In all honesty, Big Macintosh had no love for cities.  He liked quiet little Ponyville just fine and lacked the yearning for high times in the big cities like Applejack had when she was younger.  His home and heart rested firmly within Sweet Apple Acres.  But when he heard that Shai Ni had gone and gotten a dress from Rarity for the date, he felt bad about her wasting something that nice on just a local visit.  He didn't even know what it looked like, but if it came from Rarity, then it had to be something fancy.  But he couldn't just come right out and say that either... so instead he just contented himself to thoughtfully chewing on a bit of muffin.

Eeyup... tea and muffins...

"What's th'hold up, youngin'?  I've been waitin' on ya!" Granny Smith had apparently awoken without them noticing and came into the kitchen fairly bombastically.  Big Macintosh nearly spilled his tea from how she made him jump, but then fixed the elder Pony with a confused look.

"What're y'talkin' about, Granny?" he puzzled.

"Y'said I had t'go lay down, and I did, so I was expectin' ya' t'come along and do yer needlepoint stuff, not sit 'round snackin'."  she grumbled, though it just made her grandson roll his eyes slightly.

"Granny; she already did th'session.  Y'fell asleep before she started." he gave Shai Ni another apologetic look.  "How d'ya feel?"

"Oh... well... 'bout th'same as ever, I s'pose."

Muffins and tea.  Deliciously awkward.  Silence has never been so tasty or nerve wracking.  Thankfully, Granny Smith comes in and oh sweet Celestia the needles are still in place!  Shai's shock takes a bit to wear off before she hurriedly summons her needle box and begins to remove the needles in large batches (still being very careful, of course), then placing them in the box for cleaning and purification later.  Once they are all removed, she gives Granny Smith a sheepish, awkward smile as a way of apology and says, "The effects will be subtle at first, but by tonight, you should feel much better, and tomorrow, better still."  She elects not to mention that Granny Smith's chi pathways are every bit as stubborn as her personality.  It isn't polite.

As neither of The Apples were familiar with acupuncture, they didn't know any better about Granny walking around with her backside still more prickly than a porcupine's.  She didn't seem bothered by it any either.  Earth Ponies were tough sorts, after all, especially after living such a long lifetime of farm labor like she had.  Besides, even if they did hurt, she wouldn't let it show since she still had a... point... to prove.

"Well, I appreciate y'tryin', but I'm not expectin' no miracles." Granny Smith said dismissively as the last of the needles were removed and stowed away.  "Now y'two don't spend all afternoon 'round th'farm, y'hear?  G'wan and do somethin' fun t'gether."

"What about th'lower forty?" Big Mac asked.  Shai Ni likely wouldn't know what such a phrase meant, but it seemed he still had chores to worry about.

"Th'weather team already took care of th'drainage after that early rain a couple days ago.  Th'rest can wait a day or two.  I don't wanna see y'round here 'till supper time, y'hear?" she waved a hoof to shoo the two along even as she turned and left herself, creaking away down the hall to likely return to her nap.

"Uh... well, Ah guess we've got th'day t'ourselves, if y'like." he blinked, looking to Shai Ni.

Shai blinks and listens with confusion as they talk in farm speak (albeit briefly), and watches as Granny Smith leaves in her usual manner, her mind trying to figure out what the hay they were just talking about.  She wants to say she still has to spend time in her clinic in case of walk-in clients (not to mention one or two appointments later that day), and that they can talk there, but the only thing she can bring herself to say is the question, "What... is 'th'lower forty'?"

Big Macintosh wasn't all that certain of what to do with himself either... he hadn't been expecting to have the day off by force, after all.  Setting up a date ahead of time was hard enough, but just having it dropped spontaneously on one's head?  Plus he didn't know if Shai Ni had her own schedule to worry about too...

"Th'lower forty's just a phrase.  It means th'part of th'farmland that's at th'lowest elevation; they're not suited for growin' trees since all th'rain drains down that way naturally.  Th'soil's always really wet.  We mostly just use it for growin' cabbage." he explained as simply as possible.  There was more to it than just that, but he wanted to keep it brief.  "After th'rain earlier this week, it got a little more flooded than usual.  Need t'keep th'soil gathered and tilled properly, else th'stuff just goes all t'mush and y'lose th'crops."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:41, Mon 15 Oct 2012.

"Lower elevation... where the rainwater goes... hmmmmmm," Shai Ni mulls over aloud as she starts to think.  She's no expert on agriculture, but she is not unobservant, either, and in her homeland, there were many, many large farms growing a particular crop in a particular way.  Rice paddies tended to have enough water that the land was sometimes completely covered, and everypony likes rice, right?  She cannot imagine anypony not liking rice.  It can even be turned into delicious candy and a wonderful wine!  It is the most delectable crop in the universe!

Of course, she would never say that out loud around a member of the Apple family.  And she has to admit, apples are pretty tasty and versatile, too.  And zap apple jam is supposedly amazing.  Hard cider's pretty good, too.  Much smoother than sake.

Wait.  Wait wait wait.  Rice and apples.  Brilliance!

Suddenly perking up, Shai lifts her head and smiles at Big Macintosh as she says, "Have you tried growing rice?  That sounds like a good place to do so.  If you want, I can help you find some more information on rice farming methods and ideal conditions."

"Nnnope." Big Mac replied at the mention of growing rice.  "Can't say we ever have.  Th'land originally harvested Zap Apples while th'regular Apple orchards were growin' in.  When we expanded th'farm t'bring in other families, th'crops all spread out too t'include carrots, and cabbage, and corn, and th'like."

There wasn't a huge demand for rice in Ponyville and what little was available was imported from Canterlot, which kept the prices for the stuff rather high.  Which, of course, led to a lower demand.  He'd heard some Ponies commenting about it before with varying degrees of annoyance.  Apparently some of Fluttershy's animals could use rice in their diets, or Merriweather was having trouble dealing with the cost of importing something called 'genmaicha' for Fung Shui... that used rice too, it seemed.  Having a local crop might not be a bad idea.

"Well, Ah don't see no harm in tryin', assumin' th'climate's right for it." he conceded.

Smiling brightly with excitement, Shai slowly leans forward as she says, "Rice is amazing!  It is delicious, has a high yield, keeps very well, goes with everything, can be made into flours, breads, candies, wines, and soups, it can be fried, baked, boiled, fermented, roasted, and even eaten raw if you're really hungry!  Best of all, it is very tasty and delicious and is really hard to get ahold of locally and would be absolutely wonderful to have a large supply so I could make even more rice candies squee~"

By the time she finishes speaking, she has managed to climb over the table and stand in front Big Mac, her face here inches from his as she nearly bounces with excitement.  It is almost like talking with Pinkie Pie.  Almost.

By the time Shai Ni's pitch and excitement had reached the upper edge of audibility, Big Mac was left leaned back in his seat quite a ways.  With a casual gesture he reached out with both hooves to take the mare by the shoulders and easily lift her off the table as if she weighed nothing at all, setting her back down in her seat gently.

"Eeyup." he agreed.

While mere moments ago she was rambling with rapid fire speech, Shai Ni is currently... broken, perhaps?  Frozen?  Her silly, excited squee face isn't changing, and she isn't moving either.  She's just sitting there... elated.

Wait, she blinked.  She's still alive.  Good.  It seems, however, that she's not going anywhere anytime soon, and she did mention she needs to be back at her clinic.

Meanwhile, in her mind, multitudes of rice dishes and rice-based treats float around a very, very happy Shai Ni who is currently rolling about in a sea of rice candies.

Meanwhile, outside the happy fun rice world of Shai Ni's fantasies, Big Mac waved a hoof before her face to try and get a reaction out of her.  Dang... she'd gone and locked up again.  With a sigh he settled back in his seat and nursed his tea, allowing the mare to idle in her daydreams for as long as she needed.  He had some contemplating of his own to do anyway.

Thus the two settled into silence.  Big Mac finished off his own portion of the snack while Shai Ni's went cold.  After a while he tidied up the dishes, but found the mare still stuck in La-La-Land.  It was starting to get on in the afternoon... he didn't mind her staying, but didn't she mention that she still had appointments?  With a shrug, the stallion easily hoisted the semi-catatonic Unicorn up over his back and ambled off, heading back for town with thought bubbles full of rice-laden goodness trailing off his passenger.

--> Big Mac and Shai Ni exit to Harmony Clinic
This message was last edited by the player at 18:15, Sat 20 Oct 2012.

A small, muddy looking pony tromped through Sweet Apple Acres from the direction of the Everfree forest. Her mane was green and her tail blue. From a distance she looked like a walking ball of mud and foliage but, upon closer inspection, it was just Natra Condu, querying trees on the whereabouts of one Pinnie Pie, who Natra had quickly learned was actually Pinkie Pie! She still couldn't get the hang of the Equestrian language.

The trees acknowledged wholeheartedly that they did, in fact, know exactly who Natra was requesting to see, though they weren't aware where the Pink Mare could be... not at all. They didn't know anything outside of Sweet Apple Acres, which was apparently the name of this land, no longer Everfree. She didn't understand, as well, the meaning of all of these names for places. Back when she was in her homeland everywhere was just Nature, and that was where they lived. Now Natra lived in the Everfree Forest, Next to Ponyville and beside that, in between, where she was now, was Sweet Apple Acres. many funny names...

She continued to plod around, looking for helpful trees and inspecting unhealthy ones. She felt bad for a couple and touched her horn to them, nurturing them and feeding them some of her own energy so that they could get better. Eventually she was digging at the ground around the tree roots to aerate them, cutting off dying branches with her horn and tilling the soil between the trees for better root growth, completely forgotten her quest to find the one pony in Ponyville she even mildly knew. Technically Starcrasher was one but there was no way to tell, by this point, if she would be there... Silva was somepony... well some griffon. Not exactly a Pony... Yes! Pinkie Pie certainly was the only Pony in Ponyville she could say she knew... but that was before she lost herself in doing her own spiritual duties of tending to the world.

It had taken some fair amount of time searching the library for necessary reading materials, but Spike had been rather helpful in that regard.  The little Dragon was nothing more than a nuisance when it came to working on the farm, but he knew his way around books.  Big Macintosh had gotten all he needed to begin researching rice farming and returned home in due order with a bag full of books.

Of course, it was with some surprise that he paused his approach to the farm.  He caught a sound on the breeze... scratching and sparking?  The towering stallion frowned a bit and quickly hopped the orchard fence with ease, heading along further among the trees to investigate.  It wasn't long at all before he came upon Natra tending to the trees, though the plants themselves surprisingly made no mention of the stallion's approach to her.  The Apples were Ponies of the land and the orchards recognized them as kin of sorts.  Big Mac was surprisingly soft on his hooves for such a large Pony and it wasn't until he cleared his throat sharply that Natra would even realize she was no longer alone.

--> Shai Ni and Applejack enter from: Ponyville Town Square

Shai Ni lets Applejack talk (and lean on her) the entire way back, pleased to not be grilled about what has been going on with herself and Big Macintosh.  "... I am glad you are so happy, Miss Applejack," she says with a smile.  Suddenly, she giggles, "I should have moved into the center of town long ago.  Everything is so much more interesting.  Especially you Apples.  Grandmother Smith gave me such a fright when she stood up in the middle of a treatment!"  Somehow, she has managed to not only keep Rarity's hat on her head, but the emergency tablecloth dress is still in decent condition, as well.

"Eeyup. Puts ya' right in tha' middle a'everthin'." Applejack grinned to the foreign mare.  "Err..  wha? You talkin' about..." She pointed a hoof at herself. "mah... Granny Smith? She actually let ya' do one a' yer Chineighs treatments on'er?" Applejack seemed...  genuinely surprised by that.  "Ah hope she wasn't hurt or nothin...?"

"Mister Big Macintosh asked me to try, since she was apparently too stubborn to see any doctors about her hip," she says with a smile, "That is why he brought me back to my clinic."  Realizing that some key details are missing, Shai Ni quickly adds, "We started talking about rice, and... I, ah, am rather enthusiastic on the subject.  I must have gotten lost in thought."

The Camahueto, having been lost in her work of tending to random trees and plants, shot her head upright as Big Macintosh cleared his throat. She gave a smile, seeing Big mac not too far off.She remembered all of the other ponies. "Uh..." She started blandly, not knowing quite what to say, "Pinkie Pie?" She asked in a confused fashion. She gave a smile that was deceptive, more apologetic than friendly with greeting.

Applejack chuckled lightly. The idea of those two was still kind of unusual but funny.  "Granny ain't gonna be happy ta' see what ah' did ta' mah hoof. There's work that needs doin', but ah'l just get Rainbow ta' pull mah' share for a bit."

She paused, reaching the farm gate, and passing on through, making her way up toward the house proper.

Shai Ni helps Applejack up to the house and opened the door so she can support her walking inside.  "You can ask me for help, as well," she offers with a smile.  "I do not know how much help I will be, but I am willing to try."

As they enter, Shai looks around, half expecting Granny Smith to be waiting for them.  Of course, the other half of her expectation is for Granny Smith to be fast asleep.  One cannot be an early riser if they do not get to sleep early as well.  Of course, the both of them just took part in a rather exhausting contest, so Granny Smith being awake would generally also mean hearty food.

Food sounds very good, in fact.  With a sheepish smile, she asks, "Miss Applejack, are you hungry as well?"

"Nope." Big Macintosh replied in his usual straight-forward manner.  He kept a frown off his face as he stepped along and examined what sort of nosiness Natra had been up to with the trees, but that didn't reduce any of his imposing nature one bit.  The well-built stallion was large compared to most Ponies in town and, next to someone as small as Natra, he was downright towering.  He gave a critical eye to her efforts to make sure she wasn't up to any mischief, but found that she was just helping out with a bit of pruning and upkeep.  Odd for a stranger to do that, but he wasn't one to judge.

"Name's Big Macintosh, and this is Th'Apple Family Orchard.  If yer lookin' for Pinkie Pie, yer in th'wrong spot, miss." he clarified.

--

Further up at the Apple homestead, Shai Ni's question about Applejack's appetite was quite timely.  It was sun down and that meant one thing on the farm: Supper.  As they approached the wind shifted and carried with it the mouth-watering aroma of home cooking.  Applejack would easily be able to pick out the familiar scent of Granny Smith's best baked potatoes and peppered barley stew, promising a hearty meal to warm her belly and take her mind off her sore hoof.  Nothing like comfort food to soothe the aches.

The two of them could see the elderly Pony herself milling about in the kitchen from the window, as well as the tempting sight of a fresh pie cooling on the window sill.  She noticed the two's approach as well and stuck her head out to call for them.  "Well, 'bout time someponies started showin' up!  I rang th'triangle an hour ago!  Where y'all been hidin' and... eh... tarnation, Applejack!  What happened t'yer leg?" the mare fretted as she noticed her grand daughter's limp.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:11, Sat 05 Jan 2013.

Applejack inhaled the sweet aroma of a good Apple-cooked  supper, and grinned at Shai. "Oh, ah think yer' in fer' a treat, Shai.  Granny's got   supper well on its way~" She hobbled  a bit toward the steps, and waved one of her front hooves as  Granny noticed them - and then her leg. "Shucks, Granny, it ain't that bad.. ow.."  She winced, then raised her gaze to her elder. "Well, maybe it is kinda bad, but Shai 'ere  patched me up fer' the most part. Ah just gotta' stay off it."

She grinned. "Ah hope ya' made 'nuff fer everpony.  Shai, Rainbow, and Scootaloo are all comin' fer dinner. Maybe one or two more, who knows~" Then she hobbled up to the porch, and on inside, dropping onto a chair heavily, and putting her hoof up.

Shai giggles as AJ and Granny Smith go through their interaction, looking around carefully before finding a hat rack and gently levitating Rarity's loaner hat onto one of the empty spokes.  She helps Applejack make it to the chair and takes a quick look at the hoof once it is no longer being walked on before nodding, glad to see it is holding up.  Turning to Granny, she says with a pleasant smile, "This afternoon was most eventful.  Miss Rainbow Dash held a contest, and Miss Applejack won the grand prize, but split her hoof in the process due to an unfortunate step.  Miss Rainbow Dash will be along later to present the prize to Miss Applejack."

Glad that she's figured out how to be suitably ambiguous so as to let AJ and Dash (and possibly Applebloom, as young fillies are amazing at spreading news at the most spectacular times, for good or ill) fill in the details, but also answer Granny's question, she sits down and adds, "Miss Rainbow Dash and little Applebloom are following a Miss Greenwood to find little Scootaloo.  I saw Miss Greenwood with her earlier today in the town square, and they should all be back soon."

"Tarnation... I was expectin' Miss Shai Ni t'come along for dinner with Big Macintosh, but not that many more.  Where is that boy anyway?" Granny left the kitchen to dote on her grandchild a bit, scrutinizing the damage to her hoof as she slumped down into a seat.  "Used magic t'heal it up, huh?  Well... thank y'kindly for watchin' after Applejack, Miss Shai Ni.  Goodness knows she won't ask for help for anythin'."

The elder mare left the two girls to their own devices as she hobbled her way back to the kitchen.  She was still well within earshot if they chose to continue to speak with her, but most of her attention was on getting more food prepared.  There wasn't enough time to double up on the stew, so she'd just have to make due with some quick fritters and extra salad.

She... she what? Shai Ni thinks as she listens to Granny Smith talk, but I had no intentions of joining them for dinner tonight!  I thought we were going to have the 'date' later, and until I was swept up into the contest, I was quite certain I would be having fried rice and some soup tonight.  She gives the elder Apple a nod of acknowledgement in response to the thanks, but otherwise remains silent until Granny leaves the immediate room and she is left alone with Applejack.  Turning to face the blonde farmpony, she asks, "... Grandmother expected me to come to dinner tonight?  I... I did not know at all."

The farm pony snickered a little, covering her lips with her hoof as Shai tried to process what Granny had said. "Granny can smell dinner guests from a mile away." She smirked a bit, and gave the healer a friendly wink.  "May as well get yerself comfy, an' wait fer' dinner."