Chapter 12: Old ties, new tricks

"So he's been here before?" Applejack asked Granny smith

"Why, yes" Granny replied while rocking on her rocking chair. Her and Applejack were watching as Big Mac and Shadow veil competed to see who could buck more trees and get the most apples. Both the stallions were smiling and enjoying themselves.

Granny Smith smiled at the wonderful sight "now that I think about it, it was when ya left fer manehaten that he came. Yes, I remember it as if it were yesterday...

Both Big Mac and I were upset that you left, but knew better then stand between a filly and her destiny. Still, it was hard. But it wasn't that long till Big Mac saw the small feller stroll right outta' the Everfree forest, like it was an evening stroll threw the orchard.

He was starvin' but refused to tell us anythin' other then his name and where he be goin'. Which was fine with us. Big Mac never done much talking, and I can respect a stallion who wants to keep to himself. Although from the way he acted, you couldn't tell he wanted that.

We gave him a whole heapen' help in' of apple pie, apple soup, apple sandwiches, and apple cider to fill his empty belly. Then we let him sleep in the barn over the night. Couldn't let the poor feller go over night sleepin in the wild. He was just a little colt after all. At first he refused
The bed, but a few yawns and droopy eyelids sure changed his mind fast.

He insisted on paying us back for the food an' bed we gave 'em by working on th' farm. He may have been a little unicorn, but he worked hard as any earth pony I ever did see. Said that where he came from, folks worked just as hard every day, so he's used ta it.

And when he wasn' putting all his heart inta workin', he played around with Big Mac somethin' fierce. Why, I haven seen Big Mac play like that since ya' left. It was like he had found a little brother he never knew he had.

But anywho, after a few days, he said he had to be mosyin on along. That he had to make his way ta Canterlot. That he was ganna be taught how to do magic, and how to fix his horn-"

"What do ya mean 'fix his horn'?" Applejack asked, interrupting her grandmother.

"Well," Granny Smith rubbed her chin, then found where she left off. "He said something was wrong with his horn, and that he was ganna go get it fixed by the princess in Canterlot. Then he was ganna study real hard and become-"

"The greatest wizard in all of equestria!" Shadow veil finished Granny smith's sentence with in a boning voice, followed by thundering laughter that made sparks fly from his horn and sparkle till they hit the ground.

Both he and Big Mac had taken a break from bucking apples to see what the mares were talking about.

"Ehup." Was what Big Mac had to say to shadow veil's statement.

"Telling miss Applejack about days long past, miss Granny Smith?" Shadow veil asked, his voice still dark, but his words flowed from a kind smile.

"You know, your speakin' has really improved since you been in Canterlot." She said as she reached over and pinched his cheek. "Must be all that book learnin' you be doin'"

As soon as she released his cheek, he rubbed it, but kept the smile. "I must admit, a lot has changed since then. My vocabulary being one. My magical skills as a unicorn being another."

"Are ya the greatest wizard in all of Equestria yet?" Granny Smith asked jokingly.

"Not quite yet. But would you like a demonstration?" Shadow veil asked
Granny Smith, still smiling, but his eyes narrowed at her.

"Why don' cha' show me what cha got, partner?" She squinted back at him, smiling at the dark stallion who soled back.

"I don' thin that's such a good idear, y'all" Applejack said, feeling nervous, remembering princess Celestia's order for Shadow veil to perform hai community advice without the use of magic. Not to mention what happened in the library and on the train ride over with the lightning.

"At ease, miss Applejack. I will not perform my community service using magic," Shadow veil spoke now with a silver tong. "But I can still have some fun!"

The dark unicorn jumped a little ways away from where the Apple family were, and took a firm stance, hooves planted well into the earth, as if he were bracing himself to be hit by a typhoon.

His horn ten began to glow bright green as beads of sweat began to drip down his face. All of a sudden, all the apples they had gathered that morning were coated in the same glowing green light. They began to lightly rise up from the baskets they sat in, then, without warning, they began to swarm above the pony's heads. Like an angry swarm of bees, the apples being controlled by shadow veil soared over the trees they originally came from, all sticking togeather.

Shadow veil then focused harder, causing a few veins in his head to pulse as motioned his head up. The swarm of apples then all rose up to the sky, and took the form of an egg shaped oval. Shadow veil then motioned his head to the left, then the right. The oval shook back and forth, then looked to split in two. The apples then reshaped and took the form of an adult, winged dragon. Shadow veil lowered his head, having the dragon slowly decent to the earth, motioning it's wings as if t were actually using them to keep itself afloat.

The dragon then landed on it's back legs and flexed it's chest, arms and wings. After a few moments, Shadow veil allowed the apples to flow back into a swarm, and file back into their respective baskets.

Shadow veil then released a heavy, deep breath as he fell to his knees. After a few moments of heavy breathing he as able to muster "How...Was ... That...?"

The Apple family was still in awe at the performance. But not long after shadow veil finally cough this breath and whipped the last of he sweat from his face, did the entire apple family cheer for him.

"That was amazin!!!" Applejack commented clapping her hooves.

"You've really come along way!" Granny Smith commented as she clapped her shaing hooves.

"Ehup" Big Mac agreed as he cheered.

"That was awsome!" Apple bloom appeared beside her grandmother.

Then, before Shadow veil could accept the complements, Apple bloom turned and asked Granny Smith "granny, I finished all my chores, and I go meet Scootaloo and Sweetie belle at the club house?! Please please please?!?!"

"Alright, go fer it" Granny Smith told her grand doughter, who then dashed off threw the aorchard.

Granny Smith, Big Mac, Shadow veil, and Applejack all watched as the little filly ran off into the orchard towards her clubhouse and her friends.