[Galloping Glade] Weekend with the Apples [Closed]

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Taking her time preparing a short supper alongside some amazing camping snacks, Applejack setup a grill grate over the fire, and starting mixed some of the short ordered ingredients into a frying pan and began heating it. The mixture contained two parts apple slices, two parts oats, and one part spinach leaves. She then took a bottle of juice, poured half of it into the frying pan, and then swiftly drank the rest herself, waiting for her concoction to simmer.[/colour]

[colour=#000000]As she kicked back her hooves and leaned against a log around the fire, she heard Carrot speak something about being a dumb-tail and inviting her to something. Applejack looked up at him and questioned. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Invite me to what?"[/colour][colour=#000000] Even though she was puzzled, she maintained a frank smile as she curiously investigated the grey stallion's intention. The frying pan began to sizzle slightly.[/colour]

​

[brianblackberry]

It didn’t take long for Carrot Fields to finish setting up his telescope; years of stargazing had made telescope prep second nature to the stallion. It was even joked he had the wrong name because of his favorite hobby, his kin would often say he only had his head in the clouds and eyes on the stars instead of on the good earth. Truth was he really did enjoy farming a great deal, it was just that farming was expected of him and seen as “normal” for his family, and thus never drew any comment, not like his love for astronomy did.

The only difference is that he didn’t mumble to himself so much normally, at least not out loud. Although Carrot was sure no pony heard what he said, it turned out Applejack had particularly acute hearing. [colour=#ff8c00]“Och! Umm… Ah was just…” [/colour] Carrot stopped himself; he was about to tell her it was nothing and to ignore it out of embarrassment and shyness. That would have been a dumbtail move. C’mon Carrot, show her some stallion confidence!

[colour=#ff8c00]“Ah was jist wonderin' if ye wanted tae sit up haur wi' me while we wait fur yer food tae cuik. Th’ stars aren’t really out yit, but th’ view is still really nice!”[/colour] It certain was Carrot, it certainly was.

[Bramble Rose]

Purple let out a little squeak and batted off a couple water spiders that weren't on the water anymore, but on her pelt! Did that make them pony spiders? Well, regardless, they were back in the water, now! Her pelt shivered all over her small body. She didn't mind spiders, as long as they were in her hooves... but on her! ew.

"Um... Oi thought me big brae an' Applejack were gettin' firewood!" Purple said, taking a moment for a drink, herself. Apple Bloom's answer distracted her from subtly trying to probe for Carrot's chances. [colour=#ff8c00] "A filly friend? Ye kin do that?"[/colour] She thought about that a moment. [colour=#ff8c00]"That sounds a lot easier! Colts kin be roit bonkers. How'd ye hie about that, then?"[/colour]

​

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom allowed herself to float towards the pond's shoreline, lazily batting away the water spiders which meandered about in any sitting body of water. They weren't nasty critters at all, unlike some of the Everfree spiders who played cruel pranks and were generally highly unpleasant. Still, Apple Bloom didn't want to carry home a few passengers just in case Carrot was afraid of the eight legged cutie pies. It was the ten legged super horrors that are the real problem, but she had only run into those beasts a few times in the Whitetail. Well, if something crazy did happen at least she had a filly who wasn't afraid to get herself dirty alongside her. Apple Bloom pulled herself out of the water and shaked herself in place, water flying everywhere like a waterlogged shaggy dog. She then cleaned out her ears in the most professional of manners and looked over at Purple.

[colour=#ff0000]"Well, Ah figure that if we up and get some more firewood now, then we won't gave to tomorrow night after all the physical stuff we'll be doin'. Don't wanna be rangin' about in the woods all tired look. Could get lost or eaten by a croc or any number of things. 'Sides, it'll be fun!"[/colour] Apple Bloom offered, shooing away a few more of the persistent water spiders who couldn't decide between the two, [colour=#ff0000]"silly fillies. Speakin' of, well, 'course ya can do it. It's as easy as one, two, three, kiss or something like that. So much simpler than dealing with colts and their super weirdness, Ah tell ya. Thar's these two colts in class that Ah swear are two apples short of a bushel. As for how Ah heard it...well, Ah didn't hear it, Ah just did it," [/colour]She shrugged and started walking towards the camp, [colour=#ff0000]"nopony's ever said ya can't do it, so no big whoop, right? Naw let's see if they need any help, or if we can go and get some firewood quick like."[/colour]

[SunsetSombra]

Mac glanced over at the girls for a moment, their chattering growing ever more excitable and curious...plus he coulda sworn he heard his name mentioned - an eyebrow raised curiously as he craned his neck a little to listen in, but it seemed as though they had quietened down a little the moment that his attention was roused, which just left him intrigued and bemused at just what was going on between the pair of mischievous fillies. Well, they didn't seem to be doing anything particularly unexpected, and the chatter was clearly helping the 2 bond as friends, so Mac simply shrugged it off as best left alone for now and settled back into his book for a little longer...at least until Apple Bloom started talking about getting some firewood, at which point Macintosh glanced over at the direction of the fillies!

" [colour=#b22222]Hol' on a moment, Applebloom, I'll come with ya both[/colour]! " The stallion commented as he put the book down and got back to his hooves - shaking himself off a little as he did so.

It didn't really seem like a good idea to leave them unattended to collect wood when it was starting to creep slowly into the evening, and Macintosh wasn't about to just run the risk of letting something happen if they just ran off unsupervised - t'was a much safer idea for him to at the very least be close at hoof just in case they needed some assistance!

'sides, he was kinda stuck for things to do right now other than reading - and as much as he did enjoy that, it never hurt to keep active when chances to do so arose!

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]While Carrot nervously responded, Applejack grabbed with her mouth a small shaker of cinnamon, and sprinkled some into the frying pan with the rest of the cooking goods. She set it down, and replied. [/colour][colour=#ff0000] "Of course!"[/colour][colour=#000000] Applejack walked over to the stallion and his telescope. She immediately touched it and swing it a little, testing the give and sturdiness of the instrument. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Twilight's got one of these. I never have looked through it though. You think we could see the orchard from here using this thing?"[/colour][colour=#000000] Applejack joked, knowing full well it would not be possible. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Well, Carrot,"[/colour][colour=#000000] Applejack looked up at the sky, which turned a dark blue as stars crept through the clear evening, [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"show me what you got."[/colour]

​

[brianblackberry]

Carrot Fields winched a little when Applejack gave his telescope a good swing. Fortunately it wasn't set yet to look at anything in particular so she didn't mess anything up, it was just the notion of other ponies messing around with his favorite instrument that made the gray stallion finch instinctively. [colour=#ff8c00]Don't get obsessive compulsive now Carrot, besides you want her to be interested![/colour] [colour=#ff8c00]"I'm afraid thaur ur jist tay many trees an' hills in th' way tae see either ay our homes. Back oan Stargazin' Hill though Ah coods see your orchard an' farm easily!"[/colour] Carrot smiled brightly, that is until he realized that it may have sounded like he used his telescope to peer into the Sweet Apple farm or something equally as creepy, [colour=#ff8c00]oh Carrot, you dumbtail![/colour] [colour=#ff8c00]"Ah mean, cuz' ye can see aw ay Ponyville easily, includin' yer orchard, an' may farm, really everythin', heh. 'At is nae why Ah go thaur thocht, its also th' best spot tae look at th' stars!"[/colour]

Carrot Fields looked up at the darkening skies as he hoped she accepted his sincere explanation. In either case, it was a good time to change the topic, and as the first star of the night pierced the ever dimming canvas of sky, a great notion came to him. Carrot pointed with his hoof, "[colour=#ff8c00]look, its th' first staurn ay th' nicht!"[/colour] Well a planet actually, but he didn't want to come off as too much of a know-it-all, besides it was the perfect lead in. [colour=#ff8c00]"'At reminds me ay th' tale ay th' very first staurn 'at appeared in th' skies owed Equestria. Legend says it appeared th' first time two ponies truly fell in loove tae signify 'at loove will always exist."[/colour] There informational and romantic without being overt! That'll go over well surely!

Now only if he didn't have to involuntarily blush so much as he told the story, thank Luna for the darkness of night!

[Bramble Rose]

Purple Haze nodded eagerly. "Aye, roit skipper! Oi'd love tae kip out tae gather some wood! We kin make sure th' fire's a roit bonnie one all noit long!" She waded her way out of the lake and up by Big Mac before giving herself a healthy shake, water spraying out from her in all directions.

She gave a little giggle and leaned close to Apple Bloom. "Ye know, it's too bad Oi'm nae more familiar round here... oi'd love tae take somepony on a snipe hunt." She gave a wink and a giggle and hurried on off into the woods.

"Sae, what do ye think of maybe yer sister an' me big brae gettin' taegether, then?" She asked, as she gathered up nice thick branches laying around the forest.

​

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom was pretty darn pleased that Big Mac was going to get off of his huge keister and help her out. That meant if they were super good at it they could probably get wood for two nights, and they wouldn't have to leave the camp for wood at all over the course of the trip. Apple Bloom couldn't wait to see the reaction from big sis and Carrot when they turned up with all the firewood the camp would ever need. Heck, Big Mac could probably carry all the firewood in the forest if he needed to but she supposed that she'd have to settle with big brother carrying a pittance. That was awesome!

"That'd be great Big Mac! Come along and we'll be tha best firewood packin' trio of all time an' collect every piece we'll need for camp!" She jumped in excitement and patted her brother on one of his trunk sized mammoth legs that could just as easily rip the world in half as gently buck apples off of delicate trees.

Purple Haze giggled and leaned in and discussed...what? She then leapt out into the forest and by simple reaction Apple Bloom followed, giving chase as she duly sought out the very best firewood as they ran and tossed it at Big Mac haphazardly. He could handle it! In any case she laughed a hearty little laugh as she tried to catch up to Purple.

"Well, Ah think that'd make yer brother awful happy for sure. That colt's as 'cited for Applejack ta be around as a pig is ta a trough, 'least in the times Ah've known 'im. But Ah have a question. Maybe y'all have a fancy name for somethin' not so fancy, but what in the hay is a snipe hunt?"

[SunsetSombra]

" The things ah do t'keep things goin'! " mac says with a chuckle as he headed out along with the two excited young fillies, shaking his head a little as he watched them excitedly resume their previous discussion...which had once again turned towards the idea of AppleJack and Carrot havin' themselves something of a 'getting together' idea...or at least, that's what the fillies seemed to have running through their minds as they expressed themselves with the usual vigour of ponies their age.

Macintosh didn't really have any reason to comment on it himself...there wasn't much he needed to say, nor did he have any problems with it - AppleJack was old enough to do what she pleased, and the brother wasn't going to make a case to argue against it...Carrot seemed nice enough to deal with, so he couldn't really say any single reasons why they couldn't get to know one another better like normal, adult ponies would. It wasn't really any of Macs business to get in the way of that particular part of his sisters life, and he wasn't about to dream up any reasoning that would get in the way of her happiness, should she choose to even go down that route...and Mac didn't really have enough information to determine what was happening on that yet!

For now, he just quietly tagged along with the fillies, caught the sticks, and kept his ears to the ground on the discussion...afterall, it couldn't really hurt to hear how the fillies felt about things.

[Hippo]

Applejack smirked at Carrot's comment about stargazing hill. Apparently he was well aware of the landscape and gave the orchard a few looks. It wasn't strange though, ponies came from all over to gaze upon the farm, as if it is one of the biggest wonders of Equestria. In fact, Applejack always wondered how profitable a tourist trap would be at the farm. But for the sake of tackiness, it was never implemented. At least for the moment, Applejack knew who her favorite customer would be if that would ever be a thing.

Carrot swung the attention to the first star in the sky, the brightest one at the moment, as the sky slowly darkened. Applejack had heard that legend as well, that the stars represent the connection ponies have for each other, and that as long as starry nights exist, so will true love. Applejack sighed happily and leaned on Carrot as she looked upwards. One by one, she could see the stars appearing, contrasting against the sky who's light was being rushed out with the sunset. "Yeah, I heard that legend when I was little. It always made me feel warm inside knowing that every night ponies are falling in love with one another. It's so romantic." Applejack exhaled one more time before she realized she was completely reclining on Carrot as she reminisced, her head leaned on his neck. She stood straight up and smiled it off, with a blush. Applejack didn't mean to use Carrot as a pillow as she daydreamed. "Well! Heh." Applejack scratched the back of her head. "Um. Uh, oh! You know what time it is, Carrot?" Applejack leaned into him, trying to shrug off her blush. "It's time to eat. We'll do some more star gazing later, when its good and dark."

Applejack turned to the openness of the glade and shouted at the top of her lungs. "Soups on everypony!" She walked slowly over to the campfire, removed the frying pan from the flame, and started distributing servings onto plates for everyone. "We got fried spinach apples with oats and cinnamon, and we also have marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers for s'mores. And apple juice to wash down with." Applejack tried to gain her composure back. She felt really silly about what just happened, even though it wasn't that big of a deal. She just knew that Carrot was a very nervous stallion already, and she would not want to make the wrong impression on him or make him feel like she liked him for the wrong reasons. So, in defense, she would try to shrug it off and keep herself from accidentally falling on top of him again. She must be hanging out with Rarity too much.

​

[brianblackberry]

Carrot Fields couldn't help but smile broadly as Applejack was not only familiar with the old tale of the stars, but found it just as tender as he did. The gray stallion gave a sigh of contentment as he watched each of the distant stars fade into view in the dimming twilight sky. The opening of the night sky was always one of his favorite moments, and now it was even more special as he had somepony to share it with who appeared to be just as enthralled as he.

Enthralled yes, but she was also easily as beautiful as the grand majesty of the beautiful, twinkling canvas that stood open before them from horizon to horizon. That sounded romantic and poetic, and Carrot wanted to repeat those flattering words outloud, but that may have taken things too far. Instead he had another tale to tell. " When Ah was a colt, Ah woods spend mony a nicht lookin' fur 'at one staurn 'at represented mah parents' loove fur each other." Carrot laughed mildly, "Ah cooldnae ever figure it which staurn woods be 'at perfect one ay coorse, coz it hud tae be absolutely jist reit, sae eventually Ah picked one at random, it wasnae bonnie enaw, sae a picked again at random... Fife or six moar times, before Ah was satisfied 'at one hud tae be th' reit staurn, jist cuz' some staurn had to." It was a silly story, but still cute, and more important, sort of romantic.

Of course he couldn't help but notice she was leaning on him now... He started to blush fierce, hidden only by the dark of the night. She was so close... C'mon dumbtail, put your forearm around her, what are you waiting for, so obviously likes being close to you! Carrot lifted his forearm and was about to put it around Applejack's shoulders when she suddenly stood up to remind him that dinner was undoubtedly ready. "Och, that's umm... soonds delicioos! Aam sure Purple brooght some food an aw, but Ah sure loch tae try whit ye hae cookin'!"

Smooth move dumbtail, if you weren't so reluctant, you could have been holding her right now!

[Bramble Rose]

Purple Haze grinned eagerly at Apple Bloom's question. "Oi dinnae ken 'bout 'fancy' or sommat ... but ye've nae heard of a snipe hunt?" She giggled mischieviously. "A'ight. See, whatcha do is, ye get a foal wot's nae been campin' before, an' ye tell 'em ye're all headin' out intae th' woods tae find some snipes an' capture 'em! An' if'n they ask wot a snipe is, ye jes make fun of 'em fer nae havin' heard of a snipe before. An' then, once they're good an' lost... ye slip away one at a time, till they're all by 'emselves! Best if ye do it as night falls. Then ye sneak after 'em an' watch 'em panic a bit!" She covered her mouth with her hooves a bit as she giggled.

But her delight at relaying the long tradition of the snipe hunt (which she'd *never* been victim of, oh no... not that she'd admit, anyway ... ) was broken when she heard the clarion cry of Applejack's meal call. "Wot?! Already!?" She turned around, hefting up the sticks she'd been carrying, and started galloping back towards camp.

Reaching camp, she dropped her firewood next to the pile and surveyed dinner, peering carefully into the frying pan as she judged the camp food. "A'ight..." she finally conceded. "But Oi've got breakfast inna mornin'! Oi e'en brought some special carrot-n-bean sausages for ye, Applejack, since ye like spicy sausages so much!" Admittedly, the 'special' sausages were spice-free, after the last time they'd tried to eat Carrot family special recipe veggie sausages... but they didn't have to let the Apples know that *yet*.

​

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom couldn't even believe the deviousness of Purple Haze! The Snipe Hunt sounded mighty mean to do to a pony when they were lost in the woods...but at the same time, she loved it. Everypony had their own little means of scaring ponies during camping, it was basically a right of passage that you had to be the target of a cruel and unusual prank meant to scare you. Luckily, Apple Bloom was simply too smart and aware to fall to anypony's pranks...yet. But the snipe hunt could have been used on her had Big Mac not been lumbering behind her like a specter, a silent protector the size of a mountain. Plus he wasn't a prankin' pony, so ha! Safe from the snipe hunt. Plus she had been camping so the whole ordeal didn't even apply to her, but a helpful little nugget to pull out once on a pony you cared about- because doing so again might get you dunked in a lake for hours!

"Ah'll hafta remember that one. I know a few fillies who'd be just perfect for a lil' snipe hunt in the woods, hehehe. Then y'all could help me! 'Course Ah doubt they'd wanna camp with us anyway. Ah reckon they never do anythin' outdoorsy, anyway," Apple Bloom, imagining what it would be like if Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara came out camping with them. It'd be a hoot and a holler just seeing them get the teeniest bit dirty, and she had to admit scaring them a bit with the snipe hunt would make the whole trip worthwhile. Of course she might get in trouble later but it'd feel really good to get one over on them. As she pondered their faces, Applejack bellowed out that dinner was ready. A bit soon, but Applejack was a grade-A camp cook and she wasn't gonna wait for it to get cold. She tossed her sticks on top of her hulking brother's back and galloped back to camp as swift as she could manage. Once there, she beheld a veritable feast of delicious and somewhat nutritious food laid out for them! Apple Bloom didn't waste a second, diving right in with loud, prickish bites, mouthfuls being gulped down in the time it could take others to breathe.

"This is real good, Applejack! Ah could have 'bout seven plates of 'em...do we have that much?" She wondered for a second before burping, changing direction smooth as ice to Purple, "those spicy sausages? Ah can't wait! Ah been eatin' ghost chili 'bout once a week ta prepare for it!" She beamed wide and true. Maybe it wasn't ghost chili that the merchant sold her but it was still pretty spicy! Now she was super prepared!

[SunsetSombra]

Mac could overhear the young'uns well enough to understand the meaning of snipe hunt a bit better at least - he chuckles inwardly, certainly amused at the idea that the pair of them would consider doing such a thing despite the fact not very many viable targets were nearby...although he had to ponder if AppleJack would be a potential victim of such a prank. The red stallion briefly pondered on this a moment, before shaking his head with a wry smile - his sister was certainly a tad smarter than that, she'd know better than to fall into a pair of silly fillies game like that.

This was about the time that he heard aforementioned sister announcing the time to eat - mac had to admit, he was a tad peckish and looking forward to some glorious campfoods!

" Well, s'about time! " he says with a grin. " Ah was startin' t'think we'd have t'go foragin' for berries an' somethin'! " - the comment, of course, not really a serious one...if anything, the day had gone by a lot quicker to Macintosh than he'd actually expected...it honestly felt like only a half hour ago they'd even arrived at their destination, and now they were prepping for a nightly meal!

He then heard brief mention of a particularly familiar sausage type, which immediately made him shudder in rememberance - those darn things had been pretty dang spicy, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to tackle such a thing JUST this moment, but if it turned out that he was to be presented with them anyway, then Challenge Accepted, even if it meant drinkin' the nearest lake dry immediately afterwards!

[Hippo]

"You got a deal, Purple!" Applejack responded readily, not heeding to the frightening thought in her mind that made her realize she just implied to remove her tongue from feeling anything for a week, once again. She had had some spicy things before, but it was never going to be like her to let ponies know her limits. A strong earth pony like Applejack should be up for any challenge, anyway right?

Applejack grabbed a few marshmallows outs, put them on camping forks, and stuck the fork in the ground next to the fire in such a way where the fork would hold steady during a slow roasting period over the fire while Applejack could kick back her hind hooves and sit back on her log. And that is exactly what she did. "So I was thinkin'. Since we've been hikin' it all day, I'm bettin' most of us are tired. So what do you say we all turn in early so we can get up early, maybe do some recreational fishing or something."

And then it hit Applejack. The best interest already collided. She knew that Carrot was wanting to show her some stars. He seemed really passionate about it and she didn't want to let him down. After all, if wasn't very often that she got to share such a clear night with another farmer pony who was probably sleeping the same times that she was.

She winked at him. She did this in hopes that he would get the message, that even though turning in early meant going to sleep, it also could mean allowing more peace and quiet to study the sky with the help of a telescope and a couple ponies' imaginations.

​

[brianblackberry]

Carrot Fields felt a little defeated as he walked over to the camp site and sat down by himself. Why oh why didn't he make a move when he had the chance!? She was giving all the right signals too! He wanted to kick himself; yet again, the night was still young and Applejack did say she was still interested in looking at the stars, perhaps after dinner when it is totally dark and all of the wonders of the heavens were clear to see, she'll be even more enthralled by the wondrous sight.

As the others returned Carrot just sat there silently on his own log, patiently waiting for his turn for dinner once everyone else got their chance. This was normally his sister's domain; the ruddy maned stallion never had any luck when it came to cooking skills. Even back in the R.E.A he would have trouble just keeping a simple stew, or square of pre-made cornbread from burning in the pot outside whatever lonely outpost he was stationed at. Some days he mess even that up so badly that he had to resort to raw dandelions, or hay.

What surprised him is that Purple brought some of her famous carrot and bean sausages. If he recalled last time, the Apples could barely take the incredible spiciness of them. Yet again, apparently Applejack wanted to try them. He wasn't sure if the orange mare truly liked them, just wanted to show an appreciation for Fet Loch cooking, or was being competitive. All Carrot knew was that he didn't want to discourage her from at least trying.

Carrot had a few marshmallows and apple fritters and was starting to forget about his earlier missed opportunity when he heard Applejack suggest everyone go to sleep early. He felt his heart sink. So much for spending part of the night showing the filly he really liked his favorite pastime… Carrot looked more than a little deflated, but he didn't want to be selfish and make a big deal about how they would miss the stars, "Er, weel Ah hink i'll stay up a coople mair hoors, an' join ye aw later… ye aw gang aheid an' sleep."

He looked back up towards his telescope with a morose expression, jist ye an' Ah again tonecht, thaur isnae e'en a maur in th' moon tae talk tae anymair. When he turned back around he saw Applejack give him a playful wink. Carrot looked confused for a moment before just giving a shy, awkward smile in return. He wasn't sure what she was intending to convey.

Last thing he wanted to do is make the wrong assumption, no matter what fantasies were now filling his head.

[Bramble Rose]

Purple Haze dug into the food eagerly - though she loved cooking for other ponies, it was the occassional treat to have good food that she didn't have to cook or clean up after, too. And Applejack's cooking certainly fell into the 'hearty and delicious' category. Mnnnn... even as she just enjoyed the raw flavor, her mind also kept focusing on little tricks of texture and flavor... she wondered just how much cinnamon Applejack had added there? Something to play with on her own time... ah, there was *so much* she had yet to learn! She wanted to start cooking *right now* to practice some more! And sign up for fancy pricy cooking lessons!

But at the suggestion that they should go to sleep early, she let out a disapproving groan. "Awwwww!" she protested, "Oi dinnae wanna pop off tae bed yet! It's a campout, an' we've nae e'en had any scary stories, a'yet! Me big brae's got a roit good'n 'bout Feral Ponies Oi know ye'd loik!"

​

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom dug into the food like a tunneler worm through a tree, and it wasn't entirely too long before she was finished. She couldn't help herself, really. It was just such a delight to have some good old fashioned camp out cuisine out in the woods with her family and friends. It made her appetite all the stronger knowing it had to line itself up with Apple family goodness in order to withstand the withering barrage of Purple's spicy assault, and that for the next few days it would be the fullest meal she would have. Maybe it wasn't wise to go the rest of the trip with a full tummy but it didn't hurt in the moment. That would be future tomorrow Apple Bloom's problem.

Applejack raised the prospect of going to bed early. She wanted to rebel but she also knew that for all intents and purposes they needed to be up early and get out into the forest as early as possible. They could skimp out on some sleep but the only benefit would be some extra night time shenanigans. Tomorrow, they'd feel run down and tired long before they made camp and if there was one way to guarantee yourself a bad time it was to be really tired by the time you could start to relax. On the other hoof, she wasn't tired yet- still some energy to expend or at the very least let the ravages of time slow her down. Maybe it was time to get the first scary story out of the way?

And then she mentioned the feral ponies.

Apple Bloom snorted as she drank from her cup of milk, the substance briefly coming out of her nose as she started to giggle.

"Ah think Ah already heard that one, Purple. Ah think Carrot remembers that one too!" She laughed some more, remembering that time with the foalsitting and the ghost stories and the chaos and eventual double grounding. Good times were had by all. Well, none at the time, but looking back at it the whole situation was very silly.

"Big Mac, ya should open up some and tell us all a spooky story! Ah'm sure ya got a good one lined up. Think Ah heard all tha ones Applejack has..."

[SunsetSombra]

Ah, the campfire storytime - Mac wasn't unfamiliar with the family firetime scary story, and gave a small nod of the head as he looked to both AppleBloom and Purple with a playful squinty eyes, holding up both hooves in a "I'm gonna getcha" gesture. " Ah have a small but tail-tinglin', spine-shockin', suitable-for-all-ages-but-it's-still-scary kinda tale...about somethin' that may or may not have happened sometime before the last nightmare night! "

Truth be told, he wasn't entirely sure this was gonna work in the long run, but he was gonna give it a shot, by applepips!

" Ah was once workin' in the apple orchard, in the middle of summer...t'was the middle of the night an' ah was all alone with nopony else nearby, 'cept Winona - when all of a sudden, ah heard a big BUMP, followed by the most bloodcurdlin' groaning ah've ever heard before in mah life. " Mac says, looking over the group...the flickering fire leaving sinister shadows on the Apple stallions features.

" 'pon going to check it out, ah found mahself confronted by a terrible sight that made even me, Big Macintosh, doubt mah own safety in even bein' there...but ah knew ah had to press on an' see what this fearsome creature was - it looked like a mix 'tween Pony an' a Bad Apple...and it looked at me with red eyes an' gnashing appley teeth, an' was jus' about the most horrible visage I'd ever, ever seen. "

He takes a small sip of an applejuice he had readily nearby, allowing his words to settle in on the crowd...the classic pause for effect.

" Ah tell ya this, it jus' about took me all ah had to stay put when ah saw the mouldy appleskin that surrounded it's very being...it smelt horrible, like the most horrendously bad cider anypony could ever make, even worse than the flim-flam twins cider...a stench so foul an' despicable it makes me wanna bury mah head in the mud! " Mac speaks again, looking around at the ponies gathered around, his tones hushed slightly as he tries to keep up the suspense. " Once this creature spotted me, it bolted for the barn...where ah never did see it again since! "

Macintosh takes a last few finishing sips and looks to see just what everypony made of his tale - mayhaps it wasn't exactly the best he'd ever dragged up from the edge of creative reasoning, but it was getting late and he had forgotten to bring his small 'campfire tales for dummies' book with him....besides, given the small pretext of it being a supposed event that had happened to him before, he at least supposed that mayhaps the younger ponies MIGHT at least consider what had been said a little more seriously than perhaps the adults might do! { He could only hope, at the very least!}

[Hippo]

Applejack rest back as Big Mac started telling a tale. She had heard this one before. Big Mac had tried to use it on her to scare her when she was little. But Applejack knew that if her ever did have this experience, it was probably just the shadow of a rotten tree in the orchard. And at that time, Winona would sleep in Applejack's room almost every night, so made no sense for her to be in the story either. Regardless, Applejack decided to let the story continue. It was for the foals mostly anyway.

Applejack grabbed her fork and slide the gooey marshmallow into her mouth, chewing it for a second before swallowing it. She then slowly got up and started walking towards the telescope. There she would meet Carrot again, who seemed to be smiling for a reason Applejack was unaware of. Applejack dropped her eyelids and whispered, "Where do you want to put it?" Applejack's intent was to relocate the stargazing session away from the campsite, where her and Carrot could speak their minds without sibling interruptions.

​

[brianblackberry]

Carrot Fields sat between his sister, Purple Haze, and the stunning Applejack, as a comfortable place as he could hope for that night. He too wasn’t quiet ready to hit the hay, and still held a slim hope that somepony would want to watch the stars with him, at least for a little while.

Purple had a good idea though, ghost stories, she even volunteered Carrot, a nomination he was about to gladly accept until she mentioned tale should be of the feral ponies… Ugh, he could go the rest of his life without hearing about the mythical creatures after that one night foalsitting the mischievous, rambunctious, and quite possibly crazy Cutie Mark Crusaders. He adored the trio greatly, but he certainly did not want to be reminded of that night again, at least so soon and certainly if it meant giving his sister knowledge of one thoroughly ignominious night for him . “Uhh… purple, aiblins it be best…”

Fortunately before Carrot had to actually explain to his sister perhaps why he didn’t want to regale a tale he always enjoyed telling her when they were younger, the up to then stoic Big Mac chimed in offering a story of his own. Carrot smiled excitedly, “och! please gang aheid, by aw means, teel us!”

Embarrassment in front of his sister; adverted!

The story itself was… Adequate, sort of. Carrot didn’t want to be rude though by offering commentary, inside content on trying a couple of the delicious smores. In the bliss of the marshmallow and chocolate goodness he was caught off guard when Applejack drew near him, and even more so by the amazingly sultry look she radiated, at least that was how his mind interpreted her approach, but that was nothing compared to what raced through his mind when she finally whispered to him.

The ruddy maned stallion verbally gulps and almost chocked on the remainder of his smore as all manner of reddish hue showed through the gray fur that covered his embarrassed, goofy grinning face. It took only a moment for him to realize what she really meant, which only added to the awkwardness of the situation for him. “Och.. och! ye meant th' telescope! ay coorse ye meant th' telescope! Whit else coods ye hae possibly meant; heh! Er.. umm, loch tae be oan top, Ah.. Ah mean Ah loch fur it tae be oan top ay th' brae!” Carrot quickly pointed to a small hill nearby, “Er.. 'at one! yeah! 'at one will dae braw!”*

Smooth....

Carrot's accent increases some if he is nervous; here is what some of the words mean if you are having difficultly following:

Brae = Hill

Braw = Fine

Aiblins = Perhaps

[Bramble Rose]

Purple was .. underwhelmed by Big Mac's story, but she didn't want to be rude... "That's a ... roit apple of a story there, it is!" she piped up at the end of it ... Oh, yes, an apple of a story. No idea what that would even mean, but Big Mac would probably take it positively.

As soon as Carrot and Applejack started slipping off, though, Purple's eyes glinted excitedly. She streeeeeeetched out and yawned broadly, and said, "Well, we've our scary story, roit enough! Oi wager s' time t'nip off fer some sleep!" she said. "Comon, Apple Bloom! We've a pair ah bedroils waitin' us!" She nodded her head towards the tent and winked at the other filly. "Noit, Big Mac!"

As soon as they were a bit away from the adults, Purple whispered to Apple Bloom, "Roit! You in fer helpin'? Thing bout me brae is he's helpless. Allays goin' on dates wi' mares an' forgettin' tae bring flowers er chocolates er anythin'. So Oi allays ahve tae follow after an' slip 'em in unnoticed! Ye goan tae help?"

​

[SteelEagle]

Big Mac;s story was...uhh, it was nice. It was certainly a story. Words did in fact come out of his mouth, and judging by the conviction in them, he thought he had a winner. Well, he didn't. She loved her big brother as unreasonably and unconditionally as any little sister should but his story sunk faster than a pegasus in a lake. What sorta scares could he conjure up with a story about an apple horse that was probably just a figment of his imagination? It was just so silly. It was like he was either making it off of the top of his proud brow or he was just a silly older brother with a story that couldn't scare a sock. Luckily, Purple saved it with a pun!

"Yeah, a real apple of a tale, Big Mac. Goodnight everypony!" She applauded her brother politely, not wanting to tell him that she'd seen dresses that gave her fright more than his story did. Purple yawned and it spread infectiously, Apple Bloom returning it and holding it in through her hoof. It was about that time, wasn't it? Good time to get some rest with Purple and look at a bright new day with all the energy she could afford it. She followed the filly towards the tents, but when they were out of the other's line of...hearing...Purple dropped some information on Apple Bloom. Ah, so they were gonna sneaky squirrel their way into their siblings' personal business? That was just up Apple Bloom's alley!

"You bet yer rooster Ah'm all in ta help you. Celestia knows mah sis is as good at datin' as she is at math," Apple Bloom giggled, extending a hoof bump to the Fet Lock Filly.

[SunsetSombra]

This was certainly a little expected - Macs story wasn't exactly finely polished, and he knew that....he hadn't really prepared any truly A+ material, though, and for that he supposed he was obviously going to get a little bit of a curious audience in that regard.

Ah well. nothing ventured nothing gained, right? He'd tried and that was the most important part of all of it, as far as the stallion cared - it was simply something he'd have to work on at a later date to really make a much more chilling example of a campfire tale, and no doubt he would have plenty of time over the next couple of days to perhaps think of something just a little more impactful than 'appleskin pony zombies; to scare the bejeezus outta the pony gathering. Sure, it was gonna take a little bit of work and pondering on to think of, but Macintosh had read enough books and figured that there was plenty of time to let his imagination cook up something a l'il tastier for a campfire group the next time around.

" Well. ah s'pose I'll jus' have to make things a l'il more interestin' in the next tale I tell! " Mac says, sipping on his applejuice and relaxing once more. Considering he wasn't occupied with anything at the current moment, he figured the best idea for himself after the campsite was to simply relax with a book and then catch a few z's...which, given the rather odd atmosphere around the campsite right now, didn't seem to be a plan that everypony else was likely to follow suit on - somethin' else was afoot, Macintosh guessed, but whatever it was likely wasn't any of his business at this time!