Nimbusgait Lakes Special Delivery: Hay Family Farm (ENDED)

[Mojo]

Hayseed

Haymaker

Haywire

It was a typical warm, sunny day out on the Hay Family Farm. As Haymaker was working on some paperwork outside under a tree, Haywire was over at her treehouse working on her latest 'fun creations.' Meanwhile, in the service barn, Hayseed stood looking at the large hay harvesting machine. Under normal circumstances, he'd be hitched to it and pulling it out in the field to gather the latest hay harvest. The machine, powered by the constant motion of the horse attached to it, would then gather the hay and process it into convenient bales. But that wasn't happening today.

"I sure hope that their part gits here soon!" Hayseed neighed as the Earth stallion was pacing back and forth. "I sent that thar part order three days ago!"

"HAY BROTHER!" Haymaker shouted as the lanky red maned mare walked in. "Why ain't ya out thar bringin' in the hay? We're behind on our deliveries! Jist look at all these hay orders we need ta fill!"

"Surry sis, but till that special part I ordered gits here, I can't fix the harvester. But the good news is, we're expectin' it ta come today! An' I got a friend comin' over here today ta help install it too. He's supposed to be here any minute."

"Friend? You did say, 'he', right?"

"Yeah sis, he's a pal of mine from Ponyville an..."

"I'll be right back! After all, I want to git all purtied up fer yur mechanic friend, when that dreamboat, er, I mean feller gits here!" Haymaker nieghed as she galloped past little Haywire, who was walking over to the barn.

"Hay brother, what's Haymaker all excited about?" the blank flank filly asked.

"Reckon she got all thrilled when I told her I had a friend comin' by ta help with the harvester."

"Ya didn't, tell her who he was, did ya?"

"She left before I could tell'r. Reckon she'll find out the hard way."

"Is that thar part ya need here yet?"

"Nope! Gotta have that gear assembly to make this work. I wrote on mah order form that we needed rush delivery, so I'm hopin' the delivery pony gits here fast."

"Ya think they'll send that one gray Pegasus mare, y'know, the one with the bubbles cutie mark?"

"Nah! That's jist what they call an urban legend. I don't care who the delivery pony is, as long as they git here soon."

[Gerrard]

It was indeed a day with acceptable weather, the sun illuminating the fall sky while not being outright overbearing on the residents of Equestria. The part that had been ordered was a surprisingly large and heavy gear designed to operate the device and scare off any couriers, especially fliers who didn't want to over exert themselves. After hearing the distance the object needed to be delivered, the business pony immediately regretted his offer of free shipping, having to write it off as a loss while he scrounged up the only pony in town willing to do the tedious job. Everything being said though, the delivery pony was soon in sight of the family, her appearance being masked well beneath a heavy cloak, shrouding her intents while she stood at the edge of the family's property.

Asteria stood at the gate of the family farm and peered inside with her crimson eyes, the black unicorn quickly spotting the family discussing something that was well beyond her hearing range. The cloaked figure spotted a bell at the entrance, a tool often used for gaining attention as she gently rang the loud device with a pull of her magic. Upon ringing the bell, she looked to her sides critically before deciding to lower her cowl with a brief flick of her deep red magic aura. The sudden brightness caused her to squint ever so faintly as the darkness of cowl vanished. The light revealed a well groomed unicorn mare with a coat of blackest night and a well maintained crimson mane that was shortly cut in a utilitarian manner.

[Mojo]

The ringing bell got all three of the sibling's attention as they rushed to the end of the road and looked into the distance. None of them could quite make out who it was at the gate.

"Hay! That could be the delivery pony!" Hayseed neighed excitedly.

"Could be that, friend, you have coming over!" Haymaker shouted, "er.. excuse me, I'm still not ready for... company yet..."

"Kinda looks like-a unicorn mare ta me, sis," Haywire spoke as her lanky sister galloped back into the house. "Wait till she finds out who ya got comin' over her ta help with the balin' machine!"

"Ain't got time ta explain it to her, gotta go meet the delivery pony!"

"I'm comin' too!" Haywire added as the blank flank filly galloped out with her brother to meet Asteria.

"Hi thar ma'am!" Hayseed neighed as he tipped his hat to the unicorn mare. "Are you the delivery pony we're expectin'?"

"WOW yur big, ma'am!" Haywire shouted, looking up at her.

[Gerrard]

Asteria watched as the family reacted to her arrival, a white mare leaving the other two ponies for reasons unknown to her. She could see the remaining filly and stallion approaching from their position, the younger pony in particular seeming more interested in her arrival than anyone else. The stallion managed to speak first, the unicorn being greeted nicely before being shouted at by the younger pony. The rather dreary seeming courier blinked at the strange outburst of the filly while she gathered her thoughts. Rules of common courtesy dictated that she should address them in order of speech, the silent mare taking a moment to gather her thoughts before opening her maw to speak.

"Hello stranger," she politely replied in a vaguely formal voice that hinted she was not a local to the farming area. "I am here with the part you ordered Sir Hayseed. I apologize for any delay that I may be responsible for. You are Hayseed, correct?" Asteria commented in her usual overly cautious manner as she lifted her heavy cloak to reveal a surprisingly large saddle bag that had been discretely hidden from view. The tall unicorn had the form of a cross country runner, long lean muscles running down her equally long legs. With a flick of her magic, she lifted a gear that looked to be about one foot in diameter and gently placed it on the ground. The ground disapproved of the sudden weight of the object, buckling beneath it's enormous density as cracks appeared on the dry surface. "Feel free to inspect the gear at your leisure. I hope that it meets your standards of quality," she calmly explained, seeming to avoid obvious statements about the weight of the heavy object.

The courier's attention turned now to the eager filly, her fiery crimson eyes examining the bright red youngster before addressing her as well. "In regards to my height, I am taller than most mares, yes. In regards to my other dimensions, I am relatively close to established norms. You seem to be within established norms yourself, assuming you are a filly, correct," she replied in a strange manner, taking a neutral stance on every mention of physical size. Even when she made an assertion, she seemed to hedge her bets, not wanting to make a bad assumption with such limited information

[Mojo]

Both Hayseed and Haywire were astounded by the tall black unicorn mare's appearance and emotionless words.

"Yup! I'm Hayseed, but I ain't so Sir. Shoot, I ain't even royalty, but thanks all the same, ma'am!" the happy stallion neighed as he eagerly opened the package. "Looks great ta me, but I'm waitin' fer mah friend ta come. He's the one that had me order this gear in the first place."

"I like the way ya talk, ma'am!" Haywire shouted as she jumped up and down with joy. "What's yur name, if'n ya don't mind my askin'?"

"I'm ready!" Haymaker galloped up wearing her fanciest dress and her mane wrapped up in bun. Then when the lanky red maned mare opened her eyes to fully see Asteria, an instant frown came upon her face. "Hayseed, this isn't your, friend, is it?"

"Be nice, sis! This here's the delivery pony that brung me the part I need!" the Earth stallion said before pointing down the road, "here comes mah pal! The best next door neighbor there is!"

"Ya mean, it's HIM?" Haymaker grunted as the form of a Paint stallion wearing saddlebags came closer to the group.

"Looks like I got here just in the nick o' time!" Mojo neighed as he turned to Haymaker. "Nice threads, babe, but ya didn't have ta get all gusied up just for me. You look groovy as ya are, doll!"

"I DIDN"T get all dressed up fer YOU, Mojo!" the lanky mare snorted.

"That's cool, and that's the part and say, I recognize ya, miss. Yur the beautiful mare that was hangin' around with ol' Saddlesore, right?" Mojo asked as Hayseed reached into his money sack to give Asteria a tip.

[Gerrard]

"I address male strangers as sir in an attempt to remain respectful. I will refrain from addressing you as such if it makes you feel uncomfortable," Asteria politely replied as she watched him inspect the product. Her examination was interrupted as the filly yelled at her again, the black mare turning her attention to energetic youngster.

"You appreciate my style of communication? Thank you for the kind words. My name is Asteria, may I ask for your name," she commented calmly while she lowered her head closer to the ground to make herself more approachable to Haywire.

Asteria spotted the earth pony mare return in a fancier set of clothing. The sudden arrival of Mojo caught Asteria's attention as he seemed to tease a clearly dissapointed Haymaker.

The suave stallion took her refusal with pride before addressing Asteria. "I can not speak objectively of a subjective trait like beauty, but I can confirm that I have been on two non committed dates with him recently," she strangely replied, her words painfully picked for reasons unknown.

[Mojo]

"Oh no, no ma'am, I wasn't giv'n ya a hard time about it," Hayseed said apologetically while giving Asteria several bits as a tip. "Like the ol' sayin' goes, you kin call me anything but late fer supper!"

This caused Haywire and Mojo to laugh with Hayseed, but Haymaker still looked upset.

"Mah name's Haywire, Miss Asteria, and this here's our neighbor Mojo and mah big sister Haymaker, and ya already know mah brother Hayseed. If'n ya don't mind mah sayin' so, ma'am, ya don't sound like yur from around here. Where do ya hail from?"

"I know I never met ya before, Asteria, but I saw how happy ya made ol' Saddlesore when you were with'm," Mojo said with a smile, "Saddlesore's such a sad sack all the time, all those negative vibes he sends out. Yur good for him, he really digs ya, get my drift?"

"Oh knock off all that thar hippie jargon, Mojo," Haymaker snarled, "leave the hired help alone so she kin do her job."

"But Asteria's come a long way, sis!" the filly neighed as she turned towards the tall unicorn mare. "Bet yur hungry after yur long trip, could ya stay fer supper? Tonight's hayloaf night! It's one of mah favorite foods! Please stay, PLEASE?"

Now Haywire gave Asteria her famous 'puppy dog eyes' look. This emotional appeal usually gets her favorable responses (and gets her out of trouble on occasion).

"That's a dandy idear, sis! We'd love ta have ya fer supper, Miss Asteria. You gals kin talk it up while me and Mojo here work on the harvester." Hayseed said before turing to Mojo. "See the part, pal? Think it'll work?"

"YEAH BABY! That's the part we need!" the Paint stallion neighed as he removed it from the package. "Thanks for bringin' it to us, Miss Asteria,"

[Gerrard]

"I understand Sir," Asteria replied after he explained that it was okay to call him Sir. While it was the polite thing to do, some people felt uncomfortable with such formalities. It was hard for her to figure out who liked and did not like such titles, but it seemed to have something to do with how wealthy or important the stranger thought of themselves. It was a thought for another day that would need to wait for when she had time to think things over.

When asked about her place of residence by the filly, Asteria blinked and paused for a moment, almost as if she were deciding to tell the truth. "I am a resident of Canterlot Lady Haywire," she politely explained, her voice sounding vaguely formal like the residents of said city. If she was from that city, she didn't spend a lot of her time there! Her steely gaze drifted towards Mojo after he spoke of Saddlesore in a less than positive manner. "I can not speak of Sir Saddlesore in regards to the times I am not around, but I believe that I can corroborate his interest in me, assuming of course that he has been truthful in our encounters," Asteria explained in her usual emotionless manner, not defending him, or even claiming to like him in any manner.

She listened to her hosts banter back and forth before the filly offered her a seat at the dinner table of their home. The seemingly melancholy mare glanced down at the filly while she gestured with her eyes in an unusual manner. Asteria was immune to this trick, the unsentimental unicorn easily able to tear herself away from the filly to address Hayseed. Such a long trip had made it impossible to arrange another delivery for the day, but she did have time for a complimentary dinner. From her experiences, it was often seen as rude to deny such offers, the mare nodding as she accepted the offer. "I will accept your offer, assuming it isn't too much of a hassle for you," she commented in a concerned manner as the young pony seemed eager to lead her away.

[Mojo]

"YAY!" Haywire shouted, leaping up in the air several times before settling back down, "I'm so glad yur stayin' fer supper! We don't git visitors too often here, let alone one all the way from Canterlot! Please tell me all about it!"

"Hold yur horses, Haywire!" Haymaker shouted at her sister, "Stop pesterin' our guest!"

"Now stop yellin' at little Haywire!" Hayseed neighed defensively. "She jist happy to have somepony new ta talk to."

"Keep yur nose outta this! You take our friendly neighborhood hippie thar and git our harvester fixed!"

"Y'know your beautiful when your angry, babe?" Mojo asked with a wide grin.

"Say that agin' an' I'll punch ya so hard, it'll knock yur spots off!" Haymaker shouted, waving her fist at the Paint stallion.

"Maybe it'd be groovy ta get ta work, Hayseed," Mojo said as he and the husky Earth stallion took the part and walked towards the barn.

"Don't mind mah sister, Miss Asteria, she's jist angry cause she ain't got a feller of her own."

"HAYWIRE!!!"

"Come with me, I'll take ya to our house!" the giddy filly neighed as she showed the tall black unicorn mare the way to the house. "Can ya smell it? The hayloaf's done! We kin start eatin' while the guys do their work!"

"OH NO! I hope the hayloaf ain't burnin'!" Haymaker shouted as she galloped ahead and rushed into the kitchen, saving supper in the nick of time. "Whew! It's jist right! Have a seat, Miss Asteria while I git the food and Haywire sets the table."

"You got it, sis!" the eager filly shouted as she rushed into action, completely setting the table in a matter of seconds and then zooming into the seat beside Asteria. "Now then, what's it like thar in Canterlot, livin' in the city of unicorns like that?'

[Gerrard]

Asteria followed the young filly as she marched onward to to dinner. The unicorn felt it was necessary to address the concerns of the older sister and quickly searched her mind for the proper words. "There is no immediate harm to me in answering any questions. If it becomes harmful, I will ask Haywire to stop. I suspect that her upbringing will allow her to accept such a request," Asteria explained in her usual long winded and overly complicated manner of speaking.

She then returned her attention back to the filly, deciding to sate her ever growing curiousity. "Canterlot is a city that often demands formality and professionalism. While many unicorns live there, a wide variety of entrepreneurs and business experts live there. I even have a friend there who is a griffon," she calmly explained, speaking in a relatively neutral manner about her home. It was hard to determine if she liked it or anything in particular as her voice never seemed to emphasize any particular feelings.

The black unicorn listened to the other adults banter back and forth about trivialities until the other mare started yelling at the comments of her younger sister. "Lady Haymaker, there is nothing morally wrong about not having a partner in life. Social stigmas are generally self generated by individuals in an attempt to motivate themselves into finding an acceptable partner," Asteria calmly explained as she took her seat at the table beside her young friend.

"Is there anything in particular you wish to learn about Canterlot or it's residents," the black mare asked the filly while waiting for their food.

[Mojo]

"I could listen to yur fancy talkin' all day, Miss Asteria!" Haywire neighed in delight hearing the black pelted unicorn mare's explanation of Canterlot. "Y'all have griffons thar too? Ya say one's a friend of yurs? What are they like? I did hear tell of one that visited Ponyville oncest named Gilda, but she was really mean ta other ponies. All griffons ain't mean, er they?"

As her little sister rambling on, Haymaker was in the kitchen, pondering Asteria's words and getting supper ready. As she worked, the voices of the conversation going on between her brother and Mojo carried through the open window. Their voices were audible, even in the dining room where Haywire and the mysterious delivery mare sat at the table.

"I not diggin' the scene, Seed!" Mojo neighed as the Paint stallion held the harvestor up with a levered board while Hayseed was replacing the gear assembly beneath the base. 'We've all been neighbors for a long time! All of us played together as foals! Why's ol' Haymaker always so square towards me?"

"I can't figger her out, Mojo," Hayseed answered while on his back tightening the gear assembly on the frame with his wrench. "She's scared purt'n near every potential boyfriend with her anger issues. A few even look down at her cutie mark en' git frightened off by it. You and her'd be perfect together!"

"I wouldn't go that far, chum," the hippie brony said as Hayseed completed his work and slid out from underneath the hay harvester. "If ya don't mind me askin', why would ya say we're perfect for each other."

"Help me up," Hayseed said, holding up a front hoof that Mojo used to pull the Earth stallion back up to his four feet. "Ain't it obvious?"

"Sorry chum, I don't see it."

"Well, it's like this," Hayseed said as the two started to walk outside the barn. "Yur the Pony of Peace, and Haymaker's the Pony of WAR! Ain't that a hoot!!"

As the two stallions burst into laughter, Haymaker was so mad, her face turned red under her facial fur. Haywire spotted this and instantly ducked under the table.

"Mah sister's about to explode, ma'am! Best take cover, NOW!"

"HAY YOU TWO CLODS!" the furious red maned mare screamed out the window. "SUPPER AIN'T READY YET, SO HERE'S SOME SNACKS FER YA!"

Grabbing a basket of apples, the livid Haymaker proceeded to throw them one at a time at the laughing duo. Several times the fast moving projectile apples struck the two horses causing them to shout "OWWWW!" in the process.

"I'LL GIVE YA PONY OF WAR!" she shouted as she continued throwing until she ran out of apples.

[Gerrard]

Asteria listened to her small friend compliment her on her speech patterns. She had nothing in particular to say about herself, but she did know a lot about griffons. "I do not have concrete statistics on the population of Canterlot, but I can say there are a few among the thousands of ponies that live there. I am friends with a male griffon who lives in Canterlot, Sir Grayfeather. He is in irrigation architect who went to the Royal University of Canterlot. I believe that he is an honorable fellow who finds scaring ponies with his presence. Do you like scaring others for fun? It is an odd interest, at least from my perspective. In regards to Gilda, I am only familiar with secondhand stories about her exploits. I would suggest you keep an open mind about people you have never met. Even if they are bad, subconsciously thinking that will predispose you to thinking I'll of them regardless of their actions," she explained in a long winded manner, suggesting that their species was not all mean like she may have thought.

When Haymaker started shouting and showering the stallions with fruit, Asteria turned her attention to the rampaging made. "Lady Haymaker, I do not believe that it is wise or economically ethical to use fruit as projectiles. If you must throw things, I would suggest nonperishable items like canned goods, rocks, lumber or stuffed objects. Outside of attacking though, I would suggest refraining from attacking them. Going so only proves them true. If you act in a peaceful manner, their words would eventually be incorrect and they would have a moral obligation to stop insulting your disposition," she explained scientifically, diagnosing the angry mare like a doctor and offering her a cure to her own outbursts.

[Mojo]

Haywire looked very wide eyed and excited when Asteria spoke to her of Grayfeather and Canterlot.

"WOW! I ain't never knowed no pony that was ever a friend of a griffon! You're the most awesome mare in the whole world!" the blank flank filly shouted. "An that Canterlot sounds like a great place ta live! I'd love to visit thar someday!"

Then the blonde filly became even more excited when their guest mentioned scaring ponies for fun.

"You betcha I love scarin' ponies! Like that time I put a rubber snake in mah sister's bed!"

"Hush up about that!" Haymaker roared moments before she heard Asteria's speech about wasting fruit. This made the red maned mare realize how foolish she looked in front of an invited guest. Immediately, her mood changed.

"Er, I was jist funnin' with them guys, really I was. It was... a game! Yeah, that's it! A game! It's, all in fun! Yeah, fun!"

"Even I ain't buyin' that cart of hogwash yur tryin' ta dish us out, sis."

"Shut up! Er, I mean, now now little sister, let's be nice in front of our guest, ok?"

As she spoke, Hayseed and Mojo walked in.

"That blinkin' harvester's workin' like a groovy clock, it is!" the Paint stallion neighed as he sat at the table.

"Yessiree! Workin' like a top now!" added Hayseed as he joined the others at the table. "Hay sis, how soon's dinner comin'?"

"Couldn't catch any of those snacks ya tossed at us, love. Ya bonked me in the noggin' ya did!"

"Yeah sis, you throw a fast, hard apple!" the brown Earth stallion laughed.

[Gerrard]

Asteria blinked as the filly started shouting excitedly. The unicorn thought of griffons the same way she thought of ponies, her years of dealing with them making their presence seem common. Regardless, she could understand a fascination of the unknown.

"I am not objective enough to gauge my own awesomess, but I thank you for the kind words regardless. Perhaps I can introduce you to Sir Grayfeather in the future? I think he might enjoy sharing his scare tactics with you. That is assuming that your family finds it acceptable," Asteria explained calmly to her eager friend while offering to introduce her to a real griffon.

When Haymaker tried to lie to Asteria, the unicorn blinked and was ready to accept her poor lie until Haywire called her out. "Lady Haymaker, are you trying to convince me, or yourself that your actions were acceptable? Sometimes we try to rationalize our own poor choices, and doing so can blind us to the truth," Asteria neutrally remarked, trying to stay objective while the embarrassed mare made excuses for her own immature actions.

When the stallions entered the room, Asteria turned her attention to them, if only for a moment. "Hello gentlemen, I hope the object was satisfactory. I did the best I could to keep it safe during the delivery," she simply remarked before giving her attention back to Haywire.

[Mojo]

Haywire was giddy over the prospect of being introduced to a real griffon.

"That'd be fantastic! Thank ya, Miss Asteria!" the happy rust colored filly shouted.

When Haymaker's quick attempt to 'save face' was called out by both Haywire and Asteria, the red maned mare sighed, looking very embarrassed as the guys came in and sat down. When the dark unicorn mare spoke to them, they were quick to respond.

"If fit like a glove, Miss Asteria! So glad ya brung it to us!" Hayseed neighed.

"It's positively ducky, doll! That's one happenin' gear, chicky baby!" Mojo neighed as he turned to Haymaker who was still out in the kitchen. "Need a helpin' hoof with the supper, love?"

"Stay away from me, ya hippie PlayPony!" Haymaker roared before switching to a calmer voice, "Haywire, would ya fetch some lemonade fer our guests?"

"You got it, sis! Excuse me, Miss Asteria, I'll be right back," the blonde filly said as she rushed into the kitchen, loaded up a tray with a pitcher of lemonade and some drinking glasses and then carefully placed them on the table. "Here ya go, everypony! Help yurself and enjoy!"

"Good job, little sister, could you help me carry out the side dishes?"

"Will do sis! An' don't ferget them fresh biscuits," added Haywire as the the sisters soon put all of the food for supper on the table.

"Looks great! But it's proper manners ta let our guest go first. Go ahead, Miss Asteria, load up yur plate an' eat!" Hayseed said as he pointed to the large sliced hayloaf in the center of the table with bowls of biscuits, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes with a larger bowl of salad nearby. The butter was in a small dish beside the biscuits.

[Gerrard]

"It isn't a problem at all Lady Haywire. Sir Grayfeather is much more outgoing and has a personality that is very different from my own. I hope that he agrees to come and entertain you," Asteria commented simply, managing to never raise her own voice even as the filly shouted repeatedly with excitement. It wasn't often that she met such eager people, but it was nice to find enthusiasm on her travels.

When the two stallions stated that the gear was satisfactory, Asteria nodded in understanding. "I am glad to see that my efforts were successful. Thank you for the positive news," the courier commented simply for the pair as they sung the praises of her gear.

Asteria watched closely as the young filly managed to retrieve tray worth of drinks and deftly placed it on the table. She made no immediate comments as the pair of sisters placed the rest of the food on the table. "I will graciously accept your hospitality. Thank you for the food," she politely remarked before eying the food. Her crimson eyes scanned the food, perhaps determining what she wanted to eat and in what proportions. Asteria deftly manipulated one corn on the cob, one biscuit and small serving of mashed potatoes in seperate magic auras at the same time before placing them on her plate. The courier collected a small section of hayloaf and a regular sized portion of salad in her magic before placing them neatly on her own plate. With one eerily fluid movement, the unicorn picked up one ear of corn and one of the dull knives on the table and stripped the corn free from it's cob before falling neatly onto her plate. The black mare gently cleaned her knife with a napkin before neatly placing it back on the table while she waited for her associates to collect their food.

[Mojo]

"I could sit here and listen to ya talk all day long!" little Haywire neighed as she was completely mesmorized by their unicorn visitor.

"Thank YOU, Miss Asteria, for bringing the part here so fast!" Hayseed neighed with a nod, "and we're even more glad that you're havin' supper with us! Or, and glad you're here too, Mojo ol' pal."

"Jolly good!" the Paint stallion neighed in reply, "sharin' a meal together is always groovy! Haymaker's quite a excellent cook too. C'mon in here, doll! You can sit beside me!"

"No thank you, grease pony!" Haymaker snorted as she brought out the last of the food to set on the table.

"But sis, that's the only seat left at this here table. Would ya stop givin' Mojo a hard time? He did come all the way over here to help us in our time of need, y'know."

"Yeah, I know, but he better not try anythin' funny er he's gonna git a face fulla my hoof!"

"Whoa, chill out babe. Such negative vibes here! Ya need ta learn how to relax."

"That thar's a good question," Haywire said as she turned to Asteria, "ma'am, if'n ya don't mind mah sayin' so, you're always actin' calm and collected. What do ya do ta relax an' stay that way? Y'all could teach mah big sis how it's done!"

Now Haymaker looked very embarrassed. Slowly, the lanky red maned mare took her seat at the table.

[Gerrard]

Asteria blinked in her usual manner as the ponies around her felt it necessary to compliment her on a wide manner of things. "I am glad to hear that my manner of speech is something that you enjoy Lady Haywire," she replied politely before deciding how to address Hayseed. "I do not require thanks Sir Hayseed, but I appreciate your words regardless. I take my work very seriously and try to mold my body in such a manner. But of course, I am sure that you tailor your body to help you with your work as well sir," she speculated aloud, taking a look at the farmer with her crimson eyes. She wasn't sure of the optimal build for a farmer, but decided against speculating further about his condition.

She listened to the pair of ponies banter back and forth about petty things. Asteria soon felt her thoughts drifting toward the possibility that the pair simply liked to banter. The unicorn banished the idle thoughts from her mind and focused on eating her meal. Asteria soon found herself interrupted as Haywire asked her how she remained so calm. "How do I maintain my composure? I simply have come to a point in my life where I do not allow things to bother me. While I may not agree with everything, I have learned to accept everything in the world as it occurs. Things can only anger you if you chose to allow them to anger you.It takes a great deal of practice and effort to separate yourself from your pride and ego to such a degree. I will not claim that it is any better or worse than the alternative of remaining emotional. It is merely, different," she explained objectively, not really giving a full on explanation due to the complexity of the process and her training.

[Mojo]

As little Haywire continued to be mesmerized by the black pelted unicorn mare, seeing that Asteria had already served herself, Hayseed and Mojo dove right in to fix up their plates of food.

"Will you two back off!" Haymaker shouted, "Were you two born in a barn?"

"I was, babe!" Mojo laughed.

"Me too sis, and so was YOU!" added Hayseed as the two stallions attacked their plates of food.

"You have the manners of a pig! We ladies are more refined and.." Haymaker stopped her lecture in midsentence when she saw little Haywire diving in to fix her plate up. "HAYWIRE!!!"

"What? I'm hungry too, y'know!" the rust colored filly neighed defensively. "Thar's plenty left fer ya to have!"

"Lay off her, sis, its supper time!"

"Y'know yur beautiful when yur angry, love?" Mojo asked with a polite smile moments before Haymaker punched the Paint stallion in the jaw.

"I am NOT yur LOVE, ya sneaky hippie!" the red maned mare roared, until she glanced over at Asteria. Now looking embarrassed, Haymaker slowly sat back in her seat.

"Er, don't mind them, Miss Asteria, they've been playin' like that since they were foals," Haywire explained. "Now ya see why I was askin' bout how yur some calm and cool? Mojo thar's been tryin' ta teach mah sister about bein' calm fer years and he gits punched a lot! Betch mah sister'd never punch YOU, right?"

"Stop talkin' like that and eat," Haymaker said with a sigh, now fixing her own plate as Mojo shook his head around a few times.

"Don't mind her, Asteria, it's cool, it really is," Mojo said calmly.

[Gerrard]

Asteria watched closely as the family seemed to battle over the food at the table. The unicorn was confused at their spectacle, deciding to speak as they all started throwing insults at eachother. "I don't believe that the location of your birth has any bearing on you as a person. Arguments can be made for the importance of nature versus nurture, but their is no evidence to support your claim. It can be inferred that people born in barns are more likely to be raised in a certain way, but that is just a broad generalization," Asteria calmly explained, defending all of their upbringings.

Asteria blinked as the filly asked about her sister hitting the courier. "I can not speak on behalf of your sisters intent to attack, but I will attempt to avoid physical conflict as best I can manage. I do believe that there is sufficient food for all parties here. I don't believe any of you have diets that could threaten the food supply at the table," she calmly remarked before continuing to eat her own food.

[Mojo]

"WOW!" Haywire neighed happily, "Ya must be the smartest pony in all the kingdom, ma'am!"

"I wouldn't worry none bout git'n punched, Miss Asteria," Hayseed said as he finished his meal, "She only hits them that makes'r mad. Hey Mojo, if'n yur done eatin', let's go out'n try the hay harvester! Got a field near the back forty we could use it on!"

"Groovy! I can dig it!" the Paint stallion neighed as he cleared his plate and then got up from the table. "No hard feelin's, Haymaker. Miss Asteria, been grand ta meetcha!"

"Thanks agin fer the delivery, Miss Asteria!" Hayseed neighed as the two stallions left the house.

"Have fun!" Haywire shouted, waving as the two stallions departed. "Hay Miss Asteria, if'n yur ready fer dessert, I think we have some fresh apple pie!"

"Yes we do!" Haymaker neighed happily, "I hope you enjoyed supper. Pay no mind to mah dumb brother and that hippie friend of his."

"C'mon sis, Mojo's a nice guy! He's probably one of the only stallions around that ain't scared off by yur cutie mark an.."

Hearing this caused Haymaker to turn towards her younger sister and give her such an icy stare, it made the rust colored filly stop speaking.

[Gerrard]

Asteria blinked yet again in her usual fashion, the black mare thinking over the proper way to address her biggest fan. "I can not attest to my own intelligence, relative to the other ponies in Equestria. I can say that I may be more educated than most, but education and intelligence are not directly correlated. It would depend on how you classify smartest, although I would say that it is unwise to claim being the best anything. Many people do not appreciate boastful personalities. Perhaps that is a discussion for another time though Lady Haywire," she calmly remarked.

As the two stallions left to work on their projects, Asteria waved them farewell as she prepared to stand up as well, the unicorn getting sneak attacked by the filly as she offered her dessert. The black pony should have expected such a thing, but did not for one reason or another, eating enough food for dinner to satisfy her nutritional needs. "I don't believe that I can fit additional food into my diet Lady Haywire unless I add an additional physical regimen to my day. I would prefer not to eat it, unless you would be willing to run off the extra calories for a few miles," she explained calmly, looking over to the filly before she mentioned the surprising cutie mark.

While Asteria could see why someone might be intimidated by her mark, the calm courier clearly was not. "May I ask for an interpretation of your identifier mark Lady Haymaker? I think that information is the best way to dispose of fear and ignorance. Perhaps I can arrange a date for you with a friend of mine in the near future. I don't believe that your identifier mark would scare him," she calmly remarked, looking over the white mare as she wondered if her griffon friend would be scared off by the often angry earth pony.

[Mojo]

Haywire looked stunned at Asteria's answer when she offered the unicorn mare some dessert.

"WOW!" rthe blank flank filly neighed. "That thar was the fanciest way of sayin' no I ever did hear! Do all of y'all thar in Canterlot talk real fancy like that?"

"HAYWIRE! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Haymaker uttered before their elegant unicorn guest spoke of the lanky mare's cutie mark and even mentioning a possible date. With all of the stallions out of the room, Haymaker now felt at ease to discuss this sensative subject with Asteria. Why not? She had nothing to lose and, as Haywire has repeatedly pointed out, this unicorn mare was very intelligent. The lanky red maned mare sat at the table and turned towards Asteria.

"I got this here cutie mark when I was a filly, about the same age as Haywire is now. I was always a bit athletic, lovin' ta help out with the hay harvestin' on the family farm as much as I could. An' I also hated ta see other ponies gitt'n bullied around. That never did set right with me. So one day after school, I saw four colts pickin' on a younger mare. Can't exactly remember what triggered it, but I got so mad I galloped up to'm to stop'm. They laughed at me and called me some names, so I punched'm all out! After them rascals all ran away cryin', I saw a flash of light from behind me. That's when I looked at mah flanks, and saw I had a boxin' glove cutie mark. All of us in the family kinda thought it was weird, but a cutie mark's a cutie mark I reckon. But as I grew up, stallions would take one look at mah cutie mark'n turn tail and run. Other mare's out thar have 'cute' like cutie marks like flowers, butterflies and such, but not me. A mare with a boxin' glove cutie mark don't git much affection from the stallions."

"But what about Mojo, sis? He ain't scared of yur cutie mark an.."

"He's our neighbor, and he jist freaks me out too much fer me ta wanna be his Very Special Somepony," Haymaker confessed.

[Gerrard]

Asteria shook her head as the young filly continued with her strategy of asking broad questions that the courier was unwilling or unable to answer. "It is unwise to assume that all members of a particular group communicate in the same manner. I am only qualified to speak on my own behalf. If I am to speculate though, standard distribution of Canterlot personalities would suggest that most speak in a less formal manner. This is due to a matter of choice though, and not a manner of intelligence," she explained calmly to the filly as the young pony decided against running a few miles.

The courier listened as Haymaker gave a brief overview of her own life. The story seemed reasonable enough and her actions seemed to support her assertions, Asteria accepting her words as truth. "I can attest to the fact that my identifier mark isn't often described as cute. You must remember that ideas like cuteness are purely subjective. If your mark is not cute, I would suggest hiding it or doing a better job of advertising it. I keep my mark hidden almost at all times," she explained calmly, providing assistance as best she can while not providing any substantial information about herself.

"I can not speak of Mojo and your relationship with him, but if you are looking for another male to date, I have a friend who would probably not find your mark frightening. I believe that he would be willing to go on a date with you if you did not protest. I can assure you that he is more welcoming and outgoing than I am if you believe that is important," she suggested politely while offering to set the mare up on a date.

[Mojo]

"Hay sis! That's a great idear!" Haywire neighed.

"Did you say, you could set me up with a feller that ain't afraid of mah cutie mark?" Haymaker asked.

"How about that, sis? Miss Asteria here's super smart! She kin git ya some guy ta date! Sounds like a great deal ta me!"

"Gee, I don't know what ta say. I reckon I ain't got nutin' ta lose."

"That's the spirit!" Haywire neighed before turning to the unicorn mare. "Yur really wonderful ta do this fer mah sister! You wouldn't believe the nights she paces the floor whinin' bout not havin' a feller in her life.."

"Haywire, that's enough."

"An' all the times she daydreams outloud about bein' swept off her hooves by some handsome prince..."

"Ok Haywire, enough of that kinda talk.."

"I even caught her oncest carvin' a heart shape in a tree an'..."

"HAYWIRE!!!!" the lanky red maned mare screamed, causing her younger sister to hide under the table.

"Oh my, I do apologize fer that outburst. Now Miss Asteria, what's all this you were sayin' bout a feller fer me?"