A clambering of hooves stampeded down the Apple family homestead’s stairs. Apple Bloom rounded the corner and burst into the kitchen, where Applejack was busy making breakfast in the wee hours of the morning. With a filly full of energy to deal with, the coffee pot couldn’t brew fast enough.

“She said yes! She said yes! She said yes!”

Applejack yawned and flipped the pancake she was working on. “I reckoned that she did, given you were loud enough to wake DaisyJo and the other cattle across the way.”

“Sorry, sis, but this is huge!” Bloom bounced up and down with more vigor than her sister could muster at five o’ clock. “You and Big Mac always said it was so much fun with mom and dad.”

“I’m more surprised you got anything out of Chrys. She usually ain’t too agreeable until she’s had time to shake the sleep off. You’ll have to let me in on your secret, sugarcube.”

“No secrets, just boundless enthusiasm,” Chrysalis complained as she ducked through the archway. The heavy bags resting under her squinting eyes were begging for more sleep. “I don’t even know what I agreed to do for the little one.”

“It ain’t just for Bloom, but all of us. We’re playing a family game of Buck n’ Barrels.”

The changeling narrowed her eyes at the suspicious name.

“Buck and Barrels, Chrys,” she clarified for the more sensitive sensibilities in the room. “It’s a harvest-time game Big Mac and I used to play with our parents, though we were the wranglers back then. Guess we’re the buckers now.” Applejack felt a dull barb prick the edge of her heart for the first time in more than a little while. “It’s just a way to have a bit of fun while working. An old family tradition for as long as the family’s been bucking fruit trees across Equestria.”

Bloom didn’t miss a beat in her bounce as she bounded around the kitchen. “I’ve never gotten to play it, but now that there’s four of us here, we finally can!”

Chrys raised her brow. “Why not? You have plenty of friends.”

“Might be a game,” Applejack started to explain, “but it’s still hard work. I ain’t about to start hiring fillies to help tend the orchard. Besides, even if we did let Apple Bloom’s friends join, they wouldn’t be much competition against her.”

“But somehow I would?”

“Maybe! We’ll just have to see when we get out there, won’t we? First things first, though. Before we can wrangle any apples, we gotta wrangle up some breakfast.”

“Alright! I’m gonna go find Big Mac and tell him the good news!” Apple Bloom galloped away, shooting through the backdoor to find their brother around the barn.

“I wish I could recall ever being that energetic so early after waking.” Chrysalis shook her head and trotted to the countertop, where Applejack had been whipping up the family breakfast. Her gaze darted around, taking stock of everything mid-prep. She sniffed the air and gagged. “Apple flapjacks again?”

“And a double serving of cheesy hashbrowns and haybacon. We’re gonna need a lot of energy for today.”

Despite her disgust, Chrys’ magic shot around a spatula to start working on the sides. Potatoes exploded into shreds and waited patiently for a slice of butter to skate itself around the hot saucepan. Once the flashy part was done, the potato strings flopped themselves right in to begin cooking just like Granny had shown Chrysalis, right down to the jitters.

“Gonna lend a hoof—err, horn?” Applejack asked when the other mare started working on another pancake.

Chrysalis said nothing. The answer was obvious.

“Right. Well, thanks, Chrys. Don’t forget to add the cheese once they start browning.”

“Who do you take me for, AJ?”

“Just a helpful reminder.”

“As if I would need one. Come to think of it, I could do this all by myself.”

Before Applejack could throw a jab of her own, an emerald aura had already ripped her skillet out of her hooves to start doing the work. A sturdy, black leg pulled her back before she could put up a fight. “Hey! What the hay do you think you’re doing?”

“Proving a point.” The back burner fired up with another pan coming out to play. The haybacon stood dutifully at attention, waiting for its own buttered up pan to hop into.

“Maybe you should give yourself a bit more time to wake up before you start juggling breakfast.”

“Stop your needless worrying,” Chrysalis ordered as she crossed her forelegs. “Watching three pans is nothing compared to managing an entire Hive. I could do this in my sleep.”

“Just don’t overdo it with the spells. No point in wasting your reserves.”

“What did I say?” Chrysalis rested her head on top of Applejack’s. “Besides, I'm not wasting anything. I’m providing food for my subjects.”

The skinship was getting a mite too heavy for Applejack’s liking—in both senses of the word—as Chrysalis leaned her larger body over the pony’s. “J-just be sure you ain’t putting in more than you’re getting outta this.”

“That’s what I have you for,” Chrysalis purred as she squeezed Applejack, pulling her even further into her chest. “You said you love hard work, after all.”

The drain burned on all sides, but the heat in her cheeks was starting to give it a run for its money. Chrys was acting so affectionately today. “T-that I did.”

“Then simply sit back and watch me work.”

The smaller mare tried to shimmy to get a little space, but Chrys was keeping her tied up tighter than a rodeo hog. AJ was pretty sure she’d be able to wrestle her way out of the changeling’s grip, but it’d be more than a challenge.

“Sure you don’t want me to help?” To answer her question, a freshly brewed cup of coffee flew in front of the farmer’s muzzle. “Guess not.” She pulled it out of the air and took a sip.

The changeling chuckled. “I’m just—oh, how did it go again? ‘Making the most of a situation?’”

With the hint as heavy as an anvil, AJ rolled her eyes. “Pretending to be a filly bothered you that much the other day, huh?”

Chrysalis said nothing, but she did make herself even more comfortable, weighing even further on the mare underneath her.

Applejack couldn’t help but feel conflicted. Most of her was glad that the big mare felt as heavy as she looked, but the rest was worried about the same. The more love Chrys took in, the healthier she got. The same went for her strength. Those days of the brittle bug struggling to survive were long gone. So, instead of fighting it, she just watched the emerald lightshow play out in front of her.

A flapjack would flip, the hashbrowns would stir, the haybacon would turn, all probably in the exact way Chrys had seen everypony else make a meal. It was oddly nostalgic; just watching a breakfast being made. These days, it was always a family effort to get enough food for the lot of them before getting out in the fields. Didn’t help that Apple Bloom was right on the cusp of starting to blossom into a young mare too. AJ relaxed and tried to think back to the last time she’d just sat back and watched.

“The key to making Apple Flapjacks is watching the apple bits,” Buttercup explained as she held a spoonful of batter up to AJ. “Too short, and the batter won’t be cooked all the way through, too long, and you’ll have yourself a crispy apple cube.”

The filly nodded along, but was captivated by the delicious-looking spoonful of sweetness right under her nose. She’d already woken up hungry, and watching from momma’s withers was just torture. One tiny taste wouldn’t hurt, right?

“Hey now! Don’t get any ideas, sugarcube,” her mother lightly chided as she withdrew the spoon and slopped it back into the mixer. “I promise that these will be a lot better cooked than raw.”

“But I’m hungry now…” Applejack complained. She almost felt like crying with how sleepy she was. “It’s too early.”

“Aww, I know, sweetie.” Buttercup passed an apple slice up to her little helper. “Just be a good girl for a bit longer, okay?”

“Okay momma…”

“Hey! What’s wrong? I thought you’d enjoy this.” Chrysalis nudged Applejack’s shoulder. “You should be showering me with love right now!”

Applejack nearly dropped her coffee as she took a sharp breath into the present. “Wha—what’s it now?”

The changeling growled. “Fine. If it’s bothering you that much, I didn’t like being a nymph, okay? I mean, I didn’t at first. But then I didn’t mind.”

The coffee wasn’t doing its job keeping her awake at all. She felt like she’d nodded off and missed an entire conversation. “Didn’t mind what exactly?”

“When you held me. Like this. When I was disguised as a nymph. I didn’t mind it. Much. Actually, I-I…” Chrysalis squeezed Applejack tight. The girl’s grip was approaching Pinkie levels of strength, at least until she gave up on the hug. “Oh come on! Not even a single drop of love?”

That was a shock to Applejack’s system, but the changeling was right. Applejack felt the leathery chitin all around her, but not a single ounce of warmth was draining from her body. She knew she wasn’t spent either. Any sense of patience would’ve evaporated, leaving her embittered and irritable. No, this was something different.

“Stupid mornings!” The legs drew back as Chrysalis shoved the farmer away from her. She sneered for a second, but bit back the budding rage as it sank into a deep, disappointed frown. “Just take your dumb bean water and warm up some more!”

A pang of guilt shot through her seeing the hurt in the changeling. “I’m sorry, Chrys.”

“Why? I said I didn’t want anything.”

“I can get the rest of breakfast ready if you’re—”

The offer disintegrated in the acid of the former queen’s withering scowl. Its heat burned with palpable contempt for even suggesting it. Applejack nodded slowly and backed away into the living room, leaving the kitchen to Chrysalis.

It didn’t make sense. Applejack didn’t feel any different than usual. All things considered, she was feeling great actually. So why wasn’t it good? One of the biggest regrets she had was being a pony short of ever showing Apple Bloom a proper game of Buck n’ Barrel. Sure, they’d put their own little spin on it by trying to always beat their own times, but there was just something special about going head-to-head with family. Her heart was practically fluttering as she followed the family out to the field.

“Ain’t this a sight for sore eyes!” Granny Smith exclaimed. She shot her rear hooves out in a delighted buck for old times’ sake, thankfully not throwing out her back in the process. “And here I was thinking I’d never get to see y’all Buck n’ Barrel again! I’m tickled pinker than a primrose!”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed while wheeling around his cart full of bushel barrels.

“And a mighty-fine line of trees ya selected there, Apple Bloom. We should have a good few rounds as long as y’all don’t get too tuckered out.”

Apple Bloom beamed with a wide smile. “Thanks, Granny! Applejack was the one who suggested the galas.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, AB. I might’ve told ya what to keep an eye out for, but you’re still the one that found a good spot.”

And it was a good one the way AJ figured. Sweet Apple Acres was built in the hills, so finding ground that was nice and even on both sides could be a bit of a challenge. Luckily, there were a couple of spots at the hillcrests or in the valleys that made for a good, even game. For once, Applejack was glad they were a bit behind the harvest. They would’ve already gotten this part of the field done otherwise.

“And Chris. No using any of your beetle magic or flying around, ya hear?”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Yes, Granny.”

“I mean it, Christopher! Y’all already got a leg up on little Bloom here, being as tall as ya are. She’s gonna need to be sprinting just to keep up with ya!”

“Fine. Whatever you say. Just tell me what we’re…” Chrysalis froze in place as gears started turning in her head. “Apple Bloom? You said I’d be perfect for this game because of my magic.”

The filly’s smile tightened just a smidgen and she let out a giggle. “That’s right. I was hoping maybe you could do the smaller thing again, if you don’t mind being—”

The changeling heaved a deep, withering sigh before bursting into a pillar of emerald fire.

“Good galloping gravy bowls! Ya ain’t listened to a word I said, did ya?” Granny rubbed the stars out of her eyes and started looking around. “Now where’d ya get to? Don’t make me disqualify ya before we even got this dang thing started!”

“Down here.”

Granny’s ears perked up at the young voice below her. She dipped her head down and nearly dropped her dentures seeing the nymph in front of her. “What in the hayseed? Ya got magic to turn yourself into a half-pint again?”

“Sure, let’s go with that. Is this magic against the rules?”

Granny scratched her chin, giving the nymph a once-over, but her growing smile wasn’t fooling anyone. “Shoot, Chris! As long as ya ain’t popping here and there or magicking around barrels with a horn, you can go ahead make yourself as cute as ya want!”

Apple Bloom exploded with excitement and tackled Chrysalis in a hug. “You’re the best, Chrys!”

“Hey! Only…” Any complaint she had fell away as Bloom kept squeezing with love. “You may call me Chrys as well.”

“What about Christopher?”

“And that’s enough from you.” The filly was wrapped in a green aura and forced away. “You’re about one hundred years too young to get a pass on that.”

After skidding to a halt, Bloom shuddered and blanched. “Ugh! What was that? Felt like there were a bunch of bugs all over me!”

“That’s just how her magic feels, AB. Now come on. Let’s get it all ready before the sun gets too sweltering.”

Apple Bloom weakly nodded and tried to brush the lingering, creepy-crawly sensation off her fur. Applejack pulled her cart round to where Big Mac had parked his, with Chrys following close behind. She fluttered up into the cart, landing inside one of the barrel stacks to get a better look around.

“So, is this the starting line?”

“You got it! We’ll run past ten trees, and we gotta try to guess how many barrels we’re gonna need for each one and toss ‘em overboard. We’re on the left this round, so be sure you’re throwing em that-a-way.”

“Perfect. And just how am I supposed to know that?”

“I’d say it usually takes somewhere between two or four depending on the spread for royal galas. What do you think, Big Mac?”

“Uh… Eeyup.”

Applejack didn’t care much for her brother’s hesitation. For his part, Big Macintosh was doing his best not to look at Chrysalis, but every so often, he was stealing a glance or two her way. It wasn’t out of fear either, but curiosity. Putting a couple things together, Applejack couldn’t help but smirk. “Guessing you didn’t expect this cute lil’ trick of hers, did ya?”

He flinched, being caught dead to rights. “Eenope.”

“Wanna give her a hug?”

Chrysalis perked her ears up that one. “Excuse me?”

A bead of sweat ran down the big lug’s face and he sucked in his lips, but he locked his eyes forward and shook his head no.

“Why not? Even I think she’s a pretty cute snuggle-bug when she’s like this,” Applejack pressed.

Chrysalis buzzed up to meet the bigger ponies. “I don’t believe this. Are you foolish ponies really this susceptible to a nymph disguise?”

“To be fair, you’re downright precious looking like that. It probably helps in his case too since Big Mac’s just the biggest, ol’ softie when it comes to kids. He’s been wanting to start a family of his own for as long as I can remember. Used to beg me to play house all the time with pushies.”

Big Mac turned even redder in embarrassment. “H-hey!”

“C’mon Mac, she was bound to find out sooner or later. I keep telling ya there ain’t nothing wrong with that neither.” She leaned over to Chrys’ ear, and whispered loud enough for him to hear. “To tell the truth, he’s got a big collection of ones he stitched together himself in his closet.”

“I see.” Chrys nodded as she considered the stallion in a new light. At least that’s what it looked like until she leaned back over towards AJ. “And these plushies are what exactly?”

“Never heard of ‘em? They’re toys filled with stuffing to make ‘em nice and soft.”

Chrysalis’ jaw shifted as she tried to picture one, and then her eyes sparkled with recognition. “Oh, yes! They were one of my favorite gifts to bestow upon younglings. A tough stallion like you must tear through them with ease.”

“W-what?” The color drained from Big Mac’s face at the idea and he shook his head vigorously. “No! Ain’t nothin’ like that!”

“But they’re perfect training targets. What purpose do your toy plushies serve?”

“Hugs?”

Chrysalis’ face hardened. “Oh, you meant those affection sponges. I had more than a few nymphs waste their love on those fluff bags instead of fighting them over the generations.”

The poor stallion’s ears pinned back.

“B-but, I suppose that no longer matters now.” She sighed and settled herself back into the cart. “Perhaps you could include a few of your creations in the next shipment to the Concordant. I know Ocellus was always partial to shineburst flies if you made any of those.”

AJ could see the light shine back in Mac’s eyes as quickly as his mood had fallen. The big guy bounced right back with an excited smile. He threw caution to the wind and snatched the bug out of her barrel and wrapped her in a surprise hug. In the face of his enormous strength, Chrys gave up and let herself be snuggled with affection. She half-heartedly hugged the enormous pony back.

“Apple fritters?”

“Eeyup!”

Applejack chuckled at the heartwarming sight. She’d seen it plenty of times before with Bright Mac, though it was Bloom on the receiving end of those burly, draft pony hugs. Applejack had gotten her fair share of those too, and was just feeling a mite jealous that Chrys could get the full experience anytime she wanted. There wasn’t any turning back the clock for an earth pony like her. She sure did miss those big ol’ hugs.

Her big brother leaned in closer. “Uhh… AJ?”

Applejack blinked. “Hmm?”

“You okay?”

“Course I am.” She scratched her eyes, feeling a sting in the back of them. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well…”

“Don’t sweat it, Big Mac. Just a lot of good memories springing up today, you know?”

Big Mac nodded somberly as he squeezed his little support-ling. “Eeyup.”

Chrysalis buzzed her tiny wings to grab the bigger ponies’ attention. “You done?”

“Oh! Yeah.” Letting the nymph go, he winced and looked away. “Sorry, Miss Chrysalis.”

“Just Chrysalis or Chrys.” She settled back into one of the bushel barrels in their cart. “It’ll feel strange if you're the only one bothering with formalities.”

“Pretty sure that’s queen-speak for she likes you,” Applejack assured with a wink.

“If you are both done wasting time, could you please finish explaining this game of yours? The little one expects a competition.”

“Sure thing, sugarcube.”

AJ did her best to get the gist of the game down for the changeling. For her part, Chrys listened intently, taking in every single detail. It was a bit hard to look directly at her as she nodded along to the instructions, her tiny face filled with resolute determination. She’d already ruffled her silky mane by accident, but Chrys wasn’t about to turn down the love that came with it.

“Alrighty then.” Granny Smith sat down in her seat a good ways away from the action. “Y’all get yourselves situated for the first round. And remember, no leaving any apples behind, ya hear? Speed’s no good if the job’s sloppy!”

“This is gonna be so much fun!” Apple Bloom cheered as she dove into the back of Mac’s cart.

“Eeyup!” The stallion blew a fearsome snort and kicked a hoof against the ground, raring to get started.

“You ready, Chrys?” Applejack asked.

“As far as I know.” The fake nymph shot a smirk at her partner. “We’ll know soon enough if my instructor left me ill-prepared.”

“Way to heap all the responsibility on me.”

“It’s called delegating. Besides”—Chrys raised her forelegs in front of her mouth and gave her best puppy-dog eyes—“I’m just a ‘widdle’ nymph.”

“And now the charm’s starting to wear off.”

“Enough of that yappin’ and let’s get a-buckin’!” Granny shouted over the pair. “On your mark!”

Apple Bloom tapped Big Mac one last time on the flank to share a quick hoof-bump.

“Get set!”

Applejack hunkered down and smiled after catching Chrys doing the same out of the corner of her eye.

“Go!”

Big Mac blasted forward at full gallop, leaving Applejack and Chrysalis in his dust. For her part, Applejack paced herself a bit more, giving the competition an early lead.

“What in the world are you doing, Applejack?” Chrys shouted in disbelief. “You’re letting them get away!”

“This race ain’t just about speed. Just be ready to start lobbing barrels. We’re getting to the first tree pretty quick! Remember don’t—”

“—don’t just chuck willy-nilly, give ‘em a little grease so they’ll spin to settle,” a perfect imitation of her instructions echoed back. The nymph spun a barrel on her hoof like a basketball. “I heard you the first time.”

“Right. Less snark, more barrels.”

“Impossible, and got it.”

Brushing off the sass, AJ slowed down a bit as she approached the first tree. “Trevor’s looking like he’s probably a twofer this season.”

“You said that wranglers were in charge of barrel distribution!”

“It’s a team effort. My momma did the same thing for me on my first round. Besides, good aim beats going fast at this point.”

“You forget that I have a perfect memory of the technique you showed me.”

To prove her point, Chrys grabbed a bushel barrel and rolled it with flawless finesse, exactly like the farmer had shown her. Of course, they weren’t moving at a healthy clip during practice, and the barrel sailed into Trevor’s truck, pinging off the bark, and rolling far enough to find a hillside and roll down. Applejack pursed her lips, holding back a fit of laughter at the spectacular failure.

“That didn’t happen,” Chrysalis grumbled as she reached for another.

“If you say so, Miss Perfect Memory.”

Applejack nearly pulled to a complete stop to let the newbie have another go. This time, she opted to roll the first barrel off the side, letting it crash into the trunk and flip over to a stop. It was a pretty good spot, but upside down. The next she tossed like before, but without the same power behind it, letting the barrel skip off the grass and slide to a stop a little ways away from Trevor.

Applejack picked up the pace to get to the next one. “Not bad. Let’s see if we can gain some ground.”

“Get a move on!” Chrysalis commanded.

The next few trees went about how Applejack expected, though the changeling was quickly improving her placement. They were still far behind Big Mac, but the other two had left themselves a lot of work to redo on the way back down the line. Apple Bloom had thrown a lot more barrels at the beginning to cover up a few messy throws and burned through their stock. Still, it didn’t seem to be slowing them down much with Mac already pulling the cart around to the far side of their row.

It was clear her brother was still using the Big n’ Bright strategy they used back in the day: haul fast, toss everything, and then double-back over the work to fix as needed. It did mean Mac had to run the course twice if they ran out of barrels, but like Daddy before him, he was built for endurance. Momma, on the other hoof, had been all about getting it as close to right as they could the first time. Buttercup would just need a couple solid bucks and then hitch herself up again as Applejack stacked bushels in the back.

The only rules to Buck n’ Barrel were getting ten trees bucked clean and every apple back to the start. Didn’t matter much how the teams went about it, just as long as it was fastest. Whenever they planned on doing a race day during harvest, there’d always be plenty of talk trying to get everything refined, and it only got more fun as Applejack grew up. Sometimes, she and Buttercup would take care of each other’s manes and tails while strategizing new ways to beat the boys. Those were some of her favorite—

The ground in front of her erupted into flames with a queen-sized, seething Chrysalis. “Stop!”

The farmer’s heart jumped up her throat as she skidded to a halt. “What? What’s wrong?”

“The game’s back there, you idiot!” Chrysalis roared while pointing behind them.

Looking back down the path, AJ couldn’t even see Granny anymore. That wasn’t a good sign. She circled back around, galloping as fast as her legs could carry her. They’d passed over twenty trees before she could see where they’d set up. Apple Bloom was waiting on the wayside for them to get back.

“Applejack?” the filly called out, running over to her sister.

“Gracious! Did y’all already get done?” she asked, wiping a bead of sweat from the long haul back. “Didn’t think I zoned out that long.”

Bloom shook her head. “Mac hasn’t even bucked a tree yet. He was about to, but then you just trotted right past us and kept going down the hill. He went back to pick the barrels up to start over.”

“But why? It’s my fault for losing my head.”

“It ain’t exactly fun if it ain’t fair. Mac said he wanted the family’s first round back to be a good one.”

“He’s a better sport than the last time we did this.” Applejack chuckled to herself, but it didn’t feel that good.

Bloom’s eyes glistened with concern. “You alright, sis?”

“Sure am, sugarcube. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’ve been acting funny since breakfast.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just distracted a little is all.”

Chrysalis scoffed. “Clearly.” She leaned down to Apple Bloom with an attempted gentle smile. “Tell your brother to gather our barrels as well. I need to have a moment with this pitiful excuse for a liar.”

Apple Bloom shuddered at the venom dripping from the changeling’s words. “Okay, Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis raised her brow curiously. “I thought you were calling me ‘Chrys’ now.”

“Oh, right. Chrys.”

“Good. You have your orders. Run along, little one.”

The filly quickly scampered away at the former queen’s command, leaving her and Applejack alone. Chrysalis took a deep breath through her nose before focusing on the earth pony. With a flicker of magic, she freed Applejack from her harness and tilted the cart off her back, silently ordering the pony to step out from under the cart.

“Five o’ clock in the morning,” the bitter bug remarked.

“What?”

After AJ was clear of the wooden beams, Chrys slammed it back down, kicking up the rear before it settled. “That’s when I agreed to wake up to help with the farmwork. Five o’ clock. Do you know when Apple Bloom came barreling through my door about this tradition of yours?”

“Five o’ clock?”

“Four fifty-eight. Two minutes before I wanted to be awake. But she was too excited to wait and begged me to join this game of yours. I lose enough sleep already thanks to Luna infiltrating my mind every night. Had I known how useless you were today, I would’ve stayed in my room. At least then I could ignore the little one’s disappointment.”

“Calm down, Chrys. It was an honest mistake.”

“An honest mistake that keeps happening!” she bit back and sneered. “Your body may be here, but your heart and mind are elsewhere. I should know, since you can’t even focus enough to give me a single scrap of love, let alone play this harvest game Apple Bloom was so excited about!”

“I’m—I’m sorry…”

“I don’t need your apologies or your excuses!” Chrysalis stormed under the shade of a tree and laid herself down in the grass.

Applejack nodded along and trudged over to join Chrys in the shade of an old tree with a lot of character: Samuel, or Sam for short. He was a royal gala apple tree who’d been part of the family’s first planted batch of saplings way back when; one of the first that AJ could remember. She placed a hoof on the side of his trunk and started trotting around it.

“What are you doing now?” Chrys asked impatiently.

“Finding Sam’s knothole,” she answered, her eyes tracing the base of the trunk for the familiar marking.

Chrysalis’ frown deepened, but she ultimately rolled her eyes and watched the farmer do her thing.

Sam used to be so much bigger, or at least that’s how Applejack remembered it. Spotting the spot in his side, she lowered herself to the ground, sliding her hoof down the rough, aged bark. Applejack used to have to reach up to put her hoof into it, but now she had to get down on all fours just to get a good gander.

“Ah, so that tiny blemish is a knothole.” Chrysalis laid down next to Applejack and leaned in to see it. “An unsightly thing, isn’t it?”

“Don’t look at it like that. This gives Sam here a bit of character. I used to be able to fit my whole hoof in it to touch the inside.” Looking at it now, her sturdy forehoof could easily eclipse the whole thing. She’d have a hard time even squeezing the edge inside it. “Ain’t happening now, though.”

Green sparks gleamed in the corner of her eye before a much smaller, holey hoof reached inside.

“Yeah, just like that. Feel the old wood stopper in there keeping him healthy? Used to think that was a secret door for critters.”

“What made you think that?”

“I dunno. Imagination galloping at full tilt, I guess.”

Chrys nodded in understanding. “The nymphs were always the most curious in the Mindscape. Random and chaotic ideas constantly flowing out of their heads until they could listen to my orders.”

“I bet. Everything’s just a bit more magical when you’re a filly.”

Chrysalis said nothing to that one.

Applejack rested her head on the grass and just laid there for a spell. Her attention wandered down the line of trees, watching the gentle wind rustle the branches overhead. It was almost like it was before, but she couldn’t quite fool herself into thinking everything was as big as it used to be. Before, the trees were towers of wood, dropping apples too large to hold with just one hoof. The space between them wasn’t a few paces, but instead a full sprint to reach the other side. She’d place bushel barrels down with her brother as fast as she could with momma and daddy bucking and rushing around.

From down on the grass, the mare’s heart expected to see the familiar hat bobbing up and down, cresting over the horizon as they came into view. They’d be chatting about boring apple stuff while all she’d want to do was play. Then, momma would pick her up and put her on her back to let her little filly comb her mane. Applejack always liked doing it. Her hair was curly, bushy, and wild like the flowers she loved. She wanted to brush it while momma sang a song.

But no matter what she wanted, no matter how long she waited, her parents would never climb over that hill again. Her heart could yearn all it wanted, it could pull itself back all the way back to her foalhood, but it’d never find the relief it was looking for. It still hurt. It’d always hurt. She just forgot it did when she got busy.

“Hey, Chrys? Do you mind if I ask you something personal?”

The changeling flashed back into her true form and shifted her jaw around, mulling it over. “I have nothing worth hiding anymore, so I don’t see why not. What is it?”

“How do you remember your kin?”

“Perfectly. I can conjure up their exact images within my mind.”

“No, not like that.” Applejack turned on her side, giving Chrysalis her full attention. “I mean like, when you think about them. What’s it like for you?”

“I… try not to.” She took a sharp breath and glared at the pony next to her. “What does any of that have to do with your distractions today?”

“Everything, really. Ever since Bloom suggested we play a few rounds, my head’s kept running back to my parents.” Applejack chuckled to herself and wiped her nose. “I was a year younger than her when they…” She swallowed the words. It was still too difficult to say. “Anyway. I was just as excited to be playing Buck n’ Barrels when I was her age. I wanted to do it every time we worked the orchard together, but that ain’t how life shook out.”

Everything felt all jumbled and tumbled in AJ’s head. The mess-ups, the memories, the heartache, the pressure; it was all just swirling around itself. She couldn’t focus. She couldn’t function. Not today. Applejack sank her face into her forelegs. Today was just not going to work. Maybe tomorrow she’d be able to do something. For now, she just wanted the day to end.

The deep thrum of Chrysalis’ emerald magic pulsed through Applejack’s ears as she felt her head get just a little lighter. She lifted her head out of the grass to see the changeling rummaging through her hat. Finding her mark, Chrys pulled the comb AJ kept stashed away inside and tossed the hat back on AJ’s head.

Applejack pulled the hat over her face and laid her head back down. “Sorry, Chrys. I’m not in the mood.”

“I know you’re not.”

There was a familiar tug at Applejack’s mane. One she’d felt plenty of times when she was trying to get her mane straightened out and ready for the day. It was rhythmic, running from the back of her neck all the way down the length where she’d tied it up. Soon, she felt her ponytail unravel, spreading across her withers before being pulled to the side.

She knew what was happening, but she couldn’t rightly believe it. Applejack peeked out from under the brim of her hat to see Chrysalis combing her mane.

“What are you doing?” Applejack asked.

“What does it look like? I’m grooming your mane.”

“Right… but—”

Chrys’ face sank into a glower. “What? Am I doing it wrong?”

Applejack looked up and down where her mane was being brushed and then shook her head.

“So, shut up and let me do this.”

Not needing to be told twice, AJ settled back down, resting her head on her forelegs while watching Chrysalis do her work. There was no telling if the changeling was enjoying herself or getting anything out of the methodical combing. Her eyes were laser-focused on her work, her frown never moving from her face. Outside of the occasional snag or tangle, the pampering felt nice. Wonderful, even.

“It’s lonely,” Chrysalis remarked.

“What is?”

“When I ‘think about my kin,’ as you put it. My hive. I feel lonely. Empty. Frustrated. I try to keep it out of my thoughts, but I can’t help but be consumed by what I’ve lost.” Chrysalis’ eyes narrowed. “If I remembered having progenitors like a mother or father, I suppose it’d depend on if they were important to me. If I missed them, or celebrated their demise. But I guess it is like the hole left by any death.

“I’ve felt the presence of my drones dwindle and fade from my mind more than I care to remember; than I can remember. I often passed names from one drone to the next in hopes of forgetting, but even when hunger and starvation blurs my memories, I still know how many bore a name before the present day.”

“So, no comfort? No warm memories?”

Chrysalis said nothing. Neither did Applejack. Chrysalis simply continued her work, combing over and over again.

“I’m sorry, Chrys. For me, when I think of ‘em, I don’t want them to be gone. I can’t remember the last time I was this out of sorts, or at least when I was awake. Guess this one’s hitting too close to home.” Applejack sighed to herself, dropping her hat over her face. “But all things considered, I’m lucky. Can’t imagine what it’s like for you.”

“No. No you can’t. But, I can somewhat imagine yours.”

“How can ya swing that?”

“You’re oozing love for your parents. At least, that is what I’m assuming all the love of you leaking out is. It’s been flaring out of control since this morning, and at its worst, you get lost in your own head.”

That made more sense than she cared to admit. Seemed like anytime she’d gotten lost in thought, Bright Mac or Buttercup were on the forefront of her mind. “Hold up, if I’ve been putting out so much love that it’s blinding me, why didn’t you eat any of it?”

“I’m hungry, not desperate,” Chrysalis spat in disgust.

Applejack nodded her head, feeling the gentleness of her touch. “Thanks, Chrys.”

Again, the changeling said nothing, only focusing on the task in her hooves. Methodical strokes ran down her mane, each just a bit more soothing than the last as she ironed out all the knots of the morning. It wasn’t the same as when Buttercup did it, but different didn’t mean bad. It felt good to be on the receiving end of a good brushing by someone else’s hooves, and it was helping her relax. Chrys might not be able to share her love like ponies, but AJ could still feel the care under the mare’s hardened carapace. Plus, she wasn’t going to turn down good pampering either.

As she settled in to rest her eyes for a spell, she reached a hoof out to meet Chrys’. Maybe if she got a little more love, she’d smile that wonderful way again.

“And that does it for today,” Granny announced after counting up the bushels. “After checking that it’s clean pickins on both sides, the final round goes to Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom, meaning they win two-to-one! Great wrangling y’all!”

Mac and Bloom hollered and gave each other a hug. While it warmed AJ’s heart to see her siblings so happy, losing after working so hard still stung. Still, fair was fair, though Chrys didn’t seem to agree.

Chrysalis shed her tiny frame in an angry burst of energy. “Such nonsense! We unloaded the last shipment first! You saw us!”

It wasn’t all that surprising to see her get mad over something small; that’s just how the changeling was. What was a bit interesting, though, was how invested she’d gotten into winning the whole thing by the end of the afternoon. The former queen was already plotting strategies in-between rounds to get an edge on the competition.

“Don’t you start that again with me, Christopher!” Granny stomped a hoof, refusing to let the much larger, much stronger whiner get her way. “I warned ya about using anything but your hooves. Buzzing around on them wings of yours gets ya a ten second penalty.”

“But I got launched out of the cart! What was I supposed to do? Not slam my face into the dirt?”

“Ain’t said nothing about saving face, but whizzing back into the cart when you think nopony’s looking is cheating in my book. You think that’s fair to Bloom if she fell outta the cart? Ain’t like she can catch up to Big Mac’s stride at the speed he’s galloping.”

Chrysalis clenched her teeth, but she finally slumped in embittered defeat. “No, Granny.”

“Exactly! Now, stop complaining and get to hauling! Sore losers get to pull the carts!”

“Fine.” She heaved another withering sigh, and to Applejack’s surprise, hitched herself up to Mac’s and started trotting towards the barn. “You coming, AJ?”

The farmer blinked away the shock seeing Chrys pulling a wagon-full of apples, but she wasn’t gonna complain if she could do it. “Good job today, you two. We’ll meet you back at the house.”

“Thank you so much, Applejack! That was the most fun I’ve ever had working the orchard!”

“As long as some of us can be good sports about it—”

Said spoil-sport whipped her head around and shot a withering glare.

“Am I wrong?”

Chrysalis said nothing, rolled her eyes, and continued trotting towards the barn.

“Either way, I’m glad you had fun. Once I got my head on right, I was enjoying every single second of it, too.” She pulled Apple Bloom closer into a hug, ruffling her mane. “I love ya so much, sis.”

“I love you too, AJ!” Apple Bloom gave her sister’s leg one last squeeze before breaking off and chasing Chrysalis down.

Applejack’s heart sank slightly seeing her sister going for a headlong tackle at the changeling’s leg. She opened her mouth to tell her to slow down, but the filly was already midair by the time she realized. However, Chrysalis merely extended her foreleg and caught the filly with ease. She cocked her head to look her tiny assailant in the eyes.

“And thank you too, Chrys!” The filly’s face was beaming with the joy of a fun-filled workday.

The resting frustration on the changeling’s slowly faded away, replaced with a tiny smirk. “You’re welcome, little one.” She lifted Apple Bloom higher, placing the filly on top of her head, letting her enjoy the view.

Applejack gave a nod to Granny and Mac before trotting off to catch up with two riding off away from the sunset.

“Her gratitude goes double for me. Good work today, ‘Christopher,’” Applejack said with a snicker.

Chrysalis’ budding glee waned from the name Granny had stuck to her. “Now don’t you start with that.”

“It’s all in good fun, Chrys, which we had a lot of today thanks to you.”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom added as she hugged the changeling by the horn. “Maybe next time, you’ll wrangle fast enough to beat me.”

The changeling closed her eyes and straightened up proudly. “I already did. You won on mere technicality.”

“All I’m hearing is that you couldn’t win without cheating.”

“Or perhaps I cheated to let you win so you’d shower me with more love while savoring the sweet taste of victory?”

Applejack couldn’t help but laugh at the cheap lie. “Might’ve actually bought that one if I hadn’t heard ya grumbling about the penalty behind Granny’s back.”

Chrys’ pride soured. “You can’t let me have anything, can you?”

“Eenope. It’s against my ‘Elemental’ nature.”

“And puns to add insult to injury? Here I thought petrification was bad, but it seems you have much worse powers at your disposal.”

That barb stung Applejack a bit harder than she liked, but she smiled and nodded through it as best she could. At least it was good that Chrys could joke about her petrification. She still regretted having used the magic against the mare, even if it did work out in the end. Speaking of magic, it didn’t look like the changeling was using any. Trying to get her mind off of the past, Applejack looked the mare up and down to see if she was missing anything with her spellwork.

“What?” Chrysalis finally asked.

“You’re pulling all that just by your hooves?”

The changeling’s smirk widened as she brushed some mane and Apple Bloom tail out of the way. “Impressed?”

“Darn tootin! Wasn’t that long ago that filly you’re wearing as a hat was too much for you to lift. Now you’re hauling apples like a real Apple. At this rate, you’ll be ready for apple-bucking in no time at all!”

A small snort escaped the former queen’s nose. She looked over her shoulder at the bounty they’d bucked today. “Perhaps. Though I prefer letting you all do the heavy hitting. After all…” Chrysalis blinked back into her soft puppy-dog eyes, and covered her mouth with a foreleg. “You all ‘wike’ my ‘widdle’ nymph act.”

AJ and Bloom both shared a look, grimacing at the childish display.

“What? It’s true.”

Applejack chuckled. “It just doesn’t have the same ring you’re queen-sized.”

“Yeah, it’s kinda weird,” Apple Bloom added.

“Everypony’s a critic.”

The two sisters shared a laugh at the changeling’s expense, who brushed it off and continued pulling her wagon with a proud stride. Behind all that abrasiveness and snark, AJ could tell that Chrys was as happy as she could be after a job well done, and she was right to be. A good haul after a good game, and thanks to their heart-to-heart, Applejack couldn’t wait to play again. Win or lose, there was nothing better in the whole wide world than having a good time with family.

Author's Note

If you find a simple mistake in the GSP (Grammar, Spelling, or Punctuation), please let me know through a private message rather than leaving it in the comment section. Thank you for reading!