Ponyville [Sweet Apple Acres] The Apple Barn Contract

[Hippo]

Applejack watched as Klondike nodded in hungry agreement and then walked in the opposite direction of the carrot cottage. Applejack walked over to the nearest rope which hung on the fence and began twirling it in a successful lasso. Then Klondike turned around and head towards the cottage. Applejack's stopped her motion and the rope fell to the ground next to her, her end still lodged in her bite. She watched as Klondike innocently walked passed her, gave a comment and continued to the house. Applejack rolled her eyes, and then finally spit the rope out of her mouth.

Once she got inside, it looked like everypony was gathering around the table eying Granny's meal with excitement. "Boy, I'm so hungry I could eat the burnt pieces of wood from the old barn. Good thing we got Granny's vittles to satisfy our taste buds. Thanks Granny!" Applejack walked up to the table and sat down on one of the apple-shaped pillows. Almost as she leaned forward to sit, she grabbed one of the sandwiches with her mouth, chewing it as she grabbed it. She was so hungry, she didn't even bother to put on her hoofkerchief she always wears when eating. She talked with her mouth full. "Hurry up and eat everypony." Crumbs spewed everywhere. "We need to try and get this done by the end of the day. I think we can do it!"

[Chonico]

As Klondike walked into Carrot Cottage for lunch, he made sure to wipe his hooves before going in. No sense dragging dirt inside, especially since his coat still had some spots of ash left over from working around the burned wood.

“Thank you Miss Granny Smith.” He smiled told the elderly mare holding the door open for them.

Once inside, his eyes automatically moved towards the table and his hooves soon followed. His stomach let out an audible grumble as he sat down on the side of the table on one of the apple shaped pillows. The food before him looked incredibly tasty and for the first time all day, he found himself keeping a single thought planted in his head.

It would be polite to wait for everypony else to sit down, but right now a primal part of him, the need for sustenance, was at the helm.

“Wow Miss Granny Smith, Miss Holly, you two outdid yourselves.” He commented as he leaned forward and reached for a sandwich.

*squeak*

He stopped half way to the sandwiches as his right ear twitched and focused at the table, causing him to look rather intently at the table he was currently leaning over.

*squeak*

Somepony sat down and his right ear gave another twitch as it continued to focus on the table and tried to pinpoint the noise.

“No, cushions don’t make noise like that.” He mumbled to himself as he continued to lean over the table, the sandwiches only a few inches away from him. “That sounded like wood… Perhaps the table? Or perhaps-“

Suddenly, and orange blur caused a sandwich to disappear and Klondike to snap out of his thoughts. His right ear twitched at the plate with the sandwiches in front of him. That’s right, he was hungry. He was in the middle of getting a sandwich.

*squeak*

Again another pony sat down and again his right ear twitched as the faint sound reached it. It pointed again directly at the table, threatening to pull his attention away again from the delicious looking sandwiches.

However, his stomach had had enough and without realizing the forces behind it, Klondike did the impossible and ignored his twitching ear as he reached over and grabbed a sandwich in his mouth. He set it on his plate and liked his lips to clear some stray crumbs as he prepared to dig into it properly. He leaned in towards it, mouth open and taste buds at the ready.

"Hurry up and eat everypony. We need to try and get this done by the end of the day. I think we can do it!"

Klondike stopped and looked at his plate, his mouth still open. A healthy helping of spewed crumbs had landed all over it and the sandwich.

“…” He closed his mouth and continued to look at his plate as an eyebrow rose in question of what had just happened.

“Umm… I think we can do it, yeah…” His answer was uncharacteristically monotone as he continued to look at his plate. His mother had always told him not to waste food, but she never said anything about what to do if a pony spewed crumbs on it.

Klondike finally looked away from his plate and began to look around the table. Everypony was already sitting and about to dig in. A sudden thought occurred to him as his ear twitched in the direction of the pony next to him. He turned around in the direction his right ear was twitching and was greeted by a wall of red.

“Mr. Big Mac!” He said rather cheerfully as he smiled at the giant work pony. “Here you go. Help yourself to a sandwich… You and Miss Applejack share everything, right? Right…”

He nudged his plate towards him with his hoof, not waiting for an answer, and immediately reached over the table and grabbed a large helping of hay and set it on a new plate. He also hoofed two biscuits and bit of fruit onto his plate.

As he pulled away from his plate, he kept a nice mouthful of hay and chewed contently.

*squeak*

Somepony shifted their weight while they sat, and Klondike’s right ear twitched again towards the table. He stopped chewing, a few straws of hay sticking out of his mouth, and looked intently at the table in front of him.

*squeak*

Again his right ear twitched, but this time it was only a fleeing sight as the upper part of Klondike’s body suddenly disappeared below the table. The only thing now visible of the repair pony was his haunches and tail.

“Aha! I see it now!” He suddenly proclaimed, not really being specific as to “what” exactly he was seeing.

“Now I just need to nail it…” He mumbled rather audibly as his tail swished around a bit. Specifics would be nice at this point… before there is a misunderstanding.

“Loose floorboard caused by warping due to humidity and time…*squeak squeak*” Klondike spoke to the object of his focus from underneath the table as he prodded it with his hoof to confirm he’d found the culprit. “I will get to you after the barn is finished.”

[SunsetSombra]

Given that everypony else had voted in favour of taking the break, Macintosh was quite willing to follow suit and head on after Applejack, Mojo and Klondike back towards the cottage for some much needed refreshments and rest before they could resume their planned work for the evening.

His sisters point about this needing to be done sooner rather than later was a pretty valid one - the apples weren't ones to take extended breaks just because one itty thing on the farm was a little broken....nope, if something needed fixing then they'd get right on it and take care of the situation right away, rather than leave it for another day.

They were going to need a replacement barn pretty quick for storing their supplies and whatnot else - it certainly wasn't a good idea to be leaving it TOO late to get things done when it was clearly going to be needed sooner rather than later. Still, right now Mac focused only on the food presented, as he took a couple of slices of pie, some sandwiches, and a glass of freshly made apple juice - to the apple family, there was really nothing better than a feast of delicious their own home made baked goods, a true breakfast of champions!

" Well, granny... " Mac said, washing down a mouthful of sandwich with juice as he looked over towards the matriarch of the family with a lazy smile.

" Ya'all have outdone yasself this mornin' - ah think once we've eaten alla this, ain't nothin' gonna stop us from gettin' things done today, Eeeyup! "

And it was true, too - considering the generously portioned breakfast spread before them, they weren't going to have any trouble focusing on getting the job done.

[Mojo]

"Eat up, everypony!" Granny Smith shouted, "thar's plenty here so y'all kin have as much as ya want!"

"That's groovy, Granny," Mojo said as he quickly ate his fill and then trotted over to one side of the room and began to warm up his guitar. "And now, I dedicate this song to the queen of all the working horses here, our own, Granny Smith."

The elderly gray maned mare blushed a little as the hippie brony began his song:

"I keep my nose on the grindstone, I work hard every day

Might get a little tired on the weekend, but really that's OK

But I'll go back workin, come Monday morning I'm right back with the crew

I'll drink a little cider that evening,

Sing a little bit of these working horse blues

Hey hey, the working horse, the working horse like me

I ain't never been on Lazy Street, that's one place I won't be

Cause I'll be working long as my four hooves are fit to use

I drink a little cider in a tavern

Sing a little bit of these working horse blues..."

Granny Smith was soon lost in the country flair of Mojo's song as she drifted over towards AppleJack and whispered.

"This stallion's a keeper, grand daughter. He talks a might funny, but he kinda reminds me of my dear departed husband. I'm gonna fix ya two up fer a date when all this here's over," the lime green mare spoke as she began clapping her front hooves together and doing a little dance (VERY little dancing due to her advanced age, that is).

[Hippo]

[colour=#ff6600]Applejack paused as she noticed Klondike not being really invested in his sandwich. After a few ear flicks, he decided to shovel his sandwich to Big Macintosh's side of the table. Applejack uttered between bites, [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Is there somethin' wrong with your sammich, partner?"[/colour][colour=#ff6600] Applejack looked at Klondike with concerned annoyance. She wasn't sure why he was acting so goofy. But his mannerisms since the day she met him at the running of the leaves proved to be consistently awkward. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"And what's with that ear flickin'? I think maybe you should see a doctor about that."[/colour][colour=#ff6600] Applejack inhaled another sandwich, this one with extra horseradish on it.

Applejack spoke openly to everypony. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"You know guys, I think we're makin' good progress on that there barn. In fact, we might have time to unwind together before the day is done. And if we do, I think we should reward ourselves with a late afternoon dip in the orchard pond deep in the back in the North Field. What do y'all say?"[/colour]

[colour=#ff6600]After Mojo sang a song, Granny got right up in Applejack's ear about how a swoon towards the painted stallion wouldn't be such a bad idea. Applejack blushed with embarrassment as she whispered back urgently. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Granny! Stop it! He came to help us with the barn, that's all. And besides, he-"[/colour]

[colour=#ff6600]Applejack then noticed the attention deficit pony looking down at the floor talking to a wooden floor panel about how he was going to fix it later. Applejack bolt at him. [/colour][colour=#ff0000] "NO! You can't!" [/colour][colour=#ff6600]Applejack stepped back and lowered her voice. [/colour][colour=#ff0000] "I mean, no, that panel is supposed to make that noise. Yup. It's supposed to make that noise to produce a country-ee homey-ee type feeling. Ee."[/colour] [colour=#ff6600]Applejack didn't want Klondike to fix anything more than he had to. The trouble getting him to focus on the barn was a challenge enough. And when the barn was done? Well, let's just say Applejack will be making sure everything on the farm is damage-proof.[/colour]

[Chonico]

Klondike’s head emerged from underneath the table at the sudden outburst from Applejack.

[colour=red]"I mean, no, that panel is supposed to make that noise. Yup. It's supposed to make that noise to produce a country-ee homey-ee type feeling. Ee."[/colour]

He listened to her explanation with a raised eyebrow. The squeaking noise had not stopped seeing as he was still pushing on the specific board with his hoof. He was starting to squeak out a tune with it as he smiled at the orange pony and accepted defeat.

[colour=#000066]“I suppose I can’t fix something if it isn’t broken…”[/colour] He commented as he crawled from under the table and took his seat again. His hoof continued to idly press on the board every few seconds as he continued to wear his smile and began to talk to nopony in particular. [colour=#000066]“Guess one thing at a time, or day for that matter… Plus, the barn still has plenty of work left for me to have fun with and I suppose I should get those jobs back at my shop out of the way before I tackle any new ones…”[/colour]

Klondike paused for a second as he pondered and tackled a thought in his head while idly tapping a hoof to his chin… and still idly pushing on the board to make it squeak.

[colour=#000066]“I suppose if I were to add this to the job queue, if it were broken, the squeaky floor board would be number… 24? No, right, still have that carriage wheel for that one flower shop. Came in right before I left today, hmm… Won’t be able to get to that till late tomorrow evening… unless that taffy machine from that one cupcake shop keeps trying to take off like a helicopter instead of making taffy…”[/colour]

The repair pony finally went quiet as his right ear twitched and his vision migrated towards his plate in front of him. It still had a big helping of hay, and without him realizing it, his hoof had been idly adding things like apples, sandwiches, and more hay to it. That could only mean one thing.

[colour=#000066]“Hmm, suppose if I were to try and fix the non-broken squeaky floorboard, I wouldn’t get to it till the day after tomorrow. Too much on my plate…”[/colour]

He suddenly smiled to himself as he continued to look at his plate.

[colour=#000066]“Well, THAT I can fix!”[/colour] He suddenly proclaimed in a merry tone as he began to dig into his food again.

[colour=#000066]“Mmm, yes, [/colour][colour=#0000ff]*munch munch gulp*[/colour][colour=#000066] so much easier to focus with a full belly”[/colour]

Within minutes, Klondike’s plate was nearly empty, hinting that his absentminded hoof was more in-tune to how hungry he was. A content smile on his face had taken up residence and showed no signs of leaving… At least until his right ear twitched and he looked up from his plate towards Applejack.

[colour=#000066]“Oh! Right! The twitching ear is just some part of my absentminded brain trying to get me to pay attention before another pudding machine explodes.”[/colour] He said with a thoughtful look on his face. [colour=#000066]“Although I hardly ever pay attention to it… work tends to make me lose sight of a few things, heh.”[/colour]

Without waiting for further inquiries, the repair pony suddenly turned to Mojo as he picked up an apple to take a bite out of it.

[colour=#000066]“Say Mr. Mojo, do you know any sea shanties? Used to hear those so often when I did my carpentry apprenticeship at the docks of Hoofington. But...”[/colour] He paused as he tapped the apple on his hoof to his chin. [colour=#000066]“Can you play sea shanties on a guitar?”[/colour]

[SunsetSombra]

Mac couldn't help but be amused at the situation - Klondike was clearly observant at least about things relating to his tasks, but his personal observations about his own personal care perhaps seemed to be a little less than attentive at times, which made for an amusing outsider view right about now. Klondike only just about noticing his own hunger by the sound of his own stomach growls, whilst the mere sound of a squeaky nail got his immediate interest.

Mac smiles, shaking his head slightly as he continues to eat his own meal, enjoying the hard work that granny had put into the meal that sat before him...giving the green elderly mare a quick nod as he took a bite and gave a small sigh of content.

"[colour=#b22222] Ah gotta hand it to ya, Granny - ya'always know how t'make hard work rewarded with a good meal[/colour]! "

the red stallion looks around, watching as the others continue their own meals and banter for a moment, just satisfied to make short work of his own eats and soak in the bonding that was taking place...after all, this was going to be a long project, and they all needed to be able to get along if this Barn was gonna get finished anytime soon!

[Mojo]

[colour=#006400][colour=#00FF00][colour=#00FF00]

[/colour][/colour][/colour]

[colour=#006400][colour=#00FF00][colour=#00FF00]"If'n ya say so, AppleJack, but I still think ya better grab'm before he gits hitched to some other filly," [/colour][/colour][/colour]Granny Smith whispered back, giggling as she cleared away the empty dishes and cups, hearing Big Mac's compliment while walking by. [colour=#00FF00]"Thank ya, Big Mac! I aim ta please. HEY Mojo! How about another song?"[/colour]

[colour=#8B4513]"I have a request for a sea chanty!" [/colour]the hippie brony announced to the group as he readied his guitar. [colour=#8B4513]"I learned a groovy little sea song back when I was a foal, it's a marvy little tune, sing with me if ya like:[/colour]

[colour=#8B4513]Hoof Town mares don't use no combs,

Heave away, haul away![/colour]

[colour=#000000][colour=#8B4513]They combs their manes with cod fish bones.

And we're bound for the islands! [/colour][/colour]

[colour=#8B4513]Heave away you bully, bully colts.

Heave away, haul away!

Heave away and don't ye make a noise,

And we're bound for the islands! [/colour]

[colour=#8B4513]Hoof Town ships ain't got no sails,

Heave away, haul away![/colour]

[colour=#000000][colour=#8B4513]They was all blown off in the Nor'east gales.

And we're bound away for islands! [/colour][/colour]

[colour=#8B4513]Heave away you bully, bully colts.

Heave away, haul away!

Heave away and don't ye make a noise,

And we're bound for the islands! [/colour]

[colour=#8B4513]Hoof Town foals ain't got no sleds,

Heave away, haul away![/colour]

[colour=#000000][colour=#8B4513]They slide down hills on cod fish heads.

And we're bound for the islands! [/colour][/colour]

[colour=#8B4513]Heave away you bully, bully colts.

Heave away, haul away!

Heave away and don't ye make a noise,

And we're bound for the islands! [/colour]

[colour=#8B4513]Hoof Town mares don't wear no clothes,

Heave away, haul away!

We're Hoof Town bound straight as she goes.

And we're bound for the islands![/colour]

[colour=#8B4513] [/colour]

[colour=#8B4513]Heave away you bully, bully colts.

Heave away, haul away!

Heave away and don't ye make a noise,

And we're bound for the islands! "[/colour]

[colour=#8B4513] [/colour]

[colour=#8B4513][colour=#000000]Granny Smith stomped her hooves in approval of the song, giving a playful wink to her oldest granddaughter.[/colour][/colour]

[Hippo]

[colour=#ff6600]Applejack looked at Klondike concerned as he made what looked like involuntary movements with his body. But when Klondike finally dug into his plate and consumed his food, Applejack sparked bright and smiled. It always made her happy when people obeyed their stomachs. Food was important. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Eat as much as you can! Don't worry, you wont get fat on Granny's vittles, their special that way!"[/colour]

[colour=#ff6600]Applejack saw Granny stand her out with her dating suggestions. It made Applejack a little red inside, but she just brushed it away on the account of it being something Granny would say. And then Mojo sung again, a very beautiful song, if Applejack could be honest. And afterwards face yet another suggesting wink from her Granny. She just wouldn't let it die.

Applejack saw it as a challenge, of course. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Vera nice! I gots a song, listen up!" [/colour][colour=#ff6600] Applejack cleared her throat and stood up straight.[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]"Big wheels keep on turning

Carry me home to see my kin

Singing songs about the southland

I miss Appleloosa once again

And I think it's a sin, yes

Well, I heard Manehatten sing about her

On the place of this pony town

Well, I hope everypony will remember

A southern mare don't need them around anyhow

Sweet home Appleloosa

Where the skies are so blue

Sweet home Appleloosa

Pies, I'm coming home to you"[/colour]

[colour=#ff6600]Applejack smiled as she finished her song about the settler pony town. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Mah cousin Braeburn taught me that."[/colour]

[Chonico]

Klondike lightly tapped his hooves on the table to the beat of the song from the Pinto pony, only stopping for a sec to hoof his cleared plate to Granny Smith before grabbing a much smaller helping of food to seal the deal. And, true to Applejack's word, the food hit his tummy heavenly. No longer fighting different fronts, his stomach now appeased, Klondike began to feel it become easier to focus on things.

Well, as mush as an absentminded pony like him could anyways. As he tapped along, his thoughts swam with ideas of how to tackle the reminder of the task of repairing the Apple Family barn.

As the song finished, he stomped his hooves and smiled as he began to dig into his food again... And stopped to listen enthralled as Applejack sung her song. Again when the song was finished, he stomped his hooves and smiled contently at the farm pony. As soon as he finished his last helping of food, he smiled at his employer and cleared his throat.

[colour=#000066]"Good food and music, help relax and work fast."[/colour] He said contently with a smile. [colour=#000066]"Speaking of which..."[/colour]

Klondike cleared his throat again as his hind leg began to tap out a rhythm, similar to that of a hammer on wood.

[colour=#0066cc]Well it's not the hours of watch on watch,[/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]And its not the work that I mind so much.

Or the long cold miles from my lover's touch,[/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]though for sure she's far away.[/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]No stranger I to the touch of steel, [/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]nor the honest fear any pony can feel.

But I long for dust under my hooves, [/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]and a pocket full of bits.[/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]So I'll take it from day to day.

The pack-ice round us cracks and groans, [/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]the old St. Roch, she creaks and moans.

The icy fog is in my bones,[/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]and the ache wont go away.[/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]Back home I be its warm and fair,[/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]an embrace of love so true and rare.[/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]But it's long cold miles to her out there,[/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]so I guess I'll have to stay.[/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]And just take it from day to day

We're as far north now as I want to come, [/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]but Shiver's got us under his rump.

And I signed up for the whole run, [/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]I can't get off halfway.[/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]But when I get back onto the shore, [/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]I'm going south where it stays warm.

And there'll be somepony whom I love,[/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]who doesn't wants bits, but just my heart.[/colour]

[colour=#0066cc]So I'll take it from day to day.[/colour]

Klondike stopped tapping his hind leg and put on a content smile.

[colour=#000066]"Well, I don't know about you ponies..."[/colour] He suddenly stretched a bit and caused cornucopia of pops and snaps to sound out loud. [colour=#000066]"But I'm ready to get your barn finished. Miss Applejack, Ms. Granny Smith, Mr. Big Machintosh... thank you for the meal."[/colour]

[SunsetSombra]

With his own food finished and the other ponies having stopped their rather interesting bouts of singing, Macintosh took a moment to stretch as he surveys the other few ponies - it seemed as though the meal had aided with the overall bonding between everypony involved...although there was a small moment that he felt perhaps they were expecting him to sing something, which prompted a small chuckle from the red stallion as he shook his head slightly.

"[colour=#b22222] If ya'all were thinkin' ah was about to sing anythin', ya be a l'il bit mistaken - ah'm not really much of a singer that way.[/colour] " He says with a small grin, pausing to drink the rest of the drink on the table before him...just trying to keep his composure after finding himself a little too amused by it all.

As for Klondike, the pony thanked them all for a good dinner, to which Big Mac simply waves a hoof in response.

"[colour=#b22222] T'aint nothin', Granny here makes sure our guests are all kept fed when they visit the ol' farm...[/colour] " He says with a small nod, glancing around at AJ and the others a briefly. " [colour=#b22222]An' if we're done here, we all better be makin' our move soon t'get the rest done - ain't a whole heapa time left in the day, an' we wanna at least get most of this done 'fore it gets too dark, right[/colour]? "

[Mojo]

[colour=#006400][colour=#00FF00][colour=#00FF00]

[/colour][/colour][/colour]

[colour=#006400][colour=#00FF00][colour=#00FF00]"Thank ya fer all yur kind words, everypony," [/colour][/colour][/colour]Granny Smith said as she turned towards AppleJack, Klondike and Mojo, [colour=#00FF00]"and thank ya fer all that thar fancy singin' too! Been a long time since we've had that kind of singin' round here!"[/colour]

[colour=#8B4513]"It was our pleasure, ya Grand Dame!" [/colour]Mojo neighed as he politely bowed to the Apple Family Matriarch. [colour=#8B4513]"And thank YOU for all that good grub! Yur top of the charts in me book, love!"[/colour]

[colour=#00FF00]"I don't understand a lotta what that thar pony's sayin', but I sure do likes the way he says it," [/colour]the elderly mare said as Mojo prepared to depart with the other ponies. As they walked outside, Mojo trotted up to Big MacIntosh.

[colour=#8B4513]"Don't be so down on yurself, dude. Everypony's gotta song in their hearts. Ya gotta find yur inner peace and just let it out!" [/colour]the hippie brony urged. [colour=#8B4513]"Betcha gotta groovy singin' voice if ya give yurself a chance. Notice how lovely yur sister sang! That babe sings like a bird she does. I'll wager between the four of us ponies we could knock'm dead at the next Folk Music Festival, with a little practice I mean. Whatcha say. big dude, will'n to give it a go?"[/colour]

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Applejack listened to Klondike sing his turn. Apparently we were taking turns. Applejack knew that there was now way Big Mac was singing, not in front of non-family anyway. Applejack sometimes wonders what happened to the free-spirit Big Mac she knew when they were both younger. There was a time that little Macintosh would do just about anything like the colt he was. The more he aged, the more reserved he seemed to get.[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]"Wow, Klondike, that sure is a perty song. You sing that about you special somepony?"[/colour][colour=#000000] Applejack wasn't really sure what Klondike's love life was even like. Maybe she wouldn't want to know. What poor mare would spend their days trying to figure out this stallion's train of thought. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"By the way, what all do we need to do to finish the barn?"[/colour]

​

[Chonico]

Klondike got up from his spot and simply smiled at Granny Smith before he began to make his way towards the door.

[colour=#ff0000]"Wow, Klondike, that sure is a perty song. You sing that about you special somepony?" [/colour]

He stopped and looked at Applejack with a very slight hint of confusion on his face. It only lasted a second before his content smile returned and he spoke up.

[colour=#000066]“No, my teacher sung that all the time while teaching me about carpentry.”[/colour] He answered as he cocked his head a bit to the side as if recalling something then shook his head and continued to smile.[colour=#000066] “I don’t have somepony special, though I have been in Ponyville for over a year now.”[/colour]

Klondike suddenly stopped walking as he brought up a hoof to tap on his chin and glanced at Applejack. His right ear had begun to twitch furiously.

[colour=#000066]“Although there have been lot of pretty mares that come to my repair shop for my repair services… present company included of course.”[/colour] He said with a smile that quickly vanished as another thought over took the prior one. [colour=#000066]“It’s just that…”[/colour]

Klondike suddenly lowered his voice as his eyes looked from side to side before he looked Applejack in the eyes and approached her. He leaned in close to whisper in her ear.

[colour=#000066]“Miss Applejack…”[/colour] His tone took on the air of somepony who was about to reveal all the mysteries of the universe.

[colour=#000066]“You should know that I…”[/colour] He paused and looked around before continuing. [colour=#000066]“That I… have a huge problem with being horribly absentminded…”[/colour]

Klondike pulled back from his whisper and looked at her with a clear hint of worry on his expression. Clearly some universal mysteries were not all that mysterious.

[colour=#000066]“It’s only for certain things… well, no, it’s for everything and not many mares, well… a lot more than many… 80%? 92-ish%? Well, point is that not a whole lot of mares find that appealing.”[/colour] His hoof idly scrapped at the floor. [colour=#000066]“Gets worse if I’m hungry or tired, heh…”[/colour] His hoof continued to scrap at the floor before it suddenly stopped and his content smile returned again.

[colour=#000066]“But I'm working towards trying to overcome that... AND, when I’m fixing, or repairing something, rest assured that that’s the only thing on my mind… unfortunately. Don’t know why that is… But I take great pride in my job and rest assured I will do my best to finish the job you hired me for!”[/colour]

With sudden renewed vigor, Klondike trotted out the cottage doors and went towards the barn.

[colour=#000066]“Yes Miss Applejack! So much pride that all my repairs are guaranteed for a lifetime!”[/colour] He suddenly stopped half-trot and brought a hoof to his chin as his right ear continued twitching. [colour=#000066]“I guess though, not very clear if that means MY lifetime or the customer’s…”[/colour]

Klondike brought his hoof down and took one quick glance at the barn before he continued trotting towards it.

[colour=#000066]“Well, no sense worrying about that! We got ourselves a barn to finish up!”[/colour]

His speed increase a little as he went through the open barn doors, disappeared for a second, and then his head popped out one of the open doors.

[colour=#000066]“And to finish up, we just need the support beam put up and secured, rebuild the second landing and put some flooring on it, finish putting up the wall panels, and clean up.”[/colour]

His head disappeared and reappeared again with the rope from before in his teeth.

[colour=#000066]“I gof da bean, you ponies eath cake a cask and I’ll come health when I’m gone!”[/colour]

((Rope in mouth interpretation – I got the beam, you ponies each take a task and I’ll come help when I’m done.))

[SunsetSombra]

Mac felt a twang of something he wasn't entirely sure was either remorse or regret when he glanced at Applejacks rather concerned expression...he knew she worried about his aloofness over the years, and it had been a subject of contention a few times in the past. He'd insisted that he was fine, that everything was just how he'd come to enjoy and appreciate the world around him, but she never seemed to want to take that as an answer - he wasn't ultimately sure there really WAS an answer he could give her that would make her feel less concerned, though, and thus had never truly made a point of worrying about it.

Perhaps some day, she'd see things his way, but that day certainly wasn't going to be today...

Regardless, Mac decided that the best course of action at this particular point in time was to focus on the barn building - Klondike was certainly focused and ready to get back to what the group had left to do for the rest of the day. Mac pondered over his choices, and Made his choice after considering carefully his available options. "[colour=#b22222] Well, ah think Ah'll take care o'the second floor... [/colour]" he says with a small nod, glancing around at the others momentarily. " [colour=#b22222]Anypony is welcome t'help out if they feel like it though, ah get the feelin' we're gonna need t'work closely t'get this done by the end of the day[/colour]! "

Considering the timing of the day so far, it wasn't like they were doing BADLY...but it was simply better to get things wrapped up as soon as they could..

[Mojo]

[colour=#006400][colour=#00FF00][colour=#00FF00]

[/colour][/colour][/colour]

[colour=#006400][colour=#00FF00][colour=#00FF00]"Y'all have a good time workin' on the barn!" [/colour][/colour][/colour]Granny Smith shouted to the departing ponies. [colour=#00FF00]"I'll bring y'all some nice apple juice and some snacks later on!"[/colour]

Mojo at first was puzzled when he got no response from Big Mac, then his face brightened as he thought: [colour=#8B4513]"This bloke's a bit bashful, I'm askin' the wrong family member about formin' a band. That AppleJack sings like a angel she does! I'll ask her about it before we get back to work."[/colour]

Mojo galloped up to the workhorse mare before he began to talk to her.

[colour=#8B4513]"Pardon me a moment, Miss AppleJack, but I jist hadda tell ya how much I loved yur singin'! All of us sounded so bloomin' grand together, we could form a folk music band! You and I on the vocals, me with the guitar, even yur big brother could blow a jug or something else to make music with us, babe! I can see it all now! We'll called it, 'THE GROOVY HERD!" and we could headline with Sapphire Shores or some other famous pony like that! What do ya say, love? Shall we give it a go? We could make beauiful music together!"[/colour]

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Klondike sure was acting funny. But Applejack supposed that that was normal. Klondike concluded that the song was taught from his carpenter teacher. A bit odd, but honest. And then Klondike zoomed in on Applejack's ear and whispered to her like what he was saying was a secret. [/colour][colour=#ff0000] "Wa-,"[/colour][colour=#000000] Applejack gasped. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Absent-minded?" [/colour][colour=#000000] Applejack rolled her eyes a little. [/colour][colour=#ff0000] "You don't say."[/colour][colour=#000000] Applejack smiled with a chuckle. Klondike sure was a silly pony, but she couldn't be upset at him for anything at the moment. He was trying his hardest, even if his focus was totally lacking.

Attempting to follow Big Mac and Klondike out to the barn, Mojo stopped Applejack and started complimenting her singing voice. It made Applejack a little bashful.

​[/colour]

[colour=#8b4513]"Pardon me a moment, Miss AppleJack, but I jist hadda tell ya how much I loved yur singin'!"[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]"Aww shucks, thanks Sugarcube."[/colour]

​

[colour=#8b4513]All of us sounded so bloomin' grand together, we could form a folk music band! You and I on the vocals, me with the guitar, even yur big brother could blow a jug or something else to make music with us, babe!"[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]"Er, uh, I don't know about that."[/colour]

​

[colour=#8b4513]"I can see it all now! We'll called it, 'THE GROOVY HERD!' and we could headline with Sapphire Shores or some other famous pony like that! What do ya say, love? Shall we give it a go? We could make beauiful music together!"[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]"Now wait a minute."[/colour][colour=#000000] Applejack paused both him and her together as she tried to get in a word before he continued to talk. She had never seen him talk this much before. Obviously it was important to him. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Thank you kindly for likin' mah singin', but I would have to think about it. But I never thought about singing professionally. My life has always been down here on the farm. Thanks for the compliment and the thought though." [/colour][colour=#000000] Applejack started walking out, but then stopped, and came back to Mojo. She got in his face. [/colour][colour=#ff0000] "And you if you call me 'love' or 'babe' one more time I'm gonna tie you up, throw you in the chicken pen and cover you in feed." [/colour][colour=#000000] Applejack smiled playfully and winked, and then proceeded out the door towards the barn. She was smiling. But she was not joking.[/colour]

​

[Chonico]

It was rather unclear how he managed to move the beam into its proper place, or for that matter, how he managed to get up into the beams of the roof. But if anything was clear, it was that this repair pony meant business.

By the time ponies began making their way into the barn, the support beam had already been moved into place and Klondike was up on one of the roof beams doing a balancing on his hooves act as he secured it into its proper place to hold up the roof of the barn.

*bang*

Came the sound as Klondike swung the hammer in his mouth and struck home the final nail into the brace that would hold the beam in place. He slightly wobbled as the force transferred into his precariously balanced self. Yet, with a satisfied smile, as much as the hammer would allow that is, he raised a foreleg and wiped his brow right underneath his hardhat as he studied his work.

[colour=#000066]"Fey!"[/colour] He suddenly addressed the ponies down below as he smiled down at them and waved his other foreleg at them, immediately causing right ear to twitch furiously. [colour=#000066]"Home on shlowpokes! Chime's a wasthing!" [/colour]

Even if he had yet to notice what he had just done, gravity sure hadn't let that one slip. And as soon as he lowered his hoof back onto the beam, gravity decided to pull a mean prank, and his hoof completely missed the beam.

[colour=#000066]"Oh ponyf-"[/colour]

The blue repair pony tilted off the side and down he went. His hard hat hit the ground with a resounding clatter... but nothing else.

Not even 4 feet from the beam, the dangling upside form of Klondike swung lazily in mid air. A section of rope was tied to his mid-section and the other end was tied securely to the beam. There was a slight shocked vacant expression on his face as he still gripped the hammer in his mouth and looked at nothing in particular, blinking once or twice.

His right ear was still twitching with a slight lackluster as he looked straight down and then looked up at the rope that held him in place. He looked at it for a few seconds before looking back down and, making sure nopony was in the way, let go of the hammer and watched it drop and land straight into his upside down hardhat. He couldn't help but let out a slight sigh.

The section of rope he had borrowed from Applejack had done its job.

[colour=#000066]"Hah, almost made that lifetime warranty invalid. That would have been bBBBBAAAAUUUURRRPPPPP!" [/colour]

Klondike's hooves suddenly flew to his mouth as he let out a resounding belch, his face suddenly taking on a crimson colour as his embarrassment mixed with his dark blue coat. Apparently the rope had also done the job of a Heimlich maneuver, almost costing him his lunch.

Embarrassment still clearly etched on his face, he removed his hooves from his mouth and cleared his throat in the most upside down dignified manner he could muster... and then began to waggle his hooves around.

After a few tries, his right hind leg caught the rope and with more wiggling and grunting efforts, he managed to twist himself around and up until he was able to grab the rope in his mouth. He would later decide that the particular taste was rather unwelcome. Now though, rope in mouth and hooves holding on even tighter, he began shimming up the rope like a caterpillar.

Once on the beam, he loosened the tied end of the rope to the beam, enough to drag with him, and walked towards the end of it. At the end of the beam, he carefully dangled and worked his way onto the support beam that was holding that end of it. He then shimmied down this beam and quietly landed on the ground, went over to pick up his hammer and hardhat, and then began to place pieces of wood into position to help Big Macintosh build the second floor.

The whole time his face was still that crimson colour. But it was hard to tell if it was due to his lingering embarrassment, or because he was upside down for so long dangling from the ceiling like a pony piñata. His ears though were laying flat against his head. Well, his left ear any way. The right ear was still slightly twitching.

[SunsetSombra]

Big Mac had to smile at Klondikes almost rock-solid determination - if he'd really had more time to be more of a social animal, he'd probably have hung out or something with the rather quirky handypony frequently. Since, however, the red apple stallion wasn't quite as free to always hang out with friends, he simply had to admire the work ethic and tenacity that this one pony was demonstrating with gusto...certainly, Macintosh had to commend him for being willing to throw himself wholly into his work and, as AJ might say " [colour=#ff0000]Get 'er done[/colour]! " without any dawdling or delay.

Still, Mac wasn't quite sure that this pony was doing things particularly with a huge deal of safe forethought, since he was precariously handling himself up there a little more carelessly than perhaps anypony working that high should aim to do...and this sent a wave of concern over Mac as he watches Klondike for a moment.

It was then at this particular second that Klondike fell, and Mac grimaced, averting his eyes for a moment - looking back at the sound of the hat clattering to the ground.

" [colour=#b22222]Well ah'll be...[/colour] " He muttered with a small amused laugh, watching Klondike dangle a little from the beam by a rope, letting out a sigh of relief as he finds himself grateful that the pony had at least had the wherewithal to make sure he was secured before anything had happened...but still, Big mac wasn't really fond of the idea of something like this happening so easily on Sweet Apple Acres. Still, all had ended well and Big Mac concluded that since no harm had come to Klondike through this incident, there didn't seem to be much point in making a big thing of it if the other pony was, in fact, taking basic precautions like this.

" [colour=#b22222]Well, ya'all shouldn't be 'hanging around' like that, ya know[/colour]? " Mac jeers at Klondike playfully, watching as he hung there - stifling a small snerk as the other pony belched loudly...an impressive feat from a pony such as Klondike, and one that Mac felt was certainly worth some mental applause.

{ Hey, he may be somewhat the responsible older brother/farmer, but he still appreciated a little belch humor afterall! }

With all of the not-quite-drama seemingly having passed, and Klondike making a return to doing everything he was before, Macintosh allowed himself a small chuckle at just how silly the whole scene had been before resuming his own work...and there was certainly still plenty of that here to go around, Eeeeyup!

[Mojo]

[colour=#006400][colour=#00FF00][colour=#00FF00]

[/colour][/colour][/colour]

[colour=#006400][colour=#00FF00][colour=#00FF00]"I best git started so I kin have'm ready later on," [/colour][/colour][/colour]Granny Smith said as she slowly walked over to the kitchen. [colour=#00FF00]"Them youngin's workin' hard, they deserves the best I can give'm!"[/colour]

Meanwhile, back near the jobsite Mojo was taken aback by Applejack's reply. He may not have expected a 'yes' but the hippie brony certainly was surprised to hear the workhorse mare mention the 'chicken feed' treatment. Mojo was used to hearing threats since his peaceloving ways were not liked by everypony so he wasn't rattled too much.

[colour=#8B4513]"No worries babe... er.. I mean... doll.... no... I meant to say, miss AppleJack, yeah, Applejack," [/colour]Mojo nervously spoke, smiling really wide.

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Applejack walked out of the cottage, having given Mojo the proper explanation of his actions and their consequences. It was fair to say that there was mostly an agreement between the ponies. Applejack looked up to see Klondike balancing on the cross beam atop the barn structure and falling off it. Luckily, he was tied to the beam, which kept him from hurting himself by falling. He dropped his hammer and crawled his way up to the beam from where he previously fell. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Do you need any help?"[/colour][colour=#000000] Apparently not, as Klondike was in his own world of chaos trying to get himself recovered.

Big Mac on the other hoof, seemed to be chuckling a little. It reminded Applejack of Big Mac's injuries. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Make sure you're not working too hard Big Mac, if you over do it you're going to break a bone or two."[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Applejack trotted around the building, sizing it up and see the big picture. Everything looked like it was running smoothly. She measured one of the sides of the barn that was laying down on the ground, ready to be raised up to the rest of the structure. [/colour][colour=#ff0000] "I think this side is ready. Can we raise this end yet? If so, we're gonna need everypony pullin' it up."[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Just then, above the barn, Applejack could see random pegasus ponies fluttering around. They were discussing something of importance it looked like. They were pointing their hooves in different directions and made gestures with their bodies as a way of communicating. However, they paid no mind to the earth ponies below who were working hard trying to build the barn. At the end of their exchange, they gave each other a high-hoof and speed away in opposite directions. Applejack's face filled with bafflement. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"What in tarnation was that all about?"[/colour]

​

[Chonico]

Too soon, Klondike was already lost to the world, and back into his work. The hardhat had been replaced to its rightful place on top of his head and his hammer lay within reach across the stud he was measuring.

[colour=#9900ff]Measure, mark, and measure again... measure, mark, and measure again...[/colour] Went the mantra inside his head as he moved about his work. Once he was done measuring and marking, it would only a simple matter of taking the other studs and alining one end against the measured marks, forming a nice "T" with the marked stud and... WHAM, strike a nail in place to hold it there.

A simple enough task, to be sure. And yet, even while still measuring and marking, the odd repair pony wore a truly content smile across his face. The prior even of him dangling from the roof was so far gone out of his mind, that some ponies could say it happened a weeks ago.

His right ear though, on the other hoof, had not stopped twitching and was now firmly aimed at the space above his head like a searchlight.

And slowly but surely, it was starting to gain some literal pull as Klondike's head slowly raised up from his task and began to aim itself up. It took a bit for the rest of him to snap out of his work as the pencil in his lips still moved about, as if trying to mark the empty air in front of him with the measurement he just took.

Eventually though, that came to a stop and he blinked, trying to figure out what was going on.

[colour=#ff0000]"I think this side is ready. Can we raise this end yet? If so, we're gonna need everypony pullin' it up."[/colour]

Klondike cocked his head a bit while still looking up.

[colour=#9900ff]That voice came from somewhere... but where?[/colour]

He looked off to his side and noticed that Big Mac was working on his own thing.

[colour=#9900ff]No, not him...[/colour]

He then looked off to his other side and noticed Mojo a bit away, also working on his own thing.

[colour=#9900ff]Nope, not him either...[/colour]

He paused for a bit, certain he ran out of options as to the owner of the voice... At least until his eyebrows lifted in recognition.

[colour=#000066]"Oh right... Miss Applejack!"[/colour]

He turned to spot her looking up at the sky, and he trotted off to join her.

[colour=#000066]"Raise this end of what yet, Miss Applejack?"[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]"What in tarnation was that all about?"[/colour]

A small hint of confusion made itself evident as he stopped and stood next to her, following her gaze. What greeted him when he looked up, was nothing but empty sky.

[colour=#000066]"Umm... this end of the sky?"[/colour] He asked her hesitantly as he looked away from the empty sky and looked back at the hammer he had left behind near the stud. He knew he brought other tools, but... [colour=#000066]"I-I don't think I brought the right tools for that, Miss Applejack."[/colour]

However, as he turned back to look at her, a cheesy grin spread across his face.

[colour=#000066]"Although for you, I'll gladly make the effort and bring the stars to shine down just for you."[/colour] He gave himself as small pause as he said this, and then brought up a hoof to his chin as he sat down and his right ear began to twitch.

"[colour=#000066]Oh, I should write that one down. Maybe I can use that at some point instead of fumbling around looking silly... Not sure how to go about the sky thing. Maybe I can build some kind of tower or... well wait, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna might not like me stealing things from their sky, or messing with it. Technically would be borrowing them. Maybe I can ask them to-"[/colour]

And just like that, Klondike disappeared into his thoughts, trying to figure out the logistics of some convoluted, and likely impossible plan to raise one end of the sky.

[[OOC - Again, would like to apologize for delay. The holidays were a beast.]]

[SunsetSombra]

Big Mac had just about finished up where he'd been working the last few hours, and was just about ready to move onto his next overall objective, when he could see his sisters rather curious expression cast up to the skies, which lead him to gaze up for a moment...he could see not a whole lot from his perspective right now, and thus he makes his way back down to see just what it was that had attracted her attention, and why it had left her with such a curiously bemused expression...

" [colour=#b22222]Everythin' okay, AJ[/colour]? " he asked out loud, making his way towards the baffled orange earthpony. " [colour=#b22222]Ah saw you standin' out here lookin' like you'd seen a windigo or somethin'...[/colour] "

Klondike was standing nearby, twittering on about something...mac wasn't quite sure what it was but it seemed to be related to the sky, and stealing something of it - he shook his head in amusement, feeling for the umpteenth time today that Klondike just wasn't screwed tight enough with reality sometimes. Still, now that he was down here, he might as well see if there was anything else that he could give the pair of them a hand with - seemed like they needed some help here anyway, from what he could tell. For a small moment, Macintosh looks around for the rather odd hippy pony from earlier, wondering just what it was he was up to himself right now - with any stroke of luck, he was more useful working than he looked.

Macintosh looks around to the other 2 for the time being, quirking an eyebrow as he ponders on just what the next part of the plan here was. " [colour=#b22222]If ya'alls be ready t'move on to the next phase, ah'm good to go anytime.[/colour] " he says, giving a small nod of affirmation. Sure, he was still a little beat up from earlier, and they were clearly underhoofed and racing against time to finish the barn before daylight ended, but the Apple Stallion felt relatively confident that this l'il group of earthponies was all that was needed for the task at hoof!

[Mojo]

While working on some healthy snacks for the crew in the kitchen, Granny Smith happened to glance outside to see the 'flock' of Pegasi who were fluttering above the barn.

[colour=#00ff00]"What in tarnation is all them thar winged ponies doin' up thar?" [/colour]the elderly mare asked, quickly retrieving AB's telescope (which she happened to have left in the dining room) to get a better look at them. She noticed their odd body gestures, the high-hoofing and then their quick departure. [colour=#00ff00]"Don't know what ta think of them flyin' youngin's. Hope they came to help out. Oh well, back ta... ta... now what was I doin' before I spotted them ponies in the air?"[/colour]

Meanwhile, at the worksite, Mojo immediately sprang into action at AppleJack's call for help.

[colour=#8b4513]"Gotta covered, babe,, er,,, Applejack!" [/colour]the Paint stallion shouted, getting into place to help hold the beam that AJ was referencing. As he helped to hold the beam, the hippie brony glanced upward to briefly spot the flock of Pegasi. As they high-hoofed and left, Mojo shouted out to AJ.

[colour=#8b4513]"GOT ANY CLUE WHAT ALL THE FEATHERY FOLK UP THERE ARE UP TA, BOSS LADY?"[/colour]

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Applejack looked up and saw Klondike. In his own world, again, of course. Applejack squinted once more at the distant sky but saw nothing but a blue sky. [/colour][colour=#ff0000]"Well, it was probably nothing."[/colour][colour=#000000] Applejack looked over at Mojo who was trying to be as nonabrasive as possible, and Big Mac, who was pensively awaiting for the next phase. Klondike seemed to be in his own world, but he was fine where he was at.[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]"Alright, I think we're set to raise a side of the barn." [/colour][colour=#000000] Applejack grabbed some rope and after a few swings around, gained momentum and threw it over the cross beam that would be the top of the new barn, right next to where Klondike was working. She then grabbed another rope and threw it over as well. [/colour][colour=#ff0000] "Klondike shouldn't be in the way for this one. All we gotta do is Big Mac and I will go to the other side and pull on the rope to raise the side of the barn, and then you, Mojo, can climb up on top of that beam and nail it down. Got it?"[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Applejack walked over to the pull end of the rope, and grabbed it with her mouth. She knew her brother was hurting. He certainly couldn't lift anything too heavy. Put he should be able to pull all he wants, right? As they readied, Applejack started tugging on the rope until its slack was removed, and started lifting the heavy piece of arranged lumber up to its upright position.[/colour]

​