Beyond Her Garden

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2

Prologue

“Twilight!” Spike shouted his caretakers name from the lower level of the library, his young voice a mixture of fear and concern.

“What is it Spike? Is everything OK?” Why does he sound so panicked? Oh Celestia, please tell me he hasn’t gone and broken something.

“It’s…” His voice trailed off. Twilight could hear a muffled whimper from where she was reading. “It’s… Princess Celestia… she has some bad news… I… I think you should come read this…”

Oh dear, he sounds really shaken up. What could he possibly be so sad about? Or is he even sad, more like, confused? Or, angry? No, he is always over-exaggerating…I bet he just heard Rarity has a coltfriend or something. Does she? No, I would have found out WAY before Spike. Unless it was a secret…maybe that’s why Spike is so shaken up? But, I mean, it is just girl issues, he can’t be th-

“Twilight! Please, you… you need to read this letter… I‘m scared and I don’t know i… if this is real or… just a… I… don’t...” Twilight hadn’t realized she had gotten lost in her own thoughts until Spike's voice snapped her back to reality. Note: Do NOT get lost in thoughts when Spike is talking to you, he gets VERY impatient. She chuckled to herself at the mental notation, but suddenly realized she still hadn't answered his question. She could hear Spike trying to hold back tears, and he was doing quite a poor job. His voice was weak and shaky, as if his best friend had died.

“I’m coming Spike, is everything alright?” Twilight set down the book that she had been reading next to her bed, ladning with a thud. Through the pitch black, she carefully trotted down the stairs and towards the library. Upon arriving, she found her pet owl, Owlowiscious, perched next to Spike. Spike was standing at the window, using the moons luminescence to read a letter. She flicked a switch at the bottom of the stairs and filled the whole room with a new-found warm glow, unlike the cold one Spike had been using to read the note. As Owlowiscious blinked a few times to get used to the new source of light, Twilight shifted her gaze from him and onto Spike.

Well that must be the letter he was talking about.Twilight took a step forward, making an audible clop. Hearing the sound, Spike immediately looked up from the note and caught sight of Twilight. He dropped the note and dashed into her forelegs, immediately breaking into tears.

“Spike, what's going on? You're starting to scare me.” She tried to sound less frightened than she really was.

Spike didn’t answer; he just continued to weep into her foreleg.

Oh my goodness, in all the years I've known him, I've never seen him *this** upset. What could he possibly be so sad about? Did he hurt somepony? Or, did he hurt himself?*

She nudged Spike’s head off of her foreleg lightly and, as she did so, she looked into his eyes. He looked at her with longing, as if he was looking for an answer or simply some sort of comfort. She could see that he was in pain-not physical, but emotional. Never in her days had she ever seen Spike so upset. He always had a happy-go-lucky view on everything, except for when she had him do chores. In fact, he rarely ever cried or showed any kind of strong emotion; Twilight could tell something was definitely wrong. By the way he was standing; she could tell he was not physically hurt. She opened her mouth to ask him what the matter was, but realized it would be best for him to get some sleep first. Being that she hadn’t read the letter, she would be unable to help him anyway, as she would have no idea on how to respond.

“C’mon Spike, let’s go get you into bed.” She looked down to Spike with a look that only a loving mother could give.

Spike sniffled as if he were about to speak. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He just pointed. Twilight followed his claw over towards the note he had dropped earlier. Her first instinct was to go and pick it up, find out what all of this was about. Then, yet again, her motherly instincts kicked in. She held off the urge to know what was happening, so that she could get Spike to bed and calm him down.

“Don’t worry, Spike. It can wait. Let’s go get you tucked in” She focused her eyes back on the small green dragon next to her and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the little guy.

“It is going to be OK Spike, I promise.” She tried her best not to sound concerned.

“You" Spike sniffled audibly as he spoke. "you haven’t even read the letter yet. How can you say that everything is going to be OK?” Twilight could tell Spike was having a hard time calming down. She had to say something that would help calm him until she could read the note; she couldn’t just send him upstairs without comforting him.

“Because you have me, and I have you. That's all we need to be OK, no matter what. Now let’s get you to bed, you need some rest and it’s late.” Twilight brought him closer with her left foreleg and Spike let out a long sigh of relief. It could have been a second or an hour, Twilight didn’t know. It just felt like she was doing something right, as if at this very moment and at this certain time, there was nothing that could have cheered him up more than her presence.

She broke the warm embrace and used her magic to float him onto her back. At the same time, she used her magic to pick up a blanket lying on the chair nearest to them. Twilight trotted slowly up the stairs and into their room, making sure Spike wouldn’t fall off her back as she did so. She set him on his bed and dropped the blanket onto him. Using her snout, she pushed the blanket around him, making a small Spike-filled blanket burrito. As she did, she made small, light exhaling sounds. Her father had done so to her and Spike ever since she was a foal and Spike was just a hatchling. After she and Spike left their parents house, and she became his primary caretaker, Spike had grown so accustomed to it that whenever he went to bed, Twilight would do the same. It was comforting for him, reminding him that she loved him just as much as his adopted parents did, and although Twilight would never admit it to anypony, she missed the small gesture more than she had expected. For her, it was like a soft kiss on the cheek from a loving mother, or the warm embrace of a caring father. It was always the little things she loved and missed, and her father tucking her in was the one she missed the most.

As she finished the final corner of the blanket, she looked at Spike and kissed him on the forehead.

“I love you Twilight and no matter what you read, I want you to know that I'm here for you just as much as you are here for me.” The innocence and sweetness in his voice made Twilight shed a tear of pure happiness.

“I love you too Spike, I'll talk to you in the morning, ok? I know you may have many questions and concerns about whatever is on that piece of paper, but don’t worry. I will probably end up being just as confused as you, but after I soak in whatever that letter says, we’ll talk about it.”

“I understand Twilight. Just, remember, you have me.” On hearing his reassurance yet again, Twilight gave him another kiss on his forehead and then trotted out of the room.

OK, whatever this note is going to say, I'm ready for it. I am Twilight Sparkle, I defeated Discord and Nightmare Moon. Maybe it is something small and Spike is just shaken up by it. If it is something big, then I have to prepare for tomorrow morning’s talk. Slow down twilight, you still don’t know how you will react. OK, don't over think things. You haven’t even read the letter and you're already deciding how you're going to react.

Twilight walked over to the window near where Spike had been reading. Using her magic, she floated the letter in front of her. Preparing to read the message, she realized that the window cover was still up so anypony walking by would be able to see inside the library. Using her magic she pulled the canvas window cover down over the window, blocking the view into her house, and the moons light from entering inside. As if knowing that Twilight was about to read something saddening, Owlowiscious flapped over to the chair where she sat and landed on her shoulder. Twilight looked at the back of the letter before taking a deep breath, preparing for what she was about to read. Once she felt she was ready, she flipped the paper over to see a long paragraph of writing.

My dearest student,

Twilight. I have heard some very saddening news that I must share with you. Immediately.

Twilight stopped reading for a moment to think. Oh dear Celestia, something terrible has happened. Ok, I just need to read the whole thing, no distractions. No matter what, you are a strong filly; I can read a letter without immediately assuming the worst.

My dearest student,

Twilight. I have heard some very saddening news that I must share with you immediately. Spike, I know you are going to read this before Twilight so I want you to give this to her and not read beyond this point. What is to follow is not for young ears.

My dear Twilight, I am very sorry to have to tell you that your mother and father passed away today in a horrific accident. They were on board a coach from Canterlot and were travelling to visit you ; sadly the coach’s wheel broke as it was travelling along a cliff edge, causing the coach to topple into the canyon.

I am truly sorry to break this news to you so bluntly; I know all too well how it feels to lose loved ones, and I am so sorry that this has happened to you. I know that your parents loved you so very much and I know that they knew how much you loved them

Throughout their lifetimes your parents worked tirelessly to help me, Canterlot, and Equestria and they lived greatly fulfilling lives. Shining Armor is still on his honeymoon, so he has not yet received the news. I think it would be best for you to tell him yourself, once you have heard everything from me pony to pony. I invite you, and your friends if you would like them to come with you, to Canterlot to stay at the castle. Please don’t feel any need to reply quickly – please take some time to yourself before you do so.

I love you, my student, and I am so very sorry for your tragic loss. I hope that there is something, anything, I can do for you once you arrive in Canterlot.

Your mentor and friend

Princess Celestia

The letter floated silently towards the ground. Twilight felt as if she had been kicked in the stomach. She was unable to think, or form a full sentence, or even move. The only thing she felt was a hot tear rolling down the side of her right cheek. She was not ready for this

“I’m so sorry Twilight,” Fluttershy’s soft voice broke the silence. Fluttershy sat across from Twilight, along with Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Applejack. They all looked with concern at Twilight, waiting for some sort of proof that she was listening to them. Twilight spent the whole night, and half of the next day sitting in her chair, staring at the letter. She had planned to meet Rarity and Fluttershy at the spa in the morning, as they were going to discuss the strategy for crop growing during the seasons they would normally be unable to. Ever since Twilight had become a part of Ponyville, she had used her magic, with Rarity’s assistance, to grow food during the less hospitable seasons. It helped Ponyville greatly because this meant everypony would have food all year round, and the prices would stay constant even through winter. Twilight had scheduled to meet them as soon as she awoke, but after a few hours Rarity and Fluttershy began to worry. They had checked at the library to see if she was even awake, and that’s when they had found her, crying and looking down at a note.

“Twilight, my dear. I don’t mean to be rude, but don’t you think you should clean up a bit before Spike wakes? It’s almost twelve, and that’s usually when he awakes. I, for one, don’t think it would be appropriate for him to see you like this.” Rarity gazed at Twilight, silently begging for an answer. Before Twilight could respond though, Applejack cut in.

“Wait just a second here Rarity. Ya can’t go an’ rush Twilight into bein’ OK. She needs to take some time ‘fore she goes actin’ all happy.”

“I never said such a thing! I simply made a suggestion that she should compose herself so she doesn’t cause Spike to worry.” Rarity looked to Twilight as if she expected her to back her reasoning up.

“She’s got a point Twilight. If Spike sees you like this, he could panic himself.” Rainbow Dash spoke confidently, but then blushed as she realized her choice of words.

“I mean, not that you are panicking or anything, we just don’t want Spike to. Not that it’s our job or anything. But if you need help, we can help too if you want!” Rainbow Dash looked at her friends, most of them staring at her like she was a mad mare. She wanted to get out of there fast, so she wouldn't embarrass herself more than she already had. “Erm…is it hot in here? I’m gonna go get some fresh air.” As Rainbow went to open the door, Twilight finally spoke up..

“No, you guys are right. I need to go and wash up and act like I'm okay, it will help Spike. I don’t want him to see me like this.” Rarity looked proudly towards Applejack. She ignored Rarity’s childishness as she spoke to Twilight.

“Are ya sure sugarcube? We can always go an take Spike somewhere while ya think” Twilight sat in silence for a few seconds, thinking it over.

“No, it’s for the best. Besides, Princess Celestia wanted me to go to Canterlot with you five, and the next train is tonight - we should really be getting ready for that. Would you girls mind coming?” Twilight finally looked up to them. Her eyes were big and shiny from crying all night, showing the distress on her face quite clearly.

“Well, I don’t have to work today, what do you say girls?” Rainbow Dash rose into the air, trying to lighten the mood as she spoke, and the others all chimed their responses in unison.

“That would be marvellous”

“Of course! It'll be like a party!”

“Ah guess ah could leave the farm for a few days...”

“Uhm…okay, I can make it once I feed the animals.”

Twilight rose out of the chair and wiped her eyes. She looked round at all her friends, all there and ready to drop everything for her. “I love you fillies.” Twilight smiled as she said it, seeing all of their faces sporting the same grin.

“Group hug! We should TOTALLY have a group hug!” Pinkie bounced up and down as she made the suggestion, seeming a little too excited for just a hug. All six exchanged loving glances with each other before Twilight outstretched her arms and brought the five in for a group hug.

I may have lost my mother and father, but I still have my family here.

Throughout the day, more and more ponies heard about what had happened to Twilight Sparkle. Many came by to give their condolences, making it hard for Twilight to get ready on time. Somehow, though, she got ready with five minutes to spare. She used the five minutes to think about what she would say to Spike once they were alone at the castle. Earlier in the day Spike had gotten up just as her friends had left to get ready. Since they both had little time to get ready, they agreed that they would try to act as happy and normal as possible, and wouldn’t talk any more about it until they were settled in Canterlot.

Her five minutes of down time went by quite quickly, as it was already time for them to head down to the train station. With Spike by her side, she exited out the library’s main doors where a familiar group of five mares greeted her. Of course, Bon-Bon and Lyra were together, along with Berry Punch, Carrot Top and Derpy Hooves.

As soon as she turned around from closing the door, Derpy greeted her.

“Hello Twilight and Spike!” Derpy’s smiled at them both. Before either could respond, she started to speak again. “I made this muffin for you last night, Twilight! I made it purple because you are too!” Derpy presented her with a dark purple muffin that smelled of vanilla and cinnamon. “And this one is for you Spike!” Derpy gave Spike a similar sized green muffin, with what seemed to be purple streaks. If there was one thing Derpy Hooves was good at, it was baking muffins.

“Thank you Derpy, I was actually quite hungry.” Twilight dropped the muffin into her saddle bag so she could save it for later.

“Yeah Derpy, thanks! This muffin is awesome!” Spike added with half of the muffin in his mouth. Derpy giggled at the sight of the small dragon struggling to speak and eat at the same time.

“Hahaha, you’re welcome Spike!” Derpy excitedly flapped her wings a few times at the praise, floating slightly off of the ground.

“Berry and I picked these for you out of my garden. They were the ripest ones we could find and we picked enough for you and your other friends.” Carrot Top reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a small canvas pouch filled with carrots.

“Thank you Carrot Top, these are-” Twilight suddenly noticed how large they were and went wide-eyed. “Carrot Top, how did you… these must be worth a fortune, I can’t-”

“No, it’s okay. I want you to have these. We picked them just for you!” Carrot Top smiled at Twilight as she said it. Twilight had never noticed before, but Carrot Top always had a slight sing-song to her voice, much like Pinkie’s but not as prominent.

“Thank you girls, it means a lot to me that you all came to visit and gave us such lovely gifts!” Twilight looked at them and smiled slightly. Large carrots and two colored muffins weren’t usually something that carried meaning, but to Twilight, it meant that even the friends she didn’t get to talk to as much still loved her.

“Well, there was one other thing.” Twilight looked over to Bon-Bon as she spoke up.

“We heard you two were walking down to the train station, so we were wondering if we could maybe walk you guys there!” Lyra said, finishing Bon-Bon’s sentence.

“Of course you can!” As Twilight said those four words, Derpy gave an excited whimper and did the same wing-flapping she had done moments ago. Twilight cocked her head at the other four friends as Berry explained.

“She does that whenever she’s excited. It’s quite cute, isn’t it?” Twilight chuckled at the response; she really did have some incredible friends.

Twilight and her five closest friends looked out of their carriage’s windows, waving at the ponies who had come to say goodbye to them. They would only be gone for a week, but the town wanted Twilight to know that they all loved her. As the train began to roll from the station, Pinkie tapped her shoulder.

“Hey Twilight, how do you think the town will do without us?” Twilight cocked her head at Pinkie, then realised that Pinkie Pie was just being Pinkie Pie and gave her a simple response.

“I think they will be just fine, Pinkie.”

Chapter 1

“Goodbye Twilight!” Carrot Top stood up on her hind legs, trying to get a glimpse of Twilight’s face before she was whisked away to Canterlot. She looked to where she thought she had seen Twilight sitting, but there was nopony in the seat. The train made an audible hiss as it cranked itself to life. A pure white cloud of steam came billowing out of the engine’s funnel as it began to move. It didn’t take long for the train to gain momentum, and in seconds, Twilight was on her way to Canterlot.

“She seemed awfully happy for a mare who just lost their parents” Berry Punch looked in the direction the train had headed, scratching her head.

“Berry!” Derpy looked at her in disbelief, her mouth wide open.

“I’m sorry Derpy; I didn’t mean to be rude.” Berry patted Derpy on the shoulder. “It’s just, she seems so… normal. Like, nothing has happened.” She looked to Carrot Top, only to be greeted by the back of her head. Carrot Top continued to look out in the direction the train had departed as she explained the situation to Berry.

“That was the point Berry. She didn’t want anypony to see her sad. She just wanted to leave as normal Twilight, she doesn’t like the attention.” Carrot Top smiled and lightly chuckled to herself as she spoke the last sentence. She had always appreciated Twilight from afar and admired the fact that Twilight was so content with who she was. Twilight never let anypony tell her who she was, or what she should like. Twilight knew who she was and what she wanted and she wasn’t afraid to show everypony what that was. She had always wanted to get to know Twilight better, but there had never been a good time to do so. The only times she ever saw Twilight were at one of Pinkie Pie’s festive parties, and they weren’t exactly the best place to “meet and greet.” There was always too much going on and too many ponies attending to let her get some quality time alone with Twilight. The only time she had ever gotten to talk to Twilight by herself, was during Winter Wrap Up. Twilight had approached her about how the planting was going and if they had needed any help. It was the first time Carrot Top had ever heard her voice. Well, there was that one time at Twilights “Welcome to Ponyville” party, but all she heard that time was Twilight screaming. By the time she had looked to the source, all she could see was a purple pony with a very red face running around in search of water. Winter Wrap Up was different though. She actually got to talk to Twilight in person and hear her voice up close. It was so soft, yet, it carried and had a, “in charge but not full of it” kind of tone. It was like talking to your mother after you had done something good, or like a bed time story from a caring grandmother. Twilight’s voice was just so soothing to her. Okay, c’mon Carrot Top, you can’t go and treat Twilight like a god. She is just a mare that you know, and nothing more. Besides, h -. Carrot Top’s train of thought was cut off by Bon-Bon’s voice.

“Well, I’m glad she was able to clean herself up. She didn’t look too good this morning.” Carrot Top snapped her head around so her eyes were focused on Bon-Bon’s.

“You were with Twilight before we got there?” Carrot Top looked at Bon-Bon, waiting for an answer. She wasn’t mad, just, surprised.

“Well, not exactly, no. I overheard Rarity and Fluttershy talking in the spa while I was getting a hooficure. They sounded really concerned and said were afraid something had happened to Twilight. They left the spa before I could ask them if anything had really happened, so I left too and headed over to Twilight’s house. When I got there, her window shutters weren’t closed all the way and I could hear sobbing coming from the inside...” Bon-Bon’s voice trailed off in embarrassment as she looked towards the ground.

“And…?” Carrot Top leaned forwards a bit as she asked the question. Bon-Bon’s other three friends were staring at her as well, there necks craned forward, eagerly waiting to hear what happened next.

“Well, I peered through the gap in the shutters and saw Twilight sobbing into Rarity’s chest. Rarity was patting her on the back, and brushing a hoof through her mane. Fluttershy was there too, but she flew out as soon as I got there. I heard her say something about Spike and having to pack things up or something. That’s when I left to go home.” Bon-Bon looked up to find Carrot Top staring at her in disbelief.

“So let me get this straight: you heard crying, looked in to make sure everything was OK, once you found out that Twilight wasn't hurt, you stayed and eavesdropped instead of respecting her privacy?!” Carrot Top’s voice was higher pitched and more aggressive than normal.

“Well, I didn’t mean to! I just, once I started looking, I had to know what was going on. I mean, what if she needed more help?” Bon-Bon looked away from Carrot Top, avoiding her glare as she replied.

“Bon-Bon! You don’t just go and listen in on someone’s conversation, especially when they are in their own home!” Carrot Top had become much angrier and it showed when she spoke. Derpy and Berry began to back away, trying to avoid the heated conversation.

“Girls! Calm down, both of you!” Lyra stepped between the two, glaring at both of them. “Bon-Bon knows what she did was wrong, okay? There's no need to get into a fight over it.” Lyra backed away as she said the final words, allowing the other two to apologize.

“I’m sorry Bon-Bon, I should not have gone off and yelled at you like that. I have just been very stressed out lately, and Twilight’s parents dying hasn’t helped.” Carrot Top looked up to her friend and gave a small smile.

“Me too. I shouldn't have eavesdropped. That was't right of me.” Bon-Bon stretched her forelegs out and hugged Carrot Top.

“Let’s head back home. I could use a bite to eat!” Carrot Top looked at her friends and could tell by the nodding of their heads, that they agreed.

Carrot Top and her four friends all sat at a picnic table in the park, holding brown bags with grease stains on the bottom. They had gone to a popular food truck in Ponyville that served fried hay sandwiches and hay fries. It wasn’t the fanciest place in town, but the food was good and it was priced quite reasonably. The best part about the truck though, was its location. It stood just outside the town square, right in front of the park. This made it simple for ponies to simply walk up and order on their way to the park, instead having to go into town. The truck had been there for almost two years and it was always a favorite with the town ponies. Carrot Top and her four friends all eagerly opened their bags and began to eat. She found it funny and quite unusual that Derpy hadn't gone to get muffins instead; usually when they ate out together, Derpy would either bring a muffin with her or buy one from Sugar Cube Corner. This time, however, she had actually broken her habit and bought a small hay and a good portion of hay fries, a lot for a mare as small as Derpy. Carrot Top was always so confused on where she put all of the food she ate. It must be a Pegasus thing. Carrot Top thought to herself.

“So, Carrot Top, I know you guys stopped talking about it, but,” Lyra had been talking in between bites of her sandwich and had to swallow before she could continue her sentence. “why were you so upset about Bon-Bon listening in on Twilight? I mean, I know you want her to do the right thing and we all know eavesdropping is bad, but you got pretty angry.” As soon as Lyra had finished speaking, she bit into her sandwich aggressively. Carrot Top looked at the faces of her friends as they stared at her, all on the edge of their seats eagerly awaiting an answer. Well, I guess you could tell them. I mean, they are your best friends, they will understand. No, I can’t! Well maybe I could… I don’t know. How am I supposed to tell them about something I don’t even understand? Carrot Top tried to think of a way out of telling them. The wheels were turning in her head as she went over more than ten ways to get out of it, but she couldn't come up with anything plausible.

“Well, I sorta…” Her friends all leaned in excitedly. “Let’s put it this way. When I first met Twilight, I felt for her in ways I only felt towards family and close friends. I didn’t understand how I could have these feelings towards a pony whom I had just met. At first, I thought we were going to be great friends and I really wanted to get to know her. But, we never really talked though, and eventually I met other ponies along the way. I thought it was just me being silly or something and I hadn't really thought about it since. Today when I saw Twilight, i became confused. I knew she was trying to stay strong and i knew she was hurting. It stirred those same feelings inside of me, feelings like the ones I had when I first met her. So, as you can guess, I was pretty confused the whole way to the train station. Heck, i still am, but when Bon-Bon said she was eavesdropping on Twilight, it just set me off. I don’t know, does that make sense?” She looked too her friends for support and of course, Bon-Bon was the first one to speak.

“Of course it makes sense!” Bon-Bon shouted excitedly as if she had heard something absolutely insane. Lyra nodded her head in agreement, the sandwich in her mouth bobbing up and down.

"Well, no. Not what you are thi-" Derpy interrupted Carrot Top, suddenly realizing she hadn't given her opinion.

“I think it makes sense! It’s like when you have a chocolate muffin, and a blueberry muffin and you don’t know which one to choose.” Derpy looked through Carrot Top as if she was puzzling together what she had just stated.

“Well, kind of. I know I don’t have feelings for Twilight like THAT, we are just friends. I just don’t know what the feelings I am having for her mean.” Carrot Top looked down at her hooves as she spoke, thinking deeply about how she might figure out what these recurring feelings meant.

“Well, I don’t know, but now is a better time than ever to go and get some drinks.” Berry nudged Carrot Top as she made the suggestion, seeing if she couldn’t cheer the orange mare up a bit.

“It’s a little early for that. Why don’t we have a peaceful walk around the park?" Carrot Top looked up at her purple friend, whom was sporting a small frown. "Doesn't that sound nice?” Carrot Top adjusted her posture and got up as she spoke, encouraging her friends to do the same.

“Yeah! Then maybe we can get some muffins afterwards!” For the third time that day, Derpy had gotten so excited she began to flap her wings rapidly, slightly rising her into the air.

“Oh Derpy, you STILL want muffins? After this huge lunch?" Carrot Top giggled as she stared at the happy Pegasus in front of her, nodding in response to Carrot Tops question.

"Where do you put all of that food!” Carrot Top put her forearm on top of Derpy’s back, bringing her back down on the ground, smiling the whole time at her unique friend.

“I’ll see you later, girls!” Carrot Top waved towards Bon-Bon and Lyra as they entered their house. Whenever the group of friends hung out, Carrot Top would always walk Bon-Bon and Lyra home, as it was on the way to her own house. This also allowed her to have some alone time with the two. She loved being with Berry and Derpy, but Berry never took anything too serious. Which meant when it came to talking about something that she needed help with, Berry would unintentionally do the exact opposite. As for Derpy, she was just so random. Carrot Top chuckled at the thought. Derpy may not be 100% all there, but sometimes she was the smartest pony in the world. That was one of the things Carrot Top loved about Derpy the most, she was so innocent. Derpy had never been heartbroken, and she never looked at the world through tainted glasses. Derpy had no bias, and no ultimatum. She was just a fun, heartwarming mare. It meant that when Carrot Top would overlook the simple things, Derpy would always notice them. This was something Carrot Top needed every now and then; a pony that would sit her down and help her realize the small things she was missing. Whether it was something in day-to-day life, or a huge mistake she was about too make, Derpy would always help her with the small things she missed. Almost always, those small things would end up allowing her to make the right decision.

It felt like no time at all before Carrot Top had reached her front door. She lived just on the outskirts of Ponyville, right next to the path that lead to Fluttershy’s cottage. She herself lived in a smaller house with a very large backyard, which she chose for the very reason. It had allowed her to start a carrot-growing business without needing a huge farm and workers. The inside of her house was quaint. The walls had very little decoration, but the interior wasn't drab by any means. It was like biting into a cinnamon roll; a perfect balance of sweetness and savory, yet so simple at the same time. The same effect was in place here. The little decoration she allowed, a few pictures, a ceramic carrot clock, and a book shelf containing do-it-yourself gardening books by none other than Carrot Top herself, was just enough to make the place feel like a home. That was just the living room however. Down the hall was her bedroom containg her bed, another bookshelf stocked with more self-penned gardening books, a small night stand with a lamp, and a small pot with a single carrot leaf sticking out. She had had the small, non-growing plant ever since she was a small filly. Her mother had given it to her as a gift for successfully learning how to plant and grow carrots the correct way. It was to be her personal carrot that she would grow on her own with no help, then once it was grown young Carrot Top and her mother were to eat it together. It had grown well over the first few days, but suddenly stopped growing and just remained as a small leaf sticking out of the pot. After a few weeks of the plant refusing to grow any further, Carrot Top had been about to throw it away. That very day however, her mother fell ill and passed away. The small, non-growing plotted plant was the only thing Carrot Top had left of her. The next day she decided she would keep it and continue to tend to it in order to keep the leaf and small stem green.

Carrot Top looked at the small plant and smiled. You always were the best, mom. She spread herself out over the bed and drifted off to sleep, all the while reminiscing about the times she had with her mother.

Carrot Top snapped awake; looking around she could tell that it was well after she had fallen asleep, but not quite time to wake up either as it was still dark outside. She got up out of bed and slowly wandered into her kitchen. She stood on her hind legs to open a small cabinet containing a set of 4 glasses, before grabbing the nearest one in her hoof and setting it on the counter. She closed the cabinet and walked over to her refrigerator pulling out a small jug filled with an orange-colored concoction. As she lifted the cover, the room was instantly filled with the smell of fresh carrots and cinnamon. Even though her whole life was based around collecting, growing, and eating carrots, she could never get enough carrot juice. It was always so soothing to her in a way that only she could understand. As she poured herself a glass of juice, she idly looked outside through a crack in the blinds that covered the window. Is that…snow? No, it can’t be. Snow isn’t due for another three weeks! Carrot Top suddenly felt a cool fluid running down her foreleg and belatedly noticed that she had been paying more attention to the outside than the glass she was pouring juice into; it had overflowed onto her coat. Cursing softly, she set the jug down and wiped the spill up using some paper towels decorated with a cheerful carrot pattern. Once she was quite satisfied with her work, she opened a cabinet door under the sink where her trash can was located. She lightly tossed the now soaking paper towel into the trash, making a small squishing noise as it came in contact with the plastic bag around it. Grabbing her cup, she began to sip the carrot juice, focusing her attention on the outside world yet again. Too her dismay, she found that the snow was increasing in both quantity and speed.

Carrot Top set her glass down and burst through the back door into her backyard. It was freezing outside, but she took no notice of the chill’s effects on her; all she cared about was protecting her carrot garden. She hurriedly ran between the rows of crops towards a small shed at the rear of the garden. Upon reaching it, she yanked open the wooden doors and grabbed a large square box from within. Opening the lid, she frantically pulled out seven small seven small metal-framed tents, each folded into a small cube no larger than her hoof. She placed each one at the center of each crop bed and then, with the press of a button on a small remote, each one sprang to life and suddenly unfolded to ten times the length they had been before. After just a few seconds of work, all of her crops were safely covered. This was the only method she used for growing that didn’t require hands-on work. She hated having to use technology to do work she was easily capable of, but she had these in case of any emergencies and this was quite clearly an emergency.

Oh Celestia, how is half of Ponyville going to grow anything without Twilight and Rarity here to help?

Chapter 2

Carrot Top couldn’t sleep. How could she? She knew for a fact that once she left the protection of her home she would enter a world of chaos. Before Twilight had come to Ponyville the townsponies would rely on the extra food grown during the summer and fall to tide them through until winter was wrapped up. This all changed when Twilight moved in, however. Twilight, with Rarity’s help, was able to cast a spell on the farming land to keep the soil fertile during the winter, which meant that they hadn’t had to work as hard during the growing season and could instead grow what they needed throughout the year. Well, this year was no different. The farmponies had only grown enough to last through the growing season as they had all expected to be able to grow during the winter season, but now with both Twilight and Rarity gone and winter arriving a week early, how would they grow any crops? It was no problem for Carrot Top; she knew how to make even the worst soil fertile, and had used that ability before Twilight had arrived. She never told anypony about her talent because she hadn’t wanted to bear the burden of an entire town’s soil fertility on her shoulder. But how will the town cope with this new obstacle? Will the townsponies leave and try their luck elsewhere? If they do, then who will pay the bits to buy the food and get it back to Ponyville? I’m not even sure how we would get it back; the ground won’t be in any condition to be using carts on. Carrot Top’s thoughts were quickly consumed with the fact that the whole town could end up turning against itself. After hours of deep thought, she eventually found slumber.

Lyra and Bon-Bon stood in front of Carrot Top’s house, both in hoof-knit sweaters made just for them by Bon-Bon’s mother. Bon-Bon looked at Lyra as she knocked yet again.

“No response. Do you think she’s asleep?” Bon-Bon questioned her friend, the cold causing her breath to mist in front of her.

Lyra chuckled at her cream-coated friend as she replied. “Nope. She never sleeps in. Did you check her backyard?”

“Yeah, on the way to the front door I peeked over the fence. I didn’t see her, but her shed was open; she could have been in there fetching something but I didn’t get a good enough look at it. Just knock again; maybe she didn’t hear you the first seven times.” Bon-Bon stuck her tongue out playfully at her now-hysterical friend. Lyra tried to reply between fits of laughter, but to no avail. She simply couldn’t look at Bon-Bon without laughing at this point. “Fine then, I’ll do it!” Bon-Bon playfully shoved Lyra to the side, trying to sound as if she was angered but feeling the exact opposite. She loved being with her funny friend. Bon-Bon usually never broke out of her shell; when around Lyra, however, she was a completely different mare. They both had a special bond that nopony could begin to understand except themselves.

Carrot Top opened her eyes slowly. She had heard the noise the first time, but decided to ignore it. She was far too tired to be getting up at her normal time but, after the eighth knock, she knew it must be something important.

“Coming!” Carrot Top shouted lazily back at whoever was outside. Slowly, she lumbered out from under the covers and into the four orange slippers waiting at the side of the bed. She exited the room in pursuit of not the front door, but the bathroom. Whoever was at the door probably didn’t want to see her the way she looked now. She turned on the cold tap of the bathroom sink and tilted her head sideways, sliding it under the steady stream of cool water to wash all of the sleep and dirt off her face. Once she felt content and refreshed, she grabbed a fluffy orange towel of a similar hue to the paper ones in the kitchen and wiped the left over water and dirt from her face. Feeling cool and revived, she threw the now soaking towel into the hamper next to her sink and exited the bathroom. The trip from her bathroom to her front door was a short one and, once she made it there, she looked out of the peephole to see who it was that demanded audience. Much to her surprise, she found Bon-Bon and Lyra at the door.

“Hey girls! I’m opening the door right now!” Carrot Top unlatched a small chain and flung the door open.

“Thanks! I was starting to freeze!” Lyra hopped in, excited to finally find some warmth.

“Yes, thank you Carrot Top.” Bon-Bon followed her friend inside the warm house, though with much more grace; she was by a wide margin the more refined and shy of the two. She always enjoyed things that were a little bit more tasteful, and she always kept her excitement to herself . She also was never very outgoing and most of the time, pretty shy unless she was with her four best friends or with Lyra. This made Bon-Bon very interesting to Carrot Top. It meant that Bon-Bon was in a different mood every time she saw her, all of those moods being good. Lyra, however, was the polar opposite of Bon-Bon. She was a very happy mare and she always showed her excitement in any way possible. Lyra was the kind of mare that would brighten your day by simply saying a few words. Carrot Top couldn’t even remember the last time she saw Lyra in any mood but cheerful. She reminded her of a more controlled, less manic Pinkie Pie. It always made her chuckle to think that such contrasting mares could be together. It made so little sense, but it really worked out for them.

“So, what brings you guys here?” Carrot Top looked to her two friends and chuckled when she saw how Lyra was sitting on her couch. She sat using her lower back as her support and her legs hanging down, which in turn caused her stomach to bulge out a bit.

“Must you lounge like that every time you sit down?” Bon-Bon looked at her, cocking her head as she asked. Lyra just turned to Bon-Bon and shrugged. As much as it bewildered her, Bon-Bon decided to ignore it and answer Carrot Top’s question. “Anyway, we wanted to ask you a few things. The first was if you were aware of the snowfall last night, but I think it is quite clear we ALL know of that by now.” Bon-Bon paused to brush a bit of snow off her sweater and continued. “The other thing we want to know is if you’re attending the emergency meeting at the Town Square - or if you even know about it?” Emergency town meeting? How late is it, did I sleep in so late that I missed an announcement?

“What time is it?” Carrot Top asked her guests, forgetting about Bon-Bon’s question. Lyra was the first to reply.

“Well, me and Bon-Bon heard the announcement at eleven, then we headed home and had to clean up a few things. That’s when Bon-Bon said she hadn’t seen you at all in town today so we came to see if you heard the news or not. So, it’s probably around one or two?” Carrot Top’s jaw dropped at her teal friend’s statement.

“I was asleep until two?! How could I have even slept in that long?!” Carrot Top rushed into her room, throwing her slippers off on the way there. She quickly picked out the first winter wear she could find and rushed back into the living room before Bon-Bon or Lyra could even process what had happened. “So when does the emergency meeting begin?” Carrot Top inquired of her friends as she tried to tie a scarf onto her neck.

“Uhm…” Bon-Bon tried to process what had just happened, but was given no chance to continue as Lyra had already jumped in.

“About thirty minutes! Everypony is meeting in town. We should be able to get there in five minutes if we hurry!” Lyra immediately jumped up and trotted to the door, but she was cut short by the voice of Bon-Bon.

“Wait just a second, darling. Did we even ask Carrot Top if she was ready?” Bon-Bon looked over to where Carrot Top was standing. She just nodded her head at Bon-Bon as Lyra opened the door.

“Let’s get going!” Lyra shouted to her two friends as she rushed outside. Bon-Bon looked at Carrot Top and playfully rolled her eyes.

“She always was the rambunctious one.”

It almost looked like a concert in the Town Square. There were ponies everywhere, all dressed in winter-appropriate attire and all waiting anxiously for the mayor to reveal the plans for coping with the early winter. Carrot Top, however, was not. She knew how hard it was to grow during winter, and she also knew there was no emergency food supply. What would the mayor propose we do? I mean, nopony has the skill to grow crops in this kind of weather - except me of course, but no one knows that. May - Carrot Top’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a pony trotting onto the stage - the mayor. She looked very flustered and spent, as if she had gotten no sleep the previous night. Carrot Top could only assume that that was true, as she hadn’t had very much sleep herself.

“Mares and gentlecolts. I know that,” the mayor took a deep breath, then continued, “that you all are very afraid that there will not be enough food to go around this winter. This currently can neither be confirmed nor denied.” The crowd began to shift nervously, and some ponies became flustered. The mayor realized this and immediately slammed her hoof on the stage floor. “Excuse me! I am NOT done.” Complete silence followed her outburst, and she was both embarrassed and impressed by her own action in causing it. “As I was saying, I myself am not sure about whether or not there will be enough food for all of winter. I do know, however, that Big Macintosh is working double-time over at Sweet Apple Acres and there will definitely be enough food to last us this next week. Once the week is up, Twilight Sparkle and her five friends will have returned and we will be able to continue through winter as we normally would. Now, Big Macintosh has assured me that if the worst does happen, and it takes them an extra week to return, that there will still be enough apples to go around. It will be tough, and he is working as hard as he can to get as many apples bucked as possible. Once winter is over and officially wrapped up, we will repay the Apple family with our own hard work. As a town, we can all come together and we can get over this little bump; it will just require some organization. Now, if anypony has any potential way to help out, could they please step forward?” The mayor looked across the sea of faces in front of her. She knew it was a long shot, but she had to try it; any kind of help could make a world of difference.

Carrot Top half-raised her right front hoof off the ground, as if she were about to take a step forward. Realizing the risk she would be taking if she did, and how much pressure would be put onto her, she quickly relinquished the thought and put her hoof back down. I can’t go and do that, I don’t have the room to grow the carrots. I could just use the communal beds, but do I even have the skill to be able to make all of that land fertile? There’s way too much, it would be impossible to go to every crop, flower bed, and pot in Ponyville and just “heal the land.”

“Well then, you ponies know where to find me if any of you have a change of heart.” The mayor’s voice snapped Carrot Top back to reality. “Remember everypony, we can do this together. There will be a booth where you may go and volunteer to help ration the apples out. As for those of you who can’t find a place to volunteer, go about your business as usual. We can make it through this, Ponyville.” The mayor stepped off the stage, leaving the crowd in dead silence. Nopony moved a muscle for the first few seconds, they were all so stunned to hear that everything might actually work out somewhat well. Then, as if it was a planned event, everypony moved at once to head to one of the numerous stations to sign up for volunteer work. Ponies flew and trotted in all directions, giving Carrot Top the perfect opportunity to slip away unnoticed. The whole town may have had one plan, but Carrot Top had another. She knew that without a doubt she would be able to grow in this weather; it was simple enough when it was just her garden. She would basically live out her life as if it was another normal winter. She would grow her own carrots in her backyard, then sell half the yield and save the other half for herself. This is how she did it every winter, so why should this winter be any different? Somewhere though, in the back of her mind, she felt bad for not volunteering to help. She knew the town would be just fine without a simple mare named Carrot Top to help, but something ate at her, filling her conscience with remorse.

Carrot Top arrived back at her home after walking around aimlessly for what had felt like hours. She had meant to head straight home and work on preparing her garden for the special treatment it would need; for some reason, however, she couldn’t seem to bring herself to go back home for some time. There was nothing at her house waiting to scare her, and she knew she could have gone back anytime she wanted to. Whether it was the fact that she was too lost in thought to care, or too afraid someone would find her in her home preparing her own plot rather than helping with the town’s work; she couldn’t put her hoof on it. Maybe a mix of both, she thought. The thing that was bugging her most was not the fact that she hadn’t felt compelled to help, but the fact that she felt she had to hide her special ability. She had never told anypony about it because she didn’t want to have ponies wanting to buy all of her carrots and leaving her with nothing. Another reason was the fact that she didn’t want ponies trying to find out her secret methods and prying into her personal space. She was fine with nopony knowing. For one, it didn’t hurt anypony, and two, there was no reason for the town to know. It would just attract unneeded and unwanted attention. Yet, even after reminding herself of the reasons behind her secrecy, that nagging feeling kept eating at her. It was almost like stealing cookies as a small filly. Yes, you may get away with it without your mother or father finding out, but you still feel bad. You still feel like you’ve done something wrong; whether you’re five or fifty, remorse is always there.

Why do I feel so bad! What is wrong with me keeping it a secret? Am I just over-thinking things? Is the weather just going to my head? Carrot Top tried to think of other things, the whole secret talent thing was just making her angry, but she just couldn’t get it off of her mind. She slowly walked up to her front door and opened it. As she entered, she took off her winter wear and threw it to the side. She was in no mood to be organized today. Her whole day had been ruined by the simple fact that she couldn’t stop feeling bad for not standing up and helping the town. She tried to think of any other things she could do to help. The only thing that the mayor said ponies could help with was apple distribution, but she knew that the volunteer list would be filled before she could even slip back into her fuzzy orange sweater. Still, there was nothing she could think of besides apple distribution or telling the town about her secret, which she wasn’t about to do. Then, it hit her like a stone.

“Macintosh!” Carrot Top shouted as the thought came to her. She had the perfect idea. Another secret she had up her sleeves was that she could grow literally any kind of fruit or vegetable much faster than normal. She could grow a whole apple tree in a week, and it would provide apples in three. She could go to Big Mac and tell him about her secret. She knew she could trust him with her life, heck, anypony could trust Big Mac with anything. After telling him, she could plant more apple trees while he bucked the rest. That way, there would be many more apples in just a few weeks, and Twilight and Rarity wouldn’t have to get stuck into hard work immediately after returning to Ponyville. They could arrive back and wait a whole week before they would have to lift a hoof or use a single ounce of magic! Big Mac could simply tell everypony that Sweet Apple Acres had had a better harvest than predicted, so nopony would ask how they did it! The plan was fool proof to her. It also helped that she had known Big Mac for some time now - they both went to the same high school in Ponyville and had met at the school dance honoring new seniors.

All through high school Carrot Top, Berry Punch, Derpy Hooves, Bon-Bon and Lyra were attached at the hips. They stayed in the same group throughout almost all of their school years and the dance had been no different. They had all gone in as a group, looking around in wonder at the incredible dance that was set up just for their class. They had attended without dates, as it wasn’t a dance you would normally ask a pretty filly or colt to. This dance was more of a fun, meet-and-greet kind of dance. As they entered, however, they couldn’t help but notice a group of colts standing over to their left. Berry and Derpy had become quite interested in meeting that group, but Lyra and Bon-Bon had no interest in doing so and Carrot Top’s eyes had settled on somepony else. In the far left corner of the dimly-lit room stood a large red workhorse, one that Carrot Top had never seen in all her days at Ponyville High. As he met her gaze she saw he had large green eyes that matched hers. Before she could even realize what she was doing, she was already standing just a few hooflengths away from him.

He reached his hoof out to greet her, looking at her warmly. “The name’s Big Macintosh.” His voice was deep and strong, but not intimidating. She smiled back at him, half in awe of his voice and the other in awe that he was talking to her.

“Carrot Top.” She returned the gesture, outstretching her hoof to meet his. “Are you new here? I‘ve never seen you around.”

“Eeynope.” Carrot Top was surprised by his lack of explanation, and decided to ask why she hadn’t seen him before.

“Oh, really? Do you have very many classes here? Or are you just a night student?” Carrot Top wanted to know more about him.

“Eeynope. I just tend not to make myself noticed.” Yet again, Carrot Top was surprised by the terseness of his speech. Yet, somehow, he spoke just enough to leave her wanting to hear more without losing the thread of the discussion.

“Oh, I see.” Carrot Top didn’t know what to say in reply and felt a little awkward at this point. Just as she thought she should just give up and join her two friends talking to the group of colts they had seen when they walked in, Big Mac spoke again.

“Hey Carrot Top.” His voice didn’t change in pitch, but she could somehow tell he was a tiny bit nervous.

“Yes?” Their eyes met for the second time that night, and Carrot Top felt even more nervous than she had before.

“Do ya mind if I call ya Carrot for short?” She was quickly beginning to enjoy his voice, even if he didn’t say much.

“Yes, that’s perfectly alright with me.” She smiled at him, happy that they had overcome the phase of being strangers.

“Well, Carrot. Would you like tah dance with me? This song is one of mah favorites.” Her heart jumped at the question. Whether it was the fact that she felt so safe when she heard his voice, or the fact that she had never been asked to dance until this very instance, she immediately nodded.

It could have been nine at night, or four in the morning; Carrot Top had completely lost track of time. She and Big Mac danced for what seemed like an eternity and she hadn’t wanted it to end. Once it had come to an end, however, she had somewhat reluctantly met with her friends again. She trotted over to them and quickly began talking so rapidly it took a few seconds for her friends to register what she had said.

“ImetthisstallionnamedBigMacandheaskedifhecouldcallmeCarrotforshortandisaidyessohecalledmeCarrotandaskedmetodancesoisaidyesandwedancedforwhatseemedlikeforeverandheaskedifhecouldwalkmehomeandisaidyesandnowithinkhereallylikesmeandilikehimanditfeelslikeihaveknownhimforeversoiwillseeyouguyslaterimsorryiamditchingyouguysbutthisisjustsoexciting!” Her friends all looked at her, bewilderment evident on their faces. Bon-Bon was about to ask what her friend was talking about when Derpy jumped up and began to smile widely.

“That’s awesome Carrot Top! I hope you had a great time! He seems super great!” Derpy rushed to her friend and gave her a large hug. If her other three friends hadn’t been confused before, they definitely were now.

“Derpy… how…” Lyra trailed off in disbelief at what had just happened, allowing Bon-Bon to finish her sentence.

“How did you know what Carrot Top said and even more so, why are you so happy about what she said?”

“I can’t explain it, I have to go. Derpy, do you mind?” Carrot Top lightly pushed her friend away, breaking the hug. Derpy looked at her as if she was crazy.

“Of course I don’t mind if you go! I don’t want to hold you back!” Derpy smiled at her orange friend, who just giggled back at Derpy’s mistake.

“No, Derpy,” Carrot Top lightly punched her friend in the shoulder playfully. “I mean do you mind explaining to them what I said.” Derpy looked at Carrot Top with a blank face, processing the correction. Then, as if the world suddenly made so much more sense to her, Derpy immediately lightened up.

“Of course I don’t mind! Now go, he’s waiting for you!” With a smile and a wave to her friends, Carrot Top galloped to meet Big Mac. Carrot Top, wanting to get to spend as much time as possible with her new friend, told him to meet her at the back exit of the school – she had explained that it was the fastest way to get to her house, which was an outright fib. In fact it extended the trip by twenty minutes, which was good enough for Carrot Top. On the way to her house they talked about many things. They talked about Big Mac’s farm, Sweet Apple Acres, and about his sister Applejack. They discussed Carrot Top’s gardening abilities (without revealing her secret,) and her group of friends. One thing Carrot Top noticed was that Big Mac had begun talking much more now that they weren’t strangers. She assumed that he was normally reserved until he either got to know the pony or felt safe around them, much like Bon-Bon. Either way, this was good for Carrot Top. Soon, she saw her house come into view. She wanted to tell another fib and say that her house was nowhere near here, and that she had made a mistake. She knew, however, that eventually she would need to go home and that he would be in tow, so he would find out she had lied.

“This is it, the one to the right.” Carrot Top guided him to her house. Upon reaching the door, she turned around to Big Mac. “Hey, Big Mac.” She tried her best to imitate the way he had first addressed her.

“Eeyup?” She found it entertaining yet cute the way he said yes and no. She chuckled and smiled at him as she opened her mouth.

“Do ya mind if I call ya Macintosh?” She tried to imitate his dialect as best as she could, half teasing him and half admiring him.

“Hahaha eeyup, I would like that.” Carrot Top had now found a new favorite thing about him, his laugh. It was so deep and soothing and it reminded her of her late father’s laugh. She smiled warmly at him, feeling truly happy at this point. It fell silent between the two, yet it wasn’t an awkward kind of silence. It was a ‘I’m completely content with how everything is right at this second**’ kind of silence. After a minute of them staring at each other, Big Mac broke the silence.

“School starts Monday, I’ll see ya there?” Carrot Top nodded yes. “Okay, then I’ll see ya round.” He smiled at her and began to walk off into the distance.

“Wait, Macintosh!” She didn’t know what compelled her to, but she quickly trotted after him. He turned around just as she made it to where he was standing and without thinking, she lightly pressed her lips against his. The kiss was short, but meaningful and Carrot Tp[ spoke as she pulled away from the new experience. “I had fun tonight, thank you.” She couldn’t tell whether he was blushing under his red coat, but she knew that it would be very evident she was. He smiled back at her and returned the same short kiss. This time, however, it was his turn to pull away and speak.

“Eeyup.” With that, he walked into the darkness towards Sweet Apple Acres, leaving Carrot Top in pure ecstasy.

Carrot Top smiled at the memory. It felt so long ago, yet was still so vivid. Throughout the following year, she and Big Mac had gone to many dances together and even ended up dating. After the Ponyville High prom and once everypony had graduated, she and Big Mac had lost touch. He had gone away for a month to visit family in Appleloosa and had been so busy he couldn’t write, while Carrot Top had been so busy with her gardening work that she hadn’t written to him either. By the end of the month, they had both grown apart and reluctantly agreed to remain friends. Every now and then she felt like she should talk to him; to try and rekindle that spark between the two of them. She had heard about another mare named Cheerilee who he’d been seeing however; plus, deep down, Carrot Top knew she didn’t have those feelings for him anymore. He would always have a special place in her heart, nevertheless. He’d been her first coltfriend and the first stallion she’d ever become close to, besides her father of course. Well, at least until very recently. Carrot Top smiled to herself and then remembered what brought the flashback up in the first place. She needed to go and talk to Big Mac about her new plan! Finding the winter wear she had so irresponsibly thrown aside, she slipped into her sweater and tied her scarf around her neck. Now for the journey to Sweet Apple Acres.

Carrot Top felt as if she was about to freeze to death. The snow had stopped falling, but because the path to Sweet Apple Acres was so long it was never cleared when it snowed. This made the trip to the orchard very wet and cold on snowy days. After ten more minutes of walking, she arrived at the main entrance into Sweet Apple Acres. It was around six or seven in the afternoon so she assumed that Big Mac and Granny Smith would still be eating dinner. She hoped they were; the last thing she wanted to do was to have to walk through even more thick snow in search of Big Mac. She couldn’t have timed her arrival any better – she knocked onto the front door of the main house just as they finished dinner. Granny Smith was first to the door, surprised at receiving visitors at this hour.

“Hello misschy! What brings you round these partsch?” When Granny spoke she pronounced any ‘s’ with a kind of ‘sh’ sound, causing spittle to fly from her mouth whenever she did so.

Surreptitiously wiping her face clean of saliva, Carrot Top looked over Granny Smith’s shoulder and saw Big Mac putting a plate into the sink. After he had finished, he looked over to the open door. His eyes widened for a split second before filling with warmth and softness.

“It’s OK Granny, I’ll talk to her. Why don’t ya get started on dessert?” He walked over to Granny and patted a hoof on her shoulder lovingly.

She looked to Big Mac and met his gaze. “Whatever you say Macintosch.” She turned back to Carrot Top and smiled. “It was nicsh meeting you mischy!” With her farewells completed, Granny walked back inside to put a blueberry pie in the oven. Carrot Top had to wipe her face yet again as Big Mac greeted her.

“Heya there Carrot, what brings you here?” She had forgotten how much she loved Big Mac’s voice. Once she had wiped the spittle off of her face, she responded.

“I have a proposal for you. I know that you have a lot of work ahead of you, but I have an idea that could help. I have a method of, how should I put it, growing things in a special way. Mind if I come inside and explain the rest?” Big Mac looked a little confused, but still let Carrot Top in so they could talk further. The two of them entered the living room which, fortunately for Carrot Top, was just out of hearing range of the kitchen. This meant that they could talk with some privacy.

“So, what ‘s this special talent ya got?” Big Mac looked at her inquisitively.

“Well..."