>”Glad to see you Applejack. Ah have to say I'm surprised you made it. I'd thought the harvest would've left you too busy.”
>”Ah shucks, Goldie. Ah can't well ignore an ol' mare in need of help. Besides, we could always just double down at the farm after this.”
>Which would cut into your free time, no doubt.
>You and the other Crusaders were hoping to go by the lake for some rest and relaxation, but you guess that plan's shot.
>Between schoolwork, crusader business, and the constant help your sister expects around the farm, it's a small wonder you haven't worked yourself to death yet.
>You are Applebloom, not Rockhoof for cryin' out loud!
>It's been two weeks since the three of you could just hang out and relax, you needed a day off.
>You even chipped in extra at the farm to ensure you got that break.
>Now it looks like all your hard work was for naught.
>You'll never see a lazy day again...
>NO! Don't think that way, Applebloom!
>You're going to get that day off even if you have to work all through the night.
“Mrs. Delicious, what do ya want us to work on?”
>Fortunately you had the right team for the job.
>”Ah, I almost forgot about the littlest member of the family and her closest friends.”
>She gestured a hoof to a room to your right.
>”Jest start taking stuff out of the closet and putting it in the wagon outside; It's all junk anyhow.”
>With the mention of the word 'junk', a certain orange pegasus filly's interest was piqued.
>”Hold on! If we see anything cool, can we keep it?”
>”Now hold yer horses Scoots. Yah can't just ask for a mare's stuff like that! Didn' yer momma ever teach you manners?”
>Now it was Sweetie's turn to pique in.
>”But if she was just going to throw it away, then what's the harm in keeping a few things?”
>”Who said anythin' about throwin' it away? Ah jest said it was junk.”
>You were confused, and judging by your friend's faces so too were they.

>You were just about to apologize when you heard the telltale sound of laughter.
>Looking around, you found it to be none other than Goldie Delicious and your own sister.
>Were they playing some kind of prank on you?
>Was that what this was about?
>You're feelings must have been obvious, because the laughter soon died down and Applejack addressed you.
>”Ah shucks, Applebloom. We didn' mean anything by it. Lighten up a little.
>This time you chuckled.
“That's rich comin' from you.”
>Her sheepish look told you exactly how she felt.
>”Heh heh. Yep, guess it is.”
>”So, does that mean we can?”
>”Of course you Youngins, you can have a few things.”
>”Just don' take everything; we're tryin' to clean her house not dirty ours. Understood?”
“Yep!”
>”Yes!”
>”U huh!”
>”Then stop standin' there and get to gettin'!”
>You needed no further motivation.
>Together, the three of you headed over to the closet and opened the door.
>What you saw inside was almost awe inspiring.
>Piles upon piles upon shelves upon piles of stuff!
>So much stuff...
“An' we have ta clean all of it.”
>”Do Ah hear backtalk?”
“No Applejack, just surprised at how much there is.”
>”Heh. Me too, Applebloom. Me too.”
>”So. How are we going to do this?”
“Pretty obvious to me, Scoots. We carry this stuff to the wagon bit by bit. If we see things we like we'll put 'em aside and store them separately.”
>”And then we have to sort them out when we get back. I almost forget why I agreed to this.”
“Because I helped with your science project that one time.”
>At this, Sweetie chirped in.
>”And my sister's surprise party!”
>Yes Sweetie, that too.
>”I said I 'almost' forgot. Even if I did I wouldn't turn down a friend in need of help. Now let's go!”

>And so the three of you began, inspecting each item before putting it aside or in the wagon.
>You've seen clocks, suitcases, old dresses, and even some books!
>On the one hand you felt like Daring Do going through a forbidden tomb.
>On the other hand..
>”Ugh, there's nothing that looks cool!”
>”Do you think that's why Goldie said we could take some things?”
“Ah doubt it, Sweetie. This floor looks like it hasn't seen the light of day in years.”
>Sadly, you had to agree with Scootaloo; nothing really looked interesting enough to claim despite hours of work.
>Ah well, you weren't here for that anyhow.
>Right as you were about to head back to work, Scootaloo says something that really caught your attention.
>”Hey! What's that?”
>You and Sweetie look towards where she was pointing her hoof, and though at first you couldn't see anything...
>Whoah.
“Is that thing made of gold?”
>Sweetie answers.
>”It might be, or it might be something like pyrite.”
>”Py-what?”
>”Pyrite. You know, 'Foal's gold?'”
“Ah thought it was fool's gold.”
>”The terms are used interchangeably, and they both convey ignorance about the true nature of the material.”
>You were about to inquire further, but Scootaloo spoke up before you could.
>”The way I see it, if it isn't gold it still looks awesome. And if it is gold...”
>She didn't speak further on the matter.
>Frankly, she didn't need to.
“Then it's settled. How do we get it down?”
>Sweetie smiled and puffed out her chest with the kind of confidence you'd expect from Rainbow Dash.
>”Do not worry; I can do it!”
>She turned to focus the strange gilded object, and immediately her horn started to glow.
>That didn't worry you.
>Now, her visibly straining to move something so small, that was another story entirely.
“Sweetie? You sure you have it.”

>Her reply was just a bit strained, with her eyes shut tight in concentration.
>”YES. I just...need a bit...more...Celestia's sake! How is it this heavy?!?”
>Maybe it was all the stuff on top of it?
>Stuff that you could see Scootaloo starting to move.
>Stuff that Sweetie couldn't see was being moved.
>Yeah, this could only spell disaster.
“Sweetie, Stop!”
>And she did, but just a little to late.
>For just as you shouted your warning, Scootaloo pushed one of the boxes off of the treasure.
>With Sweetie's magic still pulling it, it launched out of its former resting place.
>Right into Sweetie's foreleg.
>Now, you weren't an expert on injuries, but that wound looked mighty painful.
>”AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
>The screaming probably gave away how much it hurts as well.
>Quick as the wind, you and Scoots rushed over to Sweetie's side to remove the...
>Arrow?
>Why would Goldie have an arrow in her closet?
>Why would she just leave it in her closet exposed like that?
>Why was Scootaloo having trouble pulling it out?
>It looked like it struck, but it didn't seem that deep.
>And why was it heading straight towards you?
>...
>You quickly came to a few realizations.
>Firstly, the arrow flew out when Scoots did manage to pull it out.
>She must have been a bit tired from the work today, since her grip is usually much stronger than this..
>Secondly, the arrow's head was rather detailed.
>You only managed to see it for half a second, but you could tell even that it looked more like an art project than a weapon.
>Were it not for your third and last observation, you would've guessed it was just some kind of decoration.
>Speaking of which, lastly SWEETIE'S INJURY HURT WORSE THAN IT LOOKED!
>LIKE YOUR FORELEG WAS ON FIRE AND BEING EATEN BY A HUNDERED TINY TIMBERWOLVES WITH LEMON JUICE DROOL AND SALT FOR TEETH!
>OW!OW!OW!OW!OW!OW!OW!OW!OW!OW!OW!OW!OW!OW!

>Suddenly, the searing pain disappeared, leaving only a mild stinging.
>Looking down, you see the arrow was removed.
>Good news.
>Looking up, you see the arrow now found a new home in Scootaloo's hoof.
>Right in the frog no less.
>Bad news.
>”Now what in tarnation happened here?”
>Turning around, you see your sister more mad then that time Discord 'helped' out at harvest time
>More bad news.
>Fortunately, the minute she saw the injuries the three of you sustained, worry replaced rage.
>Good news? Maybe?
>She rushed towards your side, just as Sweetie helped pull the arrow out of  Scoot's hoof.
>”Sweet Celestia, Applebloom. What happened?”
“We found somethin' cool lookin'.”
>”An' you wanted to take a closer look?”
>You nodded your head.
>”Consarnit, Applebloom. Ah thought Ah told you to mind yourself around sharp things.”
>”Don't blame her! I was the one who screwed up!” spoke Scootaloo.
>You had to thank her latter; that seemed to have gotten you out of a verbal lashin'..
>Judging by the barely contained fury of your sister, you'll also owe your friend an apology.
>”Now what's goin' on ov'r here?” Said a voice from the doorway.
>You turn to see both Goldie Delicious and Big Mac standing there, both looking concerned.
>There was going to be a long talk, alright.
>And so Scootaloo recounted the events that had transpired, over the past...
>You think it was a minute, but it's hard to believe everything happened in so little time.
>After that Scootaloo apologized for not thinkin' before actin'.
>Sweetie apologized for pulling the arrow out with too much force and not noticing being more vigilant.
>You apologized for not saying something sooner.
>Really the entire situation was a massive case of poor communication on everyone's part.

>When all was said and done, you and your friends all looked towards Applejack expectantly, waiting for her response.
>You in particular were worried she might ground you for a week.
>That was something you just couldn't afford.
>After a few seconds she responded.
>”Well at least you three learned your lessons.”
“So you aren't gonna ground me?”
>”And your not going to tell Rarity or Scootaloo's aunts.
>”Now that wouldn' be right fair. I can't remember the number of times I got injured as a filly. Besides, I'd say the pain is enough punishment.”
>You would be more relieved at that had her expression not morphed to shock the instant she finished talking.
>”Sweet Celestia, I almost forgot! We need to treat those injuries right no...”
>And now she just looks confused.
>You were almost too scared to ask 'what's wrong?'.
>Fortunately, Sweetie posed the question for you.
>”Applejack? Is something wrong? The wounds aren't infected, are they? Rarity would kill me if they were.”
>It took her a moment to respond, and you knew your sister well enough to know that was never a good sign.
>This was the Discord incident all over again, except without all the fancy magics, spider legs, or fruits changing.
>”How did...the arrow...Land's sake's fillies, you're nearly healed.
>Nearly healed? What does she mean?
>You were just pierced two minutes ago
>You look down and see just what exactly she meant.
>Kind of obvious in hindsight, though you still have trouble believing it.
>The spot where you were hit was almost gone, now nothing but a bare patch of reddened flesh and some bloody fur.
>Even then you swore you could see some fur growing on the former wound.
>Looking towards your friends, you can see they're healed too.
>Almost by magic.

>Feeling a bit confused yourself, you grab the arrow in your mouth by the not pointy bit and bring it over to Goldie Delicious.
>Call it intuition, but you had doubts either of your siblings could answer your questions.
>Big Mac looked just as confused as you were, and Applejack was bordering on a Twilight level breakdown.
>Realizing what that implied, you quickened your pace over to Goldie.
“Mrs. Delicious, you know anything about this?”
>”Of course dear, it is mine.”
>Yeah, kind of a dumb question on your part.
>You set it down in front of her, letting her inspect it.
>Didn't take long for that trademark look of recollection to appear.
>”Ah remember this! This 'ere arrow used to be an ol' family heirloom.”
>”Used to be?” Scootaloo inquired.
>”Yes. See, an' this is kind of embarrassin' here, Ah kind of missplaced it and couldn't find it for the longest time.”
>For a moment she looked up at the piles of stuff that still remained, an assortment of trinkets and what-not that were buried for longer than you've been alive.
>”Ah really should've gotten this cleaned sooner.”
>”You think it might be a magic heirloom? Like those noble ponies in Canterlot?” your sister asked.
>It sounded silly to you; you weren't a particularly old family and you didn't have any unicorn blood in you.
>Though given Mrs. Delicious's contemplative face, you're starting to think otherwise.
>”Hmm. Might be. Never really asked that myself. Tell ya what, keep it. It's family property an' your sister here did help find it.”
>”You sure? I don't want too be a...”
>”Hey! Ah said your little sis an' pals can take a couple things.”
>”But...”
>” No buts missy!”
>At this point you choose to interject.
“C'mon sis, please?”
>With pressure from multiple sides, Applejack eventually folds.

>”All right. But we're givin' it to Twi too look at first. If it's magic Ah wanna know what we're lettin' in our house.”
>”Isn't Twilight busy now that she's Princess of Equestria?” Asked Scootaloo.
>It was a good point; you sure forgot about it.
>You just hope Applejack has a good response.
>”Oh. Yeah. Forgot. Well, a princess needs a hobby too! Twi always loved studying magic, so maybe...”
>You're pretty sure even a blind pig could see she has apprehensions.
>You would too in her situation.
>I mean, it seems like just yesterday she was just a normal unicorn helping around Ponyville.
>Now she's ruling all of Equestria back up in Canterlot?
>You think the word is 'Sir-Real'
>”Why can't we just ask her?”asked Sweetie Belle. “Isn't she supposed to be in town to move some things out of her castle.”
>At this, Applejack went stiffer than a frozen patch of land.
>Yeah, you do remember somepony mentioning that, but why would she react in su-
>”Ah Fooey!”
>”Language!”
>”Sorry Ma'am. Ah forgot all about that!”
>Oh dear, she's panicking.
>This really is going to be a Twilight level freakout, isn't it?
>She's even pacing the room, picking up stuff like the arrow and your friends.
>Your friends?
>”Sorry Goldie, but Ah got to head back right now! We'll finish this some other time!”
>”Oh don't you worry about me dear; I'm not going-”
>You didn't catch the rest of that sentence, as Applejack choose that moment to put you on her back.
“Eeek!”
>”Big Mac! We're leavin'! You got everything?”
>”Euyep”
>”Then let's go!”
>And so you were in the wagon and on the trail in record time.
>And judging by how Applejack was edging Big Mac on, you're pretty sure you'll arrive in record time too.

>For now though, time to have a chat with the other Crusaders!
>You turn around, and...
>Oh.
>They're asleep.
>Come to think of it, you're feeling kind of sleepy too.
>You sure hope it wasn't that darn arrow, but that was always a possibility.
>Even as you start to drift off, that possibility still lingered.
>You sure hope it was magic and not a darn virus or something.
>Magic was at least fun, viruses involved a bun...a bunch af....
>Zzzzz...