“Alright, so you’re sure you’ll be alright while I’m gone for the day?” Eric asked the girls with concern.

“Ugh, relax Dad, it’s not like it’ll be any different than when you go to work,” Rainbow Dash teased.

“I know, sorry,” Eric said. He was also a little concerned because he was taking the responsible one with him.

“Don’t worry Eric, we’re going to be busy enough that you’ll probably be back before we can get into any trouble,” Twilight said fidgeting under the table a little. He gave her a passing glance, but decided to say nothing.

“Alright well, we’ll see you all later,” Eric said. Everyone issued goodbyes to Eric and Applejack as they climbed in the Sprinter and drove off.

“Going, going, GONE! Let’s PARTY!” Pinkie Pie said pulling out the food and starting the music.

“Nice one Twilight, I thought for sure you were going to blow it,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Thanks a lot Rainbow,” Twilight said dripping with sarcasm.

“I love her to pieces, but we would never have gotten away with this if Applejack were here,” Rarity said sipping her drink. “Oh Pinkie Pie what kind of soda is this, it’s lovely!”

“It’s called Coca-Cola! I ordered a bunch from Mexico because apparently the Coke made in the USA isn’t made with Sugar anymore. How can you make Soda without sugar!?” She asked.

“Who wants spinach puffs?” Fluttershy sang.

“ME!” everyone bolted for the tray.

“I wonder what Eric and Applejack are going to do in a boring place called Apple Hill?” Rainbow Dash asked with her mouth full.

“Well let’s find out,” Twilight said looking up the name on Google. She went over some to things to do there. “Oh girls, I think we got jipped,” she said showing the the site.

After a long drive up the US 50 with a drawn out conversation about apples and orchards they finally made it to Apple Hill. Their first stop was the Larsen Apple Barn to get the mass quantity of Apples. “Now these are some proper apples,” Applejack said looking at the large boxes of different apples.

Eric got one case of Granny Smith, a case of Red Delicious and another of Gala. “They sell Cider?” Applejack asked.

“Oh yeah, you want some?” Eric asked.

“Ah’ll try it,” she said skeptically. After buying the apples they got a small bottle of Larsen Cider for Applejack. She opened the lid and sipped some. Her eyes widened and her pupils dilated. “Th-th-th-th-ththth-ththth,” she stammered.

“So it’s good then?” He asked smirking.

Applejack took a deep breath calming herself, “Uh huh, we should bring some home,” she answered. They proceeded to get two gallons of the stuff before loading up the van.

After they got back on the street Eric drove past the freeway entrance. “Where’re we goin’?” Applejack asked.

“Oh you, know to get a snack before we head home,” Eric said smiling to himself. Shortly after they pulled up at High Hill Ranch. “Hmm, not too busy today,” he said after getting out. Applejack looked around, but not at the vast majority of the market and eateries. She looked off into the mountains of orchard. She smiled and sniffed, “Are you alright?” Eric asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah Ah’m fine. Just nice ta see somethin’ familiar is all,” she said.

Eric took her hand, “Come on, let’s get something to eat,” he said. They walked into the market shop and looked at the wall menu.
There was so much Applejack didn’t know where to start. They ended up getting a bunch of sweets and stuff for everyone. They sat down at a table and enjoyed some Cider and fritters in the cool ranch air. They sat mostly in comfortable silence, but Eric decided it was now or never, “You know, they do hire seasonal workers here. People to help with the orchards and stuff. If you’re ever interested,” he said.

Applejack looked at him with wide eyes, “It’s awful far away though ain’t it, Ya wake up early enough in the mornin’ Ah don’t want to bother ya none more,” she said.

“I could always teach you how to drive the Honda, getting a license isn’t that hard,” he said.

“But, what about politics and stuff? What about birth certificates and SS cards,” she asked quoting something Twilight said.

“Let me worry about that, just think about it for next year or the off season. They usually need some cultivation work done too,” he said.

“Oh, I can’t tell ya how nice it would be ta get my hands into some real labor. Ah miss it so much,” she said dreamily.

“Well think about it, I’ll start working with Twilight to get everyone some legal papers,” Eric said.

They finished up, got a cider Milkshake to split for the road and drove home. After about ten minutes Applejack broke the silence, “Ya know they’re havin’ a house party back home right?” She asked

Eric sighed, “Yeah, I imagine you found out the same way I did,” he said.

They glanced at each other holding back laughs, “Twilight,” they said in unison before laughing for three minutes.

“Yeah, she couldn’t keep a lid on it for a whole barrel of cider,” Applejack chuckled.

“I heard her muttering in the living room about not telling us, she’s so adorable,” he said out loud.

Applejack quirked her eyebrow at him, “What?” He asked.

“Nothin’,” she said.

When they returned home Applejack and Eric carried the crates inside. “In ta the basement?” Applejack asked warily.

“Sure, it’s not like it’s off limits I just don’t want any of you to hurt yourselves,” Eric said walking down the steps.

“Ya know it’s not like we never been around knives or notheeehhhhh,” Applejack trailed getting caught off guard. It was the first time anyone other than Eric had been in the basement since his parents moved out. There were swords, axes, machetes and other various blades hanging from the walls. Applejack put down what she was carrying when one sword caught her eyes. A six foot Odachi she recognized. She walked over to it, “Ya had this sword when ya saved us,” she said looking at it.

Eric took a deep disciplined breath, “Yeah.”

“Dash said ya killed people,” she said.

“I had to, they would have broken her and Fluttershy,” he answered with no emotion.

She picked it by the handle off the wall, “Feels like ages ago, so much has happened,” she said putting it back.

“Feels like days to me,” Eric said somberly being reminded that he didn’t have forever with the girls. Applejack turned to Eric and threw her strong arms around him.

“Thanks Eric, come on let’s get back up,” she said leading the way. Eric locked the door at the head of the stairs and they went into the living room which had obviously been cleaned spotless. Twilight sat in the stuffed chair looking at them smugly.

“Have fun at Apple Hill?” She asked.

“Ah yeah, it was a hoot and half! We gotta bring everyone up there sometime. I don’t know about ya’ll, but I’m plum tuckered. ‘Night Twilight,” Applejack said heading down the hall. The part had worn everyone else down so they were in their rooms. Rarity fell asleep so they carried her to Rainbow’s room instead of all the way upstairs. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were snuggled together upstairs watching some Disney movies-which everyone fell in love with right away. Pinkie Pie was out like a light when Applejack went into their room so she moved Pinkie into a less starfish position and climbed into bed with her. Twilight however made it her goal to stay up until Applejack and Eric got home to toy with them. She made sure there wasn’t a single sign of the party they had so she could screw with him.

“Eric you made it sound like just an orchard. That’s not true is it?” Twilight asked looking at her fingernails then back at him. She was using a mock sinister voice she thought she earned not knowing that Eric knew everything.

“No, it’s practically an Apple, fruit and chocolate city. I figured I would do something nice for each of you individually and this one seemed-although easy-really effective. I have a plan for everyone at once, but it’s going to take a little planning, and at least two and half days off,” Eric said.

“Oh really. Maybe if you tell me what it is I won’t let your little apple secret slip,” she said standing on her tippy toes pursing her lips right up in Eric’s face. Eric took a breath through the nose.

“Do you want to Cider Twilight, maybe an apple doughnut?” He asked. She smiled sweetly thinking she was being bribed. Eric led her into the kitchen, put a pot on the stove and poured enough from the jug for two. “Hm, it’s awfully clean in here, the living room too . . . and the dining room. Not they were ever wreck, but it seems like someone did quite a bit a cleaning today,” Eric said.

“Well uh, we wanted you to come home to a clean house,” Twilight half lied.

“That was nice of you, the funny thing that this pot was clean when I got home from work today. Hm, so was the cookie sheet,” he said.

“Ahhahaaha, well Fluttershy wanted to make some Spinach Puffs for everyone,” Twilight chuckled.

“Oh looks like you got that stain off the chandelier,” Eric said passively pouring the hot cider into two mugs.

“I know right, I thought it would . . . oh darn,” Twilight muttered.

“Yeah that chanelier has been dusty for weeks, but there’s no way anyone other than Rarity would have noticed unless say a cake was too tall on the dining room table and hit the low hanging crystal, hmm Twilight?” Eric asked smugly.

“How could have noticed something that small and specific?” She asked as they moved to the living room.

“I was looking for it the second we walked in the door, I’ve known that you were having a party since monday night. When you were trying to soothe yourself about keeping a secret from me with your door cracked open,” Eric said sipping his cider.

Twilight blushed hard taking a drink, “Mm, wow this almost as good as Sweet Apple Cider. Mm oh this really good too,” Twilight moaned eating her doughnut.

“I thought you might like it,” Eric said sitting next to her. “Your hair smells really nice Twilight, have you been using Rarity’s conditioner?” He asked referring to when she was up in his face.

“Um no, I use the unscented one you get from Costco,” she said confused. Eric realized for a moment that Twilight just smelled really good all on her own.

“Oh, my bad,” he said trying to be passive. Eric sat in the corner of the L shaped sofa they got recently to accommodate everyone.

Twilight shivered a little before sliding in next to him, “Ahh, Pinkie Pie was right you really are a walking furnace,” she said pressed her side against his. She was already in her purple silk pajamas and Eric was in a night time t-shirt and short so the heat transfer between them was decent enough. Eric put his arm around her shoulders pulling her tiny body against his using too much force inadvertantly causing her cider to spill on his knee.

“MM!” Eric grunted.

“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry,” Twilight said grabbing a tissue.

“My fault, don’t worry about it,” he garbled out, she was just so small. Twilight promptly wiped up the spilled drink before setting back in.

“You know I was a lot taller as an Alicorn, when I was just a unicorn Rainbow looked over me, but as an Alicorn I outgrew Applejack. That’s part of the reason why it was so hard to learn flying,” she said trying to distract herself.

“I believe it, although it is a little more fun to have you small,” he joked resting his chin on her head.

“Hmm, you know aside from the magic headache, it is kinda nice,” Twilight said nuzzling his neck. Eric sat in bliss for a moment before he noticed Twilight’s cup starting to slip from her hands. He took it and placed it on the table with his own. For once Twilight had fallen fast asleep first. He looked at her and studied her lovely face. He felt that if she weren’t purple she’d probably be dark black skinned. He smiled moving a stray hair out of her face. She snorted her eyes twitching and her head fell back. Eric suppressed laughter and gently leaned her head back onto his shoulder. He didn’t want to move so he got more comfortable and just relaxed there with Twilight. He reasoned to himself that because he worked and went up the mountain today that he didn’t have the strength to carry her to bed.

He closed his eyes and just before he went to sleep the words creeped into his mind, she weighs 90 pounds soaking wet you liar.

The next morning Applejack woke up the earliest and found Twilight and Eric on the sofa. She pursed her lips worriedly and walked over to them. “Twilight wake up, Twi,” she said gently shaking her shoulder knowing she was the lighter sleeper. Twilight’s eyes opened drearily.

She groaned snuggling closer to Eric accidentally jabbing his jaw with her horn, “Ah, what!” he shouted leaping off the couch into a fighting stance.

“Well, that backfired worse than an old tractor,” Applejack muttered.

“Gah, don’t do that. I have really averse reactions to being startled,” Eric warned. Applejack smiled apologetically before Twilight stood between them engulfing them both in her arms.

“Mm morning hugs are nice . . . aren’t they?” She asked the last part severely.

“Eyup,” Applejack said like Big Mac would have

“Mm,” Eric hummed kissing Twilight’s head and then Applejack’s. The latter blushed obviously under her golden skin. “I’m gonna go wash up and then make some breakfast,” he said walking down the hall. Applejack turned her attention to Twilight giving her a look of disapproval.

“What?” Twilight asked.

“Ya know what,” Applejack said.

“Not unless you tell me,” Twilight said.

Applejack sighed, “Yer crush on Eric.”

“I do not have a crush on Eric,” Twilight said curtly.

“Uh huh, that’s why ya clung to him like a little kitten all night,” Applejack said.

“It was cold last night and he was warm. I didn’t feel like trying to get warm again all alone in bed,” Twilight reasoned.

“Twilight look, Ah like Eric too, but we aren’t gonna be here forever. Even if two or three years sounds like a long time one day it’s gonna be here and we’re just gonna leave. Even if he has a twin in our world it’s not gonna be him we already went through this,” Applejack said tenderly.

Twilight took a deep breath through the nose, “I have matured since then Applejack, I understand that going home is our priority. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but I don’t feel that way about Eric,” Twilight said as calmly as she could before walking off.

“Ah sure hope you’re right Twilight, for both o’ yer sakes,” Applejack said. Twilight calmed her mind reasoning to herself that her feelings for Eric were nothing more than platonic. She surprised herself with how easy it was, but one nagging thought crept into her mind again. Flash Sentry’s got nothing on Eric Escaton.

Eric got home from work one Saturday afternoon and found the girls all watching Tangled. Jeez, he thought. They’d been watching Disney movies and shorts from Mickey Mouse, and Pixar to Frozen since they first arrived. Movies like Tangled were Twilight’s favorite because the end isn’t always expected. Fluttershy enjoyed Winnie the Pooh’s many adventures. Pinkie Pie was fond of Pixar movies like Finding Nemo and Monster’s Inc. Rainbow Dash found her Disney in things like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Rarity was a sucker for the old style romance like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Applejack liked a little of everything, but her personal favorite was Swiss Family Robinson.

“You know, it’s a good thing I grew up with all this or there probably wouldn’t be any in the house,” Eric said.

“SHH,” the mane six shushed him during the scene when Rapunzel meets her real parents. Eric laughed to himself and wel downstairs to change and shower. When he came back upstairs the movie was over and the girls were getting back to the day. Rarity was going over some sketches, Fluttershy was looking up the ASPCA to volunteer for, Rainbow Dash was out back working out, and Applejack was sending in another application for Apple Hill. Pinkie Pie was trying to think of some way to make everyone in the city happy, but she was also a little depressed because she couldn’t think of a way to do it. That is where Twilight and Eric came it.

“Are you ready?” Eric asked. Twilight smiled picking up her notes and walking with him to the basement.

“What was that about?” Rarity asked.

“I have a hunch, jus’ hope it’s wrong,” Applejack said.
Twilight and Eric were planning a large scale surprise for Pinkie Pie. A sort of reenactment of the smile song in a large enough space. “Alright we’ve already notified a few hundred people and the twenty five we wanted are all set plus twenty onlookers,” Twilight said.

“Wow, I knew that photo of Pinkie Pie would convince enough people, but I didn’t think half the brony populace of Sacramento would show,” Eric said.

“Indeed, many people wanted to be a part of the . . . what did you call it again?” Twilight asked.

“A flash mob.”

Author's Note

Realized that I was working a lot without putting out a chapter. Oops. Anyway Pinkie's Flash Mob is next!