The Favor that Changed it All

It was Friday morning and the sun had risen over the crest of the mountains; the warm glow of the sun’s rays shone over Ponyville and the bell tower rang promptly at nine o’clock. Esbin yawned, stretching his limbs as he woke from his deep sleep. He groggily made his way to the bathroom down the hallway and commenced his daily routine: taking a shower, brushing his teeth, and finally combing his mane.

After he exited the bathroom, he trotted down the stairs, “Mom, Dad, are you guys up?” he called out. “Hmm. I guess they went to work early or something.” He walked into the kitchen to find a note on the table, which read:

Dear Esbin,

We’re sorry for leaving on such short notice! Your father was called into work early to play a round of golf with his boss and a few of the girls and I are going out, so you probably shouldn’t expect to see either of us for the entire day. You’re more than welcome to do anything you want, just as long you don’t throw a party, especially a Pinkie Pie party. Have a pleasant day and we hope you won’t get into any trouble.

Love, Mom and Dad

Esbin chuckled as he remembered the first Pinkie Pie party that he and his family received when they were looking for houses in Ponyville on their first day visiting. “An entire day,” Esbin said to himself, “I guess that’s all right, but what in the hay am I supposed to do for an entire day?” This wasn’t the first time Esbin had been left home alone, and he was used to it; the only problem was that he didn’t know what to do with his free time today. He set the note back down on the table and made himself breakfast - a bowl of cereal, apple juice, and orange wedges. Once he was finished and put the dishes away in the sink, Esbin walked over to the front door had one last look around the house before he left, closing the door behind him.

It was a surprisingly sunny morning in town; several ponies had already set up their fruit and vegetable stalls at the market, most of the stores and shops were open and everything seemed about as easy-going as it normally was in Ponyville. Esbin waved to some of the citizens along the way; over the years he had occasionally lent a helping hoof out to others - be it helping move furniture into houses, retiling rooftops, assisting sellers at the farmers’ market, or helping load apple bushels at Sweet Apple Acres – and he had made a lot of friends and acquaintances in that time. As far as he was concerned, things seemed to be going just fine in Ponyville.

Esbin was browsing through the wares at Daisy’s flower stall when the sound of something flying by at speed made him look up. “Scootaloo,” Esbin called out, “over here!” Scootaloo looked aft and saw the brown stallion waving to her; she zoomed back around and landed a few feet in front of Esbin.

“Morning Esbin,” Scootaloo said, “what’s up?”

“Nothing much,” Esbin replied, “just wandering around lookin’ for my pals, that’s all. So why don’t we meet up with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom and go have ourselves a hoof race?”

“Oh, well that sounds great and all, but…” Scootaloo paused.

“But what?” Esbin asked.

“It’s just that Rainbow Dash wants me to help her with more awesome tricks she learned from the Wonderbolts and it’s not like the Wonderbolts go out of their way to teach some random pony off the street ya know,” Scootaloo explained.

“Oh wow, seriously?! Can I watch? I can be your one pony audience!” Esbin chirped with excitement.

“Um… actually Esbin, Rainbow Dash kinda asked me to keep it private,” Scootaloo admitted.

“Oh,” Esbin said with disappointment.

“Look, I’m sorry about all this,” Scootaloo apologized as she started to beat her wings, “but I really need to get going.” She rose several feet into the air and, as she flapped away, called out, “I’ll make it up to you soon, I promise!”

Esbin stood right where he was, shoulders slumped in complete disappointment; he turned around slowly and walked back down the path. Great, just great! Well, so much for having a four-pony race. Maybe I can just go see wha… Suddenly Esbin pounded his two front hooves together and shouted, “Sweetie Belle!” He took off at full gallop, making his way towards the Carousel Boutique; when he skidded to a stop at the front door of the elegant fashion store he noticed a note pinned to the door. It read:

To whom it may concern,

Greetings. I, Miss Rarity, and my assistant and have decided to take a personal day off. We shall return first thing in the morning to reopen my Boutique. Please accept my most sincere apologies for any inconvenience.

Sincerely, Miss Rarity

Most of the time Rarity referred to her younger sister as her ‘personal assistant’ as a reward for helping her around the Boutique and Esbin knew that when it came to their ‘personal day off’ it usually meant a day at the spa. Esbin banged his head gently against the door a couple of times with frustration, but the mood soon passed when he spotted his friend Apple Bloom running right at him at full gallop. “Whoa!” Esbin shouted. “Slow down there!” Apple Bloom skidded to an abrupt stop right in front of the colt, spraying a cloud of dust over them both.

After coughing a few times, Apple Bloom said, “Sorry, can’t talk right now, Ah gotta ask Rarity ta fix something fer me.”

“I hate to disappoint you Apple Bloom,” Esbin paused to cough up some of the dust as well, “but Rarity and Sweetie Belle are gone.”

“Gone?! Whadda ya mean they’re gone?!” Apple Bloom asked, panic in her voice.

“I mean she and Sweetie Belle took the day off to go to the spa, and knowing Rarity they’ll probably be gone all day,” Esbin explained.

“Great! Just fantastic! Now who’s gonna help me fix mah dress for the Apple family reunion?” Apple Bloom asked, frustration written clearly on her face.

“Wait, what dress? And what’s this Apple family reunion you mentioned anyway?” Esbin asked. Apple Bloom pulled out a cowgirl-style outfit from her saddlebag; it had a saddle-like waist, a decorative flap that reached down to the leg area and a green collar adorned with an apple pendant neck cord.

Apple Bloom showed him a tear the size of a hoof around the end of the flap area and said, “This dress, it used to be mah sister’s dress when she was younger but she got too big for it and she gave it ta me. Ah tried puttin’ it on this morning, but Ah tripped and it got stuck between the floorboards in mah room and well… ya can probably guess the rest.”

“May I?” Esbin asked with a hoof held out; Apple Bloom passed him the dress and he examined it closely. “Hhmmm, well it doesn’t look too bad. I can probably have this thing sewn up in a jiffy.”

“Wait; you, a colt, fixin’ mah dress?” Apple Bloom asked skeptically.

“No, I’m serious! My grandmother taught me how to sew about five years back when she came to visit. I didn’t like it at first, but you never know when you might need it - like now!”

“Well okay, but only ‘cause ya asked. Come on, let’s head back ta the barn, Ah’m sure there might be something ya can use,” Apple Bloom said trying not to laugh at Esbin; she pulled the dress back and stuffed it back into her saddlebag before the two began to gallop over to Sweet Apples Acres.

As they galloped down the path which led out of Ponyville, Esbin couldn’t help but ask, “Say Apple Bloom. What exactly is this Apple family reunion you were talkin’ about? You didn’t say when were at the Boutique.”

“Well, every few years or so all the members of the Apple family come together for a whole day of partying and catching up! Brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, pretty much any kinda relative ya can think of really.”

“Sounds like a barrel of fun if you ask me!” Esbin admitted.

“It sure is! There’s gonna be dancin', eatin', games, and all sorts of fun stuff. Hey, you know what? You should come ta the party tonight, like Twilight Sparkle did when she first came to Ponyville!”

Esbin stopped abruptly and replied with hesitation, “Wha…what, me?! Umm, I’m not so sure about that Apple Bloom. I mean, what if your family thinks I’m just a party crasher or something?”

“Oh there’s nothin’ to be shy about, haystack,” Apple Bloom said, putting a hoof over Esbin’s shoulder. “You’re always welcome in the Apple family. But you should probably find something nice to wear - nothin' fancy, just something that’ll make ya look presentable.” Esbin looked down at himself and shrugged, thinking that he looked good enough. The two continued walking until they reached the path leading to the vast farm.

Applejack had pretty much become a spinning image of her own mother; she was stronger and more determined than ever, yet she still had her sense of humor and hospitality, as well as her pappy’s Stetson hat; it was a little worn but still in very good condition. As the sun beamed down on her and Big Macintosh, she noticed the two ponies that were walking up towards the farmhouse. “Well shoot,” Applejack said to Apple Bloom, “Ah know ya said ya’d be back soon, but not that soon.”

“Hey sis,” Apple Bloom sighed. “The store was closed but then ah met Esbin an’ he promised he would help fix mah dress.”

Applejack smiled as she walked up to the two and said, “Well that’s a mighty sweet thing yer doin’ there Mister Hoofin. Say, how would ya feel about joining us at the Apple family reunion tonight?”

Esbin rubbed the back of his neck, not feeling comfortable about all this. “Yeah, Apple Bloom mentioned about that,” Esbin said, “and I’m not entirely sure about joining in on this reunion of yours. I’m not even part of the family for crying out loud!”

“Please?” Apple Bloom begged with the same puppy eyes she had used on Twilight all those years ago.

Esbin couldn’t help but look into her eyes; he was unmoved however, having seen that look several times in his life and remembering that it usually got him in heap of trouble. “Sorry Apple Bloom,” Esbin apologized, “but I really don’t want to be a burden on you and your relatives, that’s all.”

“Awwwwww!” Apple Bloom whined; she hung her head and started making her way up to the house. Esbin felt bad that he had said that to her in front of her brother and sister after they had so politely asked him to attend.

“Ya know, it would mean a lot to her if you came,” Big Mac said in his bold voice, not in a stern way but simply matter-of-fact.

Esbin looked at the ground in thought for a second before glancing back at Apple Bloom, who almost made it inside the house. He sighed a bit and called, “Um, Apple Bloom?”

Apple Bloom merely looked back at Esbin and asked, “Yeah Esbin?”

“On second thought,” Esbin started, “I think I will join you and your family for the reunion…”

Esbin never got the chance to finish; Apple Bloom lunged at the young stallion with complete joy and squealed, “Yeehaw! Ah just knew you’d come around! Come on, let’s head inside and ya’ll can fix mah dress!” She yanked Esbin right into the house and slammed the door behind them.

“Ya think she planned that sappy stuff all along?” Applejack asked Big Mac, who merely nodded.

“Eeyup.”

~~~~~~~~

Apple Bloom led Esbin through the house to the living room, where a basket filled with knitting yarn, needles, sewing thread, and similar contents was poking out from behind the couch. She pulled out the thread and needle, giving them to Esbin to hold while she pulled her dress out from her saddlebag. Esbin sat on the couch, fitted a knot through the needle with the green-colored string that matched the dress and began stitching the torn flap together with all the skill of a professional seamstress. Apple Bloom sat next to Esbin while he worked; she had never seen how experienced her friend was, and how caring he was to help her in her time of need. She suddenly realized that she was leaning a little too close to Esbin when he asked, “Apple Bloom are you okay?”

“Huh?” Apple Bloom gasped. “Oh yeah, Ah’m fine! Just a little sleepy is all.”

“If you say so,” Esbin said. “Say, where’s Granny Smith, couldn’t she have helped you with your dress?”

“Granny Smith ain’t here anymore,” Apple Bloom said with a hint of sadness.

“Oh, oh I’m so sorry; I-I didn’t know that she was…” Esbin apologized, trying to comfort his friend.

“What are you sorry for? She’ll be here tonight with the family when they get back from Appaloosa with Braeburn,” Apple Bloom explained. “Where did ya think she was?”

“Uh, nowhere! Just thought she was in the barn!” Esbin lied as he let out a sigh of relief. He had finished stitching the tear together, but decided to double-stitch over the first stitching to strengthen the repair he had made. When he finished cutting the thread from the spool and knotting the end of the thread to the edge of the dress he exclaimed, “There, all fixed! Don’t expect that tear coming loose anytime soon.” Esbin passed the dress back to Apple Bloom, who examined it both front and back to see his work. She gave it a gentle tug in opposite directions to check the stitching, which held together like it had always been part of the dress.

“Oh thank you thank you THANK YOU!” Apple Bloom cheered happily. Esbin smiled, both from being happy to help and from embarrassment that his friend was hopping on the couch like a little school filly.

“It’s nothing really,” Esbin said humbly, “you just need the right tools and the right knowhow to…”

Apple Bloom chirped, “It’s perfect! Ah’m gonna go try it on right now!” She pecked Esbin on the cheek. Slid off the couch and trotted towards the stairs. She was halfway up when she suddenly realized what she’d just done, and her cheeks blushed red. Esbin just sat on the couch, also with a slight blush on his cheeks. He wanted to say something, but just couldn’t find the words.

A grandfather clock on the other side of the room rang to herald noon. When the twelve chimes ended, Applejack walked into the living room to see if things were going all right, only to find a rather stunned Esbin sitting on the couch. Applejack asked, “You all right, sugarcube?”

Esbin quickly snapped out of his surprised state and said, “Huh, uh yeah I’m fine! Just um… finished fixin’ your sister’s dress and, um, does your brother need help with anything?”

Applejack stared at Esbin for a moment and replied, “Well, Big Mac said he was setting the tables and games out for the party today, so I’m sure he won’t mind if you help him out.”

“Thanks,” Esbin said as he cantered out of the door. Applejack raised a hoof to delay him, but he was through the door and away before she had the chance.

Esbin made his way out the barn, from which Big Macintosh was pulling a picnic table. “Hey there Big Mac, need some help?” Esbin asked the red draughts pony.

“Eeyup, you can push out some of them tables while I set them for tonight’s party,” Big Mac explained. Esbin walked into the barn to see several folded picnic tables balanced on their side in the stables. He sighed as he pulled out the tables one by one and Big Mac set them into two rows of three.

Soon Applejack stopped by with some glasses filled with ice water resting on a tray on her back; as she served each stallion a glass she said, “Drink up you two, don’t want ya passin’ out before the reunion.” Big Mac helped himself to one glass, but Esbin on the other hand had three drinks; being entirely unused to moving things this heavy by himself, he was exhausted.

“There,” Esbin said with a gasp, “that’s the last of the tables. So what else needs to be done?”

Applejack chuckled and said grabbed a broom in her mouth. “We need ya ta sweep up the barn floor, that’s where the dancing and the special guest are gonna be.”

“Special guest?” Esbin asked, raising an eyebrow. “Who’s gonna be the special guest?”

As Big Mac walked past Esbin he replied with a small grin, “Let’s just say it’s a surprise.”

As Esbin started sweeping the floor, he wasn’t aware that Apple Bloom had been staring at him through her bedroom window; she still couldn’t help thinking about the peck on the cheek she had given to one of her best friends. But what was bothered her most was that she was starting to regard that stallion friend of hers a little differently than how she normally thought about him.

Applejack knocked on her sister’s door, which caused the filly to jump in fright. “Hey sugarcube,” Applejack said as she walked in, “you need any help with your dress?”

“Uh, yeah, Ah just need ya to work on mah hair like ya did last time, you know which style Ah’m talkin’ about?” Apple Bloom asked, settling herself on a stool in front of a mirror while trying not to let her sister see her blush.

“Sure thing! Esbin said that he fixed yer dress. Ah didn’t know he could do that sorta thing,” Applejack said as she undid Apple Bloom’s bow, letting her unruly red mane flop down. She picked up her sister’s mane-brush and began brushing Apple Bloom’s mane until it was straight and untangled.

“So are ya excited about tonight’s reunion?” Applejack asked casually.

“Oh yeah, Ah sure am,” Apple Bloom said, trying to keep a straight face so her sister wouldn’t notice how uncomfortable she was.

“Are ya sure?”

“Yes,” Apple Bloom answered calmly.

“Are ya really sure?” Applejack asked again.

“Yes!” Apple Bloom answered in a slightly frustrated tone.

“Really really sure, lil’ sis?” Applejack asked again, just to tease Apple Bloom.

“Yes Ah’m sure, Ah’m really really sure! Now will ya just drop it?!” Apple Bloom yelled in frustration. Applejack just stood in front for her sister, a saddened look on her face. Apple Bloom realized what she’d just said and stammered, “Ah… Ah’m sorry Applejack, Ah… just got a lot of stuff on mah mind is all.”

Applejack’s expression changed to concern as she replied, “Ah’m sorry too, sugarcube, ah was just messin’ around with ya. So, what’s on yer mind? It’s okay, Ah’m your sister, an’ ya can tell me anything.”

“Well…” Apple Bloom sighed, a little calmer after her sister’s reassurance, “it’s about Esbin. Ah’ve been feeling… weird every time Ah’m around him.”

“Oh, Ah see,” Applejack said in sudden realization. She placed a hoof on Apple Bloom’s shoulder and said, “Sweetheart, looks like you and Ah need ta have a lil’ talk.”

Apple Bloom looked at Applejack as she began to explain to her about the ‘problem’ she was having.

Outside, meanwhile, Esbin finished sweeping the floor of the barn just as Big Mac began hanging rope lights inside the barn, around the stables and outside around the picnic tables. When Esbin put the broom and dustpan away, he noticed that set against the back wall of the barn was a makeshift stage half-covered with canvas-like curtains. Esbin stared at the stage for a moment and asked, “Hey Big Mac, where exactly did ya get this stage? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it any other time I’ve visited Sweet Apple Acres.”

Big Mac walked up to Esbin and said, “A unicorn pony loaned the stage to us for this event; it’s all part of the surprise I mentioned earlier so let’s just leave it at that.”

“All right, if you say so,” Esbin agreed. “So how long do you think it will take for the two of us to finish everything? Will we get it done before your family relatives get here?”

“Not too long now, hopefully,” Big Mac replied. “They said they would all assemble at the train station and arrive here together by pull-wagons. Hmm… can’t help wonderin’ what’s takin’ AJ so long?”

“Who knows? Say Big Mac, you wouldn’t happen to have any shirts I can borrow for the reunion? Apple Bloom said I should wear something a little presentable,” Esbin asked the draughts pony.

“I’m sure I got something ya can use. I’ll be sure to give it ta ya before we begin the family reunion,” Big Mac answered.

-4 hours later-

Several strenuous hours of attending to various tasks around the barn such as preparing the food and beverages, setting up rods for games of horseshoe tossing and hanging streamers above the stables inside the barn passed without incident. Eventually the clock crawled round to twenty-eight minutes past five and the sun had started to set; everything was ready for the Apple family reunion and the backdrop of the sunset was just perfect. Esbin’s legs felt like jelly as both he and Big Mac made their way over to the farmhouse. Big Mac went to get a shirt and tie for the young brown stallion, but all Esbin wanted to do was lie down on the couch and have few minutes to rest. He opened the door, walked over to the couch, plopped himself right onto it and just like that, he was half asleep; his eyes began to close ever-so-slowly.

Soon he heard measured hoofsteps coming down the stairs; Big Mac had a white collared shirt with a loosened black tie already set on his back. He had taken off his yoke to throw on a brown colored vest. He spotted Esbin lying exhausted on the couch, but simply kicked Esbin with a hoof to wake him. “Come on haystack,” Big Mac said, “You said you needed ta look fancy so here you go.”

“I didn’t say I needed to look fancy,” Esbin groaned. “I said I needed to look presentable, that’s what Apple Bloom wanted.”

Big Macintosh chuckled at Esbin’s reply and said, “You sure are mighty polite with mah lil’ sis, and don’t think of denying it cause I’ve been watchin’ you.”

Esbin took the white shirt from Big Mac, slipped it on, and began buttoning it. “Well she’s my friend you know,” Esbin explained. “I kinda prefer staying on her good side and not stepping on any hooves, if you catch my drift. And besides she’s a mare, it would be impolite to not help one out.”

“Yeah, I know what ya mean,” Big Mac agreed, passing him the black tie, “it’s not easy puttin’ up with a mare, especially if that mare is one of your best friends.” Esbin tightened the loop around his neck, covered it with the shirt’s collar and finally straightened it out. The shirt wasn’t too big for him but it certainly wasn’t tight around his chest.

“Well?” Esbin asked, now fully awake. “How do I look?”

Big Mac stared blankly at Esbin for a moment and finally said, “Oddly enough, you look almost ‘xactly like pappy.”

“Um… thanks,” Esbin replied, “I guess. Listen, I’m going to get some water.” Esbin sat up and went next door to the kitchen.

Just then Applejack came trotting down the stairs to see her big brother standing next to the couch. “Well,” Applejack started, “don’t y’all look special.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to argue AJ,” Big Macintosh started, “but where in tarnation were you? Me and Esbin have been workin’ all day and we saw neither hide nor hair of ya.”

“Well excuse me,” Applejack said, “but Apple Bloom needed mah help with her dress and hair ta get ‘er lookin’ all fancy-like.”

“That explains a lot,” Big Mac muttered to himself.

“Well come on darlin’,” Applejack said, “it’s about time for the guests to be arrivin’, so we’d best be makin’ our way to the front gate to reacquaint ourselves to the rest of the Apple family. Esbin, where are ya?”

“I’m in the kitchen,” Esbin called out, “I’ll be there in a second.”

“Um, okay Applejack,” called out Apple Bloom, “just um… just…”