Celestia’s royal golden sun peered over the morning horizon, coating the land with golden rays of warming brightness. A stubborn yellow filly with a cute red mane refused to wake up. Rays of sunny beams shun through the window making the little filly stir, but still refusing to wake and greet the golden sun. “Apple Bloom,” a voice from down stairs called out. But still the sleeping filly did not wake. “Apple Bloom, don’t make me come up there an’ get ya outta bed young filly,” the voice called again, this time a bit more stern.

A frustrated orange mare with a lush yellow mane opened the door on the sleeping filly. Day light shining in her room and noise from down stairs had both failed to awaken the sleeping filly. An evil smug came over the farm mare as she knew exactly what this situation called for. Applejack slowly pulled back the bed sheets as not to disturb the sleeping filly. She slowly closed the distance between her mouth and the filly’s very vulnerable stomach and blew hard. The ripple effect of the playful raspberry to the cute filly’s stomach made her spring to life. Apple Bloom burst awake with laughter unable to control herself from Applejack’s unforgiving morning assault. “Okay sis Ah’m awake, Ah’m awake!” she screamed out laughing.

“Well maybe if ya came down when Ah called this wouldn’t o’ happened little sis,” Applejack said slyly, continuing the raspberry attack on a frantically laughing sister.

“Okay, okay, sis ya win. Ah promise Ah will wake up when ya call,” the little filly pleaded as she tried to shake her big sister off.

Applejack was enjoying the torture of her little sister to much let up just yet, adding to the raspberry assault with tickling. The little filly’s laugher increased tenfold as she continued to cry out in protest. “Sorry, Ah can’t hear ya ta well Apple Bloom. What did ya say?” her older sister teased.

The filly couldn’t contain herself laughing at the peak of her voice and gasping for air in between. “Ah said Ah’m sorry sis! Ah will wake up when ya tell me ta, Ah promise!” the screaming filly pleaded in amongst all her laughing.

Applejack finally let up, releasing the laughing filly so she could catch her breath. The sturdy Applejack put all fours back on the floor and made for the bedroom door. “Now hurry up and scoot yer boot Apple Bloom, ya breakfast is gettin’ cold an’ ya have ta go ta school today.” Applejack peered back into the room to check her little sister registered all those instructions, only to receive a mock salute and teasing smile from her. The older sibling rolled her eyes and shut the door on her way out.

The Bloom, now wide awake jumped out of bed and began her normal morning routine, if not a bit more hasty due to a late wake up call. She made for the bathroom and had a quick shower, much too quick for her taste. ‘Next time Ah will get her up before old Sunny crows,’ a wet pouty Apple Bloom thought to herself as she scrubbed down.

Down stairs the kitchen was filled with the sweet smell of pancakes. Applejack the master chief she was always enjoyed making her family breakfast. Pancakes with her trademark homemade and absolutely delicious apple syrup. As usual the smell flowing out of the kitchen drew all kinds to the breakfast table a big red hard working stallion, an elderly pastry specialist and a freshly cleaned little filly who was last into the kitchen coming down the stairs. “’Bout time Apple Bloom, these here pancakes getting’ mighty cold,” Applejack teased, smelling the pancakes to rub it in, electing giggles from her big brother and granny.

“Y’all don’t have ta rub it in, ya know,” a pouty Bloom stated crossing her forehooves in protest. This made all other Apples in the room giggle at their youngest member.

“Well maybe if ya woke up on time, this wouldn’t happen sugarcube,” Applejack scolded, serving Apple Bloom her pancakes. She also passed over the apple syrup, making Apple Bloom eye off the syrup with great anticipation.

Apple Bloom helped herself to the red slimy goodness pouring more than she needed on her pancakes. Applejack gave the little filly an annoyed stare. “Apple Bloom!” she scolded again, hoof pointed at the apple syrup. “What’s Ah told ya ‘bout wastin’ ta much syrup? Now Ah will have ta make more.” Applejack was more then a little annoyed now, holding up the empty jar to emphasize her point.

For a moment Applejack held the jar considering a course of action to correct this problem. “Okay sis, when ya get home from school, yer goin’ ta help me make a new batch o’ apple syrup.

“But Applejack, me an the girls have a Crusader’s meetin’ planned fer afta school” Bloom groaned in protest waving her hoofs in the air.

“Well, maybe ya will not be so wasteful next time, little filly,” Applejack corrected. She put the empty jar back on the table. “Come ta think o’ it, Ah got a whole heapin o’ goods Ah been meanin’ ta whip up.” Applejack dawned a cheeky grin and turned to face the little bloom. The filly gulped she knew what her big sister was about to mention. “In fact, ya can help me make a few other things while we’re at it. Don’t that sound sweet, sugarcube?” she laughed, teasing the little filly even more.

“But, but, but, Applejack…” The little filly was cut off with a smug smile on her older sister’s face. “Yer enjoyin’ this way ta much, ain’t ya?”

“Eeyup.”

The little filly rolled her eyes before crossing her forehooves and letting out a growl. Apple Bloom was none too pleased on missing out on all that planned crusading. “All right little miss pouty, y’all can help me this afternoon. Who knows…y’all might get a cutie mark outta it.”

Apple Bloom leaped up from the table and into her sister’s hooves. “Thanks sis, yer the best,” she yelled as she gave her sister a big tight hug.

“Okay little filly, now get yerself ready fer school.” With Applejack’s last order the filly could not get out of the door quick enough.

A knock to the office door brought the attention of a busy Unicorn behind the desk. “Yes, come in,” the deep stern voice ordered.

The door creaked open and in walked a proud grey stallion with a bandage around his head. “Grand Estate, what happened to you?” the boss behind the desk questioned, worried for his friend.

Grand trotted up to the front of the desk and took a seat. He rubbed his saw head and cringed a little in pain, it was still sore and his newly acquired lump was not helping. “I’m okay, for the most part boss. But Scribble and his little friend...well, they quite literally bucked me out of the shop,” he stated, pointing a hoof to his bandaged head.

The boss looked a little concerned. “So I take it Scribble Script said no?” the boss asked with great interest, as he pulled a few pieces of paper from a draw in his desk.

“Among other things.”

“So there no chance he can be persuaded to give up his twenty-five percent of the ranch?”

“Not unless you want to get rough boss. Like father like son, he will be stubborn to the end I fear,” Grand reasoned, shaking his head in frustration.

The boss went back into his desk draw and pulled out a few griffon cigars and hoofed one to the sales pony. He then used a spell to light both of them up and levitated his cigar into his mouth and took a long deep breath. The boss hopped out of his seat and trotted for the window, the Unicorn deep in thought folded the blinds back and took in the urban wonder of Manehattan. “Perhaps your right my old friend. I don’t normally like to get this rough, but that stubborn family not leaving me any choice,” the boss murmured still deep in thought.

Grand Estate joined his boss near the window. He levitated the cigar out of his mouth and let out a big breath of smoke. “What is under that farm is just far too valuable to let it stay. We doing the right thing here,” he stated as he looked out the window and took in the evening sun.

The boss sighed as he trotted over to the intercom on his table. “Send for Twitchy Spark please Miss Vern.” He took his hoof of the intercom and sat back down in the big cosy leather seat.

“Right away Boss,” a rather dull voice on the other end of the intercom announced.

Applejack was rummaging through the kitchen for ingredients to cook with. She pulled out everything from flour to a basket of apples she bucked earlier that morning. Apple Bloom and the other Crusaders would be coming soon and she wanted to be ready for an afternoon of cooking they would never forget. But there was one ingredient that eluded her, making the search around the kitchen frustrating to say the least, one simple ingredient that she could not be without.

Applejack growled to nopony in particular while franticly searching the kitchen. “Now where in tarnation is the sugar? O’ all the things ta be missin’, it has ta be the sugar.” Applejack tore the kitchen apart looking for a sack or even a jar of sugar, but no was to be found anywhere. She growled to herself again before bellowing outside for her brother to come and help with this dilemma.

Big Mac trotted into the kitchen with a smile on his face to inquire of his sister what she needed help with. “What seems ta be the problem AJ?” he asked out of concern for his sister, since her face looked like her life was about to end.

“Thank goodness yer here! Ah run outta sugar! We don’t got none anywhere, an’ Ah promised those fillies we would be cookin’ up a storm this afternoon. Do we gots any sugar anywhere, Mac?” she pleaded, desperate for her brother to say yes.

Big Mac rubbed his chin for a moment while he parked his rear on the floor. “Not sure, let me check the barn.”

“Correct me if Ah’m wrong, but we ain’t received a new shipment of sugar fer a while now. In fact, if Ah member correctly, the latest delivery is already two weeks late,” Applejack stated as she finally realised they could be out of sugar. Given this is no life threatening problem, but still, for a family of sweet makers it’s a scenario they would rather avoid.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed. He stood on all fours and proceeded to check the barn to see if any of those sweet bags of sugar were left.

The hardy stallion returned fifthteen minutes later with empty hoofs. He shrugged in disappointment to his saddened sister. “Seriously, we out o’ sugar?”

“Eeyup.”

“Well ain’t this jus’ dandy. Now Ah gotta race inta town ‘n’ grab some.” Applejack grabbed her saddle bags and made for the door. “Mac, ya mind bucking me another bucket o’ apples, please,” Applejack blurted out, already through the door and gone down the dusty windy road.

For second time that evening the door into the office had a knock on it. The boss called out from behind his desk to the pony in question to enter. The doors opened and in trotted a fiery red Earth pony with a mustang orange mane. “Are Twitchy, glad you could make it my fine chap. Please come in have a seat. Can I offer you some ale, or a cigar?” the boss offered his expected guest.

“Nah, youze know me. So let’s make dis quick, ‘ey boss,” the fidgety pyromaniac demanded.

“Yes to true. How could of I forgot that,” the boss calmly stated, putting the offered cigar down on the marble desk.

The boss reached into his desk draw and pulled out a map of Manehattan and a few photos. He slid them along the marble desk so they ended up in front of the Twitchy. “This is your next target. This book shop has to be burnt to the ground to send a message to its owner. Which, might I state, is not to be burnt alive this time. Do I make myself clear, Mr Spark?” the boss ordered sternly taking another whiff of his cigar.

“Yea, yea, yea, I got it, boss man. Jus’ make sure youze got ma fee…Boss!” Twitchy scooped up the map and photos and was out of the office faster than he entered.

The boss lit another cigar and turned the seat around to stare out the window and contemplate his next move while taking in the lovely sunset Celestia was putting on.

Applejack galloped through town at blistering speeds, it would not be long before those fillies arrive back home for the afternoon cooking session. The farm mare didn’t wish to keep them waiting, especially when it was her punishment to her younger sister and it was cutting into their precious crusading time.

But hope was realised as the targeted destination was finally within eye sight. The gingerbread sweet shop was only a couple more gallops away, and the hawk had sighted its prey and picked up the pace ready to swoop. Applejack roared down the street and intended to bust right into Sugarcube Corner. The determined pony was just on the stairs leading into the sweet shop when the top half of the double doors opened. A pink Earth pony hanging upside down popped her head from the top of the door and greeted the blistering orange blur. “Hello there speeeeedy weeeeedy, what brinnnnnnn...,” Pinkie Pie screamed as Applejack failing to put the brakes on in time slammed into her.

“PINKIE!" was all Applejack managed to scream before both of them slid across the floor and strait into the shelf of cakes located on the far side of the sweet shop.

A loud thud and bang rattled the entire shop as cake, bits of wood and two ponies who lay knocked out on the floor was all that could be seen at the site of impact.

Applejack slowly came to and opened her eyes to see Mrs Cake’s head above her. “Oh my, Applejack you okay sweetie?” she asked, lending a dizzy Applejack a hoof and helping her to all fours.

Applejack wobbled a bit still gaining her balance. She shook her head to gain her composure and addressed the worried Cake. “Don’t y’all worry none, Ah will be jus’ fine an’ dandy.”

Pinkie Pie also came to and managed to get up and clear her mind. “Oh wow, what a ride, can we do that again?” she cheered, jumping up and down with uncontrollable excitement. Mr and Mrs Cake could only facehoof at the excited pony and her idea of wanting to crash into something again.

The sweet shop was a complete mess you couldn’t see the floor and some of the walls no matter what direction you looked in. The display case that housed the cakes was nothing more than scrap wood mixed in with all the cake. Two unhappy Cakes now stared down Pinkie demanding answers. “Pinkie Pie, jus’ what in tarnation were ya thinkin’, girl!” Applejack yelled in frustration at her pink friend.

“I’m so sssuuupppeeerrr sorry Applejack, I just thought a fun hearty hello would be a fun way to greet and cheer up a friend. You do seem a little worried, so I wanted to cheer you up,” she admitted sobbingly, starting to tear a little, upset she made her friend mad.

Applejack broke her frown and produced a smile. How could she stay made at Pinkie whose logic was floored but still made sense in a caring way? “Shucks Pinkie, Ah can’t stay made at ya. Ah’m sorry fer gettin’ mad an’ so uppity with ya,” The apologetic Applejack confessed, taking off her trade mark Stanton all humble like.

Pinkie Pie was almost ready to pour out the water works. She raced up and embraced her orange friend in a huge hug. “I’m sorry to AJ, I should have been more careful about surprising you so much. Next time I Pinkie promise I will be more careful not to get you hurt.” Pinkie was crying, letting the water works out all over her friend’s coat.

“Hey sugarcube, that’s all right. Now, how’s ‘bout y’all lend me a hoof an’ we get this mess cleaned up.” Applejack waved a hoof around the shop to signify her point. She smiled at the Cakes, hoping they would let her help clean up as a form of apology.

“Oh thanks kindly Applejack, but we can clean this up, not like all this was your fault?” Mrs Cake declared trotting towards the broom closet.

Applejack was not going to take no for an answer, she considered the fact she was galloping to be part of the problem at hoof. she insisted to be allowed to help clean up. This might make her late coming home but it (in her book) was the right things to do. “Fine, Applejack you can help clean up, since you insisted so much. You can start with the mop if you like.” Mrs Cake said hoofing a mop to the her.

Pinkie Pie strung to attention full of excitement and a glare in her eye. A glare the Cakes and Applejack knew all too well. The party pony had an idea and for better or worse she could not be stopped in her endeavours to complete it. “Pinkie Pie, jus’ what in tarnation are ya plannin’?” Applejack asked, scared what could be brewing in Pinkie’s mind.

“Don’t ya worry your little apple baskets AJ. I just can’t let yummy cake like this go to waste,” Pinkie Pie claimed in a sing-song tone. She licked her lips and bent her knees before launching herself towards the side wall of the sweet shop. Within one minute the whole room was void of cake in anyway. Pinkie Pie licked her face clean and patted her big stomach. “Mmmmmmm, maybe I should mix all these cakes together and make a new flavour out of it. So delicious.”

A stunned Applejack and Cakes just stood there with sheepish grins on their faces. Pinkie Pie had licked the entire store clean in a minute. Not only that but the shop was sparkling clean, as if Pinkie had a magical cleaning agent on her tongue that left the floor, walls and roof sparkling.

“Um…okay, an’ that jus’ happened,” a stunned Applejack declared, getting a united nod of agreement from both Cakes, who couldn’t get over the fact Pinkie broke all cleaning speed records on existence to pull off her sparkling stunt.

After another minute of just staring into the abyss or in Applejack’s case a strangely clean sweet shop, she shook her head free of any such thoughts and addressed the whole reason she rushed for the this location in the first place. “Um, excuse me please Mister ‘n’ Misses Cake. Ah’m in dire need o’ a sack o’ sugar please. We ain’t had any delivered ta us in a couple o’ weeks, an’ Ah know y’all always have an extra sack o’ two layin’ ‘round.”

Mr and Mrs Cake gave each other a look of distress before facing Applejack with the same look. She didn’t like where this was going and kind of figured what was about to be said next. “We’re sorry Applejack. We’re clean out of sugar also. Other ponies in town seem to facing the same problem, and already came to see us. We have already given out all the sugar sacks we can spare,” Mr Cake revealed, disappointed he couldn’t give his favourite apple farmer a sack of sugar.

“We just haven’t had any new sugar delivered in weeks. Our normal supplier in Trot About Creek seems to have gone dark, as we have had no reply from letters we have sent,” Mrs Cake informed, giving her stressed husband a little snuggle. “But if we don’t get any in the next week, our own supplies will run dry as well Applejack.”

Applejack took a few minutes to process all this new information, seating her rump on the ground to let her brain has full processing rights. ‘Wonder what in Equestria could be holdin’ up the sugar from Shimmer Shine Ranch,’ Applejack thought to herself while she rubbed her chin.

“Maybe Ah should go an’ pay Shimmer Shine Ranch a visit, an’ see what could be holdin’ up the sugar harvest. If what y’all say is true, most of Ponyville is nearly out o’ sugar. We can’t have a sweet town like ours without any yummy treats ta eat. Jus’ wouldn’t be the same,” she firmly stated putting a forehoof on her chest like it was her duty to solve this problem. “Looks like Ah’ll be takin’ a little trip ta Trot About Creek ta find out what in tarnation is goin’ on!” Applejack declared to nopony in particular.

“Oh Applejack, you don’t have to do that for us,” Mrs Cake protested, giving her best baby eyed face.

“Nah, not a problem Misses Cake. Ah like an excuse ta see more o’ Equestria Ah never been ta before,” Applejack chirped way too excitingly. She bolted out of the sweet shop, leaving the Cakes dumb founded and the Pinkie Pie already planning her home coming party.

Applejack galloped off home in order to prepare for the long train trip to come. ‘Apple Bloom might be a little upset with no cookin’ this afternoon, but lettin’ them crusade should fix that.’

Author's Notes:

Hold ya horses, not long till everything will start coming together. Twist will come in a little later, for those ya who wondering about that.