[Ponyville's Countryside] Mixed Fruits and Veggies (Ended)

[Hippo]

Applejack felt slightly confused. She was so happy that Carrot was willing to part with the poster, even though she was sure it was nearly worthless to him. She was trying to figure out ways to connect with Purple, with her being hyperactive and misunderstood slightly. And she was trying to think of mild ways to get at Macintosh, for, well, just being her big brother. Applejack was on a mission. She wanted to help Purple become a responsible mare who was able to stand up for herself and prove to her brother that she was capable. She was sure that keeping a pony from making her own freedoms was not going to help her. So Applejack decided to encourage her to reach for the stars.

However, all of Applejack's good ten seconds of thinkin' time during small talk was interrupted when a loud excited shriek of joy reached just outside the barn door. Applejack walked outside and saw her younger sister filly beam as she introduced herself with an apple pie. For Applejack's attempt at encouraging Purple being interrupted by her own little sisters intrusion from punishment was nothing short of poetic. "Apple Bloom! What in tarnation are you doin' here!? I thought I told ya ta..." Applejack stopped. She sealed her lips as she looked back at Carrot's interactions with Purple. "Heh. Heh. She's so spontaneous." Applejack looked back at Apple Bloom and whispered, "Y'all better be on your best behavior, ya hear?" All of a sudden, Applejack was starting to feel the rush of pressure between the two families. And she had no idea why.

[SunsetSombra]

Right when Big Macintosh couldn't think that things weren't already getting more complicated than they already were...it's time to cue in the younger sister who always seemed to have JUST that special ingredient required to make any awkward moment all the more so upon entering. Upon hearing the arrival of applebloom, Mac found himself giving a small rolling of the eyes - it wasn't so much about Applebloom herself however, just the fact that as soon as he'd tried to make a point about agreeing with the other male pony about keeping the younger sibling in check, his own younger troublemaking sister arrives on the scene and scuppers his point entirely.

Granted, the point was against Applejack, who no doubt also hadn't exactly counted on such an event taking place here - still, it wasn't that big a deal!

Still, whats done was done and rather than continue to bicker with Applejack about the finer points of keeping their hurricane of a sister under a leash, he simply looks over towards the young apple foal and gave her a small lazy chuckle - he wasn't really MAD at her as such...how could he be? - However, she and himself knew that there were bound to be words on the subject later on, mostly in the direction of the fact she really shouldn't have come out here unless with either of them to begin with.

He could see the tension was starting to rise between everypony - and this was enough to prompt him into taking charge of the situation...

if nopony else right here was going to move things forward and along towards a better situation themselves then, consarn it - he would!

"Ah think..." he drawls, looking amongst the small group of ponies with him..clearing his throat loudly and giving a wry smile.

"We should move things along - an' seein' as our hosts have somethin' prepared for us t'take a sample of, ah reckon it'd be mighty rude of us t'let anythin' these folks have done go cold."

Big Mac wasn't about to have things disrupted here - if it meant saving the subject of Applebloom until later then that was just how it was gonna be!

Edited April 13, 2012 by Robikku Pegasus

[Bramble Rose]

Purple blinked in confusion as Carrot tried to tell her about the 'carrot family way'. "Nae it ain't!" she cried, "Ye feed 'em, that's th' way! Nae give away yer favorite thing in th' world!"

She was distracted briefly by Apple Bloom coming in. "Hiya, Apple Bloom!" Purple Haze chirped up cheerfully, giving a wave, but the distraction was very brief as she looked back to Carrot - looking to be winding herself up.

"Oi swear, big brae, if'n Oi was nae here tae take care of ye, who knows where ye'd be? if'n ye were ginnae give away yer favorite poster, why nae tae th' pretty pegasus yer seein' who's a big fan? Ye dinnae have tae do everythin' th' filly next door says jes cause ye think she's a looker! Oi-"

Her building monologue got cut off quite suddenly by Carrot's hoof in her mouth, and a muffled "mmph!" was the only sound she could make.

( Planned these posts with Brian - since Carrot's post is next! )

[brianblackberry]

Carrot paused, his hoof in Purple Haze's mouth. He'd moved without thinking, spur of the moment, when she'd brought up Bolt, and worse, his own thoughts on the neighbor filly! Why would she do that?! How was he going to cover it up now? "N-now Purple, generosity is a bonnie thing, an' so many helped us hie up tae this town, so it's good tae give a neighbor a gift an' all!" Why couldn't Purple have been distracted by her classmate, or by something, instead of turning the awkward up to eleven?!

"Err ... Now, Purple ye're. um, keeping our guests from samplin' yer delicious food! We invited 'em fer lunch, after all!" He started backing out of the barn with an awkward grin on his face, and looked up to Applejack and Big Mac with his face flaming. "Ye know how foals kin be, ah-heh, ah-heh, saying' all sorts of silly things. She's just enthusiastic 'bout finally having th' neighbors over, a bit excitable. Oi think she's had a few too many sugarcubes!" His smile wobbled a bit. "Oi'll see ye at th' house!"

Carrot put his foreleg around Purple and lead her out with him as if nothing important or revealing had been said, "we'll make sure everything is set up ye, so come on when ye're all ready!" Once outside, he whispered desperately into her ear "Now, Purple, Oi think ye should please nae tell our fair filly guest every little detail bout me life, an' especially bout what ye might think Oi think of her!" He hurried the two of them back to the house - one thing was certainly true, they should be getting ready to serve their guests, not arguing in front of them!

[SteelEagle]

"Apple Bloom! What in tarnation are you doin' here!? I thought I told ya ta..."

Her big sis's anger subsided for some reason Apple Bloom couldn't quite grasp- what had been talked about before Apple Bloom had arrived? It didn't quite matter as Apple Bloom was sure that any anger Applejack would have felt was bound to have been fleeting in any case. AJ just wasn't a pony with a reserve of anger for use against her family, as the most she could summon in the worst instance was a shallow, pety silence. That stung Apple Bloom more than angry words ever could have, and as Applejack spoke, the filly's heart was at worst content with whatever verbal lashing she was bound to receive later as a rebuke for her coming to the farm. It was worth it.

"Heh. Heh. She's so spontaneous."

It was true! She was and wore it as a badge of honor, even if Apple Bloom could see through AJ's weak smile. Her sister was never no good at hiding herself, which made her wonder why she was feeling the need to hide any of it. Apple Bloom's timing had to have been highly unfortunate for Applejack's awkward smile to appear on her face like that, which did nothing but increase the filly's curiosity. That came to a short end when her big sis leaned in and whispered in a somewhat forceful manner, as was her most favored tone in use against the filly.

"Y'all better be on your best behavior, ya hear?"

Applejack sure was a silly pony. Okay, So Apple Bloom had nearly destroyed the barn earlier- why, that wasn't no indication that she was destined to cause trouble! It had been nothing more than a mishap, and one she had more than made up for as far as she was concerned.

"Ah know, ah know. Ah'll be on mah best behavior, Applejack and act like a good pony, 'cause I am one and ya know it. 'Sides, I ain't nearly so unlucky as to destroy more than building in a day!" She enthusiastically and confidently replied, her smile wide and broad as she imagined this building remaining completely upright for as long as she was in it, at least. That already sounded better than any other alternative.

"Ah think..." Big Mac's low rumble of a voice grew stronger after he cleared it, allowing him to gain a sense of dominance in the room- a sif that wouldn't be apparent by comparing one of his backs legs to the entirety of Apple Bloom.

"We should move things along - an' seein' as our hosts have somethin' prepared for us t'take a sample of, ah reckon it'd be mighty rude of us t'let anythin' these folks have done go cold."

Yes, it would be very, very rude of them to not partake in whatever deliciousness the hosts had devised for them. As usual, Big Mac was the voice of reason, which was more or less his role whenever he did manage to open that big 'ol mouth of his. Often, she would lean on him for support on those rare occassions that she and Applejack were found at odds. He was mighty strong, mighty quiet, and rigtly the best big brother in the whole world and then some.

"Hiya, Apple Bloom!"

"Hiya, Purple Haze!" Apple Bloom exclaimed with her hoof waving wildly towards the other farm filly. Purple was a mighty nice pony, and as a fellow farmer-type, Apple Bloom had plans for the two to get together some time and hang out in a more personal setting. Who knows, maybe one day Purple Haze would be as cool as her CMC compatriots? Tall order for any filly, but she just might be able to complete it.

"Oi swear, big brae, if'n Oi was nae here tae take care of ye, who knows where ye'd be? if'n ye were ginnae give away yer favorite poster, why nae tae th' pretty pegasus yer seein' who's a big fan? Ye dinnae have tae do everythin' th' filly next door says jes cause ye think she's a looker! Oi-"

"N-now Purple, generosity is a bonnie thing, an' so many helped us hie up tae this town, so it's good tae give a neighbor a gift an' all!"

Apple Bloom was a little confused as to what was going on with a pegasus and whatever was being given away, but she wasn't quite so dense as to not know what had just happened. She giggled almost uncontrollably for a moment before trying and failing to regain herself entirely. That awfully cute stallion had the vapors rising for her big sis, wasn't that just the cutest thing! She shot Applejack a quick look, coupled with a wink, and giggled again. If they became each other's special someponies, then they wouldn't even need to walk very far to pick each other up for a date.

"Err ... Now, Purple ye're. um, keeping our guests from samplin' yer delicious food! We invited 'em fer lunch, after all! Ye know how foals kin be, ah-heh, ah-heh, saying' all sorts of silly things. She's just enthusiastic 'bout finally having th' neighbors over, a bit excitable. Oi think she's had a few too many sugarcubes!"

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. Why did the older ponies always think that the foals and such were so easy to fool? Of course, maybe Purple was a little excitable, them sugarcubes could throw anypony for a loop! That'd explain why he was so defensive too, cause it'd be a shame to get AJ all worked up over nothin' and being a kind stallion he wouldn't want that. Made sense to Bloom, even if the flustered stallion only seemed to throw more hay on the fire telling Apple Bloom that the vapors 'round his cheeks weren't the reason for their color. He turned and left and after a few moments, the trailing of his voice fading until all that remained was long-gone whispers.

That left Apple Bloom alone with her older siblings. She didn't want to give her sister the time she needed, and she wouldn't need much at all, to leap down her throat about sneaking off the farm. There was only one solution: Talk fast and talk a lot.

"Applejack, I know you're mighteh sore 'bout me showing up here and all on account of me almost destroyin' the barn earlier and such, but ah really did do whatcha asked me ta do and got all them weeds outta th' orchard! Why, it's cleaner than a braeburn in mid-summer! Ah got all the weeds in all Equestria, ah bet! ah worked real hard and did sucha good job, and it aint like ah'm doing any sort of tomfillery, ah'm here with y'all to meet th' neighbors. Ah even brought an apple pie, 'cause y'all forgot to bring one and if we don't give'm a good pie they might not think much of Sweet Apple Acres, and that'd be just the worst, worse than a million caterpillars tryin' to take down a single tree! Pleeeeeeaaaaaasssseeeeee can ah stay?" Apple Bloom asked as she fell on her haunches, eyes wide and adorable and lips quavering- the puppy dog look if it ever existed. She'd learned it from Winona when she was a puppy, but by golly if Apple Bloom hadn't perfected it.

[Hippo]

Applejack heard her sister reply pleading, and finished with an implication of how many buildings she couldn't destroy in one day. Applejack spoke slowly with older-sibling pride. "Ah sure hope not. Cuz these here friends o' ours invited us over fer dinner, and we would all hate to see it go down on account of a sprout young filly placing her hooves where the big ponies walk." Applejack angled her eyes with concern. She wasn't saying no. Rather, she was saying 'yes. I'll kill you if you do anything wrong, but yes.'

Applejack tipped her hat to her brother. With a new sibling involved, Applejack needed one of them to agree with, and it might as well be her brother. Some ponies who were the middle sibling felt they always got the short stick because of them being to young to be in charge, and too old to be the spoiled brat. But Applejack saw it differently. Being in the middle allowed her the luxury of choosing her battles and taking sides when she needed them most. "I think that's a fine idear, Big Macintosh!"

Applejack started walking towards the house porch, where Purple had so generously left out a tray of carrot juice for everypony. But she stopped and turned suddenly in shock as she overheard the arguments coming from Purple. A looker? What's she talkin' bout? They couldn't be talking about me! Maybe they had another neighbor.

Applejack's face froze for a moment but loosened when she saw Apple Bloom, who was now backside to the ground, rocking her body back and forth with her little foalish thoughts before giving her big sis a wink. Applejack stomped her hoof next to Apple Bloom. "Guh! What are you gigglin' about? Haven't you learned not to lean inta other ponies' private business?" Applejack started walking into the direction of the house. She was in denial. She didn't want to think that her neighbor was giving her favors just because he liked the color orange.

Just then, Apple Bloom continued her plea to stay. Apparently, Applejack hadn't really made it clear. It might have been good though, to not allow Apple Bloom to think that 'yes' was the default. Applejack looked into the puppy eyes of Apple Bloom. Abby had them well made, fully of moisture and dilation. However, Applejack had learned how to counter this adorable attack from the many years growing up and training Winona. Applejack was immune to puppy dog eyes. However, Applejack sighed. "Ah suppose." The split second Apple Bloom had to respond positively with soon-to-come glee was stalled by Applejack's right front hoof. "But if you mess anything up, I will make you pull all the weeds on Mr. Fields farm--without tools! Got that!?"

Applejack trotted up to the farmhouse porch, leaned into one of the several glasses of carrot juice with straw, and sipped it. "Hmm, that's tasty. What is it exactly? I feel like I taste more than jus' carrots." Applejack turned to both of the Carrot ponies, asking both of them simultaneously. "Is there some other vegetable in there? Maybe one... a neighbor gave you?" Applejack looked up and around for the word 'act casual' written somewhere in the sky. She took anther sip.

[SunsetSombra]

there seemed to be an odd tension going on - mac wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it, but it seemed as though their host was growing ever more nervous every time his younger sister said something - raising an eyebrow, he decided it was best kept to himself that he felt the whole situation was just a little off, instead deciding to focus more on the idea that they were all going to leave this thing alone and go eat...something he didn't have any problem with, considering.

He was then distracted as AppleJack and AppleBloom continued their own exchange of words...AJ playing the role of 'angry' big sister still, because of appleblossoms giggling at something or other - Macintosh wasn't entirely sure what the line of conversation was about having missed what was being said at the time, so he didn't exactly have a point of reference to go by. Luckily, their brief exchange seemed to end just as quickly as it began, as applejack resumed walking towards the house of their 2 hosts for today. For some reason, Mac felt like he was still missing a crucial element to this conversation, but figured that it wasn't worth getting involved with just yet...eventually, he figured, somepony might actually say something direct instead of all this silly whispering.

Ignoring the small outburst that his sister then had at AppleBloom's attempt to win her over with her patented puppy eyes look, Mac continues to head towards the house where the glasses of juice awaited - something that Macintosh found himself curious enough to give an invested try...the approving look on AppleJacks eyes told the story, and Mac took a sip on the straw of another glass, enjoying the rather rich range of interesting flavours - as she had said, the carrot wasn't the only taste he could get a feel for, and the red stallion found himself curious to know just what was in this interesting concoction too - it was certainly a very deliciously curious mystery!

Edited May 1, 2012 by Robikku Pegasus

[Bramble Rose]

Sugarcubes! Sugarcubes?! Carrot would certainly have recognized the growing stormcloud boiling round the lil' filly, as she swelled up with indignation. Did he think she was just a lil' foal?! Sugarcubes indeed! Why, she'd give him a piece of her mind!

Except that the one thing guaranteed to distract Purple Haze happened - someone asked her for the ingredients of one of her dishes! Her building tirade instantly vanished in an excited rush of words.

"Aye, nae just carrots in'ere!" she confirmed merrily. "Oi've mainly got th' veggies from me own lil' garden out back! Oi've some standard carrots in'ere, an' some purple haze carrots, an' some tomatoes, 'cept tomatoes are fruits, an' got some potatoes in 'ere, an' some celery, an' some lettuce, an' a bit o' cress! Then Oi went tae town an' got some apples an' some green grapes tae add tae th' mix! Only neighbor Oi got any ingredients from was ye, Miss Applejack, th' other day!"

She frowned, and tapped her hoof a few times against the floor, trying to count up what she said, but the words were already flitting away. Had she mentioned the celery? Yes, she thought so ... "Oi mighta missed listin' a couple things ... Oi usually sip at it an' add stuff till it tastes right. But ye've th' basic idea!"

[brianblackberry]

Carrot Fields was very relieved - his sister could have really made things so immensely awkward that it would have been impossible for him to get through lunch without some crazy disaster intervening, but he'd been saved by the one sure distraction - her own dishes. There was nothing Purple liked talking about more than her culinary creations, it even overrode her desire to embarrass her brother, which Carrot was sure was her second favorite pastime.

"Aye, Purple here is always experimentin' wi' new nibbles! She's roit amazin' in th' kitchen, Oi nae ken tae how she gets those ideas, but it's roit amazin'! Unless she jes hides th' badduns!" Carrot chuckled at that last bit - he'd tried a few mistakes, but most of her dishes did indeed work out. "Wait til ye see all th' rest she made, Oi'm sure ye'll love'em!" It didn't hurt to give his little sister praise - but it was even better to compliment the stunning neighbor filly. "Ye should've seen her eyes light up when she got those apples from yer stand! She's roit sure 'at apples and carrots mix together roit well!" Wait, that didn't sound like how he meant it to sound! He could feel his face heating up.

"Umm ... Oi'll hie tae get the first dish!" Carrot turned and rushed into the house to get the first dish - a large salad that was liberally covered in shredded carrots in orange, red, and purple shredded carrots, and a lot of other diced up vegetables. He wasn't sure what was all in it - only Purple could say, but she'd always insisted that the salad came before any other dishes. He bumped the table with his side, so the bowl bounced off onto his back. He stepped very carefully as he brought it over to the table, knowing that Purple would never let him live it down if he spilled the salad! He'd never felt this nervous about guests before...

[SteelEagle]

Applejack could be a silly pony sometimes. Well, probably most of the time, though maybe she took herself so seriously sometimes she couldn't see it. Why else would she feel the need to so- what was the phrase- passive aggressively threaten Apple Bloom when she very well knew that Apple Bloom considered Applejack's intended intimidation glint more comical than anything? Ah, she sure was a simple pony. Still, Apple Bloom had no intention of messing this meeting up and could only agree with Applejack saying how horrible it'd be if she messed this all up, even if Applejack was being a silly pony about it. But then again, her silliness is why Apple Bloom loved her! Big sis, big silly.

Even sillier was when she got all flustered when Apple Bloom got her attention focused on the stallion who seemingly had some sorta affection for her. That was just like Applejack; when flustered or taken off-guard, put the focus back on Bloom. Plus, this was different than before. She wasn't sneakin' around or writing about somepony's deepest secrets. She just found it all a little funny and what sorta guest would she be if she ignored whatever it was her host was saying! Mighty unkind of Applejack to suggest that she should be shuttin' off around the big ponies just so they could commence with saying all manner of embarrassing things.

Applejack finally kowtowed to Apple Bloom's adorably delivered demands, but just as Apple Bloom opened her mouth to screech out her delight, she was silenced by Applejack's right hoof. Apple Bloom briefly imagined having to do it all by herself without any tools and decided it was best for her not to give Applejack any reason to act on her threats. As the Apples moved to imbibe the delicious drink, Apple Bloom could still do little other than consider how she may best make herself useful so as to get some extra brownie points- that way, maybe any future disaster of her own making would be countered by accumulated good will. It made sense to her!

Plus, this juice was delicious. She readily took her portion and when Applejack looked in the sky, quickly took a sip of hers as well and belched. It was just too good! Purple rattled off some the ingredients, and it made sense that of course it was her own doing. Purple and her brother may have had a funny accent and all, but they weren't dummies and if Purple could make something like this, well then, that had to mean she was smart and this was her special talent! What would that sort of cutie mark look like? A juice box? A glass? Did it have a certain color to it, or was it just any juice? She wished she had a juice cutie mark because if she did, she could make the very best apple juice to go along with her sister's awesome baking and then they could be the best sister food duo in all of Equestria!

Maybe she was getting ahead of herself, smiling broadly as she gulped down the last drop of the delicious juice. Purple Haze didn't have a juice cutie mark. That meant this was through hard work and skill! Yep, she was proud to be Purple's friend.

"Why, that's som' of tha best juice I eva have had befor'! Maybe c'uld use some more apples, but ah figur' this is almost as good as apple juice!" She exclaimed, burping once more as Carrot Fields started trotting away to go fetch the other dishes. She needed to earn those brownie points and what better way than helping her host?

"Wait up, ah wanna help!" Apple Bloom said joyously, neighing for effect and galloping to help Carrot Fields, leaving behind her crisp and delicious apple pie.

[Hippo]

Applejack listened closely to Purple's list of ingredients. She sure seemed to like the experimenting type. With all of those ingredients, you'd think that eventually, she would have made something that didn't taste as good. Fortunately, this wasn't one of them. "Wow, Purple, that's great, and mah apples are in here too, huh? Can't believe I couldn't notice." Applejack was mostly stunned that Purple didn't mention any other neighbor. This meant several things. However, Applejack was only concentrating on one thought: It was her that they were talking about.

As Applejack drank the juice, she smiled in agreements with Big Mac. This was sure to be a good start to a dinner. Carrot had approached the outdoor dining area and spoke in urgency on getting the salad from the kitchen to begin the meal. He seemed overly nervous, and for reasons Applejack felt she was beginning to understand. Of course she understood. Carrot just parted with one of his favorite posters featuring the Wonderbolts, and Applejack, in almost a thoughtless intent, planned on taking it for herself to impress her own friends. Applejack began to feel guilty about it. So much so, that she decided to was best to give it back.

When Carrot walked in, Applejack walked towards him to follow him inside. She also saw that Apple Bloom, as enthusiastic as she was, was wanting to help Carrot. Applejack stopped her. "No, uh, Abby, I need you to stay outside and, uh, help Purple set the table." Applejack couldn't keep being mean to Abby, so instead of scolding her, she just implied that she should do something else. As Applejack entered the house, however, her line of sight of what Apple Bloom was doing vanished and she lost track of what she was doing. She couldn't be bothered by her right now.

Applejack walked through the unfamiliar rooms and follow the obvious path towards the kitchen. The house smelled faintly of carrots, and she could follow Carrot almost purely by the smell of raw carrot skins and fresh soil that might still be jammed in his horseshoes. "Carrot? Ah got something I need to talk to you about." Applejack walked into the kitchen area where Carrot had just placed a bowl of salad onto his back.

[SunsetSombra]

Big Mac finishes his drink, enjoying the rather well crafted beverage - his slightly more experienced tastebuds had detected the hints of apple in there...and for curious reasons, it had been pretty darn tasty to boot. He wasn't one to take credit for somepony elses work, and as such resolved to show appreciation when he could - but for now, it seemed like a rather awkward moment was falling upon the group that he didn't want to involve himself with.

He cast an eye over as AJ left their line of sight - rolling them a little as he thought back to what he'd seen in the ponies barn prior to coming this...the pictures of mares and the stallions earlier behaviour. The red stallion snerked a little as he shook his head a little - it wasn't like it was a subtle approach, and he had to commend him for trying his hoof. Mac wasn't generally used to seeing a pony try their luck at AJ as anything more than a friend, and the body language that Carrot Fields was giving off was ringing plenty of Mac's older brother mental alarms...but all of which he simply found more amusing than anything else.

Right now, that just seemed like the better idea, as he knew Applejack was old enough to deal with her own choices...and whilst he wasn't wholly sure on what lay ahead with regards to Carrot Fields, he knew AJ well enough to understand that she was better off handling it however she saw fit.

Of course, He'd save the Brotherly ribbing for her for when they got home though...although maybe he'd indulge a little here.

Until then, he simply waits for Applebloom to come back after hearing Applejack tell her to help set the table...

All things considered, keeping an eye on their Mischief makin' young sibling was probably the better idea for him to focus on right now anyways!

Edited May 21, 2012 by Robikku Pegasus

[Bramble Rose]

Purple Haze gave a big, bashful grin as everyone complimented her juice, giving a happy lil' wiggle. Wait ... almost as good as apple juice! This was *better* than apple juice! But she supposed the apple family was due their little quirks. Of course they'd have to say that apple juice was better, it'd be a matter of family pride.

She looked after her big brae and Applejack with a confused look, tapping at her chin with her hoof. She glanced over at Apple Bloom. "What're they haverin' on about, then?" she asks curiously. "Oi swear, sometimes Oi dinnae unnerstand a whit of what they're on, roit?"

She sighs and shakes her head, and then starts setting out the individual bowls for the lettuce, looking up to Big Mac. "An do ye loik it, then? Oh! And ye're tae tell me yer story, too! Oi'm lookin' nigh tae it!" She gave a big, winning grin, and moved to refill Apple Bloom's and Big Mac's glasses.

[brianblackberry]

Carrot sighed, as he retrieved the bowl of salad. He was so nervous, and it was just silly. Guests didn’t normally cause him that much concern, especially not with Purple stealing the show with her outgoing personality and excellent cooking. Of course, he knew he wouldn’t be nearly as nervous except that it was-

“APPLEJACK!” he jumped in surprise, turning to find her right there. His jump knocked his flank right into the table, nearly making him drop the bowl of salad on his back. He *did* knock over a small bowl of raw carrots, though, that had been on the table, with his big, clumsy stumbling. Oh Luna above, of all the times to be clumsy Carrot!! You dumbtail!!

Carrot gave a broad, nervous smile, “oops, heh… Sorry about this, OI’d nae heard ye come in.” He flipped the bowl back right side up with his hoof and started to pick up the end of the carrots with his mouth. On Luna above, what did she want to talk about? That didn’t sound good, not at all. Did she know? Was she going to tell him right then and there she had absolutely no interest whatsoever? He was almost too afraid to ask … “Umm, sure, ‘course we kin talk! Oi’m roit happy tae talk! We kin talk bout anything ye want!” Shut up, Carrot! “Oi’ll let ye start.”

[SteelEagle]

The filly was stopped dead in her burgeoning tracks by Applejack's command, her pursuit of Carrot ended before it could ever begin, though seeing as she had called out after him it wasn't much of a pursuit. The way the mare spoke raised questions that had been raised but put aside earlier, and Bloom's eyebrows arched as her eyes followed Applejack's canter to the house, having seemingly replaced Apple Bloom on the trail of pursuit. What was with those two? Apple Bloom wasn't one to make wild speculation, but she was starting to speculate anyway that something was going and it was happening in an underhoofed fashion.

Or maybe she disliked being stopped, and maybe that momentary line of excessive inquisitiveness would have died as so many others had if it had not been for an interruption, Purple very kindly refilling her cup as she accidentally fed Bloom's unrequired curiosity. Abby shook her head and gave a wafer-thin smile as she considered the drink for a moment, downing it with just as much gusto as the first one. No matter what her brain was thinking, that was one fantastic little concoction Purple had stirred up. Apple Bloom had no doubt she couldn't mimic it but made a note to find the recipe and try her darnedest later that night.

Apple Bloom started to help set the table, moving a bit faster than Purple as she was very momentarily silent, stealing glances once in a while at her big brother who seemed to be content with returning the favor. She couldn't solve the mystery of Applejack if Big Mac was standing here and staring her down with that slightly amused glint to his eyes, and she was also sure that Purple would want the answers to the questions Apple Bloom was asking. Luckily, they weren't setting up the Apple Family reunion and with the two fillies working together, the table was set up fast...except for the salad.

"'Ey Purple, I'm gonna go an' see if thay need mah help. Big Mac, go 'head and tell her all yer fancy stories! How'bout that one time ya almost married Cheerilee, eh?" Apple Bloom said with a great wave of enthusiasm, pulling Purple in front of her brother and pointing at him, as if to emphasize the amazing story that she was in store for. She really liked Purple and didn't like using her as a decoy, but between her excitement and Big Mac's indecisive personality, the best chance to slip away was this. Apple Bloom slinked away, hoping that Purple's eagerness and charm would hold still the stallion for just long enough.

It didn't take long for her to move to the house, low to the ground as she tried to be as stealthy as possible. She entered the house as slowly and quietly as she could before coming to rest on the other side of the kitchen. She had mastered the art of sneaking or whatever she did that was close many months ago, even before she had used her skills to track Zecora through Ponyville into the poison joke and assumed the position of the most stealth: Filly legs stretched wide against the surface, eyes focused in and yet slightly bugged out, face frowning with effort- though of a more mental rather than physical kind. And there, in that position, she primed her ears to overhear the conversation in progress between the older ponies on the other side of the wall.

[Hippo]

"Oh sorry, Carrot! I didn't mean to startle you! Here, let me help." Applejack bent over and started helping Carrot picking up the loose carrots that were flung all over the kitchen floor, using her mouth like her friend. In between each grab with her jaw, she spoke in pulses. "What I needed to talk to you about was," Applejack takes a carrot and throws it in the bowl, "is that it was very nice of you ta," she throws another, "give me that poster o' yours but, uh," and another, "Ah think I was being a little imposing and ah," and yet another and then takes a breath, "and ah was wanting to give it back ta you." There was one carrot left on the ground. Applejack went after it and as she grabbed it, she could feel her nose rub against Carrot's, as apparently he had tried taking the same one. Applejack let go and jumped back and blushed. "Heh, sorry." She brushed the back of her mane with a forehoof as she dropped her hat from her head and pulled out the rolled up poster. She placed it on the table with her mouth. "Is there anything I can do to help you with supper?"

[SunsetSombra]

"'Ey Purple, I'm gonna go an' see if thay need mah help. Big Mac, go 'head and tell her all yer fancy stories! How'bout that one time ya almost married Cheerilee, eh?"

Macintosh froze when he found himself being quite blatantly being redirected into the attentions of young purple, who seemed to be eagerly looking at him with pleading eyes...he clears his throat slightly, making to call back the rampant scamp of a filly but feeling the will to go through with that fizzle out into a hesitant sigh of reluctant acceptance of the fact that he'd just been outpaced by the small bolt of trouble that was Applebloom.

Ugh - this was gonna all end in a mess...he just knew it.

He looks back to the wide-eyed curious purple and gave a weak attempt at an uncertain smile...the idea that Applebloom had mentioned that particular topic didn't exactly make the red stallion all that sure on just what he was supposed to say or even do to make that story suitable for a fillys ears.

" Well...ah...uhh... " Mac stammers a little, trying to back up but feeling a little foolish about doing so - he scrambled mentally for things that he could possibly use to diffuse the situation and get away from her surprisingly intimidating cuteness, but there didn't seem to be much point in trying - the filly seemed to have him quite firmly at a situational disadvantage with her curious expression, being situated directly in front of him thanks to his crafty younger sisters escape plan.

" Ah swear, 'Bloom... " he mutters, breathing out a soft sigh of annoyance. " Ah'll get ya back for this'un if it takes me all year! "

Edited June 12, 2012 by Robikku Pegasus

[Bramble Rose]

Purple Haze looked up to Big Macintosh with wide eyes. "Ye almost got hitched tae Miss Cheerilee? Why dinnae ye go through wi't? Oi think ye'd be a roit noice couple!" She kept putting out the settings as she asked after that. "Wot happened? Was it dramatic? Ye must have a LOT of great stories! Oi cannae wait tae hear them all!" She shut up, then, nearly bouncing in her eagerness to listen.

[brianblackberry]

Carrot blushed fiercely as he and Applejack rubbed noses reaching for the last carrot; he scrambled back with his face burning red with embarrassment, “Ach! Ah ... n-nae a thing tae apologize for! All fine!" He gave an awkward, eager little grin as he placed the last carrot in the bowl and lifted the bowl back up to the table.

While a little distracted by the accidental touch, he also felt an odd mix of happiness and sorrow about the poster - not to mention a little bit of annoyance towards a certain little sister who just had to open her mouth about the poster. How could Applejack not realize that he had just made some silly, on the fly decision to give it to her because of dumb colt-like twitterpations? Sometimes he felt like he was just a colt back in school again, with those silly attempts to impress any filly he thought was cute.

He sighed. “Oi wish Purple dinnae open her yap! She just havers on wi' anything wot pops into her mind, but she is right ... It's a roit rare an' special poster; Oi snagged it from a wall when Oi joined th' REA. It reminded me of th' only Wonderbolt event Oi got tae actually see live as a colt. Ye know how it is wi' life on a farm, nae much time or money tae go hie about an' wot. Their newest member got tae take a flight round th' field herself - Spitfire was a pretty filly, an' she looked so happy." Carrot rubbed the back of his mane in shy embarrassment. "It's a favorite, but ye know, it is kind to give as a gift something a guest really likes, and would enjoy so much, and Oi guess Oi just like seeing a cute filly happy, and ye're very cute and all..."

His mumbling got quieter and quieter till it became nigh impossible to hear what he was saying, and he finally let out a loud exhalation and changed the subject. "SO! Um. Anyhoo, Oi'd guess th' table's set by now, we'd better get yer tasty apple treats tae th' mix, an' then we kin eat, roit enough?"

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom strained to hear her sister's frequently interrupted speech to Carrot, dissapointed that she wasn't able to perceive more from her amazing hiding spot. As her sister continued on and her words continued to be received in a clipped manner, Apple Bloom could hardly stand her lack of audio clarity. She had heard a few rumors that griffons heard better and she was finding the trade-off of having nasty claws instead of nice hooves would be entirely worth it in times like these. She took her chances and decided to hedge her bets on hazarding a peek into the kitchen proper.

And she could not have chosen a more fortunate time to do so, as it was at that very moment in time when the noses of the older ponies touched in what Apple Bloom could only guess was a rather intimate and private moment that should only ever be shared by two very close ponies. She immediately shot her head back over the corner and tossed her hooves over her mouth as her cheek turned many colors, certainly enough for both her and Applejack in case the mare was too busy to blush. Touching noses was one of the most intimate things a pony could do! The only two things more intimate were kissing and holding hooves but bar those two things, there was nothing two ponies could do. Applejack was really into this stallion? And he sure as heck wasn't shying away from it- did he just call her a cute filly? Apple Bloom's mind was overwhelmed by the sheer thought of her sister having some secret crush on a stallion that was returned and the two for some reason were so shy that they had to hide it! Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww-

Her moment of trying to contain the extreme amounts of foalish excitement was cut short as she heard Carrot say that they needed to go check out the table. The table she was supposed to be at, that was far, far away from the house. Or at least it seemed that way. Apple Bloom quickly glanced around her position, saw an open window, and leaped out of it with all the abandon she could muster. She popped out of the bush and wiggled to get the leaves off of her, galloping towards her big brother and friend Purple and deciding to keep the scene of the two lovebirds sharing their first romantic gesture to herself for now. The chances of it staying that way were low but, well, it was the thought that counted- right? She giggled to herself as the image flashed in her mind. Yeah, it was going to have to be her thought that counted.

[Hippo]

Applejack listening to Carrot's little admiring of the poster she kindly gave back. "Well it's yours again, I ain't gonna take it off your hooves. You can't make me!" Applejack winked and even departed her tongue out a little. Applejack was having fun with Carrot. He might have been a lot more nervous than most ponies she'd met, but despite his shakiness, there wasn't a dishonest bone in his body. Applejack sparked an idea. "Ah know! Mah friend Rainbow Dash knows all of the dates for the Wonderbolts' schedule. Ah bet she has the next 20 shows circled in red ink on her calendar. Next time they have a show in Ponyville, we should go together and check 'em out! I know what you mean by being busy, but Big Mac, the girls and I always make room for some fun." Applejack winked yet again.

Applejack walked past Carrot and nudged him in the shoulder playfully. She made sure not to do it so hard as to make him drop stuff again. "While you take that there salad to the table, we got some fixin's of our own we want to add to our little dinner of mixed fruits and vegetables. Lemme go get 'em." Applejack walked out the door and started rummaging through the apple cart that her brother had pulled all the way from the farm. She pulled out a basket full of assorted apples and balanced a large jar of zap apple jam above that. Walking towards the dinner table outside, she could see that Purple was having a conversation with Big Mac. But Big Mac wasn't really talking. She made out just before Purple had her speak exactly what they were talking about. They were talking about Cheerilee.

Applejack quietly minded her own business and carefully put the jar of jam on the table and set the basket full of apples down on the ground next to the table where anypony could grab some to eat. She straightened out the display and had everything set, including a knife for the jam and several napkins out for the purpose of farm cleanliness. She tied her traditional green kerchief around her neck as she prepared her taste buds. But then it occurred to her. This whole time Big Mac hadn't really said anything. She looked up to see a stallion tied with his thoughts, and even sweating a little. Applejack rolled her yes. "Oh for Pete's sake, Big Mac, its not that horrid of a deal. Apple Bloom an' her friends made a love potion that made you goofy for Miss Cheerilee for a day. And then it wore off and you guys came to your senses. Sheesh. It's not that big of a deal. Ah mean, you and Cheerilee are friends ain't ya?"

[SunsetSombra]

AJ wasn't often one to lay down attitude without a good reason - whilst Mac suspected it was because she wasn't quite sure internally what she planned to do with the situation, he decided it was better to simply give her absolutely no ammunition worthwhile for further comebacks...besides, he wasn't about to go over the whole cheerilee situation again - Him and AJ had had a small discussion about that once he'd recovered, and mostly agreed that it wasn't something to take seriously.

" Eeeeyup, ah suppose ya may have a slight point there, AJ... " Mac says with a coy smile forming, a slight gleam in his eye betraying that he clearly wasn't saying everything he was thinking at this moment. " But you an' Carrot here seemed t'look mighty cosy next to one another...gettin' along like two peas in a pod, even! "

Oh he knew AJ was a getalongy pony at the best of times, but he couldn't help just wind her up a little...afterall, it seemed only fair considering the small jibes he'd received after the Love Poison incident some few months ago. However, right now it didn't exactly help Macs situation considering the little filly beside him was bombarding him with huge swathes of quickfire questions about what had happened, and his answering them would only wind up putting his posterior in more unwanted and unwarrented trouble than it was worth...

"Ye almost got hitched tae Miss Cheerilee?"

" Well, ah... "

"Why dinnae ye go through wi't?"

" 'cause we both... "

"Oi think ye'd be a roit noice couple!"

" Now jus' hold on a min-... "

She clearly wasn't ready to settle and listen, even when he opened his mouth and started trying to answer...instead simply going right on into more diatribe!

"Wot happened? Was it dramatic? Ye must have a LOT of great stories! Oi cannae wait tae hear them all!"

He wasn't really ready or able to simply answer that directly, considering that there really wasn't all that much he could think of to reply with in this position - it was just about a minute or so after this small explosion of verbal barrage from Purple that Applejack and Carrot had reappeared on the scene...and AJ had given her own little dose of indignant retaliation at Macs silence on the matters at hand.

He cleared his throat and decided to try drawing attention away from the subject, and instead focused on the rather delicious looking spread starting to take shape.

" Well, ah must say that this is lookin' to be a mighty delicious l'il lunch - ya'alls make a good team together! "

Sure, he didn't exactly plan on that sounding like a dig at the time he said it, but the more he pondered on the words, the more he smiled internally...

There were just some days that his being the quiet observer of the family really paid off in the end!

[Bramble Rose]

Purple Haze's eyes widened at AJ's simple declaration ... throughts raced through her little head, her eyes shining brightly. All the rest of the conversations and goings-on disappeared for her, the little filly practically quivering with excitement. She quite suddenly suddenly disappeared from the side of the table with a 'ka-pwing!', reappearing right in front of Apple Bloom.

"ohmigoshohmigoshohmigosh! You can make a *LOVE POTION*?!" Her exceptionally wide grin spread from ear to ear, and her imagination swiftly ran away with what kinds of wonderful things she could do for her big brae if she could help him with one of those! "Can you teach me?!"

[brianblackberry]

Carrot Fields sighed softly and smiled. He wasn’t going to win this “argument” no matter how much he tried, and really, he didn’t want to. The poster was special to him after all - more than just some pretty pinup, it was a momento of his time in the REA. He took the poster and placed it carefully on a high shelf, his ears perking up when Applejack mentioned the Wonderbolts. “Ye're a fan of the Wonderbolts? Oi dinnae ken tae that!” Carrot bumped the salad bowl off the table and onto his back again. “Been a fan since Oi was a wee colt, or did Oi mention that already? Oi’d love tae go wi' ye tae see them if, Oi mean when, they come tae town!”

Carrot let Applejack take the bowl of assorted carrots, and trotted out with the salad bowl and placed it on the picnic table - it was just part of the first course, and there were still all the veggie carrot burgers, the chimicarrotchangas, the garlic-fried carrot sticks, the carrot cake for desert ... of course, he had to let Purple introduce most of those. They were her creations after all! Then his brain caught up with him ... had Applejack just ask him to go to a show with her, just the two of them? Now Carrot, dinnae get ahead of yerself, Oi’m sure she dinnae mean it loik a date, jes a friends thing. Still, he couldn’t help but blush as romantic ideas ran through his head, especially with that accidental nose rub. It was nice, even if purely without intent, but it was a good thing nopony else saw. Especially his sister!

He was so caught up in his imagination that he almost missed the whole conversation about a ... love potion? Good thing his sister didn't - wait - “Purple Haze! Dinnae ye be askin' after such things! If they weren't dangerous, ye'd see 'em in every shop! What could ye want wi' such a thing anyway?” He turned back to his guests with a look of concern, “How did some foals even get hold of something dangerous loik that?”

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom wanted to take a deep sigh of relief and congratulate herself on getting back to the picnic area without much on the way of curiousness possessing the big ponies. She wasn't a very good deceiver and knew that under any scrutiny her story would falter terribly. However, she was ready to relax and be relieved and content to entertain such juicy rumors and possibilities in her head far removed from any possibility of being found out and to do so in relative silence.

Or Purple could do her best unicorn impression and suddenly appear in front of Apple Bloom in a completely excited manner, asking about the love potion. Apple Bloom at first recoiled from the sheer shock of having a pony appear in front of her but quickly returned her excitement- and just as quickly, it left as her memory politely informed her of the consequences of her previous enthusiasm. Granted, Sweetie Belle had been slightly more at fault but the CMC shared their successes and failures equally.

"Well it wasn't 'xactly a love potion a' much as it was a love poison. Mah big brother an' Cheerilee couldn't do a thing 'sides from starin' directly inta one another's eyes, not a thing otherwise! We were'ble ta seperate them just long 'nough for the poison to be broken. Ah wouldn't suggest ya be goin' to Twilight and borrowin' 'er book on Hearts an' Hooves Day. On second thought, ya don't want to borrow any books from 'er, on account of bad things happenin' when ya do," Apple Bloom had just realized that every time she had seen Twilight and a book, it had been the cause of or been opened due to one of Apple Bloom's many, many problems. Fate had a funny way of intertwining the lives of ponies, no?

She shook her head and patted Purple on the mane.

"Ah wouldn't try ta make it 'ver again, but it was still kinda funny seein' mah big brother all lovey dovey! Why, he sounded like a grade-A goofball!" She giggled conspiratorially as she went around the table and did her best to look bust and finish setting the stage for what promised to be a wondrous feast.