Applejack's Halloween

Sometime after school let out Applejack and Applebloom stood by their garage while Big Mac carried boxes from the open bay to somewhere behind the house. The girls looked out towards the forest, some distance beyond the orchard.

“Y’think he’ll show up tomorrow? It is Halloween.”

“I hope not, Applebloom. Some spook-a-boo scarin’ off the guests is about the last thing we need.”

“Boo!”

“Ahhh!” they shrieked.

“Did I scare you?

“Stan!” Applejack shouted.

“What? Hey, what were you guys just talking about?”

Applebloom opened her mouth to speak, but Applejack cut her off.

“Nothing. What’re you doin’ here Stan?”

“I came to help out.”

“Thanks, but we don’t need help.”

.“Yes we do,” Applebloom corrected.

“No, er… I mean, that’s nice of y’ t’ offer, but-”

Applebloom stood in front of Applejack.

“What she means to say is; ‘thank you.’ Now Pinkie Pie and Granny are bakin’ goodies in the house, so y’ can help out there, or y’ can help Big Mac clear out the garage.”

“What are you two doing?”

“Yard work.”

He looked between his options.

“I think I’ll help Big Mac with the heavy lifting,” he said, lifting an arm and rubbing his bicep. “And Applebloom; I just ‘love’ a woman that doesn’t let pride get in the way of good business decisions.”

Applejack frowned while Applebloom smiled and Stan headed over to the garage.

“Hey Big Mac.”

“Eeeyup.”

“Need some help?”

Big Mac raised an eyebrow, then clean-lifted a heavy looking chest with an ‘oof!’

“I meant ‘want’ some help? Heh. I’ll just follow your lead.”

Stan lifted a box and followed Big Mac around to a supply shed near the orchard. The two of them busied themselves emptying the garage while the girls cleaned up outside. Some of the boxes were a little heavy, but moving small loads in fall weather is a breeze. Before they knew it the garage was almost empty, and the only boxes left were the older looking ones in the very back. Stan stacked several on top of each other and started to pick them up all at once but the handle on the lowest broke, sending the boxes tumbling and spilling their contents everywhere.

“Aaah!” he shouted.

“Aaah!” Big Mac shouted back, startled.

“S-sorry, the handle broke.”

Big Mac glared at Stan as he started cleaning up. Then he noticed something. One of the boxes contained old photo albums, and the one lying just at his feet was from twenty years ago. He picked it up. He hummed, then opened it. Wedding pictures.

Stan was busy repacking things, but Big Mac grunted.

“Leave it. I’ll finish up, you go help inside.”

Stan looked at the mess and the boxes that were left. Things weren’t that bad, but he hated to leave a job undone.

“Aw, come on-”

“Nnnope!”

Big Mac’s tone was clear: It wasn’t up for discussion.

“Okay… sorry…”

Big Mac turned back to the album.

He seemed absorbed by it.

Inside the kitchen countertops were cluttered with cakes, popcorn balls, candied apples, and all sorts of other delicious Halloween themed confections. In a corner Granny sat napping in a rocking chair while Pinkie Pie busied herself, putting the finishing touches on a four-layered cake that had been frosted to look like a jack-o-lantern.

“But how do we put a candle inside?”

“Ack!”

Granny sat up. “What? What?”

“It’s nothing, I’m fine Grandma.”

Granny settled back in her chair.

“Alright then young… un… zzz.”

Pinkie Pie made snake eyes at Stan.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to help out.

“I don’t need help. Go away.”

“If I’m not going to help you make something, then I’m just going to have to make something myself. I think I’ll start with a cake. Where’s the laundry detergent?”

“Laundy det- Uh, fine! The cake in the oven is almost done baking, so we need to get started on the next one anyway.

“This one looks really good.”

“Shut up.”

He rolled his eyes. Pinkie Pie flipped an open cookbook to another page.

“Here. Gather and measure these ingredients and put them on the table. Most of the stuff is already out except for whatever has to stay in the fridge.”

“Okay.”

Stan started measuring ingredients while Pinkie Pie arranged the pan, bowl and mixing spoon.

Together they made the batter and divided it between a pair of baking pans, then Pinkie took out the finished cake, and put the new baking pans in the hot oven. Stan looked at the steaming fresh cake, the smell alone, added to the smell of the other treats, the newly baking cake and the sugar in the air, was simply heavenly.

“So now do we frost it?”

“No,” Pinkie scowled. “It has to cool down first. But here, this should be ready to frost.

She grabbed two more baking pans filled with cake. With adept skill, Pinkie coaxed the cakes out of the pans, and they arranged a layer cake, then frosted the top to look like a spooky abandoned castle in the middle of some woods with an ominous crescent moon above it.

Stan mostly helped with the simpler tasks, like frosting the sides and handing Pinkie things as she worked, but when they finished Pinkie smiled.

“Huh! I guess that was a little faster.”

“How many cakes are you going to make today?”

“Just one more - then it’s on to cupcakes and cookies.”

“Oh man, that sounds so good.”

Pinkie blushed, lightly.

“Shut up~. And I can take it from here, go see if Big Mac needs help in the garage. It needs to be empty and clean before we can start decorating.”

“Okay.”

After he left, Pinkie looked at the finished cake and smiled.

Dismayingly the garage was exactly as he had left it, only now Big Mac was staring in a daze at a half dozen photo albums splayed all over a work table.

“Big Mac!”

Big Mac’s glassy eyes turned to Stan.

“What are you doing? We need to get this place empty and cleaned so we can decorate for the party.”

Big Mac turned back to the mess and the remaining boxes and looked surprised to see them.

“Okay, breaks over, let’s go.”

“Right, right,” Big Mac muttered.

He started closing photo albums and putting them in the broken box.

They quickly cleaned up the mess and resumed moving boxes (though Big Mac took the first box back to his room rather than to the supply shed). By the time they finished the last load, Applejack and Applebloom were waiting for them.

“We’re through in the yard, need any help in here?” Applejack asked.

“Yup!” Big Mac said, grabbing a broom from the corner and tossing it to her.

Applebloom frowned. “You guys should’a been done already.”

Stan cleared his throat. “There was an altercation.”

Cleaning the empty garage with four people on hand was about as easy as it sounded. When they were almost through, Applebloom ran to get Pinkie, who brought out a huge box of Halloween decorations.

“Oof!” Pinkie said, dropping the box on the work table. She started pulling out the bric-a-brac.

“Where did you get so much Halloween stuff?” Stan asked.

“Eh~! You collect it over the years,” she said, pulling out a papier-mâché skull and blowing a puff of dust off it. “Here, pull the work table over the oil stain.”

After moving the table they pulled out the decorations and arranged them on the table and floor, Pinkie gazed at all of them, then sized up the garage and house. She closed her eyes tight and put a finger to her head.

Suddenly her finger pointed up and her eyes popped open.

“I got it! That goes there. And that goes there! And these go over here. And this goes here. And that-” In a flurry of activity they started moving things around, guided by Pinkie’s direction. Some of the decisions seemed a little sketchy at first, but once the bigger things were in place, and they started adding garnish and polishing the details, it all started to come together.

Perhaps an hour and a half later the sun had set, and the farmhouse and garage were looking grim. Applejack, Applebloom and Stan stood besides Pinkie Pie on the street as she directed Big Mac in adjusting the final light.

“A little more to the left!”

Big Mac turned the light fixture so the house was bathed in a garish upturned red light. With the decorations all set up, fall trees as a backdrop, and now the lighting in place, the homestead looked positively haunted!

“That’s it! We’re finished!”

They cheered.

Big Mac ambled over and he and Applejack and Applebloom all gave Pinkie a big hug, while Stan looked on, clapping. Big Mac looked up then grabbed his shirt, “Get over here.”

As Stan joined the hug, he wanted to let out a sarcastic ‘d’awww’ but when he opened his mouth nothing came out.

After the hug they all backed up, and Pinkie clapped her hands.

“Good job everyone! Everything should be all ready for tomorrow now.”

Stan lightly punched Pinkie’s shoulder. “Pinkie Pie, you’re awesome! Look at the house - you should seriously go pro.”

“Uh-huh!” Applejack agreed.

Applebloom grabbed her shirt, “Yeah!”

“Eeeeeyup!”

Pinkie, at first, looked very flattered, blushing and turning her gaze to the ground, her eyes darting up to peek at Stan once or twice. Then she turned even more red as she frowned and her eyebrows furrowed.

“Y-yeah? So what? Lots of people are good at putting up spider webs and stuffed cats and- and setting up lights and stuff. Maybe you should just... Erugh!”

Pinkie stormed off to the house, as Applejack, Applebloom and Big Mac looked dumbstruck.

Stan sighed. “I guess that’s my cue to scoot. See yuh tomorrow.”

Applejack shot him a confused glance. “What?”

“Aren’t y’gonna stay fer grub?” Applebloom asked.

“You guys are eating right now?”

“Eeyup.”

“Soon,” Applejack said. “Stick around. Y’ helped so much today, the least we kin do is feed yuh.”

“Naw, I got homework to do. Tell Pinkie I wasn’t kidding about… how nice everything looked… or whatever. Yeah - see yuh tomorrow!”

“See-yup!” Big Mac grunted.

“Bye bye…” Applebloom said.

Stan started walking back…

But before he made it two blocks he heard Applejack call out behind him:

“Stan! Wait!”

He stopped under a lamppost and turned to see Applejack jogging up. Some distance away Big Mac ushered a resisting Applebloom back in the house.

“T… Thanks for helpin’, p-partne- uh- friend. Sorry I tried to drive y’ off earlier, it’s just… I wasn’t expectin’ y’, n’ I thought… I thought y’ might be makin’ fun of us or somethin’.”

“Applejack, I wouldn’t-”

“I know. Oh, and just so y’ know, y-you don’t have to pay cover tomorrow, that’s fer sure.”

“I’m NOT telling people Applebloom’s my girlfriend.”

“No, I-”

“I’m joking. And don’t be silly, I’m paying a cover. My uncle is rich.”

“Y-yeah, but… after everything y’did n’all-”

“Oh brother, it was nothing, I barely helped at all… See you tomorrow, AJ. I just hope I’ll recognize you in that cowgirl costume!”

Stan laughed as he started jogging off, into the dark, leaving Applejack staring after him.

Just before he disappeared from view she absent mindedly lifted a finger to her lips.