Winter Wrap Up: Plant Team

[DerpRavener]

"Listen sugarcube, there ain't a reason strong enough ta kick a family member out short of 'em trying to kill one another. And Ah ain't heard of that happenin' in Equestria in...well, since long before Ah was born. Rest yer head easy knowin' that yer in good hooves in this town. Everypony is usually pretty friendly. As fer Canterlot, yeah, Ah can see that. Was just a bit busy kickin' some Changelings up and down tha city. And then getting captured, but Ah reckon the first part makes for a more interestin' story. At least you managed ta get away before anything really bad happened...well, Ah suppose nothing that bad ended up happenin' on account of Cadance and Armor."

“...Yeah...changelings can be pretty awful...” The false pegasus had seen that first hoof. Hay, she'd contributed to it. Not that she was fully aware of it at the time, when she was a member of the hive it was just a question of following orders and supporting the hive to the best of her ability. It wasn't until she spoke to some of the victims, following her exile, that she'd really felt any doubts about her actions. Looking at it now, she wasn't sure how infiltrators did it, getting know ponies only to manipulate and exploit them.

Immediate concerns, she supposed. Kinda like what she was worried about most these days. Where the next meal would come from, where to run if you were attacked. The sorts of things you'd fail at if you stopped to think about the victims too long. Though she wasn't entirely sure if that excused them mind.

"But did you hear about what happened here just this past Nightmare Night? Changelings impersonated mahself and mah friends and attacked the town. Ah was stuck in some sickly cocoon for much of it. We eventually freed ourselves but lemme tell you- cocoons are no fun. Mah sister got a medal for helpin' free her and gettin' herself broken like a twig in the process. See, us Apples don't shy away from nothin'! She's healed up well enough but Ah still feel bad 'bout. 'Cause ya see, Ah love mah family and they love me and we'd do anythin' for one another. And we sure as manure wouldn't kick anypony out!"

“That's terrible, I can't imagine what that must've been like. Good on your sister though, it was brave thing she did. I can see why you're so passionate about family, with a sister like that.” Genuine concern mixed with hidden fears about her own situation. A big part of the reason she had headed toward Ponyville was that it seemed like the last place that would come under changeling attack. Had she made the wrong choice again? She didn't like the idea of fighting the hive, but if the town came under attack she doubted that she'd have a choice.

'Spring Breeze' was beginning to feel more comfortable around Applejack, and it showed. The encounter with the earth pony was a lot more friendly that 'Spring Breeze' had imagined, as was the mare herself. This combined with her new concern, prompted 'Spring Breeze' to quickly ask another question. “I'd heard that something happened, but I didn't know the details. Do...do you think they might attack again?”

[Pretzelparty]

"Ta tell ya the truth, sir, mah granddaughter AppleJack is in charge of the plowin' teams, but if'n you'd agree to it, I could use yur help in the kitchen more. I'm supposed ta be fixin' lunch fer all the hungry volunteers. I need help in the kitchen and I could sure use a strong pony like you to deliver sandwiches to them that can't make it back here ta eat. I know bein' in the kitchen with an old coot like me ain't exactly glamourous, but feedin' the troops is as important a job as plowin' the fields and plantin' the seeds. Whatdoya say, sir? Would ya be willin' to lend this old mare a helpin' hoof?

The sturdy looking stallion thought a moment. He had to admit that his hopes had been resting on joining the plow team, But Granny Smith made a very good point. One had to wonder if she was aware of who exactly she was speaking to though due to her example of feeding the troops. Brougham had always known the importance of keeping the troops in top condition long before he had rose in the ranks of the R.E.A. The principle was pretty much the same, and since this elderly mare needed assistance he wasn't about to turn down a pony in need. "I'd be happy to you, Ma'am. I haven't had to cook food for myself in a while. I hope I'm not out of practice." he said in his calm, almost laid back tone

[SteelEagle]

Applejack chuckled darkly to herself. Would they attack again? Would they dare do such a thing? You could never be entirely sure of what went through the minds of the Changelings. By their very nature they were alien to Equestrian ways of thought. Where Equestrians were loving and blunt with their plans and emotions as a nation, Changelings were secretive, cunning, manipulative and cruel in their application of emotions and plotting. Nopony who was anypony would be caught dead doing the things that Changelings did as a matter of habit and society. But the one thing she couldn't accuse them of was having an ounce of courage firming up their invertebrate spines. She had never heard of them attacking the same place twice or targeting somepony a second time. They attacked from out of nowhere and then fled once they got what they wanted. Chrysalis may have believed herself to have been a Queen of note but as far as Applejack was concerned she was just a Queen of a feckless collective of thieves and cowards.

From drone on up, Applejack had no respect for them- even after having been captured once. Perhaps that was a problem. Not that she noticed.

"Pssh, attack here again? Ha, they had their 'perfect' plan last time and they still failed! Why, Ah reckon nothin' could have gone better for them than those first few hours an' they still got their tails pushed back up inside of them. They're pretty cowardly ta boot. Once they fail they don't seem ta come again. 'Course they can be a mite unpredictable so who knows, but Ah'd wager Canterlot and Ponyville are the safest places ta be in all of Equestria at tha moment. Heh, Ah'd almost feel sorry for any changeling that tries ta infiltrate our town now," her expression darkened, "almost, mind you. Not enough ta save 'em. Got a little bit of anger to take out on 'em on account of mah sister," she ended, still planting seeds swiftly in line with the plowing as her ears continued to take in what was being said by Flora now.

Flora was more timid than a junebug in July. It was as if Fluttershy had a magical clone that lived and breathed and took up residence somewhere else and sold plants to ponies. It was good to see such a doppelganger not working with animals though. That would have been weird and she would have needed to go to Twilight to conduct research. Back to a more serious train of though, more crop seeds was always a good thing. Applejack got her seeds from a few places. Some were local and some were from a greater distance, but her location next to the Everfree made what seeds she could get a hit and miss affair at best. One tree might be fine, another might produce fruit at an exceptional rate, and the last may grow sentience and try to eat your sister. She was therefore mostly reliant on her distributors. Some gave her a fair shake but others heard through the grapevine that she was in need and took advantage. More than a half dozen distributors would need to be replaced someday if she wanted to save a few thousand bits annually but it had been heck trying to find one. The fact Applejack had never heard of this place meant it likely wouldn't even fully replace one, but every bit saved mattered.

"Well, Ah'm making a delivery ta Fillydelphia in a couple of months. How about you and Ah talk business then? Ah don't have time soon but Ah'd like ta change up some of my distributors. Ah'm getting tied 'round tha fetlocks by some of 'em on account of needing their seed. The ones Ah can get tend to be impacted by tha Everfree so they're unstable. Can't have instability on mah farm," Applejack ended resolutely as she continued planting the seeds. This batch was local and she liked the distributor. The one that Batsman and the too talkative pony had came from one of those distributors that had her pinned down.

Not that she wouldn't mind having somepony pin down that fancy pony's mouth. Ponies needed to know when their opinions and ideas weren't needed or required or helpful or interesting or poignant and he struck all of these negative chords like a filly playing an acoustic. Going over there or stopping to talk would have slowed down both teams and she wasn't going to do that over the silly opinions of some out of towner who probably spent all day philosophizing and none of it working. Applejack wouldn't care if a family member wanted to use part of the farm for other fruit. They were planting vegetables right now and on occasion they did do other fruits as part of orders. A small section of the orchard was reserved for special projects, and they were related to the Oranges. They were obviously all about those tasty little sugar piles and also experimented with other things quite often. Of course he wouldn't know any of this. All he knew was Apples. It was one of the most annoying misconceptions and lies about the Apples, that they were somehow violently opposed to other fruits. Why the hay would they be? They loved Apples and considered them the best but she didn't karate kick anypony who handed her a peach. She wasn't sure how it started but she hoped that one day that thought process would be crushed like a grape- also delicious. So she did her best to ignore him, though she shot an expression towards him that clearly displayed, "You're kidding, right?"

But it wasn't long before two different rumbles were heard. The first came from Applejack herself, her stomach griping harshly. No doubt it had been a mistake to skip breakfast in her excitement to start the event. A nice toast would on most days be all she wanted but today she had a hankering for the whole salad and sandwich deal. Luckily, along with Granny Smith's famous recipes, the food would be ready for them soon and all would be well on that front. The real front was approaching from the Everfree, some small storm clouds with what she could imagine was was only rain coming down. Silly weather team- they needed to get on that. It wouldn't cause too much trouble initially but if it happened hard and fast the ground would muddy up and it would be exceptionally difficult to get the work done. Applejack waved at a runner, who saluted and flapped her wings and took off to inform Rainbow Dash and Twilight of the approaching storm. It was no big deal of course- Applejack had faith in her friends.

[CaptainMcDerp]

A fellow resident of Canterlot? Peachy was surprised he's never seen him before. A diamond dog wandering around the city should be quite an obvious eye catcher. Either it was coincidence or the dog stuck to a more withdrawn lifestyle. Either way, this new acquaintance was far more friendly than he expected. Peachy scolded himself for attaching prospects to the dog simply because of his species and the stories told from other ponies regarding them. An open mind is key after all!

Curiosity struck when the dog spoke of taking over for his mentor. Interesting. Was the mentor a pony? a diamond dog? a zebra? And what was he being mentored for? As Peachy contemplated the possibilities, the diamond dog continued his speech.

"Oh, and I'm Soft Paw by the way."

Peachy smiled, lifting his hoof and shaking his paw. "My name is Keen. It's a delight to meet you, my friend." He quickly returned to watering, but spoke regardless. "If I may, who is this mentor you speak of?"

[PyroBlaze]

Flora kept watering as Applejack spoke to Spring about changelings. She didn't seem to think they would attack Ponyville or Canterlot again, due to already attacking the towns. That seemed silly, making assumptions based on two examples. That was hardly enough to formulate a pattern, let alone one that actually worked. It also seemed Applejack was harboring anger against the changelings, and understandably so, since they had attacked her family and friends.

Flora looked up then as Applejack responded to her, saying she was going up to Fillydelphia in a couple of months anyways, and they could talk about it then. Flora felt bad for her that her suppliers were taking advantage of her reliance on their seeds. Plus the fact that the Everfree was apparently messing with her seeds.

"S-sorry to hear about your suppliers. S-some p-ponies have no kindness. A-anyways, that should be alright, you coming in a few months." Flora said, going back to her watering. Speaking of ponies not being nice, a stallion on a different team was speaking about Applejack's family. He was making generalizations about the Apple family that were likely not true. Just because they preferred apples, as evidenced by extensive orchards, didn't mean that was all they would grow. Especially considering they were planting various vegetables at the moment. Flora shook her head as the stallion finished. Some ponies...

[Blueblood]

"Hoofer, eh? Played a bit of that in my time, not bad, but not my game." Might was slightly pleased that his town's club was favored by Red Cedar, though he was slightly suspicious of a pony who wouldn't support his home club. "Stalliongrad not have a club? Or just a scrub one?"

He was hoping, inwardly, that his friend wasn't about to escalate his breach of social tact by elaborating on his point, and along with Applejack and Spring Breeze, he shot a look back at the unicorn. The earth pony regretted it; Psmith was watering now with a more intense concentration, but with little attention paid to artistry of stroke. There was the touch of the worker about him, and when he looked up, the playful amusement with which he greeted the world was replaced by an almost defiant air, something more serious.

Might groaned, but he had to make one last attempt to save a situation from growing sour. "Bar rotting, Psmith. You don't really think Applejack would cut up over something like that, would you? Fruit's not worth splitting a family over."

"And money even less so, comrade! But how many homes in Canterlot were broken for that? I have had the dubious privilege of a ringside seat to one such dispute, fortunately now reconciled. My point is, that however trivial the cause, the pain is real, and on both sides. It can be helped, but only if the outsider is an advocate, not a judge." After this last remark there came an uncharacteristic silence over Wordsworth Psmith. Those who knew him well knew that most of what he said wasn't serious. For all his loquaciousness the unicorn wasn't used to uttering the deep things within him, so any strong emotion in him tended to stop his flow of speech.

But whether he was talking or silent, he was never embarrassed. Might carried enough chagrin for the both of them, and returned red-faced to the work of plowing. He desperately wanted to shift the subject onto a much less embarrassing topic, and his wandering mind remembered something he overheard. "So! They're getting lunch ready. Should be good, the food was great last time I was here. Of course, that was when the changelings invaded. Huh, makes me wish I remembered my bat."

[Smartbrony]

"If I may, who is this mentor you speak of?" Keen asked. Soft Paw hadn't even thought about explaining that.

"Oh, his name's Golden Compass." Soft Paw went back to planting seeds, but then decided he should tell a little more. "He saved me a while back, I owe him my life." Soft Paw rubbed the jewel around his neck, bringing back some unsavory memories. "He owns a shop, called Golden Treasures, and I help him out by running it while he's away. He's gone a lot, but when he's around he teaches me how I can fit in with ponies such as yourself, and every now and then he'll take me on an adventure somewhere in Equestria."

Soft Paw couldn't help but smile at the thought of his mentor. He could have let Soft Paw die there, but his kindness kept Soft Paw alive, and Soft Paw had decided he would always show the same kindness he had been given. It seemed the conversation of family was still going on between other teams, but he hadn't been paying enough attention to it to comment. He figured he'd just keep on seeding until someone addressed him.

[DerpRavener]

“That's...good to hear...” Well, at least she'd chosen her location well, 'Spring Breeze' had to suppose. Given what Applejack was saying, Ponyville was proving to be everything she'd expected of it: a great place to avoid the hive, and a terrible place for a changeling without support. Or at least, it would be if she was ever found out. Despite everything that had happened, the town's denizens weren't that suspicious, so even with some anti-changeling sentiment she so far hadn't encountered any serious scrutiny. As long as she kept her head down and remained a 'pegasus', she could probably stay here indefinitely.

Perhaps not a place she could stay comfortably, but that was just something she'd just have to live with. She'd been in hazardous environments before, She'd just be spending time in one more consistently from here on out. She couldn't quite say she'd be happy about it, but it was better than it could have been.

And, 'Spring Breeze' had to admit, she understood where Applejack was coming from. The false pegasus had to admit she would react the same way in similar circumstances. That isn't to say she'd simply let it happen if she was exposed, but she knew the townsfolk wouldn't be fully to blame for what would happen if she was. It did make her curious about something though, and as much as she didn't really want to continue the conversation it might bug her for days or more if she didn't ask. After having grown silent for a minute or two, as a few other conversations happened around her, she spoke up again though there was uncertainty in her voice.

“Hey Applejack...if you were forced to attack, say, a group of gryphons or else your family would be harmed, what would you do?”

[Ashton]

(CC)

The scene was quiet, well apart from the normal activity of the wrapup, then there was a bright flash and a familiar purple alicorn appeared in her multi-colored vest, levitating her clipboard before her.

Twilight flashed a smile at all the ponies present "Looking good, team!" she said to them, then she headed over to AJ who was the leader

"um, Applejack, can I talk to you a moment?" she asked, thought it was not much of a question since before AJ even had a chance to respond she continued talking "I've been reviewing the schedule and your team is close to fifteen minutes behind, well thirteen and a half minutes actually, so I popped in to see what could be done to make sure everypony's brought up to speed before you all start slowing down the others" she smiled, though it was an awkward smile since she was trying to dance around the fact that she was basically there to tell AJ to hurry up...

[QuickLime]

Oo..oh my..Cashmere felt his face tinge red as AppleJack described how to handle Big Mac's er..-cough- soil and it all sounded very..very VERY suggestive, "Ah..I..I got it, thank you SO much AppleJack!" He gladly changed bags of seeds with her, and practically sprung over to her former place in line , Smiling kindly at AppleBloom, before taking his spot behind Big Mac, and following his lead, flicking the seeds into the good, rich, fertile soil, humming to himself as he worked.. True he didn't NEED a Stallion, but well if he was going to be working under the hot sun, and mussing his mane he best get some small enjoyment out of it...

As he trudged on, a familiar bit of Peachy Pink caught his eye and he glanced over "Keen! Hello!" He called out, not really listening, just wanting to cause greeting, however he instantly regretted it, there was a small rabbit hole in the field, just about hoof size, and he stepped in it, gasping as he fell forward with a nasty THUD! Seeds proceeding to spill EVERYWHERE, he cringed as he moved to pull his leg out, and it hurt something fierce...

Oooh haybales don't cry, it doesn't hurt that bad... Though it was hard to stand back up and he had to blink quickly, frowning as he fought the reaction to pain that the prickling in his eyes meant.

[Mojo]

Granny Smith was delighted at Brougham's positive response!

"Thanks a heap! Thar ain't no time ta waste, come with me!" the elderly green mare neighed, moving with an usual burst of speed into the kitchen. "Thar ain't much cookin' gonna take place here today. We'll be servin' the ponies that kin come here to the farm hot soup, but it's powerful hard ta tote hot soup out ta them that can't sit at a picnic table out in our yard. That's why we're gonna be fixin' a whole lotta sandwiches. Sandwiches kin be easily be transported and don't require no cookin' a'tall! That's why I've been bakin' bread fer the past few days so we'll have enough ta do the job. Mah granddaughter AppleJack been hintin' that the troops love mah beet an' barley sandwiches, so we'll fix a buncha them first! I've already started simmerin' a big kettle of tomato soup in the back yard, and while it's cookin', could ya help me with the sandwiches? Let me show ya how I make's real fast!"

Suddenly, Granny Smith puts a tinted visor on her head and began to 'shuffle' a stack of sliced bread like a huge deck of cards in front of a long table. Then, with all the precision of a card sharp, the elderly pony tosses the slices of bread that land perfectly uniform on the tabletop. Then taking a bowl of large sliced beets, she proceeds to 'deal them' out the same manner, each sliced beet landing perfectly on top of a slice of bread. Then, she once more 'deals out' bread slices that land squarely on top of the beets.

"Learned all that from decades of practice! Now, if'n you kin take over makin' beet sandwiches fer a while, I'll mosy outside an' stir the soup. Like I say, the soup's fer them that kin eat here on the farm. When we git ta fixin' sandwiches ta take out ta them that can't come to the farm, we'll need ta wrap'm ta keep'm fresh. First we'll start with beet sandwiches then later on, we'll make carrot an' hay samdwiches too! An' of course, we got plenty of apples fer everypony too! Apples an' sandwiches! Good fer lunch! Whew! We could sure use some more help. Ya think ya kin git any other ponies ta volunteer fer kitchen duty?"

[SteelEagle]

Hehe, second that notion. Applejack didn't hold it against the ponies that jacked up the price though. It was business and all the good feelings and kindness in the world wouldn't pay bills or make the taxpony ignore you. Believe you me, she would prefer that. Ponies needed to make their bits somehow someway and if you could look at a well off pony- stereotypes and look belied the fact that the Apples had an immense war chest- and not feel bad about upping the price a bit, then so be it. She understood it. It didn't make the action any more honorable or easier on her, however. Extra bits were bits that could have gone back into the family chest. Over time, fortunes would be lost rather than stashed away for safekeeping. It was the same reason Applejack paid attention to her irrigation's pH levels and other basic farming requirements. A few bits here and there may not seem like some to be a big deal but the difference between a better and faster harvest with less expensive seeds and the normal harvest with more expensive seeds was the difference between university graduation being paid for or not in the big city over a lifespan.

"That sounds like it'll be fun. It's a business meetin' then," Applejack finished on a positive note, keeping up with her seeding duties. They were making pretty good progress and most of the teams were able to keep pace with one another. Sure a few had a bit of an advantage but the pace was consistent instead of swift and that was the important fact to keep on the top of your mind. Speed was nice. Accuracy was better.

But when it came to Spring Breeze, the questions she posed bore out a bit more thought. What she asked now was an interesting question. What would she do if she was forced to attack griffons or else her family would be harmed? That was a doozy. On one hoof she didn't have anything against griffons. Sure she met one nasty one and another angry one but they hadn't wronged her yet. Plus she was being forced and a certain pioneer spirit in her raged against being forced to do much of anything not of her own choosing. But the kicker was that it was her family and she'd do pretty much anything for them. She'd be willing to shed her own blood in their defense, but would she be willing to shed Griffon blood in this scenario? Applejack was silent for a brief moment as she contemplated her answer but in all honesty it didn't take too long once she added it all up. As much as she was opposed to violence for violence sake there came a time when you had to bend down and kick out and leave it to Celestia to pick up the pieces and assign the morality. This was one such time.

"Ah wouldn't like doin' it one bit but if mah family was in danger, Ah'd send those griffons packin' with enough bruises and scars to start a photo shoot. But Ah'd do that regardless of who or what it was. Griffons, changelings, zebras, ponies, Everfree monsters, mah family is mah family and Ah'd defend 'em 'till death and back. But Ah'd be equally angry at whoever was forcin' me into that situation and kick 'em just as hard!" Applejack finished with a chuckle, then went back to seeding. It was a silly question though. Nopony would be forced to attack anypony or anygriffon with threats of family over their head. But heck, some ponies liked quasi philosophical bellyboo like that and who was she to judge? One of her best friends probably asked such questions to herself every night for fun.

Speaking of that very friend, she popped into existence right in front of Applejack and asked her why Applejack was running behind schedule. Ah, good ol' Twilight, being a prickler for time and slightly attempting to undermine Applejack's authority. Not that she was without reason. Applejack had a sense they were slightly behind schedule but that didn't really concern her all that much. Unlike a lot of the other teams and projects who were very dependent on one another, Plant team functioned mostly separately until they were finished with this. Then they would work on other tasks involved in wrapping up until they were finished and those tasks did involve a lot of close work with the other teams. But Twilight's schedule had a bit of hurry up and wait for the Plant team and Applejack loathed that. They were on time, even a little ahead, of where Applejack wanted them- finish up a few minutes before the other tasks start, prepare, then start doing them the moment they needed to. Twilight likely left a fifteen to twenty minute extra gap thinking they would need rest then, but a more manageable pace as well as rotations would be better for the plant team. Besides, Twilight had bigger birds to fry.

"Twi, we're fine. You left a pretty big gap for us and we're gonna use it ta do this right. Better accurate than fast and 'sides, stop and go doesn't work for this sort of work as well as maybe you think it does. We'll be fine, Twi. Honestly. But, uhh, Ah just sent somepony to get you," She stopped seeding for a second and pointed at the storm clouds over the Everfree.

"See that storm? The weather team should have cleared us for the next several days. Wasn't thar supposed ta be a blocker or some such to prevent this? It doesn't look like much naw but Ah reckon it is't a good thing if it hits us regardless. Don't want muddy fields. That is how ponies get h-" Applejack spoke truth and she spoke too ominously, as just then Cashmere went and fell into a rabbit hole. Applejack's initial concern was with the seeds that he spilled everywhere, little bits in her eyes sprinkling about wastefully. But then she caught his expression and noticed the same look on his face that she'd seen on Apple Bloom's on more than a few occassions. She patted Spring on the back.

"Stop tha plow for a minute. Be right back, y'all," Applejack said before trotting over to Big Mac, Cashmere, and Apple Bloom who had a worried look upon her face. Applejack didn't bother asking permission and stated inspecting Cashmere's hoof.

It wasn't a break, that was good. But it did appear to be a nasty sprain and that could still sideline a pony. Luckily, they didn't need a sideline. They had a Big Mac. Applejack hoisted Cashmere up and propped him up on Big Mac's well-toned back and rear, his muscles glistening in the sun with small beads of sweat. he could handle a little Cashmere. She then handed Cashmere back his bag of seeds.

"Now you just stay up on Big Mac like that. Keep your wits 'bout you so you can still seed from on top of him but make sure to do it nice and gentle. Don't wanna miss your spot and spray your seeds all over the place like you just did," Applejack ordered before trotting back to her team.

"Alright, back on track. Let's go!"

[PyroBlaze]

Flora smiled as Applejack spoke, saying that their meeting sounded like fun. She was a nice mare, overall, and Flora liked her. She was looking forward to it actually. It would be somewhat interesting to provide seeds for an actual farm. She supposed she might've done so before, but she either didn't remember them saying that they were for a farm, or the customer didn't tell her either way. She usually provided for gardens, which don't require all that many seeds. Flora was a little worried that she wouldn't have enough of the seed Applejack wanted when she got there. She already got seeds from multiple sources though, so it shouldn't be too big a problem for her. Flora just didn't want to let her down.

Then came Spring's question and Applejack's answer. Of course Applejack chose her family, she seemed like she would do anything to save them. At least she would feel remorse afterwards. Flora shrugged mentally as she continued watering. Then somepony teleported right next to Applejack, scaring Flora and causing her to drop the watering can with a squeak and once again hide her face behind her mane. She had just gotten really comfortable with this group too, and then somepony new just had to come in like that. Flora peeked out at the newcomer as Applejack spoke, and her eyes widened when she saw the purple alicorn. With another squeak, she was behind her mane again. It was bad enough that it was a new pony, but a Princess? She was about ready to find someplace to hide.

All her shyness was forgotten when the stallion that had been on her team hurt himself. She trotted over with Applejack, and looked over the mare's shoulder as the hoof was examined. It looked sprained, and was likely causing him great discomfort. Unfortunately, Flora couldn't see any plants nearby that would ease his pain. Applejack placed the stallion atop the one pulling the plow for that team and gave him back his seed bag. With a forlorn look at all the seeds that had spilled, Flora trotted back to her watering can. Luckily, it hadn't spilled much when she had dropped it, and she picked it up, waiting for Applejack and Spring to start moving again. She was still hiding from the alicorn behind her mane as she waited.

[CaptainMcDerp]

Peachy caught a glimpse of Soft Paw smiling as he described his mentor, Golden Compass. It was obvious the young dog retained a lot of fondness for the pony he spoke of. Ah, so it was a pony, an adventuring pony. Not only that, but his mentor had saved his life and now teaches him proper pony behavior. He found himself pretty compelled by the diamond dog's story.

"Your mentor truly sounds like quite the commendable fellow." The pink stallion said.

Applejack caught his eye as she galloped over to Cashmere and inspected his hoof. Oh goodness, did something happen? He resisted the urge to rush over himself, but he locked onto the scene, hoping the injury wasn't too serious. Not long after, Applejack tossed Cashmere up on the muscular red stallion he noticed form earlier.

"Now you just stay up on Big Mac like that. Keep your wits 'bout you so you can still seed from on top of him but make sure to do it nice and gentle. Don't wanna miss your spot and spray your seeds all over the place like you just did,"

Peachy's eye grew slightly wider and his face flushed a light crimson color upon hearing Appelack's rather suggestive sentence. He snorted and briefly placed a hoof on his mouth, trying his best to suppress laughter. It was rather unorthodox of him to find amusement in such a thing, but for some reason he had a hard time deflecting a stubborn giggle fit. He quickly turned his attention back to Soft Paw.

"Golden Treasures, you say?" He cleared his throat, attempting to hide the stifled laughter in his voice. "what sort of things might I find there?"

[Lux]

"Hiya, Carrot. Lyra is fine more or less, just not very eager,"

Carrot Top couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the way the mare referred to herself in the third person sometimes. Eyerypony had their social quirks, but the green unicorn's had some of the strangest ones.

"Why aren't you eager for Winter Wrap Up? It's not because you can't use your magic, is it?"

"They did what!?" Applejack yelled, her eyes incredulous and angry, "that's the most- those ponies- Ah can't believe family would even consider doing that!-"

The sound of Apple jack's voice made Carrot stop dead in her tracks, thinking that somepony had become hurt. Instead she caught a conversation of a poor pony being kicked out of her home. Thankfully applejack was there to lend her sound advice to the pony in need. Carrot though made it a priority to meet this mare after the farming was done as it was hard to seed and talk at the same time.

Just then a stallion suddenly fell, spilling his seeds on the ground. Applejack attended to the pony by using Big Macintosh as a means of carrying the unicorn.

"Gotta watch those holes," Carrot said as she continued seeding behind the plows, "Otherwise they'll throw you for a loop! I can remember a few times tripping in my garden in some of those ruts and holes. And don't worry about spilling some of those seeds. We have plenty of them it seems."

With her hooves she spread the small pile of seeds around and then covered them with soil, ready for the ponies who would water them to come.

[Smartbrony]

"Golden Treasures, you say?" He cleared his throat, attempting to hide the stifled laughter in his voice. "what sort of things might I find there?" Soft Paw wasn't sure what had made his new acquaintance laugh so hard. Had he said something funny? Done something funny? He couldn't be sure, but he was certainly a little more self conscious now. With a look of confusion, he answered Keen.

"Oh, you can find all kinds of things there. All sorts of ponies come in with things they want to trade or old treasures they're looking to sell. Sometimes Golden Compass will even bring back some really strange items from his trips. It's not a very big shop, but it's a full one." Soft Paw could clearly picture all of the cluttered shelves and strewn objects. It wasn't necessarily a messy shop, it was more like controlled chaos. "There's so much stuff that sometimes it's hard to move around. But it's really neat. You should check it out sometime!"

[Ashton]

The purple alicorn looked at the storm brewing over the everfree. It was true that it was more important, but she didn't like her scheduling being undermined, especially after she took a full day to plan it out! But, first thing's first! "That storm cloud should be pretty easy to take care of!" she smiled, having a lot of faith in her magic. As she closed her eyes, her horn began to glow brightly, a beam of magic flying up towards the cloud. Twilight smiled, sure that when it hit the cloud would immediately dissipate... but the beam hit... and bounced back! Twilight let out a startled sound as she leapt back just in time to avoid the beam, which left a rather large hole in the ground. "Ok... so, my storm-clearing-magic spell didn't work, I guess we move on to plan B" she said, smiling, though there was a look in her eyes of sheer terror that made it clear she didn't have a plan-b yet...

[RedCedar]

Red Cedar

"Stalliongrad not have a club? Or just a scrub one?" Might Batsman had asked, and Red looked up from his ploughing one more time, still making a fairly good plod along through the field as he replied. "We do, and they're good to watch, but lower down the ranks. They won't be making the top tier any time soon!"

Pulling hard on the plough, he took in a little more of what was going on on the farm. From somewhere, he could smell soup cooking, wafting teasingly across the field. Soft Paw was describing his life in Canterlot. The Pegasus a couple rows over was making for some interesting conversation that must have come out of the fact that she had been forced from her family. That was the only way he could consider someone asking a philosophical question like she had.

But then an alicorn had suddenly appeared on the farm, quite literally. He'd never seen one up close, but then remembering where he was, he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised to see one of Equestria's royalty in charge of the Wrap Up. He reverently tried not to stare while she was around, talking to the head of the Plant Team for a moment, and concentrated on the job of ploughing...

Until the sudden beam of light from her horn bounced off the storm clouds and dove back to the ground. The resulting hole it left partly covered Red Cedar in dirt. Looking over to the crater with his eyes open wide, well, reverent or not, all he could think to say was "Wow, when they say no magic they aren't kidding. Even the clouds won't let you use it."

[Pretzelparty]

"Thanks a heap! Thar ain't no time ta waste, come with me!" the elderly green mare neighed, moving with an usual burst of speed into the kitchen. "Thar ain't much cookin' gonna take place here today. We'll be servin' the ponies that kin come here to the farm hot soup, but it's powerful hard ta tote hot soup out ta them that can't sit at a picnic table out in our yard. That's why we're gonna be fixin' a whole lotta sandwiches. Sandwiches kin be easily be transported and don't require no cookin' a'tall! That's why I've been bakin' bread fer the past few days so we'll have enough ta do the job. Mah granddaughter AppleJack been hintin' that the troops love mah beet an' barley sandwiches, so we'll fix a buncha them first! I've already started simmerin' a big kettle of tomato soup in the back yard, and while it's cookin', could ya help me with the sandwiches? Let me show ya how I make's real fast!"

Brougham was surprised by the elderly mare's sudden burst of speed an energy, not that one could easily tell. The bearded stallion quickly but calmly followed along with Granny and listened intently to what she said with each pause between sentences punctuated by a nod of brougham's head while they headed towards the kitchen.True to her word, Granny seemed to have done a an incredible job making the fixings for the food already,"Ma'am, if Needed I would be willing to bring the soup out for them." If Brougham couldn't haul a plow, he may as well haul some soup out to the hungry volunteers when the time came,"Please continue with your instruction though, ma'am."

"Learned all that from decades of practice! Now, if'n you kin take over makin' beet sandwiches fer a while, I'll mosy outside an' stir the soup. Like I say, the soup's fer them that kin eat here on the farm. When we git ta fixin' sandwiches ta take out ta them that can't come to the farm, we'll need ta wrap'm ta keep'm fresh. First we'll start with beet sandwiches then later on, we'll make carrot an' hay samdwiches too! An' of course, we got plenty of apples fer everypony too! Apples an' sandwiches! Good fer lunch! Whew! We could sure use some more help. Ya think ya kin git any other ponies ta volunteer fer kitchen duty?"

"I honestly wish we had cooks as good as yourself when I first enrolled in the guard...", said the stallion in a thoughtful tone as he watched Granny Smith dealing out bread slice like playing cards. "So just to quickly review. We start with making beet sandwiches and then carrot and hay sandwiches, both of which need to wrapped. Correct?" Once he got his answer the stallion made his way to door to try and gather at least on more volunteer, "I'll be back with at least one more volunteer. Please do not start without me." Before exiting for the time being.

Outside it seemed that Quite a bit had happened, the most notable of changes having been that Princess Twilight Sparkle had arrived. For the moment it seemed she was conversing with her close friend Applejack so Brougham merely offered her a calm, "Afternoon, Your Highness and you too Miss Applejack." as he passed by to speak to one of the less busy looking members of the team. One pony who looked like he could use something to do was an older looking gentlestallion with a slicked back mane and three bags of money on his flank

From Behind Filthy Rich would come a strong sounding voice, "Sir, Me and Miss Smith require help in the kitchen. Would you be willing to offer your services? If so please head to the kitchen and She shall instruct on what to do."

[Bellosh]

"Sir, Me and Miss Smith require help in the kitchen. Would you be willing to offer your services? If so please head to the kitchen and She shall instruct on what to do."

An unfamiliar voice from Filthy Rich’s rear asked for him to help out with the kitchens. Filthy looked behind him to see an equally unfamiliar-looking bearded stallion there, who reminded the businesspony of an elder Big Macintosh after a certain fashion. Filthy usually worked the plows during Winter Wrap Up, but nothing was ever set in stone. And apparently, the request for assistance also came from Mrs. Smith, who Filthy could never deny.

“Yeah, I’ll be right on over.” Thus did Mr. Rich started to make his way to the kitchen area, with the unfamiliar stallion in tow; "I haven't seen you around these parts, sir. You've ever been to Ponyville before?"

[DerpRavener]

Apparently they weren't so different after all, at least not in what 'Spring Breeze' could call the important areas. Both herself and Applejack would be ready to 'drop the hammer', as the expression went, on an unsuspecting an ultimately uninvolved group if they thought their family needed it. Granted, 'Spring Breeze' might not have anypony she'd really consider family at the moment, but that didn't change her overall attitude. The answer eased her worry over what she'd done for a moment, and she had a quiet moment of amusement over the idea of kicking biology in the teeth. Applejack had of course figured that it was a specific entity forcing them into that situation in the hypothetical scenario, a factor which made it seem much more straightforward a problem. A smile formed on the false pegasus' face. Ahh, if only it were that simple...

She could have refined the question. She could have explained exactly what kind of situation she was thinking about by asking, however she didn't feel the need to. She'd gotten the answer she needed, and not only that but anything she added would likely only increase suspicion.

The sudden arrival of a princess came as a bit of a shock to 'Spring Breeze', however as said princess didn't bear news regarding anything changeling related, the false pegasus' interest turned out to be no more significant than anypony else's. The conversation moved swiftly toward the storm building over the Everfree, which 'Spring Breeze' was surprised she hadn't noticed up until now. After an initial attempt to defuse the storm failed (and rather spectacularly, in 'Spring Breeze's mind) she began to wonder what could be done about it. She was sure Ponyville could be find a way to deal with it but...well, her current lodgings were right on the edge of the forest, so if it got out of control she'd be the first to know in the worst way.

Her train of thought was interrupted by Applejack calling their team to a halt, which 'Spring Breeze' dutifully complied with. Apparently the unicorn who'd switched off her team earlier had gotten himself injured, and while part of her thought he should be chided for inattentiveness, it was not her place to make that judgement and the injury itself would probably serve as more than enough reprimand. She had to wait for only a moment as AJ and Flora went to inspect the injured pony.

Instead of finding a replacement and removing him from the team the unicorn was placed on the back of that group's plow pony, a large red stallion, so that he could continue to work without aggravating his injury.

As Applejack and Flora returned, and 'Spring Breeze' got their own plow in motion once more, with a little concern the false pegasus asked, “So how bad was he hurt?” From a mix of curiosity and a desire to keep the conversation going, after a moment she added, “Do you see a lot of injuries at these 'winter wrap ups'?”

[SteelEagle]

So, Twilight was being a bit of a fool again. Could she honestly have forgotten one of the hard and fast rules of Winter Wrap Up? No magic. None. Zip. Nada. No way, no how. The only loophole present was the possibility that since she was targeting an outside force that it didn't technically count. Well, Applejack wasn't about to giver her any slack on that. Nor was she really all that willing to make room for exceptions because of how it all went down. Twilight's unnecessary blast shot back from the storm and oblitered the ground, leaving a steaming crater where once perfect soil lay. The initial shockwave did the unthinkable and set her hat askew a few golden inches, a matter quickly rectified by an equally swiftly annoyed Applejack. Once the action was clear all Applejack could do was sigh and facehoof swiftly, pulling down on her long face before giving Twilight a shockingly subdued half-lidded look of vexation as she trotted up.

"Really, Twi? Really?" She asked, huffing loudly as she gestured to the ground, "you just blasted a dang hole in mah fields! How the hay am Ah supposed ta work with you doin' this? And why the hay are ya usin' magic during the wrap-up? Sweet Celestia's tubesocks Twilight, we have pegasi who can control the weather. Next time, think before you start poppin' off magic that goes all haywire on mah farm," Applejack finished dismissively, more than angry at this turn of events. She wouldn't remain angry for long nor was her anger deep seated, but she wasn't happy that her genius Princess friend made such a blunder so incredibly unwarranted. Uggh. Well, they'd have to fill that hole in later. She made a mental note of where it was and what needed to be done and she'd get to it after the Wrap-Up was finished. A stallion trotted by and offered his pleasantries so Applejack tilted her hat towards him and offered a hearty but brisk, "Howdy," as he trotted on by. Nothing more. Still too annoyed.

What was less annoying was Spring Breeze's questioning. As vexing as some accidents and mishaps were, she was proud to say that considering the physical work they did and how many ponies participated that the plant team had a sterling record of safety. Nopony had ever been seriously hurt and Cashmere's injury would serve as a one of the high-water marks of the injury tide, yet not even Cashmere himself could claim to be too hurt. All in all, she considered it pretty safe. The Timberwolves weren't even out this time of the year so they didn't have to worry about wildlife from the Everfree popping by very often and the ones that did were usually terrified by the sight of dizens, maybe hundreds of ponies so clustered together. One poor little cockatrice had been so frightened it somehow turned itself into stone. Applejack wondered if the critter had ever been cured and just as quickly she realized that she didn't quite care.

"Nah, not too often. A few here or there but nothing more serious than a bruise, a sprain, or a cut. Maybe one or two broken bones but honestly, with thousands of ponies doing work every year ya think there'd be a whole heck of a lot more," Applejack replied, confident that this would hold up as she helped Flora back into the groove of things. they had a pretty good team going on.

"So, tell me tha both of you. How do y'all handle Winter Wrap Up where you live or, err, used ta live?"

[QuickLime]

Cashmere held still as AppleJack looked over his hoof, it stung something fierce, but wasn't too bad, save for going a bit red and swelling..Though suddenly being hoisted onto Big Mac, and more slightly suggestive wording being handed his bag of seeds was making his face turn brighter red than the mane of a Manticore! "A..h Yes Ma'am" He mumbled, fiddling with his bag, once Mac started moving he used his good hoof to sprinkle the seeds into the soil, ignoring the magic boom nearby..what idiot was using magic during Winter Wrap up?

Though he couldn't get the burn out of his face, because he had very good ears and could hear people asking about him, shooting glances at him.. he swallowed a little bit and just focused on the seeding, thank goodness he didn't have to talk to anyone right now...He'd made fool of himself enough as is.

[Mojo]

After stirring the huge boil of tomato soup heating in a kettle under a fire nearby, Granny Smith looked up to see Brougham returning with Filthy Rich following behind him.

"Oh, ya brought some more help! Good job!" the elderly mare neighed with delight. "Hello thar Filthy Rich! So glad y'all kin join us! We gotta big job ahead of us cause we're gonna have a whole lot of hungry mouths ta feed come lunchtime. We're gonna be makin' enough sandwiches ta feed an Army!"

Suddenly, Granny produced her green Army helmet and put in on her head.

"Alright troops, listen up! We gotta important mission today! Make sandwiches, give out apples, serve soup and do it all with smiles on our lips and songs in our hearts! The entire Plant Team's countin' on us, so we'll have to work and work hard ta git this job done! Are ya with me, troops? I said, ARE YA WITH ME???"

[PyroBlaze]

Flora cast one final glance over at where the seeds had spilled, and smiled as a mare buried the seeds so the watering pony could water them. She continued watering her own line after that, staying on task until the alicorn fired off some kind of magic that ended up blasting a hole in the ground and causing Flora to jump back with a squeak. She then stayed quiet as Applejack chastised her friend for using magic. Flora looked over at the alicorn from behind her mane for a second before continuing her work with watering.

Spring was asking questions about that unicorn stallion that had hurt himself, and Applejack answered the second one. Flora cast a glance over at the unicorn in question, who seemed very embarrassed by the whole situation, before she answered the first question.

"It's j-just a sp-sprained hoof, n-nothing too s-serious, Spring." Flora said, answering the Pegasus' first question. She then smiled at Applejack as the farm pony helped her get back in the groove. Then Applejack asked how Winter Wrap Up went where Flora and Spring lived, or, in Spring's case, had lived. Flora decided she may as well go first answering this question.

"I... I've a-always been busy d-during this time in previous years, g-getting my shop stocked again for the first day of spring rush. T-there was one year... It was like this, only there was magic use going on. I f-finished stocking early this year, s-so I decided to c-come here to experience it with no magic." Flora said before returning to watering.