A Night on the Town [Sturmmann and SteelEagle]

[Snowshoe]

Well now, this was going to be an interesting night. Muggo' Ale hadn't been on a proper date in a very long time. He made sure he was dressed nicely, with his ever-present newsboy cap on his head, a nice white shirt and dark brown tweed vest on as well. He figured it made him look distinguished enough to impress the mare, but not too over the top like a full out suit or tuxedo.

A few days prior, he'd received the letter from Matchie, and had been thoroughly surprised it'd actually worked. It was a fact that did not fail to amuse old Stout Ale, who found it incredibly amusing that his son, who owned a bar of all things, had to write in to a matchmaker to find a girlfriend. He had a bad feeling he was never going to live it down with his old man.

Nevertheless, Muggo' planned to go through with this. He checked himself one last time before heading downstairs and left the Prancing Pony behind in the care of his second-in-command, Meadow Runner, and his father. He trotted along, rather happy, toward the restaurant that Matchie had made reservations at (he made a mental note to thank Matchie for that, because he would never have thought of it himself), a little early. He'd rather be early than late for the first date.

Muggo' Ale stood outside the restaurant. He figured that Caramel Apple should be along any time now, so he sat on a bench out front and waited, watching the ponies trot past in the street, going about their business.

[SteelEagle]

Caramel wasn't always a model Apple family member. Well, the word more correctly was stereotypical. The commonly held belief amongst ponies far an wide was that an Apple was a farmer to the core who put his or her snout to the ground ans pursued their work with such feverish abandon that dragging them away from the farm was akin to fighting an ursa major with a twig. Apples tended to spend their youth toiling and settled late, or such was the belief. It was incorrect, though that perception had done them no ill in the creation of their status amongst the Equestrian community. Who wouldn't want a bunch of hard workin' ponies to settle nearby and produce delicious apples? Only the insane and no one gave them the time of day anyway.

The stereotype was still wrong, however. They worked hard as their work demanded it, not because they were some sort of automaton family. They had desires and dreams like anypony else, but so invested could they become in the bonds of family and the need to produce that they lost track of themselves. Caramel didn't. Maybe she was selifsh, but she felt no compunction about seeking time for romantic pursuits. Issue was her own lack of social talent and, admittedly, the sheer depth of the Apple Family's financial confusion. Added to that was her single-hoofedly running the actual affairs of Tiny Apple Valley, baking, bucking, and selling and she came dangerously close to living the stereotype against her raging will.

But luckily, a matchmaking service made itself known and she pounced on it without giving a second thought. It wasn't long after that she found herself matched with a local and here she was, primed and preened like some haughty-toity pegasus outside of the Sydney Cobhouse. She had thought of wearing something fancy, but common etiquette said that was more than presumptuous. She gave a sigh; less nervous of the date than if she would do something wrong. Flashbacks to a fillyhood fling with her first coltfriend played in her mind, and the horrifying date that followed had stayed with her like so many bad apples. She shook her head and opened the door, smiling as she entered the restaurant with a puffed out chest of pride.

It was extremely busy, but not so much that she felt intimidated. Nor was anypony else, she figured, as they were city folk and such crowds came with the territory. The maitre d' bounced up to her.

"Madame, if you would take a seat- we are overfilled," He asked, his voice having a slight Germaney accent. She stared back at him.

"I have a reservation. Table for two at six, which is in five minutes. Caramel Apple and Muggo' Ale. I am sure that this restaurant would not want to have the reputation for turning away reserved seats," Caramel said with kindness, though a tint of annoyance crept in. The Maitre d' blinked a few times.

"Ah, yes, you will be seated at six, madame. My apologies," He said, bowing and moving away.

She nodded. It was a big city; sometimes, you had to respectfully lay down the law. Now, all she had to do is look for her date.

[Snowshoe]

After about ten minutes of sitting on the bench and looking around, Muggo' Ale realized that he really didn't know what his date looked like. He knew her name, and that was about it. Chuckling at himself, he stood up and trotted inside at five-to-six, knowing that he should probably take his seat and that, if she wasn't already there, she'd arrive shortly afterwards. He stepped in just as Caramel Apple was finishing up her encounter with the Maitre D'. Had he come in just moments before, he would have heard their names and learned that she was his date.

Then again, it wasn't that hard. The cutie mark was a bit of a giveaway at this point.

"Hello there." Muggo' said, trying to not let too much of his slang come out into his speech. For once, he had actually greeted somepony without saying 'Hows ya gettin' on?', figuring it was a bit too casual for someone he hadn't met and was trying to impress. His accent though was still heavily there.

"I'm goin' to go out on a pier here and guess yer Caramel Apple, eh?" he asked, reaching up with his right forehoof and sweeping his hat respectfully from his head. "Muggo' Ale, a pleasure to be meetin' ya." he said with a sincere smile. This was easier than he thought, now that he was actually here and talking to her. She was also quite pretty.

[SteelEagle]

"Hello there."

Caramel turned around to confront the stallion, and soon saw a green stallion with the cutest cap. was this her date? Could have been worse. She wasn't a fan of the mane, but such things, if a real issue, could be solved. He looked well enough beyond that, strong and strapping.

"I'm goin' to go out on a pier here and guess yer Caramel Apple, eh?" the stallion asked, his voice inflection that of a port-raised pony. She had dealt with enough of them to notice the way the words were fast and clipped, almost like a farm pony but with more blunt force.

"Muggo' Ale, a pleasure to be meetin' ya."

Caramel did a short head bow and extended her hoof for a shake.

"You are quite right, Muggo' Ale. Caramel Apple, here for the date. And the pleasure is all mine, Ale," She said with a smile as the areas around them thinned of crowds who were slowly getting seated. She took a deep breath- meeting new ponies was not her strong suit, especially in a faux romantic setting.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale shook her hoof pleasantly, not sure what else to say. Kiss her hoof, maybe? Or was that too much? Probably too much he decided, so he left it at that and placed his cap back on his head, for now at least. He'd set it on the table when they were sat.

"Ah, ya can call me Muggo' if ya want." he said with a smile. He found people using his "last name" was a bit too formal, especially when he was called Mr. Ale. Not only did that make him feel like a drunkard, but it made him feel old(er). He looked around the place, not having been here before. He'd passed it a few times, and it looked nice. He hoped the food was good, too.

Muggo' turned back to look at her and smiled. "Ya look good." he complimented. She did, too. Now he just had to bring up a mental list of things he'd seen happen in the bar that worked to impress women, and which got a stallion a hoof to the face. "So, yer from around here? What is it that ya do for a livin'?" he asked casually. The Maitre D' came by shortly after and escorted them to their seats, and Muggo' motioned for Caramel to lead the way.

[SteelEagle]

"Ah, ya can call me Muggo' if ya want."

Muggo' it'd be then. The name was truly secondary to the pony, though Caramel had to say that a name like Muggo' Ale was, if nothing else, very unique. She could only guess at the stallion's profession with a name like that, though those guesses were well-educated.

"Muggo' it is then," She replied with a smile.

"Ya look good."

She looked at herself, somewhat taken aback by the comment. Maybe she did look good or maybe he was just flattering her, but she was still stymied either way by his words. She did not know proper date protocol, but was it right to be just that forward? She didn't know whether she was flattered or offended and settled on a slight manner of confused unease, though being a mare of her business stature she knew well not to let it show.

"Well, thank you for such kind words. You look rather fetching yourself, Muggo'," She settled on that phrasing as being just nice enough to return the praise.

"So, yer from around here? What is it that ya do for a livin'?"

Before she could stammer out some sort of shocked response detailing how she was stunned he did not know of the Apple family, the Maitre D' escorted them to their seats, Caramel leading the way as Muggo' pulled the move of a gentlecolt. This time allowed for her to formulate a more coherent and polite response as they took their seats.

"I run and operate Tiny Apple Valley outside of this fair city with the help of my two sisters. We are part of the larger Apple Family network of farms and orchards that provide Equestria with more than seventy percent of her apples and around ten percent of all other fruits combined. Yourself?" She asked in a friendly manner, sipping the restaurant supplied mug of water as the menus were handed out.

[Snowshoe]

Judging by the look he got from his compliment, she was just as un-educated in the etiquette of dating as he was. That was fine by him, there would be...well, maybe not less embarrassment, but at least they would be able to understand if either of them made a faux-pas at some point along in the evening. He followed along behind her to their seats, thanking the Maitre D' for their menus and sipping at his own water while she answered his question. The Apple family...why had that not clued in in his mind? For some reason, his brain hadn't made the connection between Caramel Apple, and the very same Apples he'd met (vaguely) at Winter Wrap Up a scant few weeks ago.

"Seventy percent of apples..." Muggo' said, chuckling and letting out a low whistle of admiration. "That's a feat if I've ever heard one. An' I must say I'm sorry, I've met a few of yer relatives an' even been down to Sweet Apple Acres not long ago, but me brain didn't want to put two and two together. Yer farm's actually a regular supplier of mine." he explained. He did buy lots of apples from Tiny Apple Valley for use in creating hard cider and the like.

"Me? I own a bar." Muggo' Ale said with a chuckle. "The Prancin' Pony, near the docks. Been in me family for...Never been good at that generation thing, is it three now? Me grandfather opened it in any case." he explained, taking a sip of his water. "Not as impressive as feedin' all of Equestria, mind ya." he teased with a grin, wondering just how big the Apple family would have to be to supply that much food. "But I like it, just the same."

[SteelEagle]

Caramel smiled as the pair took their menus and scoured them for something delicious, while keeping her ear to her date. It wasn't all that uncommon for some to perhaps not realize to what family she belonged, seeing as she lacked the trademarks that would identify her, like a well-bred rustic accent or the ability to make apple metaphors off-hand with such ease as to be somewhat terrifying. She took no insult as she gave it thought, and as her date made up for his lack of knowledge. Now it was her turn to be impressed, and she took note of his position. So he took in some of her produce for his bar? Good to know her produce could be used for everything from a filly-friendly treat to something less wholesome. She had less compunction about such things, the sheer variety her little apples never failing to amaze as long as one allowed it to be so.

"It sounds fun. Besides, you get to deal with your customers on a more personal level. I'm often sending a hundred bushels to the city and seeing it distributed on paper and little more. Where is the Prancing Pony, to be exact? I've been to the docks a few times and can not recall it," She said, sipping her water and laying down her menu, having mentally checked off her selection.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale looked through the menu, trying to decide on something that sounded good. He made his own mental choice shortly before Caramel Apple spoke. He set the menu down and smiled, listening to what she had to say.

"I can't imagine that. I love workin' the bar floor, talkin' to me customers an' regulars, hearin' an' sharin' the stories." he explained. When he was asked about where the bar was, he chuckled. "Bit hard to find if ya don't know it, not very well marked. It's right on the edge of the dock district, near the business one." Muggo' said. "She's a bit unassumin' of a place. It's the three-storey redbrick buildin' two doors down an' 'cross the street from the post office, dock district branch." he added. It was a rather distinct building, and most ponies knew it by sight alone, even if they hadn't come in. Maybe after their dinner, if they weren't tired of seeing each other, they could go for a walk and he'd show it to her.

"I should drop by one day to get me bushels in person, so ya can say ya got to see a customer for once." he teased, chuckling. The waiter arrived shortly after and asked for their orders. Muggo' ordered a plate of hay and some grilled vegetable skewers, then looked over at Caramel while he waited for her to make her choice.

"So, just three of ya workin' an apple orchard, eh? What's that like? I can imagine it gets a bit on the hectic side at times." he asked after a short silence, trying to make some small talk. He figured it was going well so far but they still had an entire dinner to get through. Figuring he'd taken the chance to get to know her a bit more than just her work, he added, "Ya get a lot of time off to do...well, whatever it is ya do in yer spare time, I guess." he chuckled.

[SteelEagle]

As he spoke, Caramel tried to pin his accent's origination down and found her answers lacking. She'd have to be blunt in trying to pry that from him. As he continued talking, Caramel found herself starting to pin down the exact building he may be speaking of, having visited that branch of the post office at some point. It was one of the rattier areas of the district, but that was just fine. She was a farm girl who knew the signs of true destitution and the area where the Prancing Pony was located wasn't bad at all. Someponies just liked to exaggerate, and they tended to be the ones living in some sort of high society gated community. Their opinion was void. The prancing pony was likely fine and dandy, and she had resolved herself to visiting it.

"I'll take grilled dandy lions and a side of hay fries, thank you," She told the waiter, handing her menu to him and then eying up her date.

"Yes, you should come by. I've tried to entice customers into visiting the farm by lowering the cost of a bushel by twenty percent if you pick it up yourself. It...well, to be honest, it isn't entirely just to be nice. I save that much plus a little more by not having to ship it! It can get hectic sometimes, especially during shipping, but it is a relatively small farm. Three capable mares are enough. Really, Tiny Apple Valley is more like the shipping and financial nerve center of the family rather than the fully dedicated farms like Sweet Apple Acres," She blathered on, catching herself being boring with a smile. She coughed to clear her throat and laughed.

"Oh, sometimes this mare..." She shook her head and sipped her water, "So, where is your family originally from? I'm having some difficulty placing your accent."

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale smiled as she talked about the farm life and the business she ran. Contrary to what she thought, it wasn't boring him at all. As a business owner himself, he knew the intricacies of running a business and how difficult it could be at times...although, while she was busy with the shipping end of things, Muggo' was always busy with the receiving end. Almost every day, or on average every other day, sometime between 8 and 8:30 in the morning, he'd get some shipment, be it food, alcohol, or just general bar supplies, because they ran through all three at an incredible rate. When she caught on to the fact she was rambling a bit, he laughed along with her, not minding one bit. If he was caught talking, Muggo' could go on for ages.

"No worries." he said sincerely. "Me accent?" he added at her question. "Well, me grandfather's from Hoofin'ton." he explained. "He had an accent like this, an' so did me father. Guess it just passes down the line, even though I wasn't born in Hoofin'ton." he said, sipping his water with a shrug. "I've never heard anypony else from the area with an accent like mine, but then again, ponies with strange accents pop up everywhere I guess." Muggo' commented. "Luck o' the draw type thing. Like when I was down in Ponyville, not a long bit o' time ago, I was down at that farm there, Sweet Apple Acres. Of all the ponies there, yer one relative, with a bit o' freckles an' three apples as a cutie mark, had an accent thick as me own, an' nopony else I met there did, an' I met a good bit." he explained. Another shrug. "But then again, I'm not exactly the most well educated when it comes to the matters of genetics and linguistics." he said, adding a bit of drawn-out emphasis to the words to make them sound a little fancier. "Keep me behind me bar, where I don't have to do much thinkin'." he said with a chuckle.

"So what about ya? Ya born here in Fillydelphia?" he asked casually, wanting to know a little bit more about his date.

[SteelEagle]

Hooftington, eh? She'd never had the pleasure of visiting that city, but she knew of the accent. Now that she knew that was where he was from, it made a lot more sense. She could put a name behind the accent and a pony behind the accent and it made him a far more agreeable date. More personable.

She knew all about his experience with Applejack and how out of place she seemed in that emerging town. That was made all the more comical when one understood the Apple Family was responsible for the existence of Ponyville in the first place. While everypony else aside from the Apple family seemingly started to become more cosmopolitan in speech, but Apples were Apples and no amount of influence outside the family would change them. They were stubborn that way, something she admired.

"Born and raised, happy to say. It's been great to me, wouldn't change a single factor in my life because of it. Do you live with any of your family? Any help with the Prancing Pony?"

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' smiled, nodding. "Aye. I live with me father. Used to be me father and me mother, but...well, she passed about six years back." he said. He, for once, lost a bit of his usual cheer saying that. It still hurt, even though he knew it was better...she had been incredibly sick before she had died. "The Pony's been a family business since me grandfather opened it with his wife an' me father, when he was just a wee b'y. Me father, Stout Ale, helps out as best he can, but he's gettin' up in his years, so he usually just hangs out with the old regulars, shootin' the breeze." he explained. "An' like ya, been here most of me life. I travel as much as I can, used to do it a lot when I was a colt...not that I'm that old, mind ya!" he said with a laugh, his regular cheerfulness back. "Mane's been grey since birth. They used to call me "Old Boy" when I was younger...I'd be underfoot all the time, runnin' menus around, an' folks would always ask for "Old Boy" to come get drink refills or somethin'." he reminisced...and found that he himself was rambling now. With a laugh Muggo' shook his head. "Sorry, not tryin' to bore ya or go out on a trot like that. I get that way sometimes, tellin' stories like that."

[SteelEagle]

She had taken notice of the unusual color of his mane from the first time she had seen him, and was more than pleased when she found out it was natural rather than age. She wouldn't have judged him harshly had be been an elderly stallion but she didn't really find the thought of having to spend her days restricted due to her love. The fact he used to travel alot was exciting- the stories he could tell were likely able to dwarf hers. She allowed him to finish before smiling.

"I'd like to hear about some of those places you traveled to, Muggo'. I've always had a sincere desire to travel the breadth of Equestria but have found the constraints of my work too demanding to do so. And I am sorry to hear of your mother's passing. I am lucky enough to still have mine, but it hasn't been the same since they left," Caramel replied, then smiled.

"Old boy, eh? That's a charming nickname."

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale was happy that she didn't seem to put off by his rambling, and in fact, wanted to hear of his travels. He chuckled at her compliment at the nickname. "Well, thanks. Haven't heard it in years, actually." he mused. After a few minutes, he tapped his right forehoof to his chin for a moment while he thought about a story to tell her. "There's one real excitin' travel that comes to mind, if ya got the ear for it." he said, shifting in his seat a little to get more comfortable. "It'll be a bit of a lengthy tale, so if ya get bored, just tell me." he said with a smile.

"Unless ya want to hear about it later, of course. It's one of me last adventures, with a couple of old friends. We got bored one summer, decided we'd see how far out to the rarely-seen West coast of Equestria we could get. Didn't make it too far past the griffon territory, mind ya. But still, was fun." he said. Then with a chuckle, Muggo' Ale grinned. "An' then there was a recent one, where I ended up kickin' a manticore in the face...surprisin'ly, it's less interestin' than the trip to the West." he said with a laugh.

[SteelEagle]

Caramel smiled as he laid out the options. At the very least, if nothing else could be said, he certainly had some stories he could share. Any fears of hers about being bored were being put to rest purely through his summaries. Just as she was about to answer, the food arrived in all of its delicious glory, the plates being laid out accordingly. She studied her meal with a fine eye- it would be adequate, the waiter refilling her glass of water and bowing away. Adequate, if not stunning. She motioned for her date to partake in the deliciousness arrayed in front of them.

"Well, I think I'll listen to both stories, starting with your trip out west. Always wanted to go there, so this better be good!" Caramel said half-jokingly, eating the hay fries with abandon.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' thanked the waiter, then looked at his own plate. He appraised it not with a fine eye, but with a hungry one...he was quite hungry, and having grown up in a bar, was used to eating the less fancy kinds of food. Still, it looked delicious.

He curled a fetlock around one of the skewers and carefully went to pull a grilled green pepper from the end, until he realized it would be hot. He gently blew on it, then looked up at Caramel when she wanted to hear both stories. He chuckled and nodded with a smile. "It's a good one." he assured her, neatly plucking the green pepper from the tip of the skewer and setting it back down as he chewed. He swallowed it before starting off the story.

"Starts with me an' me buddies Wingtip an' Snowshoe. Wingtip was a mailmare, an' she'd said she'd gone as far as Las Pegasus but never farther out. An' of course, leave it to a group'a young colts, an' well, a filly, to figure we cross the desert an' see what the eye can see. But as me father always says, wait a fair wind, an' you'll get one. So we waited an' we got our fair wind, an' packed up our stuff an' made our way out to Pegasus on the train, not two days after bouncin' the plan around." he began, pausing to take another vegetable off the skewer, this time a mushroom. When he was done with that, he continued. "We set off the day after we got there, trottin' fast to get across the desert. This was before Appleloosa was built down there, so we had no stops. An' of course, like idiots, we went through the desert, not 'round the mountains to the south an' cross the plains. Was a hard run...took us most of the day but we finally reached the mountains just on the other side of Rockwin'ton. We were beat to the Moon an' back, with sunburns an' parched mouths around. Snowshoe had managed to get his hoof caught in a gap in some rocks, so we were slowed down too from him limpin' around." another pause, another vegetable, this time a piece of zucchini. "So we wake late the next day, 'cause we're all exhausted, an' we look up at the mountains. They were a bit shorter than the others so we figure it wouldn't be a problem. By this time Snowshoe's hoof's better, so we start the climb. Celestia t'underin', I wish I was a bit more of a poet, because that view as we came to the top of the mountains..." he trailed off, looking out the window for a moment as if reminiscing.

"Granted, it may be a bit rough..." he looked back at Caramel to continue his story. "When compared to places around pony territory. But by Celestia, it was nice. We saw this rocky valley below us, endin' in this incredibly deep canyon. An' on the other end, these high flyin' mountain's that disappeared into the clouds, an' this quaint little town, just nestled there against one of the mountains. We sat there stunned for a bit, then made our way down to the river an' the canyon. Now that's a sight to behold, I'd never seen a canyon before that. Just this deep gash in the ground, an' a flowin' river runnin' through it." Yet another pause from Muggo', and another vegetable off the skewer. "So we cross this bridge leadin' over the canyon, figurin' that yeah, griffons ain't friends to ponies but at least we might be able to stop for the night. We were tired from the harsh desert an' the steep climb up the mountains. They didn't like it but they let us stay...one day I'd love to go back to Rockwin'ton." he said with a chuckle. "It's gorgeous. Like a griffon version of Hoofin'ton. Little shops dottin' the place, sellin' whatever tickles yer fancy. Sadly, that's where the tale ends." he explained. "When the mornin' came we tried to get up over the mountains. It's no problem for griffons, they just fly, but us, we had to climb. Well, Wingtip could fly, but she kept respectful an' with us. Well, we make it about halfway up this incredibly tall mountain when Snowshoe's leg starts actin' up again, an' bad. We learned later it was worse than a sprain, an' he'd gotten a bit of a fracture that'd gotten worse with all the walkin'. So we mucked him off to the hospital in town, an' stayed for a few days before the griffons helped us back as far as the edge of the mountains on the far side of Las Pegasus. They're not bad folk...a little on the meaner side, but all in all, great people." Muggo' said. He shrugged a shoulder with a bit of a sad sigh. "Never got to even peek at the West coast of Equestria. If it wasn't for the maps, would think it never existed." he finished. "One of these day's I'll try an' go back...or so I keep tellin' meself." he said with a bit of a sad laugh.

[SteelEagle]

Caramel wasn't entirely picky and the food was cooked good. The hay fries had a certain texture to them and the grilled dandy lions were cooked well enough, but it lacked a certain flavor. She picked up the seasoning salt and dashed it liberally over her food, taking a bite right afterwards- delicious. Certainly an improvement, though it was likely her fault for ordering grilled dandy lions in the first place. Easy to cook and filling, they always seemed to lack the punch she required. Season salt solved that problem amply. She turned her full attention to her date.

So, Muggo had the ability to just wander about as a colt? That must have been wonderful to be able to decide on doing something and then do it. She never had that sort of freedom, as her life had been consumed by work of some sort. Even if she hadn't had the excuse of work, she likely wouldn't have- she was far more reserved than that, not desiring such adventure in her youth. She daily cursed those wasted days. But then again, he had been reckless to run out there without much of a solid plan. Any number of things could have happened, each one worse than the last and providing some disquieting thoughts. Still, she felt a sense of admiration for his adventurous spirit.

The view he described sounded absolutely stunning, beautiful, but she was quite sure there were likely better ways to get there. Maybe she would do the research to find out as his story certainly gave her the understanding that it would be worth the trip. Hoofing it across the desert was needlessly reckless, even a little insane! Still, the canyon alone sounded as if it was worthy of the trouble that went into reaching it. His descriptions may not have been poetic, but sometimes obscene poetry masked beauty.

The story ended somewhat anti-climatically, but that oddly fit it. The journey was worth more than the destination, worth more than a line on the map. Experiences were infinite in their power. She smiled.

"If you plan on trying to reach the coast, might I suggest boat or airship? Less chance of fracture there," She said with a coy smile, rather ingloriiously devouring the hay fries.

"That was quite a wonderful story, Muggo'. Do you keep in touch with those friends of yours?"

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' laughed at her suggestion and coy smile, returning it with a grin of his own. "We were all young an' impulsive back then, with only a few bits between us. Couldn't have afforded a trip on an airship if we'd wanted. Besides, where's the adventure in that?" he joked. It had definitely been dangerous, but they'd been young and not very smart about those things back then. They were never in any real danger...they'd packed enough to make it through the desert safely, but not much in the form of good medical supplies. But in hindsight, Muggo' did agree with Caramel: it hadn't been the smartest of plans to go out like that at all. Still, he didn't regret it one bit, and would do it in a heartbeat if he went back in time and had to do it all over again...although maybe with some more medical knowledge to make sure they didn't push Snowshoe as hard and could get over the mountains. "An' nowadays, I'm busy quite a bit. I plan to take some time off eventually, try to visit there again." he continued with a self-assured nod. He had the bits, he just needed to make time.

At the question of whether he kept in touch with his old friends, he nodded. "Aye, when I can. Wingtip's still a mailmare, so if she's passin' by the post office an' I happen to be there I'll drop in to say hi. Snowshoe joined up with a loggin' company an' went up north to Stalliongrad, but we send letters back an' forth regularly." he explained. He hadn't seen the latter in a long time, in person at least. He took a few bites from his other skewer, then looked up at her. "What about ya? Any interestin' stories of yer own ya'd want to tell me?" he asked. He figured she'd have to have at least one or two to tell.

[SteelEagle]

Caramel smiled as he countered her concern with some facts of his own. Youngsters could be impulsive and reckless, pronse to making mistakes of the excitable and adventerous nature. Well, many could, Muggo' among them, as Caramel even in her less conservative youth was less willing to commit to reckless action without first having examined superior options. Then again, that just told Caramel that he was a risk taker with a mobile spirit. That was preferable to one who sought little beside the standard in life. And the fact that he planned to go there someday again was most definitely an exciting chapter to add to this story, which was already off to a good enough start.

He kept up with as well as he could those whom he once counted as good friends, but she figured that Wingtip's job and Snowshoe having went to the hard north were unavoidable schisms in communication that even well-intention couldn't overcome. She couldn't say anything against that as even in the close knit Apple Family there were some schisms that prevented communication aside from the reunion, and this was a family so loyal to itself that it may as well have operated as an independent state at times.

"Me? Oh, I'm afraid I lack any sort of great adventure to tell you. To be perfectly blunt, i would call my life boring and stale. I work at the orchard, sell apples, keep track of the family's finances and deliveries across the country. It can get hectic during the winter- many all-nighters strung together whenever the pegasi allow a snowstorm to go on too long and close down some roads- but I'd call my life conservative. Now my extended family- there's a bunch of characters, from Buffalo Run to Sweet Apple Acres. You could call Sweet Apple Acres the soul of the operation, Buffalo Run the heart, and Tiny Apple Valley..." She said, finishing her hay fries and gently clearing her lips of the salt.

"We're the brain."

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale finished off his own hay fries as she spoke, listening to the description of her life and the network that was the Apple family. He tried to imagine this large, overarching operation that spanned Equestria, providing ponies with their staple food of apples. It was almost too hard to imagine...especially knowing that only three mares were the brains of the whole thing.

"About those farms..." Muggo' said, finishing off his glass of water as well and relaxing a little in his seat. "Ya say yer farm's the brains o' the whole thin', aye?" he asked. "How do all these farms from all over work together? I mean as the brain, ya got to be the one managin' it all. But how do they all work together? Thought farms were usually a self contained thin'." he asked. He'd heard of a few very popular places that existed in more than one location, like the coffee shop down the street from his bar, which he knew existed in Canterlot as well as FIllydelphia, and a few of the restaurants around. But farms...he'd never heard of farms working together as a huge operation like that. "An' while ya might not have too many adventures under your belt, doesn't mean your life's borin'." he pointed out with a chuckle.

"Ya should hire some help to take time off. Drop by the bar sometime, relax a little. I understand the feelin', but so long as ya love what yer doin', I wouldn't quite consider that borin'." he added. "An' besides, ya do somethin' I can't. There's times when runnin' just one bar swamps me. But ya run a farm that supplies many places, an' manage stuff for a whole network? That takes some skill."

[SteelEagle]

She wasn't the most talkative mare, but she didn't mind engaging in a small amount of discussion in an effort to give life to what at times felt like a lifeless job.

"Yes, ours is the brain. As for how it all works together, its all pretty simple. Keep track of how many apples are sold and the demand across Equestria, then you have an idea on how many apples should be sent here and there. Farms produce apples and demand is sated locally before excess produce is sent to the nexus of the transportation network, which is here in Fillydelphia. We then organize convoys and merchants to take them to areas without a direct Apple family farm. The produce is sent in order of highest demand areas to the lowest demand. Anything left is then sent back to the origin farms.

Bit wise, we try to keep it so that a single farm's produce is kept together and goes to the same area. Makes it easier to organize the finances. Bits made across Equestria are sent to Tiny Apple Valley. We then look at the finances of the other farms and use the nation-wide profits to shore up any weaknesses at any of the farms, then split the remainder fifty-fifty. Home farms get half, the rest is put into the family's general treasury. This is obviously just a little simplified because it could take a while to explain in depth. It keeps one occupied, I suppose, and I get a certain amount of pride giving Equestria what she wants, but it is very time consuming. This date, for example, will mean I'll be up until the wee hours of the morning doing paperwork. But that's the nature of the beast," Caramel said, finishing her water as she sought to keep her voice with her.

She cleared her throat, a little embarrassed that she rambled on such.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale was still surprised by the sheer size of all of this. All the surplus apples from all the Apple family farms across Equestria, all the bits made in profits, all of it came to a farm owned by three mares who not only had to run their own farm, but the finances and shipping from others. He smiled a little, quite impressed with how Caramel could do all of this. He thought he had it hard, but this all seemed...almost extreme. He laughed when she mentioned she'd be up early because of their date. "Well, I hope I'm not wastin' yer time then." he said. He said it jokingly, but he actually meant it. If she had that much work to do that she'd have to stay up late just to get it done on account of him and their date, he'd rather she had a nice time.

"Ya plannin' on gettin' any dessert?" he asked casually. "I am, meself. Saw they got pumpkin pie in the menu, an' I haven't had that in ages. Figure I'd go for it, while I'm here." he said with a smile. The waiter came by and picked up their plates, and Muggo' placed his order for the slice of pie.

[SteelEagle]

"Well, I hope I'm not wastin' yer time then," Muggo' said with a chuckle, his disarming personality winning him some favor.

"No, Muggo', you most certainly are not. I'm enjoying myself, that much is for certain," Caramel responded as the waiter came by and took her plate, nodding as he did so. Her date brought up the mouth-watering prospect of dessert and she felt herself compelled by some inner demon to partake in it swiftly. She nodded along and her smile was wide and without any coverage.

"Dessert sounds like a lovely idea, Muggo'. You'll have the pumpkin? That sounds wonderful, but I need something sweet tonight, I do believe! Waiter, would you recommend the volcano chocolate cake? I'll take one of those," She said, her eyes devouring the cake as voraciously as she planned on doing soon in reality. She placed the menu with the waiter and gave her date a smile.

"Want to combine the two? Never had chocolate pumpkin but the prospect is appealing."

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' Ale set his menu aside as well. His own mouth was watering a little, having seen a picture of the chocolate cake. He just wasn't in the mood for chocolate at that moment, as delicious as it had looked. He made a mental note to find a recipe to add something similar to his own menu at the bar, which didn't have desserts in general. He smiled back at her and nodded at her suggestion. Something about that just sounded really, really, good.

"I like the way ya think." he said with a grin. "Sounds like a plan to me." he added. After a moment, he spoke again. "Speakin' of plans, what about after this?" he asked. "Ya got to trot on back home, or do ya want to maybe walk somewhere for a bit?" he offered. Muggo' wasn't quite sure where they could go, but it was a nice night for a walk in his opinion. He tried to mentally map out the city, and where he thought he remembered where Caramel's farm was, and figured it might be easier to just take a lazy, roundabout route through the city on the way back to her farm...he did plan to walk her home, after all, if she didn't mind.