The Sweet Taste of Apple

by Icecane

Rating: everyone
Tags: Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Romance, Fluttershy, Original Character, Slice of Life
Length: 91326

An old friend returns home to aid the Apples on the farm, but gets far more than he bargained for.

A hapless young stallion finds himself in need of a source of employment. Fortunately, it seems lady luck is shining on him, as he returns to his foalhood home of Ponyville to work for the Apple family with the ever expanding work that the farm has to offer. He is even working with a dear old friend of his. Not a thing could possibly go wrong now.... Right?

But he quickly finds out that a life in Ponyville is anything but easy, and how a friendship can change and alter over the course of time. Most likely an awkward mess. All the while unknowingly helping to cause a ruffle in the feathers of two good friends.

Published 2012-11-22 06:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2014-04-09 21:59:26 UTC

An Old Friend

Trader opened his eyes to see himself steadily drifting toward the back of the seat in front of him. Fixing his posture on his own seat, he looked around at where he was, gazing out the window to see the train was no longer moving. Having dozed off due to the smooth ride of the train, then stirred as the hulking machine came to a sudden stop, he had slept through the trip from Manehattan to Ponyville.

All of the other passengers were already rising from their seats and exiting their car one by one. Shaking away the drowsiness he felt, the young pegasus did the same, trotting through the aisle and departing from the train.

Eyes wide with amazement and brimming with excitement, the stallion left the station and trotted deeper into the small town. Immediately, the different sights and sounds made themselves clear. No longer was he looking at stone walls and streets, but soft, grassy ground and wooded, straw-roofed houses. Trader had to pause to breath in the crisp, clean air, drinking it in with a look of satisfaction written greedily on his face. A pleasant sigh left him as he finished, already feeling his spirits lifting with the much needed change in scenery.

Trader's sights were soon set skyward, eyeing the sky that still held a brilliant shade of blue. But he knew it wouldn't be like that for much longer, seeing the sun nearing the far off horizon, preparing to be replaced by Luna's moon. Thankfully though, there was no set time that he was supposed to locate his possible employers, leaving the time of his arrival his choice. Judging he had enough time before it became too late to explore, he trotted off to go sightseeing and judge how much Ponyville had changed since he last saw it.

To his surprise, there wasn't much in the way of differences. Sure, there was a new house here and there, occupied by a happy family who had made the quaint town their home, a new business or two that had cropped up over the years, and many unknown faces that he came in contact with throughout the town, much of Ponyville looked much like it did when he was a young foal. Of course, everything wasn't quite as tall as it used to be, a fact that he couldn't help but chuckle over.

Eventually, Trader made his way to the market street, where ponies sold their wares to any creature with a need to buy or a wandering eye. Stalls lined both ends of the street, some as simple as an old table with a fine cloth draped over it, while other ponies occupied massive tents of colorful fabrics and fanciful designs, as though they were previously apart of a circus.

Waves of nostalgia washed over him in droves as he passed the stalls, old memories of his youth fluttering into his mind. Many of the ponies who were either buying or selling held expressions of warm greetings as they saw the pegasus walk by them. Barely any of it was noticed by him however, his mind set elsewhere as he thought about a very specific spot that was fast approaching.

Soon enough, he stopped dead in his tracks as he looked at a stall that was near the far end of the market. At the very spot where the stall stood, he could recall a different one was held some time ago. He remembered it well, being the one that his mother ran, selling her own goods to the citizens of Ponyville. Now, the stall was long gone, with a new one in its place.

“Can I help you, sir?”

Trader blinked. “Huh?” he murmured, being jolted back to reality. He looked back to the stall, seeing a mare with a magenta and pink colored mane. A small variety of flowers were presented on the table, each one looking more colorful than the last.

“Would you like something?” the mare asked, holding a warm smile towards the potential customer.

Looking over the floral assortment once again, Trader managed a shrug as he reached into his saddlebag and tossed a single coin onto the table. The mare took the coin with gratitude, and selected a bright red rose for him. Accepting it, the stallion brought the flower to his mouth and chomped down onto it, tasting the petals of the simple treat.

As he left the stall and continued down the street, he noticed that many of the sellers were closing up for the day. Their wares were being packed up and their tables being stripped. The sight brought his gaze upward, looking into the sky as it shifted to a shade of orange.

“I should probably go now,” he murmured to himself, leaving the market street and trotting through the town.

Trader's head turned back and forth at the scenery around him, looking for a sign or a any other indicator as to where he was supposed to go. Remembering the directions that Mrs. Orange had given him before he left, he was supposed to find a dirt road that led out of town. It took several minutes of aimless walking, regaining his sense of direction as he tried to find the path he wanted, for him to finally come across a dirt road that ran off out of town.

“What else can be out there?” the white-coated pegasus asked himself, remembering the road well and only being aware of it leading to one thing.

Ignoring his own questioning mind, Trader took off down the road, keeping his eyes open. Eventually, as the houses of Ponyville became distant blurs, he could see large fields of trees. Each one looked as tall and strong as the one next to it, with bright red apples sticking out against the green leaves. The field of trees seemed to stretch on forever, making an endless sea of green and red. A white painted fence bordered the field from the road.

Then suddenly, he stopped abruptly, his eyes wide as the white fence eventually ended to form a tall archway covered in vines and flowers. Hanging on the archway, a sign swung in the soft breeze, a juicy apple painted on it as a welcome. Beyond that, he could see a farm, as humble as one could be and as familiar as the rest of the town.

Trader looked around wildly, double checking to make sure there was nothing else around him. “No way...” he murmured in disbelief. “There has to be something else.” But it soon made sense to him as Mrs. Orange's description of manual labor and her apparent secrecy ran through his mind.

The pegasus knew full well where he was, Sweet Apple Acres. A long standing farm known for its delicious apples that was forever run by the Apple family. It was a place he visited often as a foal, though he wasn't fully sure if he had ever mentioned that to Mrs. Orange before.

Taking a deep breath, Trader stepped through the archway and headed for the home that was straight ahead. The towering house looked much like a barn on the outside. Of course, obvious differences were seen as he saw the curtained windows, and a small, inviting door that beckoned in any and all visitors with open hooves.

A chuckle escaped him as he looked out to the orchard that started nearby, seeing all of the thick trees and their apples that were just waiting to be picked. His thoughts turned to a certain stallion, coat as red as an apple with a steeled sense of a hard worker. “Must be hard for the big guy,” he thought aloud. “Doing so much all by himself, no wonder they've been looking for help.”

Approaching the front door, the young pegasus hesitated to take in another deep breath. Then, settling his nerves, he put on a large smile as he knocked his hoof against the door.

Shortly after, he could hear the sound of hooves striking a wood floor, coming from just behind the door. Added to it, there was a voice speaking as well. The feminine voice of a mare, holding a noticeable country accent to it.

“That must be him,” the voice said, sounding more than a little displeased. “Don't know what Aunt Orange was thinkin', sendin' somepony out of nowhere like this.” Despite the tone and attitude the mare was showing toward him, Trader didn't notice either of them. His own mind was struck by his own wandering thoughts, swearing that the voice was familiar, but he was unable to add a face to it.

Then, the door opened, revealing the source of the voice. A young mare, close to his own age, with an orange coat, blonde mane and several white freckles on her cheeks. A light brown stetson hat sat atop her head, while her tail and mane were tied in a ponytail.

As he first saw her, Trader was frozen in place, turned to stone as he gaped in shock at her. He had immediately recognized the mare, but in spite of where he was, it was the last face he had expected to see. “A-Applejack?” he breathed.

Applejack herself held a very different expression. Her greens eyes squinted as she looked the stallion over, leaning toward him in a look of deep thought. As the pegasus stood there, rooted in place by the surprise of it all, the mare didn't see the stallion at her door. Instead, all she could see was a young colt, wearing a pristine, snow-white coat that was comically marred by a messy mane of dusty-black hairs.

“Trader... is that you?” she asked, her voice but a simple murmur.

Several moments passed as they held their unofficial staring contest continued. It was quickly broken as Trader's lips parted into a wide grin, an excited laugh forming in his throat. “Yeah, it is me. Wow, Applejack, I can't believe it's you!”

“Me neither!” Applejack replied, her own confused stare ending as she smiled warmly toward him. “ “Boy howdy! How long has it been? Must've been years, Ah'm sure.”

“Far too many,” the pegasus replied. His gaze ran up and down his old friend, having last seen her when she was much smaller. “And look at you, all grown up.” Looking up at her head, a smirk formed at the corner of his mouth. “Nice hat by the way.”

Applejack looked up as well, eyeing her own hat as she chuckled. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she realized they were talking through her doorway. “Where are my manners?” she muttered embarrassingly, stepping out of the doorway and beckoning Trader inward. “Come on in and welcome.”

Obliging her, the pegasus trotted into the house. Taking his first steps through the home, he was immediately hit with more old memories. Little of the humble abode had changed, still looking as rustic as it always had, with many apple themed decorations hanging on the walls and atop furniture.

Applejack gently shut the door behind them, unable to look at the stallion without an expanding smile. “So it was you who our Aunt Orange was talkin' about,” she said in surprise. “Ah wish she was a bit more specific about you, not just saying you were a pegasus lookin' to help.”

A soft chuckle escaped the stallion as he found himself in the same boat. “I know,” he replied, “she was just as vague with me. And she's your Aunt, huh?” It shocked him how he had never made the comparison before.

Heavy hoofsteps approaching them from the side caused their conversation to stop and their heads to turn in the same direction. The creator of said noise soon stood before them. A stallion, nearly twice as large as Trader, with a red coat and light-orange mane. Looking at them both, he held a constant expression of aloofness as his eyelids stayed drooped down halfway.

Trader smiled lightly as he felt the stallion's gaze linger on him. He recognized him straightaway, being the one who he had first expected to answer the door. “Hey, Big Mac,” he greeted with a tone of familiarity. “You remember me?”

A long silence surrounded them both, for some time as Big Macintosh's eyes looked him over. After a few, awkwardly quiet moments, the large stallion matched the smile given to him. “Eeyup,” he replied with a kind nod. The pegasus couldn't help but beam happily, remembering the stallion as a pony of few words.

“Is that Aunt Orange's friend?” an excited voice called down from the nearby stairway. Without waiting for an answer, the source of the voice came scuttling down the steps with a youthful glee.

A young filly with a bright red mane and even brighter yellow coat stopped at the foot of the stairs. Her large eyes were even wider as she stared quietly at the strange pegasus who was in her home. Trader tilted his own head slightly as he had no idea who she was.

“And who are you supposed to be?” he asked, lowering his head to bring himself closer to her level. Though he wasn't quite sure on her age, he already had an idea as to who she might be, causing a smirk to appear as he looked back at Big Macintosh. “Huh, didn't know you had it in you, Big Mac,” he murmured as he turned back to the filly. “You must be his-”

“I'm their sister, Apple Bloom,” she said, with a note of pride in her voice.

Trader choked on his last words, suddenly cutting off his own sentence. “Of course you are,” he squeaked, forcing a smile and mentally slapping himself for his stupidity.

A smothered laugh could be heard beside him, coming from both of the older Apple siblings. It didn't take him but a second to know they had apparently guessed where his train of thought was leading him. Ignoring them, he turned back to the youngest.

“It's wonderful to meet you, Apple Bloom,” the pegasus said. “I'm Trader. Believe it or not, I'm an old friend of your sister's.”

Apple Bloom's face lit up like a bulb. “You know Applejack?” she asked.

“That's right,” Trader nodded. “Way back when we were little foals, we both shared a classroom together.”

“Wow,” the filly gasped suddenly, “that's just like me and my friends!”

Trader chuckled lightly at her excitement. “Play your cards right, I might just tell you an embarrassing story or two about her,” he promised with a wink. Though it seemed impossible, Apple Bloom's smile stretched even further.

The attention on the young filly was soon diverted however, as Applejack cleared her throat forcibly, causing all eyes to land on her. Without a word, she gestured off to another room of the house. Following her, Trader entered the living room, where Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom both trailed behind them.

Rocking back and forth in a chair at the far end of the room, an old, green-coated mare slept. A small trail of drool dripped from her lip as a thick snoring could be heard emanating from within her throat. Applejack sat beside her, nudging her hoof lightly.

“Granny Smith,” she said, trying to wake the mare, “Granny Smith, the pony from Manehattan's here.”

“Huh? Wuzzaht?” Granny Smith murmured, coming to and looking about the room in a dazed confusion. “The pony from Manehattan ya say?” Her eyes soon fell onto Trader, who smiled expectantly. “Oh, well it's nice to meetcha, Mr...”

The pegasus' smile deflated slightly as he realized she didn't recognize him. “Don't you remember me?” he asked. “It's me, Trader.”

Granny Smith blinked several times as she continued to eye the stallion. “A trader? Oh well, just what are ya sellin' today?”

“No no, Granny Smith,” Applejack tried to say. “His name is Trader. You remember him, don't you? He came by a lot back when we were little.”

As it appeared she still wasn't fully aware of what she was being told, an idea came to the stallion as he lied down on his stomach. Scrunching his body up as well as he could, he lowered his head even further, trying to give the vague appearance of being much smaller.

After a moment of staring at the stallion, Granny Smith took a pair of glasses that hung around her neck on a small chain and placed them over her face. Looking back at him, and his new position on the floor, a smile came to her as she got off of the chair. “Oh, well howdy there, Trader. How long have you been here?”

“Just got here, actually,” the pegasus replied with a sigh of relief.

“Well that's good, that's good,” Granny Smith muttered. “So, you're supposed to be the one from Manehattan? The 'hard workin' stallion' we were told about?”

Trader nodded, if not somewhat modestly. “I believe so, though I'm still not quite sure on the specifics of anything. Mrs. Orange told me all of you were having trouble with work.”

“Ah guess it's kind of like that,” Applejack replied. Sitting down in front of him as she explained. “We once talked about how work keeps gettin' bigger on the farm to them last time we saw each other. It just seems that every year the fields get a little bigger, we get one or two more animals to take care of, or some other part of the farm needs to be fixed or repaired.” She nodded toward her sister and grandmother. “Granny Smith's too old to do any of the manual work, and Apple Bloom's far too young for most of what we do.”

“Hey!” the young filly protested. “I'm big enough to do lots of stuff!”

“Anyway,” Applejack continued, smiling at her sister but otherwise ignoring her, “most of the time we get run ragged keeping up with it all. Ah guess Aunt Orange figured we'd need an extra hoof around.”

“Well, why not?” Trader asked. “I'd be more than willing to work for a pittance, it's why I came here. To get away from the crowded streets to something more simpler. I'm sure you'd rather have somepony you know, rather than a complete stranger. The same goes for me, I'd much rather help out old friends when they need it.”

Applejack looked at him with a skeptical smirk. “And you think you can do the demanding work a farm has?”

“Of course,” Trader said with determination. “Perhaps it'll be a little more down and dirty than a lot of my previous lines of work, but I've always liked more hooves on challenges anyway.”

A long pause soon formed around the five ponies. Applejack met the eyes of her family as smile formed and copied one another, all having a silent discussion. Trader didn't even notice as they all nodded in unison, having come to a decision.

“Alright,” Applejack said, “Ah guess we can give you a chance. There's no sense in turning down a hard worker.”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh added, smiling in agreement. Apple Bloom beamed happily as well, seeing great prospects in befriending an old friend of her older sister, especially with the promise of embarrassing stories.

“Great!” Trader said with joy. “Thank you all! I won't let any of you down.” Standing up, he looked out the nearby window, frowning as he saw the orange in the sky darkening. “Hm, well, it's getting late. I hate to leave already, but I need to get back to town now if I'm going to find a room to rent for the night.”

“Nonsense,” Applejack quickly replied, standing up herself and blocking the way out. “You're an old friend, and old friends don't just sleep in old motels or anythin'. You can stay in the guest room as long as you'd like.” Gesturing for him to follow, Applejack led the pegasus further into the house. Through the kitchen, a door opened that continued down into the basement.

The walls were thick stone, like that of a dungeon or prison. Several wooden beams were placed about the room, holding up the house firmly. The floor itself was covered in soft rugs, covering the cold stone underneath. But most noticeable about the room was the furniture. With a large, comforting bed, a nightstand set beside it with a candle resting on top, and a dresser on the far wall for the clothes of who ever was staying.

“Wow,” Trader breathed, his voice holding an air of wonder. To him, in comparison with his old home, it might as well be a five star suite.

“It used to be an apple cellar,” Applejack said, showing him around, “but it got too small so we made a new one just beneath the barn. Then, we decided to make this into a guest room, just in case anypony visitin' needed a place to stay.”

As he looked around, Trader was suddenly filled with a sense of unease. “Uh... Applejack, are you sure you want me staying here? I really don't want to impose.”

A sharp giggle immediately left the mare in response. “Don't you fret none,” she replied. “You're an old friend in need of a place to stay. It wouldn't be right, or hospitable, to do anythin' else.”

“Well... thank you,” Trader said.

Applejack held a cheerful smile. “Think nothin' of it. Now, you need to get some rest. We gotta get up early tomorrow if Ah'm gonna teach you what it's like to work on Sweet Apple Acres.”

Little did Trader know, Applejack was right when she said they would get getting up early. To him, it felt as though the moment he shut his eyes to sleep, he was already awoken by a hoof shaking his bed rapidly.

“Come on, Trader,” Applejack said, repeatedly pushing against the mattress. “Up and at 'em, it's time to get to work.”

“Wha?” the pegasus murmured, his head rising slightly from beneath the blankets. “Wha... what time is it?”

“Just a few hours before sunrise,” the orange-coated mare replied, her own drowsiness looking nonexistent.

A heavy groan escaped from within the covers as the stallion shifted in his place. “If Celestia's not even awake, why do I need to be?”

“We gotta get to work extra early if Ah'm gonna show you the ropes,” she replied.

Another groan of defiance left the stallion. Though he was prepared for an early rise, this seemed unreasonable. “Just a few more minutes,” he begged like a foal not wanting to go to school, “please!”

Applejack's eyes narrowed into a glare toward his attitude, but it was only held for a few moments as it shifted into a devious grin. Trader felt the rocking of his bed cease and heard Applejack's hoofs striking the wooden stairs as she ascended them, figuring she had relented to him.

The farmpony didn't go very far however, as he could hear her voice coming from the top of the stairs. “Alright, Big Mac, he ain't gettin' up! Get the crop!” Trader's eyes flared open as he heard the shuddering sound of a whip cracking.

“I'm up, I'm up!” he cried out, frantically kicking his legs to quickly get out of bed. Toppling out of bed, he collapsed onto the hard floor in a heap, taking the covers with him. As his racing heart slowly returned to its normal pace, he could hear the faint sound of snickering coming from the top of the stairs.

Apple Bucking 101

A dark, pre-dawn sky hung over the two ponies as Applejack led Trader deep into one of their many apple orchards. The young pegasus wasn't quite sure which one, as what little Applejack said to him as well as the paths they were taking to reach their destination was all one big blur. Though his morning fright had rattled his drowsiness for a time, it quickly returned to him, slowing both his mind and body.

Noticing that they were stopping, Trader gave his head a rattling shake, clearing his mind and sharpening his wits.

“Alright, Trader,” Applejack said, turning to him as she stood beside a tree, “we can start here.” Luscious apples clung to the branches, tantalizing all who were to see them. At the base of the tree, several wooden baskets sat, like hungry mouths waiting to devour anything that fell into it. It took Trader a few moments to realize that the other trees had the same treatment.

“So... we just kick 'em, right?” the stallion asked, using every ounce of his knowledge toward the subject in that single sentence.

“Basically,” the farmpony replied, rolling her eyes amusingly at his simplification toward what they were doing. “But, let me just show you how it's done, make sure you don't go hurtin' yourself.”

Taking a step back and gesturing for his teacher to continue, Trader watched as Applejack approached the tree and turned her back to it. Leaning forward, the mare lifted herself up to balance perfectly on her front legs, allowing her to raise her hind ones higher up. Bending the back limbs close toward her body, only a short grunt of exertion was uttered as she suddenly kicked out. The very bottom of her hooves struck the tree with a heavy thud, not damaging the bark in the slightest but causing the trunk to shake.

Like a rippling wave in a disturbed pond, the shuddering vibration traveled up the trunk and shook the branches. Only a few leaves were disturbed by the action, the weakest of them which fell from their limbs and floated to the ground. The real prize, the ruby red fruits, all released their hold on the branches, dropping straight down into the baskets.

“There,” Applejack said, admiring her work, proud to see not a single apple out of place.

“Impressive,” replied Trader, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he brought his forehooves together and lightly applauded her. Applejack snorted in a mild lapse of indignation, but her mood quickly lightened as she extended a hoof toward another nearby tree, gesturing for him to take his turn.

His expectations high for himself, the pegasus approached the tree and turned his back to it, following the same motions he had seen the mare preform moments ago. Double checking to make sure he was the proper distance from the tree, he leaned forward and balanced himself on his forelegs. There was a noticeable sway in his body as he failed to hold himself perfectly still, ignoring it however, he bent his back legs closer toward him.

Without waiting a moment longer, he kicked out, the edges of his hooves striking the tree. It was a weak blow. Rather than rattle the tree, his bucking kick instead pushed the pegasus forward, causing him to stumble, lose what little balance he had entirely, and forcing his face into the ground. Only a subtle, insignificant tremble was shown on the tree, looking more like it was laughing at him than anything else.

Moisture covered the stallion's face, his nose nearly burying into the soft ground that was covered in morning dew. The cold droplets were soon met with the warmth of blood, the feeling of embarrassment showing on his cheeks. It was especially worsened as he could clearly hear Applejack laughing, taking no effort in concealing it.

“You've gotta find the right amount of force to put into your buck,” Applejack explained, coming down from her fit of enjoyment. “Too much and you might damage the tree, or yourself. Too little....”

“And you get this...” the pegasus murmured, picking himself up from the mud and wet grass. Looking back at the tree, Trader's eyes fixed onto the trunk with a pure look of disdain. Ready to conquer the oversized splinter and claim its apples for his own, he returned to his position in front of it.

There was only a slight moment of hesitation as he could feel an expectant gaze upon him. It was Applejack, her sights locked intently onto him, ready to gauge his actions and bring corrections when needed. It made him sigh inwardly as he felt little need for something that seemed as simple as kicking a tree. Still, he couldn't ignore how much of a fool he had made himself look in front of her, feeling like it mattered to him for a reason he couldn't yet fathom.

Taking a deep breath to ready himself, Trader balanced his body on his forelimbs and bent his legs back. Determined to not fail this time around, he tightened the muscles in his legs and kicked out. Waiting to feel his hooves strike the tree, he was instead met with a sharp pain shooting through his legs.

Having struck to tree too hard, the force of his blow rattled the tree heavily. On reflex from the pain, he pushed off of the trunk and fell forward once again. This time however, rather than face-planting into the dirt, his entire body flipped forward, causing him to land on his back with an audible thud. The tree itself at least felt the blow this time around. Unfortunately, the heavy strike caused the limbs to shake more so than they should have. Rather than fall gracefully into the baskets set for them, the apples slipped too far, missing the baskets and scattering across the ground in all directions. One apple in particular managed to land right on top of the pegasus responsible, striking him on the nose before joining the others on the grass.

Groaning in pain, Trader brought his hooves to his nose. The bruised tip twitched in agitation at his touch, forcing more jolts of pain through his nerves. With his back to the ground, his eyes looked upward, into the canopy of treetops and their leafy colors. The image was broken as Applejack leaned over him, her expression as flat as a week old soda and just as painful to look at. “You hit it too hard, didn't you?” she asked rhetorically.

The pegasus didn't reply, only giving a huff of agitation as he rolled over and picked himself up. “One can't help but feel foolish, when you're bested by a tree,” he muttered.

“Nopony's a master bucker on their first try,” Applejack reassured. “Ah had trouble getting the hang of it too.”

Another huff left the stallion. “When you were a filly, no doubt,” he said. Though he didn't see it, his mare mentor smirked as she realized he had a point.

“Just try again,” the farmpony said, nodding toward another tree, the apples just waiting to be picked.

“Alright, I can do this,” Trader told himself, raising his confidence the best he could. Trotting over toward the tree, he went through the same motions he had done before. Balancing on his forelegs and bending his hindlegs, he kicked off and struck the tree with his hooves. His eyes shut tight, he waited for something to go wrong. To his surprise, there was only the sound of leaves rustling in the passing wind and a light thudding against a wooden surface.

Looking down at the base of the tree, a feeling of astonishment washed over the pegasus as he saw apples lying in the baskets. Though the tree still held onto several more, it still felt like an accomplishment to him.

“There ya go!” Applejack said happily. “You just need to find the right force to put into your kicks. It might take a while, but it'll become second nature to ya.”

With his confidence brimming, Trader turned away from the tree once again. As he bucked it a second time, he did his best to repeat the same actions exactly as he had done before. And just as it occurred with the first successful attempt on the tree, the remaining apples clinging to the branches lost their hold and fell into the baskets alongside the others.

An elated smile formed on the stallion's face as he successfully bucked his first apple tree. “I guess the third time really is the charm, huh?” he said with a laugh.

“Don't get on a high horse just yet,” Applejack warned, pointing a hoof toward the vast sea of trees that spanned out in front of them. “There's still plenty more trees for us to get done.”

“Well bring 'em on,” Trader said determinedly, being undeterred by the many trees that were against him.

Applejack couldn't help but laugh at his confidence, certain he would change his tune soon enough. “Let's just see how well you can keep up.”

In truth, Trader couldn't keep up in the slightest. The pegasus' movements were slow and hesitant, taking him some time to make sure he was positioned just the way he liked it. Even when he bucked the tree, it was rare that he would get all of the apples on the first tree. Most took at least two attempts to get them all, and a few others he repeated the same mistakes he did on the first two tries.

Applejack however, truly showed how long she had been an apple bucker. She was swift and strong, finishing off one tree and moving onto another before you could blink. Trader found himself eyeing her from afar, unable to help but feel impressed. Most times, he wanted to make sure he wasn't missing some sort of trick of the trade, though occasionally, he realized he simply enjoyed watching. The glances never lasted very long however, as the stallion was aware that this was as much a test as it was a day of hard work. Though he knew there wasn't a chance he could match Applejack, he was determined to prove his mettle to her and not disappoint the family who had taken such a chance with him.

It was with this drive that he kept going, bucking the apples to the best of his ability. Time was all but ignored by him as the sun crept over the horizon, tearing through the skies in its fiery colors. As it slowly shifted into a beautiful shade of blue for the morning sky, the pegasus heard his fellow bucker calling him over.

“Ah think that's enough apple buckin' for now,” Applejack said as the stallion approached. Her gaze looked out toward the trees they had passed, striped of their apples with full baskets underneath. “Doesn't look like you did that bad, especially considerin' it's your first time and all.”

“Oh, you're just saying that,” Trader huffed gruffly. He felt even more embarrassed as he stood next to the mare. There was no concealing his heavy breathing, out of breath from his work while his legs ached fiercely. His exhaustion was even more apparent as he could plainly see that Applejack didn't look tired in the slightest.

“It's true,” Applejack said with a firm nod. “Ah wouldn't lie to you.” Though the pegasus had his doubts on that fact, he couldn't say he didn't enjoy the sentiment. "Now, we just gotta get these apples back home. Like this.” The mare stepped toward one of the baskets and hoisted it onto her back.

As she gestured for her stallion friend to do the same, she trotted off toward the farm. Trader took a different basket and went after her. The trip took them several minutes to finally reach the barn, where Applejack sat the basket down on the floor to be set aside for later. It continued like this for some time, as they made a continuous path between the barn and the trees where they had done their work.

The baskets weren't much of a difficulty for Trader as they started the task, but eventually, the weight of the apples seemed to only increase. Not a sound of protest or a single complaint was uttered by him however, as he forced himself to follow Applejack's lead.

Just like with apple bucking, time itself was nonexistent to the workers as they focused solely on getting their job done. It became a surprise to the pegasus as they unloaded their latest baskets and realized they were done.

“There,” Applejack said, pausing momentarily as she caught her breath, a fact that almost relieved the exhausted stallion. “That's all the apples we've picked for today.”

“Thank goodness,” Trader breathed, arching his now aching back until they both heard a satisfying pop.

The farmpony smirked at the sight. “It's actually not too bad most of the time,” she said. “We usually have a cart to help take the apples back to the barn, but the wheels got broken the other day and Big Mac's been tryin' to fix it.”

“It's at least giving me a taste of what's to come,” the stallion replied. “Can't say I expected anything less than full physical labor. Besides, I needed a good workout.”

With a nod, Applejack turned her gaze skyward, staring off into the clouds. Curious, Trader did the same, expecting to see something flying through the air or any other sight that would garner such attention.

“It looks like we've just missed lunch,” Applejack responded, causing the pegasus to look at her strangely. “No harm in it though. How about we go get some grub in us now before we continue doin' everything else?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Trader replied, still somewhat surprised that she was able to tell what the time was just by looking at the sky. He didn't question it however as Applejack headed toward the home, beginning to feel just how hungry he was now that it was mentioned.

The two of them were left alone in the humble home as Apple Bloom was still in school, Big Macintosh was still off fixing the cart, and Granny Smith had business in Ponyville. They sat together at the dinner table, each having made delectable sandwiches of cucumber, tomato, lettuce and a little added carrot. It was a simple lunch as a self-given reward for their work, but both ponies felt their mouths watering at the sight.

As they sat to eat, Trader took their current privacy as a blessing, seeing it as a chance to talk without the distraction of work. “So, Applejack,” he said, striking his most polite conversational tone, “I've gotta know, what are you still doing here at the farm?”

A strange look from the mare was her response. Her mouth was full from the bite she had taken from her sandwich, but Trader could tell he would have received the same look had she been fully capable of speech.

“I don't mean anything by it,” the pegasus quickly added. “It's just, when we were foals, I remember it was always your dream to go out and see the world. You wanted to leave Ponyville and travel Equestria, follow in the hoofsteps of your parents. It was all you ever talked about. I never expected for you to still be here.”

There was a long pause as Applejack finished her latest bite and sat her sandwich down. She remained quiet for several moments, her eyes looking distant as she thought on what she would say. “You're right,” she said, “Ah did want to go out and travel, to see bigger and better places. Or at least... that's what Ah thought Ah wanted.”

There a subtle shake of her head as she continued, only occasionally looking over toward the stallion as she talked, spending the rest of the time looking away distantly. “Not too long after you moved away, Ah set off to live with Aunt and Uncle Orange off in Manehattan. It was actually you leavin' that got me to work up the courage. But... Ah don't know, Ah guess Ah realized Ah really didn't belong there, feelin' homesick and missin' everypony back home. When Ah went back to the farm, it became clear to me that it was where I belonged.” She looked back to the pegasus with a large smile. “Though Ah never did get around to travelin' like Ah talked about, Ah can't say Ah'm not happy workin' the farm.”

“Where are your parents now?” Trader asked. He had only ever seen them twice since he knew Applejack. It was a rare sight to see them in Ponyville, as they always traveled across Equestria. Most of the time, they were busy visiting the many farms that their large family held, helping them with the work or to set everything up.

But Applejack never answered him. Upon hearing the question, her smile shrank into a thick frown. She never met the stallion's gaze as her head lowered and she stared at the table with an unbreakable gaze. It hit the pegasus hard as he recognized the look on her face all too well, having held it himself before.

“Oh my... I-I'm sorry,” Trader murmured, quickly understanding. “When did...?”

“Couple years ago,” Applejack replied, her voice turning soft, becoming difficult to hear. “It wasn't too long after Apple Bloom was born.”

A small gasp escaped the stallion. “So she never...” he trailed off. “That's awful...”

Heaving a weary sigh, Applejack shrugged weakly. “Ah think she's come to understand. She doesn't ever seem bothered by it either. Though, Ah guess it's just because she never really knew them.”

“Hm,” the pegasus murmured, matching Applejack's gaze onto the table. “I guess that's something we have in common, Applejack.”

The farmpony turned to him, a look of shock evident on her face. “Oh, Trader, Ah'm sorry, I never figured-”

“No, no,” Trader interrupted, “it's nothing to worry yourself over. It was several years ago, I've been over it for a while now.”

“So...” the orange-coated mare began, “what happened to you anyway? After Ponyville, Ah mean.”

Like with Applejack, Trader didn't say anything right away. He took some time to think about the question,as well as think about the answer he would give. “There isn't really much,” he eventually said. “We moved to Los Pegasus where mom realized her dream and managed to open up a store there. We never left and I spent the rest of my foalhood there. I ended up leaving on my own a little earlier than most ponies usually would. Mom always expected me to stay and join the 'family business' but I wanted to see if I could make it on my own first.”

Trader paused again as he lightly tapped his hoof on the table, silently counting to himself. Then he smiled as he said, “Ironically enough,” he continued, “I became quite the traveler since then. Cloudsdale was my first choice in getting away from my parents, it being the only place I knew they couldn't follow me. Stayed there for some time and I was happy enough. But then... I returned home when I received the news... Stayed in Los Pegasus for a couple months to make sure everything was in order, but I left as when many problems arose. After that, I traveled around a bit, living in Trottingham, Fillydelphia, Sesaddle, then eventually I settled in Manehattan only to wind up back here.”

Applejack chuckled lightly as she eyed the stallion. “Well, at least one of us managed to travel Equestria.”

“It's been an experience, I can say that,” Trader remarked. “Though, I always wanted to find a bit of permanence wherever I went. It just seemed my luck was against me in that regard, always having to move.”

“You're back in Ponyville now,” the farmpony said. “Maybe this is where you were meant to be.”

The stallion nodded his head as he smiled. “The company has proven to be enjoyable. And catching up with an old friend is a plus in my book, even if I end up working for her.”

“Speakin' of work,” Applejack replied, looking up at the clock that hung on the wall, “we should back to it. We're burnin' daylight with all of this reminiscin'.”

“Aye, Captain!” Trader teased, adding a salute to mare. Applejack merely rolled her eyes in response before they took several quick bites of their sandwiches and finished up their late lunch.

They spent the rest of the day taking care of the many animals that the Apples took care of on their farm. They took pales of slop to the pigs kept in the barn. Trader was nearly trampled by the pink creatures as Applejack failed to warn him how overzealous they got during feeding time. They brought fresh water and hay for the cows and sheep, all of whom greeted the pegasus with warm welcomes. Several hours were spent in the chicken coops, cleaning feathers and strewn straw while collecting the eggs that were left for them.

The tasks were uneventful for both ponies. There was little need for a lecture on the ins and outs of animal care from Applejack. Everything became self-explanatory as Trader followed the mare about the farm and followed suit with whatever she did. Their speed was still slowed however, as Applejack made certain that Trader was aware of what they were doing.

By the time they were finished with the chickens, the sky was beginning to lose its color. Blackness would soon envelop the world and the moon and stars would take the place of the sun. It was almost a relief for the pegasus as Applejack declared their work for the day was finished. They returned to the house together as the mare congratulated her friend on a job well done.

Trader's lessons weren't over yet however, as he soon learned of one detail about the Apple family household.

With the sweaty labor they preformed, a bath was essential to help finish off the day. Sadly, with only one washroom in the house, it turned into a race to see who could secure their bath first. Since Applejack was busy looking after their newest worker, they were both the last ones back in the house, and the last ones to get the chance to clean themselves.

Now, Trader was forced to wait outside the washroom as Applejack took her turn. Waiting for his, he realized he would certainly have the coldest water to clean himself. Though, at this point, it didn't seem like such a bad thing. His body was still warm and coated in sweat from his day of labor in the sun. It wasn't something he was typically used to, having gained employment in large cities rather than country work. His legs still ached from his time apple bucking. They throbbed painfully, feeling as though they each had their own small hearts repeatedly beating, sending small amounts of pain through his limbs.

The stallion's ears perked up as he heard the door to the washroom open. Applejack stepped out, a delighted smile on her face and a small towel on her back. “Nothin' like gettin' clean to help you relax after a hard days work,” she said, turning her gaze toward her friend. “You can have your turn now.” Trader nodded his head as they crossed paths, the pegasus heading for the washroom while Applejack headed for her room to finish drying off.

Trader found his gaze wandering as Applejack came by. Something about her caught his eyes, forcing him to watch her as she walked pleasantly away.

The red ties in her mane and tail were gone, allowing her blonde, damp hair to hang freely. The stallion was surprised, unable to remember a time he had ever seen her without her ponytails. He could see her mane still glistening from the water that hadn't fully dried. The small droplets of moisture continued on her coat, making her body twinkle like stars in an orange sky. Even the apples of her cutie mark seemed to sparkle on her flank.

Finding his gaze lingering, Trader was startled as he turned back around and ran straight into the doorsill.

A loud grunt of pain left the pegasus as he brought his hooves to his nose, a small, lingering sense of deja vu coming to his mind. The pain of the impact was heightened terribly so, his nose still sore from his time apple bucking.

Things became even worse for the stallion as he heard a soft giggle behind him. “Not lookin' where you're goin', Trader?” Applejack asked, her tone one of pure amusement.

Trader didn't face her, his body stiffening as his cheeks burned like fire. “I-I'm fine!” he said quickly, his voice rising more so than he wished it to. “It's nothing! I-I'm just going to get cleaned up now!” Bolting into the room, he slammed the door shut, silently scolding himself.

Pinkie's Loophole

Having been unable to locate a suitable brick wall in which to bang his head upon, realizing that he was no longer in the concrete jungle of the big city, Trader returned to his previous task set by Applejack to retrieve an order from the local hardware store.

It didn't take him very long to locate the shop, a large sign of a hammer being hung on the front like a trophy. It was filled with a large manner of things. With tools, basic supplies for building and repairing and the biggest assortment of paints one could ever hope for. An old, gruff looking, grizzly-maned stallion watched the counter, his rough exterior was all to contradictory to the kindhearted codger he was.

Gaining a gracious welcome as he entered the store, it took no time at all for him to acquire the order that he was looking for. It was a small box of bolts, the exact ones needed for in the repairs for the cart that Big Macintosh was still repairing. Tucking it away safely inside of his saddlebag, the pegasus thanked the stallion before taking his leave. With his job completed, he set off to return to the farm, to deliver the bolts and see what else was needed of him.

Trotting through the town, Trader's mind began to wander. His thoughts turned to Applejack's friends, seemingly nice ponies, even if Pinkie Pie was a strange one. Though he did wish his first impression wasn't just him making a fool of himself. He wasn't even sure what had brought it on exactly, considering himself more articulate than that. Though, he fathomed it was just with the many new changes his life had taken, moving back to his old home, with his old friend no doubt. It wasn't something he was particularly used to.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, the stallion felt his legs suddenly freeze in place, paralyzed and leaving him unable to move. The sudden state never elicited a moment of panic for him as his mind was too far gone already, his nostrils twitching rapidly as an overpowering scent wafted through his senses.

An intoxicating aroma of cakes, cookies and other baked goods took almost full control of his thoughts. Like a trained dog following a treat dangled in front of it, his head turned toward the source, seeing a building unlike any he had ever seen before. It looked like a gingerbread house, complete with frosting and candies as decorative additions. The giant confection looked as though it had been baked rather than constructed.

As he stared into the delectable structure, the pegasus was forced to recall an old story his mother had once told him. It was about two foals who went into the Everfree forest and found a house just like the one he was looking at now. It ended with the foals being eaten by a monster of a pony, with the moral being to stay away from the forest, like many Ponyville stories that held similar premises. But Trader was no foal, and such notions were abandoned long ago. Now, he found himself magically drawn to the building.

With his legs no longer able to move, the stallion's wings unfurled and began to flap lightly. Trader trailed through the air, his fluttering wings only lifting him off the ground to where his hooves lightly brushed against the dirt. It would have been a comical sight if anypony was around to see, especially as his tongue lolled out of his mouth and began to slobber incessantly. But his own appearance was ignored by the pegasus as the delicious smells pulled him into the front door of the building, were the creators of the aroma would surly be.

Trader realized immediately when he entered the structure that he was in a bakery. The large, spacial front room, perfect for waiting customers was the first giveaway. The counter at the far end of the room, filled with mouth watering cakes and candies, was the second and more obvious one. Immediately upon entering the fine establishment, the pegasus was greeted by a mare and stallion who came into the room from the adjoining kitchen, their welcoming smiles beaming brightly at their latest customer.

“I thought I heard somepony come in,” the mare said as she noticed the young stallion. Her eyes soon became fixated on him, looking him over quickly before she brought her hoof to her mouth to surpress a laugh. “You must be new to Ponyville, ponies get used to the smell after they've been around it long enough.”

Trader noticed what she was meaning as he noticed his lips were nearly dripping with saliva. Quickly wiping his mouth, the pegasus kept his gaze to the floor in embarrassment. “Yeah,” he replied, “you could say that.” Unable to get the thought of a delicious treat out of his mind, approaching the counter was the only choice he had.

“Well then,” the stallion behind the counter said cheerfully, “welcome to Sugarcube Corner. And since you're new here, you can call us Mr. and Mrs. Cake if you'd like.” Mrs. Cake nodded her head in agreement, waiting expectantly for the newcomer to decide on something. “Now, what would you like?”

Despite how simple the question was, it proved quite difficult for the young stallion to think clearly. Though he had gotten control over his legs, wings and tongue, the continuous smells of the bakery were overbearing, making it difficult to think on a specific treat when so many were forced into his senses. But, just as he thought he could never make up his mind, an old memory caught his attention. It was from long ago, before he had left the simple town, bringing a happy smile to his face.

“Do you have any choco-apple caramels?” he asked, looking at couple eagerly. Mr. and Mrs. Cake exchanged glances, almost looking surprised by the request, but their lips soon parted into excited grins.

“It's been a long time since anypony has wanted that,” Mr. Cake said in a matter-of-fact tone. “But, if you can wait, we can whip up a batch in no time at all.” Not even waiting for him to answer, the two bakers turned away from their pegasus customer and headed back into the kitchen with a noticeable skip in their steps.

Trader was then left alone, with nopony else in the store, not a single customer. His assumption to his own solitude was quickly proven wrong however, as he heard an excited squeal coming not too far from him. Turning toward it, he was surprised to see a simple play area where two small foals were playing. A baby pegasus and unicorn both played happily in the confines of their pen. They didn't pay him any mind, either not having noticed the visitor or not caring to notice.

Simply watching the foals play didn't last very long, as the loud crash of the front doors bursting open filled the room. There wasn't even time to face toward the creator of the noise as Trader found his world consumed by a speeding pink flash. It darted around him, knocking the pegasus to the ground and sending his world spinning upside down before it rushed into the kitchen.

As the stallion began to pick himself up, feeling disoriented and confused, the pink flash came again, knocking him back over with and speeding up the stairs at the far left of the building. Worried as to what might happen, there was a hesitation in Trader's movements as he slowly picked himself back up, looking around the bakery at all angles just in case something were to happen again.

Just as he was beginning to question what had just happened, the soft creak of the kitchen doors opening sounded off, Trader looked to see Mr. and Mrs. Cake coming through, carrying a large tray of chocolaty treats.

“See? That took no time at all, dearie,” Mrs. Cake said with pride, setting the tray down on the counter. She and her husband both eyed the pegasus with eagerness, as if they were waiting for something. Trader soon caught on that they were expecting him to try their creation for himself, unable to help but lick his lips in anticipation.

They were small, apple-shaped pieces of chocolate, barely bigger than a coin. Though the chocolate itself looked tasty enough, the inside was also filled with a special kind of caramel. Apple cider was used with the caramel filling, mixed in with it to give it a defined apple taste upon eating, like biting into a chocolate covered caramel apple that had a little too much chocolate and not enough apple. It was a strange treat that not everypony would say was their favorite, it being an acquired taste. But Trader was one such pony who had gained the taste for it, wasting no time to pick up one of them and toss it into his mouth.

“Mmmm,” Trader moaned in satisfaction. His audible sound and the pleased smile on his face were all the two baking ponies needed to know that they had a happy customer.

“Glad you like it,” Mr. Cake remarked. Taking a paper bag from behind the counter, the older stallion tipped the tray over it, allowing the chocolate candies to fall inside. The pegasus took the bag and tucked it safely away in his own saddlebag, removing several bits as well and depositing them onto the counter.

Just then, the sound of stamping hooves filled the room and Pinkie Pie came galloping down the stairs. “Mr. Cake, do you have the-” she began saying, her voice stopping mid-sentence as her gaze landed on Trader. With her eyes widening, the pink pony gasped in surprise and suddenly bolted out of the front door in a flash of pink, leaving the three ponies to stare off where she used to be.

A soft chuckle broke through the long silence that was created from the strange moment, due to Mrs. Cake's inability to hide her coming chortle. “Oh, don't mind Pinkie Pie,” she said, brushing off the strange behavior like a normal occurrence. “She lives in the room on the third floor and helps us around the shop whenever we need it.”

“I met her not too long ago, actually,” Trader murmured, having trouble imagining what it would be like to have such an excitable mare working for you. The thought made his gaze drift toward the filly and colt still playing, making him think that they probably needed the help. “You know, it seems a bit strange to have a daycare along with a bakery.”

Mr. and Mrs. Cake both began to laugh at the statement, making the pegasus raise his brow questioningly at what he had done. “Oh no, no, no. We're not a daycare, dearie,” Mrs. Cake explained. “They're ours.” She pointed to each of them as she said their names. “That's Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake.”

Trader looked back at the two foals, staring at the horn on the filly's head and the wings on the colt's back. A frown formed on his face as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Oh, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume, I just- since you're both earth ponies...”

The couple nodded their heads in understanding. “Don't worry,” Mr. Cake reassured. “You wouldn't be the first to make the mistake.” He gave his wife a knowing look as he laughed lightly alongside her, as though finding amusement in a joke that the pegasus didn't understand.

Chuckling uneasily, Trader looked down at the floor as he swung his forehoof back and forth lightly. “Well, I think I should have seen it sooner than most actually... My parents were both earth ponies too.” As to be expected the two Cakes looked at the pegasus with a mild surprise. “Heh, yeah, I actually thought I was adopted for a lot of my foalhood. Until I was able to understand genetics and all that. I think it's my dad's side that has the pegasi in it.” An amused huff left him as he looked at the young colt, his tiny wings fluttering lightly but not hard enough to actually lift him. “I'd suggest making good friends with a pegasus though. Just in case your son takes advantage of the fact that you can't follow him into the clouds.”

Sharing thanks between the three ponies, Trader managed to escape the alluring scents of Sugarcube Corner and gallop as far away from the enticing establishment as he could. With his sights set on Sweet Apple Acres, he continued to run as he was sure his return was expected. Though, even with his focus placed on reaching his destination, the pegasus' locked gaze wandered ever so slightly as he realized how deserted Ponyville seemed to become.

It wasn't completely empty, several ponies still going about their day, it was a stark difference compared to the hustle and bustle the town had on the day of his arrival. Figuring he had came to Ponyville on a busy day, he left it at that and pushed the thought away as he returned his full attention on getting back to the farm.

In no time, the speeding stallion was out of the town and was surrounded by oceans of apple orchards. As he entered the farm itself, Trader's eyes scanned the area in search of Big Mac, needing to make his delivery to him. The stallion's red coat made it easy to spot him in the colors of browns and greens that surrounded him, standing off at the far edge of the land, just outside one of the fields.

Approaching him, Trader could see what the big stallion was working on. A cart was turned over, exposing the metalwork just underneath it. One of the axles were missing from the cart itself, lying next to it on the ground. The shiny metal on it made it look much newer than the one that was still connected, making the pegasus suspect that the axle must have broken, causing the need for the repair.

Taking the box of bolts from his bag, Trader gave them to the stallion who nodded his head in thanks. With the right part having arrived, Big Mac could put the new axle onto the cart, use the bolts to lock it in place, and put the wheels back on to finish the job.

The pegasus could see the work that still needed to be done. “Do you need help, Bic Mac?” he offered. “I can go and get my own tools and-”

Big Mac shook his head at the request, lifting his hoof up to point off toward the barn. “Applejack needs help,” he said simply before getting back to his own work.

“Alright,” Trader nodded, taking it as a hint that the stallion didn't need any assistance.

Heading for the barn, he wondered what Applejack would need help with, figuring that if it was a big job he would have been told about it beforehand. Shrugging it off, he noticed that the barn doors were shut, being strange as they were normally open at all hours. He payed it no mind however, raising his hoof to push against the door and open it himself. But just as his hoof was about to touch the wood, the doors suddenly opened on their own. Before the surprised stallion could make another move, multiple hooves reached out and pulled him inside.

“Surprise!” a chorus of voices shouted in unison. A bright light flashed, engulfing the room as dozens and dozens of ponies jumped out of their hiding places. Their faces were bright and filled with mirth, looking at their guest happily.

Many of the ponies were soon losing their gleeful expressions as the noticed that their surprise caused a different reaction than what they had expected. Rather than be surprised then joyful, Trader was on the ground, his hooves covering his face as he trembled in fear. Applejack quickly broke through the crowd of ponies and placed a hoof on his shoulder, startling the stallion further and bringing his head up with a yelp of fearful panic.

“Trader, Trader,” she said, trying to get through to the pegasus. “It's alright, it's just a surprise party.”

Blinking several times as he calmed down, Trader looked around cautiously, noticing the many ponies filling the barn, as well as the colorful balloons, streamers and confetti that had been strung about carelessly. “A... a party?” he questioned.

“Yeah, a party,” Applejack nodded, “for you.”

The stallion's white face began to turn red as he felt the gazes of every pony in the room on him. “Oh... I thought you were some... someone else.”

The many silent gazes in the room soon shifted toward a pink mare who was jumping up and down happy, giggling uncontrollably as she jumped toward the downed pegasus and consoling mare.

“Wow, Tradie, you were a lot more surprised than I had thought,” Pinkie Pie laughed.

Trader could only manage to stare at the mare in confusion. “But I said I didn't want- I mean, I couldn't have a party because I-”

“Because you weren't new to Ponyville, I know,” the bouncing pony finished. “But then it hit me! You couldn't have a Welcome to Ponyville party, but you could have a Welcome Back to Ponyville party!” Sure enough, hanging among the rafters of the barn, there was a large banner with those exact words on it.

A Fan's Request

The party quickly became more lively after the guest of honor had made it, ponies mingled happily while sampling the treats set aside by the pink party planner, others swayed and moved to the beat of the music that was playing from an old record player. Pinkie Pie made herself busy right away as she took it upon herself to introduce Trader to everyone who had arrived. Nearly ripping the pegasus' foreleg from the socket, she dragged him through the barn, shouting the name of each pony they met before being forced into another random direction to greet more. It was all a big, colorful blur as the names and faces came by too quickly for him to retain most of them.

Eventually, Trader managed to pry his hoof away from the iron hold of the bubbly pony. Pinkie Pie didn't seem to notice as she continued to dart about the barn and introduce the missing stallion as if he was still there. Breathing a sigh of relief, he made his way toward the concession table.

A large bowl of punch was the dominant piece out of the spread, filled to the brim with a violet liquid. It looked big enough for a foal to be able to swim laps. Though, as the pegasus saw how many ponies were already slurping down the beverage as if it were their last, he figured it was better than he thought. Beside the punch, a large cake smiled up at him. It was chocolate, with a grinning stallion decorated into the frosting, Trader frowned slightly as it looked eerily familiar. The cake also served as another notch on his ever growing confusion, as he constantly asked himself how Pinkie had managed such a party in the short amount of time. Then again, based on what he has seen from the mare so far, he wasn't so sure such a feat was an impossibility for her. It almost made him dread the thought of what she was fully capable of.

With his appetite being nonexistent, due to suffering a near-heart attack over his unexpected surprise, Trader ignored the cake and simply poured himself a glass of punch. As he tasted it, he was surprised by how good it was, just then realizing why so many were eager to sample it.

The pegasus searched for a quiet place to settle himself, finding it difficult within the crowded barn. Thankfully, it didn't take him long to find Applejack, sitting on a hay bale at the far end of the barn. Twilight and Rarity were with her as well, along with two pegasi who he hadn't been introduced to yet. Approaching them, Applejack smiled happily as she caught sight of the stallion.

“There ya are,” the farmpony said. “Did Pinkie get tired of the introductions?”

“I don't think she's noticed I've left,” Trader replied, looking into the crowd to see a blur of pink still darting to random ponies.

A small breath of amusement left Twilight as she watched her frantic friend go. “She just likes to make sure everypony knows everypony,” she remarked. “Don't worry though, you'll eventually meet everypony on your own. That's what it was like for me after I moved here.”

“Speakin' of introductions,” Applejack suddenly said, “you still haven't met all of my friends yet.” She pointed a hoof toward one of the pegasi, a cyan-coated mare with a multicolored, rainbow mane. “That's Rainbow Dash.” The aforementioned pony nodded her head slightly, distantly looking about the barn in a continuous expression of disinterest. Applejack ignored the reaction and shifted her hoof toward the second pegasus, another mare with a creamy-yellow coat and light pink mane. “And that's Fluttershy.” As Trader gave a friendly smile to the pegasus, she flinched back slightly, hiding behind her mane while adding a quiver of a nod in affirmation, clearly not as easily warmed up to newcomers as her friends. It wasn't something the stallion had expected, to see someone even more socially awkward than himself, especially since Ponyville seemed like such a close-knit community.

“Well, it's nice to meet you two, too,” Trader told them both, despite their reactions to him.

“So, Trader,” Twilight said, eyeing the stallion expectantly, “we were wondering, since you've been around Equestria so much, if you had any good stories.”

“Stories?” the pegasus murmured, tilting his head questioningly.

Rarity nodded her head, gaining the same expectant gaze alongside Applejack, while Rainbow Dash kept her bored demeanor and Fluttershy remained as distant as she could. “Oh, yes,” she said. “Certainly a traveled stallion such as yourself, one with such an extensive list of occupations, would have at least a few interesting tales. Perhaps in any favorite jobs you've held?”

Trader thought on it for several moments. “Favorites, huh?” he thought aloud, gaining a large smirk as his gaze shifted toward his orange-coated friend. “You mean other than working at the farm?” Applejack laughed lightly while playfully punching the stallion's shoulder. Taking the blow in stride, he became more serious as he thought on it. “Well... my first job in Manehattan was nice. I worked in a bookstore. Wasn't exciting, but it sure was relaxing. I usually shelved books, though I occasionally worked the counter.” The stallion chuckled. “Oftentimes we would get mares purchasing some of the more... racy novels. Just the guilt and embarrassment written on their faces was priceless. Even had this one unicorn try and use magic to disguise her appearance, the spell wore off in the middle of the store and I recognized her as my neighbor.”

“That must have been awkward,” Twilight murmured meekly, trying to hide the fact her own cheeks were becoming flushed, having been in that boat before.

“Oh, it was,” Trader replied with a grin. “I remember running into her after closing, I swear her coat looked as though it would permanently change to red.” After giving another small laugh, the pegasus paused once again as he continued to think on his past. “Well... I can't really say there's been much excitement when it comes to my employment. I usually only ever had mundane jobs, nothing too special. Although... one of the best times of my life was had back when I lived in Cloudsdale, when I worked with the Wonderbolts as a cloudie.”

A sudden, earsplitting gasp made everyone jump in a startled fit, Fluttershy even toppled over onto the ground as he body became as stiff as a board. Rainbow Dash was the only one unaffected, being the source of the noise. Her ears were standing on end while her eyes were wide open. Without warning, the mare darted forward, nearly crashing into the stallion before hovering just inches away from his face.

“You were a cloudie?!” the cyan-coated mare blurted out, ignoring her rising voice as she continued to look Trader in the eyes.

Trader tried his best to lean back slightly, attempting to regain his lost sense of personal space. “Uh... y-yeah... some time ago,” he managed to say.

“What's a cloudie?” Applejack questioned, eyeing her two pegasi friends in confusion.

Rainbow Dash turned to her friends, a spark of excitement on her face making it light up.“A cloudie is one of the most awesome, incredible, amazing, wonderful jobs a pegasus can have,” she said giddily before adding, “Besides being an actual Wonderbolt of course.” Though there was great vigor and passion in her explanation, the four friends of the pegasus all looked at her with even more confused expressions.

Realizing there was need of a more thorough explanation, Trader cleared his throat to get their attention. “Cloudies are more like... the backbone of the Wonderbolt team,” he said. “While the actual Wonderbolts do their amazing tricks and flying techniques in performances, cloudies do everything else. Setting up the stages, clearing the skies, getting the fireworks ready, repairing suits when they get torn, maintenance on their training equipment, everything they need to keep their ship sailing. Most cloudies actually get to travel with the Wonderbolts when they tour Equestria for shows, always working out of sight while all eyes are on the team.”

“That sounds interesting,” Twilight remarked, realizing that such ponies seemed obvious to have, though she never really thought about it.

Trader simply shrugged. “It's nothing glamorous, but it is a fun job to have.”

With the explanation out of the way, Rainbow Dash's attention was again riveted onto the stallion, her eyes locking onto his with a sporadic stare. “How did you become a cloudie?! Why aren't you one now?! You worked with the Wonderbolts, how could anypony want to leave that?!”

“I-I knew a team member,” Trader stammered out, still unable to get used to the mare's closeness. “Soarin, you know him, right?” The stallion then swallowed a large lump in his throat as Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed into a fiery gaze, silently asking him how he could ask such a question. “Right, of course you do... Well, he's from Los Pegasus. Me and him became good friends back when we were still colts. After we got old enough to make it on our own, we both headed to Cloudsdale. Soarin tried out for the Wonderbolts the first day he was there. Despite his age, they were so impressed by him that he became a member almost overnight. Though I tried to join too, I couldn't make the cut. But thanks to Soarin, he was able to get me a job to work with him as a cloudie.”

Though it seemed impossible, the previously bored to tears pegasus looked as though she had been told the secrets of life. The mare's face was void of expression, blanked in a look of utter shock. “S-so, you personally know the Wonderbolts?!” she cried out.

“S-sort of,” Trader replied, beginning to fear for his life as it seemed Rainbow Dash would explode at any moment. “It's been a while since I've talked to Soarin though. He spends most of his time with the other Wonderbolts and things tend to get a little awkward around a few of them for” he paused as he grimaced slightly, “reasons.”

Before the stallion could say anything further, Rainbow Dash grabbed him at the sides and lifted him off of the ground, shaking him rapidly in her peaking excitement. “You have to introduce me to them!” she shouted.

“Okay okay,” Trader quickly said, his vision blurring as he felt his stomach churning in his chest. “Next time they're in Cloudsdale, I'll get you in.” Though he wasn't fully aware of exactly what he was promising, the stallion was prepared to say anything to get the crazed mare to leave him be.

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you,” Rainbow Dash said appreciatively, setting the stallion down.

“But Rainbow,” Twilight said, “you've already met most of the Wonderbolts.”

“Well yeah,” the cyan pegasus replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “But those were always formal things. I want to meet them on a personal level. To see the Wonderbolt way of life and be that much closer to becoming a Wonderbolt myself!” All Trader could do was smile uneasily, unaware of what he had just gotten himself into.

Eventually, the party slowed and wound down to an end. Ponies left in groups, all waving goodbye to everyone else as well as the stallion who the party was for. Applejack's friends also left, after Pinkie Pie packed up her supplies and rushed off to plan an upcoming birthday for a colt. It left Applejack and Trader alone in the barn, turned into a mess from the disposable decorations and scattered hay bales.

Though they were the ones having to pick up the mess left behind, it didn't bother Trader in the slightest as he was thankful to finally have some peace and quiet. Both ponies stayed silent as they pulled the decorations from the rafters, beams and floor, as well as stacking the hay bales neatly in a single place.

“That sure was... something,” Trader muttered offhandedly as he carried another hay bale across the room.

Applejack noticed pegasus' exacerbation and laughed. “Pinkie's parties do take a little gettin' used to. You'll see plenty more the longer you stay here. She'll always find a reason to throw another one.”

“So long as they're not for me, I'm fine,” the stallion remarked.

The statement caused a frown to be formed on the farmpony's expression, her mind turning back to the beginning of the festive event. “Trader,” she began, her tone unable to hide a bit of concern. “About what happened before... Why exactly did you react the way you did? You didn't seem all too excited about the party.”

It was Trader's turn to frown, having hoped it wouldn't be brought up. “It... It's nothing,” he replied. “I mean, I'm certainly grateful for the sentiment and everything... I'm just not one for surprises. They've never been a positive point in my life.”

“A positive point?” Applejack questioned. “What do you mean by that?”

A heavy sigh escaped the pegasus as he sat down the last hay bale and sat on top of it. “Whenever I would usually have a surprise, it was always for the worse. It was a surprise when I was told we were moving away from Ponyville. It was a surprise when I was living in Cloudsdale and I learned of what happened to my parents. Even back in Los Pegasus, it was just one bad surprise after the other. Whenever the unexpected happens, it always seems for the worse.” A small huff left the stallion through his nostrils as he formed a weak smile. “Truthfully, I think I've only ever had one good surprise.”

Applejack watched her friend with sympathy as she stepped forward and took a seat on the hay bale next to him. “Ah'm sorry to hear that,” she replied before asking, “What was that one good surprise?”

Trader's smile widened as he said, “It wasn't too long ago actually. When I came knocking on a door in need of work, and the one who opened it... was you. I never would have expected to see my old friend like that.”

Unable to help herself, Applejack laughed lightly at the answer. “That's sweet, Trader. You were a pretty good surprise too, if Ah do say so myself.”

They both shared in a good laugh as they sat together in the otherwise empty barn. As their moment of joy ended, Trader's eyes widened as he just remember something. Opening the saddlebags he was still wearing, the pegasus found what he was looking for and brought out the sack of treats he had bought at Sugercube Corner.

“I almost forgot. When I was in Ponyville today,” Trader said as he opened up the sack, “I ran across this bakery and decided to get something.” Holding the bag out to his friend, Applejack looked inside and gasped in a lapse of surprise.

Pulling one of the chocolaty treats out of the bag, the orange mare smiled broadly. “Choco-apple caramels?” she questioned in disbelief. “It's been ages since Ah've had one of these. Trader, how did you-”

“What?” the stallion asked in a nonchalant manner. “Remember that they were your favorite treat as a filly? Give me some credit, Applejack. You were my best friend, of course I'd remember something like that.”

Without saying another word, Trader took his own chocolate apple and together they chomped down greedily on the sweet splendor. Moans of savoring pleasure left them both as they tasted the caramel with relish. Mirth filled giggles left them both as well, realizing their own childlike reaction to the tasty treat.

“Mmm, that was mighty good,” Applejack said as she finished the candy. “Thank you kindly, Trader. It's nice to be able to relive old times.” In response, Trader gave a wide smile to her, his white teeth stained with clumps of chocolate and caramel, bringing a joyful laugh from the pony.

They both sat there and shared in the bag of treats. The doors to the barn were still wide open, allowing them both to see outside and catch the ending of sunlit sky and the coming of the night. It was a beautiful scene, as the last touches of twilight were coming and going, to be inevitably replaced with Princess Luna's starry sky.

The peaceful setting was enough to make almost anypony forget about their troubles and worries and simply enjoy the moment for all it was worth. Sadly, Trader's own worries weren't ones that were easily forgotten.”

Heads in the Clouds

Rainbow Dash smiled happily as she tore through the skies. The wind swept through her mane as her wings flapped as hard as they could, propelling her forward at grand speeds.

Beneath her, a sea of trees were nothing but blurs as she kept her gaze down toward them. Every detail was held within her sights as the many shades of leafy greens and earthy browns were all that she saw. But eventually, her smile turned to one of excitement as she spotted her target. A difficult to miss blotch of white that offset the typical colors of nature's splendor.

Diving straight down, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings even harder, not letting up even as her muscles began to ache. The ground came closer and closer to her, zooming up into her field of vision until it was all that she could see. At the last second, she pulled up, bringing her to land sharply on the ground, impacting the grassy earth with a heavy thud.

A startled gasp was heard as Trader fell backward, taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of the mare. It had been two days since both pegasi had seen each other at the party and Rainbow Dash's arrival was all but unexpected.

“Rainbow Dash...” the stallion murmured, picking himself up and taking a deep breath to calm his rattled nerves. “What are you doing here?” He looked about his immediate area, not seeing any particular reason for the cyan mare's presence. “If you're looking for Applejack, she's back up at the farm taking care of the-”

“I'm not here for Applejack,” Rainbow dash replied, eying Trader with an expectant look, as though he was supposed to inherently know what was going on. As the stallion remained quiet, the impatient pegasus frowned as she took it upon herself to elaborate. “The Wonderbolts are in Cloudsdale now, they just got back from their last show off in Trottingham the other day. Remember? You said you'd take me to go see them.”

A simple stare was the first reaction that the stallion held, looking at Rainbow Dash with a mild sense of surprise. “Now?” he questioned, not expecting for her to take him up on his offer so quickly.

“Well yeah,” Rainbow Dash said. “They're there right now, and you never know when they might have to head off again.” She wrapped her hooves around Trader's foreleg and began to pull on him, trying to yank him into the air with her for them to get moving. “Come on. We need to get going.”

Despite her urgency, Trader shook his head and pulled his leg away from the excited mare. “Now hold on,” he said. “I know I promised you and everything, but I can't just up and leave.” He nodded toward the trees around them, several of which were already stripped of apples. “I need to pick the rest of these trees. Applejack's my friend and everything, but I still have to do my job.” Though he was greatly improving his apple bucking ability, he was still somewhat slow and couldn't waste any time.

Huffing in frustration, Rainbow Dash flew into the air. She didn't fly up and leave. Instead, she darted straight into the nearest apple-filled tree, disappearing into the thick, green foliage. The top half of the tree rattled and shook with a heavy force. Then within moments, the red apples fell from the branches and landed in the waiting basket.

Before the apples even touched the basket however, the speeding pegasus was already flying into another nearby tree, only appearing as a streak of light blue. Just like with the last one, the tree shook and apples fell from the limbs. It continued like that for many trees, the baskets being filled with apples in a speed that caused the stallion to gape in shock. Barely a few minutes had passed and the entire section of trees was devoid of apples.

Rainbow Dash landed before the stallion again, a smirk filled with pride etched onto her face. “There,” she chided, “I think you've done enough work to earn a break.”

Once again, the unexpected had come to face Trader, forcing him to simply stare in surprise at what had just occurred. “Heh, well... I...” he tried saying, able to see he was being backed into a wall. “I really should make sure it's alright with Applejack. She might need my help with something, need me to stay here just in case.”

A narrow glare from the mare made the hairs on the back of the pegasus' neck stand on end. “Fine,” Rainbow Dash said, ready to play the game Trader was making for her, aiming to win. “Let's go ask her then.” Taking off again, the cyan-coated pony rushed through the air toward the farm.

His frown deepening, Trader went after her, unable to keep up with her speed and eventually making it to the farm minutes after her own arrival. Just outside the barn, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were already in a discussion. A slight look of confusion was worn on the farmpony's face as the pegasus looked to be doing most of the talking. As Trader approached, a look of relief flashed onto her expression.

“There you are, Trader,” Applejack said expectantly. “Now, what in tarnation is goin' on? Rainbow says you wana take a break?”

“What?” Trade blinked, having no idea what the rainbow-maned mare had told his boss. “N-no, I mean, well kind of... but-”

“He just wants to take off for a bit,” Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Most of his work's done and we need to get to Cloudsdale pronto.”

Applejack said nothing for some time, stuck in a silent pause as her gaze drifted between her two friends, seeing Rainbow Dash's eagerness and impatience bubbling out of her like hot water. “This is about the Wonderbolts, isn't it?” she asked, her deadpanned expression aiming toward her cyan friend.

An excited nod, rivaling that of Pinkie's own happiness, was the pegasus' response. Her entire body was almost shaking as she was awaiting for her friend to relinquish her worker over to her. Trader was quick to notice it as well, part of him silently hoping that Applejack would force him to continue working.

“Well,” the farmpony replied, “Ah guess if it's that important to ya, Rainbow. As long as his work gets done, Trader can take off for a few.”

“Yes!” Rainbow Dash cheered triumphantly before shooting off of the ground at an amazing starting speed. “Okay, come on, Trader. Let's go!” Hovering in the air, the pegasus waved her forelegs up towards the sky, beckoning for them to depart without another wasted moment.

Trader looked back to Applejack for a second, a hint of reluctant in his eyes, before he flapped his wings and went after his fellow pegasus. The cowpony watched as her friends elevated higher and higher, eventually disappearing within the fluffy clouds.

As the two pegasi flew toward the city nestled in the clouds, though it went against her natural pride, Rainbow Dash intentionally slowed her high flying speeds. There was no doubt in her mind that the stallion accompanying her wouldn't be able to match her top speeds, she was at least considerate enough to take it into account and soar at an average speed.

Even with the stunted flying however, Rainbow Dash found herself still alone, with Trader repeatedly falling behind as he had trouble keeping up with her. “Come one, Trader,” she called out in her growing indignation. “It'll be winter by the time we get there!” Stopping to hover in place, she looked behind herself and was surprised to see how far behind the stallion really was.

As Rainbow Dash flew back to where Trader was catching up, the white-coated continued to fly forward as fast as he could, his breathing beginning to turn heavy as he pushed himself. “Sorry, Rainbow Dash,” he said almost breathlessly. “I'm just not that fast of a flier.”

“What's the deal?” the mare questioned, taking the statement with a grand amount of disbelief. “Speed's like the first thing they teach you back in flight camp.”

Trader looked down at the far away ground, his expression becoming embarrassed slightly. “Well,” he murmured, “I never went to flight camp.”

Rainbow blinked in surprise, having expected most pegasi to have been through the Cloudsdale flight camp at one point while they were a foal. “Really?”

“Yeah,” nodded the stallion. “My parents weren't able to afford it. We lived in Ponyville at the time and they couldn't get residency in Cloudsdale, so it was too expensive to send me there for flight camp.” As Rainbow Dash developed a pitying look about her, the white pegasus shrugged. “It's not too bad. It's not very often that my lack of flying ability has really effected anything.” A small smile developed on his face. “Besides, I probably wouldn't have been friends with Applejack had I gone.”

“Then we wouldn't be going to Cloudsdale now,” Rainbow Dash thought aloud.

A light chuckle escaped the stallion. “Exactly,” he said pointedly. “Now, let's get going.”

Taking her flying much slower, Rainbow Dash stayed beside the pegasus and they each flew at a brisk pace. Even with the mare's natural needs for speed and adrenaline fueled flying, she was content with simply taking it easier for the sake of her companion.

They took the extended time to chat idly while they continued to reach their destination. It was mostly about Rainbow Dash's love of all things Wonderbolt related, how it was her dream to someday join them, as well as the few times she had meet several of the members for various reasons.

Eventually, they stopped talking as their eyes laid upon where they were headed. The massive plumes of white cotton candy making up the foundations for the magnificent city of Cloudsdale was the first thing they noticed. Fluffy white buildings were nestled atop the cloudy platforms, with small puffs of clouds that held decorative columns that were for esthetic purposes. Pegasi of all colors flew about the sprawling city, as busy as Canterlot on any given day.

But the sights and sounds of the high-flying city weren't what the two ponies were looking for as Rainbow Dash and Trader flew above it all. Their gazes were focused on locating one building in particular, the very building that was causing the cyan mare's heart to beat faster with excitement.

Far toward the very edge of the city, there was one building in particular that everypony there knew of. It was as large as the great Cloud Colosseum. Shaped like a large rectangle, it was decorated with pillars running across the sides and statues of several pegasi by the front entrance.

The place looked relatively deserted, despite who was inside the building itself. Only one pony was nearby, guarding the archway that made up the entrance to the building, and going against what would otherwise make the area empty. He was a burly stallion, nearly twice the size as an average pegasus, with an ashy coat and blotchy, gray mane. The stallion's gaze was locked into a surly look of fierceness, looking as though he could make even the captain of the royal guard quiver in his armor.

Ignoring the stallion's combative appearance however, Trader didn't miss a beat as they flew closer toward the entrance. As the guard's eyes shifted toward them however, the white-coated stallion stopped, causing Rainbow Dash to follow suit. “You should probably wait here for a second,” he said, turning to her for a second as he gestured for her to stay put. Not wanting to ruin her chances at getting inside the building, Rainbow Dash complied and landed on the soft cloud underneath of them, waiting patiently as Trader approached the bulked stallion.

The guard's gaze noticeably softened as he saw Trader's coming, turning into a welcoming smile as the expression was returned to him. Though they were a good distance away, the lack of anyone else being nearby allowed Rainbow Dash to hear their voices clearly as they began to talk.

“Well I'll be, if it isn't Trade Jack,” the stallion said with a laugh, his booming voice sounding very deep. “What brings you this far up in the clouds?” The stallion's eyes shifted toward Rainbow Dash for a split second before being re-focused on the smaller stallion before him. “Who's the mare?”

Trader's smile became one of uneasiness as he too looked toward the waiting pegasus for a moment. “Well, that's my girlfriend Rainbow Dash.” The aforementioned mare felt herself taken aback by the sudden claim, even if she knew the one making it knew it was an outright lie.

The guarding stallion suddenly burst into laughter, sounding like a crackle of thunder in his throat. “By Celestia,” he mused, “she's quite the looker. I gotta say, that's one thing about you I don't understand. You seem to have awful luck anywhere else, but it seems when it comes to mares, you're outright the luckiest stallion I've ever seen.”

A weak chuckle left Trader, he smiled meekly as he said, “Heh, you may be right. I certainly do feel luck to be with such a beautiful gal. Anyway, I'm here because I've told her about my time here. I figured you could let me in to, you know, try and impress her.”

There was a bit of a pause as the ash-coated stallion looked between the two pegasi making a request. Then, a large smile made his lips spread wide as he stepped aside from the entrance. “Of course,” he said cheerfully. “You know it's not usually allowed, but I'm sure everypony's willing to make an exception with ya. It's not like you burned any bridges when you left.” Almost immediately, the stallion's smile was replaced with a deep frown as he muttered, “Sort of.”

Trader shared in the frown before he turned toward the waiting Rainbow Dash and beckoned her forward. As she stood beside the white-coated pegasus, her body flinched slightly as she felt Trader nuzzle against her for a moment. “Okay, sweetie,” he said, “let's go inside to meet some of the guys.”

All that Rainbow Dash could do was give a quick nod as they trotted into the building. There was a tense silence between both ponies as the distance between them and the guarding stallion increased. After she was certain he wouldn't be able to hear them, the cyan mare eyed Trader for a moment with a flattened expression. “You're 'beautiful girlfriend,' huh?” she remarked, making the stallion laugh uneasily.

“It was a little last minute, but it seemed like the best option,” he admitted. “I figured me trying to impressive a girlfriend looked a lot better than me taking a friendly fan to see her idols.”

“It's not like you needed to lie,” Rainbow remarked. “What if he didn't believe you?”

“Why wouldn't he?” Trader asked rhetorically. “It's not like we have a nefarious agenda or anything. Besides, I made it believable enough, since it wasn't a complete lie.” Trader then came to trot ahead of the mare as Rainbow Dash stopped for a second, a thought buzzing in her mind as she questioned whether or not she had just been complimented by the stallion. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she quickly galloped forward to catch up with her companion.

The massive building they were in became a long hallway with many different branching rooms that led to other places. As they passed them by, Rainbow Dash could see many different pegasi as they went about their day. Some were in rooms with training equipment, working out their wing muscles to improve their flying, while others relaxed in rec-rooms designed specifically for that purpose.

Among the many ponies they saw, Rainbow Dash saw several familiar faces. Even though Wonderbolts usually kept themselves covered with their uniforms, she could still make out the members on the spot. She was becoming more and more excited as she just wanted to run up to one of them and try and gain their attention. Among the Wonderbolts were ponies who she didn't recognize. The giddy mare quickly realized who they were, cloudies who helped the actual members with whatever they needed. She was surprised by how close they all seemed, sharing a heavy feeling of teamwork among them, despite their different jobs. It became clear to her why Trader was so easily welcomed back.

At the end of the hallway, there was a large entryway, wide enough to fit several ponies all at once. As they went inside, Rainbow Dash was awestruck at what she saw. It was a massive chamber, reaching up to the ceiling in height and about the size of a large stadium. On the far left of the room, a group of Wonderbolts were busy working out their routines for a coming show, flying through the air with a synchronized grace that almost made Rainbow faint.

The right of the room had two tracks made into the cloud floor. One was much larger than the other, clearly to help the fliers with their speed and endurance, while the smaller one had several obstacles to help them with control. Rainbow Dash's eyes were riveted on the spot as several Wonderbolts were already using the tracks, becoming blue blurs as the speeding color of their uniform was all that could be seen from them.

“It's nice, isn't it?” Trader said with a laugh, seeing the mare's reaction to it all.

“It's amazing!” Rainbow Dash breathed, having never thought she would actually be able to see the Wonderbolts' training hall.

Another chuckle of amusement came from the stallion as he began to look around the large room. “Well, it can get even better. If I can find Soarin, I'm sure he wouldn't mind meet-” Before he could finish, Trader's sentence was destroyed as a speeding shape suddenly crashed into the pony. It was another stallion, flying toward them at unparalleled speeds. The two pegasi rolled across the cloud floor like a wheel before Trader found himself on his back, pinned down by his opponent who was grinning from ear to ear.

“I gotcha!” he said triumphantly. It was obvious by the uniform he wore that he was a Wonderbolt, while his long mane was swept back, looking as though he had been flying against a violent windstorm.

“Oh... hey, Soarin... good to see you too,” Trader muttered in reply, groaning slightly from the two hooves being pressed against his chest.

Soarin looked bemused as he released the stallion from his pin. “It's been ages since I've seen you last,” he said. “How has ol' Trade Jack been?”

“No worse for the wear,” Trader replied as he picked himself up. “I'm actually living in Ponyville now.”

Soarin nodded his head in affirmation. “Yeah, I heard you left Manehattan. Figured you would've flown up here for a bit to say hello though.”

“You heard that?” the white stallion muttered, a look of worry crossing him for a moment. “Well... I would probably say hi more often, but you're usually too busy anyway. I'm actually here now to introduce you to somepony.” He extended a hoof outward toward the cyan-coated pegasus. “This is Rainbow Dash, a friend of mine from Ponyville.”

Looking at the mare for a moment, a large smile developed on Soarin's face. “Rainbow Dash,” he said with a tone of familiarity. “It's been a while since I've seen you too. Not since that wedding, I think.”

“Oh, h-hi, Soarin,” Rainbow Dash returned, becoming sheepish in a matter of moments as the Wonderbolt eyed her.

Trader was surprised himself as he realized they knew one another, how far he didn't know but there was still knowledge of one another. His own thoughts on it were halted however, as a new, but familiar, voice spoke up among them.

“What's going on here?” The three pegasi turned to see another Wonderbolt flying down toward them. A mare with a fiery red and yellow mane, looking as though it had been set ablaze. As she landed next to them, her eyes drifted toward Trader, causing her to step back in an obvious display of surprise. “Trader? What are you doing here?”

“Hey, Spitfire,” Trader greeted, his uneasy smile returning to him. “I'm just... you know, visiting old friends and the like. There's no problem with that, right?”

“The fact that you really shouldn't be here is,” the captain of the Wonderbolts replied, her tone becoming calmed as she addressed the stallion.

“Come on, Spitfire,” Soarin urged. “It's Trader we're talking about here. You and I know it's alright for him to be here.”

“Maybe,” the mare murmured. Her eyes eventually found their way to Rainbow Dash, causing her to raise a questioning eyebrow. “And we're allowing guests in here now too?”

With quick steps, Trader began pushing the mare away from Soarin and Rainbow Dash, off toward another part of the room. “Nothing special,” he replied as he continued to push her away. “Let's leave them alone for a moment though, we can catch up.”

Getting out of earshot for Soarin and Rainbow Dash, Trader eyed Spitfire flatly, muttering, “If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to throw me out of here.”

“You're not a cloudie anymore, Trader,” she retorted passively. “I may be captain, but it's not like I'm above breaking the rules.”

“I guess it's all about rules and being captain then?” the stallion questioned. “I suppose some things don't change.”

A frown developed on Spitfire's expression at his words. “That's not fair,” she said defensively. “You know what I had to do to get where I am today.”

“Sacrifices for the greater good I suppose,” Trader replied, almost in a cross tone. “But... sorry, I know neither of us want that brought up. I'm not trying to bother you or anything, just here for a friend and to say hi to Soarin.” A sigh escaped him as he eyed the ground for a moment. “There aren't many chances for me to do that these days.”

“It has been a while since anypony has seen you up here,” Spitfire said, an expression of concern appearing even underneath of her uniform. “Just from... what I've heard, what's happened to you after you left. I hope none of it's true.” The white-coated stallion didn't say a word, his sights continuously looking south as he was unable to look the captain in the eyes. It was all the answer she needed. “Trader... please, I know you're not one to like getting help unless it's earned. But... if you're really in trouble, I could pull some strings and try to get you your old job back as a cloudie.”

Trader shook his head at the offer, finally meet the mare face to face. “No, that's alright,” he said. “I wouldn't want you putting your neck out on the line for me, especially if something were to happen again.” A small, cheerful smile grew on his face. “Anyway, I'm quite happy with what I'm doing now.”

Then, the captain of the Wonderbolts gained a slight grin as she looked at the stallion with a growing mirth. “Oh,” she said knowingly, “I get it. She sure must be something special.”

“Wh-what?” Trader stammered, looking surprised by the sudden statement. “She?”

“Don't try and fool me,” Spitfire chided playfully. “Of course this has to do with a mare, a job with 'benefits' I'm sure.”

Trader gaped at the captain, horrified. “N-no,” quickly blurted out. “It's nothing like that! She's just an old friend!”

“Mm-hmm,” Spitfire replied, unconvinced. “I've seen that look in your eyes before, Trader. After all, I think I'd be able to see it better than anypony else.”

Quickly becoming defensive, the stallion glared at the teasing mare angrily. “I don't have a look!”

Watching the two ponies talk, Soarin began to grin devilishly, finding great amusement even though he couldn't here them. “Ah,” he mused to himself, “they go so great together. It's a shame what happened to them.”

“What happened to them?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously, looking at the two talking with a wondering mind.

Soarin chuckled for a moment as he said, “It's not really my place to say. You'd have to talk to him about it. Anyway, aren't you here for another reason?”

“Oh... well... I,” Rainbow Dash tried saying, quickly losing her confidence around the stallion. “I just really wanted to get in here, look around the training hall, talk to some of the Wonderbolts....”

An amused smile continued to grow on Soarin's face as he watched the mare's reactions. “Well, I'm a Wonderbolt,” he replied. “If you really want to talk to one, why not me?”

Nearly losing her breath at the offer, the cyan mare nodded her head with a grand amount of eagerness. “Yeah, I'd really like to.”

“Alright then,” Soarin said happily. “Why not on Tuesday? I'll have a schedule free day to just relax. I know a great place to go to for lunch and we can talk and just, you know, hang out.”

“That'd be awesome!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly, thinking of no better way to spend a day.

“Great,” the stallion said with cheer. A sly smirk formed on the corner of his mouth. “I can tell all about the more juicy details around here too. Like Fleetfoot's fear of thunder, or how Spitfire snores as loud as a manticore.”

“What did you say I do, Soarin?” A questioning voice asked. Soarin's entire body stiffened like a statue at that very moment, looking as though he would tear right out of his uniform. Jerking his head around, he came face to face with a very displeased looking Spitfire, her gaze on him looking almost as fiery as her mane.

“Oh... I uh... I don't remember,” he quickly said, swallowing a lump in his throat.

“Right,” the captain murmured, sounding unconvinced. “Well, maybe you'll remember while you're doing fifty laps around the track.”

A groan escaped Soarin as he looked pleadingly at the mare. “Oh, come on, Spitfire. Trader's the one who told me.” The very stallion was standing nearby, glaring at his accusatory friend as Spitfire eyed the two of them.

“Let's make that a hundred laps around the track,” Spitfire said in an even tone. “Now get to it, that's an order.”

“B-but I...” the punished Wonderbolt tried saying, eventually accepting his fate with a sigh before turning to Trader. “Well, see you when I see you, Trader. Try not to be such a stranger.” Heaving another dejected sigh, he flew off toward the track, beginning his first lap out of many.

As Soarin served his punishment, Spitire's glazing gaze was directed at Trader. “I think you should probably get going. I'm sure you're eager to get back to your... 'job.'” She uttered the last word with an emphasis that caused the stallion to frown in indignation.

“Goodbye to you too, Spitfire,” Trader replied as he turned toward the exit. “Let's get going Rainbow.”

Though she hadn't had the experience she had expected, Rainbow Dash did enjoy the short time she had within the training hall. Accepting that that time was at an end, she trotted beside her company as they left the building. Once they were both outside, the two pegasi took off into the air, their home of Ponyville in their sights as they soared across the sky.

There was a long silence between the two of them. Trader looked as though he had nothing to say, but in Rainbow Dash's case, she was busy thinking on what had been going on. As she began to piece together everything that had happened, her eyes widened as a sharp gasp of an epiphany hit her.

“I just figured it out,” she said in her realization, making the stallion beside her eye her questioningly. “You and Spitfire, you two were together, weren't you?!”

Trader's eyes widened at the sudden question, making him appear far more guilty than he wanted to. “What?! N-no! That's ridiculous. Where would you get an absurd idea like that?” Though he denied the claims that were made of him, he was betrayed by his own body as his cheeks blushed heavily, made even more clear with his snow-white coat.

“Soarin kind of alluded to it,” Rainbow replied. “He said what happened to you two was a shame.”

“I-I,” Trader tried to say, his eyes forming into a glare toward his friend. “I'm going to have to have a word with him when I get the chance...”

“So it's true?!” Rainbow Dash questioned again, looking both shocked and amazed by the discovery.

Seeing that the topic wouldn't end if he didn't answer her, a dreary sigh was given as his first reply before Trader nodded his head. “Yes, alright, it's true,” he said, sounding more like a confession than an affirmation. “It was... a while back, before she was even captain. It's not like it's unheard of for this to happen among the team, or anything. So it's not like it's a big deal.”

“Is that why you don't work for them anymore?” the cyan mare asked, becoming enamored with every word that the stallion was saying.

“Oh... well, no actually,” the pegasus replied. “I was fired when I was apart of an incident that... set their first race track on fire...” A confused stare was earned from Rainbow Dash at the answer, wordlessly asking for more of an elaboration. “It's a long story.”

Wanting to know more, Rainbow pushed the latter topic aside to continue on their first one. “So, you actually dated a Wonderbolt?”

Trader shrugged, playing it off as casually as he could. “It's not like being a Wonderbolt added anything to it. We just spent most of our time together since we worked in the same place. It was actually her being a Wonderbolt that was the problem.” His gaze locked onto Rainbow's as though he needed to make his next point clear. “Don't get me wrong, she's a great mare and everything, we really had no complaints about one another. It's just that... she always had a first love in her life, the Wonderbolts. She was dedicated to them, making our relationship... a bit nonexistent at times. Then, when she was promoted, she completely immersed herself in the position, which made us grow apart as time went on. The only time we ever really saw each other after that was when I worked, and she was always too busy to even have a simple chat with. When I was fired as a cloudie, it was sort of the final nail in the coffin. The feelings were mutual when we decided to end it, so there's really no bitterness between us.”

“That's too bad,” Rainbow Dash replied, having a hard time seeing the captain of the Wonderbolts having much free time herself.

“It's all in the past,” the stallion returned dismissively. “Just more stuff you can't dwell on. Anyway, you should be excited about yourself, did you and Soarin get a chance to chat?”

“Oh yeah” Rainbow nodded happily. “Well, actually, we really didn't get too long, but he invited me to have lunch with him so we can hang out and talk alone.”

Trader looked surprised at that, eying the mare with a small smile. “Huh, so you've got a date with him, that's nice.”

“What?” Rainbow Dash asked, not understanding where her companion was getting at. “It's not like that, I'm sure he just meant...” Then, the cyan-coated mare's face turned into a mixed expression of shock and sudden realization. Her eyes opened wide as her mouth hung open. “I-I've got a date with Soarin?!”

Late-Night Incidents

The small cottage abode of Fluttershy was filled with the accumulating noise of chirping birds and squeaking critters. Their beady eyes were alight with anticipation as their favorite pegasus mare slowly made her rounds across her living room. A large bag in her grasp, she dangled it above the many bowls that were scattered across the floor.

As soon as the small bits of food had fallen, the famished creatures descended upon the unsuspecting bowl, digging in happily. While they already began eating, Fluttershy moved to her feathered friends, filling their houses that were hung all across the room with seed, receiving happy chirps of appreciation before they too began to dig in.

It was a happy, peaceful scene as the loving pegasus watched the adorable critters fill their small bellies. Then, it was shattered. At an incredible speed, the front door swung open, a cyan-coated mare bursting through at an even faster rate. With shrieks and squeals of fright, the animals scattered in all directions, chaos ensuing in a miniature form as their little paws scurried across the ground and they darted to the deepest corners of the room to hide.

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash shouted upon seeing her pink-manned friend. “I need your help!”

Confusion was the dominate feeling that the meek mare had, staring at the colorful pony for a moment before saying, “What's wrong?”

That question alone opened the floodgates. Rainbow Dash's voice was frantic, her words pouring out of her like water. It was as though she had swapped personalities with Pinkie Pie for a moment. “I'm looking for something to wear!” she shouted, looking desperate.

Further explanation was given as the pegasus darted up the nearby stairs and into Fluttershy's bedroom. The animal caretaker followed after her friend, hearing the sound of fabric trailing as she saw Rainbow Dash searching through a wardrobe she had.

“What do you think I should wear?!” Rainbow Dash blurted out, beads of sweat showing clearly on her face as her widened gaze looked through her friend's outfits. “Maybe a simple dress? No, no, he wouldn't like that! Something more fancy? Ugh, no, it should be something casual! Maybe a- No! Come on, are these the only clothes you have?!”

Again, filled with little else but confusion as to what was going on, the yellow pegasus asked, “What are you talking about? You're not making any sense.”

She almost regretted the question as Rainbow Dash's gaze was immediately drawn to her, looking half-deranged as she bolted toward the mare, wrapping her forelegs around her and shaking her rapidly. “I've got a date with Soarin!” she blurted out through her near-throttling of her friend. “The Soarin! As in the Wonderbolt Soarin!”

There was evident shock written on Fluttershy's face as she stared blankly at her friend, feeling somewhat dazed, but not from the treatment by her friend. “A... date?” she questioned.

A frown creased across Rainbow Dash's mouth before she turned back to look at Fluttershy's choice of clothing. “Well,” she started, “it's not really a date... It's just lunch, right? Does he have to specify? And even Trader thought it was a date, and he knew Soarin longer than anypony! Now I just need to know what to wear. Should it be something big or... no, no, it's just lunch, can't make it too much now... Oh... I just don't know...”

Fluttershy hadn't seen Rainbow Dash act in such a way for some time, an odd mixture of giddy and frantic that didn't meld together very well with the high-speeds pegasus she knew. Seeing that her situation would only get worse, as well as the organization of her clothes, if she didn't say anything, the yellow-coated mare lightly cleared her throat and said, “Um... well, I don't think you would really need anything. You'd be just fine... as is...”

A light gasp escaped the energetic pegasus as the revelation hit her as well, a fierce and determined expression replacing her previous frantic one. “That's right!” she proclaimed. “I'm awesome just the way I am!” A proud smile spread across her face as she voiced her realization. “Some frilly dress or stupid piece of clothing would only bring my awesomeness down! Soarin knows that, and I bet he wants me at my peak!”

What came next elicited a sharp squeak of surprise from the animal caretaker as Rainbow Dash grabbed onto her, wrapping her forelegs around her in a tight hug. “Thank you so much, Fluttershy,” she said happily. She then let the mare go and began moving back toward the front door she had come bursting through just a few minutes ago. “I gotta go now, but I'll tell ya all about it tomorrow. See ya, Fluttershy!” The last of her words were uttered while the cyan pegasus was already flying into the skies, her voice trailing off and disappearing entirely as she disappeared into the clouds.

It was only after they were completely certain that she was gone did the fearful animals come crawling out of their hiding places, looking understandably tense from the sudden intrusion that none of them were expecting. Fluttershy didn't pay the simple creatures any mind however, her gaze focused on the skies as she looked out her door.

“Good-bye... Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said in her late farewell, a look of worry and sadness on her face as she saw her dear friend leaving.

As the skies began to darken, Celestia's sun drifting down behind the horizon, a breath of relief escaped Trader as he carried his heavy load toward the barn for the final time. Behind him, the soft squeak of turning wheels was heard as he pulled the wagon he was strapped down to.

Big Mac had finally finished his repairs, allowing them to use it on the farm once again. It certainly made a difference, being much easier to carry the heavy baskets of apples from the trees to the barn. They were also able to carry many more, not just one at a time.

Though the Apple family seemed to have a near-endless field of apple trees, the white pegasus couldn't help but feel he was making a dent in the number of them that actually held apples, seeing more and more trees that were bare the longer he worked. But with the day ending however, that also put an end to his work, not that he was complaining.

As he moved to bring the last of his apples into the barn though, he saw an odd sight. There was a large panel rising out of the ground at an angle near the entrance to the barn. Trader had never seen it before and soon realized why, as the top of it completely blended in with the ground surrounding it.

Examining the sight further, he saw that the panel was previously concealing a hidden stairway, leading down deep underneath of the barn. Curious, the stallion released himself from the wagon and made his way down the creaky steps.

It led to what looked like a primitive basement. The ceiling was only a few feet higher than an average stallion, lined with criss-crossing wooden beams as well as ones that stuck into the ground itself to keep the entire thing from collapsing. The four walls that made up the room were mad of stone, while the ground itself was just dirt that was packed in.

Despite the height of the room, it was very spacious, stretching out at nearly twice the size of his basement dwelling. Much of its space was already filled however, multitudes of wooden barrels taking up the majority of the room. Several of them were filled to the brim with apples, while the contents of others were unknown as they were sealed shut.

Against the wall closest to the entrance, a large counter was pushed against it with several barrels resting on top, as well as several mugs stacked beside them. Each barrel had a spigot attached to it, making the pegasus all the more curious as to what was inside. Next to one such barrel was Applejack, the farmpony drinking from a mug as she turned to see her friend watching her.

“Oh, it's you, Trader,” Applejack said as she finished her drink, smacking her lips happily. “Ah see you've found our apple cellar.”

"Apple cellar, huh?” the pegasus murmured as he took another look at his surroundings.

The orange-coated mare nodded. “Yup. Like Ah said before, your room used to be it. Then we made a new one under the barn, makin' it a lot bigger and so we didn't have to bring everythin' into the house.” She looked at the collection of barrels along with the stallion, a smile of pride on her face. “We usually just store the apples that we aren't gonna bake into anything here. Lately though, we've been workin' on ways to store barrels of our famous cider too. Our cider seasons always leave ponies wantin' more, so we thought we'd try a few ways to preserve it so we have even more when the time comes.” She gave the stallion a knowing look. “Ah don't think you've ever had any of our cider before, since you've been away from Ponyville for so long. That'll sure be a treat for ya.”

Trader slowly nodded his head. “Can't say that I have,” he murmured, his gaze slowly falling back to the barrels that had spigots on them. “Is that what you were sampling?”

Her own eyes being drawn to the barrels, a mirthful smile appeared on her face as she said, “Nope, that's somethin' much better than plain ol' cider!” Holding up her mug, she took another gulp of whatever was inside. It was then that the pegasus noticed a faint, rosy tint appearing over the mare's freckled cheeks.

“Something better, huh?” Trader remarked, having an idea as to what it was.

“Mmhmm,” replied Applejack. “An Apple family secret recipe, some of the best drink you can taste this side of Equestria! We don't ever sell it though, only savin' it for friends and family. But it's just the thing to help unwind after a hard day of work.” Setting her own mug down, she reached for another and held it under the tap. A frothy liquid poured out from it, nearly filling the mug to the brim before she pulled away and extended her hoof toward the peagasus. “Here, try some.”

Taking the mug from her, Trader looked down at the liquid that was inside. It was a dark-amber color, with small amounts of froth around it. Swirling it around for a few moments, he brought it too his lips and took a sizable gulp.

What hit him first was the warm sensation flowing down his throat and into his stomach, like a dull flame trailing through his body. The taste itself was something odd as well, his tongue coated with a natural sweetness that almost made him think that a pile of sugar had been dumped into his mug. Besides that, there was an apple aftertaste that stayed with him long after he had swallowed, but that was to be expected. Other than that though, the white-coated stallion was surprised by the lack of actual kick that it had.

“Wow,” Trader said, giving Applejack a positive smile, “this stuff certainly is good.”

“Ah knew you'd like it,” the mare replied with a proud smirk on her face. Her expression didn't last long however as she took notice to a disapproving frown slowly making its way to replace the stallion's smile.

“But...” the pegasus murmured carefully, “as good as it is, it's not really that strong.”

“What do you mean, 'not that strong'?” Applejack asked, sounding slightly offended.

An uneasy smile appeared on his face as he chose his words carefully, not wanting to strike the mare's ire. “Now, don't get me wrong,” he said, “it's one of the tastiest brews I can say I've ever had, but it's not something that can knock you off your hooves, like a lot of ponies might be looking for in a drink.”

Not wanting to meet Applejack's gaze, he looked back down into his mug, swirling the rest of the liquid in a clockwise direction. “It could just be me though,” he added. “I mean, I worked at a tavern in Fillydelphia, sampled most of the drinks they served, so I know I can handle my own better than most other ponies.”

Taking a step toward him, Applejack's eyes narrowed as she locked squarely onto the stallion's own. “Is that some sorta challenge?” she demanded.

“W-what?” Trader questioned, taken aback by the assumption. “No, no, I'm just saying that-”

“Ah know what you're sayin',” the farmpony huffed indignantly. “Thinkin' this is some kinda weak drink or somethin'. After barely a sip no less. Bet you think Ah'm some lightweight too because of it, huh?”

“I... I didn't say that...” Trader tried saying, trying to shake away the words that were being put in his mouth.

But Applejack didn't even hear him, her gaze focused on the barrel before her as she filled two mugs up and thrust one toward the stallion. “We'll see about that,” she said, her glare on him promising a great many things if he even dared to refuse her.

Trader could see it clearly enough, the old and unmistakable determination in her eyes. It was something he saw a lot back when they were foals, the stubbornness that rivaled that of a the most crotchety of mules. She was now fixated on besting him, something that even Celestia herself wouldn't be able to stop.

Releasing a small sigh, Trader resigned himself to play her game, unsure as to whether or not he would end up regretting the decision, not that he had a choice. Taking the mug from her, both ponies shared a momentary stare off before they tilted their heads back and chugged their first official drink.

It was a bit difficult for the pegasus to get it all down in one go, his throat still getting used to the warmth of it. Applejack on the other hand guzzled it like a pro, already refilling her mug by the time her opponent was finished.

A shuddering thought went through the stallion's mind, thinking that he had bitten off more than he could chew. As though reading his mind, Applejack developed a smirk as they began swallowing down their latest mug, certain that she was going to drink the stallion under the table.

Several mugs later however, Trader felt little more than a buzz in the back of his mind. Though his stomach felt full, bursting with the warm liquid he was ingesting, there was only a few passing moments where his head seemed to swim. Mostly, he could barely keep his eyes from falling half-open, feeling more sleepy than anything.

Applejack was a much different story. The apple tasting brew sloshed about in her mug, small amounts of it spilling over the sides as she had difficulty standing without swaying back and forth. Her green eyes seemed distant, unable to focus on anything for very long, while the orange on her face was almost completely enveloped by a rosy tint. There was even an occasional hiccup from her, followed by a stunted giggle.

Most notable was the fact that the farmpony seemed to have forgotten all about their little drinking contest, talking to Trader in a casual tone, much of it being complaints about a certain unicorn she knew. “And then... and then Rarity goes on to say my hooves were still dirty,” she said, “even after Ah washed 'em. Can ya... believe that?”

“No... not at all,” Trader replied, humoring her as he took small sips from his mug. Though he was sure he had won their little contest, he wasn't sure how to break it to the mare, or how to stop her.

“She's a good friend an' all,” Applejack continued, “but sometimes... that... that prissyness can get right on your nerves. A pony needs to... to get down and dirty when the need calls for it, ya know? But nope, not her, she was just like that when we were all foals too.”

A simple shrug came from the stallion as he replied, “Some things just don't change, I guess.”

Huffing slightly, Applejack's gaze fell back onto the pegasus before her, her lips parting into a sheepish smile. “And Ah guess other things do too,” she murmured, taking a step forward. “You... you know, it's been mighty sweet of ya to be helpin' us out like ya have... Workin' so hard...” A bubbly giggle escaped her, as she took another step forward. “Ah bet Rarity's all... all kinds of jealous too... Me gettin' this strong... and handsome stallion to work with...”

Trader's ears twitched and his eyes fully opened as he stared at the mare for a moment, just noticing how she was closer than she had been before. “E-Excuse me?” he questioned, certain that he had heard her wrong.

“You know...” Applejack continued, her half-lidded gaze never leaving the stallion, “Ah never noticed how cute you've gotten...”

Shock was showing clearly on Trader's face as he said, “Uh... Applejack, what... what are you doing?” Beads of sweat forming on his brow, he took an immediate step backwards. In response, the farmpony took another one forward. It continued like that for several moments, with every step the pegasus took, Applejack took one as well.

Soon, it came to an end, with Trader's flank bumping into the wall, trapping him as Applejack continued to clear the space between them. Soon enough, only a few inches were separating them, her lips pursed as she finalized her approach.

“N-now, Applejack,” the uneasy stallion tried to say, “just... just... think about this for a min-” Unable to finish, Trader was silenced as, only a few more steps away, the unsteady Applejack stumbled forward. It caused for the mare's nose to be pushed against the stallion's mouth before she inadvertently knocked him over and onto the ground.

Trader lied there on the floor, his entire body seizing up and frozen despite how warm he felt. Applejack rested on top of him, having fallen over him as they tumbled. All the pegasus could do was stare blankly up at the ceiling, unable to move or even create the thought of doing so.

It wasn't until he heard a light snoring did he find the will, looking at the orange-coated mare as she was clearly unconscious, fallen into a deep sleep from all of the homemade brew she had consumed.

Left unsure as to what he should do, Trader slowly began to squirm his way up, trying his best to get the sleeping earth pony off of him without disturbing her too greatly. Once again however, the pegasus' body froze as he felt a presence, turning his gaze to the side to see Big Macintosh standing there, his eyes dead set on him.

“Big Mac!” Trader exclaimed, nearly throwing Applejack off of him as he quickly scrambled onto his four hooves. Eyes wide, gaping wordlessly at the red stallion with him, the pegasus frantically looked between him and his sister. “Th-This isn't what it looks like! I... She... We...”

Big Mac said nothing in response, his expression just as flat as it typically was. Only his eyes seemed to move as they shifted from Trader to Applejack and then locking onto the barrel they had used in their competition. Then, much to the pegasus' surprise, he simply said, “You challenged her, didn't you?”

“N-no...” Trader tried to explain, finding it difficult to think straight with the heavy beating in his own chest. “I mean... not really... I just... She gave me a drink and I said it was a little weak and then she goes off about how-” Again, his sentence was stopped as Big Mac gave a weary sigh.

Silently, the large stallion approached his sleeping sister and hoisted her up onto his back, her body hanging limply atop him. Heading for the stairs that led back up and out of the cellar, the faint murmuring of the stallion could be heard. “Wish she wouldn't get like this... Be settin' a bad example for Applebloom.”

For several minutes, Trader simply stood there, hoof pressed against his chest. All he could do was breathe in and out in an attempt to steady himself, feeling as though his heart would give out at any moment.

Morning was a horrendous event for the poor stallion. Though the drink he had consumed the night before didn't hit him as hard as it had his competitor, the usual effects of one such beverage caught up to him the moment he awoke.

Head pounding continuously, feeling as though a raging thunderstorm had gone off inside of his skull, Trader nearly had to drag himself out of bed and outside into the farm. He cursed the sun for being too bright, and the ground for being too hard.

But his self-hatred for himself and everything around him was ended quickly as he heard his name being called by a familiar voice. It took only moments for Applejack to run up to him, a large smile spread across her face with an energy that she had before any hard day of work.

“Good mornin', Trader. Ya sleep well?” she asked pleasantly, showing no signs of the previous night.

“Just... fine,” the stallion lied, stunned at what he was seeing. “How are you feeling?”

Giving him a curious look, Applejack simply smiled as she replied, “Well rested, as always. But dang, Ah musta been a lot more tired last night than Ah thought. Ah don't even remember going to bed after workin'.”

“Must have...” the pegasus murmured, silently breathing a sigh of relief at that.

“Anyway,” the mare continued, “we're only gonna do a little apple buckin' today. We'll need to head off into town to pick up a few supplies later.”

“Yeah... alright,” Trader replied, giving a weak nod of his head. Applejack did the same before heading off into the fields, ready to get their day started. The white-coated stallion lingered for several minutes, slightly disturbed at his friend's abilities. It was what reminded him on a cruel fact about his life, even when it seems he's won, he still loses.

Sucking it up, he realized there wasn't much he could do about it, fighting back his aching hangover as he slowly trotted to where he needed to begin his apple bucking. Though his day seemed to already have a bad start, he was determined to make it better. Sadly, he was unaware of the dark shadow that had been cast over him.

Don't Date Your Heroes

Landing on the soft surface that was Cloudsdale's cloud flooring, Rainbow Dash's ears perked up as she heard her name being called. On reflex, her head turned in the direction that it was coming from, seeing a familiar stallion with a windswept mane flying toward her.

It was odd for the mare, seeing Soarin without any kind of attire that had to do with him being a Wonderbolt. Just seeing him, just as bare as she was, almost made her forget that he was indeed one of her most admired heroes. It also made her realize why she was now in Cloudsdale, meeting up with him just outside the restaurant they had agreed to visit.

The sky above them both was still a wonderful blue, midday only just starting as the air around them was filled with many famished ponies all looking to get food into their bellies for their lunch hour. Their own place of choosing also received a few eager pegasai, passing the mare by as they headed in.

“So,” Soarin started as he approached the cyan-coated pegasus, “you ready to go in?”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah,” she replied, smiling from ear to ear as trotted inside the restaurant alongside the Wonderbolt.

It was a nice little eatery they had chosen. Basic was the best word to describe it. From the décor to the food itself, there was nothing related to extravagance that could be said about it. That was how many ponies liked it however, not going there for a five-star meal or anything. It was frequented mostly by those wanting a quick and delicious lunch, as Rainbow Dash knew full well. She had gone their many times herself years ago, back when she was still in flight camp. It was a much better alternative to eating the gruel that they served the students during lunch.

Despite its modest appearances, the restaurant was quite sizable, allowing them to find a place to sit without difficulty. Their place of seating was just a circular table with a white tablecloth draped over it, as well as simple condiments set to the side.

They didn't even have to wait very long before a young stallion approached their table, a smile of familiarity on his face as he eyed Rainbow's male companion. “Welcome back, Soarin,” he greeted. “What'll the two of you be having?”

Without even looking at his menu, Soarin turned to the waiter and said, “I'll have the usual.”

Both stallions soon had their eyes on Rainbow Dash as she looked over the menu, not quite sure what she was in the mood for. Ultimately, she decided and looked to the waiter, saying, “I guess I'll just have a fruit salad with a side of hay fries.”

“Good choice,” the waiter nodded in approval, taking their menus before walking off.

With only themselves to keep each other company, Soarin and Rainbow Dash exchanged happy smiles as a silence began to build between them. Rainbow was at a complete loss for words, staring at one of her idols, his eyes on her, just waiting for her to start up a conversation.

Luckily for her, Soarin broke the ice, thinking of a good starting point that they knew they each had similar ground on. “So...” he begin, “you know Trader then?”

“Oh, uh... yeah, sorta,” the mare responded, silently thanking Celestia that they finally began talking. “I don't know him too well, but he's a longtime friend of one of my friends, an earth pony named Applejack.”

The name striking a familiar tone with him, Soarin paused as he thought on it, scratching his chin absently. “Ah, yes,” he then said. “She's that orange mare with the hat and ponytails.” He could recall seeing her at the Grand Galloping Gala as well as the royal wedding.

“That's right,” Rainbow confirmed. “She runs the farm just outside of Ponyville. It's where Trader is working now.”

Again, Soarin looked distant as he rubbed his chin in thought, muttering to himself, “She must be the one Spitfire was talking about...”

The multicolored pony cocked an eyebrow in confusion as she questioned, “What was that?”

Blinking forcibly, Soarin's mind came back to their table as he smiled awkwardly. “Oh, nothing,” he replied quickly. “But, Ponyville, huh? You know, I can't say I've ever actually been there. I've never had reason to before, and it's too small for us to be able to get any shows there.”

“That's too bad,” Rainbow Dash murmured. “It's a nice enough place. Maybe you'll find reason to go there someday.”

“I just might,” Soarin returned with a growing smile directed at the mare, causing her to blush slightly.

Thankfully, Rainbow Dash didn't have to feel the warmth on her cheeks for long, their food arriving for them at that moment. The cyan pegasus couldn't help but lick her lips as she looked at the variety of juicy slices of fruit set up for her fruit salad. Making it even better, a piping hot, freshly made piles of hay fries were just waiting for her to start eating. However, her eager smile soon vanished as she looked up at Soarin's chosen meal.

There was only a single thing placed before him, a whole pie with the fluffiest crust she had seen and smelled strongly of cooked apples. Soarin just looked down at the dessert hungrily, having a similar expression that Rainbow Dash had for her own food. Confusion hit the mare as she tilted her head slightly, unable to wrap her mind around it.

“You ordered a... pie?” the mare asked.

“Of course,” Soarin replied, not noticing how odd his company thought it was. “This place makes some of the best pies around, I wouldn't miss a chance to have another.” Mouth nearly watering from the anticipation, the Wonderbolt looked up at Rainbow with excitement written on his face. “Alright then, let's dig in.”

Without warning, the stallion stuck his entire mouth into the pie, not even bothering to eat it slice by slice. Bits of crumbs and globs of sauce spilled over the edge of the pie tin as Soarin began to lap up as much as he could. Using his tongue like a shovel, he scooped up large amounts of the delectable treat, nearly licking that portion of the tin clean before moving to another unsuspecting part of the pie.

Rainbow Dash could only look at the scene with utter shock. It was like watching a horrific, bloody accident, the mare not wanting to watch it any further, but unable to tear her eyes away. Her own meal was left forlorn, her appetite clearly lost as Soarin's own indulgence was too much for her.

Even worse, the stallion was by no means quiet in his enjoyment of his pie. As though he were doing it on purpose, loud, wet smacking sounds came from him as he lapped up every bit of pie he could. Moans of blissful pleasure escaped him as he savored every taste that graced his tongue. The other pony patrons began to glance over toward them, causing Rainbow Dash to shrink down in her seat, as if to hide herself. One pair of onlookers didn't notice what the stallion was doing, nor the mare he happened to be with. Rather, they noticed who the stallion was.

It was what surprised the rainbow-manned mare as an excited, bubbly voice spoke up right next to them. Slightly getting over her embarrassment, the pegasus looked to the source and saw two mares sporting gleefully astounded smiles on their faces.

“Like, oh my Celestia!” one of them squealed, looking like she might burst at any moment. “I can't believe it, it's actually Soarin of the Wonderbolts!”

“Yeah, it's really him!” said the mare's friend, with an equal amount of enthusiasm.

At the delighted shouts of the two mares, Soarin resurfaced from his confection expedition, crumbs and sauce covering the end of his muzzle. Chuckling lightly, he carefully wiped his face off and greeted the two fans warmly. “Well, pleasure, to meet you two,” he said kind, making both mares squeal again at his acknowledgment of their existence.

“Oh, Soarin, we're both such huge fans!” the first mare said, unable to stand still as she looked only seconds away from jumping around like a madmare.

“I didn't think we'd run into a Wonderbolt on our way to lunch!” the other mare said, still matching her friend's attitude. Holding up a camera, she looked at the stallion with a hopefully gaze. “Would you mind if we had a picture? Our friends would just die if they knew we ran into you today!”

A low growl escaped Rainbow Dash as she glared daggers at the fawning mares. She was already about to answer for Soarin, to get it through their clearly thick skulls that he was busy. But before she could say anything, her stallion companion was already nodding his head, saying, “Of course, I'm always happy to meet fans.”

All the cyan pegasus could do was stare at him as he began to pose with the two intrusive guests, not even a passing glance given in her general direction. She was completely forgotten about, as though she didn't even exist.

While the white flash of the camera continued to go off, the happy giggles of the two mares with their idol shortly following it, Rainbow Dash just sat at her table, tapping her hoof against it in her growing indignation.

A groan of a sigh escaped Trader as he trudged through Ponyville, having filled his saddlebag with the last item he needed to get. To say it had been a difficult day for the stallion would have been an understatement.

Besides his head throbbing from the nighttime events yesterday, slowing his work down considerably, there was also a dreaded feeling clawing at the back of his mind. Preoccupying his mind for the entire day was what happened that night, Applejack's sudden change as she nearly drowned herself in her family's “secret recipe.”

“It was nothing,” the pegasus told himself. “That was just the drink talking, nothing more.” It was clear enough that he was right in that statement, but it didn't stop him from dwelling on it. One thing was for certain however. There was no way he'd be around Applejack if such a predicament arose again. He didn't want to put his friend in a situation like that, nor be in it himself.

“That's how you lost your job as a cherry sorter back in Dodge Junction,” Trader again mumbled to himself. “Though it's not like an old friend was your employer... Just an old mare with boundary issues who liked to dip into the spirits every now and then.” He shuddered as old memories of one of his least favorite career excursions resurfaced. “Let's try not to think about that...”

Soon enough, Trader noticed the sun beginning to set. The sky slowly became less blue, shops were starting to close and ponies made their way back to their homes. All the pegasus wanted to do now was find Applejack so they could get back to the farm. If they didn't need him for anything else, he'd go straight for the comforting embrace of his bed.

He wasn't quite sure where his hat wearing friend was however. Looking about, there was no sign of her nearby. Though they had no set destination to meet up, he didn't think it would be too hard to run into her once he was done. But figuring she would do the same herself, the stallion opted to simply head back to the farm himself. Searching for the nearest possible route, he saw a large alleyway between two shops that he could easily cut through.

The alley was mostly empty, only having a few crates, old boxes and a few trashcans set up by whoever ran owned the buildings that made it up. Halfway through, Trader felt an odd stiffness in his wings. Of course, it wasn't too abnormal for him, as he didn't use his feathered appendages as often as the average pegasus. It was a simple enough fix for him to unfurl his wings and give them a good stretch though. But, as he did so, he was shocked as he found out he couldn't.

A mix of confusion and haunting surprise crossed him as he tried with all of his might to open his wings, but they remained shut against his sides, as though they were glued to him. Looking at his side, the stallion's eyes widened as he saw a light-blue magical aura wrapping around them, keeping his wings completely immobilized.

As panic slowly made its way to the stallion, he took off down the alley, seeing the other side just ahead. Galloping as fast as he could, he was almost near the end. His heart lurched as he came to a sudden stop, the exit he was aiming for becoming blocked by a burly, brick wall of a stallion, nearly twice the size as the pegasus.

Slowly, he made his way toward the white-coated pony, causing the fearful Trader to turn around and bolt in the direction he had just come from. He only made it a few feet before he stopped once again. Another pony had entered the alley, a surly looking unicorn whose horn glowed with the same light-blue aura that encompassed his wings.

The heavy hoofsteps of the large stallion could be heard behind him as both ponies closed in on the pegasus. Trader was pinned down, with no escape for him to be seen with both of his way outs blocked and his wings made useless by the unicorn's magic.

But Trader was never one to give up easily. Just as the stallion behind him neared, Trader's determined eyes focused on his actions as he leaned forward, bringing his legs up and kicking out sharply, just like when he's apple bucking.

Not too long ago, such a kick from the pegasus wouldn't have amounted to much. Thanks to his time on the farm however, his legs had gotten much stronger, made apparent as his back hooves made contact with the surprised stallion. With a loud crack, he was knocked off his hooves and thrown to the hard ground.

Taking the opportunity, Trader once again ran in the now open direction, running past the stallion he had just attacked with his eyes set on the exit. Sadly, just like last time, he did not make it far.

Like a pair of invisible arms, a strong force wrapped itself around the pegasus' midsection. Trader barely had time to react as he was suddenly levitated into the air and thrown into the nearby wall with a mighty force. The building nearly shook from by strength of the impact, nearly causing Trader to black out as the magical hold on him suddenly vanished, causing him to collapse onto the ground.

By the time the disoriented stallion regained his senses, he felt a heavy weight being pushed on him. The burly stallion kept him pinned down, gazing down on the pegasus with a furious rage that couldn't be described. Trader could easily see the reason as well, the stallion's nose and mouth now a bloody mess from what he had done to him. As an act of retaliation, the stallion smashed one of his muscled hooves hard across Trader's face, nearly fracturing his skull.

Despite his situation, being pinned down by a pony who outmatched him by both size and strength, with a unicorn just waiting for him to try and get away, Trader still showed defiance as he squirmed under his attacker's hold on him.

Growing frustrated, the burly stallion raised his hoof to strike the pegasus once again. But he stopped mid-swing, halted as a creature suddenly landed before them with a powerful thud.

It was a griffon, his long wings folding at his sides, his feline tail swishing slightly behind him, his sharp talons digging into the ground. Everything fell silent at his appearance, the air itself growing still. A delighted grin spread across his beaked face as his piercing gaze locked onto the downed pegasus.

Trader was paralyzed, not by the stallion who was holding him, not by the unicorn's magic, but by his own fear. “Y-you...” his shaking voice managed to say, his wide eyes unable to look away from the familiar griffon while a look of pure horror etched itself onto his face.

An Old "Friend"

Trader was forced onto his four hooves. Before even the thought of trying to run away or make any attempt at escape, magical auras circled around each of his legs and a larger one around his body to cover his wings, linking together to make mystical shackles that kept the pegasus at their mercy. He barely noticed it however, his eyes still locked onto the gryphon before him. Even the throbbing pain in his head was nothing but a distant memory, even as it was worsened by the burly stallion's blow.

The gryphon's wings and feline half were a pure, jet black. As dark as a starless sky and just as vast. His feathery, beaked head was an ashy-gray, while his beak and clawed hands were the typical yellow.

His eyes never left the stallion as he slowly ran his talons across his face. It was just gently enough as to not break the skin, but Trader could feel the tips pushed against him with just enough force, he was made fully aware how easily the gryphon could rend his flesh with a simple twitch of his fingers.

“It's been a long while, Trader,” the gryphon murmured, flicking a finger just so to scratch a few hairs off of the pony's nose.

Trader continued to show little reaction to what the gryphon was actually doing, his legs shaking below him as his mouth trembled open from his attempts to speak. “I-I don't know why you're here,” the pegasus managed to finally say. “But... but I swear I-”

“You know very well why we are here,” the gryphon snapped, his eyes narrowing momentarily as his voice turned to a low hiss. “I know how you lost your last job back in Manehattan. What? Did you think you could hide out in his little town out in the middle of nowhere? Trying to avoid me again?”

Eyes widening even more, Trader managed to shake his head at the sudden accusations. “N-no,” he responded, practically begging for the avian creature to understand. “I swear, I wasn't trying to run! I-I had to come! If not, I wouldn't be able to pay-” His pleas were then cut off as he was grabbed by the throat.

“That's the same excuse you've always used,” the gryphon growled, his piercing eyes looking straight into Trader's. Though his ire was growing steadily more and more, there was a slight bit of amusement shown as he watched the pegasus struggle to breathe. “I've put up with you for far too many years, Trader. I'm done with it. Now, I'll have to take what you owe me from your hide!”

As the gryphon's hold on the stallion's neck tightened, he thrashed more and more as his ability to breathe was cut off from him. Before Trader could lose consciousness, the gryphon's hold on him was suddenly lifted, spurred to do so as a loud, outraged voice rang into their ears.

“What's goin' on here?”

The gryphon whirled around, seeing an orange-coated, blonde-manned mare standing just at the entrance to the alley. Applejack's eyes were chiseled into a seething glare,locked firmly onto the gryphon before they darted to every other pony there. Trader shifted uncomfortably in place as he felt the farmpony's gaze fall on him, lingering for much longer before she looked away and back at the miss-matched flier in front of her.

“Who are you?” Applejack demanded. “And what are you doin' to Trader?”

With a sneer, the burly stallion took an aggressive step toward the mare. Before he got any further, the gryphon held out his arm, stopping the stallion in his tracks. Instead, he stood idle as he attempted to wipe the blood away from his face.

The gryphon simply directed a smile to the mare and bowed his head toward her. “Greetings, Miss,” he said warmly. “The name's Vincent Sickler. Me and my associates are... old friends of Trade Jack here.”

A gaze of scrutiny developed on Applejack's expression, clearly not buying it. “You don't look like any kinda friends Ah've seen,” she responded, her eyes focusing on the magical shackles wrapped around her pegasus friend, as well as the swelling, bruised flesh around his eye where the stallion had struck him.

Vincent smiled a little, gesturing toward Trader casually. “We've had a bit of a... falling out...” he explained. “Not that it's any of your concern, but young Trader here isn't all he might appear. The awful truth of it is, he's rather irresponsible when it comes to his money and has acquired quite the debt with me.”

Blinking in surprise, Applejack looked to Trader, as if to gain some answers or semblance of truth to what the gryphon was saying. The pegasus said nothing, his expression of shame directed at the ground as he made no eye contact with her, his lips shut tight. “Trader...” she said, trying to coax a response out of him, “is this true?” But again, the stallion said nothing.

A delighted smile shown on the gryphon's expression as he eyed the pegasus. “So you know this mare?” he said in amusement, turning back to Applejack as his smile turned to a devilish grin. “Well, you're not the only soul he's kept secrets from. But yes, he's rather irresponsible with his money. Sad thing, truly it is, but I've done all I can to better him.”

Despite his tone and demeanor, Applejack could see through the act. If the two stallion thugs wasn't indicator enough, she could see the malevolence burning in his eyes. Just being near him sent a small chill across her back, causing her to glare at him.

Vincent saw it too, raising his hands defensively as he said, “Believe me, I've been nothing but kind to him. Even giving him years to pay off his debt, when I was well within my right to demand it all then and there. But now, I've grown tired of his little games, so I've decided to take his debt the usual way, taking him instead of his money.”

There was a glint in his dark eyes, making the chill crawling across Applejack flare up for just a moment, nearly causing her to shudder. “What are you goin' to do with him?” she asked.

“Why, give him a job, of course,” Vincent answered. “We will take him back to my homeland. Emperor Griffon prefers exotic help in his palace, and he just adores pegasai. He's willing to pay a good amount as well, maybe even enough to cover Trader's debts.” His gaze then drifted to said pegasus, smirking slightly as he offhandedly said, “'Course, we'll have to make him ready for such a job. Obedience is so hard to teach these days... He won't be the first I've broken though...”

A look of horror crossed the mare, understanding full well what they were planning for her pegasus friend. Looking at him, there was only a moment where their eyes met. The farmpony could see the pitiable scene in his gaze. It was clear that he knew from the start, but there was no fear in his eyes, just heart-wrenching acceptance.

Vincent could see the outrage that Applejack was feeling as well. “If you have any issue with this, you are welcome to take this matter up with Princess Celestia. I'm sure she'll care enough to look into it... in about a year or two,” he said with a laugh, turning away from the mare as he had nothing more to say to her.

Applejack looked to Trader, seeing how helpless he appeared, how he had given up. Though he had kept secrets from her, dealing with characters she would never want any association with, he was still her friend.

“How much does he owe?” Applejack asked, earning a curious stare from the gryphon as he looked at her.

Only pausing for a moment, Vincent amused grin returned as he said, “Twelve-thousand bits.” Letting the heavy number hang in the air, he turned back to Trader, ready to ignore the earth pony yet again. But he didn't fully turn away, stopping in his tracks as he heard something from the mare he did not expect.

“Ah'll pay it.”

Everyone suddenly stopped, surprise quickly crossed the two stallion thugs as their eyes immediately darted to their gryphon leader. Vincent slowly turned back to the farmpony, an arched eyebrow in his expression as he wasn't quite sure he had heard her correctly. Even Trader's eyes were wide, staring at his friend as he shook his head, saying, “No... Applejack don't.”

Quickly, Vincent's hand balled into a fist as he plowed it into the pegasus' gut. The bound stallion lurched forward, collapsing onto the ground in a sputtering, coughing mess. “Quiet,” the gryphon snapped. “It's rude to speak when you're not spoken to.” His expression softening, he looked to Applejack with a curious gaze. “So, Miss, what was that you said?”

Applejack didn't falter as she met the gryphon's gaze and determinedly said, “You heard me. Ah'll pay off Trader's debt.”

“That's quite a large sum,” Vincent replied, his expression still showing a bit of interest in her words. He gestured to the fallen pony. “Especially to waste on a lowly thing like this.”

“Don't worry about that,” the orange-coated mare returned, “Ah can pay it.”

Scratching his chin in thought, the gryphon looked off aimlessly for a moment. “Well, it would save me the trip back to the empire,” he murmured to himself. “Might even be more than what I'd actually get... Plus the time spent getting him ready...” A smile spread across his beaked face as he slowly approached the mare, holding out his hand. “Alright then, you've got yourself a deal.”

At first, Applejack only looked at the outstretched palm, locking eyes with the gryphon for another moment before she raised her own hoof and shook his hand.

Only a few minutes passed before Applejack was staring at the gryphon just outside Sweet Apple Acres. His two thugs were with him, as well as Trader, looking just the same as he had before.

Vincent gaze never stayed still for long. There was a clear interest as he looked about the area, seeing the vast fields of trees and the cozy farm that the Apple family took great care of. “What a fine piece of real estate you have here,” he murmured, clearly liking what he saw.

Applejack didn't respond to it, having trouble simply looking at the gryphon without glaring. He and his ilk were exactly the kind of people she didn't want around her farm. Now, thanks to Trader, she was making a deal with them. The mare's only response was a sudden turn of her head, throwing a hefty sack filled with coins toward them.

With a metallic jingle, the bag landed before the gryphon. Vincent didn't even make a move for it. Instead, the bag was consumed by a magical glow as it was lifted in the air and floated before the unicorn, his eyes set in a look of concentration.

The bag itself, already bulging as it was filled to burst, squirmed and writhed as the clinking of the bits against each other filled the air. After a moment, the sounds stopped and the unicorn looked to Vincent, giving a firm nod.

“Well then, it seems our little transaction is complete,” the gryphon said, gesturing to Trader. The magical shackles disappeared and he gave the stallion a hard swat on the flank, causing him to walk forward. “Enjoy your purchase.”

Allowing the pegasus to pass, he walked past the two stallions who held him, his eyes to the ground as he practically shuffled his hooves. Just as he began to pass by Vincent, the gryphon shot a taloned hand out and grabbed him by the back of his neck, pulling him close to where his beak was just a few hairs away from his ear. “I hope you realize how much she's wasted on you,” he said harshly, “on such a worthless creature.”

With that, he shoved the stallion forward, not even earning a response as the pegasus continued shuffling toward the earth pony before them. Trader didn't even look up to Applejack as he stood by her side, standing there like a dog awaiting his next command.

Vincent merely chuckled lightly to himself, bowing once again to the mare. “Good-day to you now,” he said cordially. “May we do business again in the future.” His wings then unfurled and the gryphon took off, disappearing in the sky and leaving the two stallions he left behind to gallop away, leaving the farm behind.

With a sigh, the farmpony set her gaze on Trader, still not looking at her or speaking a word.

There was little of the sun's light still in the sky by the time Applejack managed to sneak out of her home, carrying an ice bag filled with the frozen cubes. None of her family had seen Trader yet, it was easy enough them to believe her explanation that the exhausted pegasus was going to spend the night relaxing under the stars. It wasn't technically a lie, as it was the actual plan for the stallion at this point.

Silently though, Applejack headed into the barn, where a certain white-coated stallion sat. Trader's head hung low as he sat on the floor, his only movement being the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

Approaching him, Applejack sat in front of him and wordlessly handed him the bag of ice. He took it just as silently and held it up to his face, pressing it against the black eye he had received, flinching the moment the cold touch graced the swollen flesh.

The barn fell into a tense silence as Trader continued to sit without saying a word, holding the bag of ice to his face while Applejack didn't utter a thing, simply looking at him with an expectant gaze.

After an eternity of nothing but quiet air sped by, the pegasus' nostrils flared as he took in a deep, prolonged breath. Only pausing for a moment more, he said, in a shaken voice, “I-I'm sorry, Applejack... I didn't want you to be involved in any of this...”

Seeing that he has now chosen to speak the first word, the orange-coated mare took it as her chance to talk. “Who were those people?” she asked, her tone flat. “What did you get yourself into?”

Trader's entire body shook as he heaved a shuddering sigh, preparing himself for his own explanation. For a single moment, he looked up, meeting the mare's gaze before he went back to staring at the ground. Though he didn't want to say, he knew he had no choice now. Applejack had earned the right to know, especially after what she did.

“It was years ago,” he explained. “I had returned to Los Pegasus after I heard what happened to my parents. After the ceremony was said and done... I learned the state that my parents left their business in. My mother's store, everything she had dreamed to have, there was so much money owed on it... I don't know if it was because of their deaths... or something else, but with them gone, there was no way to pay for it all. So the store was seized, to be sold to whoever offered the most after the date they set.”

Trader slowly shook his head, and Applejack could see tears slowly falling down his face, his breathing becoming unsteady. “E-even the money I had made as a cloudie didn't even come close to paying for it,” he continued. “But... it was my mother's store... her life's work, that my father built himself... I couldn't just let it be sold off. There was no way I'd ever be able to earn enough for it by normal means though... so I took up gambling.” A shaky sigh came from him, helping Applejack to realize what was going to happen next. “Of course... I've always had such bad luck... I lost every bit I had to my name... Broke, with no hope or means to getting the sum I needed, I ended up hearing about a gryphon who loaned money to those who needed it. Even if I had known exactly who he was at the time... I don't think it would have changed anything...”

His entire body started to tremble, as though shrouded by a cold chill. Watching him, Applejack wasn't sure if it was out of fear for what had nearly befallen him mere minutes ago, or from years of pent-up anguish pouring out of him. “I was desperate!” Trader said, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself of something, rather than explain to his friend. “I had no other choice... A-and he just gave it to me... All of that money... It was just enough to set me as the highest buyer for the building. But, of course, things never turn out the way I expect... Someone else ended up outbidding me, able to offer so much more for it. I had already offered everything I had... all I could do was go back to Vincent, beg for more money. And he did just that, allowing me to get back in the lead... but it just repeated itself... Again and again, I was beaten by someone else, and I had to keep borrowing money. The amount was far more than the place was actually worth, but I didn't care.”

Oddly enough, despite his appearance or actions never changing, there was a brief moment where a smile crossed the pegasus' face, a small glimmer of happiness in his eyes as he said, “Then, I eventually won...” And just like that, it faded, dropping the stallion right back into the mess he had become. “I was a fool, never realizing it until it was too late... too late to see the obvious, to see who was outbidding me... I played right into Vincent's hands, knowing how desperate I was, to pay anything to keep my mother's store, borrowing any amount necessary...”

A saddened frown formed on Applejack's face as she stared at her friend, unable to believe it all. “And that's how you got into debt with him,” she murmured.

Trader gave a weak tilt of his head, his only response to the mare. “I didn't keep the store for very long...” he murmured. “Vincent took it for himself to pay off my debt to him, tore it down soon after... It didn't even come close to paying off what I owed... Though, what he told you was the truth, he was lenient, giving me time to pay him back bit by bit... I don't even know why, maybe he was just toying with me... or maybe I just wasn't worth the effort. So, over the years, I tried to hold whatever job I could, keeping the bare minimal of what I earned to survive off of, and saving the rest to pay him back. Sometimes, he'd send a few of his goons to rough me up every so often, make sure I remembered our deal I guess.”

Applejack was utterly shocked. Never, not in a million years, would she have ever thought that such a thing had befallen her old foalhood friend. She couldn't have anticipated the real reason for such a distasteful gryphon to know him. She almost felt ashamed, her mind actually thinking so many worse reasons for it. There was a moment that she was actually angry with him, thinking that he had gotten into something so horrible for completely selfish reasons. Now, all she could feel was heartache and pity.

Losing the farm, it was one of her greatest fears, to lose everything that her family had worked so hard for. It was a fear that had almost been realized on more than one occasion, making her heart skip a beat just thinking about it. It seemed to be a fear that was shared by her friend, perhaps not something as big as a farm, but something that was as equally important to him. Unlike her though, he had actually gone through it, coming out far worse in the end. She knew it was something she had yet to experience herself, wishing with all of her being that she would never have to.

A stunted sob escaped him as more tears fell from his eyes. “He's right though... I am worthless. Applejack, you... you should have just left me to my fate... not waste all of that money on me...”

At that, Applejack's eyes narrowed. Anger consuming her, she stamped a hoof down hard on the ground as she looked at her friend. “Now, don't you go sayin' that!” she shouted. “You're not worthless. Ah don't care what that feathered monster thinks! He hasn't seen you like Ah have! You're a strong, dependable, hardworkin' pony that's as nice and sweet as they come! Aunt Orange saw it too, thinkin' so highly of ya to send you all the way back home to us! It's what Ah see every day when you go out tryin' harder than almost any other pony Ah've ever seen!”

Trader merely shook his head, not convinced by the mare's kind words. “But, Applejack...” he murmured, “all of that money... how could you-”

“Don't you fret about that,” the orange earth pony reassured him. “Unlike that Vincent fella, Ah could never put a price on a pony. You're my friend, Trader. Ah'd have paid twice that much for you. Course, we'll still have to tell Big Mac and Granny Smith what happened, they won't believe that that much just up and disappeared into thin air. But, they'll understand completely. And don't go thinkin' you've made the farm broke or anythin'. We aren't foolish enough to not have a bit of money saved up for rainy days.”

Though it seemed impossible, a weak smile slowly appeared on the stallion's lips. “But, Applejack,” he replied, looking up at the mare, eyes still glistening with sadness, “I'm a pegasus. If it ever rains, I can just move the clouds out of the sky for you.”

With a simple giggle, Applejack developed her own smile. Without warning, she wrapped her forelegs around him and brought him into a comforting hug. “Ah wouldn't have it any other way,” she murmured as she held him tight.

Wrapping his own forelegs around the mare, Trader returned the gesture. As the warm embrace lasted, a light, contented sigh came from him, his body no longer trembling.

Story Time

Squirming atop his bed of sheets, Trader tossed and turned as a cold sweat coated his brow. Eventually, his unconscious body could take it no longer, his eyes opening as he awoke from his slumber. Dim daylight poured in from the openings of the barn, letting him know the hour.

Groaning lightly, the pegasus rubbed his eyes. He flinched as his hoof grazed against the sensitive flesh below his left one. Though the swelling had completely vanished, a noticeable sliver of bruised flesh remained, a reminder of what had happened just the other day. It brought a weary sigh from him as he looked about the barn, his body tensing as the sight of an orange-coated mare startled him.

“You were murmurin' in your sleep,” Applejack said, a frown creasing her lips as she eyed him. “You didn't look too comfortable.”

“It's... it's nothing,” the pegasus replied, not wanting to worry her. “This is just... the first time in a long while that I've not had that gryphon's shadow hanging over my life. I really don't know how I'm supposed to feel. Being stuck with something like that for so long... you get used to it...”

Applejack gave a hopeful smile as she said, “It's gotta be better though, right?”

“Definitely,” Trader replied, weakly chuckling. “Though, I remember that I never really thanked you for what you did. So... thanks. I know you wouldn't want me to think I've traded one debt for another, but I will do whatever I can to pay you back.”

A giggle escaped the mare as she began to beam at the stallion. “Like Ah said,” she returned, “don't fret none. You just worry about getting back on your hooves with this all bein' over. But you're more than welcome to keep workin' at the farm, even if you no longer have money problems...”

Looking just as happy as Applejack, Trader's lips parted into a large smile as he replied, “I wouldn't dream of leaving.”

Taking a few steps back, the farmpony nodded off toward the exit. “Applebloom's off at school now. Ah've told Big Mac and Granny Smith that you'd be wantin' to talk with them, they should be waitin' for us now.” Nodding, Trader stood up from his makeshift bed and followed his friend out of the barn and toward the house, looking more and more uncertain the closer they got.

With butterflies in his stomach, as well as an ever-expanding lump in his throat, Trader met the gazes of Big Macintosh and Granny Smith, both sitting at the kitchen table quietly. He could feel their curious gazes focusing on the wound by his eye, making him all the more nervous. Though he knew it was foolish to think they would react in anyway different than Applejack's own, it didn't make him feel any better about telling him.

Trader was certain of one thing though, he wouldn't even be able to face them without Applejack. As he prepared himself and his explanation, she sat herself by his side, her smile being just the encouragement he needed. So with a deep breath, he told them. It was much easier a second time, especially without suffering from an emotional breakdown. But he told them what he had told Applejack the night before, about his parent's business being lost, his attempts to reclaim it, leading to debt with Vincent. It all came to an end with Applejack's own part in it, how she had payed off his debt, buying his freedom in turn.

They just remained silent, leaving the room devoid of sound. Had it not been for his own nervous breathing, the stallion would have thought he had gone deaf. After a few moments of the two Apple family members soaking in what they were told, their lips spread into warm smiles while Trader looked at them with surprise.

“Well, ain't that a wonderful story,” Granny Smith said, laughing slightly as she rocked in her seat. Why, you can't go thinkin' we'd be upset over a little money now. Bits come and go, but a honest pony is a treasure to keep.”

“Eeyup!” Big Macintosh added, nodding his head as he shared in his grandmother's sentiment.

Again, the old mare laughed as she got up and walked over to her granddaughter, giving her a light pat on the back. “And you, Applejack,” she said, with mirth, “stickin' up to that nasty fella you described, you sure are an Apple. Why, I remember back when your grand-pappy fought off against those suit and tie wearin' hooligans back when Celestia done tried to ban hard cider across Equestria.” Her dentures showed as she smiled broadly over the old memory. “Course, he still made the stuff under her nose, but those greasy weasels wanted to take it for themselves! But boy, did he ever give them such a wallop. They never came back.”

“Ah don't think it went exactly like that,” Applejack replied, flushed slightly with embarrassment.

Granny Smith barely took notice as her aged gaze fell back onto the pegasus, still looking somewhat surprised at their deceleration. “Now, now, Trader dear,” she murmured, tussling his hair. “Don't you sell yourself short now. Applejack did what any of us would've. None of us would've let ya go.” More to Trader's surprise, the grandmother wrapped her forelegs around him in a weak hug. “You're like family to us, and we Apples always look after our own.”

Looking to the two older Apple siblings, Trader could see in their expressions that the sentiment was the same between them all. It caused the stallion to smile from ear to ear, his vision slightly blurred by the joyful moisture that began to build on his eyelids.

With a dejected sigh, Rainbow Dash rested her chin against Fluttershy's outdoor table. The cup of tea set in front of her remained untouched, steam still trailing into the air. On the other side, the yellow-coated pegasus looked at her friend with sadness, barely sipping her tea as she awaited to hear what had happened during her 'date' with the Wonderbolt Soarin. Judging by her expression however, she already had an idea.

“It was awful,” Rainbow Dash murmured, summing the experience up with but a word.

“Really?” Fluttershy questioned, a mild look of concern crossing her. “I'm so sorry. What... happened?”

A groan escaped the mare as she pressed her forehooves against her head. “What didn't happen?” she said, now sounding more agitated. “He had zero table manners! Yeah, I'm not one to get all Rarity on something like that, but Celestia's sake! And who the hay orders an entire pie as a meal?!”

Fluttershy blinked curiously, her eyebrow crooking in a hint of confusion. “A... pie?”

“Yes!” the cyan mare blurted out. “For lunch no less! Then he just stuffs his face in it without wanting a single lick of conversation! I couldn't even touch my own food, thinking I'd toss it just from watching him.”

A silent pause enveloped as the fast flying pony remained still, lying across her side of the table again. Fluttershy began picturing just what her friend's date would have looked like, her imagination creating a rather amusing scene. In spite of herself, a soft giggle escaped her, quickly stifled as she held a hoof to her mouth.

Rainbow Dash didn't seem to notice, her brow furrowing as her eyes developed a piercing gaze. “Then... there were those fangirls!” she growled, showing a clear look of hatred. The meek caretaker just stared silently, not fully understanding. “These two little mares just squealing and fawning over Soarin, completely forgetting how he stuffed his face just seconds ago. And would you believe it? He just forgets about me and starts chatting it up with them! Those dull, annoying little-” A growl of pure frustration and anger escaped her as Rainbow Dash's forehead thudded against the table, burying her face against the wooden surface.

Fluttershy, still being the spectator and open shoulder for the venting mare, sighed lightly to herself, head hanging low. “I really am sorry, Rainbow,” she murmured. Perhaps she wasn't too keen on watching her friend set off with the stallion, but she especially didn't like seeing her in such a state. It all just seemed inevitable though. “Are you... going to be okay?”

Once again, the rainbow-maned mare gave a sigh. It was much different this time around however, sounding much more fitting for the kind pegasus before her, rather than the tough pony she was. “Yeah... I'm just thinking... am I really different from those two mares?” Earning another confused look from her friend, the cyan pegasus continued. “I mean... aren't I just another fan? I get excited when I get the chance to see any of the Wonderbolts, especially Soarin and Spitfire.”

“Don't say that,” Fluttershy replied, attempting to reassure her. “You're one of the best fliers around, they should notice that.”

A light snort came from the athletic pony as she stared aimlessly at her still untouched cup of tea. “How far does that get me?” she questioned aloud. “The only reason I even got into their training hall to talk to Soarin was because of Trader.” She then blinked, rather forcibly as she developed a strange look of deep thought, continuing to offhandedly murmur. “You know... it was really nice that he did that for me too. He didn't even have to, especially how pushy I was about it... I don't even think I really thanked him. He was even a better listener than Soarin ever was. Because of Trader...”

Then, Rainbow Dash's ears perked up as she lifted her head and gave a simple smile to her yellow-coated friend. “Thanks for the talk, Fluttershy,” she said, a slight, new found joy sparkling in her eyes. “Right now though, I need to go think about some things.” Fluttershy could only give a weak smile and nod of her head before the pegasus then took off.

Finally released from school, Apple Bloom and her friends took off for the farm, the other two members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders eager to meet the strange pegasus staying there.

Applejack and Trader were busily cleaning out the chicken coop, clearing up the straw from the nests that was strewn about, taking whatever eggs were left behind, and cleaning the entirety of it from top to bottom. Just outside, the evicted chickens wandered about aimlessly from the confines of their pen.

They were not alone as the three eager fillies accompanied them. Applebloom took to lying atop her sister's head, taking the place of her stetson hat while she wore it herself. Sweetie Belle took the same spot on Trader's head, while Scootaloo stood on his back, periodically poking and prodding at his wings.

The extra weight made the job a bit more taxing on the two ponies, but neither of them were bothered enough to voice a complaint.

“So, do you have any good stories?” Applebloom asked, eying the white pegasus expectantly.

Trader just looked at her questioningly for a moment, asking, “You want a story?”

“You promised, remember?” the filly simpered, giving her best pout. “It has to be about you and Applejack!”

The stallion nearly lost his balance when Sweetie Belle moved unexpectedly on his head, lowering herself just enough to block his vision, their eyes locked together and just a few hairs apart. “Yeah, I want to hear a story too!” she chirped excitedly.

“Yeah, yeah, me too, me too,” Scootaloo added, jumping up and down on his back.

“Okay, okay,” the pegasus said. He paused in his work for a moment as he thought on it. A smile crossed his lips as he thought of one. “Well, years ago, there was once this old mule who lived in Ponyville, right next to where the Sofas and Quills shop is now. He was a mean-spirited, half-blind old thing that was as cranky as they come. Though he was pretty much harmless, he did take it upon himself to be open about how much he hated nearly everypony around. He seemed to especially hate me and Applejack, for whatever reason.”

“You did break his window that one time, Trader,” Applejack added, smiling to herself as she began to remember the story herself.

A light chuckle escaped the pegasus as he nodded. “Alright then, perhaps his ire wasn't without reason. Anyway, me and Applejack got a plan to mess with the old mule. On Nightmare Night, when everypony was out gathering candy and dressing up, I took some special paint from my mother's store and covered myself in black. Applejack managed to find a stick just the right size for a fake horn, and I glued it to my forehead.”

A gasp escaped Sweetie Belle, as she leaned forward again, looking the stallion in the eyes as she practically squeaked, “You were dressing up as Nightmare Moon, weren't you?”

Trader jerked his neck slightly, causing the filly to nearly lose her position on his head, smiling up at her as he responded, “Why don't you wait for the story to end, huh?” Allowing her to get comfortable once again, he continued. “So, with me dressed up, it was Applejack's job to get the old mule ready. Nopony ever went to his house for candy, so it was quite a surprise for him to have a young filly knocking on his door, panic written on her face as she says...” He trailed off as he eyed Applejack expectantly.

Catching on quick, the mare donned her most frightful looking face and said, “Oh, help me, help me, mister! Nightmare Moon's comin' to gobble me up!”

“Then,” Trader said, holding a devious smirk as he bent his legs down, “I swooped down from the roof of his house!” With a single beat of his wings, the stallion jumped into the air at an elevated height. After a thud, he came back to the floor of the chicken coop, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo giggling happily as they held onto him as tightly as they could. “Like an angry bee, I flew as fast as my little wings allowed, swarming around him. Hiding in a nearby bush, Applejack provided a wonderful sound.”

Again, Trader looked to Applejack to help. The farmpony stood on her back legs, her eyes going blank as she waved her forehooves about and moaned, “Oooooooooo,” with surprising talent.

The pegasus shivered slightly, being noticed quickly by the two fillies on top of him. “Gets me every time,” he said with a chortle. Then, he began to laugh harder, remembering what happened right after that moment. “You should have seen the old mule's face, scared out of his mind as he scrambled into his house and locked the door. We barely made it back to the farm before we collapsed in a fit of laughter.”

“Course, we didn't get away with it,” Applejack reminded him. “Granny Smith wasn't too happy about what we did, neither were his parents.”

A sigh escaped the stallion as he nodded and said, “Yeah... I remember that, got chewed out something fierce. Though, I think my mother was more angry about the wasted paint we took.”

“We were punished pretty bad too,” the blonde earth pony added. A light chuckle escaped her as she eyed the stallion wryly. “Though, Ah think you got the worst of it. What with that paint staining your coat.”

Trader groaned at that, shaking his head at the bit of distasteful memory. “Don't remind me. Who knew that stuff was so hard to wash out... I had black blotches on my coat for over a month, not to mention the bald patch on the center of my forehead from when we ripped off that horn I wore.”

“Let that be a lesson to all of ya,” Applejack remarked, looking up to her little sister before directing her gaze to the others. “Don't go doin' mean pranks to ponies, even if they deserve it.”

“Or just be smart enough not to get caught,” Trader chided, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Applebloom and her friends giggled at that, especially so after seeing the mild glare of irritation Applejack directed to the pegasus. “Can you tell us another story?” The gleeful, bow-wearing filly asked, again looking at Trader with an adorable, pouty gaze.

“Another story?” the pegasus murmured, rubbing his chin in thought. “Well...” He stopped himself, his eyes growing wide, his ears standing straight up, the corner of his mouth curly up into a devious smirk. Noticing the sudden change, Applejack directed her gaze toward her friend, seeing him eying her. “Perhaps you girls would like to hear about the little crush that Applejack had back when I knew her.”

“Wh-what?!” Applejack exclaimed, a shade of red covering over her freckled cheeks.

The mare's reaction was lost to the crusaders however, their eyes lighting up. It was especially so for Applebloom, the excitement practically shining from her face. “Applejack had a crush?!” she asked loudly, nearly slipping from her perch on her sister's head due to her enthusiasm.

“That's right,” the white pegasus said with a chuckle. “He was in our class. An earth pony with an amber coat and the most unkempt mane you'd ever seen. We called him Bucky, on account of his front teeth.” Using the lower half of his forelegs, he brought them to his mouth, dangling them from his upper jaw to give the fillies a less than accurate image.

“They weren't that big,” Applejack murmured, looking down at the floor. None of the crusaders noticed the mare's reaction however, or even noticing that she was speaking. They were completely enraptured by the tale that the stallion was spinning.

Trader gave a shake of his head in disagreement. “I swear he must have been part rabbit,” he continued. “He wasn't really a bad kid, really shy though. From what I remember, he was only in town for half the year, visiting family that lived here. But, oh Celestia, you should have seen how Applejack acted around him.” A fond sigh escaped him as he batted his eyes dreamily, unable to keep a straight face when he was done. “I'd always catch her writing his name in her notebook whenever we were in class, sometimes glancing over to him.”

The three fillies each giggled in amusement at the thought, causing the mare's flushed cheeks to worsen. A huff left the farmpony as she argued, “Th-that's not true!”

“I know, I sat next to you,” Trader shot back, sticking his tongue out at her teasingly. “Though... I can't say I wasn't a little jealous of him...”

Surprised by that, Applejack looked at her friend curiously. “You were jealous that Ah liked him?” she questioned.

“Huh?” Trader blinked, just realizing what he said. An uneasy smile immediately crossed him as the mare's gaze stayed fixed on him. “Uh... N-no... not that specifically. I mean, it wasn't just you. Every filly in class had a crush on him, you, Rarity, Cheerilee, everypony.” His own irritated huff left him as he thought on it, frowning slightly. “I'll tell you what it was, it was that accent of his. That thick, Trottingham accent he spoke with.”

“Trottingham?” Sweetie Belle questioned. “Oh, he must have talked just like Pip does!”

“The little colt with the spots?” the pegasus asked, earning a nod from the young unicorn. “I guess some of your classmates are fawning over him too, huh?”

They all looked confused for a moment, each shaking their head. “No, Ah don't think so,” Applebloom muttered.

“Huh,” the stallion returned, sounding surprised. “Tastes must have changed over the years...”

“It's not like you've had such bad luck with the mares yourself,” Applejack said pointedly. “Ah've heard from Rainbow Dash about you and that Wonderbolt Captain gal Spitfire.”

It was then Trader's turn to blush, it being even more noticeable on top of his white coat. “Heh... so she's told you about that...” he muttered, realizing it was foolish to think that the multicolored pegasus would be able to keep her mouth shut.

His embarrassment was short lived however, feeling his spine nearly snapped in two as Scootaloo jumped in a fit of excitement, gasping loudly. “You were together with Spitfire?!” she shouted, with just as much surprise that Rainbow Dash held when she realized it. “Wow! She's like, the second greatest pegasus ever! Beaten easily by Rainbow Dash, of course.”

“What about me?” Trader asked curiously, flapping his wings lightly to jostle the filly riding his back.

“Um...” she murmured, thinking about it. “You're... like, the fifth.”

About to saying something against it, Trader paused as he shrugged slightly. “Well, that's pretty fair.”

The Cyan Coach

A pleasant sigh escaped Trader as he lied on the ground in Sweet Apple Acres. The soft grassy brushed against his back as he looked up into the sky, seeing the clouds placed by the weatherponies stroll across his field of vision. The sun was in the perfect spot for him, allowing the shadow of the tree he was near to loom over him.

It was a free day for him, the Apple Family taking it as a well earned day of rest and relaxation. Though it wasn't the first day of the sort that the pegasus had experienced since his time with the family of farmponies, it meant so much more knowing what had occurred not too long ago. For the first time, the word free actually meant something to him.

There were no woes weighing him down, no worries that clung to the back of his every thought. All that he could feel was a new found sense of peace, something that was so foreign to him, yet gave such a wonderful feeling. Perhaps lying in the dirt wasn't the best way to spend said time of freedom, but as the stallion stretched himself out fully, he could think of nothing better than giving in to his lazy urges.

It was too much for the pegasus, his eyelids growing heavy as he strained to keep them open. Drifting off to sleep, the scene of the cloudy sky continued to play in front of his darkening gaze. Just a murmur of contentedness escaped him as his eyes fluttered open for just another second, then closing fully.

Before he could fall asleep, there was one last sudden urge to fight the oncoming rest, his eyes opening slightly once again. As he did, the cloud-filled sky above him was no longer there. Engulfing the entirety of his vision, a cyan-coated face looked down at him, a pair of purple eyes looking into his own and the tip of a rainbow-colored man brushing against his chin.

Eyes nearly bulging out of his skull, a startled cry erupted from the pegasus as he bolted upright. With a loud smack, his forehead collided against that of the mare looming over him, forcing a grunt of pain from him as well as from her. His forehooves were brought to his head, rubbing the throbbing spot of flesh as he groaned.

“Ow, what was that for?” asked the mare, tenderly rubbing her own foreleg across her sore forehead.

Looking at his sudden company, Trader was able to quickly recognize the mare. “R-Rainbow Dash!” he said. “What are you doing?! Can't any of you learn how to not sneak up on somepony?!”

“Well, I didn't think you'd react like that!” the weathermare snapped in response, glaring at him as her forehead still held a mild ache. Rainbow Dash then blinked, her gaze drifting down slightly to see what remained of the black eye that the pegasus had. “Hey, what happened to your face?”

“Huh?” he murmured, noticing where the mare was looking. “Oh... uh... I fell down the stairs leading to my room.” A weak smile spread across his lips as he rubbed the back of his head bashfully. “Yup, had a pretty hard day of work that night and lost my balance. Gave myself a good thrashing, but I suppose it could have been worse.” Still feeling her eyes on his wound, the nervous stallion blinked as he remembered just what happened the last time he saw her. “Oh, that's right. You met up with Soarin the other day, didn't you? How'd that go?”

A disgruntled huff escaped the mare as her brow furrowed, a good indicator for the white pegasus. Despite her obvious abrasiveness toward the subject though, Rainbow Dash did do him the courtesy of telling him. Hearing what had happened, how awful it was for the mare, garnered a very strange reaction from him.

Falling over onto his back, Trader's mouth gaped open as he exploded with an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Droplets of moisture formed on the corners of his eyes as his chest heaved, his lungs overworked to provide enough air for his merriment. Rainbow Dash merely stood there, her aggression only growing as the stallion pressed his forelegs against his aching chest.

“Are you done yet?!” the cyan-coated pegasus snapped, quickly fed up with him.

Slowly, the laughter turned to a hearty chuckle, then silence as Trader stood up, wiping his eyes as tried catching his breath. “Oh... Celestia... I really needed that,” he murmured in satisfaction. Feeling the seething glare of the weathermare on him, a short, uneasy chuckle escaped him again. “Heh, sorry, I guess I should have warned you about Soarin. He's not much of a romantic. Really though, an entire pie, that certainly does sound like him.” His clear amusement died down a little as he developed a more serious expression. “but... I am sorry if it wasn't what you were expecting it to be.”

Sighing wistfully, Rainbow Dash gave a simple shrug. “It's alright,” she replied. Her eyes then began to wander about, aimlessly as she seemed to develop her own nervous stance. “But hey, um... Now that you mention it...”

Sensing that something had the mare on edge, Trader tilted his head slightly in curiosity. “Yeah?” he murmured questioningly.

“Well,” Rainbow Dash said, stiffening her posture slightly while her eyes seemed to look everywhere but in the direction of the stallion in front of her, “I just... never really thanked you for what you did. I wouldn't have even gotten close to the Wonderbolts like that if it wasn't for you.” Quickly loosening up, a large smile spread across her cheery face. “I figured out how I could thank you though! Since you're such a weak flier, I've decided to train you up and make you the best pegasus you can be!”

“T-train me?” Trader muttered, looking at the mare in confusion. It then hit him, surprise showing clearly. “Uh... no, th-that isn't really necessary. I might not be much of a flier, but I'm fine with-”

“Nonsense!” Rainbow Dash blurted out, flying into the air to hover over the stallion. “You're a pegasus, you should try to be the best that you can be at everything!” A proud smirk soon appeared on her face. “Consider yourself lucky too, I've helped train nearly every pegasus in Ponyville, making them all faster and stronger fliers. Nopony could ever ask for a better teacher!”

“Is that right...?” the white-coated pegasus murmured. It was obvious enough to the stallion that the determined mare wasn't about to let him go easily. With a resigned sigh, the pegasus relented, not wanting to put up a fight with her. “Alright, if you really want to help. Who am I to say no to such an offer?”

Rainbow Dash seemed elated at his acceptance, much more so than he figured she should be. “That's great!” she exclaimed, elevating herself as she did a backflip. “Gimme a few minutes and meet me at the track that's just outside town.” Not waiting for the stallion to reply, Rainbow took off toward Ponyville, leaving him to stand by himself.

Another sigh escaped Trader as he stretched himself out, breaking the drowsy kinks that gripped his body. Idly, his eyes fell to the wings at his side, the feathered appendages flapping lightly. “So much for being lazy on my day off,” he murmured to himself, trotting off to where he was to meet the vibrantly colored mare.

The track outside of Ponyville was as basic as one would think. Oval shaped, it stretched a good distance across the ground. All around it, the area was widely open, only a few trees dotting the landscape. After several laps under the blazing sun, they would certainly be a wonderful places to rest.

Rainbow Dash was already there waiting by the time Trader made it. She didn't seem too mad about the time it took him to get there, actually looking happy that he showed up at all. It was clear as well that she had come prepared. A sizable pile of supplies was set next to her. With bottles of water to rehydrate, towels, strange pieces of equipment that the pegasus didn't recognize and a few other things. The mare herself was also dressed a little different, with a thick sweatband running across her forehead that lifted her mane up slightly, as well as a whistle dangling from her neck.

“There you are,” she said cheerfully, “I didn't think it would take you that long.”

A mild shrug was the stallion's first response. “Sorry,” he then replied.

Still Rainbow Dash kept her smile as she turned to her supplies for a moment. “It's okay,” she returned, looking through what she had taken. “Here, put these on.” With a short toss, five sweatbands landed before the white pegasus.

“Um... okay,” Trader mumbled. Not being one who ever worked out, he was out of his element and not fully sure what the mare was wanting from him. One of the sweatbands was larger than the others, the stallion quickly figuring out why as he stretched it over his head and wore the others around his legs.

Equipped and ready to get started, Rainbow Dash pointed off to the track. “Alright then!” she barked, her eyes narrowing with a determined glint as she took on an authoritative tone. “Now, I want you to do a full lap around the track. Fly as fast as you can, flap with all of your might, push yourself as far as you can!”

“Gotcha,” muttered the stallion as he took a position on the simple course. Trotting in place for a moment to pump himself up, he set his eyes straight down the track, wings unfurling and stretching to their fullest.. With a single push of his hooves against the ground and a mighty flap of his wings, he took off into the air and sped across the track.

Staying low to the ground, the pegasus was worried about speed rather than height. The flat surface of the track was just a blur as he fought against the wind blowing against his body, eyes stinging as he kept them focused on his path. Though it was clear that Trader wasn't the fastest pegasus around, he still held his own as he sped through the track. Of course, he was made all the more nervous knowing that the rainbow-maned mare's eyes were riveted to him, being such an accomplished flier.

Quickly enough, Trader made a full lap across the course, landing where he started. His breathing quickened, sweat beginning to form on his body, he aimlessly stared at the ground in front of him before glancing over to his only spectator. Rainbow Dash held no expression of mockery or pity however. Instead, her eyes were focused, with a look of deep thought in them as she silently evaluated his performance.

“Not bad...” the weathermare eventually said, nodding her head in approval. “Of course, I see obvious room for improvement. But you aren't half bad, all things considered.” A small, hopeful smile appeared on the stallion's face. Without giving him much time to actually catch his breath though, Rainbow pointed off to the spot next to her. “Now, drop down and do some push-ups.”

“Alright,” Trader replied, his tone sounding much more spirited. Trotting onto the grassy ground, the stallion stretched out his hindlegs and bent his forelegs down, resting his stomach on the ground as he prepared to start.

Just as the pegasus was about to begin, Rainbow Dash held up her hoof, shouting, “Hold it!” Freezing the stallion in place, he looked at the mare expectantly, not knowing what he did wrong. “Remember why we're here? You're doing push-ups with your wings.”

Trader eyed the feathered appendages with a frown. “My... wings...?” he questioned, noticing the silent nod from his 'coach'.

With a steady breath, the stallion stretched out his wings and slowly bent them downward, the tips flattening against the ground. Pausing for another moment to ready himself, he raised his forelegs off of the ground and pushed himself up with his wings as hard as he could. To his surprise, his wings were actually holding him up, steadily rising to as high as they would allow him.

Getting into the swing of things, the action was repeated over and over again. Much like how one would do with their forelegs, the pegasus pushed himself up with his wings and slowly drifted down, focusing on lifting his weight continuously. The bigger strain was not giving into the temptation of using his legs. But once again feeling Rainbow Dash's gaze locked on him, he pushed himself to not fail.

After a while, the number of actual push-ups had been lost to the stallion. Trader at least figured that his so-called trainer would tell him when she was satisfied, leaving him to simply focus on doing the action instead. Even as droplets of sweat dripped from his face onto the warm ground, his body trembling with each strenuous lift, Trader did the best he could, just like when working on the farm.

Trader then let out a gasp as his body nearly collapse, feeling a sudden onset of weight placed on his back. It took a bit of effort to turn his neck far enough to see the rainbow-colored mare sitting on him, forelegs crossed as she never let her gaze on him falter. “What... what are you doing?” he managed to ask, having difficulty adjusting to the change.

“Adding a little weight,” Rainbow Dash answered in a matter-of-fact tone. “No sense in not changing things up for you now and then.”

A snark huff blew from the stallion's nostrils as he shot back, “A little, huh?”

The statement only caused the cyan pony to thwack him lightly across the head, once again nearly bringing him to the ground. “Just get back to it,” she said, keeping herself as still as possible to better balance on him.

Huffing slightly once again, Trader did as he was told. Small grunts and groans of exertion occasionally escaped him as he focused solely on doing his latest push-up. Eventually though, the untrained pegasus' body couldn't handle any more of the strain. With his tongue lolling out of his mouth, panting like a dog, his wings and legs gave out, collapsing flat on the ground.

“Not too bad,” Rainbow Dash remarked, still sitting on the stallion's back. “You did better than I expected. All that work you've been doing up at the farm must be paying off for ya.”

Trader didn't reply right away, his heavy breathing impairing his ability to speak. After catching his breathe however, he was able to breathlessly remark, “You... you think so?”

“Yup,” the mare nodded before finally slipping off of the pegasus' back. “You may not be the strongest pegasus out there, but you have plenty of endurance. I bet you could become one of the best with me helping you.” A large grin spread out across his lips. “Of course, you'd never be able to match up to me.”

A light chuckle came from the stallion as he managed to pick himself up, no longer heaving every breath he took. “We'll see about that,” he replied playfully.

There was a noticeable smirk from the mare as she held a competitive glint in her eye. Perhaps thinking she was helping potential competition. Trader payed it little mind however as he ran his dry tongue across his lips, realizing how thirsty he was. Soon enough, his eyes became trained on the water that Rainbow Dash had set up nearby.

“Alright then,” Rainbow declared, regaining her commanding tone. “Let's rehydrate you and get back to more training!”

The white pegasus only blinked with sudden surprise at the mare. “M-more?” he questioned, his body beginning to ache even more.

A small, indignant huff escaped the athletic pony, a firm nod being given as her answer. “Of course!” she blurted out loudly. “We've only just gotten started!”

Only a weak, uneasy smile could be given by the stallion, realizing what he had gotten himself into.

After a long day of training with Rainbow Dash, being pushed harder than working with Applejack ever did, the simple feat of being able to sleep was one of the grandest gifts for the stallion. The pegasus barely had to lie down in his bed to fall asleep, passing out as soon as his body touched the comforting embrace of his mattress.

Stuck in a heavy sleep, it was impossible for Trader to be able to catch the soft hoofsteps making their way down the stairs leading to his room. There wasn't a chance for him to hear the approaching figure standing at his bedside. Not even the prolonged inhale happening right next to him caused him to stir. It wasn't until the exhale was put to use did he awaken.

A sharp, loud and piercing whistle stabbed into the stallion's ears. He cried out in frightened panic as his body jumped straight out of bed, smashing into the ceiling above him before he came crashing back down to where he was lying peacefully moments ago. Eyes so wide open he thought he'd never be able to blink again, his breaths were rapid and a hoof was pressed on his fluttering heartbeat.

It took several moments for him to become fully aware of what caused his sudden distress, spying Rainbow Dash standing there guiltily. “R-Rainbow Dash?!” he blurted out. “What... What is the matter with you! Oh, Celestia, you nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“It's time to wake up!” Rainbow said in response, as though the stallion's ire didn't exist. “We need to get started now if we're going to make any headway in your training I have planned for you.”

“Wha...? Get started?” Trader questioned, his mind not processing her words correctly, on part from his still drowsy thoughts as well as nearly being scared to death. “You... you can't seriously mean-”

“You didn't think we were done with your training did you?” she asked, sounding like it was a joke. “I said I'd help you become a better flier, and you can't just do a single workout and expect that to be all.” She lifted her hoof and began pushing against the mattress the stallion rested on. “So come on. The sun hasn't risen yet and we can get started, breathing in that cold, pre-dawn air.”

An agitated glare came from the stallion as he buried his head underneath of his pillow. “I can't just workout again. I have a job to do in the morning!” he snapped. “Just let me sleep!”

“It's fine,” Rainbow tried to reassure him. “I've talked to A.J. about it already. She's said you guys don't have much work now anyway, since she's preparing for the big trip she has soon.”

Trader raised his head up for a moment, looking at the cyan-coated mare in confusion. “Big trip?” he questioned, having heard nothing of it himself. “I... that doesn't matter! Just let me sleep for a little longer! I'll get out of bed when I'm good and ready!”

Burying his head back underneath of his pillow, the stallion kept himself still as he tried to find sleep once again, even with the mare standing next to him. While Trader remained stubborn, Rainbow Dash simply stood there, a flat expression on her face. Waiting just a few moments for the stallion to get relaxed once again, the weathermare didn't waste a second longer as she pressed her forehooves underneath of his mattress and flipped it over. Trader was tossed from his bed yet again, landing on the hard floor as his mattress landed on him soon after.

“Good, you're out of bed,” Rainbow Dash said coyly. “I'll be waiting for you outside. Don't make me come back down after you.” With that, she flew back up the stairs and left the stallion alone.

Groaning, Trader pushed himself up off the ground, lifting his mattress up along the way. Shaking his weary head, he envisioned just what his day was going to entail for him. “That mare...” he murmured to himself, “she's even more physically demanding than Spitfire ever was...”

Rainbow Dash's Training Regimen

Everything seemed to be against the tired pegasus. From the environment around him to his own exhausted body.

The thinner air passing in and out of his lungs, the comforting breeze that lapped at his body and the plush softness that was underneath his hooves. It added a heavy burden alongside how dead tired he was. The sun itself hadn't even begun to peak over the horizon yet, a cruel reminder how early it was and how little sleep he had received.

Much of Equestria expanded out before Rainbow Dash and himself. High atop a platform of clouds that the mare had set up for them. It was as softer than pillow and wide enough for them to work. The ground was far below them, making the landscape undefined.

Trader payed little attention to what was around him though. Even Rainbow's own words, undoubtedly the plan for what they would do, was nothing but an incomprehensible mess of fluttering noise. It was all he could do to keep himself from falling asleep. His eyelids felt as though they were made of stone, larger gulps of the frigid air passed through his lungs as every other breath was a yawn.

The world seemed to tilt back and forth ever so slightly, blurring in a fuzzy mass of different colors as Trader's battle with his own vision was being lost. Weaker and weaker his attempts to stop himself became, the world shrinking down into a blurred horizontal line.

Several times his eyes fully shut, submerging the stallion in dark emptiness. Each time was quickly ended with his lids flaring open, only to droop back down. But again, as his weariness took hold, his eyes falling shut, there was brief moment where he paused.

Abruptly, Trader's eyes opened to their fullest, and he was met with a surprise. The entire world had suddenly turned a full ninety degrees.

It wasn't until Rainbow Dash trotted up beside him did he realize he was now lying on his side, half of his body being smothered by the cloudy platform. “Finally, you're awake.”

“Wha...” the tired stallion murmured, looking at the mare in confusion. “I... I wasn't sleeping.” His words were quickly followed by another yawn.

A huff escaped the cyan pegasus as she stared knowingly down at her flier in training. “Actually, yeah,” she retorted. “You dozed off for a couple minutes, actually. No harm done though. You gave me a chance to get ready.” She beckoned the stallion forward with a simple gesture of her hoof. “Now, stand up and come here.”

A halfhearted nod was given as Trader shifted his body about to stand. Then, a sudden, unexpected gasp escaped him as his attempts were suddenly halted, his legs and head feeling as though they had just about been pulled off of his body. As he thought on it however, it suddenly felt as though his body had become heavier.

Realizing just how tired he was, the stallion's brow furrowed as he pushed himself up with all his might, using his wings to help bring him onto all four hooves. The moment he was balanced however, the sudden onset of weight became fully apparent to him, his legs buckling out from under him as he collapsed onto his stomach.

“What the... what's...?” he managed, looking about uselessly. His drowsiness made it next to impossible to discern what was wrong, a fact that wasn't known by only him. It was a rude awakening as, at that very moment, an ice-cold splash of water engulfed him.

A frightened yelp escaped the pegasus as he shot upward, or at least tried to, his heavy body keeping him planted to the clouds he was on. Several panic breaths were needed before Trader was even able to make out the laughing of a certain weathermare next to him, a suddenly emptied bucket of water next to her.

“The look on your face!” she cried out. “So priceless, ha ha!”

Growling angrily, Trader was moments away from speaking his mind to the mare before he realized just how alert he had become. Any sparked aggression was quickly extinguished by the acceptance of how effective the treatment was. Again however, it came as a surprise to the fully awakened pony that he did indeed feel much heavier. But it took mere moments for the source of it to become clear to him, his eyes drifting to his own body.

“What in the world is this?” Trader questioned, eyes fixed on the vest he was wearing. The material was rough and thick, covering most of his torso with small holes where his wings were able to poke free. It slowly dawned on him how out of it he had to of been for the mare to slip it on him without his knowledge.

Rainbow Dash soon calmed down, just as Trader shifted his body around to find how heavy it was. “It's a weighted training vest. Since you need all the help you can get, I figured it'd be great to use. Even the Wonderbolts use these thing in their training.”

“They used to use these,” the stallion corrected. His legs shook as he brought himself back onto all four hooves, not being caught off guard by it any longer. “They were banned years ago. Ponies would always injure themselves with these things.”

“Good thing you're not a Wonderbolt then, huh?” Rainbow Dash chimed in a matter-of-fact tone. “Who's the best flier around here?” She didn't give him a chance to answer as she quickly pressed a hoof to her chest. “That's right, me. I know what I'm doing. So hop to it. None of this will work while you laze around.”

Grumbling to himself, Trader resigned himself to obey the mare as he readied his body and tried to take off. It didn't last long, the pegasus' body crashing back down onto the cloudy surface, sinking into it slightly. The added weight made his own body feel different and uncomfortable, heavier than anything he had to ever carry while flying for the PDS.

He already knew that Rainbow Dash wouldn't allow him to quit so easily. So, with another deep breath, Trader flapped his wings with all of his strength and jumped upward. This time managing to hover into the air, if a bit erratically. There was no time to celebrate it however, his eyes close to bulging out of his skull as his wings ached from the strain, his lungs freezing over from the rapid breaths he had to take.

Continuing to flap, Trader tasked himself with moving forward. Eyes dead ahead, completely still, he began to shift forward ever so slightly, his elevation dropping and rising irregularly. Eventually though, it was all he could take, and the stallion's sudden crash was inevitable.

Panting heavily, the white-coated pegasus tried to regain his strengths as he heard Rainbow Dash cheering uproariously over his mediocre performance. “That was great!” she shouted, clapping her hooves together. “You managed to stay up longer than I had thought, especially for your first flight with the vest.”

No response came from Trader, still feeling his lungs burning as they remained filled with the cold, pre-dawn air. Lying there was his wings already began to ache, the constant weight of the best he wore apparent to him, there was a small part of his mind that was certain the mare was trying to cripple him. Or at least she was crazy enough that he'd end up that way. It didn't help his minors fears as Rainbow Dash continued talking.

“Okay,” she then said. “We can't hold back now! I think you'd do even better if you tried flying in open air. Give you that worry of falling for an extra boost.”

Trader barely believed his ears as he heart nearly stopped. “Wh-what?!” he blurted out as his eyes darted toward the pegasus. But to his shock, she was gone. Panic gripped the fearful stallion, but only for a few moments, as he then felt the cloud underneath him give way. The clouds having been kicked out from under him, Trader slipped through the stallion-sized hole made for him.

With every ounce of their strength, the pegasus' wings flapped desperately. Though it felt like his body would be yanked away from his wings, he managed to slow his descent, struggling to hover in the air and make it back up to the cloud platform and to safety.

But it was too much fore the already exhausted pony, his wings only able to take so much. They felt numb as Trader was too tired to keep himself in the air any longer, plummeting like a rock. The last thing he saw was Rainbow Dash's wide grin, before he splashed into lake that the weathermare had made sure they were flying over. A mighty explosion of water erupting upward in a blue column.

The sun was already hovering directly over the farm as Applejack paused from her near-endless apple bucking. Clinging to her coat was the sweat of hard labor, bringing a pleased expression to the mare as she looked on to see what she had accomplished. Beneath the ocean of trees that expanded outward in the fields, the piles of picked apples were as clear as bright red lights.

Even the hard working farmpony needed her rest though, as she took a quick breather and looked on to see how the rest of her family was doing. Applebloom was like a small streak of yellow, darting across area with the speed of her youth. She brought the baskets of apples to her grandmother, just as Granny Smith used her keen eye to inspect each and every piece of fruit for any flaws they might have.

She had become more picky than usual as well, tossing aside perfectly fine looking apples for one reason or another. But it was for good reason, needing the best of the best as the apples were brought to the grinder. There, Big Macintosh worked tireless, running across the belt to turn the massive wheel of stone. Each apple was smashed down, the juices that were freed then pouring into waiting barrels, which Applebloom quickly set aside and replaced when she wasn't delivering baskets.

It was like clockwork, each pony working in tandem with the other to help create their famous apple cider. Despite how much the ponies of Ponyville loved the stuff however, it wasn't meant for them, as sad as that was. They had other plans for the tasty beverage.

Looking on to see her family working however, made Applejack's thoughts drift to the one who was missing. Though she had told Rainbow Dash that they weren't in any true need for Trader, she was already thinking on how much help he would have been. But the pegasus seemed eager to offer a helping hoof to her foalhood friend, finding it hard to say no to her.

It certainly was a surprise to see how fond of Trader she had become. As they were, she didn't expect them to get along as well as they seemed to, given their obvious differences in attitudes. It was a welcoming sight to the mare, always happy to know that each one of her friends could get along with the other, especially for one she had known since she was little.

But the passing thought continued as Applejack wondered about Rainbow Dash's own interest in the stallion. Of course, she knew her friend was just being that, friendly, her eagerness did arouse some suspicion. Perhaps having a little too much interest with Trader, at least for Applejack's own liking anyway.

Applejack's pondering was soon cut short however, as she became aware of her own dawdling. There was still much to be done before nightfall, and they had a time limit on all things. So she took off to help carry the barrels of cider to the cellar where they belonged, abandoning her silent musings over her two friends.

Panting seemed to be the only thing Trader was capable of doing now. Sweat dripped down his face, the unforgiving sun now bearing down on him. The burdening weight of the vest he still had to wear certainly wasn't helping, but there was no mistake that he was getting used to it.

Given the hours he had been trying to fly with it, he was now able to keep aloft much longer than before. Though he was unable to keep steady for more than a minute or two, he had yet to fall into the lake again. It was still progress nonetheless, something that wasn't missed by Rainbow Dash. The rainbow-maned mare seemed eager to up the stakes whenever it seemed like he was getting too used to it.

Now, in addition to the heavy vest, two small sacks dangled from his sides. As the stallion moved about, he could hear the contents shifting along with him, sounding as though they were filled with seeds of some kind.

They were no longer by themselves either. How Rainbow Dash had roped her in was beyond Trader, but Fluttershy had come to accompany them. Across her own back, she wore two large baskets. Judging by how they moved about on their own from time to time, he was certain that whatever was inside was alive.

“Alright!” Rainbow Dash shouted, finished making her preparations. “Trader, you've been doing great so far. But now that Fluttershy's here, she'll help us start the next phase of your training.”

“A-are you sure about this?” the timid mare asked, looking uncertain.

While Fluttershy seemed to know what was going on, Trader had otherwise been left in the dark, a fact that he was disliking with each passing second. “So... what's going to happen?”

Silently nodding to her friend in encouragement, Rainbow Dash eyed the stallion deviously as she explained. “Well, Fluttershy here was nice enough to bring a few of her pet birds to help out. “

There was a long pause between the three pegasi as Trader digested the meager information he was given. “Um... okay. And how are birds going to help?” he asked, having nearly forgotten about what he was wearing.

Rainbow Dash noticed it too, a smirk on her lips as she hovered over Fluttershy, hooves resting on each basket. “The bags you have are filled with a special kind of seed they like,” she elaborated further. “These guys go crazy for the stuff. What better way to learn how to fly than when under a little pressure?”

Slowly but surely, it began to dawn on the stallion, his eyes widening as he stared at the mare in shock. “Wait... you don't mean...” Rainbow Dash merely nodded excitedly as she then lifted up the lids to the baskets. “No! Hold on!” But it was too late. As the words left hiss mouth, a swarm of small birds came flying out of the basket.

Immediately, their gazes were set on the stallion, or at least what was attached to him. In a matter of moments, Trader was consumed by a shifting mass of beaks and feathered wings. Though he cried out in terror, at the mercy of the hungry flock, Rainbow Dash watched with quiet anticipation while Fluttershy could only try and shield her eyes from the scene.

Trader tried to run, to escape from the ceaseless attack, the heavy burden around his chest not helping in the slightest. “You're crazy!” he shouted as he ran frantically around the cloudy platform, unable to get away from the ravenous creatures. “They won't stop! Somepony help me!”

Not looking where he was going, Trader ran straight off the edge of the clouds. The familiar feeling of falling came to him as his screams followed him down. Still spectating, the two mares looked over the edge where he had plummeted, only Fluttershy having a look of worry on her.

“Huh,” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself. “I didn't think he'd forget he could fly.”

No longer after their quarry, the unsuccessful birds flew back to their keeper, resting across Fluttershy's. “Is he going to be alright?” she asked, eyes still focused on Trader as he neared the ground.

The weathermare merely waved her hoof carelessly. “Oh, he'll be fine. He'll just land in the lake again.” As though on cue, the telltale splash of a pony hitting water sounded off, even loud enough for them to hear from their perch.

Fluttershy's gaze remained locked on the spot, seeing the massive ripples expanding across the waters surface and the bubbles floating up from below. “I... I don't think he's coming up.”

“Nonsense,” Rainbow Dash huffed, matching the caretaker's gaze. The ripples eventually stopped, as well as the bubbles that indicated where the stallion was. The lake became still. “Uh-oh...” An uneasy smile crossed the cyan mare's lips as she quickly jumped from the cloud and dove straight down. “D-don't worry, I've got him.”

Trader the Danger

For two straight days Rainbow Dash coached Trader. They started before sunrise and ended after sunset, with little in the way of breaks for either of them. And the cyan-coated mare worked him hard.

From the basic exercises that he had done on their first day, to preforming different tricks and aerial maneuvers while still burdened with the training vest. Time and time again Trader's strength and stamina were put to the test. Each time moment of success was only met with harsher directions, Rainbow Dash never letting up or showing mercy, but being gracious enough not to try the birds again.

Pushed to the breaking point and beyond it, there were times he could barely continue, feeling his body ready to collapse on itself. It took Rainbow's words of encouragement, or occasional forceful hoof, to bring him back up and be ready to go on. Despite his haggard breathing and numbing body, Trader did as he was told and pushed himself as hard as he could. Eventually, things began to be easier.

The weight of his vest no longer hindered him, oftentimes forgetting he was even wearing it. His body stopped tiring out as quickly, feeling as though he could go on even further than ever before. Each challenge that the mare gave him was met with an increasing vigor to succeed, surprising even her.

On the third day Trader went to meet with Rainbow Dash, he was shocked to hear that she wasn't there to train him, but to offer congratulations for all of his hard work, telling him she had nothing left to show him. As icing on the cake, the suddenly generous mare decided to treat the stallion to a hearty and well deserved breakfast as a reward. Of course, he wasn't about to voice a complaint to the plan, following Rainbow Dash toward Cloudsdale for the eatery of her choice.

The sun had just crawled up over the horizon when they reached the floating city. They made it to the restaurant just as it was opening, a simple place that had several tables set outside for them to enjoy the morning air. With the cool air blowing through their manes, hearing the soft murmur of the waking city coming to life, they ate their food while enjoying the company of the other.

Even though it took them no time at all to finish their meal, they didn't leave quite as quickly. Several other ponies came and went from the restaurant as they both sat there, sipping lightly on their morning coffee and conversing with one another. Rainbow Dash remained the dominant speaker through most of it, regaling her companion with tales of her adventures alongside her friends. From Nightmare Moon to the changelings, with only a few parts embellished for her sake.

Though she wouldn't admit it, the cyan pegasus did enjoy the attention. With a meager amount of disbelief and growing amusement, Trader listened with genuine interest and an insatiable curiosity. But eventually, things wound down and Rainbow Dash found herself tired of talking about herself, as odd as it was, finishing with telling the stallion of when they defeated Discord.

All Trader could manage was a weak chuckle as he shook his head in disbelief. “Wow... I still can't believe it,” he said. “You... and Applejack, and the others of course, all Elements of Harmony. All living right in Ponyville.”

Rainbow Dash merely eyed him questioningly. “You didn't figure it out when you met Twilight?” she asked. The weathermare knew well enough that the lavender unicorn was the more recognizable one of their group.

“I guess not,” Trader replied, unable to stop smiling to himself. “Didn't even recognize the student of Celestia herself. Heh... I figured such heroes of Equestria would be living in Canterlot, living it up.” Tilting his head back, he then let loose an eruption of laughter, as if he had just heard the greatest joke. “I feel like such a fool.”

Rainbow Dash merely shrugged as she took another sip of her drink. “It's not like anypony bothers us about it. Good thing too. I want everypony to remember me for being the best flier in Equestria, not for wearing some glowing necklace.”

“Element of Loyalty has to count for something though, eh?” the stallion murmured, smiling as he looked at the mare across from him. “Makes a bit of sense now, considering you didn't give up on training a lost cause like me.”

The smile was returned as Rainbow Dash matched his gaze, saying, “Well... I said before, you needed a lot of help, but I was glad to be the one to do it. I already told you how I was the one who trained everypony in Ponyville to give Cloudsdale their rainwater. You were in good hooves.”

There was a chuckle from the stallion as he nodded his head. “Yeah, I remember. Though, to be honest, I was kind of skeptical.” A brief pause occurred as the rainbow-manned mare eyed him intently for a moment, causing him to smile weakly. “Okay, I actually thought you'd be the death of me. But still, Rainbow Dash, I really do want to thank you for what you did.”

“It's fine, really,” Rainbow Dash replied, waving the pegasus' gratitude off. “You helped me out with the Wonderbolts, I wanted to return the favor.”

Trader merely chuckled lightly as he shook his head. “What I did doesn't come close to that,” he disagreed. “To be honest, as sad as it sounds, I actually feel like a full-fledged pegasus for once. My body feels as light as a feather and my wings feel strong enough to lift wagons.”

As Rainbow Dash listened to him, she felt sudden shock as Trader reached across the table and placed his hoof over hers, their eyes meeting as he continued to smile brightly at her. “Look,” he said, his tone as serious as it could be with the unbreakable smile he wore, “I know there aren't a whole lot of ponies who would do something like that for me. I... just want you to know how much it means to me. So again... thank you, for everything.”

Managing to break eye contact, Rainbow Dash gave her own weak smile as she nodded. “Y-yeah, you're welcome,” she then let out, finding it difficult to speak her own voice. “I was just happy to help... is all.”

Tilting her head forward slightly, her mane obscured some of her face, feeling a sudden warmth surge through it. “Um... uh, Trader,” she forced out, “you know, I was just... wondering- If it was cool with you, I mean. I was wondering if you-” Rainbow Dash suddenly stopped talking, cutting herself off as she heard the painfully familiar sound of a trio of laughter coming their way. By the time she looked in the right direction, there was a group of three stallions landing right next to them, wide grins plastered across their mugs.

“Well if it isn't Rainbow Crash and Trader the Danger,” said one with a dark-brown coat. “I didn't know you two knew each other.” Trader and Rainbow each glanced over to the other for a brief moment, silently wondering the same thing.

“Oh... hey guys,” Trader murmured in meek reply, nodding slightly to each of the. “Dumb-Bell, Hoops, Score... It's been a while.”

Hoops chuckled loudly as he faced the white pegasus. “My cousin said you were kicked out of the PDS in Manehattan,” he jeered. “Delivering mail's too much for you now? Or did you set fire to the place again?”

A light murmur escaped the stallion as he stared down at the ground, muttering, “It wasn't like that...”

“Remember back when he worked in the weather factory?” Dumb-Bell said to his two companions. “He fell into the vat of rainbow coloring and it died his coat for weeks!” They each burst into laughter at that, bringing a red tint to the pegasus' cheeks.

“Just leave him alone, guys,” Rainbow Dash demanded, her eyes set into a glare. “We were actually having a good time until you three oafs showed up.”

Dumb-Bell merely huffed as he eyed the mare and matched her gaze. “What are you even doing with this guy?” he asked, point a hoof toward the dejected stallion.

“Everypony knows that Trader the Danger's the worst flier in Equestria,” Score said.

Hoops nodded his head in agreement. “He's not even a pegasus, just an earth pony with a couple of feathers sticking to him.”

Rainbow Dash's teeth clenched as she continued to glare daggers at the group of annoyances. Though Trader resigned himself to simply sit there and remain silent, she wasn't going to stand for it. “Well not anymore,” she shot back proudly. “I've helped train him into a bigger and better pegasus. He could fly circles around any of you!”

The three stallions all burst into fits of laughter again, gasping for air by the time they were finished. Dumb-Bell looked at her with clear amusement on his face. “That'll be the day,” he returned. But his expression flattened as he shook his head. “You might have done some cool stuff like the sonic rainboom, Rainbow Crash, but then you start hanging around pathetic ponies like him. It's no wonder you'll never join the Wonderbolts.”

Score let out a small chortle as he nodded his head. “Yeah, I bet that's why she does it. Has to be around all the bad fliers to make herself look better.”

“Heh-heh, yeah,” Hoops said. “Just like with Fluttercry, huh? Trader's even worse than she is!”

Again, they all laughed at their own quips, not noticing the furious mare just a few feet away from them. Rainbow Dash's anger and frustration had reached a peak, every muscle in her body tensing up. She bolted upright, ready to give the three pegasi a harsh and painful piece of her mind. But just as she was about to, she was stopped by the sound of Trader smashing his hoof against the table, causing her and the others to look at him in shock.

“That's enough!” he barked, the three stallions all caught in his infuriated gaze. “Say what you want about me, but you will not insult my friends!” Rainbow Dash and the others all stared at him blankly, mouths slightly agape, having never seen such a reaction from the pegasus before.

Dumb-Bell was the first to break away from it, grinning ruefully as he stepped up to the stallion. “Oh yeah?” he taunted, sensing the challenge. “So what happens if we do?”

Trader stood up from his seat and matched his gaze, their noses just hairs away from touching. One could almost see the burning static crackling between them. “I can think of a few things,” he replied, almost sounding threatening.

A bemused chuckle left Dumb-Bell then. “Is that right?” he questioned coyly, treating him like he would any other joke. Though the white-coated pegasus was rather scrawny compared to the three heckling stallions, with his time spent working the fields at Sweet Apple Acres, it was hard to say who would best who physically.

But Trader developed a toothy grin as he said, “How 'bout a race then?”

“What?!” the three stallions said in bewilderment, alongside Rainbow Dash who was just as stunned as they were.

“You heard me,” Trader said, not backing down in the slightest, their reaction only causing his grin to widen. “You're all so sure of yourselves about how awful I am. So when I trounce you, maybe you'll learn to shut your mouth!”

Dumb-Bell looked ready to burst into another show of amusement, but instead he simply matched Trader's expression and nodded his head. “Fine. I'll be happy to help you embarrass yourself.”

Accidents Happen

A few hours had came and went by the time Trader found himself once again bathed in the shade of apple trees. Like the many other times before it, the pegasus was tasked with bucking down the apples for the Apple family to use. This time however, his progress was slowed by his own wandering mind.

When he had first returned to the farm, Applejack seemed happy to have him back on the work force. A bit more than he had first anticipated, but the stallion didn't put too much thought into it. She already had a load of work for him to do, the midday chores taking up a good chunk of time before he was sent to his usual applebucking. Trader didn't complain however, happy to be of help after his long hiatus from it all.

While he worked, the rest of the family seemed busy getting things ready for their trip that Rainbow Dash had mentioned. He wasn't bothered with still being kept in the dark about it, realizing how busy it was making the Apples and figuring they would tell him about it when it was necessary. However, the solitude of the task brought the stallion to ponder his own little world, his thoughts turning to more recent events.

It was still hard to believe that he would garner the attention of the athletic Rainbow Dash. Though, he also never compared her to Spitfire, realizing the similarities between the two, but also knowing their differences. He was at least happy that the mare wasn't too upset by his rejection, glad to know that she too wasn't fully certain about him either. But her accusations soon after however, was what really made the pegasus pause.

Him and Applejack? The idea seemed absurd. Anypony to see them as kids would see nothing else, two good friends. She'd be more like a sister to him than anything else, even if they spent so much time apart since they grew up. But Trader wasn't able to deny noticing how his foalhood friend had changed, how she had matured over the years, in more ways then one. It was just that though, him simply noticing it. Not that he'd ever consider that the situations were the same for the both of them.

It was easy for him to see how she had grown up to be such a responsible mare, working harder than anypony else he had ever met. All the while, Trader had remained the same, staying as the usual screw-up he always was, as plain to see as the cutie mark on his flank. And he certainly wasn't going to try and screw anything up this time, he couldn't easily forget the number of times he had messed up due to his own wandering eye, or because of a pretty face that seemed all too trustworthy.

Shaking his head of it, Trader's legs kicked out and struck the tree harder than he realized. Pieces of bark chipped away from the trunk and several apples missed the basket that was set for them, rolling away. Pausing in his bucking, the stallion moved to retrieve the wayward fruits. As he did, the sudden sound of rustling tree leaves sounded off, despite there being no wind.

Trader's head perked up at that, listening closely to make sure he wasn't hearing things. More sounds followed, so soft that he could barely make them out, but it sounded like movement. But he couldn't find another soul nearby. Things got even stranger however as he could have sworn he could hear his name being called, sounding distant and near all at once.

Thinking he was going crazy, the pegasus gave his head another good shake and returned to picking up the apples he had lost. The moment he turned around, his heart lurched, a startled yelp escaping him as he jumped into the air, a yellow-coated pegasus standing mere inches away from him.

A similar yelp sounded as the yellow pegasus also shot into the air, falling flat on her back and lying still for a brief moment, eyes wide open. Trader was already on his feet, heart going a mile a minute, immediately recognizing the pink mane of Applejack's more timid of friends. “Fluttershy?”

The mare was getting up herself, looking as reserved as ever. “I-I'm sorry if I... startled you... I didn't mean it,” she said in apology.

Trader merely groaned aloud as he slowly regained his sense. “Geez,” he murmured, at his wit's end. “Do all the ponies around here just teleport right beside one another? I swear, it's like you all are purposely doing it.

“I think Twilight can teleport,” replied the mare, unable to realize the stallion's meaning.

Breathing steadily to calm himself, Trader's flattened expression was also lost as he shoved it away and looked curiously at the sudden arrival of the pegasus. “Never mind, just- Do you need something? Applejack's not here if you need her, she's back up near the barn getting-”

Shaking her head, she surprised the stallion. He couldn't think of any reason why she'd need to see him, almost certain he didn't make any random promises to her. “I actually just got done talking to Rainbow Dash.”

Trader nearly choked on the knot his throat seemed to tie itself into. Just looking at the mare, there was no way for him to not see what she meant by it. “Sh-She told you?!” he managed to say, his voice coming out hoarse.

Fluttershy merely nodded. If she noticed the stunned expression on the stallion's face, or the small beads of sweat that were forming on his brow, she didn't show it. Instead, she simply stared at the stallion of several long moments. Just looking into her eyes, the white pegasus felt rooted to the ground. He felt frozen, her eyes grabbing hold of his body and keeping it still, a shiver running across his spine.

It didn't help Trader in the slightest, fully aware of how close the two friends were, and having no idea what to expect. As the long, awkward moments passed, Fluttershy seemed to come to a conclusion and idly nodded to herself.

Freed at last, Trader was prompted to speak. “Look,” he tried saying, “it's not that I don't like her or anything. I... you know, already told her that she's great and all. I just... um...”

“It's not that,” Fluttershy then said, her calm tone sounding eery to the stunned stallion. “She understands, but... she does feel kind of silly about the whole thing. And she thinks you think she's weird... You don't, do you?”

A light smile crossed the pegasus' face. “Of course not.”

“Good. I just wanted to make sure.” Yet again, for a brief moment, the usually shy pegasus started directly at the stallion. “You do kind of look like him...”

“Huh?”

A light blush appeared on the mare's cheeks as she realized how rude she was being. “Oh, well... It was somepony that Rainbow Dash knew really well. His name was Stormchase. Though, his coat was a little more gray than yours. It was a long time ago too, back before we even knew Twilight.”

Understanding began to dawn on the stallion as he listened. “Oh, so they were like... together...?”

“Rainbow Dash always said they were just good friends,” Fluttershy replied. “But everypony knew they liked each other. His flying wasn't that great either. He wasn't bad... just not that great. But because of Rainbow Dash, he got a lot better. He was nearly as good as she was.” Her gaze trailed up into the sky as she continued, frowning slightly. “They always liked to push each other as hard as they could. But... Please don't tell her a said this... She can push a little too hard sometimes. Then, he ended up in the hospital... with most of his bones broken...”

“Ouch,” Trader murmured, grimacing to himself. “What happened to him?”

“He left,” the mare answered bluntly. “As soon as he was healed, he moved away from Ponyville, to get away from her.” A saddened sigh escaped the mare as she finished.

Trader just stared blankly away as what Fluttershy said sank in. “Hm,” he murmured offhandedly, “guess I dodged a bolt there...” Suddenly remembering who was with him, he coughed forcibly into his hoof. “Uh... so... yeah, that's pretty sad to hear. It must have been hard on her.”

“Yeah...” Fluttershy said with a nod. “She's never really gotten close to any other stallions since. I was kind of surprised when she said she had a date with Soarin, she's never been so excited about something like that.”

“And it ended the way it did,” the stallion added, remembering what the weathermare had told him about it. “And then... I was next...”

“But she seems to be over that now,” Fluttershy quickly said, not wanting him to get the wrong idea about the situation. “I just... wanted to make sure you didn't hate her for it or anything... She seemed a little worried about it.”

The timid mare was surprised when Trader chuckled at that, a wide grin on his face. “Of course not,” he assured. “There's nothing for me to hate. I understand what it's like to think you feel one way but actually feel another. I'm just glad we can stay good friends.”

Relieved to hear it, a soft smile appeared on the mare's face. “I'm glad to hear that, thank you, Trader.” Her gaze slowly drifted to the trees that surrounded them, her smile deflating quickly as she looked back at the stallion apologetically. “Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your work...”

Another small chortle left Trader as he waved it off harmlessly. “No harm done. And thank you for the story.”

With that Fluttershy turned to leave and Trader returned to his applebucking. Wings flared open, just about to take off, the yellow-coated mare stopped herself as she turned back to the stallion. “Oh... Trader,” she said, catching his attention. “For what it's worth... Though I don't think I'd know very well... I do think she really likes you.”

Trader stared at the mare, perplexed. “Who? Rainbow Dash?”

“No.” And without another word, she flew up into the air and disappeared as she broke through the small canopy above them, leaving the stallion even more confused than before. Standing there for a moment, he pondered what the pegasus had meant. Unable to discern it so readily however, it was pushed from his thoughts as he returned to his work.

There was still plenty of that to be done. He had barely made a dent in the number of trees he needed to buck, with time ticking away. From his own slowed speeds as well as Fluttershy's visit, his progress was hindered incredibly.

Trader could only groan loudly to himself as he thought on how much more he had to do. Applejack and the others seemed all the more busy as well, and he couldn't be falling behind. But looking back to the trees, getting them done quickly seemed like a daunting task. Thoughts racing, something then came to the white pegasus as a not too distant memory resurfaced.

The day he and Rainbow Dash went off to see the Wonderbolts. There was certainly plenty of work to be done there. And the mare had been an extraordinary help at the time, if only to get him to come with her. Flying through the trees and knocking the apples down from up there, she made great time.

Unfurling his wings, he gazed at them for a long while, occasionally drifting back up to the green masses of leaves above him. Though he was nowhere near Rainbow Dash's speed, he was also far from his old pathetic ability as well. There was no reason he wouldn't be able to replicate what the mare had done. And if he could shave off a good chunk of time spent working while doing it, it was all the more reason why he should make the attempt.

Flying into the air, the green leaves of his first tree came rushing toward him and he flew into the thick foliage. Several of the more loose ones broke away and slowly sailed downward while the top the tree rattled and shook. Trader struck his hooves against the larger branches, his flapping wings doing the rest. Triumph was had as the apples fell down and into the baskets below.

A streak of white went from one tree to the next, disappearing into it as quickly as it had left the other. Just like before, the branches rattled about, as if a harsh wind was blowing through, the apples breaking away with ease. His speed increased with each tree he went through, getting better and better and hitting them in just the right spots. In no time at all he would be finished.

Getting closer toward the barn, Trader saw a certain burly stallion with a red coat passing by. Apparently with work deeper in the orchard, Big Macintosh didn't seem notice the speeding pegasus. What they both failed to noticed however, was the gnarled-looking branch on an old tree he was headed for. Disappearing inside it like the many others, his hoof struck at it, trying to get it to relinquish the apples it didn't have.

The sound of the large branch snapping from the trunk made Trader freeze on the spot. Even worse, was the following crash at it struck the ground hard and the accompanying cry of pain. The pegasus' eyes were wide with panic as he looked down to see what he had done.

“Big Mac!”

Within the living room of the Apple home, Big Macintosh laid back in a reclining chair, a cloth brace wrapped tightly across his body. From the expression on his face, it was clear he wasn't having a very good time about it. The rest of the family stood by his side, their worried faces having dampened as the worst seemed to be over. Trader himself stood there with his head lowered, the shame he felt almost palpable.

One of the local doctors backed away from the injured stallion, his work just finishing. The unicorn levitated the spectacles on his nose and carefully cleaned them off before addressing the whole family. “Well, Macintosh, you're certainly lucky that nothing is broken,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. “A smaller stallion might have been snapped in two.”

“So he's gonna be alright, Doctor?” Applejack asked, for what felt like the hundredth time.

A simple smile crossed the unicorn, noting her concern for her brother. “Yes, yes, of course, Miss Apple. The branch hasn't done any severe damage, otherwise we'd being heading straight for the hospital. No, he just needs plenty of rest and recovery.” His eyes shifted to the red stallion, like a lecturing parent. “I mean it. Stay off your hooves for the next few days, then simply keep away from any hard physical work for a week or so after.”

As Big Mac nodded as best as he could, Granny Smith thanked the doctor and took him to the front door to see him out. An abrupt silence filled the room. Trader looked up at the stallion he had injured, while he tried shifting in his chair to becoming more comfortable. He could barely look him in the eye as he approached him.

“I'm so sorry Big Mac,” Trader said, feeling miserable. “If I hadn't been so careless, this wouldn't have happened to you.”

Smiling at him, Big Macintosh opened his mouth to speak before the pegasus felt a playful nudge against him and Applejack spoke up. “Don't you fret none about that, Trader,” she said happily. “It was an accident after all, they happen. Ain't that right, Big Mac?”

Directing a somewhat agitated look toward his sister, who didn't seem to notice, the large stallion then eyed Trader with a smile. “Eeyup,” he said simply, agreeing with his younger sibling. Though feeling slightly better, it didn't change Trader's mind that the whole thing was his doing.

With that said and done though, Applejack looked to the ground in dejection for a moment and heaved a sigh. “Though, Ah do wish we had better luck than this,” she murmured. “Somethin' like this just had to happen right before our trip to Hoofington.”

“Hoofington?” Trader questioned aloud.

Applejack looked surprised for a moment, but it quickly dawned on her how little the pegasus knew. “Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know. Heh, sorry about that, must have slipped my mind,” she said with a bit of embarrassment. “But that's right. Hoofington is having their annual fair, and we try to make it every year. With so many hungry ponies, it's a great place for business, and there's also the baking competition they have.” A broad smile showed on her features as she thought on it. “Why, first place in that would be great publicity for the farm.” Her eyes then turned to her injured brother. “Me and Big Mac always went together. But now...” Gasping in sudden realization, Applejack whipped back to face Trader, nearly causing the pegasus to fall over himself in surprise. “Trader! You can come with me to Hoofington!”

“What?” asked Trader, not expecting the sudden offer. “You want me to go? Are you sure?”

A firm nod came from the mare as she continued to smile brightly at him. “Of course. It'll take two ponies to get up to Hoofington and back. Last Ah checked, you fit the bill. Besides, there wouldn't have been much for you to do around here anyway.”

“Well... alright, if I'm really needed,” Trader said. Between Applejack's large smile and his own obligation to the family, he found it downright impossible to say anything else.

It seemed to make her smile grow even more as the mare happily patted him on the back before walking away, saying, “Great! Now there's only a few things left that need doin' before the trip. Then tomorrow, we'll leave first thing in the mornin'!”

True to her word, as soon dawn approached the next day, the farm was alive with activity. Applejack and Trader worked diligently on their final preparations before their trip.

A wagon waited outside for such a purpose as they began loading up what they were taking. Several baskets of apples, hefty barrels of their famous cider and a large cart that smelled heavily of baked goods were all put in their proper place and secured for travel. Applebloom did her best to help despite her size, trying to make up for what was lost with Big Mac's injury. Stowing away the last of the supplies they needed, they were all set to head out.

“We should get going soon,” Applejack said as she inspected their work. “It'll take nearly the nearly the whole day to get there, so we shouldn't dally.”

“Can't Ah go with ya too?” the little filly pipped up, looking sympathetically toward the two older ponies. “It ain't fair that only you two get to go.”

Applejack merely shook her head no. “We aren't goin' there for fun, Applebloom. Besides, you need to stay here and help Granny Smith look after the place, especially with Big Macintosh held up like he is.”

The little one was hardly phased by her sister's reasoning however, looking down at the ground in crippling disappointment. “But Ah wanna go...” she whined, acting very much like the child she was.

Kneeling down to her level, Trader smiled playfully to her and said, “Come on, you know you need to stay. You're gonna be the mare of the house while your sister's gone.” Her ears perked up a little at that, though she wasn't fully convinced. “How about this. When we get back, if you've been good and not gotten into any trouble, and I will ask around, then I'll take you out for a nice treat.”

Applebloom eyed the pegasus closely for a moment, as if searching for any hint of a lie. After a moment, she happily nodded her head in agreement. “Okay, I'll be extra good,” she said as she accepted the bribe.

Finished and with nothing else to be done, it was time for Applejack and Trader to set on their journey. The wagon they were using was different than the usual one. It was larger than a typical wagon, allowing for a much heavier load. The thill at the front was set up to allow two ponies to be harnessed to it at once, their combined strength being used to pull the heavy burden along.

They each took their time strapping and buckling themselves safely in. Neither wanted any accidents on the road, to hurt themselves, the wagon or even the goods they were carrying. When they were certain that they were secured in as well, they took an experimental few steps forward, feeling the heavy weight of the wagon as it rolled along with them.

As Applejack finished with their preparations, she became aware of a peculiar thing. It was something that she never really noticed, or at least never really thought about. So many times before she must have pulled the wagon alongside her brother, too many times for her to count. But now, it was the first time she had ever noticed just how close it brought the two ponies pulling it together. Only a few inches of space kept her and Trader apart, she could almost feel his soft wings brushing up against her.

“We ready to go, Applejack?” the pegasus asked, certain with himself that he was as secured as he'd ever be.

“Huh? W-what?” the mare stammered out, taken off guard by the sudden question. It took her a few moments to realize what he had asked, clearing her head as she nodded her answer to him. “Yeah, Ah think we are.”

Not wanting to waste anymore time, the two waved and shouted their final farewells to Applebloom and Granny Smith before departing. Though the trip to Hoofington was a long one, the two always had the company of the other.

Close Comforts

The trip to Hoofington was a long one. Even when Ponyville was far at their backs, there was still even further to go to reach their destination. Adding to it was the weight of their burden, the filled wagon that they both pulled latching onto them tightly. With each step they took, more time ticked by, the sun moving along with them.

What made the trip bearable was the simplest of things, the company they gave one another. Idle chatter was the only thing they could do as they trudged forward along the path. Applejack was happy to tell her old friend of her time spent with the ponies of Ponyville, from their simple affairs to her grand adventures helping Equestria. Trader payed her back with his own tales of his life, telling her more about his years after moving away from his hometown.

Compared to Applejack's, Trader felt as if his own mundane stories were nothing, especially not worth retelling. But the hard-working mare was grateful to hear them, listening with interest about her friend's journeys across the land, having visited just about every place he could in Equestria. His exploits were quite different compared to her, but she was as enraptured in them as one would be hearing of a grand quest.

Despite his own downtrodden nature toward the subject, Trader did begin to enjoy it as he became aware of his friend's joy in them. It was a sight to see, still hardly able to believe that such a heroic mare wouldn't be bored to tears by them. But again, it reminded him of just what kind of pony she was, finding more excitement in what most ponies would see as too plain or simplistic. Though, it wasn't the only thing that occurred to the pegasus. He quickly realized that during her previous trips to Hoofington, she had to make them with her brother, remembering just how little of a conversationalist Big Macintosh was. Such overbearing silence would be maddening.

Twice along their journey they stopped, resting their weary legs and eating food from their supplies to keep their strength up. There was a noticeable stillness in the air whenever there was a prolonged silence, with only the occasional squeak of a wagon wheel as it turned. Despite the long hours they spent going from one path to the other, they encountered no other soul passing them by. It seemed as though they were the only two ponies for miles. Of course, Applejack figured that most would rather take the train to Hoofington, not being weighed down by a wagon filled to bursting.

Eventually, the sky high above them darkened. Luna's moon replaced the sun and the stars finally revealed themselves. Cold winds chilled them to the bone, neither of them realizing it as they moved closer together for the scrap of warmth it could offer. In the open fields that surrounded the road they were on, it was hard to see anything very far, the darkness consuming much of the stretching landscape.

But from the darkened world, their eyes widened and lips curled into smiles as they could see light far off in the distance. The signs of civilization were obvious as the murky shapes of buildings could be seen. Both ponies sighed in relief, happy to see their long trip coming to an end, eagerly awaiting a well-deserved rest. With a final burst of energy, they headed toward the light, clearing the final stretch.

Despite the late hour, Hoofington was far from asleep. Ponies came and went quickly, several giving friendly waves to the weary travelers as they neared, but many others looking too busy to spare the moment. It was difficult to tell if the quaint town was usually in such a state, or if it was the annual fair that had injected the energized life into the usually drowsy hour.

Once they were walking the streets, Applejack and Trader slowed their pace considerably. No longer trying to make good time, they allowed themselves to trot restfully by. Going slower also made them realize just how dead tired they had become, their mouths opening wide as they made long awaited yawns. But there was still a ways to go, passing by more unfamiliar faces and structures as Applejack directed them toward where they needed to go.

They still needed a place to sleep, not having the comforts of home with them being so far away. Luckily, Applejack had just the place in mind. A lovely little inn nestled deep within the town. From within, they could see a warm and inviting glow beckoning them forward.

Heeding the invitation and approaching it, Trader's gaze drifted off toward the far side of the building. A rather hefty plot of land was filled with odd buildings. Nearly perfectly rectangular and made of stone, they were about as tall as two full-grown stallions with thick sheets of metal acting as a sort of door. There was a good number of them, and the pegasus could see several of them were open, watching as ponies dragged their own wagons into them. Applejack didn't seem to notice as she kept her eyes set on the comforting image of the inn, unstrapping herself from the harness and heading inside, with Trader following behind.

The inside of the inn was as spacious as it looked outside. Besides the front desk, a large, open area was filled with ponies who were relaxing after a long day. Small tables dotted the area where they sat and talked, or enjoyed a warm meal and refreshing drink, the smell of food wafting through the air. A cozy fireplace was inflamed at the far wall, filling the room with a caressing warmth that seeped down into their very souls. A spiraling staircase led up to a second floor, where the actual rooms were.

An old stallion held a silent vigil at the desk. His mouth and eyes were completely concealed behind a big bushy beard and eyebrows that were just as large. Seeing him for the first time elicited a startled gasp from Trader, thinking the poor man was being attacked by some kind of wild animals. The sudden noise caused the old one's head to lift up from a book he was looking at. It was hanging mystery as to how he was even able to see.

“Ah, more guests then?” he asked pleasantly, his cheerful tone sounding just as warming as the fire blazing nearby. “Would you two be merchants by any chance?”

“That's right,” Applejack answered with a firm nod.

With a light laugh, the stallion looked off to the many other guests who had yet to turn in for the night. “Of course,” he murmured. “We don't get too many normal guests this time of year.” He looked back down to the book spread open in front of him. “Now let me see.... Ah, yes. You're in luck. We still have one vacant room with an empty storage shed. Rest assured, your valuables will be safe and secure during your stay. Now, may I have your names.”

The mare gestured to her companion before pointing to herself. “He's Trader and Ah'm Applejack.”

Another laugh came from the clerk as he quickly jotted down their names. “Trader... Why, that's a rather fitting name for a merchant...” The pegasus merely grunted to himself, not saying a word as Applejack stifled her own giggle. “There we are, all written down.” The stallion then reached behind the counter and produced a brass key. “Now, that key works both for your room as well as the lock on your shed. Number seventeen. Please enjoy your stay and order anything if you're ever feeling hungry.”

The two thank the kind stallion and made their way back outside the to wagon. Immediately they were struck by the chilling nighttime air that howled across the town, made all the more apparent after their short time within the warmth of the inn. It made them hurry all the more as they pushed the wagon toward the sheds, finding the one with a metal plate reading seventeen on it. The inside of it was just as bland as the outside, lacking any sort of grand detail. Nevertheless, they were easily able to fit the wagon inside without incident, locking it up safely. With that done, they quickly bolted in the direction of the inn, desperately wanting to escape the cold embrace surrounding them.

Neither of them were very hungry, both simply wanting to get some much needed rest after their long. They needed no time to second guess themselves as they headed up the stairs to find their room. With rows of doors with different number marked on the front, they eventually counted down to the far end of the building where seventeen was. Much like the old stallion said, their key was a perfect fit for it.

Much like the rest of the inn, their room was a cozy little thing. Trader took notice to its relative size, being much smaller than even his own place back in Manehattan, though it was clear to see why. All that was needed was there, with a few end tables with lamps set on them, as well as the bed that dominated much of the room. As they fully took in the lodgings though, that last detail was what came to them faster than the others.

“There's only one bed...” Trader pointed out, looking at the padded piece of furniture. It looked comfortable indeed, with soft covers laid out atop it, and pillows that looked as if they had been made from clouds. But none of that was what the pegasus was focused on.

“Must not have thought we'd mind,” Applejack remarked. “Not like we have much of a choice, he said it was the only room left.”

The pegasus huffed in annoyance as he headed to one side of the bed, feeling his hopes for a good night of rest being dashed. “Alright,” he said as he yanked one of the pillows off of it. “Guess I'll take the floor, I'm more used to it anyway.”

Applejack looked at her friend quizzically. “What do you mean?” she asked quizzically. “We can share the bed.”

“Huh?” The pegasus stared off blankly for a moment before turning back to his friend, still looking as if he had no idea what she said.

“The bed's big enough for two, Trader. Ah've got no problem sharin' it with somepony else, so long as you don't hog the covers anyway.”

Trader just looked at his friend, slowly piecing together her offer. Nervousness soon took hold of him while he looked toward the bed and back at the mare. It then occurred to him just how childish he was acting, as if she would bite or cause cooties. Heaving a sigh and shaking his head of it, the pegasus looked to his friend graciously and said, “Yeah, that'll be fine.”

Applejack smiled at that, happy to have gotten past such a minor inconvenience. They both then climbed into the bed, tired beyond belief. Turning out the lights, the room was cast into darkness and the two ponies relaxed themselves on their respective sides. It took only a few moments for the farmpony to drift away, her exhaustion propelling her into sleep almost instantly. The same could not be said for Trader.

The bed was large enough for two ponies for certain, but that was as big as it was. With practically no room to spare, Trader was unable to find a comfortable distance away from his already unconscious friend. His eyes stared up at the empty ceiling, his tired form unable to fall asleep, able to feel Applejack's very body heat just next to him. All he could do was groan quietly to himself, knowing full well how hard of a night he would have, and how much harder the morning would be.

Yawning loudly, Applejack stretched her legs out, trying to rid herself of her morning drowsiness. Rays of sunlight danced across the room from the single solitary window in the room, the morning sunshine lighting up the room with its growing glow. Not that the mare needed it, her own internal clock being all she needed, even when so far from home.

Sitting up in bed, a sudden sensation of surprise came to her as she realized she wasn't alone, her gaze drifting back down to her company. She had nearly forgotten that Trader was there with her, the pegasus still sound asleep. She couldn't stop herself from laughing lightly at the sight of him, his mouth hung open as a damp patch of saliva soaked into the pillow he rested on.

Nudging him with her hoof, she attempted to wake him so they could set out on what she had planned for the day. “Come one, Trader, we're burnin' daylight.” All she got for her efforts was a defiant moan from the stubborn sleeper.

Trader then began to fidget in his sleep, finding a comfortable position to continue his sleep. As he did, a faint, unintelligible mumbling came from him. Curious, Applejack listened in, unable to make heads or tails of any of it. But there was one thing that she did catch within the mess of wordless noises. “...Rainbow Dash...”

“Rainbow Dash?” she questioned aloud, wondering why he'd be dreaming of her cyan-coated friend. One reason did become apparent rather quickly however, bringing a soft tinge of red to her freckled cheeks as she continued to look down at him. With a little more force, she jabbed her hoof into his side, ready to yank the stallion into the waking world.

It seemed to do the trick, the pegasus stirring one last time before his head began to rise up. Soft groans escaped him as he forced himself out of his own sleep. Opening his eyes, his first sight was of the mare sitting next to him, staring straight at him. A startled yelp escaped him as he slipped off of the side of the bed and crashed down onto the ground, having apparently forgotten about their sleeping arrangements as well.

“Oh... hey... Good morning, Applejack,” he said, picking himself up and greeting his companion with a weak smile.

“Mornin',” the mare replied, eying him closely. “So... you sleep well?”

“Yeah... I guess.”

“Dream about anything?”

“Huh?” Trader was taken aback by the sudden question. “Um... n-no, none I can remember.” He couldn't tell if it was easy to see he was lying or not. Though it wasn't that big of a deal, he wasn't about to tell her he was dreaming of Rainbow Dash's training finally getting to him, he could still feel the pain of his broken bones.

Applejack just looked at him skeptically for a moment before jumping out of bed. With a few final stretches, she gestured toward the door. “Well, we should get goin',” she declared, not giving the pegasus much time to ready himself. “We've got a big day.”

With an amused smirk, Trader approached his friend to follow her out, murmuring, “You say that everyday.”

Hoofington was truly a lovely place once fully visible in the light of day. With buildings of stone and wood, very few of them reached higher than two stories, leaving none to tower high above ponies like the monolithic structures of Manehattan. The quaint, homey feeling drew nostalgic memories of Ponyville. Unlike its counterpart however, the buildings were not seemingly scattered about with no rhyme or reason to it. They lined together in rows as one would expect, framed by cobblestone streets.

Applejack and Trader both trotted by casually, taking in the sights and sounds of the change in scenery. Many of the buildings were decorated with banners and strips of ribbon. Even trees and lampposts that decorated the streets were covered, making the whole town look festive. They didn't have much time to fully enjoy it however, Applejack wanting to get to the town hall to see the mayor. If they wanted to try and sell what they brought, they needed to see the pony in charge, as well as sign up for the baking competition.

Trader tried his best to keep up with her quick pace, trotting faster with each step she made. Though he didn't see why there was such a growing hurry, he did know that they didn't come there to enjoy themselves, having a job to do. It didn't seem like anything would slow the mare down, that was until she came to an immediate halt, nearly causing the pegasus to run into her.

“What's wrong?” he asked, looking about in confusion, seeing no apparent reason for the sudden stop.

Applejack's gaze was frozen ahead of her, her head tilting to the side in her own bout of second-guessing. “Ah thought... Ah thought Ah saw something...” she murmured, her brow furrowing as she looked into a large crowd of ponies. It was difficult to make out a single pony within, but as they stood there watching, they caught the attention of a yellow-coated stallion who looked oddly familiar.

“Braeburn!” Applejack shouted, a look of glee now plastered onto her face.

The stallion held a perfect match to it as he galloped over to them, allowing Trader to gain a closer look at him. A hat he wore atop his light-orange mane was greatly similar to Applejack's own, with a matching vest wrapped around the front of his body. Had the pegasus not known any better, he'd think he was Applejack's brother, noting how eerily alike the two looked.

“Applejack! Why, it's good to see ya, cousin!” the stallion blurted out with growing enthusiasm.

Applejack merely smiled pleasantly toward her relative, clearly much more restrained in her joy. “Ah didn't think you'd be here. It feels like it's been ages since the reunion.”

A momentary grimace showed on Braeburn's face for a moment, quickly being lost in the toothy smile he had. “Ah just had to get away from Appleloosa for a bit. Things have been awful hectic around there lately. They've been trying to expand the town out a bit more, and it's been takin' a while what with meetin' with the buffalo again to discuss where we should build.”

Shoving his troubles away however, the stallion quickly snatched Applejack up and gave her a big hug. “Plus Ah knew I'd be able to see two of my favorite cousins here too.” Relinquishing his hold on her, his eyes shifted, in hopes to see the red stallion he was expecting, instead landing on Trader. “Where's Big Mac?”

There was an awkward silence for a moment before Applejack gave an uneasy laugh. “He's a bit... out of sorts...”

“He get hurt again?”

“Yeah...” Trader was immediately pulled forward as Applejack grabbed him to officially meet her family member. “This here is Trader. And Trader, this is Braeburn, my cousin as Ah'm sure you've figured out.”

The two stallions merely stared at one another for a moment. Trader felt exposed as the earth pony kept his gaze locked, as if sizing him up for some unknown purpose. Before things became too prolonged, the silence was broken by a happy cry from Braeburn as he grabbed the pegasus' hoof and pulled him into a crushing hug. “Pleasure to meet'cha, Trader!” he said in the friendliest of manners, despite looking as if he was trying to snap him in two. “Ah guess Ah've been out of contact a bit too long, if my little cousin's off gettin' a beau without me knowin'.”

“A what?!” Trader managed to say, feeling as though his lungs where bursting.

Applejack scoffed to her cousin, looking annoyed all of a sudden. “It's not like that,” she was quick to say.

“Oh?” Braeburn questioned, finally dropping the battered pegasus and allowing him a chance to breathe.

“He's an old friend,” she explained. “Ah'm, sure you two must've met at one point or another when we were foals... Or Ah at least told you about him. But he's workin' at the farm with us now, bein' a big help too.”

“Oh,” the stallion murmured. He then took Trader's hoof and gave it a good shake. “Pardon the assumptions, friend. It's still nice to meet ya.”

“Likewise,” he said, still out of sorts from the first greeting.

Though it was nice to see her cousin again, Applejack couldn't forget the real reason they were there. “Well, we need to get goin',” she said to him. “We've still gotta get to the mayor before we can set up our stall, and I'd like to get to sellin' as early as possible.”

Understanding her, Braeburn nodded as he said, “Of course, maybe Ah'll stop by when you've got everything set up. Ah'll be there to root you on for the baking competition too. So if ya need anythin', just come find me.” With that and a wave goodbye, Applejack and Trader rushed off to finish what they started. As they disappeared into the crowd, Braeburn kept his eye on the pair, a faint smirk on his face.

Theatricky

It didn't take Applejack and Trader very long to reach the town hall and get the proper paperwork to sell their products during the fair, as well as signing up for the baking competition that was in the next two days. What did take time however, was getting everything ready after that. Dragging the wagon out of the shed, pulling it across town, and painstakingly setting up all of the barrels and baskets so browsing ponies could see what they'd like. It all took a grand amount of time.

Though much of Hoofington seemed alive due to the fair, almost everypony congregated close to its center, where the beautiful town park was. A large expansion of green marred the otherwise settled land around it, with tall trees reaching up as high as buildings and ponds inhabited by small wildlife. The ponies where there to buy something, as evident by the many ponies who where there to sell.

It looked very much like the market in Ponyville, with lines of stalls manned by ponies selling all kinds of things. From those selling basic fruits and vegetables, to others who sold knick-knacks and other miscellaneous items. There was even a stallion trying to sell old furniture to anypony willing to buy, as well as capable of lugging it away. Several local business seemed to take advantage of it as well, with banners and signs advertising their establishments as they greeted visitor and regular alike.

Applejack and Trader were no exception. Though not having a stall of their own, they made due with the wagon they had brought. With spigots prepared and ready to go, the barrels of cider were at the edge of the wagon, and just enough mugs to empty them stacked nearby. The baskets of apples were allowed to rest on the grassy ground, their red surfaces shining like jewels.

Other than that, they also had the pony-sized cart. Though the pegasus wasn't fully sure what it was, his questions were quickly answered as Applejack lightly kicked it. Immediately, the unassuming cart sprang open, revealing several extendable trays and compartments that were filled with delightful delectables that the Apple family had baked. From pies to fritters, they had it all, each and every one of them filled with the apples one would expect. As the cart fully opened, the smell of the fruity confections wafted into the air, making Trader drool ever so slightly as it invaded his nostrils. Despite his own reaction however, it didn't seem to be the same for anypony else around.

Time ticked by ever so slowly as Applejack and Trader stood with forced smiles on their faces and expectant gazes cast into the crowds. Every so often a pony trotted by, perusing their wares while occasionally buying something. Many didn't even give them a sideways glance, passing by as if they were invisible. Braeburn eventually found them, chatting with his cousin and her friend for a short time before buying a small treat for himself and bidding them farewell.

The futility soon began to seep in, seeing so little business despite seemingly doing everything right. Applejack showed her understanding of it as well, her smile growing all the harder to hold.

“Are things usually like this?” Trader asked, mostly rhetorically, though his gaze did drift toward his friend curiously.

A huff escaped the mare as she shrugged her shoulders, relieving it of an aggravating tension that had been building. “Not always,” she sighed, looking out into the crowd of potential customers. “Ah had at least thought we'd get a bit more by now.”

“So what now? Just wait here and hope for more?”

Applejack simply nodded. “It's all we can do. We need to make sales, won't do that if we leave.”

Trader heaved his own sigh as he looked out across the area. It was difficult to say what the problem was. Though the pegasus could at least see that they were just one of many. Just looking at the other ponies trying to sell their own products, one could see how they differed to them. Several were actually quite extravagant in their presentation, their stalls decorated finely, pleasing to the eye. There were even some who did their business underneath large tents, keeping themselves and their customers in shade.

In comparison to the others, Trader had to admit that they did look rather shabby. Nothing about them stood out. With the competition the way that it was, it wasn't much of a wonder why they couldn't draw in as many ponies. Thinking on that, something occurred to the stallion that brought a clever smile to his mug.

“I have an idea,” he said, his tone as certain as his expression.

As one might expect, Applejack looked skeptical. “Oh, yeah?” she murmured with a raised brow. “What's the idea?”

The same smile was all the mare received as an answer as the stallion stepped toward the crowd. “Just follow my lead.” As he stood in front of the ever-moving mass of ponies, he cleared his throat before flying into the air. “Ladies and gentlecolts!” He shouted as loudly as he could, making sure his voice carried to all of them. “Everypony please, may I have your attention, please?!” Sure enough, many of the nearby ponies stopped what they were doing to gawk at the pegasus. “I'm here to tell of you of the most wonderfully amazing opportunity that you are all passing up! A chance to taste the succulent splendor that is the fruits of Ponyville itself!”

Aghast, Applejack could only shrink down closer to the ground, hat hung down over her face, certain her friend was making a fool of himself. Several ponies seemed to think the same, looking at him as if he had suddenly gone crazy. But many others simply listened.

Trader's confident smile remained etched onto his face as he remained in the air, pointing a hoof toward their lowly cart. “I know what you must be thinking,” he continued, “that they are just plain ol' apples. Well that's where you're wrong, my friends. These aren't just any ordinary apples! The tastiest apples you've ever had the pleasure to try is more like it. Not just apples either, but also apple pies, and apple fritters, and all the apple cider you could ever drink! Now please, everypony direct your attention to the lovely mare beside me here...”

Applejack's heart nearly froze, the breathe stolen from her body as she suddenly felt dozens of eyes directed at her. It took every ounce of her will alone to not collapse on the spot, feeling her cheeks flare with red embarrassment. But that didn't slow Trader down in the slightest. “Beautiful gal, isn't she?” he asked aloud, only worsening the farmpony's condition. “But sorry fellas, she's spoken for... By her work that is. The very work that went into making sure every last morsel that enters your mouth will be like nothing else, just as her entire family has perfected the art for generations! But please, don't just take my word for it.” The pegasus then landed next to his friend, gesturing toward her enthusiastically. “Ask the one pony who is sure to give you the truth. Ladies and gentlecolts, I give you the Element of Honesty herself and savior of Equestria twice over, Applejack!”

Everything fell silent. A long, excruciating pause bubbling up as Applejack was at a loss for words, finally realizing what Fluttershy must feel most of the time. But as she saw Trader's expectant smile, she felt coaxed into breaking the silence. “Um... well... Me and my family have been harvestin' apples and bakin' great foods with 'em for a long time. W-we do the best we can and Ah'm sure you all will like it as much as we think you will.”

“There you have it, folks,” Trader declared, flying back into the air before Applejack completely lost it, “straight from the mare's mouth! Now how can you argue with that? But even still, anypony can speak volumes about their own food being the greatest! How about I help prove it to all of you?!”

The pegasus paused for a brief moment as he scanned the crowd, his smile deepened as he spotted just the pony he was looking for. Amongst the many others, a rather portly stallion was watching the spectacle that was going on. Shooting down, Trader landed right next to him, the crowd around them separating just enough to give him ample room.

“Now you, my good sir!” he said, addressing the stallion. He looked confused for a moment, looking about as if to make sure that Trader was talking to him and him alone. “Yes, you, that's right! Now, my friend, I can tell with but a glance that you must have been around the sweet block a few times. Heck, I bet you live on that block, don't you?!”

The stallion held a mixed reaction on his face. From insulted anger to actual sadness, he looked ready to chastise the pegasus but quickly gave him a meek nod instead, realizing that he indeed had a point. Trader merely kept his cheerful demeanor on going, wrapping a leg across his back in a friendly gesture. “Now, now, don't take it like that. Your healthy appetite means you can show these good ponies here just what kind of quality delectables we offer. Why, you're a connoisseur of tasty things if I may be so bold.” Leading the stallion toward the cart, Trader displayed to him all of the baked goods that were on sale. “Now, so certain am I of your gratification, that I'm willing to pay for your first taste myself.”

Taking a slice from one of the pies, the pegasus eagerly gave it to the stout stallion. There was only a moment of examination before he slowly took his first bite. All around them, the air seemed to grow still, everything silent save for a soft chewing. But the end result was clear before he even swallowed, the pleased smile on the stallion's face a dead giveaway. “Wow, that was good,” he said, licking his lips for any remaining taste. Before Trader could even say anything, the stallion was already facing Applejack. “I'll take a whole pie, if you don't mind.”

Trader nearly burst into laughter at the sight of clear shock written on Applejack's features. But she quickly shook it away as she said, “O-of course.” Bits exchanged hooves and the stallion trotted away from the crowd with his newly acquired pie.

“Another satisfied customer!” Trader shouted, back in the air and looking across to all the stares that followed. “That could be you next! Start small if you must. All it'll take is a few bits, including a bit of your time, and I assure all of you that none shall go away disappointed!”

Again, a long, silent pause surfaced as the pegasus hovered in the air. Everypony there who still kept their eyes either on him or Applejack stood there. If it was any quieter, they would have heard the powerful thumping of their beating hearts.

Then, a mare approached the cart, browsing for just a moment before buying a fritter for herself and a friend. Next, a stallion came, wanting to sample a mug of the apple cider they had brought. Several famished looking ponies walked by as well, buying as many apples as they could carry for a healthy lunch. Before long, more and more of the crowd began to follow suit, forcing Trader to land back down next to Applejack to help her with the rampant sales, broad smiles spread across both of their faces.

All too soon, night fell across the bustling town. Though some of the stalls remained open for a little longer, most of the merchants packed up for the night and left the park. Applejack and Trader were no exception, loading up what they had and pulling the wagon back toward the inn. Unlike many of the others however, though their wagon was full of what they needed to carry, the best word to describe it would be empty.

From the empty barrels that once were filled with apple cider, to the empty baskets of apples, to even the empty cart that no longer smelled of the pastries that it once held. Their trip back was a silent one, with Trader wearing a self-satisfied smirk on his face, while Applejack stared blankly ahead, like one might if they thought they were in a dream. Eventually they made it back, locking the shed up and returning to their room, feeling a need to rest after such a long day.

As soon as they were within the light of their room, Applejack finally reclaimed her voice. “Ah... Ah still don't believe it,” she said, her cheeks practically straining from her expression. “We sold everything... Ah was hopin' to at least sell a lot of what we had while we were here... But all of it in one day? How in the world did that happen?”

Trader simply shrugged as he made himself more comfortable in the confines of their privacy. “Who knows,” he responded coyly. “Must be the quality of a good product.”

“Or a fool,” the mare shot back, beaming as she faced her friend. “How... Just where in Celestia's name did you learn somethin' like that?”

A chuckle escaped Trader at his friend's reaction to it all, his mind going distant for a moment as he remembered another mare in his life. “It was actually my mom who taught me,” he said, bringing up his mercantile mother. “She always said that the most important part of selling something is theatrics, getting their attention anyway you can.”

“Ah see she taught you well,” Applejack remarked with a laugh, still as giddy as can be. It would probably be a while before she was even calm enough to sleep. “Now Ah just wish Ah had you during the Grand Galloping Gala, would've helped a bunch.”

“Well... I do owe you for all those bits you spent on me, remember? I need to help pay that back any way I can.”

“That you have.” Her cheerful smile seemed to only grow by the second, even as she approached the stallion. Before he could react, she grabbed him in a tight hug, saying, “You're the best!” before happily kissing him on the cheek. The next moment, she broke away, heading straight out the door. “Ah'm gonna double-check the shed, make sure everything's locked up. Wouldn't wana ruin our good luck by losing the profits.”

Alone, Trader's mouth opened as if to speak, but not a single word or noise could be uttered. Movement was completely lost by him, standing like a statue as his cheeks burning like an inferno.

The two eventually found rest and morning came as soon as one would think. As usual, Applejack was the first to wake, feeling the kind warmth of the morning sun through their window. This time however, she did not rise, not right away. Her thoughts being dominated by how she found herself.

Trader was right next to her, so close in fact, she was leaning against him, her head practically resting on his side. It was a small surprise to her, not remembering the night before very chilly, but she could feel his warmth nonetheless. Thinking on how little space they had to themselves on the bed however, it didn't take much thought into how they ended up the way they did.

But still, Applejack did not fully rise. Instead, she nestled herself closer to her friend. For whatever reason, the farmpony felt no desire to greet the new day just yet, wanting nothing more than to rest for just a little bit longer. Trader didn't seem to mind either, if the smile on his sleeping face was any indication. Even more telling was the moment he lowered his head closer toward her, nuzzling softly against her. Oddly enough, even to her, she didn't seem to mind, feeling a strange sense of comfort from it. That was until the pegasus lightly licked her across the forehead.

Immediately the mare was out of bed, staring off in mild surprise as she rubbed her forehead thoughtfully. The action stirred Trader as well, soft murmurs escaping him as he rose up from the bed sheets. He didn't seem to notice his friend staring straight at him, or the somewhat confused expression on her face.

“Morning already?” he questioned as he stretched his limbs out as far as they would go. “And I was having such a good dream too...”

“What dream was that?” Applejack found herself asking, retrieving her hat but never keeping her eyes off of her friend.

Trader then fully noticed his friend, already up and about. He looked off into nothingness for a moment, as though recalling a distant memory. “Hm... I don't remember. But I'm pretty sure I liked it...” Dropping the topic quickly, the pegasus pulled himself out of bed and faced his friend with an expectant look. “So, what's the plan for today, Applejack?”

The mare thought on it for a long moment, but as the truth of the matter dawned on her, she shook her head in response. “Ah dunno, Ah really don't have a plan,” she admitted. “The contest isn't 'till tomorrow, and Ah thought we'd end up spendin' today sellin' like yesterday. But now... Ah don't know.” Again, the room fell silent as she tried to think of something, not wanting the day to be wasted. “We did earn a day off... didn't we? Ah'd say we can have this day to enjoy ourselves.”

Trader smiled at that, nodding his head in agreement. “That's a good plan,” he said, trotting over to the door and holding it open for her. “Now, how 'bout we go and get some breakfast? After a day of selling food, I'm starving.” Applejack was quick to agree, feeling famished herself. Both of them then headed out the door, smiles on their faces over their day of freedom.

The inn had quite the selection of foods, able to serve the appetite of anypony whether it be for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Going the more traditional route though, the two ordered a heaping stack of pancakes and found a free table to sit at.

There weren't many other guests staying inside at the time, giving the two friends much more privacy as they ate their meal together. As they devoured the simple breakfast, they conversed as they usually did, mostly trying to figure out what they would and could do within the town to spend their day wisely. Little progress was made however, and the conversation soon shifted to other topics.

Given the events of the other day, a curious Applejack soon inquired about Trader's mother. Though the farmpony knew the mare well enough when they were young, she hadn't seen much of her merchant side before, having never had any reason to visit her stall when they were foals.

Sure enough, there were stories to be told about the motherly merchant. How she had built her own store from the ground up, with his father's physical labor as well, and made it into a respectable business. Steering away from what eventually became of the place, Trader told of his mother's never-give-up attitude when it came to making sales. Applejack was even shocked as he told her of the time she coaxed sympathy from an indecisive customer, lying and saying that she had adopted him after being abandoned by his real parents. Of course, the kind mare was quick to make it up to her son, a bribe of sweets going a long way.

As their breakfast ended and the middle of the day was fast approaching, the two decided not to spend the rest of it simply chatting. They left the inn in search of their next activity. Sure enough, the fair going on provided ample opportunities for them to enjoy themselves, only having to find them first.

So the two left in search of their own entertainment, trotting through the streets and taking in the sights. With the weight of a job needing to be done hanging on their shoulders, they were able to enjoy themselves much more than they had during their previous treks across town. It was truly a lovely place. But Trader's own attention to his surroundings was limited, made certain as he never saw the large wagon that was moving into his path, or the more who was pulling it.

With a startling crash, the pegasus was knocked off of his feet, his world spinning for just a moment as he came back down hard on his back. The sound of Applejack hurrying to his side was muffled as the world seemed to spiral around him. It took a few moments for him to recuperate, but he managed to stand, his head throbbing painfully.

“Stupid oaf! Watch where you are going!” a voice said angrily, sounding just as dazed as he was. Trader's thoughts were too distracted however to pay it much mind, or to realize how familiar the voice was.

But Trader's eyes then widened in shock as he saw something lying on the ground between himself and the mare he had collided with. A hat that he quickly recognized, shaped like a cone with a wide brim, covered in a pattern of stars. Seeing that, his gaze shot up to the owner of it, a unicorn with a blue coat and silvery-blue mane.

“T-Trixie?!” he blurted out, quickly gaining the mare's attention.

The unicorn looked at him perplexedly for a moment. “Trader...? Is that you?” Trying to speak, his words were soon caught in his throat as he felt another presence just beside him, not having to look to know who it was.

Applejack's own reaction matched Trader's considerably, the shock clear to see. “Trixie?” It only brought on more surprise to the unicorn.

“Applesnack?”

It was again Trader's turn to look surprised, looking between the two mares. “Uh... you two know each other?” Sure enough, his voice caused them both to look at him, before they again returned to one another, brows immediately furrowing.

“You know him?”

“You know him?!”

“You know her?!” they both said in unison, their demanding gazes locked onto Trader, who looked ready to swallow his own tongue.

A Night to Remember

Under the gaze of two mares, a flustered Trader gaped at both Applejack and Trixie, the question of their knowledge of one another still hanging in the air. The pegasus was at a complete loss for words, the sudden appearance of the unicorn being a bad enough surprise, but with his friend with him, he wasn't sure what to do. Beads of moisture formed across his brow, the world around seemingly slowed down as the gratingly tense moment petered out as long as it could.

After what felt like an eternity, Trader's thoughts finally formed together enough to form a cohesive explanation. He turned to Applejack, gesturing toward Trixie for a moment. “Um... well...” he began, his time spent preparing doing little to improve his ability to speak, “I met Trixie a while back. Not too long after I left Las Pegasus the second time, actually. I was traveling the roads to find a town that had available work and I ran into her. Her wagon was wrecked on the side and I helped repair it. After that, she offered me work herself and so I became her... uh... I became her... assistant...”

A soft giggle escaped the unicorn as she stepped forward even more so, eying the two ponies pleasantly. “Oh, assistant is such an unfitting term,” she said meaningfully. “I'd say... partner more than anything.” Trader flushed slightly, his eyes practically trembling in his skull. “I considered myself quite lucky to snag a former cloudie.”

“I-I mostly just maintained her wagon and helped with a few of her magic routines,” Trader explained, perhaps more quickly than he should have.

“And being good traveling company,” Trixie added, her eyes drifting between the stallion and mare. “Now you're with her... It is a small world, isn't it?”

The first half of his answer done, Trader's attention drew more to the unicorn as he gestured to Applejack. “She's actually an old friend of mine. We've known each other since we were foals. It's only been recently that we've seen each other after a long time apart, I'm helping out on her farm in Ponyville.”

“Is that right?” Trixie murmured as her gaze fell onto the mare. “He's never mentioned you, Applesmack.”

The farmpony's eyes furrowed yet again as her jaw clenched. “It's Applejack! You no-good snake in the grass!”

Trixie was taken aback by that, as was Trader. The pegasus had never expected such a response from his friend. “Applejack...” he said in his shock, “where did that come from?”

“You don't know what she's done, Trader,” Applejack shot back through her venting anger. “Nearly destroyin' Ponyville with an ursa-minor!”

“That was hardly my fault,” Trixie quipped, almost offhandedly.

Applejack ignored her as she continued. “Then usein' her magic and try and take over and get back at Twilight!” A concerned and surprised Trader then looked toward the accused, no realizing how the two knew each other.

A light, if rather forced, cough escaped the blue-coated mare then, looking embarrassed of herself. “Well... I wasn't entirely in the right state of mind at the time... But I won't deny what I did, and how wrong it was. Though, Twilight did see fit to forgive me for what I had done...”

“She might have, but that doesn't go for the rest of us,” Applejack was quick to say.

Not wanting to see anything escalate, Trader stepped in between the two mares, keeping his eyes on Applejack. “Girls, girls,” he pleaded. “Let's keep things civil.” Turning to the unicorn, he gave a weak smile. “It's been... nice to see you again, Trixie. But me and Applejack are kind of busy, and we really should be going.”

Seemingly buying it, Trixie gave the stallion a simple nod before returning to her wagon. “Of course,” she said with a wave of her hoof. “I'm very busy myself, as you might guess. But come by and fine me later tonight. I'll be putting on several shows to entertain the masses, give them a taste of real magical talent.”

“Will do,” Trader said as he started off on the path they had originally taking, followed by Applejack after giving the mare a momentary glare.

The air around the hatted mare was heated, for obvious reasons. Though Trader wasn't fully aware of the history between the her and the theatrical unicorn, it was certainly bad enough to get under her skin. He could even feel her piercing gaze on him a few times, unable to discern what she must be thinking, though having a good idea given what she heard.

Eventually, they managed to find their way to a more active part of Hoofington. The town square was a massive clearing of stone, with little in the way save for a fountain in the very center. On this day however, it was filled with many different tents, each being visited by a substantial amount of ponies. Small stages accompanied several of them, with performers doing what they did best to the watchful crowd. Both Applejack and Trader were curious at the strange sights that drew such attention, approaching them to sate themselves. It was truly a strange assortment, mostly what one would expect to find in a circus of some kind.

One showcased a massive minotaur, covered in rippling muscle as he lifted up a carriage filled with ponies, not even breaking a sweat. Another featured a griffon who breathed fire like a dragon, though nearly singeing the feathers on his face doing so. There was even a small group circled around what was called the “incredibly bearded mare,” with the spectators simply watching said mare run a brush through the rather abundant strip of facial hair that nearly dragged across the ground. They didn't stay for that very long.

Taking a break from following the crowds, the two broke away and found a food vender trying to take advantage of the number of potential customers with his mobile cart. Feeling a bit peckish, they ordered a simple helping of hay-fries and found a bench where they could sit and relax. Quietly they ate their little snack, temporarily curbing whatever feelings of hunger that might come, able to hear the enamored gasps of the onlooking ponies in the distance.

“Trader, Ah'm curious,” Applejack eventually said, breaking the silence on their simple meal. Her gaze looked over to the stallion for a moment, but hardly linger, the mare having trouble with what she was about to say. “Well... Ah was just wonderin'... Were there any special somponies you had while you were away? Ya never seem to mention any.”

A minor look of stunned shock crossed the stallion for a moment, wondering why she would suddenly ask such a question. Though, he did realize he never went into any detail about his love life, leaving it up as a mystery. And he didn't doubt that recent events might have helped spark it.

“Um... well...” he murmured in thought. “You already know about Spitfire. Really, she's the first and only mare I've ever had any kind of serious relationship with. I did live with her for a while after all. And well... there's not much else I could really say...”

“Really?” Applejack questioned, actually holding a hint of surprise in her voice.

A grin showed on the pegasus' face. “I know, right? A stud like me, I should be beating 'em back with a stick.” He chuckled at the flat expression he received from that, slowly developing a more serious demeanor. “I mean, sure, I've met a few mares over the years, but it's never amounted to much. Always more worried about work and paying off my debt, I didn't socialize much. So most times they were in the same job as I was, which never ended well. Took me a while, and a few lost jobs, to learn my lesson. Stuff just never worked out for me romantically...” He paused for a moment, heaving a soft sigh over the less than fond memories.

“What about Rainbow Dash?” Applejack asked suddenly, nearly causing the pegasus' blood to freeze. “She's a lot like that Spitfire, and you two seem to get along well enough.”

It was through sheer force of will that kept Trader from becoming a flustered mess yet again, giving off an easy laugh. “Uh... well... I-I'm not really her type...” he quickly said. Though he couldn't see Applejack give much reaction, he wasn't sure how much of it she was buying. Thinking fast, he wanted to change the topic, though not entirely change the subject. “So what about you? What stallions are in your past? I know any of 'em?”

Oddly enough, the farmpony wasn't fully expecting the question, despite asking it herself. With a shake of her head, her answer was a simple one. “No, Ah can't say Ah've ever had my own special somepony.”

“Oh, come on,” Trader said in a grunt of skepticism, thinking his friend was just trying to weasel out of reciprocating the answer.

“Ah'm not lyin',” she pressed, noting the irony in her statement. “Gallivantin' with some stallion's just never been much of a priority. Workin' the farm's more than enough for me, and Ah don't see that changin' any time soon.”

Thinking on what she said, Trader figured it made sense enough. He also wondered if the same went for Big Macintosh. From what he saw, the big guy never seemed too interested in such things either. It almost seemed a crying shame to him, a strong silent-type like Big Mac staying single, he knew a few mares who'd practically kill for a chance to snag him as their own. Then, a wry smirk crossed his lips as he said, “You know... we could always try and find Bucky. I bet he'd be able to change your mind.”

She laughed at that, cheeks stretched from her large smile. Both then noticed that their simple meal of hay fries was finished. Getting up from the bench, Applejack gestured off toward more of the town, saying, “Let's see what else we can find to spend the day,” which Trader happily obliged.

Some time had past with the two ponies simply walking the streets. Though they were indeed looking for something to occupy themselves with, they were more than content with the way things were. Such good friends, the concept of doing nothing at all was a rather pleasing one, so long as they were together. There were a few things that they did find along the way however, though not lasting long.

Several stands seemed dedicated to playful games, allowing ponies to try their luck and ability at winning simple prizes. One centered around tossing small balls into stacks of milk bottles, an assortment of stuffed animals being the incentive to victory. Neither of them were very good at it however, Trader failing miserably while Applejack had trouble judging the right distance. Horseshoes was more her game, and it showed. They nearly got into trouble when the mare tried bucking the balls into the targets.

Just as it seemed they'd find nothing, they encountered something strange. What had to of been the largest tent they had ever seen towered over them, almost imposingly. It reached just as high as any of the buildings and they could hear the muffled sound of music coming from the inside. Curiosity taking over, they followed the sound to the tents front flap, what was most likely the door, and went inside.

The upbeat, energizing music filled the enclosed space within the tent. Lights were strung up across the beams that held the whole structure together, all shining down on the only other thing inside, the large group of ponies who danced to the rhythmic beat. The open space allowed ample room for them to move and enjoy themselves. At the far end, they could see the source of the thumping excitement, a large set of speakers bordering a blue-manned mare who ran the disks producing the sound. She looked just as into it as everypony else, moving along with it like the others.

Applejack and Trader looked on into the crowd, unsure of how to react to it all. Then, a smile showed on the earth pony's face as she looked at her friend and nodded toward the others.

“I-I'm not really sure...” the stallion murmured, his nervousness showing up well enough. “Dancing's never really been my thing.”

With a playful huff, Applejack rolled her eyes and immediately grabbed onto his hoof. “Just come on,” she demanded as she pulled him into the mass of dancing ponies. They found their own patch of space to move about freely and were soon surrounded by others, blending into the ground.

Though Applejack wasn't the best dancer, finding her ability tied to only certain kinds of music, she did her best nonetheless. Having fun with it, the farmpony moved about the best she could, nothing extravagant, as she knew she wasn't about to embarrass herself. The same couldn't be said for Trader however, finding it hard to get into the swing of things, his movements stunted by his own inhibitions.

But his eyes never left his companion. Watching as she herself never let her own lack of ability fully restrain her. Slowly, if ever surely, he began to pick things up. The music continued on without any sign of stopping as the pegasus' own dancing came full swing. Working off the confidence of his friend, he let the music coarse through him and direct his movements into a suitable groove.

It didn't take long for his own dancing to be wilder than Applejack's, impressing the mare quite a bit. She herself watched as he moved body well, his movements were fluid and precise, as one would expect from a pegasus his size. Hardly even thinking, Trader kicked off the ground, flipping through the air before gracefully landing back down and resuming in his dance.

Large smiles were had as they laughed in their merriment, enjoying themselves to the fullest. It seemed all too soon when the heavy pounding of the speakers lessened, the music growing quiet. Everypony stopped in their enjoyment of it all, thinking the music was stopping, but it was only changing.

In a drastic change, a soft, slow melody filled the inside of the tent. The lights dimmed, the ponies underneath of them changing along with the music. Couples moved closer together, their swaying movements matching that of what was now caressing their ears. Applejack and Trader stared blankly at one another, standing out against the others around them.

Wordlessly, with her own sheepish look, Applejack closed the gap between them. Draping her forelegs across his shoulders and neck, she was soon followed by Trader as he placed his own across her back. Holding each other up and helping to keep their balance, they slowly moved along with the music, beginning to match many of the others. Their eyes never parted from one another, both out of the difficulty in doing so, as well as something else.

Trader's expression remained an utter blank, unable to fully process his own reaction to it all. It was clear that such a dance wasn't one he took part in normally. Though the same could be said for Applejack, she mostly found a bit of amusement watching her friend.

“Trader,” the farmpony said, nearly whispering. “Ah just... Ah don't think Ah've ever told you how grateful we all are for you bein' here. At the farm, Ah mean.”

A light chuckle brought on a bit of a smile onto the pegasus' face. “I should be the grateful one,” he murmured. “After all you've done for me... I really don't want to imagine where I'd be right now if not for you and the others.”

“It's not like we hold that against you,” Applejack returned. “You've been an awful big help, workin' the farm and everything else. You know, Applebloom and her friends have taken quite a liking to ya.”

With a cocked eyebrow, he looked at his friend questioningly. “Really?”

“That's right,” she said with a slight nod. “Though they don't show it often, mostly when you're not around. They're always tryin' new things, betterin' themselves and findin' out what they're good at to get their cutie marks. They know about all the different things you've done over the years. You're kind of a role model to 'em.”

“Not the best choice...”

Applejack couldn't help but laugh a little. “All things considered, Ah'm just happy to have my old friend back.”

For a much more than prolonged moment, they two stopped. Still wrapped in each others hooves, their eyes locked together, both holding large, beaming smiles. Not a word was uttered. Just when their moment was just about up, they suddenly realized that the music had stopped. They looked out to the others to see they themselves had halted in their own slow dance.

The ponies rested their hooves during the brief pause in music. It allowed Applejack and Trader to slip out of the tent as well, greeting the open air yet again, and seeing just how much time had flown by. Nearly all of the blue in the sky had vanished. The sun was kissing the horizon and it was clear that night would soon be upon them.

They stared up into the sky, watching as the colors changed and shifted. As they did, Trader's own gaze shifted toward a group of clouds, a devious smile spreading across his face. Without warning, he moved behind Applejack and dove down between her legs. The mare gasped as she was suddenly lifted into the air, now lying on the stallion's back. She didn't even have a chance to speak as his wings fanned out and he took off into the air.

“T-Trader! What the hay do you think you're doin'?!” Applejack shouted in a panic, a hoof placed on her head to keep her hat in place as the rest of her limbs latched onto the pegasus as tight as they could.

“Just hold on,” he said, his only response as he continued to fly into the air, his ability hardly impeded by the bit of extra weight he carried.

Feeling sick, the farmpony shut her eyes tight as the ground was further and further below them. The rushing cold air and beating of Trader's wings were the only things her mind held onto as she kept her world in darkness. After a few moments, both suddenly stopped, only able to hear the steadying breath of the stallion under her.

“You can look now,” Trader said, an air of amusement in his voice. Ever so slowly, the mare did just that, her heart skipping a beat as she saw the soft whiteness of cloud surrounding them, Trader having laid out on top of it. Though the pegasus could safely rest on the surface, an earth pony like her would sink through as easily as she would open air, the exact thing that was right below them.

Sensing the oncoming panic, Trader did his best to calm her. “Hey, hey, it's going to be alright. You won't fall, you can trust me.”

“W-why are we up here?” Applejack managed to ask, never before feeling so uncomfortable in her life, her legs wrapped around the stallion's body in as strong a hold as he could manage.

“Just look,” he said simply. With deep, even breaths, she calmed herself and looked out to where they were facing, her eyes growing wide with amazement. Stretched out before them, the most perfect view of the sunset could be seen.

From their height, all that could be seen was the open sky and the very edge of the horizon. Beautiful colors of fiery red and orange blended with a cool and calming blue and purple, exploding out across the natural ceiling of the world they called the sky. It must have been what the pegasi of Cloudsdale always saw, living so high up in the sky, only having to look out a window to see it.

“I used to always come up this high when I was little,” Trader murmured, lost in thought as his own eyes remained trained on the familiar sight. “Since mom and dad couldn't fly, I would always hide out in the clouds when I wanted to be alone. Just looking out into the world... watching the sun rise and set... floating through the air with the clouds, it's easy to forget about your troubles.”

Silence soon befell them as they stayed there and watched the twilight pass. It didn't take very long for the last vestiges of daylight to be snuffed out, the sky darkening as the moon and stars came to conquer it. Applejack was no longer afraid, calmly watching it all unfold in front of her. Even if she did somehow fall, there was no doubt in her mind that Trader would come to save her.

Just as the silvery light of the moon was being cast down on them, the two decided to leave. It was a much easier trip down, Applejack not having to cling to her friend or feel her heart bursting from her chest. When they landed, she slipped off of him, still feeling grateful to finally have solid ground under her hooves.

Their silence continued as Trader simply stood there, a warming smile on his face that held an expectant look of apology. “I just wanted you to see something in our perspective,” he then said. “I know you probably don't get the chance often.”

“Yeah...” Applejack murmured, unsure of what else to say.

She just couldn't stop smiling, even if she didn't want to, she was certain that it would be impossible. The swelling sense of joy inside of her forced it out, even when she didn't fully understand it. Just looking at her old foalhood friend seemed to bring it on, her heart fluttering in her chest.

“Trader...” she started, trying to put it all into words. Nervousness bubbled up just as much in her, as she delved into unknown territory. It was almost frightening. “Ah just...” She never was one to hold back on anything, always willing to dive straight in. But hesitation gripped her so tightly, she could barely breathe. “Ah want to say...”

Then she stopped. A sudden, crushing feeling of inadequacy stilled her tongue. The pause was only for a moment, her ears drooping down across her head as she again looked her friend in the eyes. “Thank you... for what you did...” she said, a dull murmur compared to her previous words.

Trader looked at her with worry for a moment, it disappearing in a second as he developed a delighted smile. “Anytime,” he replied, simply happy that she enjoyed herself. He looked up into the sky yet again, reminding himself how late it was. “Maybe we should go back to the inn, it's getting late and I'm kind of hungry.” Without a word, Applejack nodded her head slightly and they both left.

Much like the nights before, the streets were as busy as one would expect. Ponies continued to go about their business, hardly looking like they even noticed the change in the sky. Trader and Applejack kept their eyes peeled for anything familiar as they trotted by the crowds.

Though they wouldn't admit to being lost, they were in a part of town that neither one of them recognized, having trouble making it back to the inn. Through their aimless wandering, it was an odd little surprise as they heard a voice that they had heard so much earlier ringing into the nighttime air. It was followed by gasps of wonderment of nearby ponies, all of whom were crowded around a wagon that opened out into a miniature stage.

Upon that stage, the blue-coated mare Trixie performed her acts. The spectators all seemed enamored by the show, like they had rarely ever seen such magic before. It raised the question how magically adept the unicorns who lived in the simple town were.

Applejack and Trader stood at the far back of the crowd, watching the show go on. A fond smile remained on the pegasus' face, watching the acts go on without a hitch, somewhat impressed himself at how the unicorn had improved since last he saw her. Applejack's own expression remained as look of the purest contempt. Saying there was a chip in her shoulder just might be an understatement.

Once again, the crowd gasped in shock and awe as Trixie made a group of doves fly out of her pointed hat, each one suddenly bursting into a shower of confetti and sparks, the sparks themselves hanging in the air and spelling out her name. The whole thing made the farm pony roll her eyes, not seeing much changed since the first time she came to Ponyville.

“Her show really isn't all that bad,” Trader murmured to his friend. “So long as you can get past her ego...”

Applejack merely huffed to herself, noticing how the pegasus next to her seemed just as impressed by the feats of magic as the rest of the crowd. It only served to deepen her sneer as she turned away. “Watch her all you want, Ah'm gonna find somethin' to eat,” she said before trotting off.

It took a moment for him to realize he had been left alone, but when Trader saw his friend leaving, he made the move to follow. But just as he was about to go after her, he was stopped in his tracks, feeling the sensation of limbs coiling around his body. All of a sudden, the pegasus was lifted into the air and carried across the crowd, where he was soon dropped onto the stage.

“Looks like we have ourselves a volunteer!” Trixie shouted out, followed quickly by a cheer from the crowd. Trader could only look out into the small lake of faces as he felt dozens of eyes following his every move. “I think my lovely assistant should look the part.” A bright flash of light then enveloped the stallion, forcing the spectators to look away.

Looking down at himself, Trader yelped in horror as he saw the sparkling red dress he was wearing, the garment fitting him all too well. His face soon began to match it as he heard the stifled laughter and snickering of the crowd. Even Trixie giggled in enjoyment, once again looking out to the crowd as she said, “Now, let's begin.”

Loose Lips

The world was spinning for the young pegasus as Trader was bound to a board in the shape of a circle that was constantly rotating. Trixie stood on the far side of the stage as she eyed it closely, or as close as she could with the blindfold covering her face. Another frightened gasp escaped him as a knife flew in his direction, stabbing into the space just an inch away from his head. It was the fifth one and the mare still had two to go.

Around them, the audience that Trixie had acquired said not a word, every pony there completely awestruck as they watched the show. Yet again, another knife levitated into the air, the tip of it pointed directly at the stallion. Trader could only watch it in horror as he silently prayed, his heart racing.

Without a word, the blue unicorn flung the knife forward, hearing the audible thud as it stabbed into spinning platform, right between Trader's legs. If it wasn't for his white coat, he'd surely look pale, his entire body shaking like a leaf in a windstorm. But the audience only ate it up, mouths agape as barely any of them even blinked, not wanting to miss a thing. The pegasus was beginning to think they were actually hoping he'd get maimed.

As the last knife was raised, one could actually hear the crowd hold its breath. Trixie didn't throw it immediately, building the suspense as the tip pointed directly at the trapped stallion. Then, to end it all, the knife was sent flying. A collective gasp sounded off through the crowd as it reached Trader, a cry of fear and panic coming from him as it went through his mane, just barely missing his scalp.

With a smirk, Trixie removed her blindfold, looking her work over before turning to face the crowd. “Not a scratch on him!” she declared proudly, the crowd erupted into a chorus of cheers. Trader looked nearly catatonic as he stared blankly ahead in a thousand yard stare, trembling uncontrollably. It wasn't until the spinning board he was attached to vanished in a flash of magical light was he able to get back on all four hooves, standing beside the showpony as she gestured to him. “What a wonderful assistant, isn't he?”

Again the crowd cheered, snapping the stallion out of his trance, just in time to hear Trixie's next act. “Now, for my next trick, I will need to summon the Tank of Silence!” Making a show of waving her forelegs in the air, a magical puff of smoke exploded on the stage. As it dissipated, a large rectangular tank was left in its place, four walls of glass contained the water that filled the entirety of it.

Trader gaped at the sight of it, his heart beginning to pound again as he remembered the horror of what she had planned, not wanting anything to do with it. “No way,” he quickly said, glaring at the mare. “I am not doing this!” Making a move to jump off the stage, he was stopped as he felt a thick rope coil itself around his midsection. Before he could even make another move, he was yanked into the air and dangled over the waters surface. As he was about to tell the unicorn off, Trixie merely smiled at him before she plunged him into the tank, feeling the sharp impact as he broke through into the depths.

Alone as she walked through the streets, all Applejack had with her were her own thoughts. Having quickly noticed that her friend hadn't followed her, it filled her with a small sense of bitter sadness, thinking he'd rather watch Trixie's show more than anything else. It was made worse as her mind wandered toward the history the two had, piecing together much of it herself.

Though she was in search of a place she could grab a bite, she was too preoccupied to look in any attentive way. But eventually, luck seemed on her side as she ran into a large cart vendor that seemed to sell simple foods. Just the thought of a dandelion sandwich made the mare's stomach growl a little, forcing her to head toward it. Sadly, there was a rather long line of waiting ponies, forcing her to follow their lead.

The line moved as slow as one would expect, the spot left open whenever the pony at the front moved quickly being replaced in a monotonous cycle. Standing idle for so long, it forced Applejack to think on things that were happening, slowly realizing that she was just angry at a lot of things. She was angry at Trader for reasons she wasn't fully certain of, angry at Trixie for simply being there, she was even angry at her cousin Braeburn just for so readily assuming that she and Trader were a couple.

Just the thought of the idea seemed so outrageous to her. They were certainly good friends, even compared to Twilight and the others. Trader was a sweet, kind and caring stallion, who worked as hard as anypony could, but she just couldn't fathom what else could be there. They just seemed too different when one got down to it.

Though he was a big help on the farm, Applejack wasn't about to assume he was there for any other reason other than he had to. With so little options, he had to take up such laborious work, only staying now out of a sense of being indebted to them for sorting out his business with that griffon. Without that, she was certain he'd be off somewhere else, living it up in a city or traveling around like he once did, not staying by her side.

After all, Applejack was just a simple earth pony from the humble Ponyville. She had no higher ambitions than tending the farm, doing what her family has done for generations, not that she regretted any of it, but she knew it wasn't much of a lifestyle for a stallion like Trader. Past experience taught her that, knowing of his tastes for more excitable company. If the marveled and famed Spitfire was any indication, his eyes wandered elsewhere.

Even Trixie seemed shockingly right for him, as Applejack could easily remember Trader's theatrical performance while they sold their wares. A traveling showpony seemed almost perfect for him, even if she was as horrid as the silvery-manned unicorn Applejack knew of. Compared to that, how would a mundane mare like her compete, not that she wanted to. But such things did make it odd for someone to assume they were anything more than just friends.

“You orderin' somethin', Miss?”

Startled, Applejack looked up to see that she was at the front of the line, standing before the vender who was waiting impatiently to hear what she wanted. “Oh, uh... never mind,” she said before quickly relinquishing her place, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore.

Trotting away, Applejack suddenly felt the crushing pang of bitterness she had felt before, just a short time ago after watching the sunset with Trader. She tried shaking it away, but the feeling remained, making her sick to her stomach. She began to wonder if it was now just regret for what she did before, or more specifically, what she didn't say.

Realizing how foolish she was, the mare gave a steadying sigh as she silently told herself that she'd sit down and chat with her good pegasus friend. She didn't like feeling so confused about things so often, figuring out who many of them were directed to. But before she did that, she wanted to get ready for it.

Trader stumbled back behind Trixie's wagon. His coat, mane and tail were sopping wet and the soaked dress he still wore clung tightly to his body. Nearby, the roaring cheers of the crowd could be heard as they applauded the magical mare, stamping their hooves happily. The pegasus ignored it as he tried gasping for air, choking on his own inhale as, at the same time, he began coughing up the water that was sloshing about in his stomach and lungs.

More water spilled across the stone ground as his coughing fit lasted for quite a while. He had to lean against a forlorn bench that was close by to keep himself from collapsing, or slipping on the expanding puddle he was creating. He didn't even notice the dying sounds of the dispersing crowd ahead, not until the sparkling red dress suddenly vanished from his person and a towel wrapped itself around his head.

“What a marvelous show,” Trixie declared, joining the stallion. With her magic, she shook the towel around the pegasus' head and down his body, drying him off while leaving him a damp and disheveled mess. “It's so wonderful to be cheered for again. Of course, it's only fitting for them to praise the Great Trixie for her amazing feats.”

Trader only managed a scoff as he continued to cough up the remaining water inside of him. “I can't believe you still have that stupid tank,” he managed to say.

“Oh, but you were so capable,” the mare remarked. “I had almost forgotten how wonderful of an assistant you are. It seems like such a shame we had to part ways so long ago.”

Trader couldn't help but face the unicorn with a glare. “Part ways? Is that what you call it? Me waking up to realize that you had abandoned me in Trottingham?! Sweet Celest- I swear, I'm still debating on whether I should hate you or not!”

“Such harsh words,” Trixie cooed, stepping closer to him. “I felt it was something we both needed. And it was so hard to bare those cold, lonely nights without my stallion helper with me...” Trader took an immediate step back, keeping his distance from the unicorn. “It's not like things have been easy for me either, Trader. Nearly losing everything after those incidents in Ponyville... Though, I see you've been fortunate... Helping that earth pony with her needs, in more ways then one I'm sure.”

“Wh-what?” Trader murmured, surprised by the sudden accusation.

“Come now,” the mare pressed, moving closer yet again. “How is it that such a simple, ordinary mare like her is what caught your eye?”

The pegasus again tried to step back, each time Trixie tried going forward. Soon, he found his flank bumping into the bench he had steadied himself on, stopping him. “N-no...” he tried saying, shaking his head furiously. “She's not- We aren't... I wouldn't, not in a million years.... I mean, we're just friends...”

Half-lidded gaze directed at the stallion, Trixie was as close as she could be, continuing by leaning toward him. “And... are we friends?” Trader couldn't even answer, feeling a magical grip dig into the nape of his neck before suddenly being jerked forward, right into the mare's waiting lips.

As they kissed, a chill ran up the stallion's spine, the cold nighttime wind lapping at his damp body. When the magical hold on him subsided, he quickly pulled away from the soft touch of her lips on his own, looking at her in astonished confusion. “Why did you...” he tried to say, but as he looked at her he noticed that her own gaze wasn't directed at him. Turning, his breath was caught as his eyes fell on Applejack, standing there just as still as he was.

Her eyes were wide, mouth hung open just slightly, unable to look away from the pair. Then, she just turned away, showing her back to them as she began to abruptly walk away.

“A-Applejack, wait!” Trader called, running after her, unable to stop shaking, feeling the cold wind blowing all the more fierce. “Please, listen. I-I can explain!”

“You don't have to explain nothin',” she said, her voice as freezing as the air around them. “It ain't none of my business who you choose to gallivant around with. Even if it's her. Especially not some simple earth pony like me.”

“What?! N-no, Applejack, I didn't mean-”

“Ah guess Ah just expected better from you.” Trader stood there, recoiling as though he had just been struck. He couldn't say a word, barely even able to breathe as a painful, crushing grip wrapped itself around his very heart. All he could do was watch as Applejack continued to walk away, not even sparing a moment to look back. It was there that he noticed how different his friend was.

Applejack's hat and the red ties she wore were gone, exposing her mane as it spilled out across her neck and shoulders. Even more surprising was how tidy it looked, as though she had actually ran a brush through it. She looked quite lovely in Trader's eyes, like she was preparing for something important. But the pegasus couldn't dwell on it, still feeling the sinking guilt as she disappeared.

“Awful moody, isn't she?” Trixie said crassly.

Jaw clenching, Trader whirled around to face her. “What is the matter with you?!” he snapped.

The unicorn didn't look phased in the slightest, her expression showing very little care. “It's nothing personal, Trader,” she replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof “Those two idiot twins just wanted me to rattle her cage a bit. Come see me again whenever you can though, your company is still enjoyable, even for the Great Trixie.”

“What...” the stallion questioned, confusion dominating his features. But he shook such feelings away, growling angrily to himself before darting off in the same direction as Applejack, leaving the unicorn behind.

Trader searched and searched for his friend, galloping and flying across the town. Despite there still being a number of ponies out at such a late hour, he couldn't find a single trace of her. Eventually, after burning away a substantial amount of moonlight, the pegasus managed to find the inn they were staying at. Giving up, he decided to head back to his room, being surprised when he found the door locked.

It seemed obvious enough where Applejack was at that point. Knowing that a simple knock would be all he needed to get in, the stallion still made no move to do so. It was late, he was certain that the mare had long gone to sleep, not wanting to wake her. He was also certain that she wouldn't want to see him anyway.

Heaving a soul-quaking sigh, Trader rest his head against the nearby wall. “Why... Why would she be so mad at me anyway?” he asked aloud, clueless. “Why should she even care? And... why does it still hurt that she does?” A deep, empty sensation in the pit of his chest remained there, the stallion unable to shake it away. Abandoning the locked door, he made his way out the inn, vying to sleep outside for the night.

The Apple That Couldn't

The Apple That Couldn't

Burning pain stabbed into Trader's eyes as they first began to open. The sun hung directly above him and the small cloud he had commandeered as his bed for the night. Groaning loudly, he rolled himself over and managed to stand on all fours, his eyelids feeling as heavy as iron.

Slowly, his mind began to start back up, the harsh memories of the night before coming back to him. Unable to think of what to do, the pegasus sat on his lone cloud, looking down at Hoofington and all the ponies who went about their day. In no time, his gaze fell on a spot where a large crowd had begun to congregate, the tops of small tents able to be seen in rows.

It then hit him like a speeding wagon. “The competition!” he shouted in panic, wings flaring open as he jumped off of his cloud and dove straight toward town.

It took only a few minutes for him to soar over to where the contest was being held. As he had seen from the air, rows of small tents were lined up, the front of them open to reveal the miniature stoves within, as well as the stacks of supplies that anypony would need to create a tasty confection. In front of them all, three judges stood by, waiting for the festivities to commence. Between both, the crowd of ponies eagerly awaited, curious minds wondering just what each group of contestants would make.

Trader quickly managed to find the right pony he needed to talk to, a unicorn with a clipboard hovering in front of her. Nearly barreling through the poor creature, the frantic stallion landed in front of her and spoke a mile a minute.

“I'm here! Name's Trader! I'm with Applejack! Should say Applejack and Trader on the sheet! Has it started yet?! Am I too late?!” He was ready to go longer, but a quick smack across the head from the clipboard silenced him.

Looking perturbed, the mare's eyes fell back down to her board and she nodded her head simplistically. “Yes, I see your name here,” she said. “Where's the rest of your party?”

“Huh?” he questioned. “Sh-she's not here?”

“No,” the mare replied in an even tone. “Only you have reported in. Now, the contest is starting. We can't simply wait for her to arrive. You'll just have to do it on your own. Unless you want to forfeit now?”

Trader gaped at her wordlessly for a few moments, mind racing as he wondered where the farmpony was. Her question then came back to him as he meekly shook his head. “N-no... I can't do that...”

“Okay then, Trader,” the mare continued, pointing a hoof toward the nearest tent. “Get inside and get ready to be signaled.” Still unsure, the pegasus did what he was told, entering the shaded tent and looking about at all the supplies that had been set up.

Most of it was basic ingredients one would need for any kind of baked good. From sugar to flour, and everything in between. There was even a number of different fruits and vegetables, giving a wide variety to choose from, though Trader already knew what they would have used. But fear gripped the stallion tight as he looked between them and the stove, the sad fact quickly coming to him that he had absolutely no idea how to bake.

Just outside, the mayor, a rather posh stallion in dapper clothes, began to explain the contest to the eager crowd. They had a set amount of time to bake the best treat they could think of, using the items they were given. After that, the judges would sample what they made, determining who the winner was. Trader payed no attention to it, his entire body shaking as he nervously gnawed on his hoof. Silently, he wished and hoped with all of his heart that Applejack would suddenly appear, able to save the day and win them the contest. But even as the contest began, the mare was nowhere to be seen.

Pacing the floor, the pegasus tried to think of something, anything, even as he could hear the contest beginning and the rest of the competitors jumping into the fray. But just as cruel as the fact that he was hopeless and that Applejack was gone, was the fact that he was utterly sunk. No one else could help, being so far away from home without a single friendly soul to help. Then, his eyes nearly burst from his skull as he realized that that fact wasn't entirely true.

Trader immediately flew outside, startling several of the spectators who were both curious and confused at what he was doing. But he didn't bother to notice them as he began to scan the crowd of ponies that had come, not stopping until he saw a familiar hat standing out amongst the bare heads around it.

“Braeburn, I need your help!” Trader shouted, hovering in front of the yellow-coated pony. The stallion was as surprised as one would expect, clearly not expecting the sudden appearance of the pegasus.

“T-Trader? What's goin' on?” he asked, oblivious to what had happened.

Impatient, Trader grabbed hold of stallion's vest, yanking and pulling him toward the tent. “Just come on,” he urged in need. Braeburn didn't put up much of a fight, allowing them to quickly get back into the tent as the frantic pegasus was close to losing it.

“Where's Applejack?” the stallion then asked, not seeing his cousin anywhere.

“She... she's not here,” Trader answered, suddenly having trouble matching his gaze.

It only added to his compounding confusion as the earth pony eyed him questioningly. “What? Where is she then?”

“I-I don't know!” Trader quickly said, becoming frantic again. “I just don't think she's coming and the competition's already started! That's why I need your help, Braeburn! I don't know how to bake, much less make anything passable for a contest!”

Braeburn simply stared at the pegasus blankly for a moment, a long pause crackling inside of the tent. Then, his cheeks reddened slightly as he said, “Uh... Well... Ah don't really know how to bake either...”

Every muscle in Trader's face suddenly twitched horrendously, his entire body beginning to shake. “Wh-wh-wh-what?!” he blurted out. “You don't know how to bake?!”

“I'm usually not even allowed near a stove...” the stallion admitted.

Seeming to be utterly broken, Trader's expression continuously shifted between a manic smile to an utterly crushed bout of misery. “How is that possible?!” he then shouted. “You're an Apple, aren't you?! How is it that you can't bake?!”

“Well... that's a mighty big assumption there,” Braeburn said, looking somewhat offended. “Not everypony in the family can cook y'know.”

“Name one!”

“Oh...” he murmured, not expecting that. “Uh... well there's- No... There's Little- Well, she's only two, Ah guess... Um... Ah... Ah just can't think of any right now, alright?!”

Trader could already smell the sweet scents of the other competitors in the air, making his heart beat all the faster. “Never mind that!” he quickly said, unable to control the volume of his voice any longer. “Just please, please help me with this! I have no chance on my own!”

Almost begrudgingly so, Braeburn nodded his head in barely willing acceptance. They had to work fast, already behind by a great deal. Between them, they did their best to recreate what they had seen others do, as well as what they assumed to be common sense, to make the best apple pie that they were capable of. Shoving it in the stove to bake, they barely had anytime to thoroughly cook it before their time was up and they were called to present what they had.

Their pie was a sorry excuse of one, to say the least. The top crust lopsided and nearly spilling off the side of the tin. Instead of a baked, golden brown, it looked discolored, with large cracks splitting open across it from its half-hazard creation. They were the third group to be judged, both stallion's barely able to breathe from the lumps in their throats as they were approached.

The mayor himself was one of the judges, looking between them both expectantly. “Mm, apple, my favorite,” he said sniffing the concoction pleasantly.

Braeburn and Trader managed uneasy smiles as they sliced into their creation. The sauce inside was incredibly runny, as though they had tried to water it down, some of it seeping onto the plate. Adding a dollop of whipped-cream to it, they hoped it would offset whatever taste the actual pie would bring. As they were serving the other two judges, the mayor was already taking a bite of his, savoring it as he tasted every detail.

Breath stilled, hearts pounding, they stood there and watched as the mayor chewed and swallowed. To their surprise, a warming smiled appeared on his lips soon after, the mayor nodding his head in appreciation, saying, “Now, that certainly was a fine-” He stopped, eyes rolling up to the back of his head before the mayor collapsed into a heap. Both stallions held looks of pure horror as everypony else around them rushed to his side.

It took only a few minutes for the mayor to be rushed off to the nearest hospital. Soon after he was gone, a replacement judge was found and the contest slowly picked itself back into full swing. Neither of the other two judges even bothered to try the apple pie Trader and Braeburn had made, with good reason.

The two hadn't moved an inch since the incident, both staring off at nothing, unable to form any other expression. Even as the crowd of spectators moved on to the other tents, they were as still as statues.

“How could that have happened.?” Braeburn murmured quietly. “None of the ingredients would’ve been that spoiled... It couldn't of been too undercooked or overcooked... Even if we missed a step, it wouldn't be that bad... Ah just don't understand it...”

A heavy thud sounded as Trader's forehead smashed into the table, rattling the piece of furniture and the remaining pie that was on it.

The competition was heading for its end by the time Braeburn and Trader pulled themselves out of their stupor and began walking away. Just ahead, the crowd had returned to circling the main stage, one of the judges facing them all as he announced their choice. Just from looking at him, it seemed as though he was having trouble not gazing back toward their tent.

“It's been another great year everypony,” the stallion called. “Though the contestants have, uh... all been really great... there can only be one who is the best. We have tallied our scores and deliberated who we think that is.” A hush fell over the entire crowd as they awaited the answer, the actual contestants all looking hopeful. “This years winners are... the duo Flim and Flam for their delicious apple cobbler!”

Most of the ponies began to applaud, expressions of disappointment and acceptance crossing the ones who had lost. The two victorious unicorn stallions were quick to jump up on stage, basking in the attention with smug grins. Trader could easily tell by their cream-colored coats, as well as their red and white manes that they were twins, even wearing the same clothes.

Something about the two though did strike the pegasus as odd, unable to place why. He soon shoved it aside as Braeburn relinquished a much needed sigh. “Well, think Ah'll end up headin' back to Appleloosa a bit early,” he said. “Don't really wanna stick around after our little mishap.”

“Sorry about what happened,” Trader said, feeling responsible for it.

“Don't beat yourself up over it,” the earth pony replied. “Ah'd say it was a team effort. But Ah do see why Ah'm not allowed to try bakin' on my own.”

In spite of everything, Trader couldn't help but chuckle a little. It was soon followed by Braeburn's own sound of merriment, helping to alleviate their bitter loss by their own incompetence. As soon as it had sparked up, it was extinguished, lifting their spirits if ever so slightly. It helped the young pegasus out considerably so though, until he caught the approach of a familiar orange-coated mare.

“What's goin' on?” Applejack asked, eying her cousin specifically.

“Applejack?!” the stallion asked, astounded. “Now just where have you been? You done and missed the entire competition.”

“Ah... Ah did?” The mare looked surprised, looking around to see ponies already leaving from around the stage as well as those who stood atop it. For a brief moment, her expression shifted from one of shock into a glare of seething rage. Looking back to her cousin, a slight blush appeared across her freckled cheeks. “Ah guess Ah just... overslept.”

“Overslept?” Braeburn murmured, having never heard of the mare oversleeping before. Though Trader could see clear signs of it. From the darkened lines just underneath her eyes, as well as her mane looking more disheveled than usual, it looked as though she hadn't had much of a restful night.

“Ah'm sorry... Ah'm not really sure why...”

The stallion simply shrugged his shoulders, saying, “It's alright. Me and Trader here managed on our own. Though... we lost pretty bad... And Ah think we may have kill the mayor.”

“You what?” Applejack said in shock, looking to her pegasus friend for more of an answer. But as her eyes were on him, Trader stared down at the ground, refusing to meet her gaze.

“It's kind of hard to explain,” Braeburn was quick to say. “Just don't worry too much about it. Though... like Ah told Trader, Ah think Ah'll be headin' back home. Not much else for me here, and Ah can catch the next train in a few hours.” Hugging Applejack, he looked between her and her pegasus companion. “Nice seein' ya again, cousin. And nice meetin' you too Trader. Both of ya come visit whenever you can.”

“Have a good trip,” Applejack returned. Watching the stallion go, her sights were once again drawn back to Trader. This time, the pegasus had been looking at her as well. But as their eyes met, they both immediately adverted their gazes away. It didn't take long for an overbearing silence to fall over the two friends, made all the more apparent the longer they stayed alone together.

Much like with Braeburn, there was nothing left in Hoofington for Applejack or Trader. The mare herself wanted nothing more than to leave, to get back home where she knew she belonged. Neither cared that noon had already came and went, deciding to simply travel through the night to reach Ponyville.

It took only a few minutes for them to pack up the wagon and strap themselves in. Their load had been considerably lessened, allowing them to move faster with every step. In no time at all, they were all set and ready to go, leaving Hoofington behind as they followed the same road they took to enter the quaint place.

Much like the trip their, leaving Hoofington was more of the same. So few ponies traveled the road along with them, leaving it an utter silence. This time however, it was much worse, neither of them having the company of the other this time around.

Despite being bound so close together, the two remained quite distance, looking away and out toward the fields to their sides or up aimlessly into the sky. Not a word was spoken, the only sound being that of the wagon wheels turning across the dirt road. Only on a few rare occasions did one look toward the other, mouth open as if to speak. But nothing was said, quickly turning away before the other caught them in the act.

It was like that throughout the journey. They didn't bother to stop and rest, even as night fell and cold winds blew against them. They continued unabated in their task, pulling their heavy burden toward Ponyville.

Solutions

Trader awoke with a start as he looked up to stare at the blank ceiling of his basement bedroom. It was a disorienting place, his sense of time nonexistent. Having arrived back in Ponyville in a late hour of the night, he wasn't given much time to sleep, and the pegasus felt far from being well-rested. Even with his time spent living on the farm, he hadn't yet developed any kind of internal clock for the working hours.

Lying there in his bed, staring blankly upward, his mind began to wander. His senses took notice to a lot of things, the quiet state the house was in, the cold chill that clung to the stone walls surrounding him, and just how lonely the simple guest room was. So very few times he had ended up waking on his own, with a familiar friend usually being his alarm for the early morning rises. Though he typically reacted to it poorly, always fighting her back, he suddenly realized how much he had grown accustomed to it.

It made the gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of his chest all the worse. He wanted nothing more than to just stay in bed, to pull the covers over his head and hide there until everything felt better again. But he still had a job to do, something he wouldn't allow himself to ignore. It took some doing, but the stallion managed to force himself out of bed and drag himself up the stairs.

The sky was a brilliant blue, hardly a cloud marring the otherwise vacant opening. Though the sun shined brightly, Trader could only feel a low gloom upon the world. There was no enthusiasm to his steps, no energy in his movements. All the pegasus did was what he needed to as he began his chores. None of the Apple family could be seen, off doing what they were supposed to as well. Something told him he wouldn't see Applejack either way.

Time ticked by at its usual pace while the stallion did his daily routine on the farm. From cleaning up the animals they kept to bucking several more apple trees. The latter was actually much easier than it used to be. Fewer and fewer trees were needed to be picked clean, the signal to the ending season. Normally Trader would wonder what kind of work would follow after applebucking was finished, but his mind was elsewhere.

Trader barely knew how much time had gone by when he finished. The sun had moved across the sky, but he couldn't judge time based on that. All he knew was that he wasn't sure what to do next. With a slow, hesitant step, be trotted back from the orchard toward the house. He could only hope that he could find Granny Smith and gain a task from her. Without her, the only other pony he could help would be Applejack, already assuming how that would end.

The pegasus hated himself all the more at wanting to avoid his friend as much as she avoided him. He knew she was upset with him. Perhaps not fully aware of the depth, he knew it had to do with him and Trixie to an extent. All he wanted to do was tell her sorry, hope that things would get better. But a cruel fact held his lips closed as he didn't actually know what to say. Even if he tried, he was certain he'd only make things worse, as he always did.

Emerging from the grove of trees, Trader caught sight of Applejack and Applebloom passing across the yard. The orange-coated mare held her own head low, eyes set forward almost blankly. There was clearly something plaguing her, slowing her movements as her younger sister bounced around her. The young filly hopped about with an endless energy, chatting up a storm as she picked her sister for information.

“So what was Hoofington like?” Applebloom asked. “You got back really late. Did ya sell anythin'? Where there a lot of ponies there? You two won the contest, right? What did you enter into it? Ah bet it was really good! Did you get any kind of prize? Huh, Applejack? Where there-”

“That's enough, Applebloom!” Applejack suddenly shouted, glaring down at her sister. “We didn't win the contest, alright? We lost! We lost and then we came home!”

Trader stood aghast at the scene. Never before had he ever seen her talk to her little sister that way. Applebloom was equally stunned, looking on the verge of tears as she lowered her head down sullenly. Just as quickly as the spark of anger came, it had left Applejack, the farmpony gaining her own look of surprise as she eyed the little one.

“A-Applebloom, Ah'm sorry. It's just-”

“No... it's fine...” the bow-wearing filly murmured, turning away from the mare. “Ah shouldn't bother you... Ah'll go play or somethin'...”

Applejack watched her sister slowly go, unable to say anything else. It did nothing to help her mood as she was soon lowering her gaze to the ground and began to walk away. Then, for a single moment, the pegasus felt her gaze shift up to him. Just for that brief second, their eyes met. But the mare was quick to look away, returning to her own duties and leaving the stallion alone once again.

Only a sigh left Trader as he too was about to set off to do what was needed of him. He stopped himself quickly as Applebloom slowly passed him by, hardly noticing the pegasus until she nearly bumped into him.

“Oh, Trader... Sorry, didn't see ya there,” she muttered in apology, looking at him as though he might snap at her as well.

Hardly able to see her in such a state, Trader leaned down and gave her a light pat on the head. “Hey, what happened isn't your fault, okay? Applejack's just having a tough time with a few things.”

Nodding her head, seemingly in understanding, Applebloom gaze quickly lifted. With a sudden gasp of surprise, she gave the stallion an expectant look as she said, “So... what's my treat anyway?”

“Huh?”

The filly's mood suddenly shifted, she jumped up and down in place excitedly. “You said you'd give me a treat after you got back from Hoofington if Ah was good. And Ah didn't get into any trouble. You can ask anypony.”

“Oh,” Trader breathed, suddenly remembering what he had said, “that's okay... I'll take your word for it...” He paused, it taking him a short moment to fully realize what the filly was expecting as well as what he'd give her. It soon came to him, and though he didn't really feel up to it, he forced a smile as he eyed her. “Come one, let's go to town.”

Applebloom sat down happily at their table in Sugarcube Corner, eying the so called treat that Trader had gotten for it. A milkshake in a glass that was almost as big as her head, with two scoops of ice cream atop it, then a dollop of whipped cream, and finished with a plump cherry at its peak. It took her no time at all to begin slurping it down from the straw stuck into it, a look of greedy joy on her face.

A similar milkshake was in front of Trader as well as he sat there and watched the little earth pony go. Eventually, his gaze fell onto the table itself, ignoring the sweet treat nearby. Even if he was hungry, the churning sickness in his stomach wouldn't allow him such a concoction. All the pegasus did was sit there dejectedly, mind elsewhere.

The delighted slurping soon stopped as Applebloom noticed Trader's mood for herself. A clear look of worry etched onto her face, never liking to see somepony so down. “You look like Applejack,” she murmured, catching the stallion's attention.

“It's... it's nothing,” he quickly said.

Applebloom's gaze hardened as she glared at him. “No lyin'!” she said heatedly, making it clear that the little sister of the Element of Honesty would accept only that. “You two have been actin' weird ever since ya got back.”

A tired sigh escaped the pegasus, accepting that the filly had him beat. “I did something... stupid, and now your sister's upset with me. I'm... still not even sure what exactly, but it was bad.” Leaning down, he rested his chin on the table as he stared blankly at the melting milkshake he had yet to touch. “Even when we were young, I'd always manage to do something to get her mad. But it never lasted that long... This just seems so much worse.”

“Did ya say you're sorry?” Applebloom asked.

Trader shook his head, chin rubbing against the wooden surface of the table. “It's not that simple,” he muttered offhandedly. “Things get more complicated when you're older.”

The filly huffed at that, never liking when older ponies talked like that around her. But she could only frown as she could see the sadness on the stallion's face clear enough. It was clear that whatever upset her sister also bothered him. “Applejack's always said that when somethin's wrong, you find the problem and fix it.”

“Not bad advice,” Trader replied, sounding as though he hardly heard it. But her words did echo through his mind, reverberating in his skull. The thing was, he already knew what, or who, the problem was. How to fix it was another matter entirely.

With that said, silence once again befell the two ponies. Applebloom continued to consume her treat, at a much slower pace as her gaze continuously trailed toward the pegasus with her. But Trader still made no move for his milkshake, wasting the tasting treat as well as the bits he had spent on it. Eventually, the filly finished her own and the two left the bakery, heading back toward the farm.

The two parted as soon as they reached Sweet Apple Acres. Though Trader's daily chores were done, there was still plenty of daylight to burn. He soon remembered how they were a pair of hooves short, thanks to his near-maiming of Big Macintosh. Certainly the powerful stallion had a good number of laborious tasks on the farm. Though he was certain Applejack would volunteer to pick up the slack, he knew he should do his best to help.

Heading back toward the house, he set his sights on finding the still injured stallion to see what still needed to be done. What he found elicited a sudden gasp from him, seeing the red-coated earth pony lying on the floor, struggling to stand up.

“Big Mac,” Trader breathed, rushing to his side. With some effort, the much smaller stallion managed to hoist the burly Big Macintosh up and back into his chair, his red face looking somewhat redder with his look of embarrassment. “You need to be careful. You're still too weak to be moving around.”

It was easy enough to see that the stallion wasn't happy with being so confined, a hard worker at heart. All he could do was hold an expression of begrudged acceptance as he nodded to the pegasus. “Thirsty,” he tried saying, his voice coming out hoarse.

Trader understood and was quick to getting to the kitchen and returning with a glass of water. The stallion drank it greedily, breathing a sigh of satisfaction before he set the glass aside. Seeing him like that brought another pang of guilt to the pegasus, head drooping down as he looked up at him. “You know... sorry again for pretty much crippling you.”

“It's fine,” he murmured, clearing his throat loudly as it still sounded gravelly.

As he stood there in the room, having already forgotten why he was there, Trader's gave moved toward a small shelf against the wall. It was mostly filled with an assortment of random knick-knacks, many being apple themed in one way or another. One object in particular was what caught his eye however. An old photo in an even older frame, covered in a thin layer of dust.

Two familiar-looking foals stood dominate in it. A white-coated pegasus stood there as an orange-coated filly was on top of him, a small rope in her mouth as she struggled to wrap it around him. Trader couldn't help but smile, remembering how Applejack always wanted to test her lasso skills on him. He wasn't entirely sure when the picture was taken, or who even did it for that matter. To think that they still had such a thing standing out.

It made Trader think though, just how long he and Applejack had known each other. Looking back, he wasn't quite sure. Had they met one day in school? Did their families know each other first? Or was it just a random day that the two crossed paths? As far back as he could remember, they had always been friends.

But all the memories did was make it even more heart-wrenching as he thought of all the trouble he had been causing the Apples since he returned to his hometown. Dragging them into his own problems with his debt, injuring Big Mac due to his own carelessness, even costing them the contest in Hoofington and hurting Applejack all at once. What made it all worse was how he expected something like this to happen. No matter what he did, whatever job he had, he'd always do something wrong to ruin everything. It was inevitable.

Maybe he had hoped things would be different, that he could better himself for his friend and her home. Such a thing was just wishful thinking. What Applebloom had said earlier in the bakery returned to him, playing through his mind. There certain was a problem. And if he didn't fix it, he feared he would lose his friendship with Applejack because of it. So he had to do what he needed to, even if it meant losing everything else.

The following morning, it was an early start for the pegasus. Dawn hadn't even broken by the time Trader was up and about, getting his daily chores finished as quickly as possible. He moved about the farm as fast as he could, finishing up everything that the Apples would need of him. It was hard work, but a fierce determination propelled him forward throughout it all.

It was still rather early by the time he was finished, midday coming at a slow pace. After all of his work on the farm was finished, he sought out Granny Smith. In a matter of moments, the elder mare sat beside Big Mac as they awaited for what Trader had to say. Applejack was already gone, having left for her own tasks, the pegasus almost felt relief for it. In her place however was Applebloom. Though he didn't want her to be there either, he knew that the filly didn't have school and he wouldn't be able to send her away.

The three simply waited there quietly, uncertainty worn on their faces. They could see how tired the stallion looked, the thick lines underneath his saddened eyes. It looked as though he hadn't caught a wink of sleep.

“I've been giving this a lot of thought,” Trader began, forcing himself to meet their gazes, “and I figured this was for the best.” He paused for a moment, heaving a sigh before looking straight at them. “I'm leaving Ponyville.”

As to be expected, the Apple family all speechlessly stared at him with looks of confusion and utter shock.

The Next Crusade

A dead silence fell among the three Apple family members, their stunned expressions easy to see as Trader remained quiet, allowing what he had said to sink in. His own face was almost an utter blank, save for the hint of sadness in his weary eyes, constantly drifting down to the ground as he sat there before them.

“You're leavin'?” Applebloom finally said, breaking the silence as she questioned what the pegasus had just said.

Trader nodded solemnly. “Yeah...” he murmured, confirming it to them. “It was great staying here... but I've realized that it just isn't for me.”

“Trader...” Granny Smith said, concern mixed with her confused expression. “Are ya sure this is what you want?”

Again Trader nodded, refusing to meet her gaze. “I know that it's sudden, but it's something that I need to do.”

Approaching the elderly mare, the pegasus wrapped her forelegs around her in a brief hug before pulling away. “I... I want to thank you... for everything, I mean,” he murmured, a slight tremble in his voice. “You took me in and gave me a home, despite having no reason to, something that I'm just not used to... Ever since my parents died, I've pretty much been by myself. I don't have any other family, and what few friends I had I never got to see because I was too busy with my debt. Staying here, with all of you... it was nice...”

“Where will you go?” she then asked, laying a comforting hoof on his shoulder.

Having given it much thought, Trader was able to readily say, “To the Crystal Empire. I've never been there before. A new place, a fresh start. It's exactly what I need right now.” Almost forgetting the last thing that needed to be said, his gaze locked onto Granny Smith's “A-and don't think that I'm abandoning all that I've done here either. I swear that I'll keep in touch and pay back what I owe you. Even if it has to be bit by bit.”

Wearing a soft smile to mask her worry, Granny Smith leaned down and grabbed the stallion in a hug. “Just do what you can,” she murmured before relinquishing him. “And don't fret none about Applejack. Ah'll make sure she understands why you've left so suddenly.”

A slight look of surprised crosses the pegasus then. Seeing the knowing look the old mare gave him, he felt as though she could suddenly read his innermost thoughts. Shaking the sensation away, he managed simple nod of his head before looking to the rest of the family as a whole. “I should get going,” he said as an act of finality. “The train doesn't leave until tomorrow, but I don't want to waste anymore of your time. I'll just stay at the motel until then. Thanks again, to all of you, and... good-bye.”

Without another word, not waiting a moment longer to hear them say anything in objection, Trader headed toward the front door. There, waiting for him, his saddlebag was where he had left it. Already filled with his meager belongings, he was able to strap it to himself easily and head out the door, ignoring the pangs of regret that stabbed into his chest.

The sky outside was still a beautiful shade of blue, the sun shining as brightly as it could. Trader payed it little mind as his own gaze drifted downward, following the short grass as it extended outward. As he walked away, he spared no moment to look back, he couldn't look back. All he did was continue moving forward, trying as best he could to keep his thoughts on what was set in front of him, and not on what was at his back.

It wasn't until he heard his name being called did he stop. The frantic, sad voice grew until Applebloom rushed toward him. The little filly's face was a contrasting expression of frustration and sadness, eyes continuously shifting from a furrowed glare to a desperate plea.

“Please, Trader, don't go!” Applebloom begged, grabbed onto his foreleg as if to pull him back toward her home.

The stallion pulled his leg away from her. “Applebloom, don't,” he murmured. “I've already made up my mind. You were just fine before I ever came here, and you'll be better off after I've left.” This was exactly what he had wanted to avoid.

But now, the filly only shook her head stubbornly, furious tears building in the corners of her eyes. “No, no, no!” she said. “Ah thought you liked it here? And we liked havin' ya! You just don't up and leave ponies who are like family to ya! If it's 'cause of Applejack bein' mad at ya, w-we can go and see her, make her know that-”

“It's not just about Applejack,” Trader quickly said. “It's- You just... You just wouldn't understand, Applebloom. I can't stay here, it's for the best.”

“Well Ah won't let you leave!” Applebloom shouted. “Ah'll follow ya if Ah have to, and keep you here!”

Heaving a light sigh, Trader looked the filly in the eyes and shook his head. “No, Applebloom, you won't.” Wings unfurling, the pegasus took off into the air, leaving her alone to watch as he disappeared within a blanket of clouds.

Deep within the more secluded parts of Sweet Apple Acres, a small tree holding up a smaller building stood alone in a clearing. Inside, a determined Applebloom paced back and forth as her friends watched her expectantly. Several minutes passed with the yellow-coated filly holding the same look, barely noticing who was with her.

“Okay, so... why did you call us here, Applebloom?” Scootaloo asked, looking about as bored and annoyed as one would expect.

“Yeah, I was busy working on my stitching,” Sweetie Belle said, reminding her friend of her previous task before being ushered away.

“Crusaders, we have an emergency!” Applebloom finally said, stopping in her tracks to eye the two. “Trader is leavin' Ponyville!”

Looks of excitement soon appeared as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle smiled. “Oh, where is he going?” the young unicorn questioned.

Scootaloo nodded her head, understanding where her friend was going.“Yeah, we can ask him to bring us back something cool!” she cheered.

“No, he ain't goin' on a trip,” Applebloom snapped. “He's leavin' and not comin' back!”

At that, the two fillies gaped at the bow-wearing filly wordlessly, it taking a few moments for the shock to fully register.

“He's leaving?” Sweetie Belle asked aloud. “But why? He tells such fun stories.”

“I like him too!” Scootaloo added in. “He's like the third greatest pegasus ever!”

Sweetie Belle paused for a moment and turned to her friend questioningly. “I thought he was the fifth?”

“Well, I... moved him up.”

“Girls, that's not the point!” Applebloom shouted. “Ah think somethin' happened between him and Applejack. Now she's mad at him and he thinks he has to leave. We need to figure out a plan to stop him before he goes away forever.”

The clubhouse fell silent as the three fillies sat still and tried to think of a plan. Hooves were raised to their chins, eyes distant in expressions of deep thought. Scootaloo's small wings buzzed and flapped in irritation, while Sweetie Belle absently nibbled on her lower lip. The sound of tapping soon filled the room as Applebloom struck her other hoof against the floor repeatedly, getting a simple rhythm down.

“I've got it!” Scootaloo shouted, startling the other two fillies as she jumped into the air giddily. “What if we take one of Applejack's ropes, tie up Trader, and leave him here in the clubhouse? That way we'll have plenty of time to think of a better plan!”

For a brief moment, the other two fillies were silent, considering the idea. It was quickly broken as Sweetie Belle murmured, “Um... I think we'd get in a lot of trouble for that...”

“She's right,” Applebloom said with a nod. “But we should save that plan anyway. Just so we have somethin' to fall back on in case we can't think of anything else.”

With a prideful smile, Scootaloo returned to her previous demeanor. Soon after, the others joined her as they continued to think. But more time was wasted as it ticked by ceaselessly. Mind a complete blank, Applebloom fell down onto her back, staring up at the ceiling as she slowly began grinding her teeth in aggravation.

“Ooo, I think I have an idea,” Sweetie Belle chimed. All eyes were soon on her as the little filly sat there ready to explain. “Well, he's leaving because Applejack is mad at him, right? So, if we made it where she's not mad at him anymore, then that'll fix everything.”

“But how do we not make her mad?” Scootaloo pointed out. “We can't just ask her. She'd ruin it.”

“We can ask Rarity,” Sweetie Belle continued. “She's a big sister, so she knows a whole lot. I bet she could find a way.”

Having listened to the idea intently, Applebloom slowly nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah... Ah bet that could work!” Jumping up onto her four hooves, the little filly bolted toward the door. “Come on, Cutie Mark Crusaders! Let's go find Rarity!”

With just a few more taps of her hammer, Applejack stepped back and examined her work. The satisfaction of a job well done coursed through her for a brief moment, the tool in her mouth being dropped alongside the others. Around her, the absent clucking of their chickens continued unabated, the feathery creatures none the wiser of what their owner had done for them.

Thanks to the farmpony, the door to the chicken coop was no longer broken, allowing the poultry to come and go as they pleased. It made the accomplishment all the sweeter for her as she understood her own ability. Fixing things wasn't her strong suit, it being what Big Mac usually did. But with him still recovering, it was up to her to get such things done. Not that she complained, finding a bit of joy from doing the simple task, as well as wanting as much work in order to keep her mind off of things.

But the task was done, leaving the mare to pick up the tools around her and put them back in their proper place. Gathering them up, she took the toolbox back toward the barn. As she walked by, her eyes couldn't help but drift toward the front door of her home, brow furrowing once again. Grunting in annoyance, the mare shook her head, nearly tossing the tools aside, and continued what she was doing.

Not a few seconds after Applejack had put the tools away did the orange-coated earth pony hear the tell-tale swooshing sounds of a fast-flying pegasus. A frown formed on her face as she heard them coming closer toward her, having an idea as to who it was. As she turned to spot the source of it, she was surprised as she saw her cyan friend.

“Rainbow Dash? What are you doin' here?” she asked as the weathermare flew into the barn.

“Hey, Applejack,” the mare greeted. “Do you know where Trader is? I flew a lap around the farm but I didn't spot him.”

Applejack felt her muscles in her jaw tense as she looked directly at the pegasus. “Trader? What do you want with him?” she replied, her tone rather curt.

The reaction didn't go unnoticed by Rainbow Dash either. “Um... no reason,” she murmured. “I just thought up of a new flying technique I want to try out. It takes two ponies and I'm already sure that Fluttershy wouldn't be able to handle it.” Nervously scratching the side of her face, the mare continued. “Is... something wrong? You seem a little... angry.”

With a sigh, Applejack merely shook her head, saying, “It's nothin'... And no, Ah don't know where Trader is. If ya haven't seen him around the farm, he might just be inside.”

“Oh, yeah... alright,” the pegasus murmured, looking back toward the house.

Looking ready to head toward that direction, the pony was stopped as Applejack said her name. “Rainbow, Ah wana know somethin'. Do you like Trader?” she asked bluntly, causing the mare to blink in a lapse of surprise.

“W-what?” the cyan-coated mare stammered out. “Like, as in... like? Or...” It took only a single look at Applejack's expression to see what she meant by it. “N-no. I mean, he is a really great guy, and he's a lot of fun sometimes, but we aren't really great for each other that way...” A grin quickly spread across the mare's face. “Besides, I happen to know that he likes somepony else.”

Rainbow Dash nearly burst into a fit of laughter at the look Applejack held as she heard that. “What? Who?” she demanded, only causing her friend to snicker lightly.

“Sorry, can't tell you that,” she replied. “That's his business, you know?”

Applejack huffed indignantly to herself before trotted outside the barn toward her home. “Fine,” she murmured, “keep it to yourself. But if you're lookin' for Trader, then come on to the house.”

“Alright,” the pegasus said as she hovered through the air in the direction her friend was going. Though she didn't say anything, Rainbow Dash's eyes stayed trained onto her friend. Just looking at her, she could see a strange kind of tension. From the way she reacted when she asked about their white-coated friend, she could guess what might be the cause of it.

Stepping into the house, one noticed just how quiet it was. Applebloom and Trader where nowhere to be seen, while Granny Smith and Big Macintosh sat in the living room quietly. The two ponies looked up as they noticed the mares coming in, the silence around them somehow deepening.

“Have you seen Trader anywhere, Granny Smith?” Applejack asked, seemingly unaware of the strange air hovering throughout the room.

The old mare exchanged glances with her grandson before they looked toward Applejack. “Trader's gone...” she murmured. “He's decided to leave Ponyville and find work elsewhere.”

“W-what?” Applejack breathed, her expression an exact replica of what her relatives wore when they had heard the news. Slowly, she began to shake her head, as though in disbelief.

“What do you mean, he's gone?” Rainbow Dash blurted out, her own reaction being a fierce glare. “He just up and left?”

Applejack continued to shake her head, even as she stared at her grandmother. “Ah just saw him the other day!” she shouted. “Now you're tellin' me he's wantin' to leave? When did this happen?!”

There was little in the way of a reaction from the elderly pony. Nothing but a strange look of saddened understanding in her expression. “Ah suppose it was a quick choice,” she replied. “We can't think to know his reasons, but he seemed to have made up his mind about it...”

“You don't even know why he left?!” Rainbow Dash continued to shout. Her jaw was clenched tight as her wings flapped furiously. “Where is that little- I'll get answers out of him!” Before anypony could say a word, the multicolored-manned pegasus bolted out of he house at high speeds, gone within seconds.

Applejack barely noticed her friend's departure. Her eyes were completely empty as she sat on the floor motionless. Mind racing a mile a minute, all she could think of was why her foalhood friend would do such a thing. All she could think of was an old memory she didn't visit often, of the first time she had heard such news. It had been so heart-wrenching for her to hear that her friend was moving away. She realized that things didn't change, even after so many years.

“He's still in Ponyville,” Granny Smith added. “You can see him if you'd like.”

Again, Applejack's eyes blanked as she stared at her grandmother. A long, cruelly silent moment passed before the mare's eyes quickly twisted into a glare. “No,” she said angrily with a defiant shake of her head. “If he doesn't want anythin' to do with us, then Ah won't trouble him any longer! The feelin' might as well be mutual!”

“Applejack, dear, it's not-” Granny Smith tried to say, but Applejack was already leaving. Her anger getting the better of her, the farmpony stormed out of the home.

It didn't take very long for the crusaders to reach Rarity's boutique. Inside, the alabaster unicorn was already tirelessly doing what she did best, making outfits.

Rolls of colorful fabrics floated through the air around her, a pair of scissors cutting specific shapes out of them before being placed on a ponnequin in front of her. A spool of thread hovered nearby her as well, kept aloft by her magic, the needle with her constantly weaved through the pieces of cloth, combining them together to bring her creation to life.

It was clear how driven by inspiration she was, not even noticing as the three fillies entered her shop. They simply sat there and watched her work, trying not to be caught in the path of the oncoming supplies. After several minutes, the makings of a beautiful dress could already be seen on the ponnequin.

Then, the floating fabrics and other dressmaking essentials all slowly fell to the ground. Rarity gave a refreshed breath as she wiped a drop of sweat from her brow. Nearby, a tray with a steaming cup of tea lifted into the air, brought toward the mare as she gingerly took a sip of it.

“Oh yes,” she mumbled to herself. “It's turning out exactly as I've envisioned it. This will certainly be one of my greatest!” Turning around, the mare yelped aloud as she spotted her sister and two friends there, nearly spilling her tea all over the place. “Sweetie Belle? When did all of you get here?”

“Not too long ago,” the little unicorn replied. “But, we were wondering if we could ask you about something.”

Rarity's gaze drifted toward her work for a moment before she returned to her little sister with a smile. “Well, of course, Sweetie Belle. I'm busy with any orders at the moment... Yes, I'd be happy to help with any inquiries you and your friends have.” Giving them her undivided attention, the mare sat in front of them with an expectant look. “Now, what is it that you want to ask?”

“We want to know something about stallions and mares,” Scootaloo said. For some time, the unicorn simply stared at the three fillies. Suddenly, a pinkish tinge appeared on her cheeks as she smiled nervously at them.

“Oh, uh... you want to know things like that?” she murmured. “Well, um... You see...” The crusaders all remained silent themselves as they watched the unicorn's reaction, finding it rather peculiar themselves. But Rarity continued, even if it was slightly flustered. “There comes a time when- No no, that won't do... Well, do you know how, when the seasons change, and summer begins to come, and then we get those days with dreadfully unbearable warmth?”

“What?” Sweetie Belle questioned, giving her sister a strange look. “We just want to know what a stallion could do if you were mad at him, to not make you mad at him anymore.”

Rarity's cheeks turned even darker. “O-oh,” she mumbled meekly. “Uh... well, an apology would go a long way. Though, it is surprising how few ponies think of that these days. Showing their affection with a little gift never hurt.”

Embarrassment having completely left her, the unicorn's eyes batted for a moment as she stared off into nothingness. “Perhaps some chocolates, or even a few sparkling gemstones,” she went on. “Even a lovely bouquet of flowers wouldn't go unnoticed. They'd have it delivered straight to my door... A large vase filled with the most beautiful colors you've ever seen...”

Applebloom gasped as she looked to her friends excitedly. “Flowers, that'd be perfect,” she said. “There are flowers all over Ponyville. And Ah bet Applejack would like 'em.”

“Then we give them to her and say they're from Trader!” Scootaloo added, already on board with the idea.

“We should split up then,” Sweetie Belle said. “Then we can meet up later with what we have.” The three fillies nodded their heads in agreement, hardly noticing that Rarity hadn't stopped, just as she didn't notice them.

“And hidden inside, there would be a little card,” the unicorn rambled on. “It would say, 'to the loveliest mare in Equestria, from your secret admirer...' Of course, we'd both know who it was... But our love would have to remain a secret, him being a prince from a faraway land and all... Sweetie Belle?” Rarity then finally took notice that her sister and friends were long gone.

What it Means to Fail

Applebloom kept herself focused on the task at hand. Gaze never faltering, intently looking across the grassy ground, she trotted along with eyes set on finding the perfect flowers. As they had planned, the CMC all went off in different directions to scour all of Ponyville, wanting the bouquet to be the best it could be before giving it to Applejack.

The filly herself decided to check around the farm. In the more secluded areas, near and around their clubhouse for instance, many different kinds of wildflowers grew. Whenever she spotted one from a bunch, one that was just right, she quickly picked it and placed it carefully in her saddlebag. She already had a few that she knew her sister would love, even enough to not be mad at Trader anymore.

But the more the little earth pony thought about it, the more she thought how inadequate they were. They were beautiful flowers, certainly, but they were quite common. If they were going to make the perfect bouquet, then they would have to find extra special flowers.

Her eyes then moved toward the thick wall of trees that practically set a border for that portion of farmland. The Everfree forest looked as dark and dense as ever, stretching on and on, further than anypony could imagine. But Applebloom knew that there were many wondrous things that are only found in that forest, having seen plenty of vibrant and stunning flowers whilst helping Zecora brew her potions.

Excitement bubbled up in her chest as she began to picture what kind of assortment they would be able to put together with such flowers. It would only take a few minutes as well. She could go in, grab a few flowers, then leave without a problem. So with a skip in her step, Applebloom headed toward the forest, eagerly awaiting the moment they succeed in their task and everypony's happy again.

It was such a strange sight to watch the blank sky so intently as to see it slowly darken, the telling signs of the day ending and night approaching. Trader's eyes remained skyward as he watched the blue sky do just that. High above the ground, the pegasus rested on his back atop a cloud he had taken for himself.

With the day coming to an end, it wouldn't be very long before he could rest and sleep the night away, awaking to his final minutes in Ponyville. Even still, there was still the matter of actually planning out what he would do once he was gone. Having never been to the Crystal Empire before, he wasn't certain what kind of work he'd be able to find there.

Becoming a royal guard seemed like the best bet, if there were any openings. There was also a chance at working in the crystal mines. It was no secret that it was dangerous work though, but it paid rather well because of it. Though, considering his luck, a dangerous line of work seemed like tempting fate. If necessary, he figured he could simply find a job when he finally arrived, that being the norm whenever he went to new places.

As he planned out his next actions, the pegasus felt a shadow cast over him. Just a simple shift of his vision allowed him to see the cyan mare hovering next to him, wearing a merciless sneer as she glared daggers at him.

“There you are!” Rainbow Dash snapped, ready to explode. Trader could actually see her cheeks reddening in fury. “Just what do you think you're doing?!”

“Lying here,” the stallion replied flatly. His eyes didn't fully rest on her, much of his gaze returned to looking up into the shifting sky.

Though it seemed impossible before, the weathermare became even angrier. There was almost a fire blazing in her eyes, something that no amount of water would put out. “You know what I mean!” she shouted. “What? You've just up and decided you wanted to leave Ponyville now?! Why?! What's going on with you?! You could have at least talked to us about this!”

“Why?” the stallion murmured. “So Pinkie Pie can throw me some going away party that I don't want? So I can get bombarded with questions from all of you?”

A sudden jolt of pain shot through the stallion as Rainbow Dash truck him across the head with her hoof. Grunting aloud, Trader immediately sat up, rubbing the sore spot on top of his head. In front of him, Rainbow Dash landed on the cloud he was on, ready to hit him again. “What was that for?” he grumbled, wincing as he felt the tender area.

“I thought we were all friends here!” the multi-colored mare said. “Did something happen between you and Applejack or something? She's just as upset now, you know! But do you even care?! Just want to run off because something went wrong?! Honestly, you're just like-” She stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening for a moment as she suddenly realized what she was about to say.

Trader already knew what name would have escaped her lips. It didn't take much effort to see the similar situation that the pegasus was in. But he ignored it as he looked the mare in the eyes and matched her glare. “It's not just about Applejack!” he shouted back, not about to be told off by somepony who didn't understand. “It's about everything!”

Rainbow Dash just looked at him, clearly unaware of what he meant. Knowing that, the stallion's own temper lessened and he sat with a blank stare, ready to explain himself. “Do you know why I've had so many different jobs?” he asked. “I lose them. It's like that with almost every thing I've done. I do something stupid, I mess up, and something horrible always happens. And sometimes... it's not just me who gets hurt because of it...”

The mare only shook her head in disagreement. “Trader, you can't think-” she tried to say, but the stallion was quick to interrupt her.

“In the short time that I've been here, I've done nothing but mess up,” he said. “I've nearly crippled Big Macintosh, I've cost them thousands with my own problems, and now I can't even face Applejack without thinking how I've practically insulted her in Hoofington! And why?! Because... I-I'm afraid to even think about telling her-” He stopped himself, shaking his head as he regained some of his composure, looking back to the mare dejectedly. “What's next? I set fire to the house? They lose the farm because of me?”

Heaving a sigh, Trader's gaze looked up into the sky. There was almost something comforting about looking into the bleakness of it. “I can't even bake a pie to help win some stupid baking contest,” he murmured. Looking to Rainbow Dash again, he held a bit of curious wonder in his eyes. “What did it feel like after Stormchase had left? Knowing how you hurt somepony you cared about and drove them away...”

“H-how did you...” the weathermare began, surprise worn well enough on her expression. But her voice trailed off, her gaze drifting away as her previous torrent of rage subsided, if only for a short time. “Look, Trader, ponies mess up. It's something that happens that you can't control. You should've seen all the times Twilight's messed up with some spell of hers. Even I mess up all the time, and not just with different tricks I'm trying to do. Like you said, I know what it's like to screw-up worse than ever, to want to take back every mistake. I understand how you-”

“Oh, don't give me that,” Trader said, eyes again set into an angered look as he stood up to face the mare. “Just... please! Don't try to lie and say something like that!”

Though she was shocked by the sudden outburst, it wasn't enough so to prevent Rainbow Dash's own anger from resurfacing. “Hey, I'm just trying to-”

“That's the thing, you're trying because you don't understand!” the stallion went on. “What do you know about failure?! To fall so far that you've hit the very bottom?! To go on like that year after year, unable to escape the inevitability of it! To understand, deep down, the hard truth that it's all your own fault! T-To know... that it's never been because of things like bad luck or freak accidents... That it's just you...” Years of pent up anger finally burning out of him, the pegasus slumped down, staring aimlessly away. “To know that you're just not good enough, for anything... or anypony...”

A short time passed in utter silence, Trader not saying a word while Rainbow Dash was at a complete loss for them. When he finally looked back to the mare, his face was practically made of stone. “I've made peace with that a long time ago,” he murmured. “But I'd never be able to live with myself if I dragged them down too.”

The cyan mare looked at the pegasus with sympathetic eyes. Perhaps what made her feel the worst was how right he was, how she really didn't understand what he might be going through. But she also knew that it didn't excuse his behavior, that there was a better way they could try and resolve everything. “Trader...” mare said softly, wanting to coax him out of his stupor. But she was surprised as her ears caught a sudden echo, the pegasus' name sounding off again.

Trader's own ears twitched as he caught it too. But it wasn't Rainbow Dash's voice that called his name again. It wasn't an echo either, simply sounding off from a distance below. The two ponies looked over the side of the cloud to see Twilight standing before the door to his room, knocking against it as she called out his name. But she wasn't alone, with the unicorn was an even more familiar face, Applejack standing by her side.

“I think they want you,” Rainbow Dash pointed out, looking to the stallion expectantly, but Trader made no signs of moving.

All the white-coated pegasus did was stare down at them, heart and mind racing, unsure of what he'd say, or what he'd even do for that matter. He was perfectly content with staying there, waiting for the two mares to give up and leave. Rainbow Dash on the other hand only regained her glare as she looked between him and her friends down below, ready to fly down there herself and drag the stallion with her if necessary.

Ready to act on that, Rainbow Dash paused for a moment as Twilight continued to knock on the door. “Trader, please, are you there?” she asked. “We just want to know if you've seen Applebloom.” Both pegasi looked to one another with looks of surprise. With a great deal of reluctance, Trader unfurled his wings and dove down toward the ground, Rainbow Dash following close behind.

Twilight and Applejack were nearly startled as the pegasi came down on top of them. Trader looked to them questioningly for a moment before saying, “Twilight, Applejack... What's going on?”

“We don't know where Applebloom is,” Twilight replied, wearing a clear look of concern.

“She's gone?” Rainbow Dash breathed, having just heard it herself.

Applejack looked the most distraught. “Ah needed to talk to her about somethin',” she murmured. “But Ah haven’t been able to find her.”

“She was with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle earlier,” Twilight continued, “but they went off to work on some sort of project. Applebloom was supposed to meet up with them earlier, but she never did. There's no sign of her anywhere in Ponyville, we've all been searching everywhere.”

“Ah thought she might've come to see you, Trader,” Applejack then said, almost sounding hopeful.

The pegasus had a hard time meeting her gaze. He could still sense the anger in her for what he had done, but it was also very subdued. Shaking away such thoughts, the stallion was quick to focus on what was more important. “N-no, I haven't,” he managed to say. “Last time I saw her was in the morning... at the farm...”

“Then where else would she be?” Rainbow Dash questioned, growing more worried herself as the gravity of the situation began to weigh down on her.

“What about the forest?” Trader then asked. “Is there a chance she'd wander in?”

Applejack simply stood there, looking down at the ground as she tried to think. “Ah.... Ah don't know,” she murmured. “She goes there sometimes to help Zecora. But she always takes the safe paths, and she tells me before she goes into that place!”

“It's better if we know for sure, right?” Trader said, nodding toward the cyan pegasus with them. “We can get an aerial view of the area and see if she's there. Rainbow Dash, take the northern half, I'll take the southern half near the farm.”

“Got it,” the weathermare said before bolting up into the air and heading in the direction of the forest.

Trader stared at Applejack for a moment, mind wandering as to what to do next. Against his better judgment, he approached the worried mare, placing a comforting hoof on her. “Don't worry,” he said reassuringly. “We'll find her in no time. I promise you that.” Without waiting for a response, Trader flew up, the forest in his sights.

Applebloom could hardly believe the luck she was having. Again and again, she found such beautiful flowers growing on the forest floor. They were nothing like the ones she had already picked in Ponyville, having such exotic looking colors and shapes to them. They all held their own wondrous smell to them as well, making her want to sniff each and every one.

She had already filled her saddlebag, each new flower added more than likely smashing the first few she had found before. But the little filly couldn't help herself. As soon as she was done picking one flower, thinking she was ready to head back, she would spot an even better one, heading deeper into the forest as she went to take it.

There was no doubt in her mind that Applejack would love them. In fact, she was certain that her big sister would be so happy, she'd never get mad at Trader again. Just the thought propelled her forward even further, already picturing the look on her face. Of course, there was the matter of Trader himself knowing that he had nothing to do with it, but she figured he wouldn't care, so long as his old friend was happy with him again.

The forest itself was so shady, with so many trees growing around it, a thick canopy of leaves blocked out much of the sunlight. Only the occasional chirp of a bird or buzz of a bug could be heard, the forest was otherwise silent. It was a pleasant experience for the filly, happily going about her task without a care.

As Applebloom continued to look for flowers, she broke through the veil of trees into a clearing. It was a large opening or land that gave a clear view of the sky. Such a sight was lost on the young earth pony however, her eyes immediately locking onto a brightly colored assortment of yellow and orange flowers far ahead of her. Their stems were long, like vines, tangling together into a mass a bush, with petals that were shaped like flames.

Heading toward it, she then noticed the precarious position they grew. Not too far into the clearing, the ground suddenly dropped, leading far down into even more forest. Looking over the edge, she could see a sea of green stretching onward. The fiery flowers themselves grew just on the edge, waving in the breeze like little flags.

Though she felt a small tinge of nervous fear from the sudden plunge, Applebloom's desire to add such lovely flowers to her collection was all she needed to find the courage to press on. Slowly, she inched herself closer, taking care not to step too far and slip off the side. It nearly strained her neck to stretch out and nip at the stems of the flowers. She took two for good measure, immediately taking a step back and gingerly placing them in her bag.

Scanning the area for more, Applebloom's ears twitched as she could have sworn she heard her name being called. Of course, thinking nopony would be nearby, she ignored it. That was until she turned to see a white and black shape flying through the air toward her. In moments, Trader landed in front of her, a look of relief washing over his face.

“Applebloom, there you are,” the pegasus said happily. But in a matter of moments, his expression changed into one the filly recognized as one worn when she was about to be scolded. “What are you doing out here? Do you have any idea how worried your sister is? Everypony has been out looking for you.”

“W-what?” Applebloom questioned, unaware of what had been going on back in town. Her eyes then looked up to take her first clear look at the sky, seeing how late it was. “Oh... Ah'm sorry... Ah didn't mean to be out here for so long, Ah guess Ah just lost track of time...”

Though he should be more upset, ready to scold her further for what she had caused. But the pegasus just didn't have it in him, mostly just being glad that the filly was safe and sound. Taking a deep breath, he stood there and calmly asked, “Why are you even out here?”

Applebloom did little to hide the look of reluctance on her face, eyes shifting to the saddlebags she wore. “Ah was lookin' for flowers,” she admitted, realizing that she wouldn't be able to get out of telling him. Opening the bag up, they could see the different colorful plants. “We were gonna give them to Applejack for you so she wouldn't be mad and you wouldn't have to leave...”

“What?” Trader murmured, staring at the filly in confusion. “That's why... Applebloom, thanks but... that's not how it works.” Taking a step toward her, he held out his hoof. “Come on, we need to get back to town.”

Frowning, Applebloom took an immediate step back, shaking her head. “No,” she said defiantly. “Ah won't go unless you promise to talk to Applejack and not leave Ponyville!”

“Applebloom,” Trader said, becoming stern now. “This isn't the time or the place to argue about this. Everypony is worried sick and it's dangerous out here.”

“Ah said no!” she shouted, taking another step back, forgetting about the cliff behind her.

Applebloom's hoof slipped, the filly falling backward as she cried out in a startled gasp. Before Trader could even blink she was gone, fallen off the side. Without wasting a moment, he dove after her, wings out and flapping hard. Flying faster than she was falling, he managed to catch up in an instant, grabbing onto her

Though saved, it did nothing to stop Applebloom's panic. Eyes still wide and fearful, heart beating powerfully, her hooves continued to flail wildly. One swung up and struck the base of Trader's right wing. The pegasus grunted in pain as the feathered appendage suddenly locked up, unable to flap with the other.

They plummeted like stones, the ground rushing toward them at great speeds. With only a few split-seconds to think, the stallion wrapped his legs tightly around the filly and pressed her to his chest. Doing the best he could, he managed to turn himself in mid-air, so his own back faced the ground and keeping her away from it. His eyes shut tight as he knew their landing was coming, only able to hear Applebloom's screams, then feeling the sudden jolt of agony as they struck the forest floor.

Facing Your Mistakes

Applejack returned to the farm with a heavy heart, having just returned from Applebloom's CMC clubhouse, she felt the bitter disappointment of not finding her sister. She had already searched the farm area twice, finding no sign of her. All she could do was wonder where she could have run off to. But her mind drew a complete blank, having already looked everywhere they could think.

The only thing she had now was to hope she had wandered into the forest, and Rainbow Dash or Trader would find her. Just as she thought that, the familiar sound of a flying pegasus tore through the air. Immediately, Applejack's gaze darted to the source, spotting her cyan friend as she dove down and landed in front of her.

“Rainbow Dash,” she breathed, the mare's heart skipping a beat as she looked to her friend expectantly, “did you find Applebloom?”

Before the pegasus even uttered a word, the expression she wore said it all. “No... I couldn't find any sign of her,” she replied. Seeing the crushing disappointment on her friend's face, she was prompted to quickly add, “But, I'd say that's a good thing. I'd rather have her off somewhere in Ponyville than in the forest at this hour.”

“Maybe you're right,” the farmpony murmured.

“What about Trader?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Has he been by?” Not needing an answer, the pegasus already knew what she'd say. “Yeah... it'll probably take him a bit longer to get back. There's no way he'd be able to check as fast as I did.”

Hearing the stallion's name, Applejack looked to her friend suspiciously. “What were you doin' with him anyway?” she found herself asking.

Rainobw Dash blinked in surprise for a moment. “Well, I might not have known him since foalhood,” the mare replied, “but I did want answers from him. Surprised his best friend ever couldn't be bothered to do the same.”

Applejack huffed at that. “He made it plenty clear he was the one who didn't want to be bothered by us. It's not like it's the first time he's gone and left Ponyville!”

At that, suddenly snapped where the pegasus' patience was. “Will you stop that?!” the multi-colored mare suddenly blurted out. “Celestia's sake, you're just as stubbornly dense as he is! He's your friend, yet you're getting so mad at him for no reason! I don't know if you just got it in your head that he doesn't care, or if you can't deal with the fact that you care about what's happening too, but this needs to stop!” Hovering in the air, the pegasus used her elevated position to look down on the earth pony. “This might not be the best time, but you need to know. The guy likes ya, alright? I mean, he really does have feeling's for you.”

“What?” Applejack said aloud, staring at the mare in bewilderment. “D-don't be ridiculous, Rainbow, he-”

“I mean it!” the pegasus stressed. “Okay, I'm not totally sure on the details, but Trader does like you. He just... I guess he just doesn't really know what to do about it.” A light blush appeared on her cheeks. “And I kinda know what that's like... But he's got these weird ideas in his head, and it's messing him up bad.” Applejack just sat there, expression growing more and more shocked as her friend began to explain everything she knew.

“T-Trader... Please... wake up...”

The voice sounded so far away to the pegasus as his eyes opened, groaning aloud as his entire body ached. He had a clear view of the sky, looking much darker than it had earlier, it wouldn't be long before the sun was set and darkness would cover the land. Almost immediately, his vision was obscured by the yellow face of Applebloom, an ecstatic look on her face.

“Trader! You're okay!” she exclaimed, hugging him happily. “Ah was scared you wouldn't get up.”

With a bit of effort, Trader managed to sit himself up, groaning even louder this time. Every movement shot jolts of pain throughout his body. An ordeal, he finally managed to stand on all fours, still feeling dazed and confused. It all quickly became clear as he turned to see the sheer cliff next to them, able to judge how far they had fallen.

“Well... that could have been worse,” the pegasus murmured aloud. “Are you alright?”

“My leg really hurts,” Applebloom replied, looking down at her back leg. It was easy enough to see, as she kept the limb up off of the ground in her pain.

Trader knelt down to her, examining it for himself. “Can you put any weight on it?” he asked, to which the filly shook her head. “Hmm.. well, I doubt it's broken, or we'd know. Just don't walk on it and you'll be fine.” Now that he thought on it, he realized how his own leg ached, much more so than the rest of his body. Like Applebloom's, he was certain it wasn't broken, if only barely. He just didn't want to worry the filly, deciding not to mention it.

Still, they were in a bad situation, something they needed to fix soon. “Don't worry, Applebloom,” he said cheerfully, “a quick flight out of here and we'll be back in Ponyville in no time.” Readying himself to fly again, he unfurled his wings, feeling a sudden, stabbing pain in his side. He nearly collapsed again as he cried out in agony, startling Applebloom.

“W-what's wrong?” the filly asked. It took only a moment for her eyes to focus fully on the pegasus' side, seeing his mangled wing.

It wasn't folded down against his side like the other. The wing remained stretched out, holding a strange and unnatural angle to it. Trader's breathing became heavier as he braced himself, trying to move the appendage, and again feeling the jolts of pain course through him. “Well... I guess that's broken,” he managed to say. “Stupid, worthless things, the one time I need them!”

“Y-you're bleedin' too!” the filly exclaimed, noticing the stains of crimson trailing down his side. It was the first time Trader himself noticed it too, feeling a gash on his back just above the broken wing. There was little effort needed to picture what kind of landing they had. “Are you gonna be okay.”

With a reassuring smile, the pegasus simply nodded, saying, “Of course. It just means we don't have the ease of flying out of here.” He looked around at his surroundings, trying to remember what direction the town was in. “Yeah... we should be able to make our way back. Maybe we'll get lucky and Rainbow Dash will fly over and find us.” Knowing that the little filly shouldn't travel on her injured leg, he laid himself down and gestured her over. “Hop up.”

Without a word, she managed to limp toward him and climb onto his back. Waiting a moment for her to get situated, Trader set off further into the forest, doing his best not to let Applebloom in on his own limping. Though he wasn't completely certain his direction was the right one, he figured it was as good a guess as any.

It was hard to tell how much time was going by while they trekked through the forest. With the thick canopy above them, and even thicker brush ahead, there was little to see of the sky above them. They only occasionally caught a glimpse of a darkened color, with night nipping at their heels. Trader hoped to get out of there before it came to that, not wanting to see what kind of nocturnal beasts would appear.

“Trader... Ah'm sorry...” Applebloom murmured suddenly, nearly startling the pegasus with the sudden break in silence.

“For what?” he murmured, walking up a small slope.

“It's my fault we're here,” she replied sadly. “Ah just wanted to keep you from leavin' Ponyville.”

Though she had a point, Trader wouldn't dare tell her that. “Don't worry about it,” he said to her. “You didn't mean for this to happen. It was an accident, nothing more.” Those very words tasted bitter in his mouth.

“Do ya really have to leave?” Applebloom then asked, her voice the epitome of pleading.

All Trader could do was heave a sigh, having already figured she'd ask that eventually. For a few moments, no answer was given. The pegasus just continued on, carrying the filly in utter silence. “Applebloom,” he eventually said, “I can't stay.”

“But why not?” the filly retorted, getting frustrated again. To her, the pegasus was just being stubborn.

“You wouldn't understand,” he muttered. “I'm a walking disaster waiting to happen. That's just who I am, somepony who messes up in everything they do. Maybe... I could talk to Applejack... Explain myself to her, but I still have to leave. I just thought if she stayed mad at me she'd eventually get over it, then I wouldn't have to confuse and worry her with my reasons.”

An agitated huff escaped the filly. “And what's so bad about messin' up?” she remarked. That particular idea hit a little close to home for her. “Me, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo always mess up. Even if we succeed, we still don't ever get our cutie marks. But we just get to try somethin' new. That's why you're so cool, even with your cutie mark, you just keep tryin' stuff too!”

“It's a nice sentiment,” the pegasus replied, “but it doesn't work like that. Don't try and think I'm anypony to be admired. You should look up to a pony who's capable and determined. Your sister or brother would be good choices. Go by their example, find what you like and succeed there.” Waiting for his words to sink into the filly, he remained silent for some time. “So, what is it that you like to do? What's your dream in life?”

“Hm?” the filly murmured, thinking on the question. “Ah don't know...” From her spot on his back, she completely missed the flat expression on the stallion's face. “There's so much stuff Ah can do, that Ah wana do. It's especially fun when Ah do it with my friends.”

Trader thought on that, understanding how the right companionship can make anything enjoyable. “I guess that's a good enough answer, for now anyway,” he remarked. “You're still young, I suppose. You'll have plenty of time to figure everything out.”

“And you?” the filly asked curiously. “What's your dream?”

“My... dream?” the stallion questioned. From his tone alone, it was clear that such a question never crossed him. He didn't say anything right away, looking away in deep thought as he traversed the forest floor. “I remember... a long time ago, I had wanted to own my own store, like my mother.”

A light chuckle escaped him as he thought more on it. “I'm not even sure why,” he admitted. “Maybe to live up to my name, or to make mom proud. It's hard to say... Though, I do remember how fun it was helping her. Ponies would come in, and you'd be there to help. You'd almost feel needed, in a small sense anyway. But... I guess that dream slipped away from me. Now, it's rare I ever look beyond the next morning. I usually just go on one day at a time, trying my best not to mess up until I can crawl back into bed and start it all over again.”

“That doesn't sound very fun,” Applebloom murmured.

“No... I guess it isn't,” Trader thought aloud. Then, something occurred him. “Maybe... maybe that's been the problem. Maybe I'm just too focused on the wrong things, or not enough on the right ones. I'll have to think on that...”

They didn't talk much after that, remaining silent as they passed through more of the forest. There still seemed to be so much of it, yet the stallion was certain that they had to of made some sort of progress. Slowly, the idea of having gone the wrong way crept into his thoughts, making him a little worried that they were just getting more lost.

Things seemed to become so still in the forest, little noise made save for Trader's own hooves in the dirt. It could almost be described as peaceful, making it all the more jarring as the pegasus was struck without warning. The blow was so strong, it knocked him off his hooves. Applebloom was tossed from her perch on the stallion as well, sent tumbling across the ground.

Trader grunted in pain as he picked himself up, having no idea what had happened. He quickly found Applebloom and rushed to her side, making sure she was okay. But before he could utter a word to her, a heavy thud sounded as a large gryphon fell from the sky and landed just beyond them. His body was a familiar black while his feathered head was a dark gray. Looking at him, Trader was in a trance, feeling a sharp tremble of fear race up his body.

“V-Vincent...” the pegasus said, eyes wide as he stared at him.

The gryphon matched his gaze, a smirk worn on his face. Then, his eyes moved to Applebloom, causing the filly to step back suddenly. “I've finally found you,” he said mirthfully. “And so have you, Trader. Though, a little worse for wear, from what I can see. But good... I've wanted to see you again.”

“What... what are you doing here?” Trader asked, trying to stop his voice from shaking.

Vincent stared at him for a moment before smiling and pointing at the filly. “I've come for her,” he said plainly. “This forest is such a dangerous place, isn't it? It would be so tragic if something befell one so young.”

Stepping between the gryphon and filly, Trader glared furiously at him. “You're not getting near her!” he snapped.

All he received in reply was a chuckle, a look of amusement crossing the gryphon's mug. “You know, Trader,” he said civilly, “I really should thank you. If it wasn't for your help, I'd never have looked twice at this little town, and that wonderful farm you've taken residence in.”

“What are you talking about?” the stallion demanded.

“Isn't it obvious?” Vincent said, not showing any reaction to Trader's own anger. “That family of nitwits don't even know what they're living on. All of that land, practically in the shadow of the capital city itself... Such a fortune could be made.” A large grin spread across his face as Trader could see a mad glint in his eyes. “I already know all about the troubles they've had here, nearly losing everything on more than one occasion. Why, with a little push, I'm sure they'd have no choice but to rid themselves of this burden. I already know two buyers who'd happily pay a hoof and a horn for just a piece of it, and to be rid of those on it now.”

“There's no way we'd ever sell the farm!” Applebloom shouted, matching Trader's own expression.

“Hmph, we'll see,” the gryphon remarked, his eyes falling back on the pegasus in front of him. “You've already been quite the help with that. Incapacitating their best worker, as well as costing them so much money already, that I'm neither of you have gained back yet. I've had my eyes and ears on this place ever since we last met, waiting for the right opportunity to surface. And I was overjoyed to hear when their littlest one went missing.” Again he chuckled lightly. “You might not be missed, Trader, but she will. And there's nothing like a family tragedy to ruin a business. You of all people should know that.”

Trader just stared at him, aghast and unable to fully believe what he was hearing. “You're sick! What is the matter with you?!” he shouted. “You'd do all that, just for some piece of land?!” Even as he said it though, he knew the gryphon well enough to know what the answer was.

Then the crushing feeling of guilt hit him, realizing that it was all because of him that Vincent even knew about the farm. He'd destroy everything just to get what he wanted, ruin their lives for his own personal gain. All because of his own mistakes. It reminded him of what the gryphon did to him before, and that crushing guilt turned to rage, a fiery blaze that consumed the stallion's sense of reason and ability.

With an enraged cry, the stallion charged forward, surprising the gryphon as he tackled into him. The two rolled across the ground for a moment before the pegasus managed to pin him down. His eyes met Vincent's own as they were inflamed by his hatred of the creature. “You've wrecked my entire life!” he shouted, raising a hoof up to strike him. “I won't let you do that to anypony else!” Too angry to notice, he never saw Vincent's clawed hand swinging up, knocking him aside as he sliced into his cheek.

Immediately, he was seized by the neck, held up by the gryphon as he slammed him hard into a nearby tree, the cracking sound of bark breaking away from the trunk sounding clear. Dazed, there was little he could do was Vincent then brought him down onto the ground, still holding his choking grip on the pony. Though Trader struggled as best as he could to escape the deadly hold, he was no match for the gryphon's brute strength.

Vincent could only laugh at his pathetic attempts, a smile spread across his beaked face. “You know, Trader, it's times like this I'm reminded of the problem with you grass-chewers,” he said, raising his free hand up, claws poised to tear into him. “You just don't make good predators!”

Ready to cut him down, the gryphon was suddenly stopped as an earth-shaking roar filled the air. All three of them recoiled in pain as their ears throbbed. Out of nowhere, from within the thick forest around them, a massive beast came barreling toward them. They didn't have a chance to move as the creature smashed into them, sending both Vincent and Trader flying.

As the pegasus landed, he scrambled toward Applebloom, staying by her side as they stared in horrific awe at the beast. It was a mighty thing, with a lion's body, bat-like wings, and a scorpion's tail. They both knew full well what it was, a manticore, one of the most dangerous things one could find in the Everfree forest. Its eyes darted about, catching both ponies as well as the fallen gryphon. Constantly, its feline nose twitched catching the scent of blood in the air, making Trader shudder to think of what had led it to them.

Vincent managed to get back up as well, staring up at the beast as it loomed over him. Without wasting a second, his wings flared open and he took off. But the manticore was much faster, its own wings lifting it up as it caught the gryphon in its paws. They crashed to the ground, Vincent nearly crushed under the weight of the animal. He stood no chance against it, only able to look up at it in consuming fear as the manticore's maw opened wide and it lunged toward him. In that instant, Trader threw himself over Applebloom, covering her eyes and ears as nature did what it did best.

Another roar erupted from the manticore as it then turned to set its sights on the two ponies. Trader looked at the filly, their eyes meeting as he quickly told her, “Applebloom, you need to run, okay? Run, as fast as you can.”

Applebloom suddenly became aware of what the stallion was intending, eyes growing wide in panic. “N-no, you can't-”

“Run, Applebloom!” the pegasus shouted, not giving her a chance to argue with him as he pushed her away. Without a choice, she turned and dashed off into the forest as fast as she could on her injured leg, leaving Trader alone with the hungry manticore.

The mix-matched beast stared at the pony as he stood his ground, but its gaze quickly shifted to Applebloom as she disappeared. Realizing its prey was escaping, the manticore charged forward, ready to go after her. Trader had no chance to react, the creature's large paw swinging out and striking him away, throwing the pegasus into the brush. Determining that that little filly was more likely to escape it, it continued its path and gave chase.

Applebloom could hear its mighty roars behind her, each one sounding closer than the last. She could barely think, thoughts racing as her heart pounded in her chest. Fear gripped her tightly, propelling her forward despite her hurt leg. But she could still hear it coming closer and closer, the massive beast tearing through the forest to get to her. It was so large, and she was so small, she stood no chance of outrunning it as it bounded toward her with no sign of stopping.

Clearing the distance between it and its small prey, the manticore pounced, flying through the air toward her. The filly narrowly missed the monstrous thing as it crashed down just behind her, the impact tossing her up causing her stumble to the ground. Now vulnerable, the manticore acted quickly, leaping forward at the pony, claws out and ready to bring its next meal down. A satisfied growl came from it, hearing the agonizing cry as its claw found their mark.

Shock and confusion was felt by the filly as she realized that she had not been hurt. Looking at the beast, she felt a surge of horror as she saw Trader standing between them, bleeding out from the wound he sustained. The claws had slashed across his already broken wing, before cutting into his side, leaving five deep red marks.

In Trader's mouth, he held tightly onto a large branch. Swinging it as hard as he could, it smashed into pieces against the manticore's head. Reeling back, the best jumped away from them, rubbing its face as it shook away the splintered pieces of wood. Now, the beast looked more angry than hungry. It stared the pegasus down, leaning closer to the ground as its powerful muscles readied themselves. Then it charged at them.

With the manticore coming, Trader already knew they had no chance of running from the beast. Perhaps if he wasn't so badly injured, he could fly around it or dodge it on the ground. But there were no options for him. Looking at Applebloom, he could see the fear in her eyes, her young mind unable to fully deal with the situation at hand. But the pegasus wasn't about to let anything happen to her, he had promised Applejack that he'd find her, and he wasn't about to fail that.

The manticore lunged at them, its fangs gleaming while its sharp claws were at the ready. With nothing else left to think of or to do, Trader did the only thing he could. Waiting for just the right moment, the stallion turned himself around, showing his back to the beast and suddenly kicking out with all the strength he had left.

There was a loud sound of cracking bone, immediately followed by the eruptive screams of Trader as he immediately fell to the ground, which were drowned out by the manticore's own roars of pain. It thrashed about angrily, paws up and clutching at its face while droplets of blood seeped from its broken nose. Finally, figuring that the rest of its meal was more trouble than it was worth, the best took off, flying through the air and away from them.

Applebloom could hardly believe her eyes as the air around them became still once again, as if the beast had never been there at all. But such peace was broken as another cry came from Trader, drawing the filly's attention to him. His entire body writhed in agony, his leg twitching badly. The moment it had struck the manticore, the bone broke, feeling as though it had shattered like glass.

“A-Applebloom!” the pegasus hissed through clenched teeth, doing his best to simply not continue his screams. “Which way did it fly?”

“W-what?” the filly questioned, looking back up into the sky as she remembered the right direction. “That way... Ah think...”

Trader's entire body trembled as he slowly forced himself up. Now, he couldn't even move his leg without feeling the unbearable pain run through it, but he forced it out of his mind as he brought himself up to three hooves. “It would have... gone deeper into the forest,” he managed to say through his rapid breathing. “If we... go the other way... we should make it out of here...”

“You're hurt,” Applebloom said, able to see the red stains on the ground where he was.

“I'll... I'll be fine,” the pegasus said reassuringly. “We need to get you back home... before night fully comes. Now, can you... can you follow me?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Good, just stay by my side... and we can keep moving forward together.” Staying against his side, the little filly helped keep the stallion standing as he headed off in the opposite direction of the manticore. Trader made sure to keep her at his better half, not wanting her to see the mangled wounds he had, still bleeding badly and leaving a scarlet trail as they walked.

They didn't encounter any more denizens of the forest. Perhaps the roars of the manticore had scared off any smaller animal, or they were just lucky. Either way, they did their best to keep going, not wanting to stop and rest for a single moment as they were certain they were on the right path.

It was all Trader could do to not collapse on the spot. Body continuously in pain, he held back as much as he could, only occasionally giving the small grunt or stunted cry. He felt so cold, but even still, droplets of sweat began to drip from his forehead. It became hard for him to even think straight. So he kept his eyes dead ahead, keeping his focus by reminding himself of who was with him, and the task he had. That determination was all that kept him moving, to get the filly to safety no matter what. If there was anything in his life he'd do right, anything of any kind of worth or meaning, it was this.

“We're going to get you home... safe and sound,” he said continuously. It was his only response whenever Applebloom asked if he was alright or if they were going the right way. She wanted to get home as much as he did, but for another reason, able to know that the pegaus was in bad shape.

Eventually though, almost miraculously, the mind-wracking pain slowly ebbed away. His wounds and injuries simply felt numb, as if they were hardly even there. If anything, he only felt tired. Exhaustion clung to his body tightly, clouding his mind even further as it tried to convince him that there was nothing he wanted more in the world than to lie down and fall into a deep rest.

It was like that for an incalculable amount of time, the sky nearly empty of the sun's light. Emerging through more trees, Applebloom's heart swelled with joy as they broke out of the forest and saw open fields. And just a far distance away, cast in the last vestiges of twilight, they could see the farmhouse, a welcoming beacon to the two weary souls.

“W-we made it!” Applebloom exclaimed, rushing forward a few steps as she couldn't help but smile from ear to ear.

“We... we did... didn't we...” Trader murmured, his voice only a weak whisper.

With a new found energy, the filly continuously had to stop herself from bolting toward the house and leaving the pegasus behind. “Come on, Trader,” she said quickly. “We can find somepony to help you with-” She was silenced as she heard a heavy thud behind her, turning to see Trader having collapsed.

Applebloom rushed to his side, pushing him as hard as she could. “T-Trader!” she cried out, her voice shaking as tears welled up in her eyes. “Get up! Please... Please get up!” But even as she pleaded with him, the stallion didn't move a muscle, his body completely still. Frantically, she looked from the pegasus to her own home, seeing how far it really was. Panic setting in, she got up and rushed off toward her home, screaming as loudly as she could.

It was the last thing Trader could hear, Applebloom's frantic cries for help as she ran toward the farm, back to safety. Eventually, it simply ended, everything going quiet. Even as his conscious mind began to fade into darkness, the world around him completely lost to his senses, he found himself smiling. He felt a sense of accomplishment.

Everything Laid Bare

The darkness seemed so vast, so empty. Just a black nothingness, stretching onward with no end or beginning in sight. There was no sound, no sensations, nothing at all. The young pegasus could only feel himself stuck there, with no meaning of time or purpose. As if trapped in the consuming abyss.

Then, he saw the light.

It was a wondrous, beautiful thing. A bright, white light. So much brighter than the sun itself, and even more magnificent. So far away, it was like a speck. But as he watched it, it began to grow. More and more it grew, growing all the brighter. It banished away so much of the darkness, and the pegasus felt himself drawn to it.

Something so wonderful, it was something he wanted, yearning just to reach out and take it for his own. As it grew, so too did his need for it. It was all he wanted now, no other thought came to him but reaching the light that was so far away. Even as he tried to will himself toward it, its intensity only increased further. It became blinding, painful to look at, but he couldn't stop.

The black abyss around him was gone, only small remnants of it, and he felt himself closer to the light than ever. Just about to reach it, basking in the comforting warmth it offered, Trader's eyes fully opened to stare at the white ceiling that hung above him.

Senses returning, thoughts racing, he blinked as his gaze shifted across the plain surface of it. Almost instantly, he became aware of the softness of the bed he was lying on. Every part of his body suddenly felt stiff, like his muscles were made of steel, throbbing aches and pains jabbing into them. With effort, he slowly turned his head to try and grasp his surroundings. A startled gasp then rung in his ears as his first coherent sound.

“He's awake!” a voice exclaimed, followed swiftly by other surprised breaths. The stallion did his best to move his sights to where it was coming from, looking out to spot a group of familiar mares surrounding his bed. All wore elated smiles, faces beaming with joy.

“What... Where... am I?” Trader managed to groan out, regaining a small bit of movement in his body.

“You're in a hospital,” Twilight explained, looking just as overjoyed as the rest of them.

The answer gave Trader cause for examining his surroundings more. Spotting the size of the room, it was what one would expect from a hospital room meant for a single pony. The décor was something else entirely however. Nearly every inch of wall was covered in decorations of varying colors. Streamers and balloons hung everywhere, a multitude of vases of flowers dotted the area, with several looking as though they were made up of different balloons tied together. Right in front of him on the far wall, there hung a large banner reading 'Get Well Soon' across it.

Fluttershy stepped forward, her own expression given her usual timid touch. “Are you alright?” she asked, genuine worry in her voice. “You've been unconscious for four days.”

“F-four... days?” the stallion breathed, hardly able to comprehend what she had said.

“That's right,” Twilight confirmed. “The doctor told us you had started stirring in your sleep, and he figured you might wake up today.”

With time given to fully adjust, Trader's wandering gaze fell onto himself. His difficulties and pains were made all the more obvious the moment he got a look of his own body. Thick bandages wrapped around most of him, blending in with the natural white of his coat. His broken leg was in an even thicker cast, being propped up into the air by a sling attached to the ceiling. His injured wing was as encased as the rest of him, the appendage stretched out with a splint against it. It took a few moments for him to feel the patch against his cheek as well, covering the cuts that were left by a gryphon's claws.

Seeing his condition, his mind returned to his last few memories. What had happened in the forest came back to him in full force. His eyes widened immediately as he bolted upright in his bed. “Applebloom!” he shouted frantically, struggling to pull himself up. “Where is she?! Is she alright?!” A magenta aura became wrapped around his body, Twilight's magic keeping him from jumping out of bed.

“Applebloom is fine, Trader,” the unicorn said, waiting for him to calm down before gently setting him back on the bed.

A light chortle was heard from the room's entrance as the doctor came trotting in, matching the expression of the others as he eyed the pegasus. “She's quite right,” he said. “Applebloom was released from here shortly after arriving. Though she'll have to continue wearing a brace on her leg for the next day or so, her injuries were minor. You, on the other hoof, are very fortunate.” Approaching his bedside, the doctor's horn lit up as he used his magic to examine the pegasus. “If Rainbow Dash and Applejack hadn't brought you here when they did, I'm afraid we might have lost you.” Trader remained still as the doctor did his work, letting the fully gravity of the situation dwell on his mind.

“Applebloom told us what happened,” Twilight then said, looking to the others who all nodded their heads.

Rainbow Dash hovered in the air, taking up the airspace as the floor seemed too crowded. “Yeah, she told us all about what that rotten gryphon tried to do,” she said, brow furrowing at the mere thought of him. “Then how you kicked that manticore's tail!” Still in the air, she flipped and kicked around energetically, as if reenacting the events that had transpired in the forest.

“Why, you saved Applebloom's life,” Rarity said, the alabaster unicorn batting her eyes dreamily. “You showed such heroism. I shudder to think what might have happened to the poor dear if you hadn't acted the way you did.”

Another groan escaped Trader as the doctor finished what he needed to do, jolts of pain coursing through his body again. “I don't... feel like much of a hero,” he murmured, his constant misery evident to all of them.

With a happy giggle, the pink-coated Pinkie Pie jumped into the air, landing on Twilight as she stared down at the pegasus happily. “Don't you worry, Tradie,” her bubbly voice called. “You're gonna get all better really fast! I'll make sure you get plenty of laughs so you heal up nice and quick. It is the best medicine after all!”

A light cough escaped the doctor then, getting the attention of the others. The room fell into silence as he examined a clipboard without a word. After a few moments of letting things calm down with the stallion's return to the waking world, he eyed his patient with a serious look. “Well, that's it then,” he said plainly. “From what I've seen, your recovery is moving along nicely. The worst of it's done and over with, and now you'll just need plenty of rest to allow yourself time to heal. But... I am afraid there's something I must tell you...”

His expression dramatically shifted to one of sympathy, pausing briefly as he thought on exactly what to say. “Trader... you must know... you were in bad shape when you were brought in. We did all that we could to save your life and repair the damage that had been done. The worst of it was caused by the manticore's claws, to your side as well as your wing. The wing itself was the most difficult to heal, both with the broken bone as well as the severe cuts it had received.” Again he paused, looking unsure of how to continue. “Trader... I am truly sorry, but your wing won't fully heal properly. Given enough time, with proper conditioning and therapy, you may be able to fly again. But the muscles have been left too weak, you won't be able to sustain any kind of speed or agility.”

The room was devoid of any sound. Everything had gone quiet, still. Across the room, the many ponies there wore similar expressions, horrified as they heard the devastating news. Rainbow Dash herself looked particularly haunted by it, understandable given who she was. But all eyes were soon drawn to Trader, whose own expression was a stark contrast to their own.

Trader remained still, his face a complete and utter blank. He didn't move or make any sound of the sort, not even making a single twitch of a facial reaction. It almost became unbearable for the ponies to see it, thinking something wrong had just happened. But the pegasus surprised them, his head tilting down just slightly, forming a weak nod of his head.

“Alright...” he murmured, his tone just as emotionless as the rest of him. “Thank you, Doctor... for everything...”

The Doctor simply gave a nod of his own, his face showing that he too hadn't expected the stallion to react the way he did. “I'll leave you here to rest,” he replied, trotting toward the door. “The nurse will come shortly to assist you.” Then he was gone, leaving the pegasus alone with the others.

“Ah well...” Trader then said, shoulders slumping as he heaved a sigh. “I never really used them that much anyway, right?”

“Are you going to be alright, dear?” Rarity asked, uncertainty written on her face.

The pegasus simply shook his head, eyes blank as if locked in deep thought. “No,” he murmured. “Everything's fine... But, thanks for being here... It's good to see everypony again.”

“Well, we should probably get out of your mane so you can get your rest,” Twilight said, gesturing her friends toward the door. “We'll also tell Granny Smith and Big Macintosh that you're up, I'm sure they'll want to visit you too.”

Trader waved his hoof to them as the stepped toward the door. “Don't let me be a burden,” he said to them.

A simple smile came from Twilight as she returned the wave. As she left, her friends followed, each giving their own waves and saying their good-byes. In almost an instant, the small room seemed to get larger. But as soon as the ponies were gone, the stallion became aware that there was still one pony left. It brought great shock to him, not noticing the orange-coated mare prior, seemingly hidden in the larger group.

Applejack was a complete mess. Her blonde mane was a matted nest of hairs, many strands sticking out of her ponytail in random directions. Eyes sunken and bloodshot, a series of heavy lines traced underneath of them. Even her coat seemed to have lost its bright orange color, looking dulled. The stallion could already guess the reason however. Her little sister had narrowly escaped danger after all. It would worry him to no end as well.

For the longest time, the mare just stood there, staring at him. An uncomfortable itch developed on the back of the pegasus' neck as her saddened gaze lingered. Becoming worried himself, he was prompted to speak. “A-Applejack... are you okay?” he murmured.

Looking on the verge of tears, Applejack approached his bed. Before he could react, the farmpony latched onto him, hugging him tightly. “Ah'm so sorry,” she whimpered out, nearly crushing the pony in her grip. Then, just as immediately as it had occurred, the mare let go of him, turning away from the bed and rushing out the door.

“Applejack, wait!” he shouted. Though he tried going after her, his body immediately seized up, his sudden movements sending more jolts of pain throughout his battered body.

Just a moment after Applejack had left, the nurse stepped into the room, the two nearly crashing into one another. Her eyes followed the mare as she disappeared down the hall, returning to Trader with a soft smile. With her, the nurse carried a small platter with a pill and glass of water to wash it down with.

“Medicine from the doctor,” she said, holding a cheery smile that could give Pinkie Pie a run for her money. “It will help dull the pain now that you're awake.”

With a nod, the pegasus took it and chugged the simple drink. Every drop was sucked down, surprising himself over how thirsty he was. The medicine itself must have had some magical properties to it, as even after just swallowing it, he felt his aches and pains slowly fade away. Breathing a sigh of relief, he managed to relax himself.

Taking the tray away, the nurse's gaze moved toward the door. “I'm glad you've finally managed to wake, Trader,” she said offhandedly. “I was worried the poor dear wouldn't last much longer.”

The pegasus looked at her peculiarly. “Who?” he asked, following her gaze. “You mean, Applejack?”

With a nod, the nurse turned back to him, her smile seemingly growing larger. “Why yes,” she said happily. “After you were first brought to the hospital, she wouldn't dare leave your side, even as the doctor assured her you'd make a full recovery. She wouldn't sleep or eat a thing, she just sat here in this room, keeping you company. Not even your other friends could convince her when they visited. Why, we had force her out of the E.R. when you had arrived too.”

Trader stared at the mare in shock. “She was worried about... me?” he murmured aloud. He had thought it was because of Applebloom. But even as it ran through his mind, he remembered what the doctor had said. How the filly hadn't even stayed in the hospital for long. Applejack's condition was for him.

“You're fortunate to have such a good friend,” the nurse said, interrupting his thoughts. “But I am glad she can finally relax.” With her job done, the nurse trotted off toward the door, turning back to the stallion for just a moment. “Speaking of relaxing, you should get your rest.”

Trader didn't respond to the nurse, he had hardly noticed her absence. All that held his attention was what she had said to him. The knowledge of it played back in his mind over and over again. He could still barely believe it, to think she would be so worried about him. As the seconds piled up, his brow began to deepen, his eyes hardening into a look of pure determination.

It took a grand amount of effort, but even in his weakened state, there was little that could stop the stallion as he managed to swing his broken leg out of its sling. Turning himself over, he brought himself to the edge of his bed and rolled off, just barely landing on his three working hooves. His own exhaustion hit him hard, making him realize how weak he was, even without pain coursing through him. But none of that stopped him as he hobbled out of the door.

Perhaps it was the medicine going to his head, or the overhanging shadow of his brush with death, but Trader couldn't waste another moment, he had to find Applejack. Luckily, the hallway was empty, no nurse or doctor passed by, letting the pegasus go on unchallenged. Just down the hall, there was a small waiting room, with chairs and tables for ponies to rest. There, the orange-coated mare stood, her back turned to him as she trembled and shook.

“A-Applejack!” Trader forced out, barely able to talk through his own heavy breathing.

Her ears twitching, the mare turned, tear-stained eyes widened in surprise as she immediately ran to his side. “Trader!” she shouted frantically. “You're hurt, you've gotta get back into bed!”

She tried pushing him back toward his room, but the stallion shook his head furiously. “No,” he quickly said. “I'm sick and tired of being too afraid to talk to you, to tell you what's going on and how I feel! I-I'm not even really certain myself but... you have to know this!”

“What... what are you talkin' about?” the farmpony asked, meeting her friend's gaze.

Taking several breaths to steady himself, Trader kept his eyes locked with Applejack's as he said, “I... I've never met a mare who could make me happy just by seeing her smile, or wound me so badly by being upset. I've never felt so flustered and confused when thinking about anypony else.” He smiled softly. “We've been friends for ages, and I've always cared about you, as much as I ever could. We might have been apart for so long, but ever since I've come back, I've been able to see what a strong, beautiful and dependable mare you've become.”

Trader's ears fell against his head, his flank dropping down to the floor as he sat there, staring at her. “But... what am I in comparison?” he murmured. “Sure, I've traveled around, I've been to nearly every city, town and settlement in Equestria. I've tried my hooves at almost any job you can think of. But... I haven't done anything... I have nothing... The only thing I've ever had to my name was my debt, and you... you cleared that away, without so much as a second thought... All the while, you've run an entire farm with your family, accomplishing so much, more than I could ever dream.”

“But that wasn't the only reason,” the pegasus continued. “I didn't want to admit that I had feelings for you... that I could see us as being more than just friends. Working here, with you and the others, has been some of the happiest days I've had. But it's just so... so easy for something to go wrong for me, especially at times like this. I couldn't bear the thought of me messing up and hurting you and the farm, or ruining our friendship because all I was was a screw-up to you...”

Having said all he could, the pegasus just sat there, his soul bared to his old friend. His stomach felt as though he could be sick at any moment, a large lump expanded in his throat, his very skin felt uncomfortable to wear. Eyes broken away from Applejack's long ago, he only stared down at the floor, not daring to make another move or sound.

Then, he felt a hoof on his chin, lifting his head up to face the mare. A large, heartwarming smile splayed out across her face as she leaned forward and kissed him. As their lips met, Trader felt his heart suddenly skip a beat, fluttering in his chest.

It didn't last very long, but it didn’t' need to. Separating, the pegasus' cheeks practically shined with a bright red, his eyes wide as he could only feel surprise from the sudden action. Applejack looked the same, save for her eyes, a half-lidded, loving gaze looking back to the stallion. “Ah guess Rainbow Dash was right...” she murmured, stepping forward again to nuzzle him affectionately.

“Applejack... you...” Trader began to question, his thoughts in a daze.

Applejack simply nodded, practically glowing despite her haggard appearance. “Ah was surprised myself when Ah started gettin' sweet on ya,” she said. “You've been such a carin', hardworkin' pony.” She blushed slightly as her smile grew. “And... Ah did notice how cute you've gotten since we were foals... But Ah never thought you'd look twice at a simple earth pony like me... Ah guess Ah was wrong, huh?”

“Of course,” Trader said, smiling himself.

“And Rainbow Dash did tell me plenty of what was goin' on with you...” the farmpony explained. “But, Trader, you don't need to feel like that. Everypony messes up, especially us here in Ponyville. You've just not been here long enough to see what kind of trouble we can get into. The thing is, we help each other, that's what friends do.”

Slowly, Applejack's smile began to shrink, fading away until her lips began to quiver. Trader was shocked as he saw tears falling down her cheeks, the mare leaning in closer against him. “But... Ah am sorry, for how Ah've acted,” she murmured, her voice beginning to shake. “Ah don't even know why Ah got so mad... Maybe Ah was jealous of Trixie... even of Rainbow Dash... Then you wanted to leave, Applebloom disappeared and then... when she came to us... When I saw you lyin' there... Ah though... Ah thought you were...” She didn't finished, instead latching onto the stallion again, holding him in her hooves as she whimpered into his shoulder. “Ah thought Ah lost you... like Ah lost mom and dad!”

Trader remained still for a moment, letting the mare take as long as she needed. Eventually, he wrapped his forelegs around her as well, holding her just as she was to him. They remained like that for sometime, until a small smile appeared on the pegasus' face.

“You know, Applejack, you're forgetting something,” he said, causing her to look up at him curiously. “I'm still indebted to you and your family. Until I've cleared that, I can't go anywhere.”

Applejack smiled at that, holding him even tighter, almost possessively, nestling herself against him as she silently murmured, “Then Ah don't want you to ever pay us back...”

With a small chuckle, Trader returned the favor, unable to remember a time he's ever felt happier. “I wouldn't have it any other way.”

It was two weeks before Trader could even leave the hospital. So many long days, stuck doing nothing but resting in bed, it nearly drove him stir-crazy. If it wasn't for his friend's occasional visits, and Applejack's especially, he would have lost it. But, his broken bones and wounded flesh healed and he was allowed to leave, returning to the farm as the thought of ever leaving never crossed his mind.

Back in the field, wanting to return to the work he shirked for so long, he kicked out against the apple tree behind him. Though his leg still felt stiff, there was hardly any pain to be felt, allowing him to buck the apples from their branches without a worry.

Though his wounds were healed, he couldn't say there weren't any lasting effects. Across his side, where the manticore had struck, one could see five faded scars where the wounds once were. Thankfully, his wing covered most of it, only showing small fragments to anypony looking carefully enough. The worst of it came from the wing itself, barely able to move the stubborn appendage. It felt numb more than anything, the stallion having to stop every now and then to make sure it was still attached.

Despite everything that had happened though, it was nice to be out in the fresh air, bathed in warm sunlight Of course, his work was slowed with his body still sore and weak, not as recovered as he would want, he wasn't about to let it bother him. The apples still fell from their perches, falling into the baskets with little going wrong.

Wiping away the sweat forming on his brow, the pegasus saw a lovely sight approaching him, caught in Applejack's gaze. The mare approached him dutifully, looking up for a moment to admire the progress he was making. “Good work,” she said. “But it's time for your break.”

“Oh?” Trader questioned coyly. “Since when do we take breaks so early?”

“Doctor's orders,” she responded, taking another step forward to nuzzle against him. “But don't worry, Ah'll be here to keep ya company. Ah get a break too.”

“That's all the incentive I need then,” he said, nuzzling her in turn as she laughed lightly.

Trader was a screw-up. Though he could try and do his best, something was likely to go wrong and he'd fail. It was a cruel fact that was as plain to see as the cutie mark on his flank. But, as his eyes fell on the mare of his dreams, seeing the smile on her face that he helped put there, he knew that he could at least do something right.

Returning Home

Sitting at his desk, an aged pegasus could feel the tense air that had plumed within his office. Written on his face was a look of reluctant necessity, having mixed feelings for what he knew needed to be done.

“I'll assume you know why you're here,” the pegasus supervisor said, addressing the young stallion who sat before him. The stallion answered with a simple nod of his head, the dejected look on his face being all he needed to say as he stared down at the desk in front of him. “To be honest with you, I wish I didn't have to do this. You're a good worker, nearly always coming in on time, working your hardest when given a job with few slip ups... but none of that can allow me to overlook your poor delivery times. This is the Pegasi Delivery Service, we can't have any late arrivals, and that's nearly all you give us.”

The stallion nodded once again, a subtle sigh being uttered through the motion. “I know, Mr. Parcel, you made that perfectly clear when you took the chance at hiring me. I thought I could make improvements, but... I guess it didn't work out.”

“I guess it didn't,” Mr. Parcel breathed through a murmur. “Well, I'm at least glad you understand.” Without saying a word in response, the young stallion removed the large delivery bag that was strapped to his side and placed it on the desk. Turning away from his ex-supervisor, he made his way toward the door, gaining a frown of pity from the old pegasus. “I'm sorry, Trader.”

“Yeah,” the stallion muttered as he walked out of the office, “not as sorry as me.”

Leaving the PDS center behind, Trader trotted across the paved sidewalk at a slowed pace, his snowy white coat crating a heavy contrast to the dark stone streets of Manehattan. There was no mood in him to fly, instead making his long trip home on hoof. The bustling sidewalks filled to burst with passing ponies, loud streets flooded with the angered yells of chariot drivers stuck in traffic, and the ever expanding concrete jungle of the big city were all ignored by him.

“Well, good going, Trader,” the young pegasus thought to himself, his inner voice holding a scolding tone similar to the one his mother used to use. “Yet another job gone. What would that be? The third one in the last few months. Not even sure why I bothered with it, I knew it was inevitable and still tried.” Though it was rhetorical, it didn't stop him from answering. “Oh, that's right, it was one of the only jobs I could find now, since I seem to get fired from everything else.” Heaving a sigh, the stallion continued on his way, not wanting to dwell on his unemployment.

With no hurry to make it to his destination, several hours ticked by as the stallion crossed into the less desirable part of the city. A border could practically be drawn that separated the high society streets of Manehattan's elite, and the decaying slums that housed the many in the city who couldn't afford the lap of luxury. Everything was faded, from the greying streets to the dead looking buildings that many called home, all being a stark contrast compared to the rest of the city. Even the sky looked a little less blue, despite Celestia's sun bearing down on them with the same burning intensity that it had anywhere else. The change in scenery didn't bother Trader however, having taken the trip many times before. All it meant to him was he was that much closer to home.

Soon enough, he stopped his trot to look up at the towering apartment complex he resided in. The outside wasn't much different than anywhere else, being made of a dull grey stone and having the appearance that it was condemned years ago. Heading inside, Trader made his way up the winding staircase to reach the fifth floor, where his apartment was situated. A door with a metallic plate fitted into it saying fifty-seven marked which one was his. Entering it, the white pegasus was greeted with the cubical that was his home.

To say it was small would be an understatement, being an apartment with a single room. It was similar to a large box, with fifteen feet separating each of the four walls from one another. All in all, though the size was miserably stunted, the young stallion didn't have much to fill it anyway. A bed, two small cabinets, a nightstand and a miniature fridge were all he had in the way of furniture. All of his other possessions laid scattered on the floor, though there weren't many of those either.

“It's not much, but it's home,” Trader said to himself, words of encouragement he spared whenever he entered the near hovel.

Gazing up at the clock that hung on the wall over his bed, he was relieved that he had half an hour before he had to leave again for another engagement. Taking it as a chance to relax himself, the pegasus stretched his legs and wings before jumping onto the bed, lying on his back to gaze at the blank ceiling above him. It wasn't much, but it allowed him to think clearly and attempt to plan what he was going to do next.

The stillness and silence around him caused his eyelids to become heavy, drooping down in a slow pace. Before he could stop himself, his eyes fully closed to submerge himself into an abysmal nothingness. Immediately, the stallion's eyes flared open. A quick shake of his head alleviated himself of his drowsiness, but his gaze caught the ticking clock looming above him, its time displaying that two hours had passed.

“I fell asleep?!” Trader exclaimed, jumping off of his bed and onto his four hooves. “Ponyfeathers, I'm late!” Darting toward his fridge, he grabbed the tool belt that was set on top of it. The yellow piece of cloth showed its age with the faded coloring and near tattered appearance, but it still wrapped snugly around his body without fail, having several pouches and straps running across it where different tools were set. He had to unfurl his wings before putting the belt on, not wanting to pin them against his body.

Before rushing out of the door, he stopped in front of the mirror that was on the nightstand. Giving himself a quick once over, the stallion spotted the multiple hairs that were out of place due to his bed. Flattening them with his hoof, he examined himself once again, no longer seeing a hair out of place in his dusty-black mane. Then, as quickly as he could, the pegasus galloped out of his apartment and raced down the stairs.

The moment he was outside, Trader took off into the air, heading the same way he came merely hours ago. There was a sharp ache in his wings as he flapped them with all of his might, propelling himself forward as fast as he could in his hurry to make it to his destination. Though the young stallion was far from being the fastest flier in Equestria, it was still a speedier trip than his fastest gallop. Soaring over the rooftops of the city, the ponies below him became nothing more than colorful dots.

With his high-flying speeds, it took only a few minutes for him to cross into the residential area of Manehattan's high-society ponies. Seeing a large apartment complex just below him, he dived down sharply, only slowing his descent at the halfway point, were he was able to land softly on the pavement before the building. Not wasting time to examine the surroundings, Trader galloped through the front doors, already knowing the way to his destination.

Running up to the second floor, the charging stallion's head looked back and forth at the few doors that made up the level. There was one door in particular that stood out against the plain, wooden slabs that were set everywhere else. A small design on the very front of the door showed off who exactly lived there, having a depiction of two exquisitely ripe oranges.

Coming to a halt in front of the door, Trader waited to go any further. With his overexertion, he was left to pant heavily. Pausing to catch his breath, only another moment was taken as he straightened his posture before he rapped his hoof against the door. Only a few moments went by before the door opened, revealing an elegant mare with a cream colored coat and light-orange mane. Most noticeable about her was the jeweled necklace she wore and the orange beauty mark on her cheek.

“Oh,” the mare responded, her expression brightening upon seeing the stallion, “Trader, it's you.”

“Hello, Mrs. Orange,” the pegasus said awkwardly, knowing of his own tardiness.

Mrs. Orange was quick to step away from the doorway and beckon the stallion to enter. “Come in, come in, dear. I'm so glad you were able to make it.”

Trotting into the apartment, Trader's eyes were immediately assaulted by the bright colors around him. Everything, from the furniture to the walls, ranged in one of the many different shades of orange and yellow. Besides the overbearing color scheme, there was no denying that the apartment was as lavish as they came, showing exactly were the Oranges stood on the monetary scales.

“Uh, Mrs. Orange,” Trader murmured, like a child with a guilty conscience , “I'm really sorry about being so late. Today just hasn't been going too well for me and-”

“Nonsense, darling,” the posh mare said happily. “You know very well that I wouldn't mind you showing up a little later than what you had set for yourself. I'm just grateful you've come at all.”

Still unsure about that fact, Trader rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. “Well, a pony is only as good as their punctuality. That was one of the many things my dad used to say.”

A delighted giggle escaped Mrs. Orange as she turned away to trot deeper into the abode. “I suppose I can't ask for much better than that, can I? Anyway, just follow me, the kitchen is this way.”

Trailing after her, Trader found himself being led through an impressive dining room. An exceptionally long, rectangular table rested in the very center, while silk draped windows were fitted on the wall next to it. Beyond that, a pair of doors led them into the kitchen. The room was easily three times the size of his entire apartment, holding large stoves, rows of cabinets to hold food, hanging sections of pots and pans, with an expansive black and white tiled floor.

“This is it,” Mrs. Orange said, stopping next to a machine that was at the far side of the room. It was a massive metal box, with a conveyor belt going through one end of it and coming out the other. Pipes of varying sizes poked through the wall to connect to it.

“A rainbow washer two-thousand?” Trader muttered. It was a dishwasher, made to clean any dish with all the colors of the rainbow. The machine was something you would expect to find in a restaurant, but the stallion was aware of the Oranges' reputation for hosting lavish dinner parties with Manehattan's top ponies.

“Yes,” the mare replied in a saddened murmur, “it just stopped working with no sign of warning. None of our servants were able to get it to work, and we were planning a lovely get together in just a few days.”

“Hm,” Trader muttered aloud, inspecting the outside of the machine for any immediate signs of the problem, “I suppose I can take a look at it.” On the front of the machine there was a panel, removing it allowed easy access to the mechanical inside that made up the machine. Taking a screwdriver from his belt, Trader lied down on his back and used his wings to gentle push himself across the floor and into the opening, granting him the perfect angle to begin his work.

“Do you see anything?” Mrs. Orange asked, watching the stallion work.

“Not yet,” the pegasus' replied, his voice muffled slightly from the screwdriver in his mouth, his hind legs still poking out of the opening of the machine. “Can't say I've had to look at many of these things before, not to mention I'd rather not make things worse for this pricey appliance. Couldn't you have gotten a professional for this? It's not like you couldn't afford it.”

A small, controlled huff of amusement came from the mare as she smiled softly. “I would like to think of you as a professional, Trader. I've seen that you certainly act like one, ever since you first came here to repair our sink when it was on the fritz.”

“Oh yeah,” the stallion murmured in his remembrance of an old memory. “That was back when I was working for Mareeo, about a year ago I think.”

Though Trader couldn't see it, Mrs. Orange's smile shifted into a frown. “To answer your question fully however, I also trust you far more. So many boorish stallions have been called here who always seem to think I've summoned them for... other intentions, simply because my husband happens to be away at work when they arrive.”

Trader nearly swallowed his screwdriver as he stunted the laughing fit that threatened to burst out of his lungs. “Well... I think you've been reading too many of those bad romance novels. Especially if they have anything like that in them. You know, I used to work in a book store, I could probably recommend a good- Ah-hah, here we go, I've found the problem.”

After a few moments, the young pegasus managed to push himself out of the depths of the machine. Once freed, he held up a small piece of glass, triangular shaped on two ends with three rectangular sides. The biggest detail about it was the large crack that ran across the surface, splitting off in several branching paths.

“What is it?” Mrs. Orange asked, not aware of what she was being presented with.

“It's the prism that works the color cleaning,” Trader answered. “The machine must have a fail safe to not run when something's wrong with it, preventing any further damage. You'll need to replace it. Luckily, the piece isn't any kind of special order, you could get a new one by tomorrow.”

Mrs. Orange beamed at the news, elated to hear that their problem was solved. “Thank you ever so much, Trader. I have nary a clue as to what would happen if you weren't here.” Her grateful smile soon depleted however, as the mare noticed the downtrodden expression that became the idle look on the pegasus' face. “My word, Trader, is something wrong? You look as though something terrible has happened.”

“It's... it's nothing too bad,” the stallion replied with a shake of his head. “I just ended up losing my job at the PDS and now I'm realizing I don't have many options.” A false smile crossed his lips to give a reassuring expression to the mare. “It really is nothing to bother yourself with. Though, you'll have to look for somepony else whenever you need help. I'm certain I'll need to move away and find another city for work,” he heaved a sigh as he looked down to the floor, “... again.” His gaze turned blank as he thought aloud on the possibilities. “Canterlot might be a good choice. I doubt I'd make a good chariot puller, but I hear becoming a guard doesn't require much.”

Unbeknownst to Trader, Mrs. Orange's face held a vastly different expression one would have while hearing such a plight. A wide smile stretched her lips as the mare's mind began to formulate a wonderful idea, seeing a way to solve not only Trader's problem, but another problem she had learned of some time ago.

“Perhaps I can make a suggestion?” Mrs. Orange asked. Trader didn't answer, too caught up in eyeing the sly grin that was on the posh pony's expression. “Well, as it just so happens, we have some family down in the little town of Ponyville. They've recently mentioned how their growing work has left them shorthooved with only themselves to do it. Now, from what I can tell, you need a job and they need the help of a strong working pony.”

Trader tilted his head to the side, eyeing the mare with a perplexed stare. “Ponyville?” he murmured, the familiarity of the name rolling off of his tongue with ease.

“Oh yes,” Mrs. Orange nodded. “It's such a humble little place, vastly different than Manehattan, but I have no doubt it's the perfect place for you.”

“What would the job be?” Trader then asked, not sure if he would be qualified for whatever it was she had in mind for him.

“Just a little manual labor,” the mare replied coyly, the mysteriousness of her answer sounding deliberate. “Now, I know you might have a little trouble when it comes to employment, but I know this will work fabulously for you. These are good ponies, they won't turn down a helpful offer from somepony as hardworking as yourself. I'll send them a letter to let them know to expect you.”

The stallion was quickly taken aback by the sudden offer he had received. Though the likelihood of actually obtaining the job looked bleak, he had little else in the way of options. “Mrs. Orange, I... I don't know what to say.”

Mrs. Orange beamed cheerfully. “Just say that tomorrow, you'll return here bright and early with the part you need and finish your work. By then, my dear relatives will have received my message and will be expecting you.”

“O-of course,” the pegasus breathed, nodding his head rapidly. “I just... thank you, Mrs. Orange. I really can't tell you how much this means to me.”

“I'm just helping you as you have helped us, Trader,” Mrs. Orange responded.

An elated smile ran across the stallion's face, bringing him to a mood comparable to a foal on their birthday. “You'll have no worries here then, Mrs. Orange. First thing in the morning, I'll get you that part and fix your machine, without fail.”

The mare nodded her head happily. “That's wonderful. Now, if you are to leave Manehattan, I'm certain you have a few things you need to be ready for.” She gestured toward the door. “I won't keep you any longer for the day.”

“Okay then,” Trader said excitedly, beginning to trot toward the door, a jovial skip in his step, “goodbye, Mrs. Orange. See you tomorrow.”

“Farewell,” she replied, watching the stallion leave as he made his way out of her home. “And don't worry about my relatives, I'll have the PDS send their fastest courier to deliver the letter.”

Trader waved goodbye once more before he was out of the apartment. As he made his way down the stairs and back onto the paved streets, the stallion only halted in his step once, his mind realizing the strange irony in what the cream-coated mare had said last.

The next day was carried out in a brisk pace. With his mind racing from the proposition he was given, all Trader could think about was what the day would bring by its end and he made his way to the local hardware store. Luck seemed to be on his side that morning as they still had one prism in stock, allowing him to make his purchase and head toward the Oranges' home without incident.

Flying through the air with a new found vigor and joy, it took no time at all for him to be standing before the door with two oranges. Mrs. Orange greeted him warmly as she always did when they crossed paths.

“Almost... got it,” the white-coated pegasus muttered, his legs once again sticking out from beneath the machine as he worked on fitting the fragile prism into its rightful place within the mass of metal parts. “There!”

Emerging from the machine, Trader placed the panel back where it belonged, inspecting his work as he moved with each passing moment. Concluding that everything was in order, he took a plate that was set on the counter and placed it on a tray that was resting atop of the conveyor belt going through the machine. Looks of hopeful optimism were shared between Trader and Ms. Orange as his hoof hovered over the switch to turn the machine on. If either of them had fingers, they'd certainly be crossed.

Flipping the switch, the machine sprang to life. It rattled and shook as the belt began to move, pulling the plate deep into its open maw and out of sight. Sounds of spraying water emanated from within as the machine continued to shudder slightly.

Trader's tensed expression was almost frozen on his face as he half-expected the machine to suddenly explode with his tampering. But thankfully, nothing of the sort occurred as the rattling of the machine ceased and the plate slid out from the other end. It was warm to the touch, small amounts of steam rising from the damp surface. The entire dish looked like a fresh coat of gloss was covering it, while the pristine surface held a dim glow of seven colors running across it before they faded within moments.

“Thank you ever so much, Trader,” Mrs. Orange said with a sigh of relief. “Now we will have no troubles for our oncoming get together.”

“I'm always happy to help,” the stallion replied with a modest smile. “Also, about your family in Ponyville...”

“They have no doubt received my letter and should be expecting you,” the mare said. “I told them to give you a chance and that you won't disappoint.”

The young pegasus couldn't help but raise an eyebrow toward her. “And do you mind telling me who exactly I'll be looking for?”

A knowing smirk crossed Mrs. Orange's lips as she eyed him. “You will know them when you see them, Trader. Now,” she turned away from him for a moment to take something from the counter, “to thank you for all that you have done, and as one last goodbye before you leave Manehattan, I wanted you to have this.” Extending her hoof, Trader's eyes widened as he saw the bulging sack that she was presenting to him. The brown cloth was rigid from the small metallic coins that were pressing against it from the inside. There was a soft chime as the bits rubbed against one another while the bag shifted.

“M-Mrs. Orange... I-I can't accept that,” Trader replied, shaking his head. “Maybe a little for the prism itself but I can't charge you anything, it wouldn't be right.”

“Oh, hush,” Mrs. Orange retorted indignantly. “I know full well of your money problems, and I can't send you off to start a new beginning in Ponyville with what you have now.”

Despite his previous apprehension toward the gesture, Trader was unable to take his eyes off of the bits that were being offered to him. He didn't even need to count it to see the hefty amount, easily outmatching the meager amount he had saved up. It made his legs shake slightly. Against the temptation however, he remembered his ideals, and knew it wouldn't be right.

“But I-” he tried saying, immediately being stopped as Mrs. Orange took a step closer to him, her face one of a mild sadness.

“Please, Trader,” she said. “You're a good stallion, but there is no shame in accepting a little help when you've earned it. This will cover for the part, as well as help you get to Ponyville, tickets aren't cheap these days.”

With a begrudged expression on his face, Trader allowed for the small sack of bits to be placed in his own hoof, causing him to stare down at it and feel the weight of the coins. “Thank you, Mrs. Orange, I won't forget what you've done.”

“Just don't forget us when you've gone to Ponyville,” Mrs. Orange replied, her large smile almost contagious. “It's a small town, but there is plenty of excitement to be had there.”

“I won't, no need to worry about that,” the pegasus said. With the business in the kitchen being done, Mrs. Orange led the way back into the living quarters and they made it to the front door without another word.

“Goodbye, Trader,” said the cream-coated mare. “Be sure to visit if you ever find yourself back in Manehattan.”

Trader nodded as he stepped through the doorway and stood facing Mrs. Orange at the threshold. “I'll be sure to,” he said. “Goodbye, Mrs. Orange.” With that, Trader turned away and headed for the stairs, ready to return to his apartment for one final time.

Standing at the train station, Trader had everything he needed to leave for Ponyville. Strapped to his back, his saddlebags held what little he had to take with him. A few miscellaneous items, the bits he had saved along with the ones that had been given to him by Mrs. Orange, the ticket to Ponyville he had just purchased, and his father's old tool belt. They were all neatly placed within the bag, leaving more space to be filled but having nothing else to add to it.

Right on time, the train arrived at the station, the doors opening wide to allow the on board ponies to exit and make it to their desired destination of Manehatten. With nopony else leaving, the doors beckoned any new passengers to board, allowing Trader to step through and into the passenger car.

Rows of seats were set up at both sides, allowing many choices to sit for those who boarded early. Trader took the first seat he found, sitting down to gaze out the window at the city he was leaving behind. After everypony was finished finding their seat and no new passengers appeared to be boarding, the conductor made his rounds.

The conductor was a unicorn, with a short, curly mane that was mostly covered by the hat he wore and a light blue coat. With his magic, it was a swift and simple task to check every ticket as he trotted down the aisle. After every ticket was checked, only a few moments passed by before the train began to move.

The loud chugging of the train filled the air as the still scenes outside began to shift and become replaced by a moving background of colors. Within no time at all, the train began to glide across the tracks, everything else in the outside world passing by at an amazing speed.

While Manehattan was placed at his back, Trader relaxed in his set, resting his head against it as he closed his eyes and imagined the small town he was headed for. A rare feeling of optimism crept into his mind as he knew that even if he didn't get the job Mrs. Orange was proposing to him, he was certain that something could be found within the town. Leaving the big city seemed like the perfect thing for him, returning to his roots that were left so long ago.

As his thoughts lingered more on his destination, he became curious as to how Ponyville might have changed in his absence. The young pegasus knew from experience how mere moments can alter so much, especially in the wake of poor choices. It made him wonder what years would have done to his quaint hometown of Ponyville.

A Friend's Friends

With no clock and no windows in the comfy farmhouse basement, it was quite disorienting for the young pegasus as he awoke on his own accord.

All Trader had to go on was his own feeling of a well-rested body. It came as a surprise to him though, having turned in much earlier the night before, ready for an early morning, it would still be a trying attempt to into the swing of an early rise. He was certain he had slept in far longer than he should have, though still unaware of just how long it actually was.

The stallion had expected the day to continue much like it had before, with his sleeping form being disturbed by his friend. Not that he was complaining about the extra rest. With his hindlegs still sore from their time attempting apple bucking, and his nose still holding remnants of pain from the two times he had nearly broken it, it was a wonderful thing to get a good sleep in and rest the aching muscles.

Yearning to see what the day would bring, Trader made his way upstairs, listening intently to any sounds in the humble home.

His curiosity was touched as he couldn't hear a sound. Not a single voice or hoofstep could be heard from where he was, the only sound that could be caught was the creaking of the wooden boards under his own weight. What also brought surprise to him was when he caught sight of the first window, seeing a bright sky stretching on with nary a cloud to cover it. It had to be near midday for such a sky, something that made the pegasus wonder what was going on.

Life was soon found within the house as Trader entered the dining room. There, at the dinner table, the Apple family sat. Applejack, Big Macintosh and Granny Smith all sat near one another, their gazes crisscrossing between themselves. Even the family dog Winona sat nearby, watching her owners curiously. The only one missing was Apple Bloom, clearly away at school. Their gazes soon turned toward the appearing stallion, hearing him approach.

“Morning,” Trader said with a smile, “I think... anyway.”

“Trader, there you are,” Applejack replied. “You have a good sleep?”

The pegasus nodded. “I suppose I did. Though, I can't help but feel I've overslept.”

The farmpony looked surprised at him for a moment, her eyes returning to her family. “No, it's nothin' like that. We've just been doin' some talkin' and figured you could use the rest.”

“Oh...” Trader murmured, slowly approaching the table. “What about?”

“Well,” Applejack began, “about your work and you helpin' us.”

It was all the stallion could do to not frown as he took a seat at the table. Small beads of sweat could be felt on the nape of his neck, his nervousness slowly making itself known. He was expecting the bad news at any second, to be told he wasn't up to snuff for the demanding work the farm held. To hear a rejection he was silently preparing for longer than he really knew, from an old friend he had known as a foal.

Applejack kept her smile, though it seemed to look forced the longer he looked at it. “We've talked about how you were doin', with your work yesterday while Ah was with you,” she continued. Trader could almost feel himself shrinking in his seat, having the eyes of the three ponies on him, his mind just waiting for the words he was expecting. “And we've decided that you're Sweet Apple Acres material, and that you're welcome to work with us here on the farm.”

Trader's eyes stared widely for a few moments, almost certain he had heard the mare wrong. It took several moments for what she had said to sink in before he could speak. “Really?”

“Eeyup!” Big Macintosh replied, his tone just as happy as the look on his face.

“What Big Mac said,” Applejack added. “Though, you might've been a bit slow when you started apple buckin', you seemed to get the hang of it faster than Ah expected. And you definitely showed how hard workin' you are when you need to be.” A large smile parted her lips as Applejack beamed cheerfully. “Though it's been years since we've seen ya last, Trader, yesterday helped remind me how reliable and trustworthy of a pony you are.”

Trader's surprised smile faltered slightly at such words, it being a long time since he had ever heard them directed toward him. But even the oddity of the chosen vocabulary couldn't quell the joy brimming inside of the pegasus. “Again, I... I really don't know what to say,” he muttered. “Just... thank you, I guess. And I can give all of you my word that I'll do my best with whatever you need from me.”

“We can't ask for anythin' else,” Applejack replied. “And you're still welcome to stay in the guest room for as long as ya need. It didn't get much use until you came along anyway.” The farmpony got up from her seat at the table and approached the stallion. “Now, is the newest addition to Sweet Apple Acres ready to join me on a trip into town? There's a few things we need to pick up.”

Trader nodded his head enthusiastically. “Of course,” he answered.

Gesturing for him to get ready, Applejack turned away from the pegasus and went off to prepare herself. Trader did the same, heading back down to the basement for his saddlebag.

Applejack and Trader both trotted happily down the road that led into Ponyville. Their saddlebags strapped to their backs and smiles on their faces as they spent the trip conversing with one another.

“So how are you feelin' after a day of apple buckin'?” the orange-coated mare asked. “Your legs still hurtin'?”

For some unknown reason, there was a momentary hesitation within the pegasus' mind as he thought on what to say. “A little,” he admitted. “But I figured it won't be as bad next time. First time's the hardest, right? Isn't that what everypony says?”

Applejack nodded her head in agreement. “Ah suppose that's right,” she replied. “Ah just hope all that city livin' hasn't turned you into a tenderhoof.”

“Me?” Trader questioned, putting on a faux expression of offense. “Celestia forbid. My hooves touched nothing but stone streets and hard wood floors during my 'city livin'. Unlike the soft, grassy ground you have around here.”

The straw-roofed houses of Ponyville began to pass them by as the two ponies entered the town. Applejack didn't fully notice it as her sights were kept on the stallion before and she replied, “Well, too bad it didn't help your nose none. Sounds like you almost went and broke it last night.”

Trader felt nearly every muscle in his body tense up spontaneously at the mention of the previous night. It was a subject he had been wanting to avoid, too afraid to have Applejack question just what had caught the stallion's attention so thoroughly. There was a small bit of help in the fact he knew he was never the most coordinated of ponies, but he wasn't sure his old friend would be so oblivious as to not piece it together sooner or later, or just guess wildly.

Stalling for some time, carefully choosing what to say in order to alter the topic, the pegasus was saved as Applejack's diverted to the path ahead of them. Her smile noticeably widened as she said, “Oh, look,Trader, some of my friends are over there. Let's go introduce ya!” The farmpony then galloped off ahead of the stallion, charging toward a group of three mares who had been talking with one another.

As Trader slowly made his approach, he noticed that they were two unicorns and an earth pony. Most noteworthy about the earth pony was her pink coat, the same shade as cotton candy while her mane looked to be made of the stuff. There was also an odd sense of familiarity as he looked at one of the unicorns, as though he had seen her white coat and purple mane before.

Though the stallion couldn't hear her, Applejack looked to be the dominant speaker as he came closer toward the group. Their eyes drifted toward him on occasion, quickly looking away as they became aware he noticed them. When he was finally within earshot, he could hear the pink one talking frantically. “Why didn't you tell me this sooner, Applejack?!” she said. “I could have had so much more done for his party!” Looking as though she was about to go on a long rant about her current predicament, the pink mare stopped as the pegasus joined the simple circle of friends and smiled meekly.

“Uh... hello,” Trader murmured, uncertain on how to start the introduction. “So... you are all friends of Applejack's?”

“Yes they are,” Applejack replied. She extended a hoof and pointed to each of them in turn. “That's Pinkie Pie, Twilight and Rarity.” Then, with a simple nod toward the stallion himself, Applejack regarded her friends and said, “Girls, this is Trader, an old friend from back when Ah was a little filly.” Smiles were had from the three mares, greeting him just as warmly as anypony else would.

“It's wonderful to meet you,” Rarity said cheerfully.

Twilight nodded along with the white unicorn. “Any friend of Applejack is a friend of ours.”

Returning the positive expressions that the two unicorns were giving him, Trader found it faltering slightly as Pinkie Pie began to stare at him intently. Before a word could be asked toward the reason, the mare rushed forward, breaking into the pegasus' personal space and nearly bringing her face against his own. “Hiya, Trader!” she shouted, speaking a mile a minute. “Can I call you Tradie? How long have you known Applejack? Has Ponyville been super duper wonderful so far? What kind of cake do you like? Maybe vanilla or chocolate? Oh, or maybe you like special cakes like carrot or banana, or maybe even crazy cakes like licorice or taffy cakes! I don't think I've ever made cakes like those before, but they sound so fun!”

Trader could only stare blankly at the hyperactive pony, slowly inching his head back to set a distance between his face and hers. “Uh...” he tried saying, trying to remember the frantic questioning. “Please, no... Few years... Without a doubt... And... chocolate, I guess.” His gaze shifted toward the other ponies who looked as though they were enjoying the treatment he was receiving. “Why-”

“Wow, chocolate?” Pinkie interrupted, sounding amazed by the answer. “That's great. Now I know what kind of cake to make for your party! You might not know yet, Tradie, but I like to make every new pony to Ponyville a welcome to Ponyville party. That way they feel totally welcome here and they make new friends and they get to have fun and-”

The stallion held up a hoof to try and get a word through to the excitable mare. “Wait,” he said quickly, causing her to stop her tangent and stare at him expectantly, her eyes seemingly piercing through his soul. “Well... technically, I'm not new to Ponyville. I grew up here as a colt and left. So... I really can't have a 'welcome to Ponyville' party.”

“He's kinda right, Pinkie,” Applejack added.

The pink-coated mare sat down on her haunches as the answer hit her hard. She stared off aimlessly as her ears and mane sagged down limply. To the collective surprise of everypony there, they could see her lower lip quivering. Her blue eyes began to glisten, looking as though she could burst into tears of disappointment at any moment. Then, the other ponies were shocked again as she suddenly gasped in epiphany and shouted frantically, “Oh, I know! I gotta go now everypony, bye!” Before the last word could even be fully uttered, she was already gone, disappearing in a flash of pink as she darted off in what seemed like a random direction.

Trader looked off toward where she was headed, gaping at what he had just witnessed. “H-how did she...?”

“Oh,” Twilight said, seeing the stallions evident shock, “don't worry, that's just Pinkie being Pinkie.” Though the answer had no merit in actually answering his question, for some reason, Trader found himself accepting it.

Applejack began to stare off in the direction the pink mare had run off in. Her expression was one of deep thought until she turned toward her friends and said, “Well, Ah need to get goin' too. There's a few things Ah need to get done.” Her sights were then turned toward her stallion companion. “Stay and chat with them for as long as you want, just don't forget to get our package from the hardware store.”

“Can do,” Trader said with a nod. Satisfied with the answer, Applejack gave her farewell before trotting away, disappearing in the nearby crowds of ponies and leaving the pegasus and unicorns alone with one another.

“So,” Twilight said, regarding the stallion for a moment, “your name's Trader, huh?” She eyed him curiously, as if trying to discern the reason for the name.

“Heh, yeah. It's actually my mother's doing,” Trader explained. “She wanted a mercantile son, to take after her in the ways of buying and selling. Though, more often than not, my friends liked to coin the name Trade Jack as a joke whenever they could.”

Both unicorns eyed him strangely. “Really?” Rarity questioned, not getting the meaning.

“Well, it's sort of because of my mark,” Trader said, nodding toward the cutie mark on his flank.

It was a playing card, a Jack of Spades to be exact. Though, the mares could see that there were alterations that weren't seen on the normal card. The mirrored stallion depicted within wore posh, aristocratic robes that were partially tattered and worn. Small stains of dirt could also be seen on his face, while a smile that was the epitome of pride was etched onto his expression. Next to the card itself, a small stack of bits stood, like a payment of sparkling coins.

As the unicorns fully noticed the mark, Trader smirked as he bowed his head in a showy fashion. “I am but a knave in the court of employment. A servant to the concept of goods and services. A Jack of all of trades, as they say.”

“But a master of none,” Twilight added, knowing the phrase.

Trader nodded. “Exactly,” he said. “My range of jobs is much larger than I wish to admit. I've tried my hooves in almost everything that doesn't require a grand amount of talent or intelligence, mostly ending in disaster for one reason or another. Thanks to my merchant of a mother and my father, who was an accomplished handypony in his time, I've learned a lot of simple basics I've used most of my life.”

“Well, we always need a hard working pony from time to time,” Rarity said. “Though, typically they end up uncouth ruffians as a result.”

Again, Trader found himself staring at the alabaster unicorn, being struck with a sense of familiarity. “Rarity,” he murmured, “I feel like I...” He began to trail off as he searched his mind frantically, then it hit him. “Wait a minute, you were in the same class as me and Applejack, weren't you?”

The unicorn eyed the pegasus with the same discerning gaze he had given to her moments ago. Only after a second of silence from her, a slow nod came by as her first response. “Yes... I do recall a young colt always with Applejack at the time,” she replied, taking her own trip through memory lane. “Though, I'm ashamed to say, we never really had much interaction as fillies.”

“Yeah,” Trader nodded, “I remember you always made yourself busy with plays and shows that the school would sometimes have. I don't think we ever attended them ourselves, never found any interest in them.”

“Well, it certainly is a small world,” the unicorn said. “Now you're back home in Ponyville, helping Applejack like a true friend would. It's a pleasant surprise to run into old faces.”

“What was Applejack like as a filly anyway?” Twilight asked, becoming curious to learn more about her friend.

There was a slight pause in their conversation as Trader thought on the question, thinking back all those years ago to when he ran about town with his filly friend. “Well, she was just as strong willed as she is now,” he answered. “She was always a little stubborn and ready to prove herself. You could get her to do just about anything if you challenged her ability.” He chuckled lightly over the old memories. “We often got into trouble because of it. Especially since I had a knack for making stupid mistakes, never really thinking things through with my actions. But it never stopped her from feeling adventurous. She's really matured a lot since I've last seen her, looking as though she already knows what she wants and is happy with what's going on in her life.” A simple smile crossed his lips as he remembered one other detail. “And I remember, back then, she had a lot more of those cute freckles.”

The silence could almost be cut with a knife as the stallion's last words hung in the air. Trader himself didn't seem to notice them for some time, until his eyes widened as his face twisted into a mild mixture of shock and horror, holding an expression someone might have after swallowing their own tongue.

“No, I-I,” the pegasus stammered quickly, “I don't- I mean cute as in adorable or something like that! Like-like somepony might find a puppy or kitten cute, or a foal dressed in a Nightmare Night costume. N-not cute as in pretty or attractive or anything.” Though it seemed impossible, his eyes widened even more as small beads of sweat formed in his near panicked state. “Not that I'm saying she's ugly! No I-I mean she's really not but I'm just saying that... I...” A loud groan emanated from the stallion's throat as he hung his head down shamefully, finding the ground a much more pleasing sight than the awkward glances of Applejack's friends. “I'm just... gonna stop talking now...”

The entire performance elicited small laughs from the two mares, which were quickly muffled but still apparent. “It's okay,” Twilight said reassuringly, “we know what you mean.”

“Right...” Trader sighed, lifting his head slightly but still not wanting to meet the gazes of the two mares. “Well... to escape the risk of making a fool of myself again, I think I'm going to go and finish what Applejack set me off to do. It was nice meeting you two, I'll see you around.” Without waiting for a goodbye from either ponies, the pegasus took off and headed deeper into Ponyville.

Twilight and Rarity were left to share glances with each other. Both giggling amusingly at the odd pony they had just encountered. All the while, Trader was off in search of a nice brick wall to smash his head against for a little while.

Racing Ponies and Racing Hearts

Just about a mile away from Cloudsdale, the old flight school still remained. The very place where Rainbow Dash and the three stallions had learned all things flying related. It brought back good memories to the mare, it being the place where she made friends with Fluttershy, as well as where she got her cutie mark. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any classes going on, allowing them to freely use the race track.

The track itself was far different than one found on the ground, barely existing at all. A path was defined by a series of floating rings made of clouds, going high and low to give a grand challenge to maneuver through. Large clumps of clouds occasionally dotted the sides, giving places for ponies to sit and spectate as the racers flew by.

The five pegasi stood on the single cloud platform where the starting line was. Both Dumb-Bell and Trader held the same expression of confidence, certain of their victory. While Score and Hoops shared in their friend's enthusiasm, Rainbow Dash was far from it. Instead, a slight look of worry crossed her as the two stallions did basic stretches before the race.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” the multi-colored mare asked. “Look, I know they're jerks and all, but you really don't need to do this for my sake, or anypony's.”

A light chuckle escaped from Trader as all he could do was beam brightly toward her. “Having doubts in my ability now?” he replied. He would have felt hurt if he wasn't aware of his own flying prowess before meeting the cyan pegasus.

Rainbow Dash merely shook her head, casting glances toward the other stallions, Dumb-Bell already waiting at the starting line. “It's not that... I just... I don't want you getting riled up over something like this. And if anypony should show them up, it's me. I know you've made a lot of progress but-”

Trader cut her off with a raised hoof, meeting her gaze as he said, “I know you'd beat any of them. Just as well as they do. But it still wouldn't mean as much as me being the one to do it. I'll trounce him, I have no doubt about that. And don't forget... I was trained by the greatest pegasus in Equestria.”

At a loss for words, Rainbow Dash said nothing else and simply watched as Trader took his place beside Dumb-Bell. They kept their gazes fixed straight ahead as their bodies positioned into the perfect stance to take off.

It took a few moments for Rainbow Dash to realize they'd need somepony to start the race for them, taking it upon herself since the others weren’t about to. Hovering before the two ready racers, she took a steadying breath and said, “On your mark... Get set... Go!” Before she could even finished, they were gone. Two blurred streaks rushed past the mare at incredible speed.

All noise around them was muffled, tears formed in their eyes from the sharp bites of the air itself. A large, toothy grin remained plastered to Dumb-Bell's face as he bolted through the course, ready to show his opponent just how outmatched he was. It wasn't just his speed he was showing off, but his agility as he moved through the air to reach each ring.

Just as he was certain Trader was nowhere near him, he caught something in the corner of his eye. A speeding shape of white and black rushing just alongside him. Shock was worn clearly on the stallion's face as he saw the pegasus right on his tail, his eyes dead set and focused on his speed. Dumb-Bell gritted his teeth fiercely as he flapped his wings even harder.

Off on the sidelines, Hoops and Score cheered uproariously, calling out to their friend to decimate the competition. Rainbow Dash remained silent, her unblinking gaze locked on the two stallions as they remained stuck to one another, never gaining any sort of lead over the other. Despite not taking any physical part in any of it, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest from how anxious she was. It didn't even register to her that she was gnawing on her own hoof.

Their sides nearly struck together several times as the race continued. Just over half of it was done and neither had gained a significant edge over the other. Their faces were frozen in their own expressions of determination, nothing else mattering to either of them at that moment save for winning. Too caught up in passing the other though, their focus on their surroundings suffered, as neither were ready for the next ring that they were speeding forward.

Jarringly, the two racing stallions were ripped away from their contest, their wings striking against the ring as they both tried passing through at once. Crashing into one another, they spun out of control, unable to steady themselves. Their vision was consumed by white fluff as they slammed into the nearby clouds, sinking into the plush softness.

Everything seemed to halt, even the three spectators as they all remained silent, their breath held. But Trader and Dumb-Bell soon managed to pull themselves up to the surface of their cloud respite. Gasping for air, they stumbled across the surface in a daze. Groaning loudly, Dumb-Bell gave his head a violent shake and jumped back into the air, leaving his adversary behind. It took several more moments for Trader to recover himself. Angrily he growled as he realized how far behind he had become, taking off as well and joining the race once again.

But the damage had been done. Dumb-Bell held a commanding lead and Trader's speed was severely reduced. Not about to give up though, the white-coated stallion steeled his nerves and forced himself to fly even faster. Wings throbbing and aching, heart pounding against his ribs, lungs drastically overworked, it was all ignored by him as he pushed and pushed without a single thought of stopping crossing his mind.

The final stretch of the track was already upon them. Far down below them was the last ring. A sudden, near-endless plunge took it to nearly ground level. After hitting that, a steep climb back up was needed to reach the finish line.

As Trader reached the dive, Dumb-Bell was already at the ring, darting upward to reach the finish line and victory. Blocking it from his mind however, the pegasus bolted straight down, the final ring locked in his sights.

Everything became a blurred mess, Trader nearly blinded by the rushing air and physical strain. Even as his own body cried out in objection to what he was doing, he continued to flap his wings harder then ever before. Faster and faster he went, lungs ready to burst, with the single-minded need to catch up to his opponent. Quickly reaching the final ring, the pegasus pulled up and banked straight through it, using his momentum to rocket back up.

He could see Dumb-Bell approaching the finish line fast, little separating the two. It only caused Trader to try and fly even faster, pangs of numbness enveloping his wings. Climbing up and up, he was on the leading stallion's tail, already seeing how close the end of it would be. He just had to fly a little faster.

The cheering cries of Hoops and Score were muffled beyond recognition to Dumb-Bell as he continued to soar upward. So close to the end, the taste of victory was already on his tongue. Grin splayed out across his face, he felt the surge of triumph as he reached the platform of clouds and crossed the finish line. The joyous calls of his friends came more clear, though still obscured by his own panting.

Victorious, the stallion turned to see how far he had left Trader behind, surprised as the pegasus was nowhere to be seen. At that moment, everyone jumped in startled gasps, a blurred mass shooting through the clouds like a torpedo and crossing the finish line. Everypony there stared off at the sight, recognizing the dusty-black mane attached to it.

Not used to stopping abruptly at such high speeds, Trader's flying form flailed about wildly in the air. With zero grace and ability, he rocketed through the air before arcing downward and crashing once again into another cloud, nearly sliding off the edge before coming to a stop on the surface. His chest bounced up and down as he gasped desperately for air.

There was no time to rest for him however, the pegasus immediately being assaulted. A sudden lurch upward came as he was yanked into the air, a cyan-coated mare having plucked him up and wrapped her forelegs around him in a crushing hug, her roaring laughter almost deafening him. “That was great!” she shouted loudly. “I didn't think you had it in you!”

Trader himself could barely speak, his voice cut off from his own haggard breathing. “I... can't feel... my wings...” he manged to say.

More laughter erupted from the mare as she finally let the stallion go, his body collapsing back onto the cloud. “That's just a sign of a job well done!”

“I... lost...” Trader groaned aloud, not feeling like he had done anything well. His dejection was only heightened as he heard the approach of the three stallions.

Surprisingly, the air wasn't filled with their heckling laughter. None said a word as he stood there, staring wordlessly at the two. Trader noticed how Dumb-Bell was almost as exhausted as he was, his nostrils continuously flaring from his heavy breathing. But still, he knew the three long enough to expect their teasing remarks over his loss, his impatience showing clearly on his face.

Again, there was only silence, all three of them looking as though they themselves didn't know what to say. As Trader finally managed to bring himself to a standing position, his growing ire was getting the better of him. “So?” he questioned. “Where's the taunting? I've given you reason enough for it this time.”

Hoops and Score merely shook their heads, Dumb-Bell stepping forward as he tried to find the right words to say. “That was... a good race,” he finally said, the sound of swallowed pride behind the words.

“What?” said a stunned Rainbow Dash, sharing a similar expression with Trader.

“You were really fast,” Score remarked.

Hoops nodded in agreement. “Yeah. Who knew Trader the Danger could move like that. Er... I mean...”

Dumb-Bell shot a warning glance to his friend before facing Trader apolitically. “I thought you didn't stand a chance... I was wrong,” he said. “I mean... before... you were a pretty awful flier. Like, one of the worst ever.” Opening his mouth to object, Trader slowly closed it as he realized he had no argument to make. “But... wow, I can't believe you got as good as you did. So... I'm sorry about before...” As he said it, so to did Score and Hoops speak their own apologies.

Trader couldn't help but smile broadly at the display, having never expected to see such an event in his life. Chuckling softly, he wrapped a hoof around the cyan mare next to him and pulled her close. “Well, it's all thanks to Rainbow Dash here,” he said, pointing his free hoof to her.

“I guess we were wrong about that too...” Dumb-Bell said, directing his gaze to the mare. “If you can turn a pegasus like him into a good flier, there's not much you can't do, huh?”

Rainbow Dash developed her own smile as she nodded her head in agreement. “You're right abut that!” she said boastfully. “It took you long enough to figure it out!”

It was a long, slow flight back to Ponyville. With Trader still tired from the heart-pounding race, he and Rainbow Dash soared through the air at a brisk pace, enjoying the scenery around them, as well as the company they were with. Though much of it was spent in relative silence, the cyan mare took time to speak of the race she had witnessed, both praising him for his improved ability as well as giving pointers to do even better.

Eventually, they reached where they were headed, just outside of Ponyville itself where the home of a certain pegasus floated. It was an impressive structure, made of clouds like the buildings of Cloudsdale, at least three stories high and having a decorative rainbow stretching out from the top. Trader couldn't help but marvel at it, noting how vast of a difference it was compared to the humble abodes of the town it was so close to.

“I didn't think a weathermare could afford something like this,” Trader remarked as he looked up at it from the front door, thinking he was in the wrong line of work.

“Actually,” Rainbow Dash replied, “most of it's because of my parents.”

The stallion merely nodded absently toward her, eyes still encompassed by the home. “Well, I'm certainly jealous.”

He was too enamored by his surroundings to not notice how fidgety the mare beside him had gotten, looking ready to say something but stopping herself just before the words came out. “You can... come inside,” she then said sheepishly. “If you want to, I mean.”

Trader regarded her for a brief moment, his gaze quickly being drawn to the sky. It was midday, their time spent in Cloudsdale having taken up more hours than he had thought. Declining the offer with a shake of his head, he added, “I should really get back to the farm. Applejack might have been a bit lenient with you helping me out and everything, but I'm sure we've taken advantage of that for too long. Wouldn't want her to think I'm slacking off.”

Nodding her understanding, Rainbow Dash continued to stand there, having difficulty not showing her nervous expression. Though, it seemed completely lost on the stallion, whose own continued to be a light-hearted smile. “Well...” she murmured, “good job again out there.” With a swing of her hoof, she playfully thwacked against his side, gaining a small bit of a smile at his pained reaction. “Just keep up your training and you should get better everyday. Who knows, you might even be one of the best someday. Not as good as me, of course, but... still good.”

“It's not like the farm is lacking in any physical work, I should be fine. Though, I'll be sure to give my wings a few good flaps when I can too. And, I might just be repeating myself, but thanks again for all the help you gave.” As the cyan mare showed her acceptance of the gratitude, Trader looked ready to take off. But he paused for a moment as he turned back to her, still having something to say. “Also, you should know. You really shouldn't worry too much about not getting into the Wonderbolts right away. Take it from somepony close with them, it's not all about skill, which you clearly have. There's a lot of factors that go into it, like there simply being an opening for one. So don't let it get to you, continue to be as great as you are, and it'll inevitably happen.”

Rainbow Dash's cheeks almost felt sore, her white teeth showing brightly from the large smile she gave. “You just know exactly what to say, don't you?” she said, taking a step toward the stallion.

“Well... half and half, I'd say,” he responded. “I couldn't count the number of times I've said something that got me into trou-” Trader then froze on the spot, surprised as Rainbow Dash suddenly wrapped her forelegs around him and pulled him in close for a warm embrace. Not just being a sudden action, but the shock was even greater due to who was giving it, having never expected it from the tough-as-nails mare.

“Thanks for that.” Stepping back after a brief moment longer, the joyous mare leaned in closer to him again. But it wasn't for a hug this time, her eyes shut as her lips puckered out, ready to feel the stallion's own.

Trader's own eyes flared open in alarm. Breaking away from her, he stumbled back. “R-Rainbow Dash!” he said in a startled gasp. Tripping over his own hooves he fell backward, nearly slipping off of the cloud home to the unforgiving ground below.

A long, tense pause crackled on between the two ponies. Their eyes locked together while a bright red tint developed on the mare's cheeks. “Di... Did I do something wrong?!” she blurted out in a panic, her entire body beginning to shake. “Oh ponyfeathers! I-I'm sorry! I always figured you were supposed to be spontaneous in situations like that! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!” The poor girl looked ready to have a heart attack.

“Whoa, whoa, hold on a second,” Trader managed to say, trying to calm her down before she completely lost it. Rainbow Dash...” The stallion paused abruptly, approaching the question cautiously. “Do you... like me?”

Face seemingly turned to stone, the once proud and strong pegasus was reduced to a bumbling mess as she could barely make eye contact with him. “Well... I... It's not... You're a great guy and all, and you've been really nice to me, more so than you ever needed to be. You seemed to like to listen to me, even when I just talked about myself, and since you liked mares like Spitfire I thought that... maybe you'd...” The cyan-blue of her face was almost completely gone, replaced with a shade of red that matched the stripe of it that ran through her mane.

Trader couldn't help but chuckle slightly at that, hardly seeing himself as one to catch the mare's eye. “Is that it? You must not know that many stallions then.” Judging by the look on the mare's face though, he might not be too wrong. Seeing that, the pegasus sighed to himself before donning a more serious expression. “Rainbow Dash... I'm flattered, really I am, but I can't say I've ever felt the same at any point. You're a beautiful and strong mare who's fun to be around, and I'd probably fall head over hooves for you under different circumstances, but it's just not like that now... I'm sorry.”

With that said, Rainbow Dash seemed to calm down, if only a bit. Now, the weathermare simply stood there, her head low in dejection while only a small sliver of red remained on her flushed cheeks. “Yeah... you're right...” she murmured, understanding the point that he was getting across. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that.”

“It's alright,” Trader assured her, smiling softly. “I'm already more than happy with just being good friends. After all, can you really say we'd make a good match? Me huffing along after you with everything we did, unable to keep up.”

Her own smile slowly returned to her as she looked at the stallion. “I guess you wouldn't ever be able to keep up, huh?” Another long, awkward pause came between the two of them, each staying silent. But after a moment of it, Rainbow Dash's features perked up with a look of astonishment. “I get it now! It's because you like somepony else!”

“W-what?”

“That's gotta be it!” the mare exclaimed. “You said it yourself, I'm a catch. Somepony you'd undoubtedly fall for, not that I can blame you. But you aren't because there's already somepony else you like!”

“Now hold on,” Trader said to say, “I didn't say-”

“So who is it?!” she interrupted, not about to let her discovery be stopped. “Do I know her? She's in Ponyville, right? Though... I know you don't know that many mares... Except for...” A loud, lung-bursting gasp erupted from her then, her hoof pointing straight at the pegasus in front of her accusingly. “You like Applejack!”

Looking visibly struck Trader's mouth opened and closed like a gasping fish before a squeaky chirp came out with his first words. “What? N-no! It's not like-”

“It makes so much sense!” Rainbow Dash went on. “With how much you know each other, and the fact that you live there with her! I could totally try and put a good word in for ya, she'd listen to me! Unless... Big Mac's the one you're interested in...”

“What?! No! Rainbow Dash, please listen,” Trader implored her, looking ready to have his own panic attack. Getting the ecstatic mare to calm down for a moment, he managed to let out a steady breath before he looked up at her. “Don't go getting any ideas, it's not like that. Sure, I care for Applejack a lot, about as much as I can. But it's not in that way. She's my closest friend, who I've known longer than anypony else. I'll always be eternally grateful to her and her family for taking me in and letting me help them. They've done more for me than I could have ever imagined.” With a melancholy sigh, he locked eyes with the mare, making certain that what he was saying got across. “I... owe them my life. Though I've never been one to repay my debts, I'm going to make sure I don't fail this time.”