Applejack woke up and began her Tuesday as she had since meeting her dear friend Twilight Sparkle.
“You can do this, Applejack, it’s just another Tuesday. Ain’t nothin’ cursed about Tuesdays, now. Twi says curses are old mares tales anyways.”
Nightmare Moon’s return had been on a Tuesday, Applejack unhappily recollected. And if that wasn’t a curse, well, Applejack didn’t know magic so maybe it wasn’t. She rolled out of bed, ran her brush through her mane and tail a few times then tied them off in sensible ponytails.
“Applebloom! Time to get up!” she hollered as she put on her hat. Big Mac’s distant “Eeyep.” drifted up from downstairs.
Come to think of it, that Love Poisoning had happened on a Tuesday, hadn’t it?
————
Breakfast had been a hearty apple hash, just like last Tuesday, and the Tuesday before that. Once, it had been comforting, now a good hash just left Applejack vaguely unsettled.
Apple Bloom was riding in the food cart that Applejack was hauling into town. Ever since rebuilding had started she and the family had been baking and cooking on overtime just to keep up with the demand. It almost left a bad taste in her mouth, making such a nice profit from Ponyville’s destruction.
Almost.
It helped knowing that the work ponies were fueled up with healthy, nutritious and hearty apple products. Nopony was going to faint from hunger on her family’s food. Not like those...
“Ohmygosh! Big sis, big sis! Is that Zecora and a mysterious stallion!” Applebloom cried out in excitement as they passed close to the Everfree enroute to school. Applejack looked up and sure enough, at the distant edge of the unnatural forest was Zecora and a cloaked stallion.
“I reckon.”
“Do you think she has her own very special somepony? Wow! So mysterious! Much—”
“Apple Bloom! Don’t you pay no nevermind about that!” Applejack said crossly. “Anywise, don’t go spreadin’ that around. That’s how rumors get to startin’, and I think you’ve done enough of that for three fillies.”
“Sure thing, Big Sis! You can count on me! My lips are sealed!”
————
After dropping Apple Bloom off at school, Applejack set up her cart and got to work. It was turning out much like the days before had been, much to her relief. Last Tuesday had taken a lot out of her, but Tirek was chained back in Tartarus and rebuilding was going swell.
“One fritter, Miss Applejack.”
“That’ll be three bits, then, Hard Nails.”
“Right. Say, did you see that big light show coming from the Everfree last night?”
“No, can’t say I did, Hard. It’s probably just that manticore having a party again, ain’t nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, OK then. Thanks Applejack!”
Oh apples. Something happened last night. She’d bet bits to apple doughnuts that it happened early Tuesday morning, even.
“Three apples, Applejack.”
“I’ll take a turnover, for me.”
“Six bits for the apples, Dandy. An’ three bits for the apple turnover, Minty.”
“Gosh, Applejack, did you hear about the Everfree blowing itself up last night?”
Applejack looked at Dandy Run and then looked at the still standing Everfree.
“Don’t appear to be blown up none, to me.”
“Well, I think it was like a big bada boom, without the boom.”
“Uh-huh. Well, everything’s still as standing as it was yesterday. Might be it lost the bada and the big also.”
“Dandy, it was no explosion. It was like a big search light turned up to eleven! Surely you saw it, Applejack?”
“I can’t say as to that. I was plum tuckered out last night.”
“Oh, well. OK then, thanks for the grub!”
“Yeah, thanks for the food, Applejack! I’m telling you, Minty, big bada boom!”
She just knew she was going to have to do something insanely stupid and possibly life threatening before the day was out. She felt it in her hat.
————-
Daisy ran past, coat lathered and in a full panic.
“AUGH! ZOMPONY INVASION! EVERYPONY FOR THEMSELVES!”
Ponies gathered around her cart, waiting to order and pay for their apple themed food stuffs, froze and looked to Applejack. She sighed.
“Don’t pay no attention to Daisy, y’all. She’s a right skittish little pony. Why, one time, she stampeded from some rabbits.” Applejack said. Neglecting to tell them that it had been a rabbit stampede wasn’t, technically, lying. Though she did feel compelled to add, “They did a right number on her flower garden, though.”
The ponies before her shook their heads in sympathy and started to settle down.
A small herd of hardy construction ponies stampeded by.
“The eyes, the eyes!”
“The smell! So hideous, sweet Celestia!”
“Run! Run for the hills! The zomponies are here!”
The future customers reared as one and charged away, screaming. Applejack sighed.
“Couldn’t they at least have the decency to wait until after lunch?”
————
Applejack dropped the hastily packed cart off at the school under Apple Bloom’s care. In what she was sure was a hopeless effort at keeping her little sister out of trouble and danger.
She made good time to Carousel Boutique, where Rarity was working on making fancy tents for both the transient workers and homeless residents.
She barreled right on in.
“Rarity, there’s some kind of ruckus goin’ on in town! We need to gather everypony up and get ready, I ain’t sure it’s really zomponies but something has everypony stampeding!”
“Oh, dear, Tuesday already, darling?”
Applejack gave her a pained expression. Rarity nodded philosophically and came to a stopping point.
“Let’s go get Pinkie, she’ll know if we need to find Rainbow or not.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll keep a look out on the clouds, on the way.”
As Rarity was locking up, Pinkie suddenly jumped out of the nearby bush.
“Hi! Did you know the ponies in town are stampeding? Let me tell you all about my new friend! Some mean ponies called him a zompony, and we’re gonna have chimicherrychangas...”
Pinkie spoke on as Rarity and Applejack shared a look.
Tuesdays.
