It was one of the calmer moments at Sugarcube Corner. The morning rush had finished, and it was still a while before ponies were coming for the lunchtime one. The main dining room had been swept, some of their most popular pastries were being replaced by fresh ones, and loaves of bread were also being baked for any sandwiches.
A sudden squeal of excitement filled the bakery, shattering the peaceful silence. A half-asleep Pumpkin Cake jerked awake at her spot by the register. Blue eyes wide and ears perked, she shifted, looking around.
"Pound?" she called out.
Pound Cake flew into the room, wings flapping excitedly. Landing in front of the counter and Pumpkin, he held up a sheet of paper, nearly shoving it into her face.
"CHECK IT OUT!!"
As their parents were poking their heads through the doorway from the kitchen to see what the fuss was about, Pumpkin took a hold of the paper and pulled it from her face, moving it so she could actually see it. Before she could actually read it, one of Pound's wings folded around it, pointing at the picture.
"Barnyard Bargains is having a special limited early release of The Wonderbolts Misty Fly sticker!" he announced.
Pulling the paper away, Pound shoved his face forward until he was nearly nose to nose with Pumpkin.
"Do you know what this means?"
"No?" Pumpkin replied, ears folded as she pulled back to get some personal space between her and her brother.
Pound pulled the paper against his chest, crumpling it as he did. A large grin was on his face, and his eyes were wide. His wings gave a flick of excitement as his tail wagged back and forth.
"It means I can finish my collection!" He held up the paper. "Misty Fly is the last one in the Rainbow Dash Rookie Year set, and the only one I don't have. With it, I'll have the complete set!" With a flap and hop, he jumped over the counter, landing on the other side. Pound grabbed Pumpkin by the shoulders, pulling her closer. "We have to go now! They're releasing the sticker and it's only in a small number." He started shaking her. "Ponies are probably lining up as we speak."
Pumpkin lit her horn up, calling on her magic. Her pale blue aura took a hold of her brother's hooves, pulling them off and pushing him back slightly. She gave a her head a hard shake, trying to get rid of the dizziness.
"Alright," she said once everything was right-side up in in their proper numbers. "Let's tell Mom and Dad."
"We already heard," their father, Carrot Cake, called out.
"And since you're going to Barnyard Bargains --" their mother, Cup Cake, pulled out a sheet of paper "-- you can pick up a few things up for us."
The twins threw their heads back, letting out matching groans. With a smile, Cup Cake moved closer, gave Pumpkin the paper, and both of them kisses on the head.
"Go on then. Your sticker's waiting."
With that the two young ponies left, the ringing of the bell announcing their exit. Pound flew, moving at a brisk pace, but not going at full speed. Pumpkin trotted not far behind, half watching where she was going, and half reading the list she had been given.
The feel of paper against her hoof and the sound of it crunching under it drew Pumpkin's full attention. Lifting her hoof, she looked down to see what she had stepped on.
"Is that a letter?" Pound asked, landing in front of his sister.
Horn lighting up, Pumpkin picked up the letter, shook off the excess dust and looked at it.
"Somepony must have dropped it," she said.
"Not just it," Pound said. He pointed with a hoof to where another envelope was laying. As they went over to pick it up, the two of them found another. Then another, and another, and another. Each time, they picked it up, sticking it with the others and moving on to the next.
"These all have postal marks," Pumpkin said, noting the inked stamp placed over the postal stamp. "They're also all addressed to Ponyville, but to different ponies."
As they picked up another, the twins caught sight of Ponyville's main mailpony, Derpy Hooves. Said mare was in front of the music store, pulling mail from her bag and shoving it into the slot. As she turned and flew off, a letter fell from her bag, gently floating to the ground.
"Derpy!" both cried out. Pumpkin picked up the most recently escaped letter as Pound took off, flying up and around Derpy to stop in front of her.
Derpy yanked back, her wings pulling in close, and fell back to the ground with an audible thump. She turned her head, one golden eye focusing on each of the Cake twins, and gave a big friendly smile.
"Oh, hey kids," she said in a chipper voice. "Sorry, but I'm kind of busy with work at the moment."
"You have a hold in your bag," Pound said.
Derpy let out a gasp, eyes going wide and one flicking to look around.
"I do?"
Grabbing a hold of her bag, she pulled it off and lifted it, looking at it. One of the bottom corners had torn open. It was not a very big tear, almost invisible to any pony not looking for it, but wide enough for mail to fall through.
"Oh, I do," Derpy cried out. "I hope I didn't lose anything important."
"We grabbed all the mail we found on the way here," Pumpkin said, holding up the letters in her magic.
"Thank you," Derpy said, taking the mail. She then paused, brow furrowing as she turned to look at the bag. "I can't just stick it back in, though, or it will just fall out again."
That was a problem. The three of them stood there, trying to think of a solution. None of them had a needle and thread, although the twins did not know anything about sewing, anyways. Maybe they could stick something in the hole? Block it up enough to finish the route? Except that neither Pumpkin nor Pound had anything they could use.
"What about your hat?" Pound said.
"My hat?" Derpy asked, reaching up for it. "What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing. I mean maybe you can stick your hat in the bottom of the bag, and use it to cover the hole."
"Oh!" Derpy took off her hat, looking at it. "Good idea." She turned to Pumpkin. "Can you hold the mail for me while I do that?"
"...I can try," Pumpkin answered. Her brow furrowed as she looked at the bag. "It looks like more than I've tried to carry at one time. I don't know how well I'll do." She took a deep breath, focused her attention on her horn, and channeled her magic. As it started to glow, she pulled the mail out, trying to do so as one big bulk in hope it would be easier than one at a time.
Several slipped from her magical grip, but Pound was able to catch them before they hit the ground.
As Derpy stuffed the hat into the bag, it bulged slightly as the hard brim forced the sides outward. Eyes narrowed and tip of her tongue sticking out in concentration, the mailmare pushed the hat further and further down, twisting and turning it until she smiled and gave a satisfied nod.
"There," she said. "That should hold it." Derpy held the bag out, letting Pound and Pumpkin put the mail back in. "Although, I should probably stop by Rarity's during my lunch break and see if she can patch it up for me properly."
"Lunch?!" Pound Cake cried out, causing the other two to jump in surprise. "The sticker!" He started bouncing on his hooves, wings fluttering. "I got so caught up in the mail, I forgot about it. Come on, Pumpkin!" He then took off, running as fast as he could.
After dumping all the mail back into Derpy's bag, Pumpkin chased after him.
"Wait up!" she called out.
At the sound of his sister shouting, Pound Cake stopped, turning to look at her. Once she caught up, he started walking again, although at more of a brisk trot.
"Don't worry," Pumpkin said as she now walked along side him. "It's still not noon yet. We have plenty of time."
"But with every minute we aren't there, the line gets longer!" Pound replied. "Which means we'll have to wait longer to get our sticker." He turned away from her, eyes wide as he stared off into the distance. "What if they sell out just as we get to the front?"
With Pound caught up in his imaginings, and Pumpkin watching him, neither noticed the earth filly walking toward them until they crashed into her.
"Hey!" she cried out as she fell backwards.
"Sorry, Fashion Plate," the twins said at the same time. Pumpkin helped Fashion plate back to her hooves, while Pound used one wing to brush some of the dust from her blouse.
"What's got you two so worked up?" Fashion asked, pushing them away and brushing herself off.
"We're on our way to Barnyard Bargains to pick up the new Wonderbolts sticker," Pound answered.
With a snort, Fashion Plate rolled her eyes.
"Puh-lease." She threw her golden-yellow hair back with a hoof. "Stickers are so yesterday. The big thing now is cutie mark charms." She then stuck her jade colored foreleg out toward them. "Check it out."
The Cakes looked at the offered hoof, glanced to each other, and then looked at the hoof again.
"What are we supposed to be looking at?" asked Pumpkin.
Fashion Plate brought her foreleg back, looking down. Her pale pink eyes went wide, ears flopped down and jaw hung open. She then let out a glass shattering shriek, much to the annoyance of nearby home and business owners (and the joy of the local glazier).
"My bracelet!" she cried out. "Where's my charm bracelet?!" Her headed darted from one side to the other, looking around. "It was the glittery crystal version of The Elements of Harmony!"
Her gaze snapped back to the Cake twins, eyes looking more red.
"You!" she growled. Her hoof stomped the ground as she took a step forward.
A small squeak escaped the twins as they took a step back. The two of them pressed into each other, with Pound wrapping his wing around Pumpkin. The two crouched down, ears pulling back and eyes wide as they crouched down, trembling slightly.
"You two caused me to lose it," she stated. "You're going to help me find it."
"Right," Pumpkin said.
"Okay," Pound added.
The two separated and lowered their heads, eyes scanning the ground.
"What are we looking for exactly?" Pumpkin asked.
"A charm bracelet," Fashion Plate answered. "It has little sterling silver disks with suns and moons to make up most of it, and the charms are glittery crystal versions of The Elements of Harmony used by Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends." She stopped, shifting to look at the two of them from the corner of her eye. "They are hard to get, with Princess Twilight's being the hardest at one in ten thousand, and also wanted by Princess Memorabilia collectors." Her jaw clenched. "If I don't find them, I will be very upset."
With fresh chills down their spines, Pound and Pumpkin searched with greater urgency. Pumpkin called on her magic, pushing apart the grass and trying to pick up any little thing that it could (which was mostly pebbles, and the occasional surprised bug). Pound reached out with his wings, stroking the feather tips across the ground and feeling for anything. They moved with their chins nearly touching the ground, eyes shifting back and forth to look for a glint or any clue.
Finally, after minutes and minutes of searching, one of Pound's primaries came across something that felt different. Pressing it down, he moved closer, looking at it best he could.
There was a bracelet, just as Fashion Plate had described it.
"Found it!" he announced, holding it up as high as he could.
With a gasp, Fashion Plate got up and darted over, snatching the bracelet from him, she held it up, eyes narrowing to study it. Slowly she turned it this way and that, letting the light shine through the charms. With a satisfied nod, she put it back onto her wrist. After giving Pumpkin and Pound one last glare, she let out snort, and trotted off.
"That was kinda scary," Pumpkin said.
"Yeah," Pound agreed. "I'd hate to see what would happen if she was really mad."
He glance up at the sky.
"Come on," he called out as he started running again. "We really have to hurry if we want to get that sticker."
Pumpkin rolled her eyes and let out a sigh, but ran after him. They did not run for very long, forced to slow down as other ponies filled the street. They went this way and that, making their way to restaurants to get some lunch, or running afternoon errands that for one reason or other could not wait until later.
Pound stopped, eyes wide as he stared at all the ponies. So many out meant that it was afternoon, which meant that the stickers were being sold at the very moment.
He had to hurry.
"THERE!" he called out, pointing at an empty dirt path that went around the market. "Come on!"
Once again he took off, running as fast as he could. His wings would occasionally flicker and flap, trying to push him forward even faster. The stalls were nearly a blur as they went by. The path letting Pound run would hopefully more than make up for its longer distance. If he was lucky, he would be able to reach Barnyard Bargains in time to still get one the sticker.
Just as the store was about to come into view, the Ponyville Elementary School teacher, Miss Cheerilee, stepped onto the path, carrying a tall pile of stuff on her back. As soon as he saw her, Pound dug his hooves into the ground and flared his wings out, bracing himself as he tried to come to a stop. He could feel his hooves digging into the dirt, kicking up large plumes of dust as they tried to get traction. It strained his entire body, but he managed to stop before hitting the teacher.
The screeching of hooves on dirt reached Pound's ears just before Pumpkin slammed into him, knocking him face first into the dirt, then coming to a stop on top of him.
"My goodness," Cheerilee said, doing her best to lower her head and look at them. "Are you two okay?"
"Yeah," Pumpkin answered, moving to get up.
"I'm fine," said Pound. "At least I was on the bottom this time." He winced at the memory.
The two looked at Cheerilee. The earth mare's legs were spread wide, muscles tense beneath her near purple coat. A number of boxes were balanced on her back: taller than the twins if one they stood on their hind legs, one on the shoulders of the other. It also looked like they would fall over any second.
"What are you doing with those?" asked Pumpkin, pointing.
A smile formed on Cheerilee's face as she turned to look at the boxes.
"Well, the changeling kingdom has decided to start their own school," she explained, "and Twilight asked me if I could help out. So, I'm donating some of the extra books and unused materials from my own classroom for them to use."
Pound and Pumpkin looked from the teacher, to the pile, and up toward the top.
"You're carrying all that stuff all the way to the castle?" Pound asked.
"Fortunately, no," Cheerilee answered with a laugh. "I just need to take this to The Town Hall. Everything is being collected, cataloged, and organized there before getting shipped to the changelings."
The twins looked up at the pile, over to the town hall, then down to all the ponies that were walking around in between.
"Do you want some help?" Pumpkin asked. "I can carry some of them."
"But Pumpkin," Pound cried out, "what about the sticker?"
"You go ahead," answered Pumpkin. "I'll catch up with you when we're done."
With a grumble of frustration, Pound shifted back and forth. He really wanted the sticker, but he did not want to leave his sister. It was the last for his collection, but Miss Cheerilee needed help. It was the whole reason he had come out, but this was for an entire other kingdom. It was just a bunch of educational stuff, though. Pumpkin had even said it would be okay.
Pound sagged slightly, letting out a sigh.
"It'll be easier if we both help," he said.
Besides, what would his parents say if he just left his sister to help out, even if she said it was fine? Worse, what would Pinkie Pie do if she found out he did not help Miss Cheerilee?
And she would find out.
Pinkie always found out.
Always!
Pumpkin's horn lit up the same time that Pound flew up toward the top of the pile. Between the two of them, they were able to take half of it, carrying it on their backs. Pound's wings stretched out and back, becoming side supports for the boxes he was carrying. Pumpkin kept magic flowing through her horn, trying to use telekinesis to keep everything balanced. The two of them followed Cheerilee, slowly making their way through the throngs of ponies. Most were nice enough to slow down or turn, keeping out of their way. The few that were not were instead cowed Miss Cheerilee's disapproving look.
As it turned out, getting through the crowd, up the stairs, and through the doors was not the end of their journey. The three of them could not simply drop off the boxes in the foyer and leave it at that. Instead, they had to make their way to a specific room, where all the supplies and donations were being collected.
Once the donations were removed, and Miss Cheerilee expressed her gratitude, the Cake twins hurried out of Town Hall and ran for Barnyard Bargains as fast as possible.
Pound slammed against the door, throwing it open.
"Excuse me," he called out to the nearest employee. "Where are they selling the Wonderbolts Misty Fly stickers?"
"I'm sorry," the employee replied, "but we're sold out."
With a long, drawn out groan, Pound Cake flopped onto the store's floor.
Pumpkin Cake left Barnyard Bargains, shopping bags hanging across her back, and stopped, waiting. Pound Cake was not far behind her, head low and wings drooping at his sides, primary feathers dragging across the ground, as was the end of his tail. Once he had caught up, Pumpkin started walking again, moving at a slow pace.
"Hey," she said. "It's not too bad. I mean it was just an early release, right? You can get it once it gets a full release, right?"
"Yeah," Pound answered. "In a month. I'll be an old stallion by then."
"Besides, we did some good things today. We helped Derpy and Miss Cheerilee." Pumpkin's brow furrowed as she chewed her lip. "And, I guess Fashion Plate, but she doesn't really count." She leaned closer and smiled. "That's something to be proud of, right?"
"Yeah," Pound agreed, "and I'm glad we did, but that sticker was the whole reason I wanted to go to Barnyard Bargains." He let out a sigh. "I just wish I had gotten it."
"What's wrong with the little dude?" a deep, but feminine voice asked.
"He's upset that he didn't get the new Wonderbolts sticker," Pumpkin answered.
There was a flicker of feathered wings, and a shadow across the two of them. A creamy yellow pegasus mare with an icy blue mane landed in front of them. She was wearing a brown flight jacket, the Wonderbolts insignia patched onto the chest, and a knowing smirk.
"Really?" she asked, in that same voice.
Pound Cake looked up at her, his jaw dropping as his eyes went wide.
"Y... you... you're Misty Fly," he managed to say.
Misty's smirk grew wider.
"The one and only," she announced, puffing out her chest. She then raised an eyebrow. "So, what's this about my sticker?"
After working his jaw open and close several times, Pound gave a shake of his head and got everything back in order.
"I've been collecting the ones for Rainbow Dash's rookie year," he explained. "Yours is the last one I needed to complete the set."
"But they were sold out by the time we got here," Pumpkin added.
"That stinks," Misty Fly replied. She took a step toward the pair, eyes narrowing. "Guess you were too busy helping out other ponies, huh?"
The twins glimpsed at each other, then looked up at the mare in front of them, eyes wide.
"You know about that?" they asked together.
Misty Fly chuckled as she stepped forward.
"Yeah." She spread her wings, wrapping the two young ponies in them. She then leaned in close, whispering. "I saw the two of you helping Derpy when I was flying into town. Asked her what was up after the two of you left. Also saw you helping that mare with the boxes. One of the employees told me who she was."
She gave a wink and pulled back, genuinely smiling.
"We've heard a lot about Ponyville, but hearing something and seeing it for yourself is always different, you know?"
Pound and Pumpkin looked from the mare, to each other back.
"No," Pound answered while Pumpkin shook her head.
Misty Fly let out another laugh and shook her head, rolling her eyes.
"The point is, it's nice to see that ponies around here are actually as friendly and helpful as I've heard," she said. "And I know" -- she raised her wings to make air-quotes -- "'being nice and doing good should be it's own reward'" -- she pulled her wings back -- "or such, I know how nice it is when others actually acknowledge you doing good and reward you for it. Especially as a foal."
She pulled open her jacket, reaching a hoof inside.
"When we sign off on the merchandise, we get to keep a few for ourselves," Misty Fly explained. She pulled out a sticker. "Like this." Her smile grew into a grin. "That way, we can keep one for ourselves, have a few to sign, and can give them out to ponies we think would really like them." She gave a wink. "Or, in this case, deserve them for being such a nice colt."
She held the sticker out.
"Here. Take it."
Pound Cake's eyes went wide as he slowly gasped in shock. Reaching out, he took a hold of the sticker, staring at it. Normally, the sticker had: a small Wonderbolts' insignia at the top; the word "Wonderbolts" written under that; a circular picture of the selected member's cutie mark, complete with a background that matched their coat color; and the pony's name written across the bottom. This sticker had all those as well, but it also had Misty Fly's hoof print in bright red ink encircling the cutie mark.
He had to blink back the tears from his eyes.
Pulling out another, Misty Fly turned to Pumpkin.
"And one for you too," she said. "Not only did you help out as much as he did, but you had to put up with him as well."
"I'm used to that part," Pumpkin answered with a grin. She took the offered sticker, and stuck it in her bag. "Thank you. Although I'm not as big a fan as Pound is."
"Eh," Misty Fly replied with a shrug. "That's typical."
She gave a flap of her wings, launching herself off the ground.
"Either way, hope you catch our next show when we're in town."
She then tossed them a salute.
Pumpkin waved good-bye, smiling as she did.
Pound returned the salute, holding it as Misty Fly flew away, and keeping it until she was out of sight. Once she was gone, he dropped the salute and turned to the sticker.
"Best day ever!"
When Life Gives You Apples
Pumpkin Cake leaned in close, her blue eyes narrowing as she re-read the recipe. With a nod of satisfaction, she returned her attention to the bowl on the counter in front of her. With her hoof, she grabbed the spatula and continued stirring. At the same time, her horn lit up with the pale blue glow of her magic, lifting the measuring cup and aiming the spout toward the bowl.
"Hey," Pound Cake called out.
The sound of her twin brother's voice caused Pumpkin to jump slightly. It also caused her to loose her concentration, her telekinesis spell dispersing. The measuring cup hit the counter with a loud thunk! Mercifully, the heavy duty glass did not shatter, but the rice cereal was scattered across the counter.
With a sigh, Pumpkin reached out with her hoof and picked up the measuring cup, giving it a gentle rocking to have the remaining cereal evened out. After checking, she grabbed the box and started refilling the cup.
"Could you clean up the spilled cereal please?" she asked.
"Uh, sure," Pound replied. Grabbing a small trash can, he made his way over to the counter. One wing stretched out as he used it as a brush, sweeping up the spilled cereal and brushing it off the counter, into the trash.
"What are you doing, anyways?"
"I'm trying to make the marshmallow cereal treats," Pumpkin answered, motioning at the book with her head.
Pound stopped sweeping and leaned closer. His own eyes narrowed as he looked at the book.
"Isn't that the Foal-time Fun in the Kitchen cookbook?" he asked.
"Yeah," Pumpkin answered. She picked up the measuring cup and started pouring the cereal in. "I'm trying to learn to cook with it."
"Why?" Pound asked. He spread his free wing, motioning around them. "We live in a bakery. We cook all the time."
"No, we don't," Pumpkin replied. She turned to look at her brother as she stirred the cereal together with the marshmallow and butter. "Mom, Dad, and Pinkie cook. We help them. We assist. They do most of the work, letting us measure something or stir." She held up the spatula she was using, pointing the handle at the cookbook. "With this, I am doing all the work. Good or bad, it's all me."j
She resumed mixing the treats.
"Plus, once I get this right, I can start experimenting with it." She grinned. "Maybe I'll add peanut butter. Or chocolate chips." She looked down. "Maybe I'll try using rainbow mini marshmallows."
She let out a small squee of excitement.
"Uh-huh," Pound Cake said, rolling his eyes. He finished cleaning and turned to put the trash can back. "I'll see about adding 'Pumpkin's Equestria Famous Cereal Treats' to the board."
Pumpkin turned to look at him, her blue eyes narrowing.
"You laugh now," she called out, pointing the sticky end of the spatula at him, "but just you wait. It'll happen, and I'll be getting the last laugh." She then threw her head back and let out the best evil laugh she could manage.
"Now, Pumpkin," her father, Carrot Cake, called out, "what did we tell you about maniacal laughter?"
"Not to unless I'm planning something evil," Pumpkin answered, rolling her own eyes. "Which I'm not allowed to act on until I'm eighteen."
"Good girl." Carrot then gave her a pat on the back.
"Wouldn't her planning something evil make her evil, and so, not a good girl?" Pound asked.
"But she's listening to us now, which means she's still a good girl."
Carrot then stepped back and turned.
"Anyway, once you're done, we have a delivery for you two to make. There's a box of honey oat bars, waiting to be delivered to Sweet Apple Acres."
It was a warm, sunny morning as the two of them made their way to Sweet Apple Acres. Pound walked along the dirt road leading toward the farm, pulling the cart behind him. Pumpkin walked along side, sometimes checking on the bars, and sometimes checking the path ahead. Once they had left town, the road leading to the farm was empty.
They got to have a nice quiet walk along the dirt road.
As they reached the gates to Sweet Apple Acres, the silence was interrupted by the sound of a sheep bleating. They watched as one ran past them, its front half sheared, giving it a sort of weird reverse poodle cut. Not far behind it was a yellow earth pony mare.
"Get back here, you overgrown cotton ball!" she bellowed.
"Apple Bloom?" Pumpkin called out, tilting her head.
The mare, Apple Bloom, came to a stop, hoof skidding in the grass.
"Oh, hey," she said. "What brings y'all here today?"
"We're delivering some honey oat bars," Pumpkin answered.
"Is everything okay?" asked Pound.
One side of Apple Bloom's face twitched as her smile grew wider.
"Okay?" she repeated. "Of course everything's okay! Why wouldn't it be?" She shifted, looking around the farm. "Just because everypony else is gone, busy somewhere else, leavin' me to run the whole farm on my own, which means I have to do all the chores by myself. Plus it's shearin' season. So I have to round up all the sheep and shear them of their wool."
Her eyes narrowed as she looked past the Cakes.
"And y'all ain't allowed to touch those bars 'til after you get sheared! You hear me!"
The Cake twins jumped slightly at the shouting, then turned to look where Apple Bloom was looking. Next to the cart was a sheep, with all its wool on. Its head was halfway down, and mouth wide as it was reaching for one of the bars in the back. Its nearly black eyes shifted between the twins and Apple Bloom.
The sheep lowered its head, mouth opening wider.
"Don't," Apple Bloom warned.
The sheep stopped, looked at her, then lowered its head again.
"Don't!" she repeated.
Pound Cake pulled the cart forward, forcing the sheep to yank its head up and away from the bars, or risk getting smacked by one of the sides. The sheep looked at Pound, let out an annoyed bleat, then turned and walked off indignantly.
Apple Bloom let out a huff, stomping a hoof. Before she could say anything more, a gray and yellow streak shot out of the sky and slammed into the ground, kicking up dirt and grass as it did.
Apple Bloom and the twins slowly approached, as wide as the dust settled.
"I'm okay!" a feminine voice cried out. A gray pegasus mare stood up, brushed herself off, and turned to face them. One eye focused on Apple Bloom as the other drifted off to look... somewhere else.
"Special delivery," Derpy the mailmare called out, pulling an envelope from her mailbag and passing it to Apple Bloom. Once that was done, she took off again.
After watching Derpy leave, Apple Bloom opened the envelope and read the message inside. She dropped the letter and threw her head back, letting out a long, raspy groan.
"Of coouuuurrrrse!" she finally cried out.
"Is something wrong?" Pumpkin asked.
"Yes," Apple Bloom snapped. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.
"Sorry," she continued in a calmer tone. "It's kind of a 'good news, bad news' type a' thing." She held up the letter. "Le Petit Fromage is having a special guest chef this evening, and they need five bushels for the dinner special." Her golden eyes narrowed as she glared at the letter. "They are even willing to pay double our usual costs due to the rush order."
The twins glanced at each other.
"So, that's the good news?" Pound asked.
"Eyup. The problem is that we don't have anywhere near that much in stock, and with everything else goin' on, I ain't got time to go out and collect anywhere near that much." Apple Bloom sighed, shaking her head. "This is a great opportunity for us, and I have to pass on it."
Several seconds passed in silence.
"Maybe we can help," offered Pumpkin.
"You can?" asked Apple Bloom.
"We can?" asked Pound Cake.
"Yeah," Pumpkin replied. "I mean, we aren't farmers, but I bet we can harvest enough for the order." She tilted her head, brow furrowing. "But... uhm..." She bit her lip for a second. "One question. How big is a bushel?"
Apple Bloom's lips pursed and eyes narrowed as she looked at the filly. A snort escaped the mare's snout. Then another. The third turned into a snicker, which broke into full on laughter. Reaching out with one leg, she wrapped it around Pumpkin and pulled the filly close, tousling her bright orange mane.
"That's somethin' you should really ask before you offer to help," she said, still chuckling. "Fortunately, it ain't a complicated thing to figure out." She pointed out toward the orchard. "Each basket is made to hold a bushel of apples. So, if y'all just need to fill five baskets, and we'll have five bushels."
"Great," Pumpkin called out, slipping from Apple Bloom's grasp. "Come on, Pound. I bet we can get five buckets filled in no time."
"Right," Pound cried out. Unhitching himself from the cart, he chased after his twin sister.
Leaving Apple Bloom to deal with it.
With a sigh, she walked up to the cart, pressed her head against it, and started pushing it toward the sheep pen.
"Alright, ya varmints!" she called out. "If y'all want these treats, you're gonna have to let me shear ya!"
With a round of bleating, the sheep began to follow.
The young Cakes walked through the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, looking up at the trees. The leaves were thick and lush, creating a nice cool shade, and little dapples of light in the trees and on the ground. Large, juicy apples hung from the branches, in shades of red, green, yellow, and mixes of the three. Empty baskets were scattered all around.
"This looks like a good place to start," Pumpkin Cake decided. "Let's grab some baskets and get started."
The pair then went their separate ways, each grabbing an empty basket, and making their way to their own apple trees. Pound flew up into his, grabbed two that looked good, flew back down, and dropped them into his basket. Pumpkin stood under hers, using her magic to pull off an apple and float it down to the basket, setting it inside before getting another. A simple, if slow, way for the two of them to gather the apples they needed.
The excitement of doing something new and different made the chore fun long enough for each of them to fill one basket. After that, they both began to get bored of it very quickly.
Pound tried carrying an armful, but it was a struggle to keep them all from falling out of his grasp while flying down. Next, he tried tossing the apples into the basket from the branch, but just as many of them missed as made it, and one even bounced up and out despite being perfect. Pound then tried simply dropping the apple straight down, but his hoof-eye coordination was not yet developed enough to do that. For a moment, he considered hanging upside down and dropping the apples, but had no idea how to manipulate his tail to do such a thing.
Then he came up with something he thought was brilliant. Instead of hanging upside down by his tail, he did so by wrapping all of his legs around a branch. Opening his wings wide, he curved them and brought them together, creating a funnel. After taking a deep breath, he used his entire body to shake the branch. The ripe apples came loose, sliding down the inside of his wings and dropping into the bucket below.
As for Pumpkin: when she got tired of picking apples one at a time, she tried picking multiple at one time. Unfortunately, pulling the apples free used too much concentration, and she could not keep the others levitating while she did so. Pumpkin next tried pulling a large number off and lowering them into the basket all at the same time, but not all the apples needed the same amount of pressure to pull off, causing some that came off faster to hit the ground. She then tried levitating the bucket up into the tree, letting it rest on the branches, and putting the apples in from there.
It did not work well. First, while she could levitate the empty basket, it was difficult to find branches to support it on their own. Even then, she had to carefully balance it. This led to the next issue: after putting several apples in, the weight and balance would shift, forcing Pumpkin to stop and re-adjust it. Finally, once it had been filled (which, it turned out was hard to tell since she could not see the top), it was a struggle to lower back to the ground while keeping it even, with all the weight of the apples now inside. She had barely managed to bring it to the ground without dumping all the apples out.
As Pumpkin got another empty basket, she found a long piece of wood that was curved. Almost like a groove. If something round -- or mostly round -- were put in it, that object would roll down to the bottom, not going off the sides.
Like an apple!
With an idea forming in her mind, Pumpkin grabbed the board and took it with her. After placing one end in the bucket, she moved to rest the other end on one of the branches. She plucked an apple, set it in the groove, then released her magical grip.
The apple bumped and rocked, but rolled all the way down until it plunked into the bucket.
"Yes!" Pumpkin Cake cried out, throwing out her forehooves. "Victory!"
Now she could work a lot faster. She could still only pick one apple at a time, but did not have to lower it all the way down, nor stop to adjust the basket in the branches. Instead, she could just plop the apple into the groove, and let it roll down on its own while she grabbed another. Sometimes, she managed to get more than one rolling at a time.
Although she never managed to get more than three.
Time passed quickly as the two worked: filling one bucket, moving it, grabbing an empty one, and starting on another tree.
As Pound came down to move his latest, he stopped, looking around at the others. He held up a hoof and counted.
"One...two... three... four..."
He stopped as he pointed at one more.
Uh-oh.
"Hey, Pumpkin?" he called out. "How many baskets have you collected?"
"Uhm... I haven't really been keeping track," Pumpkin replied. "Hold on. One. Two. Three. Four..."
"Let me guess," Pound said, looking over toward his sister. "Five?"
"Four and a half, technically," his sister responded. "What about you?"
"Five."
"I guess we both go caught up in it and lost count." Pumpkin said, moving closer to him. Her blue eyes glanced around to take in all the baskets of apples around them.
"And now we have nearly ten baskets of apples," Pound added, letting out a huff. "What are we going to do with them?"
"Isn't that up to Apple Bloom?"
Wings fluffing out and eyes going wide, Pound turned to look at Pumpkin.
"You just want to go tell her?"
"...yyeahh?" she replied, raising one eyebrow. "It's her farm? Why wouldn't we?"
"You saw how stressed out she was about everything when we got here," Pound pointed out. "If we tell her that we messed up and picked too many apples, who knows what will happen."
For a moment, the two of them imagined Apple Bloom's reaction. Pound pictured her eyes wide and jaw clenched, entire head turning a bright red before literally exploding. Pumpkin imagined her bursting into tears, solid streams of water spraying from her eyes to create massive puddles, and leaving Apple Bloom so dehydrated, that she shrank down and wrinkled up like a raisin.
They both shook their heads, dismissing the mental pictures.
"So, what should we do?" asked Pumpkin.
Pound let out a hum, tapping at his chin. His dark brown eyes narrowed as he looked around.
"Oh," he cried out. "What if we put them back?"
Several seconds passed in silence as Pumpkin Cake stared at her brother, her expression flat.
"...Put... them... back..." Pumpkin said slowly. "You mean you want to take those apples" -- she pointed at one of the buckets -- "and put them back on the branches" -- she pointed at one of the trees -- "like we never plucked them to begin with?"
"Yeah," Pound replied. He then tilted his head, looking at her curiously. "Don't you have a spell that could reconnect the stems or something?"
In a way, the question was kind of flattering to Pumpkin Cake. It was nice to that her brother thought she could do such a thing, and had so much faith in her and her magical abilities. In another way, it was annoying, and a little frustrating. According to their babysitter and unofficial big sister, Pinkie Pie, Pumpkin had been able to perform all sorts of spells when she was a baby, like phase through their playpen and levitate herself. At some point, though, she had lost whatever it was that had let her do that. As it was, she was able to perform little more than magical telekinesis, and even it had limits in weight or numbers. With the two of them being twins, Pound should know what Pumpkin could and could not do by now.
"No," she said. "I don't have any spells that will allow me to reattach an apple to the tree." One of her ears gave a twitch. "Why would I even have a spell like that in the first place?"
"For situations like this," Pound answered.
"How often do you think we're going to end up in situations like this?" Pumpkin shouted, waving a hoof.
"Well it's already more than I thought, so how in Equestria should I know?" Pound shouted back, flaring his wings.
The twins glared at each other, scowling. Seconds passed in tense silence as energy crackled between the two. Lips pulled tight and ears twitched. Neither blinked.
With a sigh, they both looked away.
"Let's just tell Apple Bloom and let her decide what to do with the extras," Pumpkin repeated.
"Fine," Pound replied. "But if her head explodes, I get to take a bath first!"
Pumpkin rolled her eyes and let out a huff, but did not argue. Instead she followed her brother, the two of them leaving the orchard behind and heading to the front of Sweet Apple Acres. As they walked, they saw multiple sheep, sheared of the wool and happily chewing away on something.
The twins found Apple Bloom in a pen with a sheep. One hoof rested on the creature's back while the other held a pair of shears, clipping away the thick layer of wool. To one side of her was a large burlap sack, filled to near bursting, with more of the wool poking out the top. Once it was completely sheared, Apple Bloom opened the pen's gate, and gave the sheep one of the oat bars.
It took the treat and bounced off, happily munching away.
With a sigh, Apple Bloom took her handkerchief and wiped at her brow. She caught sight of the two of them and smiled, waving.
"Hey," she called out as she walked over. "Thanks to the oat bars, I was able to get all the sheep sheared." She came to a stop. "So, how did the apple harvestin' go?"
Instead of immediately answering, Pumpkin and Pound looked at each other. Pound pointed his muzzle at Pumpkin, then motioned his head toward Apple Bloom. Pumpkin shook her head, then repeated the motion. Her brother's jaw clenched and lips pressed thin. He shook his head and motioned his head with more urgency. Baring her teeth, she shook her head and motioned adamantly. Pound motioned even more adamantly.
So much so, his neck gave a loud POP! His eye bulged out, pupils shrinking to pinpricks. A small squeak of pain escaped his lips as he brought a hoof to the side of his now aching neck.
"If somethin' went wrong," Apple Bloom said calmly, "this'd go a lot faster if somepony just told me."
With her brother currently in a pain, Pumpkin decided it was on her.
"We accidentally got more apples than we were supposed to."
"How many more?"
"Five buckets," Pumpkin replied.
Tension escaped from Apple Bloom as she let out a deep sigh of relief. Straightening back up, she looked at the two and smiled, chuckling a little.
"Is that all?"
Once again, the twins looked at each before returning their full attention to the young farm mare.
"You're not mad?" asked Pound.
"Nah," Apple Bloom replied with a shake of her head, still chuckling. "It just means that I actually have some that I can take to the market to sell tomorrow." She took a step forward and place a hoof on their shoulders. "If anything, y'all've made things a little easier for me."
A tension they did not even know they were carrying left the twins, their bodies relaxing. They were not in trouble, and had even helped out more than they had intended. On top of that, they had tried out something new, and managed to have some fun while doing it.
However, it turned out that they were not quite done yet. With Apple Bloom's help, they collected all the baskets, bringing them to the barn, and setting them outside the doors.
"Now, before we go any further," said Apple Bloom, "how about loading a basket or two into your cart to take home?"
"Really?" asked Pound, raising an eyebrow.
"Really. Think of it as both thank you and pay for helping me out today." Apple Bloom gave a small smirk. "Between eating and cooking, I'm sure they'll more than make up for the bits you earned." She gave a wink.
The Cakes got first choice, each one picking a basket and setting it into their cart to take home. Apple Bloom went through the remaining eight, picking out the five that would be sent to Le Petit Fromage. Once that was done, each of them picked up one of the remaining baskets and placed them into the barn for tomorrow.
Pound hooked himself back up to their cart, he and Pumpkin gave one last goodbye, and left Sweet Apple Acres, making their way back home.
As they walked, Pumpkin's mind was already working on recipes.
Sugarcube Corner was going to have quite a variety of apple treats for the next week or so.
