[Fillydelphia] Down on the Farm [OPENish]

[Corsair]

Topaz watched as Apple Bumpkin descended into the cellar. She felt something unusual through her hooves, but she was running through a checklist for supplies in her head and didn't pay close attention to the sensation. Topaz made a mental check on the list as the smaller farm pony emerged with more food supplies. This stop was doing very well to stock her larder.

"APPLE BUUUUUUUUUMPKIN! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Topaz heard a voice cry out. Apple Bumpkin excused herself to go help her sister, and trotted outside. Topaz hadn't thought there were any other ponies on the farm, but realized how silly that sounded. A young mare like Apple Bumpkin surely couldn't run this farm by herself.

Topaz didn't mind loading her cart herself, so she tossed a couple of the bushel baskets onto her back and trotted out the gate. On her second trip into the barn, the strange sensation from the ground returned. Through her special talent, Topaz could feel the echos coming back from the open cellar below the barn, giving her exactly where the artificial cave in the ground was. But something wasn't right. She stopped over the cellar, closed her eyes, and stomped her rear hoof to the ground. The picture that came back was much clearer now, and... oh dear, that wasn't good...

Topaz galloped over to the farm house and began banging on the door. "Miss Apple? Are you there? I need to speak to you immediately!"

[AlisonRose]

Apple Bumpkin giggled as her sister simple sat there and observed her doing work for one reason or another. Inside she was doing to impress her sister and convince her to relax instead of getting right into other Apple Family business. She had just trotted to the door and was going to open it when she heard a thunderous banging on the door and a voice that soon followed.

"Miss Apple? Are you there? I need to speak to you immediately." That was Topaz for sure and it was only a moment before Apple Bumpkin had opened the door and was looking at Topaz with a face full of fright.

"What is it Sugar Cube, what is wrong?" She looked around frantically trying to figure out if she had hurt herself or one of her chickens had gotten lose. "Are you ok, you are not hurt are you?" Was the first thing she could utter as she was now willed with certain dread and couldn't think straight at the current moment.

[Corsair]

"What is it Sugar Cube, what is wrong? Are you ok, you are not hurt are you?"

"Oh, no no, I'm fine, Miss Apple," Topaz replied, an urgent tone in her voice, "But I believe your cellar is very near collapsing! There seems to be a subsidence from rain water in the south east corner that has undermined your supports. The remaining beams are bearing too much of the load, and if the cellar collapses, it could cascade into a failure of the foundation of your barn and..." Topaz stopped for a moment, and decided to simplify her message. "If we don't do something quickly, your storage cellar could collapse, and take your barn with it!"

[AlisonRose]

Apple Bumpkin looked at Topaz with a strange face, losing the barn meant that they would lose all of their belongings in it....Suddenly a streak of terror came through her mind. I can't lose the Chicks! I WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN! She was practicably yelling at herself in her mind as she tore out of the house and ran into the barn and with her normal tap on the wall it opened the cellar for her and Topaz to go spelunking into the depths.

"Topaz 'Ah'm goin ta need yer help if'n 'Ah'm gunna get this fixed right quick." Her words were not commanding but more of questioning and pleading, hoping that Topaz would be willing to come into the cellar with her and take a look at the problem and hoping that she would also then be able to help her get some sort of temp support into it.

[SteelEagle]

Caramel was invested in her short rest, her hard day of work being rewarded with some moments of relaxation. It was only fair, after all. But she had promised to see the flowers and if she was anything, she was a mare of her word. That constantly energetic mare was more than a pleasure to share her life with but Celestia above, sometimes Caramel thought she needed to invest some time to be bored. A healthy mind alloted time for one to be bored, anyhoof, but as Bumpkin charged out of the house following words with a pony, Caramel knew there was little chance of that. Her curiosity was piqued, but she wasn't in any hurry to follow. Her legs hurt.

Then she remembered who ran this place, and sighed. Responsibility never took time off, and she soon followed the very loudly beaten hoofpath of her younger sister. She was in no great hurry, however, and a spot of tea on a saucer on her back accompanied her on her slow walk to the barn.

"Apple Bumpkin, what's going on here?" She yelled towards her sister, whose hoofclops in the cellar were easily heard., She then smiled at the other pony.

"Hello there, my name is Caramel Apple, owner of Tiny Apple Valley. How may I help you?" She said, gently placing her tea on the ground and extending her hoof for a shake.

[Corsair]

Topaz galloped after the smaller pony. Each impact of her hooves send back a little burst of information about the ground around the barn and cellar. The situation was not good, but they should have time to do something before it got any worse.

"Topaz 'Ah'm goin ta need yer help if'n 'Ah'm gunna get this fixed right quick."

Apple Bumpkin sounded scared, of course, and was looking to her for help. "We need building materials," Topaz said, thinking quickly. "Lumber, bricks, logs, something to shore up the weak points before the ceiling caves in."

Topaz felt another pony approaching them as she gave directions. "Hello there, my name is Caramel Apple, owner of Tiny Apple Valley. How may I help you?"

The mare was yellow, taller than Apple Bumpkin; presumably the sister Bumpkin had run off to meet earlier. "Topaz Tremor, geologist." Topaz snapped off in a quick greeting, not taking the proffered hoof. "Forgive my abruptness, Miss Apple, but I fear your storage cellar is near to collapsing. We need materials to shore it up from the inside. What do you have that we could use?"

[AlisonRose]

Apple Bumpkin dove down into the cellar and started to beat around on things as she worked out what she could do to help stabilize the foundation and keep it from falling over. She had done hard work before but this was causing her to sweet and panic as her adrenalin kicked in and was causing each of her kicks on the almost collapsing wall to be harder and harder still.

"I....Wont.....Lose.....my.....chicks!" She spoke between each kick as she tried to keep the wall back hoping that they would soon be able to get the parts needed to make a more suited brace for the wall. Apple Bumpkin was panting from exhaustion and plum tuckered now at the moment but knew that she couldn't stop or risk anypony or anything on the farm from getting hurt or damaged.

[SteelEagle]

"Topaz Tremor, geologist. Forgive my abruptness, Miss Apple, but I fear your storage cellar is near to collapsing. We need materials to shore it up from the inside. What do you have that we could use?" The mare spoke, not accepting Caramel's offer of a shake. That was quickly rescinded.

Well, nice to make connections with intelligentsia and qualified professionals, even if-

"I....Wont.....Lose.....my.....chicks!"

-It was unneeded. Caramel sighed heavily before resuming her smile.

"If you'll excuse me, Tremor," Caramel said with great sincerity before she slowly made her way down into the cellar, watching her little sister viciously attack the weakening walls.

"Bumpkin, please stop. I know of the cellar's issues and it is getting taken care of, sweetie. Stop kicking," She said in a rather alarmingly even voice as she trotted back upstairs.

"Well, I do thank you for your concern, Topaz Tremor and you are quite correct. It would collapse within the month, to be exact. That is why I have hired foundation specialists to work on it after we leave for the annual family reunion in three days However, for having such a keen eye for detail and for coming to us as quickly as possible, I believe you need to be rewarded. If you'll come with me, we shall tour the orchard and you may take twenty bits worth of merchandise as a personal thank you," Caramel said, throwing her hoof over the geologist as she trotted out and into the orchard.

Le sigh.

She was rather looking forward to seeing Bumpkin's flowers and generally laying by the fire, doing some computations, and making some more caramel apples. Just as most of her plans, these would have to be put on hold.

[AlisonRose]

Huffing and puffing she stopped like her sister had asked. She preformed the goat faint technique that was used by another famous pony. Laying there on the ground she looked around and just let out a sigh, it was hard for her to wait there was work to be done and she had wanted to do it. But her sister who was the 'boss' hired out again. But then again it wasn't that bad of an idea considering the last time that they tried to repair something themselves ended in their grain silo being leveled to the ground.

" 'Ah....'Ah'm....." She couldn't even collect her thoughts and just stood back up and trotted away at a blazing pace to her garden where she sat down and awaited for her sister to be done with the customer. Bumpkin knew that she had helped Topaz out a lot but there was some things that only the eldest of the sisters could do. It was a strange feeling that Bumpkin had now, she was angry....no, she was sad, she had wanted to do her best to try and impress her sister since her sister is always being so nice and compassionate to everypony. It was a hard thing for her to think about since Bumpkin and her sister were so close together but the time they spent together was normally not very relaxing unless they were simply laying together on a blanket watching the stars. Bumpkin wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at her flowers that seemed to be sharing the same sense of sadness that she was.

[Corsair]

"Well, I do thank you for your concern, Topaz Tremor and you are quite correct. It would collapse within the month, to be exact. That is why I have hired foundation specialists to work on it after we leave for the annual family reunion in three days."

"Who, wha, huh?" Topaz stammered. The yellow mare's words had sucked all of the wind out of her sails. Topaz took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure. "Ah... well... I apologize, Miss Apple," she told the mare, "I could feel the instability in the cellar, and I just reacted. I had no idea that anypony was already aware of the situation.

Allow me to start over," Topaz said, holding out a hoof for the shake she had dismissed earlier. "Topaz Tremor, geologist from Canterlot University. Your sister..." Topaz turned and watched as Apple Bumpkin quickly trotted away. "... was helping me to provision my survey cart."

"However, for having such a keen eye for detail and for coming to us as quickly as possible, I believe you need to be rewarded. If you'll come with me, we shall tour the orchard and you may take twenty bits worth of merchandise as a personal thank you"

Topaz was taken aback by the offer. The elder Apple sister seemed very much the businesspony, where the younger seemed more interested in the farming itself. "Well... Miss Apple... I thank you for your generosity, but I really didn't do anything," Topaz said, stammering a bit. The adrenalin still hadn't quite left her system. "I will take up your offer of a tour, if you would be so kind. I grew up in the city, but have not had much opportunity to visit your farm before." Topaz looked down to her legs, that were still trembling a bit from the excitement, and added, "And I think I could use the walk to calm down a bit."

[SteelEagle]

"Who, wha, huh? Ah... well... I apologize, Miss Apple, I could feel the instability in the cellar, and I just reacted. I had no idea that anypony was already aware of the situation." The geologist spoke, her voice betraying all of the subtle effects that having one's mental momentum stopped and reversed in such a manner could have.

Caramel saw little need for Topaz to apologize. Had she not been made aware, Topaz's actions would have saved the farm at the very least more than a few hundred bits in reconstruction and the possibility of somepony getting harmed was one she would rather not have attached to her farm. The fact that Caramel had the situation in hoof was not a reason to disparage the intended good work of the visiting geologist, nor lessen its showing of goodwill.

"Allow me to start over, Topaz Tremor, geologist from Canterlot University. Your sister...was helping me to provision my survey cart," Topaz said, her hoof outrstretched and grasping for the shake denied earlier. Caramel took it and shook it warmly.

"Canterlot University? You're quite a fair bit from Canterlot, Miss Tremor. Surveying around a big city, are you? Well, then I'll have to double my previous gesture to forty bits worth of merchandise, since it is best to go prepared. I also believe that such expeditions are staffed by more than one pony, correct? Forty bits worth of apples would surely tide you and your compatriots over for some time, I believe," Caramel said as she acknowledged the geologist's acceptance of the tour offer and insistence that she had nothing to deserve such kindness. Nonsense; even if it had been somewhat pointless, an act of goodwill and faith must always be returned. Besides, she needed to strike big and fast in the Canterlot market.

She started trotting down the orchard path, the farm being small but well-stocked.

"Braeburns, Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala, and Golden Delicious apples are what we produce here. Each one has a slightly different flavor, and each flavor lends itself well to the environment we have for it. The Braeburns are in the back because the sun beats down the harshest there and they thrive there, while the Golden and Red Delicious orchards require less sun and more cool air, as an example. After we have produced the apples, we can then decide if we wish to make anything with them or sell them as normal apples. Tell me, what is your favorite apple-based treat?" She asked, gesturing to the outstretched farm and its small workshops and shack-held kitchens.

[AlisonRose]

With tears barely in her eyes and shaking her mane about as she sat in front of her lovely flowers she let out soft and short sobs as she thought about everything and then came to the conclusion that she had no need to be sad, she should be happy that Caramel had already gotten somepony to come fix the cellar so that it wouldn't collapse and hurt her beloved chicks. She was still sad that she had upset her sister or so she was thinking at the moment.

So, I am just an emberasment to my sister and more then likely ruined her business or I should say, our business, with Misses Topaz. She opened her eyes and looked at her flowers that were all currently in bloom and even the ones from the Solstice Heights were in bloom and aglow with love and care. She was sure that when things calmed down her sister would know where to find her if she needed to. The small chick known as Sleepy awoke from its nest inside of Apple Bumpkin's Hoofkerchief right where she put it in the morning before she started all of her work, normally this chick would sit on her back or her head while she worked so that it wouldn't get tossed around much but today was such a lazy day or so it seemed that it just stayed inside oh her hoofkerchief that her sister had given her. The chick jumped out and stood in front of her on the ground and started to chirp, Apple Bumpkin reached out and lightly patted it on the head with a hoof before wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Why is it that you, Sleepy, get to do nothing all day." She said to the small chick with a giggle before picking it up and putting atop her head where it would normally be found about this time unless it was still sleeping.

[SteelEagle]

The tour with Topaz had been quick and uneventful, the geologist walking away one afternoon smarter in regards to orchards and a full bushel of apples weighed down. Caramel was always happy to service a customer and while Topaz was not a customer in the strictest sense of the word, it was not only the right thing to do for someone giving the farm such thought and consideration towards safety but kindness now could very well lead to profits later. She would have loved to believe that she was just a wonderful mare who looked after ponies with such kindness, but even she knew that her her mind's eye was just as concerned wit the health of the family economy as anything else. Self-awareness was worth it.

She trotted back to the front of the farm, entirely ready and willing to partake in the garden tour so excitedly proposed by her sister. She was an emotional creature to the core while Caramel was admittedly to some degree insincere emotionally. Not cruel, nor mean or even cold, just off and generally less than excitable. They balanced out well; how the farm survived without both of them working in tandem in their younger years left her head spinning.

She spotted her sister fooling about with some adorable chicks, her natural ability with them being evident. Caramel crept up behind her, with restraint, tapped her on the shoulder.

"I do believe somepony owes her older sister a tour of the garden...?" She asked, knowing that with how emotional her sister was, the previous rescheduling might have caused her a little bit of grief. Luckily, Caramel may not have been the most emotionally powerful creature but she lacked nothing if not awareness, both of others and herself, and the health of the farm demanded her sis be happy.