Hippo

Bridge There seemed to be three separate gusts Zap could feel on his wing's feathers. They were still folded to his sides, but they could sense everything, just like Mother said they would when she taught him how to be aware of his surroundings. One of the movements of air came from above. The manufactured weather the pegasus ponies created was moving in, and it was borderline overkill. Applejack was right, they never did check for quality when it came to producing storms for the wilderness where no pony lives. The second movement was from the water. Oddly, the raising of the water level of the stream seemed to change something about the pressure of the air. Zap learned, again from his rainbow-maned mother, that every pegasus has an internal altimeter, the senses in their ear can tell within a margin of error how close a flying pegasus was to the ground. In this case, the ground, or water seemed to be getting closer. The last disturbance of gaseous molecules was coming from the sides, particularly the side that was closest to the opposite side of the bridge. The other ponies were speaking out to him, the purple one shouted urgently about Apple Bloom beating him. Zap daydreamed for a few seconds longer, until he snapped out of it and saw his feathers starting to get weighed down by the moisture that found itself on him. He looked frantically around and realized he was on a failing bridge. Everypony was almost on the other side of the bridge, and he needed to be with them, if for not the race's sake, but for the brilliant idea that he would not be swept away and finally get that swimming lesson his mother always promised him for. Today was not the day for swimming though, Zap had too many other plans, like beating ponies six times his age at a hoofrace. Zap painlessly tiptoed his weightless hooves across the rest of the bridge and found himself next to Apple Bloom. "This is fun, Auntie B!" Bridge Crossed

Bridge Zap's senses were whelmed with the sights, sounds, and smells of the forests. With orange and red hues, they all clapped their leaves while cheering him on as if they were fans of the ponies that shared their colors. As his soft hooves pitter-pattered on the dusty path, the first wooden pallets buried in the dirt marked out the beginning of the brook's bridge. He didn't slow down much as his paced onto the bridge, but he did notice how his hoofsteps were echoing against the ravine walls that now set directly below him. The rushing water and the sound of the other ponies stampeding also added to the ambience. As Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie ran next to him, he felt protected to some extent, which to him was not necessary. He rather enjoyed the loneliness for the short time he executed the ambitions he made about being involved in the running. Auntie seemed a little fretted and out of breath. Even Zap could tell that was a bad sign it being this point of the race, they were only about halfway right? Pinkie Pie was less visibly exhausted, but that was typical. Zap knew the pink pony well, she was always around when there was a big party, especially his birthday. She was also what led to Zap Apple being ultimately confused as to what it meant to be a cousin. It took a half hour inquisitive conversation with his mother in order for him to realize that technically everypony is a cousin if you went back far enough. And these other ponies on the bridge with him, the pegasus with the white socks, or the purple one with the messed up horn, or that stallion who looks like he takes himself too seriously. Were they his cousins, too? He didn't really react much to the other ponies, except for showing an involuntary smile to share his pleasure with the attention they were giving him. But as they crossed the bridge, Zap was distracted so much with the scenery that he slowed to a stop on the mist-covered bridge and looked over it at the rush of water that flowed through it. He could hear the clouds rumbling in the distances as they casted a large shadow over the ravine, and he could smell the fragrances of churning water and damp soil. "Whoa." He whispered to himself, staring at the fierceness of the water building. He had no idea what the living ravine was doing. Was it singing a song? Was it like the trees? Was it also cheering him on?

Bridge "I'm a big pony!" Zap stated it as if he was having an argument. He dare not let another older pony tell him he wasn't old enough to participate, even though it would have come from the best Auntie in the world. Zap may not have fully understood Apple Bloom's lived experiences dealing with an older sister who did everything more amazing than her. His only perspective gave him a few glimmers of opportunity, and foolish or not, Zap decided that this dusted path that weaved through many forests for the next several miles was one offered to him. Zap couldn't lie though, having his Auntie with him did make him feel better, and if the pack of ponies got away from him, he would at least not accidentally take a different unused path and get lost. When the road ahead forked, Zap could only see the kinds of ponies that took them. To the higher road, he saw ponies who looked normal and flirtatious. Going towards the brook's bridge, he saw ponies that looked like they normally wore armor. There was no doubt which direction he would choose. He was not a wimp, he was an apple. And maybe not now, but eventually he would prove to be one of the toughest ponies ever. Why wait for an opportunity to prove that, when it seems a moment has come to illustrate that to the world? He scampered towards the bridge and noticed immediately the depth that the bridge upheld. It wasn't that significant for Zap, who had been to cloud tops with his pegasus mother before. In fact it was pretty serine. The calm water underneath the bridge made him feel more calm about participating.

Fluttershy comfortably trotted to the town center to cast her ballot for the next mayor. She wasn't typically involved in these kinds of functions, she was afraid of the ponies she didn't vote for finding out she didn't vote for them. But her friends encouraged her that it was important for her to vote her interests and that it would be completely anonymous if she wanted. With Angel resting in her mane to keep her calm, Fluttershy entered the building and made her way to an unoccupied voting booth. Once there, she hesitantly looked around to see if anyone was looking at her. Once confident, she took a ballot and began making her choice. Her choice was mostly made based on the aggressive moves one of the candidates seemed to make towards the thing she loves most, animals. It wasn't so much that she was voting for somepony, but rather voting against somepony. But she had to vote her conscious and she was determined to make it official. Once she checked the box she intended, she carefully placed it into the ballot box. Behind her, Angel had found a scrap piece of paper, scribbled on it, and shoved it into the ballot box. Fluttershy wasn't sure his vote would even count, but she felt it was necessary to at least make him feel like it could. After the ballots were submitted, Fluttershy walked out of the town center and made her way back to her cottage. She couldn't gain any extra energy to speak to the candidates there, she felt awkward about speaking to them after she released the pressure that had been built up inside the decision she made.

He had totally forgotten about the race today. Once he finished the little chores around the farm, he heard horns and commotion down the road near the starting line for the annual Ponyville Running of the Leaves. Once he zipped there, he pushed through the crowds of ponies to see the beginning, and noticed it hadn't started yet. For what seemed like his whole life (forever), he had heard about the legends of his mothers' accomplishments. Rainbow Dash's Wonderbolt legacy, Applejack's rodeo trophies. Speed records, endurance championships, title holders. It wasn't just one of them that were esteemed, the both were! Zap was constantly reminded of how amazing his parents were and are. And though he had forgotten the race was due to start today, he had never forgotten the stories his mother told him about the times she lost with Rainbow Dash, the times she almost won, and the time when she won it all. A true heart-stopper of a journey in a pony's athleticism, and it was his own mother! While these thoughts of success running in the family filled his head, he caught eye of his Auntie Apple Bloom at the start line. He could just make her out, even though she was hard to find among the taller ponies around her. Zap would jump and flutter in place to get a good look. But right as the whistle blew for the start of the race, Zap had made a conscious decision in his mind, one he felt he couldn't possibly regret. He wanted to compete. He wanted a piece of the glory. He spilled out of the group of spectators and could be seen running in the wake of the ponies across the start line. He couldn't see the path, only the dust that picked up from the hooves ahead of him. He hoped to at least catch up with his Auntie. He wouldn't even try to use his wings. Even if he could use them for a quick burst of speed, he knew from all of Rainbow Dash's stories about herself that for the leaf running, wings were banned for pegasi to use, and if Applejack caught him cheating, he might never live to eat another apple again.

Remington blushed with slight embarrassment at his display of affection. It could be a cover for him just liking the music, which was all too true. He loved that record. But the thrill of his little performance was more of an ability to psych himself for how he felt about the mare in his room, even if the lyrics were subject to ambiguous interpretations. He saw and heard Moonlight giggle, and as the song ended and she scooted herself towards the desk, he realized she wanted to get down to business. But Remington wasn't done with the pleasantries just yet. He hesitated a moment, but then quickly took the needle off the turntable to keep the music from playing the next song. "Um, Moonlight?" Remington stood in front of Moonlight who was patiently waiting for him to sharpen his pencil. He swallowed excess saliva in his mouth nervously. "There is something I need to tell you." He looked down as if the words he wanted to say were written on the floor. "I..." *KNOCK KNOCK* Remington swung his head around and jumped to the door. He was mildly furious at the timing. He opened the door quickly. "Yes, what?" Standing there was the school's mail carrier, who was responsible for delivering letters and packages to students and teachers. "Uh, is this Remington, 206?" "Yes." "I have a package for you," he looked carefully at the card. "From a Mrs. Your Mom?" "Yes, yes. Thank you." Remington took the package and closed the door, somewhat rudely. He set the package down and looked to Moonlight with a smile. He inhaled to continue what he was saying, but another pair of knocks echoed behind him. *KNOCK KNOCK* He winced and went to the door and opened it. "Um, sorry. But this is also supposed to be delivered here. It's the belongings to a new student who will be rooming with you starting tonight." The carrier helped himself into the dorm room and dumped a large unmarked brown sack onto the second bed. Once the bag was secured on the bed, he saluted Moonlight. "Miss." He then walked towards the door and closed it behind him, somewhat rudely. Remington just stood there waiting for the delivery to be made. He could have been thinking about how all the sudden he has a roommate now, but instead just wanted the carrier to leave so he could talk to Moonlight in private. Once he left, he sighed. He looked back to Moonlight. "Sorry about that, I guess I have a roommate now. Anyway, where was I?" He took a deep breath. "Moonlight. I really like you. Like, really really like you. We've gotten along so well with each other, and the more time I spend with you, the more I realize that I might think of you more than just a friend. I could never have expected that somepony like you would even care to spend any amount of time with me. You've made me feel really special. And for that, I thank you. I don't ever want anything to be between us." Remington paused. He wasn't sure how far to go with this. He was too cowardly for the moment to lean in to any specifics, but he just wanted her to know how he felt. This was how he felt openly. There might have been more secretive things he thought about, but for the moment this was what he was willing to share. Remington's lips quivered with the fear of having nothing else to say, combined with the trepidation of wondering how she would respond to how bold the things he just said was. He finished with a, "And... that's it. Let's study." He sat down onto his desk chair.

Fluttershy heard Solar Flare clearly. She seemed in good understanding of her relationship with her pet. It was good to see. Not everypony understood that sometimes pets needed some time away from their pony partners. Fluttershy hoped that Sunny had been exploring his more mature inspirations of companionship as doing so would indicate a healthy relationship with the animal community around him. She kept walking towards the snake homes and then commented on Solar's desire to help with anything requiring medical stimulation. "Oh thank you. I think most of the animals here are kept well and sometimes they need a bandage here or there, but nothing too catastrophic." Fluttershy bent down and poked her head into a snake hole. "Are you hungry, Monty? It's been eighteen hours since your last meal." She removed her head from the hole and grabbed a bag of snake meal, which looked like miniature bread rolls, but was actually a balanced vegetarian-based diet viable for snakes. Like all predators, Fluttershy would not allow any animal to eat any other animal while in the safety and confidence of the sanctuary. This was easily said but sometimes difficult to enforce, as many critters who are used to eating more protein-rich diets might find themselves losing weight and energy while under Fluttershy's care. But typically, the trade-off was worth any therapy the animal needed from the yellow pegasus. As Fluttershy tossed some snake treats to the snake that would eventually come out of his hiding place, Angel Bunny came hopping very fast towards Fluttershy with a sincere amount of urgency. He plopped in front of her to get her attention and began motioning to her with his paws. She answered to him out loud. "What? Jessicat fell from a tree? She was trying to, WHAT!?" Fluttershy picked herself up by her wings and started flying towards the area where Angel was leading her. At the base of a tree, she could see a gray cat writhing in pain. "Oh, what happened?" Fluttershy immediately started talking calmly to the animal. As she inspected the feline, she noticed right away that her left rear leg seemed to have broken, and was going to need splinting and wrapping. "Angel, go get my med kit." Angel saluted and hopped away.

Fluttershy had let Discord lead her into the ceremony proper where they would take their seats. Knowing that this would be a moment where Zap would have to peel away from her, she spoke to Big Mac. "Zap needs to be in the ceremony, so make sure he is up there and looking cute! I'm going to sit with Discord, I'll see if I can't watch Zap again after the ceremony." Big Mac agreed and made sure Zap was ready to be presented in front of all the ponies at the ceremony. Zap understood the drill, his mother had told him several times already. He was to stand still between his mother and Rarity and not say anything until after the ceremony is done. No flying, no running, no noises. Fearing what would happen had he not complied, he was well in tow with Big Mac's guidance to the wedding party location and where he was to stand. Zap was well-behaved, this time. Remington was startled by Moonlight as she popped out of his peripheral vision. And she looked amazing, and he felt suddenly underdressed. When she said she was happy that he was his plus one, he responded sheepishly, "What are friends for?" When the two met Apple Bloom, the young pony seemed appreciative of Remington's role in Moonlight's life, whatever the waggling of the eyebrows had meant. She was just a kid, he didn't read in on it too much. He was indeed lucky though, Moonlight was a great friend. "What are friends for?" When she suggest they were a Manehatten power couple, Remington did not get a good understanding of what that meant. Moonlight had pushed him away from Apple Bloom like she was in a hurry. And of course she would be, the ceremony was about to start. Big Mac and Zap Apple were seen walking away from the crowd towards their roles in the show. Remington figured it was time to take a seat. "I guess we'll have to wait to see the others until after the ceremony, its starting!" Remington found a seat that had a clean open space next to it. He wanted to make sure he didn't have to endure the embarrassment of sitting alone in a wedding of ponies he barely knew. When they sat, Remington started blushing as he got a full look of Moonlight's dress for the occasion. She was very happy. Remington's friends were right, fillies loved weddings. It's a good thing for them, they were not too distracted with the overwhelming feeling of affection and romance. Remington was very happy to help fill the role next to Moonlight in this very important familial celebration. After all, what are friends for? After the ceremony, Remington gave an awkward hoofshake to his teachers who were now married. He daydreamed about what he would have to call them in class now. Where they Professor Appledash and Rainjack now? Or where they both Mrs. Dash? He had questions he was afraid to ask. After the pleasantries with the brides, there was a clear space between the student buddies and Big Macintosh and his nephew. Remington had been a very well-behaved colt during the wedding. He had allowed Moonlight to push him and pull him to and fro and position him where they would look the best. Of course he hadn't said much- "what are friends for?" was equal parts damning and lame- but she liked it a lot anyway. She was maybe just searching for excuses but he was probably so overwhelmed by such heavy, strong, big emotions in him that he could only put on a brave, dumb face to not show it. She'd accept her little trophy colt for the time being, and be happy he had agreed to do as much as he had. After she had whispered what she had to Applejack, she continued her hoof stomping in approval and leaned heavily back into Remigton, pelt on pelt. "It almost makes you want to, like, totally cry, right?" She said, fighting back tears of her own. "No." Remington wasn't crying. Maybe he wanted to make a stance on how tough he was, but he was really just answering based on the hair trigger of which he would normally have to answer that question, which might have been during hazing acts with his old friends from Manehatten. Big colts don't cry. "Oh, but if you want to cry, it's fine." Remington shrugged. He didn't want to look like a cold stallion with no emotion, but he also didn't want to feel vulnerable in what seemed like a test of will power to not saying something stupid. He was doomed to fail eventually. "Oh, and I dooooo!" She responded, a few tears rolling down her cheeks as the warmth of a filly in distress rose within her. Once you had that little fire burning it was like the waterworks wouldn't stop their vain attempts to tamper it down. She buried her head briefly into his mane, more so to wipe the tears away on something that wasn't an expensive piece of cloth. While there she spoke warmly into his ear before finally hugging him. "Have you ever seen something as, like, so totally beautiful, Remmy?" As he cradled Moonlight's weeping, he nodded continuously in solidarity until she spoke up. "Yes! I mean, no, I haven't. Actually, this is the first wedding I've ever been to. It was about what I expected. A little less formal though since its on a farm. I kind of like that." As he finished speaking, the married mares finished their walk together past the assembled ponies and that odd time between the end of the ceremony began where ponies felt the need to start moving but to no place in particular. She let him go with a smile. "It is pretty different I guess," she said as she wiped her eyes, stopping midway into the second when she remembered that she was trying to maintain an appearance and continuing when she realized it was too late. "Still, its totally given me ideas for my own wedding, Like, for real," she winked before she started making her way out of the row they were in. Fluttershy rolled her eyes at Discord's inability to see all of the beauty and significance that marriage brought to a couple in love, but she felt that he was close enough to soon be sensitive to those kinds of feelings. Although Fluttershy would be patient for the time it would take for Discord to realize how the chaos of a lifelong relationship is a new kind of chaos he could grow to like. "Um, I don't know. I think we follow the brides to the reception and go from there. Whoever's in charge of the reception will be the one who decides when things happen, and that's probably Pinkie Pie." Fluttershy started walking towards the wedding reception area in the barn.

Silverstream had gotten ahead of herself in thinking Gallus was completely on top of everything he was doing today. Of course, she couldn't fault him, it seemed like everything was fine until she showed up. Still, she was a little impatient at the lack of knowing the foal pegasus. "You think!?" She remarked on Zap's ability to fly. "How could you not know for sure? He wouldn't just jump off the cloud would he?" Silverstream said it so bluntly, it was almost as if she enjoyed the sound effect that one could hear in their own mind while such an expression was insinuated. She hurried to the side of the cloud just outside the front door and looked down. Through a few spare clouds below them, she could see the vast array of patchworked farmland sewn into the grassy green fields with the occasional building to house the ponies that tilled it. No dark orange specs could be seen. She looked back to Gallus. "What are you going to do?" She hadn't included herself part of the problem. Not yet, anyway.

As it so happened, Zareb had packed a few bananas for his trip, and never ate them because of how hospitable the travel arrangements were. "Ya kuvutia. Really? I did bring some seeds from fruits from my tribe's region in case I wanted to start a garden with them or share them with plant growers in Ponyville, with the town's chief's approval of course. I know how invasive some plants are." Zareb hinted at the Everfree Forest, acknowledging the dangerous, yet oddly fascinating cultivation of a mysterious ecosystem of dense foliage and wild environments, something most zebras would otherwise call 'normal'. Zareb took in all of rambling the Prince gave about the different ponies that could have met him by now but hadn't. He wasn't entirely disappointed. The architecture certain was a marvel, but he was expecting more of an invocation. Zareb took a healthy swig of apple juice. It was very tasty and refreshing. "Wapi. Where is everyone? Are they at the school? Should we go over there and see the place? I'd like to see what it's like at the place I will be spending most of my time. The castle is great and all, but I'd like to explore the campus. Can you take me on a tour?"

It had been a long night for everypony. Even with as much energy as Zap Apple was capable of, he was completely outdone by his mother's endurance. Or rather, by the endurance of one such to-be sibling, something he had not really understood the full capacity of. Everypony in the family was bigger than Zap. They were all older and bigger and stronger. Of course, this inward perspective yielded him the best opportunity to express his egocentric attitude he mostly imparted from his pegasus mother. However, he had no idea what they were talking about when they motioned down to him how he has to be a good big brother, and how he was no longer going to be the baby of the family. He had no other universe to know of other than the one in which he is the center of attention. To imagine it be any other way would be liken to insist that apples grow from the ground. Of course, all apple ponies old enough to go to primary school knew apples did grow from the ground, if only they waited long enough to see how that might be possible. Zap's seedling of an existence, though adventurous and exploratory, had only began to sprout. Zap had been with the rest of his family when they arrived at the hospital. The commotion was overwhelming, and he was excited to see what would result. He didn't understand it completely, but he got the basics. Mommy had a baby in her belly. Eventually the baby would come out. And then there is a party afterwards or something? Zap had a birthday party every year, but he would never consider the significance of it due to his inability to remember his own birth. When minutes turned to hours, Zap was taken back home while the dedicated family members began a watch to wait on his mother's process. Big Mac was the one to walk him home, and when the sun would rise, he would walk him back again. Having been used to the family's repetitive before-dawn routines, Zap was already awake before the rooster crowed, and he was tugging on his uncle's tail to get him out of his bed to walk him to the hospital. As the two walked towards Ponyville General in the pre-dawn darkness, Zap fluttered alongside Big Mac, heeling to his sturdy pace. "Do you think Mommy is going to be alright?" "Eeyup." "Is the new baby going to be a filly?" "Eeyup." "Is there any chance it'll be a colt?" Big Mac looked over perplexed at Zap who was fluttering at eye level. "N-nope." "Aw. I was kind of hoping Mommy would have a colt. I'd like to have a brother. Wouldn't it be cool to have a baby brother?" Big Mac's eyes smiled at the irony of his nephew's question. "Eeyup." When the two arrived at the hospital, the receptionist motioned to them to proceed back to the hallways where the others had been waiting all night long. Zap flew towards the rest before Big Mac finished his trot. Zap zipped around quickly to see if any confirmations had been made. He saw his auntie asleep, but his second cousin once removed had just walked out of a tent. He landed to concentrate on his question. "Are you guys... camping?"

What are your favorite moments as admin here at Canterlot RP? What are your favorite accomplishments to the design and organization of the forum?

Silverstream held herself from overreacting to the peculiar nature of Bluebelle's appearance coupled with her explanation of just how temporary her slender look could be. She was bewildered. Of course there was magic all over the place, and Silverstream herself could change into a completely different creature by just touching and meditating on the rock necklace she wore everywhere. But changing of the composition of your chromosomes seemed way stranger than suddenly growing a fin. "Really!?" Her eyes were wide. She looked at Smolder for reaction fuel, and then looked back at the princess. "That's so weird!" She said bluntly as she started chuckling a roll of laughter. The hippogriff would flap her wings a few times before laying on the ground having collapsed her legs from the shear stunning information she had just been imparted to. Of course, Silverstream knew she would sometimes be too much, but instead of pulling back like a normal creature, she pressed forward using compliments to save the atmosphere from being completely sabotaged. "I can't even imagine having to split my time with that kind of identity. But you pull it off so well! I thought maybe you had a twin brother." Fortunately for Silverstream, the princess made it clear that she was not about to use her so-called curse as a means to compromise the confidentiality of this tea meeting. And Silverstream made no reservations to not take her at her word. She was thinking about asking her about what guys think about, but before she could, Smolder asked a question inline with her thought processes. Bluebelle had some experiences on both sides of the spectrum. Who better to explain it than her. It's not like there was another pony at the school, like a student, who went through a similar transformation. "Yeah, what does the guy I like think about? How do I know if he likes me?" Silverstream curled backwards from her revealing mental slip. "I mean, how do guys think?"

"Oh, absolutely. He usually meanders around Twilight's Castle but is sometimes doing things around the school and Ponyville. If you want to meet with him, just go to the castle and knock. I know that seems extremely inappropriate. I don't know how the royals are in Prance, but in Ponyville, Twilight's Castle is just another building you can approach without much problem. At least for now. Now that all the rabid Princess Twilight faithful have migrated to Canterlot, her castle is pretty much a community hub now." Seeing this mare on her way out, Granola wanted to make sure the pony had everything she needed. She stopped watering her plants. "Was there something else you needed? Oh, and I never got your name."

As Moonlight carried her apples away and took her dazzling mane and tail with her, Applejack smiled with love and appreciation for the ponies in her life. Some were friends, many of them were considered family. A few destroyed the idea of what family even meant to her, and reshaped what would have been considered a blood tradition less than a couple generations ago. She sometimes wondered how it was that ponies could bond regardless of how deep their genetic ties are, but she often suspected it had something to do with that twisted apple and pear tree cultivation that her parents once planted the seeds to. Even now, Applejack and others could feel the residual radiation of their love for each other, and Applejack was likely the largest vent of that expression in Ponyville. She turned back to her apple stash, organizing what was left of her inventory. According to the rough tally that her little sister had help create, they were one short of a hundred customers for the day. Likely a complete failure of a sale in the eyes of a statistician. But of course, to her it was anything but. Not only had she been able to rid the large supply of apples that carried over from previous harvest that would spoil if not sold in time, but she was able to experience the love and affection of ponies and creatures from Ponyville and beyond and everything they had to offer. Some customers used it as an excuse to meet the lips of the apple mare. This was odd, but not unacceptable. To all the others that genuinely liked being apart of what the apple orchard had to offer, it was clear to Applejack that their product was more than just a fleshy fruit. The apple kiss sale was also an advertisement for a community of friends to get to know each other and realize how much they all appreciate being apart of this pony ecosystem of love and friendship. For many years Applejack had increased her involvement in Sweet Apple Acres leadership. As Granny got older, she needed to take more and more of the responsibility and decision-making. The process was not quick, but eventually Applejack would become the new matriarch of the farm, and others would look to her for advisement on farm-related subjects and for lessons on how to grow an honest crop of food and friendship. As time passed, Applejack grew more wiser and more patient, but still held that fiery spirit of integrity she got from her grandmother. Her mane was harder to keep, but she was never a mare to care that much. Her bones creaked and cracked more often, but she would still win a hoof-wrestle with ponies half her age. And as for her family, it had gotten bigger. Applejack had a direct connection to the expansion of her family, and it would prove to be the most rewarding experience of her life. The presence of family around a hearth provided more life satisfaction than kicking the butts of changeling malfeasance and lassoing guilty minions. And now the sun began setting over the horizon, casting an orange hue across the whole orchard, one that Applejack was used to, and welcomed as a way to appreciate her hard work before turning in to supper time. Slowly, her aging hooves gather apples together to consolidate the extra inventory, and she stacked empty baskets together for easy hauling. She would probably leave most of the sale equipment out for the night and clean it up in the morning, but she wanted to at least get the apples put away so that varmints don't take a free meal. Carefully, she tied several sacks and fastened wagon hitches. She was ready to call it a night.

As Moonlight shed more light on how she approached her potentially deeper relationship with Remington, Applejack began understanding that she was just being as genuine as ever. She liked that about her. Moonlight was never the kind of pony to mislead somepony else dishonestly for fear of rejection or embarrassment. And the filly had an authenticity that often seemed more pure than fillies who had not experienced the kind of transformations Moonlight did. Perhaps having that kind of perspective is what gave her such a keen eye on how things are different. Applejack might be trying to teach a lesson to the master of gender roles. The apple mare smiled warmly. "Good. As long as you're being genuine, I suppose it'll turn out all right." Applejack dumped apples into a cart and returned to the trees to kick more apples off. "So, what is it about this colt you like so much? I can't imagine you liked him now the same way you liked him in Manehatten." Applejack smirked as she thought of how things could possibly be different. "I can't imagine those sleepovers are going to feel the same way the once did. Heh."

It was a good thing Rarity and Pinkie Pie had helped with the brides getting ready. Fluttershy would be there to help ease the emotions Applejack and Rainbow Dash were going through, but they both asked if she would help watch Zap Apple until the ceremony. Being good with foals meant she would typically be the designated foalsitter, and so she kept an eye on Zap until his mothers walked down the isle. "And that's all there is to it, easy!" Fluttershy assured Zap, nodding to him about the task of obedience he would need to comply with during the ceremony. Zap had no idea why this was such a big deal. To him, it was like everpony in Ponyville was just now finding out about his mothers affection for each other. Yeah, Mommy and mommy love each other, what's new? This had always been the case. Zap had never known a time when his mothers were not together. And after all, wasn't this wedding thing really all about him? Wasn't he going to be the main attraction? Why else would everypony be telling him he had a big role? Zap wanted to fly around and explore the orchard with all the ponies who were visiting it. What was typically a typical boring afternoon on the farm turned into a wild shindig that reminded him of the family parties that had been held on the farm. There was always something interesting happening. But, Fluttershy had him tranced, he dare not leave her side. Normally he would find the first opportunity to leave her supervision and get into something he wasn't supposed to. But how could he? Fluttershy was not the mare you disobeyed. Zap respected her for an unknowingly amount of reasons. While he was in Fluttershy's tow on the ground, he constantly shifted his vest, a formal piece he was made to wear today. It was kind of itchy and uncomfortable to him, but those that saw him said he looked dashing. Big Macintosh was also with Fluttershy and Zap. Big Mac had a lack of responsibility, which was good. He didn't do well under pressure and organizing a wedding was a surefire way to guarantee he'd make a mistake. So he counted his blessings and offered to help provide additional shielding in watching his nephew, giving him an opportunity to mingle. Big Mac was no longer a bachelor. He barely knew what it meant to be available before, but now he understood fully in this environment. What would it be like for him now that he belonged to somepony else? Would mares even bother talking to him? Did they even want to be his friend, or did they just talk to him for the apples? Sugar Belle was out of town on account of a large order of apple cakes going to Canterlot. This meant Big Mac would have to rely on his old way of interaction with others. Stay quiet, nod to friendly ponies, and agree with their opinions. Eeyup. "Discord, there you are!" Fluttershy had agreed to spend the wedding with Discord, provided everything else was taken care of for the wedding. Knowing that any issues that would come about would most likely come from within a twelve meter radius of the draconequus gave her enough reason to track him down and make sure today was a day he measured his magical influence in small piles and not cartloads. "Sorry I'm a little late, just had to make sure my friends were ready and showing Zap how handsome he looks." Fluttershy motioned to Berry Punch and Fire Walker. "Doesn't he look so cute, guys?" Fluttershy intended to give Zap a little boost in esteem. Zap continued shifting his vest to keep it from constricting his shoulders. He would occasionally flap his wings to make sure they were not constricted as well. Big Mac nodded. A red pegasus walked onto the farm wearing a simple suit vest with a tie. He didn't own much formal wear, he had hoped this was enough for the wedding he was attending, and more importantly that it was enough for Moonlight Glitter. She was really the only reason he showed up. At this point, he had yet to reveal his feelings for her, but he enjoyed her friendship. He couldn't believe she was willing to spend so much time with him, but he wasn't going to complain. But he continued to have a hard time organizing his feelings and thoughts during this exciting year in which he seemed to have met the love of his life while attending a school away from home. Remington was nervous. There were a lot of ponies here and he didn't know any of them. The teaches were behind closed doors preparing for the rest of their life. He had recognized a few individuals like Big Mac and Discord, but didn't feel the need to but into their conversations uninvited. Instead he stood alone, looking like a recluse, waiting for the filly that invited him to come to show herself. Where was she? Wait was this the right wedding? Did he attend the wrong wedding?

Remington watched as Moonlight playfully moved around the room and ended on his bed, sprawling herself out as if she owned it. She took the hairbrush from him and immediately began brushing. He pointed a smirk away from her. He couldn't believe this girl that he liked was now laying on his bed making herself at home with him. He knew he would be beside himself, but he hadn't expected to what degree. When she asked if he wanted to study first, he wasn't sure if she had made reservations on what they would do after they studied, but it reminded him that he wanted to express to her his feelings, and he felt it was necessary before they got too deep into the books. But first, he wanted to share something with her. "Before we start studying, I want you to listen to something." Remington was all about Moonlight. He had seen enough of her to love being around her, but it was natural assumption that if she returned the same feelings that maybe she would want to know more about him. And to him, a good way to learn about who he is is to know what he likes. And Remington liked music, like a lot of ponies. Remington pulled out the bottom drawer of his dresser and inside it were several record sleeves that contained records from various styles of music. There were albums he had from bands such as Underoats, Lead Airship, The Grateful Fed, Preedence Purewater Deprival, and The Beagles. Some were old music his father could have liked. But others were newer, such as the one he pulled out. The record sleeve had the name Prance Gavin Prance on it, and had a picture of five ponies who were apparently what made up this musical group. "Have you ever heard of Prance Gavin Prance?" The answer was usually no. No one had ever heard of them, but that was the point. He loved introducing this band to others, because he always felt they were underappreciated for how good their style and tone was. And if the pony he shared the music with didn't happen to like it, then they might just have a differing opinion and Remington could respect that. Or, it could be his crush who would end up breaking his heart because she didn't seem to like his taste of music, and he would get over it shortly after burning his entire stash of records. Remington pulled the record disc out and placed it on the turntable on his dresser. He raised the needle and turned the volume to an appropriate level to listen to the song. "This is my favorite band. I think of their music every time I think of my life. Tell me what you think." As the song played, Remington could not help but mouth the lyrics with the playback. He swayed with the cadence of the song and lip-synced the first few lines of the song. When the lyrics picked up intensity with screaming, Remington shook his head around musically, eyeing Moonlight's reaction to see if she was jarred in a pleasant way by the duality of the vocals.

Luna nodded towards Pyro as he explained his situation with his brother. "Yes, duty calls us all, but I'm sure touching base with him would be helpful. What about non-family. Or your best friends." The princess examined her subject's size. "And you're old enough, don't you have a special somepony?" She smirked, attempting to trigger a more gushing reaction from the colt. "Sometimes ponies bottle up their anger because they have no ways to release it. No matter who you are, no matter how short or long your fuse is, everypony needs someone they trust to fall onto. We cannot be made better ponies by ourselves."

Gallus was sometimes too much. Silverstream could see how often he was clueless and confident at the same time. And she liked that about him. As long as she could detect when his feathers were full of lint, she could trust him when things needed to be said. All that really needed to be said right now was that Gallus was taking care of things pretty well. Watching a foal may not have been as tough on the griffin as Silverstream had thought. In any event, she was glad to be here now to see how the rest of the day with the professors' kid would go, and perhaps provide some relief to Gallus if he decided to take a break. When he had mentioned Zap and called for him, Silverstream left the table to look back in the living room where she was. The projector stood there lifeless, as she hadn't gotten a chance to attempt fixing it, yet. Zap was not on the couch or the floor where he sat on a pillow earlier. Silverstream lifted a couch cushion to look underneath it, but there was nothing there but a loose coin. She looked around the room to see if possibly he was hiding behind a plant or a cloud pillar that decorated the outsides of the cloudominium, but found no visual evidence of the young pegasus' whereabouts. And then she looked at the front door, which was left wide open from the moment Silverstream was let inside. She looked at Gallus. "Does he know how to fly, yet?" Silverstream reciprocated Gallus' concerned sound in his voice.

Remington's eyes were impaired, but his hearing was enhanced and relied on the soft vocal expressions Moonlight voiced after he had given his little classroom reflection. This mare's voice was so distinctive, and it was brand new to him, but the way she talked also seemed so familiar. He was attracted to her beauty and her friendliness, but her affection was mostly bridled on her personality and her way of speaking. It was almost as if she still had that innocent and bright attitude that ponies lose when they start to get a little older. He didn't know why or how, but Remington felt nostalgic for Moonlight's encouragement and her affirmation of the things around her, including Remington. Especially Remington. Listening to Moonlight rant with her cute soft voice time traveled Remington forwards and backwards at the same time, splitting his reality in two. She was mesmerizing! Remington followed the rest of the class behind Rainbow Dash as everpony made their way back to the classroom where they began. He started with a simple trot, but once he tripped over a stray rock in the school yard, he picked himself up with his wings and elected to fly the rest of the way. Once they got into the classroom, Remington felt around the desks to make sure he wouldn't step into or onto anything he wasn't supposed to and then found his desk he had picked next to Moonlight's. He could tell hers was on the right because of the residual smell of her flowery perfume coming from it. When Rainbow Dash mentioned everypony would have to write an essay, Remington rolled his eyes and groaned. He looked up at the ceiling in disgust. He knew it was going too well. He let himself have too much fun, and now he had to deal with what he should have expected would come, a homework assignment. But since Remington was living on campus, it wouldn't necessarily be considered homework, would it? "Ugh! I knew it was too good to be true. I really need to get a new pair of specks if I'm going to have to write it with my own wing." Remington was outwardly talking, but he directed his voice towards Moonlight so she could hear him. Anything to keep the young mare talking to him would help keep his mind off the idea of having to do paperwork.

"Yes, let me try your apple juice. I wonder how it compares to the imported juice we get across the sea." Zareb perked up when he was told he would have a roommate. He could have guessed this would be the case, but never certain. "He has Apple in his name? He must be of the orchard family in town then, I presume." Zareb began wondering what his new roommate would be like. Would he accept him as a zebra? Is he fun to be around? Does he like the same kinds of things he likes? Is his roommate attending the school because of how advanced he is at making friends, or is he so miserable and unfriendly that he enrolled in the school in order to save his social life? In any event, any food and drink that came from the fruit farm as a result of a new friendship would not be considered extortion to Zareb, but it would be a welcome outcome to the zebra looking to take in as many Equestrian tastes as he could while he was here.

The plate of sandwiches was disappearing. Luckily, Silverstream had packed multiple sandwiches. She never knew when she would be really snacky or if she would burn more calories than she usually does. This conversation partnered with her emotions talking about hormone-based interests had increased her appetite substantially. She grabbed the last sandwich piece and threw it in her mouth. As she chewed, she took out another sandwich from her sack and put it on the plate, cutting it into smaller snack-sized pieces to share. Silverstream was entertained by both the princess' and Smolder's silly stories, and it started to make her feel left out. Certainly she had silly stories of her own to share. The guy she liked made her feel silly. Maybe she would end up sharing that, eventually. But as Bluebelle started explaining her perspective a little more, the hippogriff was reminded of the fact that the headmare had a duality to her and him. A gender-swapping persona that seemed to be randomized. "Oh yeah. You randomly turn into a stallion some days, I almost forgot about it. What's up with that, it's kind of weird!" When understanding that the headmare was sometimes a headstallion, Silverstream started freaking out internally that maybe this impromptu meeting intended for only girls was being invaded by a spy that would later reveal all of the girls' secrets to the other guys, probably in a locker room full of testosterone and chest bumps and several towel snaps. She could hear the grunts and growls in her head now.

As Tempest walked away from Fluttershy, she pondered what it would mean to have a timberwolf as a pet. Had anypony ever tamed one? Tempest seemed to think it was possible. Fluttershy might be inclined to trust her, as she had seen a lot of the world. Fluttershy loved the plants and trees. She really loved the animals. She never realized the reality that some critters might combine both of those worlds, and as far as she was concerned, she had more of a fondness for the creatures of the forest who had less of an ability to protect themselves. Maybe soon, a timberwolf would be added to the list of predators Fluttershy can say she bonded with. She had trained wolves to not attack her, maybe she wasn't all that far away from that reality. "Solar Flare, hi! Yes, I'm Fluttershy." She blushed to herself. "You could tell from my voice, couldn't you?" By now, Fluttershy had understood she held the brand of being meek and quiet. A voice like hers, if one is listening carefully, sounds like a young filly afraid of the world, but her tone over the years had become more assertive. In a lot of ways she had a soft bossy voice. "Oh, Sunny is allowed to come and go, just like every other creature that comes to the sanctuary. As long as they respect the residence that frequent the area." Fluttershy motioned to Solar Flare to follow her, but then realize it might require more social queues. "I need to head over here to feed the snakes really quick. The little guys haven't had their breakfast, yet." As she walked towards the snake holes, she attempted to make Solar Flare feel invited. "So how is everything. Is Sunny getting the right kind of feed? Does he have plenty of little bird friends?" She giggled. "Does he have a bird girlfriend yet?"