Cider Season

Onyx was slowly getting ready for bed before Pinkie grabbed him and spun him around. "Onyx! We should camp out for the Cider."

Onyx blinked slowly, totally exhausted. His magic was constantly flaring up, and he looked at Pinkie, trying to make sense of her words. "You want to sleep in a tent for Cider? Why on earth would we do that?"

Pinkie nodded her head before looking at Onyx. "Right, you have never tried Apple family Cider… While you pack the tents and stuff, I am going to tell some people."

Onyx watched her run off before sighing and packing a change of clothes and his tent before looking around when he felt his magic flare double in pain. "So, you are on the last volume as well."

Onyx picked up the bags and slowly walked outside of his house and was surprised when Pinkie was running back already. "I told a couple of people Onyx, but if we want to get there first, we need to speed up. Which tent did you pack, by the way?"

"Mine because I got myself a family tent." Onyx replied while Pinkie smiled at Onyx and pulled him along. "Pinkie, we are probably going to be first to get there."

Pinkie smirked at Onyx. "We have to get there first, Onyx, and then tomorrow, you will see what all the fuss is."

Onyx nodded and was pulled by Pinkie straight to the front of Apple Acres Orchard and saw that no one was there yet. Onyx quickly used what magic he could and set up the tent before climbing inside to sleep. He was not surprised that Pinkie cuddle with him. "Thanks for coming out here with me, Onyx."

"Anything for you, Pinkie." Onyx mumbled before falling asleep.

Pinkie smiled at Onyx in sadness that he was finally resting and looked at him worried because he has not said anything about why he was feeling pain. "You promised that there would be no lies, and so I am trusting you that you will be just fine Onyx."

---Time Skip next morning---

Pinkie slowly walked out of the tent and was surprised to see Fluttershy and Rainbow flying towards the line. She quickly waved them over with Fluttershy speaking up. "Oh wow, Pinkie, I love your new look."

Pinkie was confused before bringing out her compact and smirking at her crazy hair. "Oh yeah, it looks awesome."

Rainbow spoke up, shocked. "How are so many people already here."

Pinkie was confused before looking at the massive line in shock. "I told a few people that I was going to camp out earlier, but I guess they told a few people as well."

Rainbow looked at Pinkie, highly annoyed, and spoke. "Great, thanks for that, Pinkie, and what are you doing camping out here for Cider anyways."

Pinkie sighed while looking at the massive line and nodded her head. "Sorry, Rainbow and I could not sleep, so Onyx and I are out here camping for Cider."

Fluttershy looked at the tent in surprise. "Onyx is here as well, is he doing ok?"

Pinkie nodded her head while smiling at Fluttershy. "He slept just fine, and it looks like the headaches are subsiding, and it looks like he is getting better."

Fluttershy nods happy while Rainbow was focused on the line before sighing and started flying to the end with Fluttershy. "Come on, Fluttershy, let us get in line."

Fluttershy smiled before waving goodbye and flying after Rainbow. "Later, Pinkie."

Onyx slowly walked out of the tent, looking around highly confused. "I thought I heard Fluttershy and Rainbow."

Pinkie nodded before pointing at them going to the end of the line. "I thought about offering them a place, but that would not be fair to everyone else."

"I am just surprised that no one camped out before for Cider season since it seems to be a huge deal to the Ponies of Ponyville." Onyx replied and sipped at a premade thermostat of Coffee, Pinkie snatched the coffee and took a big drink before looking at Onyx. "That was slightly rude, Pinkie."

Pinkie snickered at Onyx and kissed him on the cheek. "I wonder if Rarity and Twilight got in line and camped."

Onyx looked at the line and noticed Rarity and Twilight with Spike. "They are about 15 ponies back from the front."

Pinkie looked and waved at her friends. "Oh, I am so glad they got here in time."

Onyx nodded while watching Big Mac slowly bring the barrels out while he slowly packed up his tent. "Looks like they have 3 more barrels compared to last year from what you had told me."

Pinkie looked at the barrels and smiled because that means they might get the Rainbow and the rest. "That is looking really impressive, Onyx, and that means you Rainbow might get some this year."

Onyx nodded his head and sat down after packing up and picking up a small book. "I hope the Cider is as good as you say it is, Pinkie."

Pinkie nodded before plopping herself in Onyx's lap and smirked at him. "At the end of the day, Onyx, I am happy to have met you."

Onyx was confused because it sounded like she thought he was dying. "I am not going anywhere, Pinkie. Stop with that kind of talk; I am just fine."

Pinkie looked at Onyx, worried. "I know you are fine, but you also will not let your brother check out your health. You will not tell me what is wrong with you."

Onyx sighed because the Princess had informed him that he could not talk about it. "I am sorry for worrying you, Pinkie."

Pinkie sighed at Onyx's answer because it looks like she can not guilt it out of him any time soon. "I love you, Onyx."

Onyx nodded and watched the various ponies begin packing their tents up.

---Time skip---

Applejack called out to the ponies in line with a megaphone. "Attention, Everyone. Apple Cider season is officially open."

Onyx watched Pinkie get the first amounts of Cider with a large quantity before watching her walk off. Granny Smith smiled up at Onyx. "How many Onyx?"

Onyx smiled and pulled out some bits. "One for here and one to go, please."

Granny smith smiled while she nodded at him before taking the bits and counting them out and handing them to Applebloom. Who quickly filled up a cup for Onyx. Onyx watched while his eyes felt extremely heavy and sipped at the Cider he had been handed and was surprised when he felt his body warm-up and gain energy. "This is good."

Onyx took his two mugs and went looking for Pinkie. As he drank his Cider, he noticed that it felt like his magic was calming down and loosening up for some reason. 'What in Equestria, why on earth is my magic loosening up?'

He checked his memories and knew he had not completed his language, and there is no way his other half had completed his language that fast because it was only a single night, it takes way longer than that to write out a Runic Volume. He watched Pinkie down cup after cup of Cider and sat down across from her and sipped at his. Pinkie mumbles something at Onyx; he listened to her mumble before admitting. "I can not understand a single word you are saying, Pinkie."

Pinkie blushed before looking at Onyx. "How does it taste, Onyx?"

Onyx slowly sipped, hearing someone walk towards him from the back, most likely Rarity, Twilight, and Spike, because he listened to two hooves and Spikes pads on the gravel. "It is excellent, Pinkie."

Rarity smiled while walking up and sitting next to Onyx with her own two mugs and watched as Twilight and Spike had sat down with the same amount. "Good morning Onyx my dear, and same to you, Pinkie."

Twilight was looking a little out of it while she sipped her Cider to wake her up. "Why did they have to start so early in the morning?"

Rarity smiled and looked at the sky in thought and watched as they gave out Cider. "Because it takes them a full day just to go through the barrels, they have, but they most likely are going to run out just short compared to where they need to be."

Pinkie nodded her head. "It looks like they might run out about 3 p.m."

Onyx watched his friend interact for the first time in a few weeks, completely aware and with near to no pain from his magic for some reason. "So, Rainbow was not able to get any Cider last year at all?"

Rarity nodded her head because that was a complete truth. "I do not know why but she keeps failing about getting any Cider at all."

Twilight Smiled at Onyx because he was looking healthier for some reason. "Are you feeling Better, Onyx?"

Onyx nodded his head. "I am feeling really good right now, and I probably already on the up and up."

Pinkie watched Onyx closely, looking for any lies in his body language because she really does not trust him right now, but it seems like he is telling the truth. "I am glad you are feeling better, Onyx."

Onyx nodded his head and felt a slight pang compared to what he had been feeling, almost as if it was a dull ache compared to before. 'Why did the pings go way down? If anything, they should have gotten way worse.'

---Ethereal Realm---

Harmony was throwing magical attacks at Discord. 'Curses Discord. Did you really think I would not notice the pain amplification?'

Discord danced the way out of her blast in amusement because this was something he was planning for on his own.

---Time Skip Apple Acres---

Onyx watched Rainbow get to the front finally and watched her pay before noticing something Fluttershy's mug was not as filled as others were. "They are completely out of Cider, She really is cursed."

Twilight and the rest were confused about how he had noticed when no Cider came out of the barrel for Rainbow. "How did you know Onyx?"

"Fluttershy's mug was not filled as much as anyone else's, and Applebloom held it down as long as everyone else's." Onyx explains while watching Rainbow explode at Applejack and the Apple's in general because this was annoying. "Rainbow is going to feel really sad later, but right now, she just really wants a good Cider."

The girls watched the way Rainbow riled up the crowd. Pinkie could not help but sigh because this might have been her fault because she asked for a lot of Cider compared to everyone else. Before they could get up to stop Rainbow from blowing up, they heard a honk from a machine. When Onyx saw the machine, he could tell that it was run by Runes, but neither of these two-knucklehead had Runic Cutie Marks. "How the hell did they get something like that?"

Twilight, who heard Onyx, was slightly confused as she watched their introduction. "Why on earth is that what you are worried about, Onyx?"

"Twilight, there are only three licensed Rune Engines in Equestria, and none of them were made to run a machine like that mine for tractors. The other two are for war machines and that thing." Onyx saw with a sneer in his tone of voice while looking at the machine. "Is no war machine, so that means that is my Engine, and they stole it from a tractor, and I have no clue if that is going to explode or not."

Twilight was surprised when she heard Onyx's words. "You can tell what kind of engine that thing is using?"

Onyx nodded and tapped his nose before replying. "I can smell the Runes on it, and the only reason I call smell it is because the Runes are overheating and burning the metal they were made with."

Twilight and the girls listing looked at the machine before noticing Onyx sit down. "Not worried about the competition Onyx."

"The runes are way too overtaxed by the machine. No way they could outdo the Apples at their game, not with how the machine works." Onyx snorted at the bet they had made. "The only way they can win this is if they turn off the Flitter they had set up, and when that happens, they will be run out of town by angry ponies."

The girls snickered because it looked like Onyx guess was going to be correct, they watched the sorting process and watched it take way too long. Onyx nodded his head when he saw how long it took the machine to call something good or bad. "They could have made it way better, but they need a better engine and away better programmer but considering they are probably rank amateur, they did quite well for themselves."

The girls snorted when Mayor Mare made this a real competition.

---Time Skip End of the Competition---

Onyx watched the first drink get taken and watched the Ponies spit it out in disgust. "About what I expected to happen."

The girls giggled at Onyx's words because it was truly disgusting and looked at the drink in Onyxs hand. "Why do you not try it, Onyx?"

Onyx looked at them with a raised Eyebrow. "I am not that dumb."

Onyx tilted the drink over and watched a rock fall out to the ground. "They turned off the Filter."

The girls nodded in amusement at the rock on the ground before Onyx kicked it off to the side. "Well, I can say this, they were doing quite well before they turned off the filter."

The girls burst into massive laughter at Onyx's words.