The Last Shipment, or Conversations with a Barrel

Applejack opened her eyes. She was quickly greeted with sharp, acid light pouring into her pupils forcing her awake. She groaned as she coughed up the salty, disgusting water she had almost been drowned by.

She felt a dull ache in her limbs as she realized she was still firmly clamped onto her barrel. Slowly, she uncurled her forelegs from it, splinters embedded in her hooves like needles. She gave a gasp of pain.

As she stood up, she took a long look at her surroundings. It was a beach, that was for sure... and beyond was the forest she had, for the past week, hoped to see.

She simply wished it was under different circumstances. She glanced over at her barrel. It looked a bit battered, but otherwise unharmed. She ran her hooves over it's surface, checking the seal, and to her relief, it was undamaged. If she lost her cargo... then she was finished. She might as well never return.

Her mind turned towards her journey, the ship, the sea, the wind in the sails...

Flashes of memory danced before her eyes as she recalled her trip. Waves like castle walls advancing on her, and that infernal twister, standing above it all like a deadly overlord...

Applejack shook her head, eager to be rid of those thoughts. She had to focus on the now. Where was she?

The only coast they had been near when the storm hit was the southern continent. At least she was on track. But aside from that...

She turned towards the forest again. Impenetrable, foreboding.

She groaned as she realized she'd have to go through it, aches in her muscles and bones, or not. She turned to her barrel resolutely.

“Well, partner... looks like we got a heck of a trip ahead of us.” she commented bravely. Her eyes caught sight of a small brown object, floating not too far from her. Her eyes widening in joy, she cantered towards it.

Her hat lay on the sand, gently rising now and then as waves lapped around it's edges, unable to carry it back into the water. Applejack picked her favourite accessory up and shook it a few times to dislodge most of the water, before placing it on her head, still uncomfortably soggy, but better than nothing.

“Looks like we're all set.” she commented, trotting back to her barrel. She tipped the wooden object on it's side and began rolling it towards the forest, the round wooden surface easily moving across the smooth sand, the slight, almost imperceptible sound of the sand shifting beneath it made impossibly loud by the absence of any other noise aside from the soft waves sliding across the shore.

It became more difficult as the sand began to get dryer, more dune-like, absorbing more of the forces Applejack subjected to the barrel, and even more so as she began to penetrate into the forest beyond.

“C'mon, partner... just work with me here...” Applejack grunted as the barrel clambered over weeds and twigs, lurching from side to side, the seal keeping the contents within safe and sound.

The woodland wasn't particularly threatening: the trees weren't all that tall, and neither were they dark, dying, or twisted. Sunlight poured in from through the leaves, leaving a beautifully crafted pattern across Applejack's coat, like some form of desert camouflage Rarity might design when military fashion was the current trend.

Applejack had to admit she missed Rarity. She could use a little companionship out here... all alone.

“Heh, Ah'm not completely alone.. Ah've got you, haven't Ah, partner?” she said with false cheer, knocking the side of her barrel with her hoof as she navigated a particularly difficult root. The barrel didn't answer. Applejack sighed. “Okay... Ah guess Ah'm a little lonely.” she muttered.

She scanned the forest, hoping against hope to see signs of a path, a road, or a building. Anything that might lead her to civilization. There wasn't any. There was hardly even any life in the forest: most places like this had an overwhelming amount of birds, insects and small critters, but here... aside from sporadic birdsong, she couldn't see anything. Just lots of trees, grass, and bushes.

Applejack sighed. She would have to occupy herself somehow... perhaps she could try identifying different kinds of tree, or cloud-spotting. She remembered that was an activity Rainbow Dash enjoyed.

There had been that one time, Applejack recalled, when she and the young pegasus had tried weightlifting as an exercise. To develop leg muscle, she remembered with a chuckle. As if they needed any more of that. Of course, it had quickly become competitive, and at the end of it all, both mares ended up trapped under the massive weights somehow, unable to move until their legs stopped cramping up. Rainbow began, out of boredom, pointing out the different types of cloud in the sky, and describing their place of origin, manufacturer, and purpose. Applejack hadn't spoken during that whole time. It had been interesting listening to something that all pegasi from Cloudsdale learned to know everything about.

“Those are some Cirrocumulus. They're used to transport water and sometimes ice crystals across the sky.” Rainbow Dash had said, pointing up at a group of tattered looking clouds, scattered in small clumps. “They're produced by Snow Central Industries, who make a whole load of high altitude clouds. You can tell by the pattern... it's like a watermark for clouds.”

Applejack didn't remember how she had reacted at the time. Probably made fun of her for being a cloud nerd, or something. Then Rainbow Dash would have retaliated by using some choice words to describe Applejack's knowledge on apples. And Applejack would have conceded that point, and Rainbow would have continued.

“And those there? Altostratos. But when I was a kid, my dad would call them Quilt Clouds, y'know, cause they're like a big blanket for the sky. Made by Cloudsdale National Weather Factories for bulk transport, but not quite so bulky as the cumulonimbus, which is only used for the heavy duty stuff. There aren't any today, though.”

Applejack broke herself from her reverie when she found herself nearing a small brook. She gave a small cry of excitement. Salt water did nothing to help quench thirst, and Applejack hadn't drank all day. She rolled her barrel to the edge of the stream and quickly sank her mouth into the crisp, clean water, drinking it up like it was cider.

She barely remembered to breathe as she drank in the endless stream of liquid.

“Guh!” she exclaimed as she lifted her head back, licking her lips. “That felt good...” she muttered, turning towards her barrel, chuckling. “Ah guess y'all don't need a drink, do ya?”

The barrel didn't answer. Applejack hadn't known what she was expecting. She lay down next to the stream, enjoying the sunlight glowing behind her closed eyelids. A quick rest wouldn't hurt, after all.

“Ah wish Ah could tell an altostratos from a cirrocumulus. Must be nice, knowing cloud stuff...” she muttered quietly as she felt the water evaporate from around her mouth. She felt her hoof begin tracing shapes in the sandy earth next to her. She didn't know what it was she was drawing. She didn't mind. “Maybe it's a cloud.” she murmured, before snapping her eyes open again and getting to her hooves. “Time to get moving.”

She examined the stream carefully, pondering how best to cross, before smiling, an idea crossing her mind. She took her barrel and carefully placed it in the centre of the waterway, her hooves only just being able to reach that far. Then, she neatly stepped onto her cargo, using it as a stepping stone to cross.

Unfortunately, she had underestimated just how unstable a barrel would be on a rather soft stream bed with the current pushing it over. She fell into the water clumsily, her barrel knocking her on the side of her head.

“Ow! Watch it, partner!” she exclaimed as she dragged herself, and her barrel out of the stream, safe on the other side, but quite disgruntled at having gotten herself wet. She shook herself, water droplets spraying all over her barrel. She eyed the container accusingly. “Don't you complain to me! You're the one that got me wet in the first place!” she complained bitterly. The barrel still didn't answer. Applejack sighed.

“Fine, Ah forgive you. Let's keep on moving. We've still got a long ways to go before nightfall.”

***

Big Macintosh looked over the numbers again, frowning profusely. Applejack stared at him from the other side of the table, her face worried. Eventually, she couldn't take the strain anymore.

“Well, brother? Will we make it?” she asked, almost biting her hooves off out of anxiety. Big Macintosh sighed, shaking his head.

“Nope.” he replied. Applejack's face fell, as if the world had opened itself up beneath her. This hadn't been something she had really expected to ever see happen to her.

“Ah can't believe it.” she muttered, looking at the sheet of numbers herself. She wasn't a good mathematician, but she had to be able to find if her brother had made a mistake somewhere. She ran her eyes over the papers again and again, her frustration rising within her.

“Why won't... Why won't this make sense?!” she eventually roared, throwing the stack of papers away angrily. Big Macintosh watched them soar through the air impassively. He didn't have anything he thought he could say to his sister. Nothing that would help, anyway.

Applejack let her head slump forwards, her face downcast. She stared at the table for quite some time, unable to move or talk. Eventually, after choking back a couple of tears, she began speaking again.

“So... we won't be able to pay for surgery, huh?” she asked. Big Mac shook his head.

“Nope.”

Applejack swallowed, as if sending her doubts and worries deep into her stomach. She looked up, straight into her brothers eyes, a new determination on her face.

“Ah'll find a way.” she said, her voice still shaky. “Ah won't give up.”

***

Rainbow Dash trotted next to Applejack, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the mare she followed. Sure, she looked fine, if a little serious, but Rainbow knew her friend well enough to see past that façade. For a pony who was meant to defend honesty as a value, Applejack was quick to hide her own problems behind that impassive mask of hers.

“AJ, don't worry too much. Just cause Twi and Pinkie don't have any solutions for you, doesn't mean that we still won't find a way for you to earn bits.” she said, trying to reassure her friend. It didn't seem to be working: sometimes reassurances that everything would turn out all right just heightened the fear of that small possibility that it wouldn't. Rainbow Dash went silent as they approached the doors of the Carousel Boutique.

Applejack swung the door open, and charged in as if she was going to battle. By comparison, Rainbow Dash, who usually played the part of the brash one, seemed to creep inside, overshadowed by Applejack.

“Rarity! Y'all got something for me?” Applejack shouted, unable to see the white unicorn anywhere. After a brief wait, she appeared, another pony in tow. Applejack vaguely recognized the blue maned unicorn stallion as Rarity brought him before the pair.

“Oh, good, you arrived! I have some good news.” Rarity declared. The stallion coughed, politely requesting the attention.

“If I may... we have some good news.” he corrected. “I wanted to assure myself that I brought you the business proposal in person, miss Applejack.” he said. Rarity chuckled nervously, a little surprised about being so quickly overwhelmed by her companion's personality. Usually, she enjoyed leading the conversations... not this time, apparently.

“Oh? Forgive me, but Ah seem to have forgotten your name?” Applejack asked, her voice and attitude the very image of courtesy. The stallion smiled, quite understanding of her predicament, and adjusted a small monocle onto his eye.

“Fancypants. We met a while back, but the encounter was brief, and I confess after we parted ways I didn't remember you very well either. I must say I'm glad you forgot my name, else I would have felt truly awful with myself.” he said, his voice light and pleasant. Applejack chuckled.

“No need to beat yourself up about it. Tell me about this deal you have for me.”

Fancypants coughed and drew out some papers. There weren't many, and they were each decorated with a strange coat of arms on the top right corner. He handed them to Applejack.

“These papers represent an offer. For cider. Not just any cider, but your cider. Specifically, Zap Apple Cider.” he said. Applejack read through the papers, both reading and listening intently. “My good friend Rarity tells me that, although you never sell it, you always keep a barrel safe in storage, in case of absolute emergencies, yes?” he asked. Applejack nodded.

“Eeyup. Only one barrel can be made per year, and usually we enjoy it ourselves, but there's always one in reserve. Last time we sold it, it was...ahem, six years ago.” she said, hesitating slightly as she recalled the events that led to them selling the precious liquid. Fancypants smiled.

“Well, that one time you sold it made quite the impact. The city of Maredrid had an ambassador over in Canterlot when the cider was served, and he is willing to pay an exorbitant amount of bits for a full barrel.”

Applejack raised her eyebrow.

“How many bits?” she asked, her hopes beginning, after so many days of worry, to finally rise again from the ashes of despair. Fancypants smiled, evidently enjoying making Applejack's day.

“Three thousand bits.”

Applejack went silent. So did Rainbow Dash: that was more than the weather pony made in an entire year, despite being concentrated awesome. The pair looked at each other briefly, looks of astonishment on their faces.

Eventually Applejack broke into a massive grin.

“You have yourself a deal, partner!”

***

It was two days since she had struck the deal with Fancypants, and she had been working around the clock sorting out the details of her trip. She had chartered a boat from Manehattan, bought tickets for a train to Manehattan, and, for extra safety, gotten Twilight to add some extra security for her cargo.

“The seal I'm planning on placing should be barely visible, but will protect the contents from everything short of a dragon shooting fire at it.” she explained as she prepared her spell, the barrel in front of her.

Like the cargo inside, the barrel was special. It had been painted white, long ago by Applejack and Big Macintosh themselves when they were much younger. At four points along the centre of the barrel, equally spaced, were four pink hearts. Two more were on the top of the barrel, and on the bottom, making for six in total. Applejack didn't imagine the paint lasting that long during the long trip, but it was the thought that counted.

“How do Ah remove the seal? Y'know, so Ah can open it when Ah get there?” she asked. Twilight smiled, evidently very proud of her work.

“That's the beauty of the spell: if you want to open it, you can. But anything else will simply bounce off against the ward. It's a very good spell, if you want my opinion.”

Applejack nodded, impressed.

“That sounds perfect.” she said. The last thing she wanted to worry about on a long trip was losing or damaging her cargo. She turned to the young alicorn. “Thanks. It means a whole lot for you to all help me.” she said. Twilight chuckled.

“That's what friends are for. I'm just sorry I can't go with you and Rainbow Dash, but Celestia asked for me to be present at the-”

“No need to explain it to me again, sugarcube... me an' RD'll be fine.” Applejack said. Twilight smiled.

“Yes, I suppose so.”

***

Applejack couldn't sleep. The long walk had been devoid of much to grasp her attention, and her mind was constantly awake, darting from this to that, ranging from everything to her friends, Applebloom, and the shipwreck.

It occurred to her that if she hadn't held onto the barrel back then, in an attempt to save it, she might not have survived, pulled under by the titanic waves. She spared a quick glance towards the wooden container. As she had expected, it had since lost all it's paint, but the faint glow of the seal still persisted. Twilight truly had done a magnificent job.

“Ah guess Ah should thank you, partner.” she commented. The moonlight shone on the side of the barrel, making only half of it visible. Applejack sighed.

“Heh. Look at me now... talking to a barrel.”

She turned back to look around for anything that might take her mind off the barrel, thinking not for the first time that day that talking to inanimate objects couldn't be good for a pony's mental stability. Not to mention Rainbow and Pinkie would tease her endlessly if they ever caught her treating a Barrel like something alive.

Not that it was. It was the perfect gentlecolt: never spoke out of turn or did anything unbarrellike. It only moved when Applejack pushed it and rolled it.

Applejack groaned and banged her head against the ground in an attempt to knock what remaining brain cells she had unconscious so she could finally get some sleep. It didn't succeed. She simply ended up looking at the sky again, but it was too dark for her to be able to make out any clouds or even stars. She frowned. That meant there had to be clouds up there...

“Durn' it! Which cloud was it again?” she asked, racking her brain for the name of that... the very long one, the one that covered the entire sky...

“Altostratus.” Applejack declared proudly. “Ah think... didn't he say that it was only for mid-level clouds? Ah can't remember.” she said, her brow furrowing. A hint of sadness entered her voice when she spoke again, about a minute later: “Ah wish Ah could remember...”

Barrel watched, impassively, as Applejack looked up at the sky, trying to figure out what kinds of clouds populated this unfamiliar sky. He didn't have much in the way of opinions, being a barrel, but he watched in polite silence nonetheless.