Grand Theft Apple (open)

[danielalaverne]

Upon leaving Starburst's Starbucks behind, Morrow Rose just now noticed what hit her earlier already - there was another bar, not far from here, but as far as she was concerned she found quite a likening for the most clean place in the whole of Appleloosa and would certainly return.

The warm mahogany-pelted delivery Pegasus meant to still taste all the drink and meals she just had have during this morning and noon; the coffee - a delicious blend - still kept her up and fully awake, as usually at an early afternoon like this she would feel ready for a first nap.

Carrying her red-painted tin-wagon at a hoof's height above ground, she lead her new old friend Apple Cider - or just AC - to her home, shop and garden; her own little home in Appleloosa and one she was proud for, especially after all the work that was put in it.

Just about to enter Saddle Lane and heading toward the small house numbered 21 1/2, Morrow's looks stumbled over an unusual sight: A mashed apple - she meant to have seen it's kind before, a cider apple?, but wasn't sure - and it was quite a good apple, aside of the fact that it was smashed as if just dropped from high above.

The delivery Pegasus made a little "Huh?" as she flew by, followed by her pet bird and her old new foal-hood friend. She knew some pegasi sometimes threw away the cores of apples, when they did not like that as much - or occasionally the one or other apple turned-bad. Now a perfectly good apple however? And that on a relatively good frequented lane, where a falling fruit could hurt somepony?

She decided to ignore that riddle for now, with a shrug, since she had else to do, but to wonder over mysteriously placed burst fruits. Getting closer to her home, she pointed with a hoof at the sign above her shop's entrance: Appleloosa Morning News & Deliveries, it read.

"We're almost there", she explained, sounding quite excited.

[applecider]

Apple Cider was walking with her new old friend Morrow Rose. She chuckled to herself thinking about how at first the day seemed ordinary, but it quickly led to finding a new place to eat, meeting a new bartender, and meeting a new old friend from her home town of Hoofington. She wondered what other surprises in the day she would encounter. Then, not watching shere she was going, she too tripped over the apple. "Now what pony decided to waste a perfectly good apple," Apple Cider said to no pony in particular. True Appleoosa had tons of apple trees, but AC learned as a young foal to waste nothing.

Casting the thought aside, she was happy to hear that she was at her friend's home.

[danielalaverne]

Morrow Rose pushed open the door nto what was her shop and her home, of course neatly seperated with the shop downstairs and her rooms upstairs. It was all in all a pretty small house, but neat and comfy the same.

Opening the door a little bell rang, as it would show her a new customer just entered, but this time she herself was at the door, letting in AC. "Welcome, welcome, come in!"

Knowing Appe Cider inside the shop, she pointed around at the shelves, mostly occupied by milk bottles, the full kind, and boxes with eggs. There we no newspapers anymore, as she had delivered them all, but her own personal copy on the counter. In one corner was a spiral stair way upstairs. In another was a door leading to a storrage room.

"This is, well, the shop. It's doing pretty good lately. The garden is behind the house and I live upstairs", she explained all to her new old friend. "You want to look around here for a bit or shall we go upstairs? It's not much there, but comfy."

[applecider]

"Thank you kindly," Apple Cider said as she entered the house. She was amazed at how organized everything was that Morrow Rose delivered. "I must say you have everythin purdy organized here. I'm happy to hear that yer business is doin fine." She then heard Morrow ask if Apple Cider wanted to see her place upstair. "Well if it isn't too much of a bother, I would like ta see where ya live as well."

[danielalaverne]

"Aw, it's nothing", Morrow Rose smiles sheepish. Sure she was proud about what she built up on her own here in her new home, still it was just a little shop and besides, "I'm sure your cider mill is much more of a sight."

She trotted in a circle, showing the golden cider brown pony around, "It's mostly just what you see here, old friend: The news, milk and eggs. Sometimes also apples, you get them everywhere here - even though I have never before seen them before dropped from high altitude at the street..." She chuckled about her thoughts trailing off and waved AC to follow her up the spiral stair case.

Upstairs was actually just one room, technically two, counting the small bathroom. Other than that, cupboards, shelves, a small fitted kitchen, a wardrobe and a bed shared all the same room. Somepony else might have erected intern walls, but Morrow got early already the idea that one big room feels better than several tiny ones.

The walls left right and left showed they were right under the roof slopes outside. Still, despite the little space, the room was nicely neat and organized.

Singasong landed on a small table with small bowls with bird food and water respectively. Morrow now, she grabbed two glasses off a shelf and placed them on a table in the middle of the room. She nodded at AC and hoof-pointed at a seat cushion, "Take a seat and feel just like at home. What do you want for a drink?

[applecider]

"Thanks Morrow! If ya have some tea, that would be nice. I must say I really like your place. It has a nice open feel to it and you really do a nice job keepin' the place tidy. I can't say the same fer my house. Sometimes it looks like a desert twister blew through my house."

[danielalaverne]

"You're very welcome! Sweet apple tea sounds okay for you?" Morrow Rose didn't even wait for an answer, it was more of a kind gesture to ask, as she meant to recall that AC used to drink that very same tea back then already. Tastes could change, of course, but who wouldn't - couldn't like apple... apple anything!

The delivery Pegasus filled an old enamel tea kettle with fresh water and placed it on the gas oven, meanwhile filling a tea filer with dried apple tea. She then placed some honey on the table in front of her old friend, "In case you like it a bit sweeter."

Singasong quickly looked up from her bowls with bird food and water, chirped happily and got back to enjoying her meal. Wandering around in the town with her Pegasus was always adventerous, but left her quite hungry afterward.

"Thanks, AC, still I bet your place is mighty fine, too! Besides, you're a busy pony with the mill, while I have half the day for keeping this tidy." Morrow took the kettle off the stove as it whistles, turned off the gas and placed the tea filter in the kettle.

"Just a few minutes, till the tea is steeped... Ah, yes, the open feeling - I could have had some ponies come and help me erect some walls in here, but I like it better that way. Also, more room to stretch those", she fluttered a bit with her wings.

"Singasong has more room to fly around, too." Her pet bird chirped as if agreeing.

Eventually Morrow could pour in the hot tea.

[applecider]

"Sweet apple tea is fine, Morrow. Some things I gave up throughout the years, some new things I enjoy, but sweet apple tea is one of those things that I have hangin on since bein a foal." She then heard Morrow mention her bird which ever since meeting Morrow the bird was always there. "By the way, how did ya find yer bird Singsong there, Morrow?"

[danielalaverne]

Looking up after pouring the hot tea into the glasses - as apple tea was consumed from heat resistant glasses, it was just like that - Morrow Rose chuckled amused with a friendly smile, "Oh yes, there's so much changing in life, I never would have thought I would live in Appleloosa one day, but some things just stay. May it be tea or friends."

She sat down on a cushion and was about to sigh softly, relaxing after a long day on her hooves and with her wings flapping, as her attention was drawn to AC's question. Funny enough, as much as most ponies noticed her pet bird on first sight and asked about - by now she'd just introduce her along every time - they never really asked about how the met.

Maybe it just needs just that, a friend, to ask that. Carefully she touched her glass of tea with a hoof, but it was still quite hot, "That will need a few more moments, but this will be quite a story anyhow. So, get comfy and listen...

It was Spring last year and I was back at the dock sites of Manehattan. You recall, it's where I used to live as little foal already, even though I got around enough, especially with Mum meeting other gardeners in other towns.

Well, we moved to the city of Manehattan later, but after... Let's say, I stepped on the finely pedicured hooves of some snobby rich too-good-for-honest-work ponies. My mum and dad meant I need to calm and cool down a bit, so they sent me back to the docks.

We still had flower gardens there and a shop, so I worked there. Calming down, as they meant. Well, what shall I say, it would have been easier for me, if not for everypony there now asking me for this and that favors, in bits, as if I were rich now. Imagine the complaining when they realized I was not. I guess they did not believe me.

So, that Spring day I got up early, you know me like that, and woke up the roosters, so they could wake up everypony else. Silly birds were still all sleepy. That's when I heard a chirping sound from some bushes.

Apparently something or somepony had thrown some heavy object at a tree and a branch fell off, along with a bird's nest. The parents must have been scared and away, so there was only that little black bird chick left, barely any feather on her and - so alone. Just like I felt.

So, here's what I did, of course, I took her to my room, put her in a made up nest and kept feeding her with food I smuggled out of the kitchen. That went good for about a few hours, before my grandparents heard her chirping. I think they appreciated that I took care of someone else, because they offered to help me, got a book and told me what food a baby bird needs...

Oh,and I got that paper-pony hat from my grandpa." She looked after her tea again, noticing it was at a drinkable temperature now. "Sorry, that took a bit longer than planned, come, drink your tea before it gets cold."

[applecider]

"That a mighty interestin' story there, Morrow," Apple Cider said as she sipped her tea. "Reminds me of a pet that I used ta have back in Hoofington. Ya probably remembered when I was a filly I would be walkin around town with a sandy colored dog named Dusty. Well, there's an interestin story about him. One night my parents and I were sittin around the table eatin dinner when we heard a scratchin and whining at the door. We then found this little puppy there, cold, dirty and really in bad shape. We took it in, gave it food, cleaned it up, and cared for it. No pony in Hoofington knew where Dusty came from, so we took it in as a member of our family. He used ta folllow me everywhere: goin ta town, in the apple orchard, why he even slept at the foot of my bed every night."

Apple Cider then paused as her smiling face turned sad. "Sadly I had ta leave ol' Dusty behind in Hoofington until I could establish myself here in Appleoosa. When I returned to Hoofington ta meet my family, well ol' Dusty had died. I was heartbroken that I couldn't be there ta say goodbye. Even today I've been ponderin getting another dog, but I know no dog can ever replace Dusty."

[danielalaverne]

Morrow Rose carefully balance her glass on one of her front hooves, it wasn't as hot anymore as to make it an impossible endeavour, but it left the normal test of agility any Earth pony or Pegasus had with this.

She just took a sip as A.C. started to tell a story of her own, about her very own pet. Vaguely she recalled a sandy coloured happy furballfollowing Appe Cider around when they met as little fillies.

As for now, curiously, she decided to just listen and nod, not interrupting her friend, as she could tell already it meant something for her to tell her this.

Every now and then, Morrow looked over to Singasong, the pet bird apparently listening just as interested. Then again, the black bird just enjoyed listening to ponies talk at all.

A slight touch of guilty feeling came up insidethe delivery Pegasus as A.C. came to tell how she had to leave behind her pet dog - both of them had to leave home, but other than A.C. she could have keep her companion... Quickly she shook of this feeling in thougts, replacing it with sympathy. Why was the world so unfair sometimes?

Instead of saying a word in response to what she heard, Morrow placed down her tea - some drops of it swashed over the rim of the glass - got up, trotted over to her friend and wrapped her front hooves around her, holding her tight.

After a moment she let go and only kept a hoof on the other pony's shoulder in a reassuring gesture, "I'm sorry to hear that, A.C. - ... You're right, none can replace Dusty, ever. That's because he'll somehow always be with you, even if only there-", she took her hoof off the shoulder and pointed at where A.C.'s heart was.

[applecider]

"Yer right, Morrow. I'll still have that old dog in mah heart and in my memories. Thank you fer bein so kind ta me as this pony spun such a sad tale. But enough of this sadness, we're here to have fun and catch up on old times right? So let's keep on with the fun! By the way, did you see several apples strewn about on the road outside? I saw a few perfectly good ones that looked like they rolled off an apple cart."

[danielalaverne]

"You're welcome, A.C., after all, that's what friends are for, aren't they", Morrow said with a friendly smile. After all, wasn't it just like that, friendship means to be there in good and bad times, especially the later - there were too much good weather friends in the world as it was.

Her friend's words had her thoughts wander through her most recent memories and indeed, there was something, a cider apple?, was what she had thought back then as the mysterious finding.

Now, that was curious. "Now that you say it, yes! Perfectly fine apples and they looked as if dropped from some height even. Say", a thought hit her, "how do I tell a cider apple from a normal apple again? It's just the apples looked kinda familiar..."

[applecider]

"Well most apples can be a cider apple. They typically have to be big, jucy, and a little on the tart side. It's the tart that gives that extra kick to the flavor. Are you sayin that you saw an apple that was fer cider makin?"

[danielalaverne]

Morrow Rose tapped a front hoof against her chin, pondering and trying to get the images in her memory a bit clearer. She was just passing by the apples and a while later might have completely forgotten about them. Still, there was something familiar about...

That when realization hit the delivery Pegasus. Of course, that was it, "Yes, I did! In fact, I know it is a cider apple because it looks just like the apple emblem on your cider bottles!"

She returned to finish her tea, it had cooled down a good bit meanwhile and gave the mystery a few more thoughts, "Nopony right in their minds would throw away perfectly good apples like that... Now, if they accidentally lost them, because they were in a hurry?"

That didn't sound right at all. If Appleloosa was anything but a nice and quite desert town, then it was a calm and relaxed nice and quite desert town. Barely anyone was every in a hurry here.

She was interrupted in her thoughts as Singasong flew up and chirped angrily at another, bigger bird, looking through the closed window. The would-be-intruder flew away quickly as all attention was on it and Morrow's pet bird went back to her resting place.

Morrow chuckled friendly, "Well done, that other bird, wasn't it a magpie, it wont come back that soo-" The Pegasus sat there like that for a moment with her mouth and eyes wide open, "What if somepony stole the apples and left in a hurry!"