Young at Heart (Closed: Granny Smith)(Corralwood)

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom hushed her excitement laden voice right up on her Granny's command as the two Apple ponies approached a likely den of some nice tropical birds. Apple Bloom always wanted to see some tropical birds, see how exotic they were compared to the mainland birds. Did they have pola dots or three heads? Maybe when they sang their songs they could mimic actual musical instruments. Nopony back home'd believe such a silly thing but now that Granny Smith was here, well then, maybe that'd lend an air of respectability to that claim. Or not. It was Granny Smith after all and she could be a silly ol' pony sometimes. Not that it changed an iota of Apple Bloom's respect for her Granny. She could be a crazy old codger from sunrise to sunset but she was Apple Bloom's crazy old codger granny and nopony had her crazy old codger granny except Apple Bloom. The pair of ponies snuck up as close as they could, activating the infamous Apple family stealth mode.

It wasn't long before they came across a whole host of colorful and strange birds perched on the trees above. The toucans were easy enough to identify, with their big old beaks and pretty standard color patterns telling the story. The parrots were a pretty bunch of birds too, their colors vivid as all get out and look at those sizes! Parrots didn't get anywhere near that size where she was from. Did Ponyville even have parrots? It begged the question whether or not Apple Bloom'd recognize exotic beasties if one was right in front of her. Well, they looked awfully pretty and were rare enough to her eyes, so parrots would classify as exotic today. Who was she, Fluttershy? Above the parrots was another small collection of birds that she couldn't identify. It wasn't as if Ponyville Elementary had classes on exotic birds or if they did she wasn't part of it. Her bran rambled on trying to go through the volumes of useless knowledge she had picked up over the ears before it settled on a made up name.

“Well, Ah think those are...vinterwings!” She whispered loudly, already glossing over the giant unknowable nature of the name.

[Mojo]

Granny Smith knew her youngest granddaughter would have the answer!

"Vinterwings?" the elderly Earth mare whispered back to AppleBloom, "tain't never heard-a that bird, but I reckon ya know best."

Granny smiled at the youngster. Suddenly remembering the binoculars in her saddlebag, the gray maned mare retrieved them and began to look upward into the tree.

"Oh, now that's better," Granny said in a hushed tone, "I thought that one big bird on that low branch was a parrot! Next ta her's a big beaked toucan. I tried ta feed one of'm during mah last trip here, but that ol' bird was too scared of me. An' that little bird higher up, on the same branch as that vinterwing, I know I've seen that bird before."

As she spoke, a larger bird descended towards the big tree. It was a mighty eagle! How strange, Granny Smith thought, that a big bird like this would be living on this island. The sight of the eagle fluttering downward caused most of the other birds in the tree to scatter into the sky.

"That durn galoot!" Granny shouted, causing the eagle who had just perched on the largest branch of the tree to stare down at her, menacingly. "Yeah! I'm talkin' ta YOU, ya big ol' bird! Here I am tryin' ta show mah granddaughter all the colorfuls birds on this here island and then YOU come along an' make'm fly off!"

The eagle squawked loud before staring down at Granny Smith again.

"Uh oh," Granny whispered, "I think I riled him up. Maybe we best walk away, slowly an' quietly."

Granny began to slowly turn to walk further down the path, hoping AppleBloom will do the same.

[SteelEagle]

When Granny pulled out the binoculars everything improved by leaps and bounds! Apple Bloom had one herself but had forgotten it back in the clubhouse. The last time she had used it it had been when they were going Crusading in Foggy Bottom Bog. They had been trying to get rogue adventurer cutie marks or maybe even safety explorer cutie marks. If her life was to be wrapped up in something then why not be a pony who investigated all the weird and wild stuff outside of towns so it could be catalogued and travelers warned of the many dangers? Sounded like it could be loads and loads of fun! Dangerous creatures and dangerous lands with only an intrepid little Apple and her trusty wits standing between silly travelers and the deep dark gullets and ravines of the world. But that didn't really work out all that well. They didn't find anything dangerous. Seeing pretty birds was a good use of binoculars! Apple Bloom was about to get a good look herself...”can Ah-” she began before the Eagle came and mucked it all up.

What the hay was an eagle doing all the way here in the tropics? They weren't supposed to be down here and not just because it ruined the exotic image of the islands. No, they didn't like it here normally! All sorts of odd critters were showing up this trip. Geez, next up was sure to be a leopard and then a family of wild dogs for no apparent reason. Granny Smith bellowed at the bird and the leader of the raptors stared back at her with ill intent. Smooth move, Granny. The smoothest move of all time. Of course it wasn't all that threatening. Eagles weren't dumb. Slinking back and being a bit on the submissive side wasn't how you handled them though. That made you look like a prey animal. You had to appear confident and more importantly let it know just how much bigger than you it was. Of course Granny may not have known that- for all of her grand knowledge an eagle was not the sort of creature you'd run into in the Everfree. It was more of Whitetail Woods thing. Fluttershy helped out Apple Bloom lots when it came to knowing how to deal with animals and having a pet friend eagle of her own, nopony would know better than Fluttershy.

“Granny, don't be all submissive and shy! That makes ya look all weak and prey-like. Gotta look and appear strong, like this!” Apple Bloom said before she leaped into view of the eagle. She stared it down, her tail wagging normally. After a few seconds of silence Apple Bloom stopped looking right at it and started trotting nonchalantly but confidently back, tail bobbing and head held high. The eagle kept on staring daggers at the ponies, its talons glistening in the sun all the same.

[Mojo]

What was THIS? AppleBloom taking sure bold, decisive action? Granny's first instinct was to shout at her granddaughter to retreat with her, but instead of yelling, the gray maned mare decided to watch for a while to see what would happen next. To Granny's surprise, the mighty eagle didn't swoop down upon them. AppleBloom had been right! The little filly was able to stare down the huge bird.

"If'n you kin do that, AppleBloom, then so can I," the elderly Earth mare said as she slowly walked over and stood beside her, giving the motionless eagle her own version of her granddaughter's brave stare. Granny was no stranger to staring down huge wild beasts, she'd done it many times in her younger days. However, it had been a while since she last won a 'staredown' with anypony. After a few minutes that seemed like hours, the eagle shook its mighty head and flew off.

"Ya did it, AppleBloom! I'm mighty impressed! Whar in Equestria did ya ever learn a trick like that?" Granny asked as some of the colorful birds returned to the tree. "Lookie! Them birds came back! Betcha thar's some new ones in that thar tree now! Here, barry mah binoculars an' have a look fer yurself!"

[SteelEagle]

Score one for Apple Bloom! It took a bit but the eagle eventually flew away. She liked eagles and other raptors in a scary fascination sort of way. Meat eating animals were to the last a little scary to a herbivore such as herself. The idea of something tearing and clawing away flesh and then eating it- some ponies got sick at the thought. She didn't. She was a farm filly and had seen some pretty nasty stuff in her day, as young as she was. Not a squeamish bone in her little body. But that didn't prevent her from being afraid. The eagle itself wasn't scary but the idea of a flying meat eater was. But it eventually left to be replaced by a flock of pretty birds once more, this time joined by some new ones. She couldn't see the specifics just yet but the array of colors was awfully pretty.

“Well Granny Ah spend a lot of time with Fluttershy, especially lately, since she can teach me how ta handle all sortsa dangerous creatures in tha Everfree!” Apple Bloom grabbed the binoculars, “on account of all tha time Ah spend in there, made sense ta learn from the very best how ta handle dangerous animals! Fluttershy is so smart when it comes to all sorts of animal stuff. With a predator like that, y'all hafta remember that we're bigger and stronger an' eagles have been around ponies long enough ta know that much! So y'all gotta keep a steely gaze and let'm calm down and remember who is who!” Apple Bloom took a peek through the binoculars. Sure enough there were some new ones up there! “Huh, they're mighty pretty but Ah don't know what they are! Who do ya think they are, Granny?”

[Mojo]

At AppleBloom's suggestion, Granny Smith studied the new array of colorful birds carefully. The elderly Earth mare had to rack her brain to remember the names of the kinds of birds that now inhabited the tree.

"Let's see now. We've seen that parrot before, the one on the upper branch next ta the toucan. That green jay is new! Notice how she has a blue head to go along with her green body. An' that smaller bird thar on the next branch down's called a Lorikeet, see how it's got three main colors with its feathers? Most of the Macau parrots that ya see are red, yeller and blue, like that one over thar! Ya might think that thar big beaked bird on the far end of that branch is another toucan, but it ain't. But cause it's got a lot more yeller color ta it, they call it a Keel. Them two parrot lookin' birds up top are actually called Scarlet Macaus. See that blue bird next to'm? Ain't a blue bird, that's called a Large Niltava!"

As Granny spoke, a very large pink bird landed nearby and stared at the pair.

"Betch you've seen flamingos like this one before! Wonder if it's hungry? Say, do ya happen ta have a cracker on ya? If'n ya do, gently toss one over to it and we kin see if it'll eat it or not."

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom took a good look at the gathering of colorful birds as they pecked and hovered and flew about one another in a lazy daze of island ways. There certainly was a good bit of action going on and Granny Smith started naming them off pretty easily. Pretty impressive for her batty ol' Granny! Apple Bloom knew a fair bit about birds on account but couldn't for the life of her remember seeing birds as pretty and beautiful as them anywhere on the mainland. Why were all the pretty things tucked away on the islands? Well, maybe that was just because she was always exposed to the birds on the mainland. A pigeon might seem awfully pretty if you only saw it once or twice a lifetime. On second thought, nah. A pigeon would never be THAT pretty.

Granny Smith prodded Abby for a cracker which the youngest Apple produced easily from a small pouch in her saddlebag. No doubt a pony would ask a filly why she was carrying crackers but anyfilly would know the answer and it was an answer that only a filly needed to know, so stop asking! She nudged her Granny and waved her cracker excitedly in front of her. “Ah sure do! Do ya think they'll form a line like Piccadilly's or do you think they're more of the ravagin' type?” Apple Bloom asked her elder energetically. Meanwhile, her question was being asked. The flamingo slowly started to move and come towards the pair, but the Niltava took bold action and flew to the outstretched hoof and snapped the cracker away! Apple Bloom leapt back in shock and let out a gasp, shaking her hoof from the sharp action of the Niltava as it flew away with the cracker. Then she laughed. “Ah guess tha Niltava was pretty hungry, ain't that right Granny?”

[Mojo]

Granny smiled when AppleBloom produced a bag of crackers. The elderly mare thought it would be a longshot for any young filly to be carrying crackers on her, but to Granny's delight, there it was! It surprised the gray maned mare even more to see one of the birds swoop down to snatch a cracker right out of AppleBloom's hoof! Temporarily startled, Granny Smith was amazed.

"Sure didn't expect ta see that!" Granny neighed, "I was expectin' these here birds ta be scared of ponies, but that one wasn't a bit frightened at'all! Makes me wonder if'n some of these birds is tame. Not too many ponies live on this here side of the island, as I recall, but that was a long, long time ago. Ya don't suppose thar's ponies live'n nearby, do ya AppleBloom? How's about we try holdin' out more crackers ta see if any of them other birds'll fly up an' grab'm out of our hooves? I'd be curious ta see this!"

Taking one of the crackers from AppleBloom's bag, Granny held it out on her extended front hoof.

"Now do as I do, an' try not ta move," Granny whispered.

Reminds me of the time I went on vacation with a tour group to Bandelier National Park in New Mexico. When the group sat down for lunch in the picnic area, two birds and one squirrel were bold enough to land on one of our tables to snatch some of our leftover food right in front of us! Obviously, those critters were used to humans being around, they wasn't a bit scared!

[SteelEagle]

This had turned out to be a pretty eventful day for the little Apple pony, but that didn't mean they had done more than scratched the service of what the day could be. There was so any possibilities now that they had penetrated this far inland that it boggled the normally unboggable mind of Apple Bloom that she could hardly think about what to do next. Luckily she had her Granny Smith along for the ride and she knew that they were going to have a grand ol' time on account of it. The real question was were these birds used to ponies and if they were, why? Did ponies live deeper inland? Well, the answer to that was almost certainly, right? It was a habitable little piece of heaven and good times and there was plenty of food. Water was actually more of a concern but all you needed was a bit of trade for a water purifier and you were good.

“Well, Ah don't know but it's possible. Thar's enough food here ta feed a small village Ah think, but just because the birds ain't afraid of us doesn't mean that ponies live this far inland. Could just be tourists and adventurers like us, right?” Apple Bloom asked as she watched her Granny go ahead and start something new, grabbing one of her crackers and putting her hoof out and asking the little one to do the same. Apple Bloom nodded and went about obliging her elder's request, quickly getting a cracker into her hoof and extending it. Of course since she was told not to move- maybe the first and only recorded instance of Apple Bloom staying in any given place more than a second- she did so, and their hooves were not aligned in the slightest. Wasn't as big of a discrepancy as with Jack and Mac, but nonetheless, two hooves with crackers stretched out invitingly to the birds above.

[Mojo]

"Ya could be right about that, AppleBloom," Granny Smith said with a nod as the elderly mare continued to hold out a cracker for the birds to get, After holding her cracker out for about five minutes and seeing no other birds making a movew towards herself or her granddaughter, Granny popped the cracker into her mouth and ate it.

"Reckon they've had enough," the gray maned mare said with a smile. "We probably best be headin' back towards our campsite, but along the way, we kin refill our canteens at the natural spring just a few paces from here. That's one of the reason I chose this here hikin' path, cause I knew the spring was nearby, c'mon!"

Excited, Granny Smith walked past several smaller bushes until the sound of the babbling brook could be heard.

"Over this a way, AppleBloom!" she shouted just as the elderly mare poked her head through a bush and saw the spring with her own eyes. "See this? It's an all natural spring an' it's good, clean fresh water! Shall we git our fill now?"

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom held her hooves out for what felt like a whole year. Why were none of the birds making a move for the crackers? Only one had gotten even a sniff of one. The others just watched forlornly as he went about his business before one by one they completely forgot what they were concerned about and went about their day. Huh, that was a bit of a letdown. No wonder they call it bird brain and not pony brain. Her brain was a lot bigger and capable of much higher thought processes and more importantly attention than they were capable of. Case in point, she started to daydream about crusading with her friends a full ten seconds after the last bird gave up the ghost and went about being a weird tropical bird. Somewhere in between that and Apple Bloom imagining Scootaloo riding over the moon she realized she was smarter than every bird. Mission accomplished.

And then Granny withdrew and Apple Bloom snapped back to reality. Yep, this part of the island fun was over. These birds weren't going to play along anymore. Luckily, this was a tropical island, not some sort of barren island with nothing but a single crab and a lonely bird. Apple Bloom bound ed after her Granny, happy to find a nice natural spring for them to refill their canteens at. Apple Bloom had tore through her water supply early because nothing tasted better than cold water on a hot day. She wasn't known for her patience or temperance on such matters and would rather resupply than rethink her direct ways. She followed her Granny up and deeper into the island, the path of least resistance trodden upon by two adventurous, but safe, ponies. And finally there it was, some nice bubbling water!

“Y'all know all the nooks an' crannies of this island, Granny. Ah bet if thar was gold hidin' somewhere ya'd know just where ta look, huh?” Apple Bloom asked with maximum pride as she approached the water, more than ready to fill it up.

[Mojo]

As Granny Smith filled her own canteen, she listened to all the praise coming from young AppleBloom.

"Now AppleBloom, I don't know everythin' about this here island, but I gotta admit, I know more than mah share," the elderly mare confessed. "I know a lot's changed about this island, but in a lotta ways, it ain't changed one bit since I was last here."

When AppleBloom mentioned finding gold on the island, Granny's face lit up.

"Gold in this here island? Y'know, that sorta reminds me of a legend I was told by one of the locals when I came here last. Seems long ago, thar was a pirate pony named Peg Leg. Accordin' to the story, she led a band of rough pirate ponies on adventures on the high seas! It was said that Peg Leg hit a huge treasure chest full'a gold on this here island before she sailed off one last time with her crew, never ta be heard from agin'. Fer the last three decades, treasure seekers came here ta search for Peg Leg's famous treasure chest. I was surprised thar wasn't any treasure seekers at the docks when we arrived. Legend says that the treasure's in a secret cave somewhar in the middle of the island near an old stone sundial. I fer as I know, no pony's found that sundial, let alone that cave."

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom really really liked pirates. Most fillies her age did because they lived a life so free of control and full of adventure! It'd be really fun if she was a pirate. Then she could captain the dread ship Sweet Apple as she roamed the high seas, her sword clenched tightly in her teeth as she prepared to board some royal equestrian navy ship on the high seas. Dueling with captains, commandering cargo, and then herself getting caught by some swashbuckling buccaneer herself. Then it all devolved into some of that tawdry romance novel stuff Applejack told her to not read but she did anyway, but the point was that there were swords being used and swords are forever cool. And the prospect of there being gold on this island was intoxicating. Why were they messing around with this stuff when they could be running around looking for gold? Grannies. Sheesh.

“Well, if there could be gold on this island than what are we doin' just getting' water for our canteens?” Apple Bloom asked inquisitively as she went about doing that very thing, setting the canteen at the lip of the water and letting it glug glug glug until it glugled no more. For all of the fancy terminolgy some book smart filly could come up with to describe all the proper procedures for camping Apple Bloom had found the easiest way to go about it was simply listening. Solved most problems! She put the cap back on and slung it over her left shoulder and attached it to the utility belt she was wearing, more than happy to keep it at hoof's reach now. She was still as fit as a fiddle but the day was wearing on and if they had things to do she wasn't going to jeopardize it one bit.

[Mojo]

Granny Smith's worst fears were now realized. By telling AppleBloom the tale of Peg Leg the pirate, the elderly mare had ignited her granddaughter's imagination and caused the filly to stray from the reality of their current situation. It would be dark in a few hours and if the duo didn't return to camp soon, they may not find their campsite in the darkness.

"Easy thar, AppleBloom," Granny Smith said cautiously. "Searchin' fer treasure's gonna have ta wait till tomorrow. It's gonna git dark soon and if'n we don't git back ta the campsite, we may be stuck out here with all the wild critters. I really don't think you an' me could find that treasure anyhow, but we definitely can't find it if'n we rush off liked a spooked stallion with no plannin' or supplies! Tell ya what, AppleBloom, if'n we go back ta camp now and git us a good night's sleep, you an' me'll go treasure huntin' tomorrow. Ok? We got a deal?"

[SteelEagle]

Waiting until tomorrow? That was like waiting a whole year! Why did some ponies treat time like it was a resources to be hoarded and not one to be pushed ahead and ahead? It was too dang valuable. It seemed like everypony who cautioned her to not worry about it and take her time was old. She was not old. She was young and it seemed pretty simple that young ponies wanted to use every possible second they had when they were young. Oh well. Only Granny knew all the secrets so if she wasn't up for it then Apple Bloom would just have to be okay with not looking for buried treasure today. Tomorrow would be even better anyway because she'd be full of energy and would totally remember that she wanted to go ahead and go get all that treasure.

“Alright, Ah guess,” Apple Bloom responded, obviously disappointed. She put the cap on her canteen and screwed it in, tossing it back into her saddlebag. The good thing about having an endless amount of water is that if you found a fire you could put it out and be a hero and STILL have enough for your own needs. The greatest part of being with her Granny was that she could sniff out trouble a mile away. Granted, she could probably smell fire anyway. “This water, Ah'd figure that most of this island would have nothin' but salt water. Kinda weird, ain't it?” Apple Bloom asked offhoofedly as she yawned, a bit tired.

[Mojo]

Granny Smith could see the look of disappointment on her youngest granddaughter's face. Oh, the wonder of youth and youthful energy! The mind of the elderly Earth mare raced back to when she was a little filly. Many times, against her family's better judgment, she'd go off on adventures herself. Sometimes those went well, like the time she found the first zap apples in the Everfree Forest. But other times, it didn't go so well and she had to be rescued by either mom or dad. As much as Granny felt the sadness in AppleBloom's eyes, she knew that she was right this time. Darkness would fall soon, and even with her knowledge of the island, Granny wasn't sure she could get them back to the campsite once the sun went down.

"Don't ya fret none, AppleBloom. We kin go on a all day treasure hunt tomorrow, even git an early start if ya like."

Then AppleBloom mentioned the water situation. That's something the gray maned mare never thought about. Indeed, how can an island surrounded by salt water have a good supply of fresh water? There's many mysteries and legends Granny Smith was familiar with, but this one completely befuddled her.

"I really don't know why this here island's got fresh water like it does. All I know is, if'n it didn't have no fresh water, we wouldn't be campin' on it, that's fer sure. C'mon youngin', we best be headin' back ta camp now before it gits dark on us."

[SteelEagle]

Granny was right on the nose. They really didn't want to get caught out in the dark, not when they didn't know the land very well. It was one thing of it was near Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom had done such a thorough job of poking her eager snout into every dangerous nook and cranny that she was never at a loss for shelter or danger if needs be. And if she needed to navigate herself from wherever she found herself back home she could do so with little trouble. Familiarity bred safety and a certain contempt for the great dangerous that she lived around, but unfamiliarity bred worry in her. She was entirely with her Granny in wanting to get back to camp- between the yawning and the unknown the tents were seeming like the perfect place to lay her head!

Apple Bloom didn't lead on the way back. She was too busy admiring all the wild life that called the island home to worry about who was leading who. It was truly amazing all the exotic animals that she felt an immediate attachment to, their bright colors and loud noises speaking to two things all fillies loved in equal measure and vastness. Nonetheless she found herself making good time back to their small amp, the tent standing tall and the embers from their earlier cooking fires still dancing in the afterglow of their disbandment. At least they had cleaned it well enough to be ready for another day's use, which meant she could worry about the rest in the morning. This filly was getting a little tired as the sun started to descend from the sky, which begged a few questions. “What do you think Luna has for breakfast before the moon comes up?

[Mojo]

When they returned to camp, Granny Smith was starting to yawn herself. The elderly mare was definitely beginning toi feel her age. Though she didn't want to admit it, she wasn't as young as she used to be!

Getting ready for sleep was a snap since the two of them kept such a neat camp. Granny Smith always insisted on keeping a campsite clean, always leaving the camp area looking as good as it was when the campers first arrived. Tomorrow was going to prove to be an exciting day of treasure hunting. This is why the gray maned mare wanted to get a good night's sleep so she'd be at her best the next day.

As the two were settling in for the night, AppleBloom asked a thoughtful question, one of those questions that youth her age would ask. The question brought a smile to Granny's face.

"That thar's a good question, youngin'! I don't know the answer fer sure, but I kin tell ya that her bein' royalty an' all, ya gotta believe Princess Luna has a real good breakfast every day. Course, since she usually stays up all night cause she controls the moon an' all, breakfast for her is probably like supper is fer the rest of us. Really don't know how all that thar sleep schedule thingie fer her and Celestia works. Fer that matter, ya gotta wonder if'n Princess Luna was stuck in the moon fer a thousand years, did Princess Celestia have ta stay awake all day an' night ta take care of the sun an' the moon durin' that time? Maybe thar's some questions in this here world we ain't never gonna know the answer to. Y'all ever discuss deep questions like that in school?"

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom busied herself to ensure that when the time came for her weary head to finally lay down she could do so without thinking that she had left anything on the table for the day. Apple Bloom could rest easy if she knew she had done as much as she could for as long as she could to the best of her abilities. If she didn't then she could get up and wander around and generally be a nuisance to herself and everypony else around. She rolled out her sleeping bag inside the tent and made sue to dim the lamps slowly, allowing their oils to die out easily and not waste any of it. She put away the cooking materials from earlier away in their holdings, clearing the whole camp site in good time. It wasn't long before the camp was ready for two sleepy ponies to do the sleepy thing.

“Well, Ah guess that makes sense. Ah think Luna probably has a light breakfast-dinner an' a light dinner-breakfast. She seems so dang small in comparison ta Celestia! Probably lots of Granola or somethin' an' that'd b mighty disappointing of a meal for royalty. Maybe they have royal granola? Maybe Celestia eats so much 'cause she was up twenty-four hours a day every day while Luna was gone? Ah well,” Apple Bloom yawned as she got into her sleeping bag, curling in it like a snake. They should call it a slithering bag instead because they made for mighty fun snake-playing games with friends outside of sleeping. Better utility name, please. “Nah, we don't ta;l about this at school. Officially, Ah mean. Sometimes Scootaloo an' Ah start chattin' lik this an' Miss Cheerilee has ta shut us down,” Apple Bloom giggled before yawning again, “goodnight, Granny. Love you!”

[Mojo]

As she listened to AppleBloom, Granny gave out a yawn. The gray maned mare couldn't help herself, it was getting very late and she wasn't used to staying up long past sundown. In fact, the last time she could remember staying up late was that one Nightmare Night several years ago when she was asked to supervise costumed fillies and colts going door to door for treats. The elderly mare had to take a longer daytime nap that morning just so she wouldn't fall asleep during Nightmare Night. Oh well. Then she heard her granddaughter talking about Princess Luna.

"Y'know, Applebloom, I never really thought that much about it! I reckon Celestia is a heap bigger than Luna, I have no idea why. Just take a look at yur own brother an' sister. Big MacIntosh is a whole lot bigger than AppleJack, really don't know how all that works. Maybe I orta git me some highbrow books an' learn me a thing or two."

Then AppleBloom said her 'goodnight'.

"Goodnight AppleBloom, I love ya too!"

Saying that, Granny Smith settled in her sleeping bag, and fell fast asleep.

(ooc): Next post, it's morning!

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom didn't dream of anything too particular as the wind whipped the camp lazily on a moonlit island paradise night. Usually her dreams were full of high adventure or, if she was feeling mighty down, some cutie mark-less futures in-store for her. The worst dreams were the ones where friends and family weren't acting like themselves and the great tumultuous fury of her sadness and confusion finally coalesced into a nightmare of terrible scale and heartbreak. She'd be just fine not having those nightmares ever again, thank you. Winona playing dreams were a lot more enjoyable and she could even try to reenact them with her dog. Too bad she didn't pack up Winona to come with her and Granny for this fun island camping trip bonanza!

Apple Bloom woke up quickly though as was her custom, her head poking up out of her sleeping bag as a tangled mess of mane and bow wiggled about fitfully as she pulled her hooves aggressively out of her bag to run her eyes. Farm ponies came in two varieties: Those who got up like a thunderbolt and ran into the day with a full reserve of energy and those who were like a crank-operated magitek storm caller and had to work to get up and ready for the day. Apple Bloom was more of the former and within fifteen seconds of waking up she was out of her tent, stretching in the early sun as the dew on the leaves tried to tell her this was home when it very clearly was not. She yawned. “Ahhhhhhh....howdy Granny! It's time ta get up, time ta get up, time ta get up in tha moooornin'!”

[Mojo]

Granny Smith slept soundly through the night. The elderly mane dreamed of Zap Apple season, that she was addressing another large group of glass jars lined up in front of her in the barn, Wearing her classic Army helmet, the gray maned mare started her stern lecture, urging the jars NOT to crack under pressure. As she slammed her hoof on the table to emphasize her last point...

Granny was awakened by her energetic granddaughter! Yes, AppleBloom seemed ready and raring to go for the promised treasure hunt. It was mornings like this that reminded the elderly mare just how 'elderly' she was. Slowly opening her eyes, the yawning Granny Smith tuned her head and looked up at the smiling, happy filly.

"I'm awake, AppleBloom," Granny said, managing to smile, "jist gimme a few minutes ta git up on mah hooves."

Slowly, the gray maned mare rose to her four feet. Quickly popping in her false teeth, Granny stretched her four legs one at a time.

"Jist had ta make sure everythin' got up with me, dear. Time fer breakfast, I'm famished! Should we take the time ta cook somethin' up, er do ya jist wanna munch on some apples?"

[SteelEagle]

 

Hmm, an interesting dilemma put forward by her Granny Smith! A nice big ol' breakfast would be nice, some haybacon strips always went well with Apple Bloom. A nice sitdown, eatin' and talkin' while they cooked to perfection sounded like a dream come true for this filly! But on the other hoof you had nice, nutritious, delicious, scrumptious apples and she had brought a nice collection of them. And why not? Apples were the best fruit, heck the best food, in all of Equestria. You could eat it baked, any manner of being cooked really, alone or as part of an ensemble, sitting down to enjoy it or on the move because you are a filly and/or colt who is just too active to be stopped, apples were for you. It didn't hurt that the best family in all of Equestria lent their name to the fruit (or was it the other way around) and made it extra special every time Abby chowed down. On the whole of it, she just HAD to select apples!

 

“AH think we should just have some apples! Their tha best food this side of....err...apples!” She finished proudly. Sweet save, Apple Bloom. She trotted on over to her knapsack and picked out a nice selection, softly bucking two over to her Granny as she started eating herself. In between chewing, she spoke.”Applejack told me a story not too long ago 'bout how apples saved tha zebras long ago! An Equestrian merchant had brought apples to one of those zebra cities but before he could get to business, a huge fleet of evil pirates showed up! They were gonna rock those zebras so hard that there wouldn't have been an Unyasi to look at nowadays. But the Equestrian merchant was a smart cookie. See, apples back then were a rare delicacy outside of certain parts of Equestria and were a sign of strength and wealth. He approached the pirates and announced a feast for the pirates, the zebras, and himself. The pirates were awed by how many apples they saw and started ta think that he was some kind of royal figure, an' they didn't want none of that Celestia reprisal of they hurt one of her own. S after they ate, they high-tailed it and ran! Speaking of pirates...let's go find some treasure!”

[Mojo]

 

Granny Smith had her youngest granddaughter pegged right!  The gray maned mare figured the eager filly would want to get a quick start for their 'Treasure Hunt' so she'd want to eat apples for breakfast and then move on.  The elderly mane nodded and smiled, knowing that if she were AppleBloom's age, she'd make the same choice!  Fun and adventure!  What young pony wouldn't want THAT?  Reaching into a bag, Granny pulled out two apples, playfully tossing one of them to the excited filly.

 

"Here ya go, AppleBloom!  Let's eat up and then git'a move on!  I really ain't sure where the treasure is, but we best pack enough gear ta dig fer it if we have ta.  I'll leave all that ta you, youngin'!  Bet you'll know exactly what were gonna need ta do the job!"

 

The elderly mare now had to search her old memory, hopefully she could remember the island legends she'd heard not only the first time she was here, but also at the Welcome Center when one of the ponies at the front desk mentioned... oh yeah!  The brochure!  The pony behind the desk had slipped a brochure into her bag and briefly mentioned treasure hunting was a fun tourist activity!  Now, Granny began to search her bag hoping to find it.

[SteelEagle]

 

Apple Bloom tracked the apple in flight and got down on her haunches like a cat ready to pounce. Well, maybe like a cat ready to pounce, she only knew one cat. But Winona didn't get down on her haunches like this so she needed to think back...did she ever see Opal do this? Not really. She had never seen that cat move beyond swiping at her and her friends, but she'd seen pictures of cats jumping really high and they seemed to get down on their haunches like this so for the purpose of her mental makeup she was going meow meow for the time being. She tracked it and leapt through the air, catching the apple- nope, it bounced off of her snout back up as she fell down with a thud on the ground. She looked around to find the apple, only for it to come down directly on her head with a thunk once more. She got up woozily and looked at the apple angrily...before realizing she couldn't stay mad at apples. She picked it up and started eating as Granny hoofed over a map.

 

It was just a bit disappointing that it was some sort of tourist thing an not some real lost treasure. She had been expecting danger and excitement, not a well-made path for tourists to tromp on by in, But oh well. It was less about the actual treasure hunt and more about spending time with her Granny so it would do just fine, even if her initial view of the map gave her a bit of a frown. Then a smile- some of these names were pretty funny. Longbeard's Lozenge. Darius's Derrier, Candle Cove- at least they stuck to their naming conventions for the simple landmarks on the map! It would make it a lot easier to start finding 'treasure' that way, which was probably the point. Apple Bloom took a big bite before she started to talk. “Ahsh tinksh we shhhould shtart aht Lonshbeard'shh Loshenge. Whatcha thinkshing, Granny?” she said before taking a mammoth gulp, an audible yawn of contentment escaping afterwards. That is some good eating!