy a glass or two of wine every day, when available. I had no intention of matching her, but depending on how the night went for us, a drinking competition might've not been far off in my future. I was going to do my best to steer things away from that outcome, however, and I already had something in mind.

The bar Applejack took me to wasn't anything special, though it was located closer to the center of town. Right next to that weird bowling alley that didn't have a name, actually! That place still drove me up a wall. I made a mental note to get a Ponyville Yellow Pages JUST to see if that place had a fucking name, or even a listing.

The Grape Vine. An interesting name for a bar, but I wasn't one to judge. I'd been to bars with far worse names than that, and as I stepped inside, I realized I'd been to bars far seedier than this place. The decor was shockingly high-brow, with several expensive-looking paintings hung up on what looked like decorative hardwood walls, polished to a sheen. There was a noticeable lack of damage to the tables and counters as well. There were very few stains, and the ponies already there weren't making too much of a ruckus...and a lot of them were drinking wine as well as beer and liquor. Not all at once, but there was a variety from pony to pony. This was a place of mixed sophistication, and I made a point to remember to go there again.

AJ and I took a seat at the front counter, making small-talk that I don't entirely recall, but I know it wasn't anything of particular importance. The idle chatter of numerous ponies was punctuated by a round of boisterous laughter a ways down, and a call for another round of drinks. Ponies just seemed to know each other there, not too uncommon for a small town like this, but the feel of this place was different than what I was used to. Ponies showed no hesitation in approaching each other, chatting each other up and generally relaxing. Usually in a place like this, you relaxed, you got a drink, maybe some cigars or cigarettes, and you mellowed out. It had the appearance of a high-class bar, but the atmosphere of...I don't know, maybe an adults-only community center?

"Hey, Berry! Gimme a hard cider!" I heard Applejack call out, leaning her weight on the side of the counter, forelegs folded atop it. "One for my friend here too."

I turned my head just as a purple-ish mare approached. Her mane and tail seemed immaculately tended to, but there was a roughness to it. It seemed brushed, but several spots seemed a bit more pronounced than the rest, and the pattern wasn't random. It had to be some kind of stylistic choice. Perhaps she wasn't from Equestria? There were plenty of ponies that lived in the Griffonstone Empire, as well as the Minoan Republic.

"Hey, AJ. Who's the new mare you've brought to my fine watering hole?" she asked, grabbing two glass mugs from under the counter.

Applejack quirked a brow. "Ya don't recognize her?"

Berry leaned against the counter and looked me over a few times before looking back to Applejack. "Can't say I do. She looks kinda blurry to me right now. You know how it is."

"What, yer drunk already? Dang," AJ said, taking her hat off and setting it down on the seat next to herself. "Shouldn't you be cuttin' back? Yer filly's...what, eight now?"

Berry groaned and shook her head. "Oh, don't be that pony tonight, AJ. I know you're exhausted, but don't take it out on me."

I quickly interrupted them. "You're drunk and you're not even remotely slurring your words? That's actually impressive."

Berry smiled and nodded to me. "Glad someone can appreciate my skills. I tend to import the beers and liquors, and of course the Apple Family's ciders. The wine, however? I make that myself."

"Wait, how do you manage that?"

"Well I own and operate a small grape farm for one," she said, picking up a cloth and gently cleaning off each of our glasses. "I crush and ferment my grapes there too. As for why I'm drunk...well, I've been doing lots of taste-testing since I turned eighteen."

"Pff. By taste-testin', she means she's been drinkin' whole bottles of the stuff since Apple Bloom was born."

Berry huffed and snapped the cloth at Applejack, batting her across the snout. "Oh, hush! Point is, I'm a connoisseur. I know my wines better than anything else. I've been drinking wine since I was old enough to be legally allowed to do it. That's why I can handle my alcohol better than most."

"Huh. Isn't it illegal to be drunk when you're working?" I asked, taking a moment to look around the room.

"I own the place, I can do whatever the fuck I want," she said, rolling her eyes. "Unless someone decides to rat me out, it's not an issue."

"Alright," I said, turning my attention back to her. "Well, we haven't really met, so. I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"Ooh, the big new Equestrian savior, in my bar? It's an honor," she said, quickly pointing back and forth between Applejack and myself. "You said hard cider, right? I'll get some of the good stuff from the back. First round's on the house!"

I quickly shook my head. "Oh, no no, you don't have to do that!"

Berry didn't miss a beat as she walked away. "Of course I do! I got a bonafide hero in my parlor, why wouldn't I treat her to a drink?"

Considering how mellow it was in there at the time, Berry's rhetorical question garnered a lot of attention. I could only guess that Applejack's presence in the bar was more generally accepted by the patrons that made regular visits, since they didn't make a big deal out of her entering the bar in the first place. The news, however, seemed to focus on my deeds more than the others because of who I was and what I managed to do when faced with the overwhelming might of an alicorn. Naturally, news of another hero showing up at the bar drew a lot of eyes my way.

Berry came back shortly after with a big bottle of top-quality hard cider, manufactured at Sweet Apple Acres, and poured us both a mug. "There ya go ladies, just let me know when you want more. By the way Applejack, you look like shit."

Applejack gave her a death glare and downed half her mug in one go, much to my surprise. "Gee, thanks, Berry. Salt o' Equus, you are."

"Well, if you'd let Rarity do something with your mane like I've told you to, I wouldn't have any reason to say things like that!" she said, her faint smile fading as she set the bottle down in front of us. "Seriously though hun, you look really bad. You okay?"

"Ah'm fine. Promise." Applejack growled out, the venom in her tone brooking no argument on the matter.

Berry held a hoof up in mock-defense. "Okay, okay! No need to snarl, hun. Just making sure the supplier of my finest cider isn't falling apart on me."

Applejack grumbled and nodded, waving her off. She left without complaint, while ponies began to casually sidle up to the seats next to mine and AJ's. Next thing I knew, we were getting bombarded with questions left and right about the events surrounding what was quickly being referred to as the Eternal Night. The name wasn't very fitting if you asked me, since it didn't really last all that long, maybe an hour or two longer than it should've, but hey, what can you do?

Soon I was recounting the events step by step as we made our way through the Everfree, the bottle of hard cider quickly being drained as Applejack and I both chimed in on the story back and forth. Most found the moment when I was hanging off the side of the cliff the funniest, while everyone seemed to be teetering on the edges of their seats when we recounted the battle with Nightmare Moon. I'd already explained it all to the news reporters that got their pound of metaphorical flesh out of me, but there was something to be said for hearing the story straight out of the pony's mouth.

It was kind of an awkward situation for me, honestly. I'm not one for having a lot of attention on me, and I'm not the best storyteller in the world. I particularly don't like sensationalizing my actions, however noble they may have been, though attending court and mingling with the nobility has made me somewhat graceful at it. Lies were a staple of their silly social and political games, after all. I suppose I'm just not the 'traveling bard' type.

Applejack, through all of this, was drinking rather liberal amounts of hard cider, and some of whatever some of the other ponies in the bar bought for her. I would've warned her about mixing drinks like that, especially since she was downing them so quickly, but getting her utterly smashed was the whole point, so...yeah. I kept on telling the story, she kept on drinking.

Despite her state, she was handling her booze very well. Far better than I could, though I was sure it was just that some of it hadn't really gotten into her system yet. Not to mention, she hadn't drank nearly enough to get passed-out drunk, and I needed her so drunk that she wouldn't wake up if I wound up making too much noise in the orchard by mistake. I was afraid I'd have to bust out my trump card.

I was hoping that the unexpected demands for a story would hold us long enough for Applejack to get drunk enough that she'd pass out without me having to do this. As it turned out though, we finished the story far too soon for my liking, and the sight of Lyra and a small band up on the stage in the corner meant that we couldn't be hogging the spotlight anymore. So we both settled in and Applejack began to slow down on her alcohol-chugging. I couldn't believe that she was still awake, with how tired she looked.

I'm still really sorry I brought this up.

"So, Applejack...what happened to your parents?" I asked slowly, taking a quick swig of my drink, the gentle warmth of alcohol spreading through me.

The gentle tunes of a guitar being strummed began to fill the bar, while the background noise of other conversations began to die down around us. I found it a bit strange that she didn't have her lyre with her up there, but it quickly became apparent to me that she'd changed since I'd known her. Apparently having a set of pipes had at some point been added to her repertoire, and I couldn't help but listen for a moment. The song was hauntingly simple in its composition, but the simplicity was what sold it for me. Easy and relaxing to listen to...even if it had a bittersweet history.

When those walls came crashing down, ponies on both sides, rebels on the outside and inside of Stalliongrad were utterly jubilant and filled with relief. The old regime, as hated as it had become, was easy for them to mock, in their joyful fervor. Songs were written, plays were made, some in good taste and some not. I liked the book about how one of their leader's father beat him, so he decided to take out his hate-boner on the rest of his country instead. Not exactly an unbiased book, but it's pretty cathartic. The particular song that Lyra was singing though...that was a bitter, but respectful one. It wouldn't be something I'd normally listen to, but in a bar, just relaxing after a long day, it was both pleasant and soothing.

When I returned my attention to Applejack, her relaxed and cheery demeanor had faded entirely. Despite the drunken glossed-over look in her eyes, she appeared pensive and thoughtful, and she quickly poured herself yet another mug of cider. The ponies that had crowded us began to give me a nervous look, the few pegasi among the crowd flitting their wings and backing off. They all seemed intent on giving us our space now.

"Why you askin' about stuff like that, Twi?" she asked quietly, not wanting to talk over the music too much. "We was havin' a good time."

"Oh! Heh, dunno..." I said, holding up my mug. "Must be the drink loosening my tongue. Your grandmother and I talked, she got to talking about her parents and her husband, and when I asked her about your parents, she just said they weren't with us anymore. Said it was on your withers to tell me about it."

"It ain't a story I like tellin'..." she muttered, downing an entire mug's worth of hard cider in one go. "Why do ponies always ask me about 'em?"

"Hey, I'm sorry! If you really don't want to talk about them, that's fine," I said, turning around in my seat so I could lean my back against the side of the countertop. "But I'll admit, I'm curious."

Truth be told, I didn't need her to tell me. I just needed to get her thinking about it. It was cruel of me, but depressed or sad ponies tended to find their way to the bottom of a bottle a whole lot faster than ponies just looking to relax and have a good time with their friends. They find comfort in making a pleasurable attempt to forget once more. The inebriated joy that comes with feeling good and not being able to think straight is a siren's song to them.

She was no different. She was downing those drinks a lot faster now, and things had become uncomfortably quiet between us. Drink after drink disappeared down her gullet while I took my time, the minutes ticking by while song after song was sung on the stage. Lyra was just as eager as the crowd seemed for an encore, because she took to the stage again and sang the exact same song, mellowing the room out all over again.

"My mama died durin' childbirth."

I almost didn't hear her speak, she'd been quiet for so long. She sounded just a bit slurred, and her head wobbled this way and that while she tried to glance over at me. I quickly turned in my seat to face her, resting my forehooves on my cushion, giving her my full attention. Last thing I wanted to do was be in swinging distance of a very strong earth pony while she's upset and utterly smashed. I didn't need my snout broken a second time.

"She gave birth while I was still pretty young, an' she wanted to have Apple Bloom on the farm," she said, staring down at the countertop. "Things were goin' fine 'til Apple Bloom was out. That was when the bleedin' started."

I could see her shivering, and even in her drunken state, I could see the fear in her eyes. It was the kind of fear I used to know, until I'd found a certain joy in my work. I couldn't really empathize with her in that regard anymore, but I remember what it feels like. When you see that much red flowing out of a pony's body, the natural response is to panic. That kind of fear leaves a mark on you.

She raised a hoof in the air and looked over at me, making a sweeping motion with it. "There was just so much of it, and I didn't know what ta do! Mah daddy ran out the house to get some help, but by the time he got back, it was too late. My mama was dead in a matter o' minutes."

"Oh, sweet Celestia..." I mumbled, shaking my head slowly. "I know that complications can arise during childbirth, but...damn."

"When the doctors showed up, they tried everythin' they could to revive 'er, but there was just...there was nothin' they coulda done," she hissed out after partially choking on a big mouthful of cider. "If she'd given birth in the hospital maybe, but there was no guarantee. She lost a whole lotta blood way too fast."

I couldn't imagine that situation. Well I mean I could, but I had parents I could actively hate. The idea of my mother just being stolen away from me by death without any rhyme or reason to it, on a day when I'm supposed to be celebrating...that's fucked up. That gave me a whole new level of respect for Applejack.

She took another deep swig from her mug, grimacing. "Then my daddy, he...heh, fuck! He just gave up. Acted like nothin' mattered no more, started stayin' out late in bars, comin' home real drunk. Didn't get physical or nothin', even when Granny chewed 'im out for it. He just hung his head and silently went into his room. Barely did any work on the farm. Got to the point that Big Mac and I started havin' to stay home from school ta keep things runnin'."

I watched her sad features contort into a scowl, the mare glaring holes into the countertop. I made a point to brace and prepare myself to bolt out of my seat. There was no telling what might set her off.

"I didn't hate 'im for it, not at first. Ah understood. I was angry, and buckin' trees just wasn't lettin' me get it all out, so I started takin' it out on those around me," she said, laying her forehead on the bar. "Granny an' I got in so many arguments, me n' Big Mac got in hoof fights all the time over it. I wanted ta blame someone, but weren't no one I could blame for what was happenin'."

"Except your father," I guessed, picking up my mug and taking another drink myself. "Emotions are illogical like that."

"Yer right about that," she said, slowly swaying backwards and almost falling over before her forehooves clonked down on the countertop to help her steady herself. "I started blamin' him once the farm started fallin' apart more. Big Mac wasn't goin' ta school at all anymore, an' he couldn't keep up with it all on his own. My daddy wasn't pullin' his weight either, not like he shoulda been. Was like he was in a trance I couldn't get 'im out of."

I simply waited for her to continue as she downed another mug's worth of her hard cider. She was beginning to sound more and more 'country' with every slurred word, and her eyes looked glossy and unfocused. Tell-tale signs of a drunk pony taking in way too much booze for their own good.

She waggled her mug towards me, the liquid still inside sloshing about noisily. "An' then! Then one night, he just doesn' come home, an' we figgered maybe he finally up n' left us, or killed 'imself. Don't know which woulda been worse, but turned out, it was neither. Next day, police showed up with my mama's hat , and I knew somethin' bad happened."

"Your mother's hat? Why'd he have it?"

"He started wearin' it all the time after she died," she said, slumping against the counter. "They found it in the grass, 'long one o' those roads closer to the Everfree Forest. Lots of blood in places, lots of claw marks, the fence on one side was all busted up...he gave 'em a fight, but they won."

She swayed in her seat and grimaced, hiccuping a few times. I could tell she was beginning to reach that point, and I mentally prepared to catch her if it wound up being necessary. Perhaps if I was lucky, she'd just faceplant on the bar and I wouldn't have to hassle myself. Not like it'd be hard to catch her, just, y'know. I was fairly tipsy by that point, pleasantly buzzed, no guarantee my magic's going to work like it should.

"Tha's the only reason I have any respect left for 'im. Fer all his faults an' how bad he failed us when momma died, he kept goin' even though he had nothin' left in 'im. He put up a fight when death came a-knockin'."

Her eyes closed for only a moment before she leaned her weight towards the bar again and leaned on it, as if it were the only ground in the sea she was currently sloshing about in. I took some time to down the rest of my mug before setting it aside. I watched her reach up to rest a hoof on the rim of her hat, adjusting it until it was sitting just right on her head again.

"I was so mad...wanted ta burn that whole dang forest down," she grumbled, almost inaudible to me. "I felt somethin' real dark in me that day. Didn't care 'bout the consequences. Just burn it all, watch those fuckin' magic wolves die...fuck all of 'em."

I watched Lyra step down from the stage, the rest of the band taking over from that point on. "Is that why you wear it now?"

"Eeyup!" she said a bit louder than I would've preferred. "Ah was already failin' school, so when daddy was gone too, I just...decided ta throw all mah focus inta keepin' that farm runnin' an' runnin' real good! Couldn' leave it all ta Big Mac, he was...he was...."

I only tried to catch her when she leaned back and flopped clean out of her seat. Short of cracking her head, I caught her in my magic and floated her there. Her eyes were rolling in her head and I could tell from how she was going limp in my grasp, she wasn't going to be very aware of her surroundings for much longer. That or she might start throwing up a lot. She was really starting to knock those drinks back once she got started. I suppose Granny Smith called it.

Unfortunate, since I wanted to know the names of her parents. Other things as well, like whether or not she or Big Macintosh ever finished school. They're clearly competent if they can efficiently maintain a farm between just the two of them. Questions to be asked later I figured, and while Applejack's collapse had drawn some attention, most ponies paid us no mind. Berry had come over, fairly concerned, but once she was sure everything was okay, she let us be.

We lingered in the bar for a time, with me laying Applejack's upper body against the counter. I had to keep hold of her to stop her from falling off, and she began to let off some light snoring, but it was fine. I waited for a solid fifteen minutes to see if she'd wind up vomiting all over herself, but no dice. Thank goodness for that. At least thanks to the booze, I wasn't feeling an ache in my hindleg, though I dreaded the possibility that carrying her back to the farm might change that. I couldn't take my medicine after drinking all that alcohol. Good way to wind up six feet under.

As soon as I began to set Applejack's significant weight down on my back however, I was quickly interrupted by several other patrons that seemed far too eager to help me out, if I needed it. The kind of life I'm used to, anyone offering you help without any prompting or expectation of monetary or carnal reward was very suspicious simply on principle. It was rare for ponies to just do something like that if they didn't have a driving force behind the action, be it selfish or calculated.

Ponyville was a very different place, however. Similar in a few ways, such as the bigotry I'd encountered earlier, but everything else was entirely different, almost otherworldly to me. The altruism the other Bearers had shown to me, someone they barely knew, at the risk of their own lives, not to mention the distinct lack of noticeable crime in the town...most everyone I'd met was way too nice for their own good. A pony like myself could swindle them with ease, and business isn't even my specialty!

I decided to give these ponies a chance, if only because I wanted to give the town another chance to prove itself to me. To make a long story full of starstruck ponies asking me questions upon questions during the entire walk to the farm much shorter, it paid off. No hint of them expecting more out of the act, no lingering, they just headed home after I picked Applejack up off one of their backs. I carried Applejack the rest of the way to the farmhouse and found Granny Smith waiting for us to show up in the living room.

Applejack was out like a light. No amount of jostling or noisy talking seemed capable of waking her up. I was certain that the mother of all hangovers was going to be waiting for her in the morning, but for now, she was getting the sleep she desperately needed. I was actually surprised she managed to remain as coherent as she did all throughout the evening, given how exhausted she already was.

Big Mac carried her upstairs to her room, and came down a few minutes later, ready to help. He didn't have his yoke on, which seemed significant to me after always seeing him wearing it previously. Actually, I hadn't seen him wearing it since I'd come back to Ponyville. Probably had something to do with his injury, I figured. Maybe it was too heavy for him to just wear around after pulling those muscles, or whatever it was he did to himself?

We left after he retrieved a small scroll container from one of the drawers in the end table next to the couch in the living room, as well as picking up the lantern Granny Smith offered us. He tied it to the same strap he'd secured the container onto around his barrel, and we both left without a word. That was fine with me. He really didn't seem like a stallion of many words.

Still, we had to converse in order to get any work done. Thankfully, that scroll container with the map saw a lot of use as he explained the grid system they used to separate chores and work between the two of them, as well as leaving some of the chores to Apple Bloom. The areas marked off with a marker were the sections that Applejack had managed to clear out on her own, and as a testament to her fortitude and stamina, I will say that she got a whooole lot done, like way more than I expected with the state she was in. Talk about applebuckin' legs.

Regardless, there was a lot left to do, and I had the task of getting it done in a single night. While most would consider such a task daunting, I was already putting together a layered array that could sustain the kinds of spells I'd need to cast. First things first, however...I needed to get the baskets. That meant spending a significant amount of time going back and forth from the barn with a cart full of baskets, but I needed them all in specific locations that I could reach in short order to keep the spells charged and going. With any luck, this wouldn't be too exhausting for me.

First, I wove arrays over the baskets as I set them down, filling them with a simple light spell that could act as a beacon for what I intended to do with them next. The spell wasn't nearly strong enough to make them emit light, but it was perfect for the next part of my plan. Big Mac found it strange that we were walking all over the farm just setting baskets down, but once I explained that it would 'make this easier for me', he just went with it. The draw on my magic was minimal for them, but they weren't the only part of what I had in mind.

After that, I took the time to go around identifying each tree, the hanging apples in them glowing with earth pony magic. The trees were filled with it as well, making them easy for me to see despite the darkness. I constructed multiple arrays in each area and wove a number of spells into them, identifying the apples as the targets and the baskets as the intended location those targets needed to be dropped off at. You can imagine that this took a couple hours all on its own, and they were a far larger draw on my reserves.

The end result was something almost akin to a conveyor belt in every grid section of the farm, at least, the sections that still needed to be harvested. The baskets were filled quickly in several places, but I'd made a point of figuring out a path to follow on their grid to ensure I'd show up shortly after the baskets were filled, so I could show up and replace them. I wasn't concerned with getting the harvested apples into storage immediately. I just needed to get them out of the trees. Carting them back to storage would just be more like cleaning up after a job well done.

"Stars above, that's some fancy magic you've got there, Lady Sparkle."

I chuckled and tried to hide the strain sustaining so many arrays was putting on me. "Heh, well, I'm a mage, so...yeah. Fancy magic's my thing. Please just call me Twilight."

"Well yeah, but ah ain't never seen nothin' like this," he said slowly, deliberately. "This is somethin' else entirely. Sorry."

It was actually hard to maintain a conversation with him when I was preoccupied sustaining the arrays as we came upon them. They were designed to hold themselves together, but there's no such thing as a 'permanent array', save for some of those spoken of in legends, and those weren't so much arrays as they were ponies that knew nothing about magic writing like they did know. The difference with these arrays is that, while they're designed to hold themselves together, they still rely on the caster's concentration and mana reserves, and even then they won't last forever. In comparison to, say, an array designed to form a fireball and then carry it to the target, these arrays were demanding my constant attention lest they fall apart on the spot, and the further away from them I got, the harder it became to keep them stable.

"It's a shame Applejack's so stubborn," I said quietly, glancing around the orchard. "If she'd just hired some help a while earlier, we wouldn't be here."

"Eeyup. That's just how my little sis is," he said, rubbing the back of his neck as we walked. "We could've used more hooves around last year too."

"More earth ponies, I'm guessing?"

"Now that's a common misconception about farming," he said, pointing at my horn. "Even if the help wasn't some fancy mage and just a normal unicorn, there's a lot of jobs around here a unicorn would be real useful for."

"Oh really?" I asked, quirking a brow. "Like what?"

He flashed a brief, but wide grin as a thought came to him. "Well, cleanin' up all the cow manure, for one."

"Why would that...oh. Oh. Oh damn," I said, unable to hold back a small laugh. "Now I feel sorry for you. Please tell me you don't manipulate the shovel with your mouth?"

He glanced off to the side, away from me. "Well...if'n it makes ya feel any better, I usually brush mah teeth a second time whenever I gotta do that. Sometimes you need more leverage."

I cringed and fought back a shudder. "Oh, eww....!"

He just laughed and let me be for a time, my entire focus returning to the task at hoof. We tried to make small talk here and there, but opportunities for me to be able to speak were few and far between. His slow manner of speech seemed purposeful, and I could only assume there was a reason for it. Applejack certainly didn't talk like that, and neither did Apple Bloom or Granny Smith. It was an anomaly among a family of natural-born farmers, and I was always a curious sort.

"Big Mac, I'm just curious," I said slowly, struggling to form words and work through the arcane mathematics needed to re-assemble one of the layered arrays that had fallen apart. "Why do you talk like that?"

"Like what?" he asked, staring at the ball of light I was examining.

"You speak very deliberately, like you're thinking about every word you say," I muttered, carefully weaving two layers back together so the array could work again. "I'm just curious. No one else in your family talks like that."

"Oh, I see. Well," he said, pointing towards Canterlot. "When Applejack and I started workin' the farm, I was the pony with more presence on the farm. That and ah'm good with words, an' ah'm better at dealin' with them businessponies. AJ can't stand a liar."

"That doesn't fully explain it..." I said, tilting my head as I finished pulling the array back together, the ball of light floating off to pluck more apples. "How does speaking slowly and deliberately help you?"

He shrugged and watched my spell fly off. "When I talked quicker like that, my accent came out more. Ponies with big money and big opportunities didn't want to deal with some country bumpkin most of the time. So I started talkin' slower, speakin' more eloquently. Couldn't get rid of mah manner o' speech entirely, but I guess it became more charmin' that way or somethin'. There were a few ponies that said I sounded 'charmingly rustic'. Whatever that means."

I smirked and stood up, motioning for him to follow. "Well, they just mean that you have a pleasant tone to your voice. Very calm and old-timey."

"I suppose I'll take that as a compliment. Anyway," he said, tilting his muzzle up as a light ball surrounded by apples floated past. "What were you doin' with that thing?"

"Oh, my spell? I was performing upkeep on the array," I said, frowning. "Maintaining my concentration on all of the ones we have spread over the farm is very taxing. That's why I'm starting to talk much slower than I normally would."

"Yeah, ya sound kinda distant. Like you're daydreamin'," he said, looking around at all the floating lights leaving trails behind them as they moved. "How's all this work, then? What's it like?"

"Hm, how can I...ah," I said, stopping as I pulled another array down to repair the degradation on it. "Imagine that you have numerous papers to fill out, and the ink you have to use slowly disappears over time. You write it all out as quickly as you can, but you have to keep re-writing the things you've already written, because the ink continues to disappear. That's what this is like."

"That sounds mighty frustratin'."

"Oh, also, the papers are made from magic, and if your concentration wavers from them too much, some of them will disappear," I added, quickly doing a few calculations in my head. "Forcing you to start over entirely. Also, you become more and more exhausted the longer you keep the papers in existence."

"You know, that just makes me glad I was born an earth pony," he said, sitting down while he waited for me to finish my work. "Bein' strong ain't so complicated."

"Yes, well, if I'd been born an earth pony, I'm sure my life would've gone in a very different direction too," I responded idly, sending the ball off into the air again once I finished. "There we go, maintenance done for this section. Let's keep moving."

"As ya say, Lady Sparkle."

"Twilight."

"Sorry."

The job, suffice it to say, got progressively harder as the night went on. I started to get tired, I started to get bored, and a pony can only remain focused for so long while moving around. Even Celestia herself had limits in that regard, to say nothing of myself. Boredom was one of the worst distractions, as thoughts of doing anything other than sitting there and retaining constant calculations and concentration began to cause me to lose several arrays around the farm. It slowed me down, and I had to repeatedly take the time to put together new ones, even as I got more and more tired.

The drain on my magic was only making things worse. Instead of physical exhaustion, I felt sluggish and light-headed as my reserves began to run out. The hot meal Big Mac brought to me halfway through the night helped, but food only helps your mind function so much in such a state. If anything, the hot meal just made me feel more tired, as many do after a good meal. Just roll over and fall asleep, y'know?

By the time everything was finished, I was thoroughly worn down. I barely had any magic left, and finally being able to let all of the arrays fall apart and stop drawing on my dwindling reserves was like having pressure crushing in on your head from all sides, only to suddenly and blissfully release you all at once. At least I didn't need Big Mac's help to make it back to the farm. It was...huh, that's surprising. I remember the exact time it was when I finished. It was 5:36am by the time I was done.

Unfortunately, that didn't leave me a lot of time to rest up, and I couldn't risk taking a nap. If I conked out, I might not be able to rouse myself in time to meet with the Shaman, and it wouldn't be particularly satisfying sleep anyways. Eh, I'd stayed up for longer times than this. The exhausted feeling I was fighting through brought back memories of a stake-out in Baltimare, and that was two days of me staying awake waiting for some help so I could get some Celestia-damned sleep. Compared to that, this was nothing.

Of course, that didn't mean I could just up and leave. Big Mac told me they were normally up at around six sharp, sometimes later depending on the chores that needed to get done, but Applejack was pretty much a guarantee. I was in the middle of nibbling on some toast that Big Mac had thrown in the toaster for me as a snack when the rest of the family came downstairs.

Applejack...still looked like shit, though that was likely more due to her hangover than her being tired. Outside of Apple Bloom's youthful energy, the atmosphere of the dining room was pretty subdued. I didn't look forward to what would be coming up next.

"Oh, hey Twi," she said, her voice sounding gritty and pained. "Strange ta see you here still. You stayed the night?"

"In a sense," I said, stifling a yawn. "I didn't get any sleep last night."

"Oh. Well, that's unfortunate," she said, rubbing her face vigorously with her hooves. "Guh, gotta get ta work. Big Mac, what's mah schedule today?"

Big Mac and I exchanged a look, before he cleared his throat. "Nothin' left, AJ. Work's done."

It took her a moment to process that, but once she did, her eyes lit up with surprise. "What?! Wait, how-hold on! There's no way the work's done, ah still had a whole side o' the orchard left!"

"Yeah, well, it's done," I chimed in, biting into a crunchier section of my toast and chewing a piece off. "I finished it up for you. Told you I didn't get any sleep last night."

The room became deathly silent, save for Granny Smith walking over with a glass of semi-cool water for Applejack to drink down. She dropped a fizzy tablet in the water, much to Applejack's chagrin. She probably didn't realize she was so thirsty, but the moment she saw that water, I knew she'd want it. I was always the same way after a night of binge drinking (not that I did it hardly ever), and I'd never met anyone in that state that didn't want plenty of fluids in the morning after.

Of course, the fact that Applejack was giving me the dirtiest of death glares made my sympathy for her fade somewhat.

The moment the tablet had completely fizzed away, Applejack began to down the water without a word. The silence itself was deafening, and aside from the occasional sound of ponies eating their breakfast, no one said a word. I was sure that if Applejack could glare at me through her glass, she would've. There were a lot of looks being exchanged around the table however, and even I, the one most inexperienced with families and gatherings, could tell that they knew that a storm was coming in the form of a very irate Apple mare.

Applejack set the glass down with a loud clunk, and despite her only holding it by touching it with her hoof, I could see the glass tremble in her tactile grip. "Y'all wanna repeat that?"

"Your work's finished," I said without hesitation, taking another bite of my toast. "Took a lot of time, but I managed it."

I could hear her take in a deep breath to calm herself down, but it wasn't helping. "And how...did ya manage that, sugarcube?"

"Magic," I said, reaching up to tap the tip of my horn. "I'm a mage after all. I couldn't buck trees like you do to save my life."

To say that Applejack looked livid would be an understatement. Her bloodshot eyes looked even worse than when she'd first come downstairs, and that glass was shaking a whole lot more than it should've been. I actually saw some fractures beginning to form here and there in it, and I couldn't help but wince at what that implied. Just how strong of an earth pony was she?

She turned her gaze on Big Mac, clenching her teeth. "An' you musta helped her!"

"E-eeyup." he said, leaning away from Applejack.

It wasn't like a pony to growl. That was definitely what I was hearing from AJ's clenched muzzle, the glass she was holding making crackly screeching noises as her grip tightened. I watched Apple Bloom duck away as the glass shattered, the sharp shards crashing over her part of the table and making a general mess. I was too tired to really give a damn. You know, that kind of tired where a chariot could fall from the sky right next to you, and outside of being startled, you wouldn't give a shit? That kind of tired.

"Ah'm out!" Apple Bloom suddenly stated, stepping away from the table with her plate in one hoof. "AJ's gettin' all seasonal again."

"Hey!" Granny Smith barked, banging her hoof against the table. "You watch yer mouth there, little filly!"

"Sorry, Granny!"

I watched her head into the living room, out of sight. Granny Smith seemed upset, while Big Mac looked rather intimidated by the way Applejack was reacting to my defiance. I was sure that if I were a changeling, I'd be poisoned by the fury in her eyes now. Her posture was hunched down as if she were ready to pounce on me, and her forehooves were rested on top of the table, one of them grinding one of the glass shards underhoof.

"Applejack Apple, you settle down and clean up that mess!" Granny Smith quickly demanded of her, giving her a stern look. "We'll talk about this real civilized-like when yer done."

"Ah'll get that when ah'm done with her," she snarled, glaring daggers at me. "I made myself real clear last time we talked about this, an' you went behind mah back! Even muh own brother helped ya do it!"

There was something...familiar, about what she was saying. At the time, I simply couldn't point out what it was for myself. Now, I can fully acknowledge the hypocrisy of my actions, after so thoroughly condemning Celestia for what she'd done to me. Perhaps history would repeat itself completely, and I'd get an apology later for her abysmal behavior right at that moment.

"I just...dang it!" she muttered, snorting and jolting up from her seat without a word.

She left the room and came back with a dustpan and a broom, making a point of cleaning up her mess while eyeing both myself and Big Macintosh. I really wasn't sure how to defuse the situation, but chances were, there wasn't really any way outside of riding out the storm that was Hurricane Applejack. Perhaps she had actually seen reason in the matter?

She marched up to me after getting rid of the glass, coming snout-to-snout with me. "Git off mah farm."

Or not.

"You know, if you'd let me explain-"

"You got five seconds to get outta my sight a'fore I start swingin'," she said, raising a foreleg and raising it up threateningly. "An' when that starts, whatever happens happens."

I knew when to take a hint. I set my toast down and got up from my seat, quickly walking away from her and into the living room, past Apple Bloom. Even I wasn't stupid enough to stay within swinging distance of an earth pony of her physical prowess when they were pissed off at me. That was kind of one of those golden rules you followed if you didn't want to have a really bad day, if you woke up at all after they laid you out. I could hear her following behind me, and I was fairly sure that Granny Smith was following the both of us as well, along with Big Macintosh.

Once we were outside, I dared to speak up. "You know, I did this because you were working yourself to the bone. If this is the kind of thanks I'm going to get for doing you a solid, next time I'll just let you keep making the same mistakes."

"Ah don't need no backstabbin', sneaky ponies doin' my job for me!" she shouted at me, stepping closer to me from behind. "Yer lucky I don't kick yer flank outta Ponyville for that!"

"Oh, you can sure as shit try," I shouted back, turning to face her, only halfway to the front gate. "And when you wind up in the red because you keep making those same mistakes, I'll buy the farm out from under you!"

I had my magic at the ready the moment she charged, but Big Macintosh was already there, grappling with his sister and holding her back. She snarled and called me every cursed name under Celestia's sun that she could think of, flailing at me and snorting like one of our feral ancestors, ready to throw down. I shied away as she screamed bloody murder at me, but Granny Smith's presence in front of her seemed to make her calm down considerably.

"Sugarcube, settle yerself down an' go cool off," she ordered, frowning. "Right now, before ya do somethin' you'll regret."

"But she-! I-!" Applejack tried to say, pointing a hoof at me. "She just-!"

"Did I stutter?!" Granny shouted at her, stamping a hoof. "Git outta here!"

Big Mac let her go, and with a final dirty look thrown my way, she walked off, grumbling to herself. I was already regretting my words, and with my anger fizzling out, I could only wish that I could take them back. Granny Smith looked fairly bothered by it as well, judging by how she was giving me a once-over as she approached me.

"Think it's about time you got outta here too," she said, resting a hoof on my wither. "Ya didn't mean whatcha said, right?"

"No. No I didn't, I just...sorry," I said, rubbing the side of my head while a sensation of shame washed over me. "I didn't mean to say that."

She smiled at me and nodded. "That's alright, sugarcube. You get on back to where yer stayin' an' get some rest. You look like ya need it."

"What about Applejack?" I asked, glancing in the direction she walked off in. "She's probably really pissed off at me."

"Eh, she'll be alright," Granny said, stepping back and waving a hoof in the air. "She's tired n' hung over. Once she calms down, she'll start thinkin' about it. She's right stubborn, but she ain't stupid."

"I hope you're right about that."

"She's got a whole lot o' free time now, thanks to you," she said, turning to head back to the farmhouse. "She'll piece it all together and get her head on straight. Be safe out there, sugarcube!"

"Thank you!"

I left the farm with no fuss after that, aside from giving Big Mac an apologetic look. Poor stallion would be the one to take the brunt of Applejack's ire, without me being around for her to pummel. Ah well, he was one of the co-conspirators, he deserved to take a little of the heat at the very least. Seemed that history was indeed repeating itself here, but this time, I wasn't the one in the wrong.

Instead of heading straight back to Fluttershy's cottage, obviously, I had somewhere else to be. I went past her place and headed to the west along the Everfree, just as the Shaman told me to do. Sleep beckoned and some small part of me desperately wanted me to just go to the cottage and pass out on the couch, but I couldn't let this opportunity pass me by. There was no way I was going to defy the Shaman's instructions.

I walked far off the beaten path and began to pace back and forth along the forest's edge, making sure to keep myself aware of my surroundings despite my exhaustion. With the state I was in, I was light-headed and only partially awake, and the lack of sleep combined with the almost complete drain of my mana reserves was starting to cause a headache, and the slight drunkenness I'd worked through the previous night probably didn't help matters.

Eventually, when I was thoroughly off the beaten path, I sat down and let myself rest. My hindleg was beginning to throb from walking all night and getting no sleep, and it was screaming for me to flop over and catch some shut-eye, but I knew I couldn't. Knowing my luck, I'd fall asleep and timberwolves would show up.

Still, sitting there and doing nothing was making the exhaustion catch up with me real fast, so I tried to busy myself with meditation...until that began to put me to sleep as well. Fortunately I got a wake-up call in the form of a sharp, stinging pain in the side of my neck. The pain was so startling that I jolted up and turned to quickly look around, trying to find the source of it. Seeing nothing, I reached up to the spot on my neck and winced again as my hoof bumped into something sticking out from the spot.

I quickly removed it and held it in front of myself as a warm sensation began to radiate through my body, from my head down through my legs and the rest of my body, my tail swishing rapidly in irritation as a faint itching sensation welled up here and there on me. The wooden dart I was holding had some expertly-plucked feathers attached to it, and the needle was small, like a tranquilizer dart but clearly hoof-made. Someone had whittled it down instead of getting it manufactured. This was definitely a blow dart. That meant....

I heard some rustling in some bushes just on the edge of the forest, and the Shaman stepped out of her hiding spot, her blowpipe being tucked into a saddlebag she had slung over her back. In the same motion, she pulled out a thin wooden stick with thinner pins attached to the end of it in a row of three. She approached me calmly while I threw the dart on the ground.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!"

Author's Notes:

So, this chapter took much longer than I expected, but I have no one to blame but myself. I really need to stop finding fun, cheap games to buy on Steam. I can be easily distracted for days on end. Still, here it is, and hurray for that, eh?

If you're wondering what Lyra was singing in the bar....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8cELTdtw6U

This actually punctuates one of the bigger, but less significant changes I've made to my plans for the story's overall outline. See, originally Lyra was going to be singing in a bar that Twilight went to near the end of the Stalliongrad arc, and she was going to be singing this song due to the history it has with Stalliongrad.

I cut that scene out because there was already enough going on in the Stalliongrad arc with Gadget, and Lyra isn't some main character. I really didn't need to add more to it. It wouldn't have had any significant impact. On top of that, I was going to go with the familiar stereotype of Lyra being just a bit bubbly and oblivious of her situation, and have Twilight wind up having to escort her back to her hotel since she didn't seem to realize how dangerous Stalliongrad could actually be. That didn't really fit with the other aspects of Lyra's character. She likes to travel, and hear new songs, and meet other low-key musicians and come up with songs with them. The idea that she could somehow be utterly oblivious towards her surroundings and the potential danger they represent is preposterous, when you consider the fact that she's been all over Equestria as well as out of country on several occasions.

Still, I loved the song and I still wanted to give her some character, so...I inserted her in here, in the background. What do you all think? Was it a good choice?

There's also the fact that this song is very fitting for Applejack. She's got some trauma to work through, and she's put a lot of walls up around herself. It's where her stubbornness and her toughness comes from. Those walls need to be torn down. Maybe not now, but someday.

As a note, the number of likes has hit 666....