Sunny Days

Leaf let out a sigh as he shut the door of the Carousel Boutique behind him. He looked around at the people hustling around on the streets. Where was there to go? He obviously didn’t know that answer, since he barely ever went out of the house to begin with. He scanned the roads in search for one of the Crusaders maybe to ask them if there was a place to get lunch around town. It was about 11 o’clock or noonish by the position of the sun. With a sigh of disappointment Leaf made his way to the bridge he crossed to get to the boutique. The air, he noticed, smelled of blossoming flowers and apples. The flowers he assumed were from the flower shops that were scattered around town. The apple smell, on the other hand, he hadn’t the faintest clue about the source of. Leaf stuffed his hands in his pockets and let the bag that contained his old clothes hang in the crook of his right arm.

Leaf smiled when he saw the pointed and flagged roof of the town hall. Finally, now I can get a map of some sort. He made his way to the building that was the center of town square with a fast walk. As he maneuvered past people with trays of food and baskets of flowers, Leaf saw many heads of brightly colored hair. But one head stuck out of the crowd. He recognized the familiar bright red hair with a bow that tied back a ponytail. He started a slow jog toward it, but his heart sank as it disappeared into the crowd of people in the square. “Damn...” He cursed to himself. Leaf felt a small tug on his pants and he turned to see a little girl with pale pink and purple curly hair. A white horn sat atop her small head. “Sweetie Belle.” Leaf smiled and knelt down in front of the girl. “I was looking for you.”

Sweetie Belle looked up at him, smiling.She spoke in a small little girl voice “You were? Well so was Apple Bloom. We stopped by the house and saw Emerald. We asked her where you were and she told us you were out of the house today. That’s strange for you, Leaf.” She giggled sweetly and linked her hands behind her back. She was wearing a light blue dress and pink sandals, a very plain outfit. “So what do you need?”

Leaf flipped his green striped hair and smiled at her. “I was wondering if you guys could help me out. I have no idea where to go. I have already visited Sugar Cube Corner and the Carousel Bou…”

He never finished his sentence, for Sweetie Belle had grabbed his face with both of her hands. “You went to the Carousel Boutique!!!???” She squished his cheeks inward in a way that it caused his lips to pucker together.

“Ya…why? Was it wrong that I did?” He asked through scrunched lips.

Sweetie Belle started to hop up and down after she released Leaf’s face. “No, it’s a good thing. Did you meet Rarity?” Leaf nodded and she squeed. “What did you think of her?”

Leaf rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully, “she was…pushy. She gave me new clothes. Why does it matter what I think of her?”

Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow at Leaf in confusion, “Because she is my sister. She’s only dropped me off at your and Emerald’s house only a dozen times.” She rolled her eyes. “But we have someone else for you to meet. Just let me find Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.” She ran off towards the town hall before Leaf could protest. He sighed and sat on a bench waiting for the three Crusaders to get back. He rested his elbows on his knees and laid his chin on top of his closed fists. Why had Sweetie wanted to know if Leaf liked Rarity or not? She was acting as if she had just had a soda, and then cake, and then tons of candy. All of the three he imagined were cause by Pinkie Pie, for some odd reason. The pink haired girl had seemed very hyper when Leaf had met her. She spoke in such a high-pitched and fast-talking voice that Leaf had almost strained himself trying to keep up with her words. Rarity, on the other hand, spoke slowly in a somewhat ladylike manner. Leaf looked down at the new white converse the dark purple haired girl had given him.

After a moment, his two white converses were joined by a pair of pink sandals, a pair of laced track shoes, and a pair of cow boy boots. Leaf looked up at the three smiling faces. Sweetie Belle was now accompanied by two other girls. The one on Sweetie’s right had bright red hair that was tied back with a pink bow. She wore blue overalls that weren’t quite complete; the legs were cut off to appear as shorts about knee length. Underneath the overalls was a plain red shirt. One of the buttons meant to hold up the pants was undone and the corner of the denim was hanging in a dog ear fashion. The Crusader to Sweetie Belle’s left was a tan girl with flat purple hair. She wore simple red track shorts and a tank top with a symbol on it that was a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt coming out of it. On her back was a pair of orange wings. Scootaloo wasn’t able to fly yet, but she used the feathery appendages to propel herself on her purple scooter.

The three girls smiled at Leaf. He looked from Scootaloo to Sweetie Belle and then to Apple Bloom. The smiles on their faces looked as if they were concocting an evil plan to slit his throat while he slept. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom took each of his hands and hauled him up. With his bag in his hand,he stood as they started to drag him to the left. Sweetie Belle stood in front of the three with an evil grin on her face as she led the Crusaders and Leaf to the exit. The two girls were half dragging Leaf as he walked behind them with a slouched back.

After they exited town square, they lead Leaf to a dirt path. The path, he found led to a big red barn. At the end of the path was a white fenced archway covered in leaves with apples dotting them. In the center of the arch was a hanging sign with a single apple carved into it. Apple Bloom was first to speak with her southern accent, “Welcome ta’ Sweet Apple Acres!” She released Leaf’s hand and gestured to the farm. In front of the four was a large barn painted a bright red. The two large double doors of the building were propped open. Above the doors was a window with a planter box filled with flowers outside of it. Two similar windows stood open on the other sides of the barn, also with planter boxes. On the roof of the barn was a weathervane with an apple on the top of it. To the right was a single chicken coop with a sign that had three eggs in a nest stamped on it. To the left was a wishing well, along with a few barrels standing next to it. Bales of hay were strewn around the farm in stacks. Beyond the barn and the farm were hills further than the eye could see filled with apple trees. Leaf stared at the trees in amazement, his eyes growing wide. “Who picks all of those apples…?” He asked in

puzzlement.

Apple Bloom looked up at him with wide orange eyes. “Meh sister and brother, AppleJack and Big Macintosh. They do it all by themselves.”

Leaf stared out at the trees. All those apples…by themselves!? he thought to himself.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo took his hands again and dragged him to the barn. When they were at the door, Apple Bloom broke away. “Sis! Big Mac!?” she yelled, cupping her hands around the edges of her mouth.

A boy came from inside an empty stall with bales of hay in his arms. He looked to be about 19 or 20 to Leaf. He had thick muscles running up his arms and had visible abs under his red flannel shirt. His light green eyes looked at the girls and then at Leaf. “Eyup?” He looked at Apple Bloom with a raised eyebrow.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “I’m lookin’ fer AppleJack, Big Mac. Where is she?”

Big Macintosh looked at Apple Bloom and then pointed a finger towards the gate that lead out to the apple trees. Apple Bloom smiled. “Thanks, big brother.” She ran by him, Scootaloo at her side, and the two started dragging Leaf once again. Sweetie Belle pushed the gate open and hustled Leaf and the girls through it, closing it behind them.

In front of the girls, Leaf saw a girl with long blonde hair that was tied off at the end with a red hair tie. She was wearing grey shorts and a yellow spaghetti strap tank top. She was bending over to pick up a large wooden bin of apples, and Leaf could visibly see thethree red apples that were stamped on her right shoulder. Apple Bloom went to her as she picked up the bin by the handles. The little girl tapped her on the leg and the bin went crashing to the ground. The blonde scowled at the spilled apples and then bent to retrieve her tan hat that had fallen off her head. “Darn it Apple Bloom! Ya snuck up on me.” She put her hat back on her head and faced her sister. “Now ya’ll are gonna pick up these here apples or I’m gonna…” She looked behind her at Leaf and the other girls. She stood up straight and put her fists on her hips with a smile. “Well, well, well, If it ain’t the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Got a new member?” She raised a blonde eyebrow at Leaf.

He raised his palms and shook them, “No, they brought me here…”

The girl crossed her arms in front of her chest now, “Why? Apple Bloom doesn’t take interest in any ol’ guy off the street.” She spoke with a thick southern accent as she scoffed at him a bit.

Leaf shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “I don’t know if you know my sister, but she is the leader of their little club. They come over to my house every week.”

The farmer went wide eyed, “Ah! So yer the feller these youngins have been tellin’ me about. But why’d they bring ya here?”

He shrugged again. “They didn’t tell me.”

Apple Bloom finished picking up the apples and looked at the blonde girl, “AppleJack, this is Leaf.” She gestured to Leaf and smiled.

AppleJack smiled as well. “Why’d ya’ll bring him here?” she asked, looking at the crusaders.

Sweetie Belle spoke up. “We wanted you to meet him. He already met Rarity.”

“Oh really? And what’cha think of miss snooty pants?”

Leaf shrugged. “She wasn’t really snooty just persistent. She gave me new clothes and insisted I don’t pay.”

AppleJack laughed out loud. “Well, she does have an eye for pretty things.” She gave him an up down look and picked the bin back up, “Why don’t ya help me with these here bins of apples? Big Mac is off somewhere else and I need a strong pair of arms.” She heaved the bin up and rested it partially on her shoulder.

Leaf nodded. “Sure, why not.”

Apple Bloom looked at the three girls and smiled, “Ya’ll can go help yerselves to some apple pie in the kitchen.” Apple Jack rolled her eyes and looked at Leaf as the girls ran off. “It must be agein’ to have all them girls in one house.” She laughed and hauled up another bin with one hand and rested it against her hip.

Leaf bent over and picked up a bin and let it lean against his stomach, “Ya a little. They are sweet girls, but you can only take so much, you know?”

“Oh trust me SugarCube, I know.” She giggled and gestured with her head to the barn, “Follow me to the barn to drop these here apples off.” She headed through the gate and held it open with her rear so Leaf could get through. After he was she pushed a boulder with her leather booted foot in front of it to hold it open. Leaf followed her to the barn where he set the basket down among others. AppleJack set her down next to his. She wiped beads of sweat off her forehead. “Dang, I’ve been at this all day. I know we just started, but how ‘bout we go on inside have somethin’ to drink?” She smiled at Leaf, who nodded.

She led him out of the barn and outside to a door on the side of a smaller section of the building. She opened it and held it for Leaf, who went in with his hands in his pockets. Apple Jack pulled out a chair and gestured to it. “Why don’t ya’ll sit down.” Leaf took the seat silently as Apple Jack opened the fridge and pulled out a glass pitcher of fresh squeezed lemonade. She set it on the table and went to a cabinet to retrieve two glasses. She grabbed a lemon and a knife on her way to the table and set the items down. She took the knife and cut the lemon into slices. After cutting the lemon she poured the juice into the two cups. She took two lemon slices and put them on the edges of the glasses. She pushed a glass towards Leaf, who took it. She put the pitcher back and wiped the table where she sliced the lemon. She sat down and took her glass as she leaned back in her chair. “So, I’m guessin you already met Big Mac?”

Leaf shrugged with one shoulder as he took another sip. “I didn’t really meet him.”

“Ah. Well he’s my brother and Apple Bloom is my sister, if you haven’t already guessed.” She gave Leaf another look over while taking another sip. She set her glass down, “you know what I think?”

Leaf looked at her curiously, “What’s that?”

“I think the Crusaders might be trying to hitch me with ya.”

“Hitch?” Leaf asked in confusion.

Apple Jack laughed, “Pardon, I mean they want us to hook up. Like in a boyfriend girlfriend way, ya know?”

“Why me, though?” He rubs the back of his head awkwardly.

“Who Knows? Those girls are strange.” She stood and stretched upwards, her tank top lifting to show some of her stomach. Leaf looked down at his hands on the table, “Well, I might just take the rest of the day off. I’m beat. I’m mighty sorry if the girls cause ya any trouble.”

“Nah, they were just trying to do something nice.” He stood. “What day is it?”

“Wednesday. Why?”

Leaf sighed and rubbed his neck. “I might just take the girls with me. its Emerald’s night to host the sleepover.” He scratched his chin.

AppleJack laughed and slapped Leaf on the back. “Good luck SugarCube.”

“Thanks.” Leaf said with a laugh.

AppleJack went to a door that lead to the living room and saw the girls playing, “Girls, ya’ll are gonna go with Leaf. Its Emerald’s night to host the slumber party.” The girls ran into the kitchen with capes attached to their necks that hung down their backs. There was a symbol on the capes that looked like a pony on its hind legs. “Now ya’ll be good fer Leaf or I’ma have to come down on ya’ll.” She spoke with a stern voice that told the girls that she meant business.

The three girls held their hands to their foreheads in a solute, “Yes ma’am AppleJack ma’am.”

AppleJack laughed and looked at Leaf. She took her gloves off her hands and held one out. “It was mighty good to meet ya, Leaf. Ya’ll take care.”

Leaf took her hand and shook it, “Nice meeting you too.” The girls were already out the door before Leaf finished. He sighed and walked out after them with a smile at Apple Jack. Leaf closed the door behind him and AppleJack let out a sigh and smiled.