Chapter 4 - Some Introductions - Redone
Sunbeam looked up at the signpost and smiled, Ponyville was only a mile away now.
Looking further up at the clear sky, the smile turned to a scowl. It was a bright, hot, sunny day… and she was hating every minute of it. Always one to prefer the winter, she had never been particularly fond of hot, sunny days.
Sitting down by the road, she took off her saddlebags, relishing the feeling of fresh air on her back.
Looking around, Sunbeam could see cultivated fields stretching out to the horizon on all sides. The road itself was lined by wooden fencing on both sides, with golden wheat fields growing on one side and fields lying fallow on the other. The grass in the fallow field next to her was growing unevenly, and the solitary tree which stood in the field was the only one she could see for miles around. In the distance, what looked like apple orchards covered several hills.
She bent down and took a bite of some grass that was growing by the side of the road. When her food supplies ran out a few days ago, she'd started eating what raw foods she could find. She smiled at the thought of all the bits she was carrying, but having nowhere to spend them.
‘I am going to buy myself the biggest, buck-off, pizza I can find when I get there. With lots of cold beer. Humm, what restaurants do they have here again?’
She opened a saddle bag and floated out the pamphlet on Ponyville. It was a couple of years out of date, and stained green now, but, she’d reasoned it should still be mostly accurate. The pamphlet seemed to struggle to say much about the place, which was a good sign as far as she was concerned. It meant that Ponyville was the nice, dull place she was looking for. The extremely low crime rate was a bonus. Not because she was worried about crime, but it meant that, hopefully, any guard presence would be minimal. While not technically wanted here, avoiding guard ponies’ attention was strictly a matter of habit for her. She had also noted there was some brief mention of the Everfree forest being ‘a wild and untamed place’. This seemed to be the most exciting thing the pamphlet had to say about Ponyville.
She looked down the list of restaurants. ‘One of them should do pizzas.’ She tapped her chin in thought, then shook her head. ‘No, I’m not buying a place next to a pizza shop! That would be bad. Mind you, I should be able to buy most places outright with my bounty now.’ The thought of that made her smile. ‘No need to rent, but I’ll still need to get a job though. Blending in being the main objective here.’
She took a sip of water from a canteen.
‘And I’ve just the job in mind.’ She looked round at her new cutie marks. ‘You match up with what I’ve got planned so well.’
She looked up at her white back and sighed. ‘But I do wish I had been able to disguise -that- before I got to Ponyville though.’
She looked up into the sky. 'I look forward to seeing how this all falls apart.’ Sunbeam winced. ‘Positive! Be positive you stupid mare! Okay... I’m positive that this is going to all fall apart and...'
She noticed a rainbow trail in the sky, fast approaching her. Focusing on it, she watched the rainbow trail veer off over the fallow fields and commenced to do some tight twists and turns in midair.
She stuck her tongue out at it. 'Huh. A pegasus showing off, how unprecedented.'
As she watched her opinion softened, the pegasus had skill. Most of the pegasi she knew would have ended up nose-first into the ground by now if they had tried half of those moves.
'Okay, I admit it, I’m quite impressed. Oh, a nosedive... they're leaving it a little late to...’
The rainbow trail turned ninety degrees at less than a meter above the ground… and promptly blasted through a hedgerow with a spray of debris. Tumbling, the pegasus fought to regain control.
“Oops-a-daisy! Well, looks like she’s starting to regain control, they’ve just got to miss the...”
The pegasus managed to hit the only thing in the air for miles around… The tree in the middle of the field next to Sunbeam. Upon impact, birds flew out of it in all directions as branches and leaves rained down from the tree.
Sunbeam shook her head. 'I suppose I should go check if he or she is okay. Mind you, rescue missions aren’t the best way to keep a low profile though.' Levitating her bags onto her back, she pulled a face at the damp feeling she got putting them back on.
As Sunbeam approached the tree she could hear the pegasus cursing. Trees, branches, and hedgerows in particular, seemed to be the target of the curses.
‘An impressive range of curses there. Think I’ve heard only a couple repeated more than once.’
She got to the tree and jumped up so that her front legs were resting on the trunk. The tree had quite dense foliage, but she could see patches of cyan fur showing through the branches.
“Are you ok?” Sunbeam called up.
The cursing stopped. “Oh, did you see that?” Came from somewhere in the tree.
“Not only saw but could hear you from halfway across the field. You could give drill sergeants pointers in cursing. You can colour me duly impressed.”
There was a moment of silence, before a faint “Ponyfeathers” from above. “Heh, well I've kinda got myself tangled up in the branches here, so if you could, you know, erm, help... that would be awesome.”
Sunbeam smiled, it sounded like pride had taken the brunt of the damage.
Her eyes glowed as she looked up, trying to locate the pegasus by her aura.
“Argh!” Sunbeam threw a hoof over her eyes. ‘Wow! She's got a lot of power there. Like looking into the bucking sun. A pegasus shouldn't have that much... In fact, no pony should have...’ She shook her head. ‘I’m just tired and over-sensitive at the minute. Yeah, that's it. I have been on the go for days now. Get a grip!'
She shook her head again and toned down her sensitivity to a minimum. Looking up again, she could see the pegasus clearly now. A golden pony silhouette shone through the branches and leaves, which in turn appeared as dull, brown-orange, outlines. Without leaves distracting her, she could clearly see the branch the pegasus was caught up on.
“Hang onto something, I’m about to break the branch that’s in the way.”
Her horn glowing, she forced the branch in question to bend until she heard the loud snap. For a second nothing happened, then, with a small scream, the pegasus fell from the tree.
Sunbeam danced to one side to avoid being hit as the pegasus fell to the ground and bounced.
With a shake of her head, Sunbeam walked over to her. “You okay?”
The cyan pegasus, sprawled out on the ground, looked blearily up at her then shook her head. “I'm a pegasus, not a squirrel. I fly, I don't do climbing.”
Sunbeam tried to see if there were any wounds on her as the pegasus slowly stood up and shook her head again.
Placing her legs wide, the pegasus shook herself vigorously, causing Sunbeam to raise a hoof to cover her eyes as the debris was thrown off.
“Thanks for sharing that.”
The pegasus looked sheepishly at her. “Oops, my bad. Heh, just as well you were out here. They...discourage, me from doing practice over Ponyville itself these days. So I practice over open fields.”
Sunbeam looked at the hole in the hedge and nodded in understanding at their reasoning.
The pegasus looked over herself, taking note of any nicks and bruises due to the accident. She looked at her wings and sighed.
“Think I've sprained my left wing, a bit, nothing that'll hold me down though. My feathers are all over the place, though, I'll need to preen them properly before getting airborne again.” She seemed lost in thought for a bit.
“Of course, a Wonderbolt would know when to rest her wings and heal.” She recited, seemingly from a mental script.
Sunbeam kept a carefully neutral tone. “So, that’s what they would do eh?”
The pegasus glared at her. “Oh yes, the Wonderbolt medical officer is a tyrant. I swear he's got it in for me.”
Sunbeam blinked. “W-wait, you’re are a Wonderbolt? As in the elite guard unit?”
The Pegasus puffed her chest out. “Oh yes! Well kinda. Part time at the minute, in training to be a full one. Got the uniform and everything. Heh, bet you didn't expect to meet a Wonderbolt today. Cadet Wonderbolt.”
Sunbeam stared at her, her voice coming out as a dull monotone. “No, I can honestly say I did not expect to meet a member of an elite guard unit today. Even a cadet, while going into Ponyville.”
The pegasus scratched the back of her head. “Should be a full Wonderbolt soon, in fact, most ponies say that I should have been one already, it’s just they got no idea what to do with me. Hah, can you believe that? I bet they’re just working out how best to use my skills, after all, I am Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in Equestria.” She said tapping a hoof on her chest.
'Modest much... Oh great, just bucking great. The first pony I meet and she's a guard… an elite guard. Way to stay low Icef... Sunbeam, it's Sunbeam!' She stomped a hoof and then slumped. 'No good deed goes unpunished I suppose.'
Sunbeam pulled herself together. 'Come on, you didn't expect there to be -no- guards here, you can work this. You're just a little surprised. Okay... a lot surprised.’ She took a calming breath. ‘Lets just hope that there are no more big surprises in store.'
Looking up she extended a hoof and tried to smile. “Let me introduce myself, I'm Sunbeam and I'm looking to take up residence in Ponyville.”
Rainbow had been giving her a quizzical look at her cycle of emotions before noticing the outstretched hoof. “Hiya Sunbeam, it's nice to meet you.”
“Sorry if I’m a little distracted. It’s been a very long, very tiring, not to mention trying, trip.”
Rainbow looked towards Ponyville, then off down the track Sunbeam had come on. “Hang on, if you’re going to Ponyville, the road you’re on only leads back to the Tall Mountain Pass... You came over the mountains?”
‘Well that didn’t take long, hello ‘it’s all falling apart’.’
Sunbeam plastered on an imitation smile and said nothing.
Rainbow felt proud of herself for spotting that Sunbeam didn't want to talk about it. “Anyhoo, look, about the tree...”
Sunbeam's smile looked more genuine now. “Don't worry, I won't say anything about you crashing into it.”
Rainbow smiled faintly and rubbed the mane behind her head. “Actually, it's not about that, it's about the cursing. A Wonderbolt shouldn't curse like that ... in public.” To Sunbeam, it sounded like she'd had that point driven into her.
Sunbeam raised her eyebrows and tried to look innocent. “What cursing?”
Rainbow seemed to relax a bit. “Thanks.” She then looked at her wings. “Well, I need to rest these. Guess I'm walking back into town with you, if you don’t mind?” She pulled a face. ”Otherwise I could be grounded by the medical officer, again.” She shuddered at the memory.
“Sure, maybe you could point a few things out on the way in?”
Rainbow looked up at Sunbeam. “I can do better, I can show you around town, point out all the places of interest... and the mayor's office. If you're planning on staying, you'll need to register there.”
An idea seemed to strike her. Rainbow smiled in a way what Sunbeam could only describe as 'unsettling'.
Rainbow wrapped a foreleg over Sunbeam's neck. “Say, if you're new here, you haven't met Pinkie Pie yet... have you?”
* * *
Sunbeam stood there, all four legs spread wide, head held level with her body and her jaw in danger of becoming dislocated. She stared at the back of 'The Pink One' who was bouncing off down the street.
Apparently, she had a ‘welcome to Ponyville’ party to attend. Strangely, her survival instincts were kicking in, saying it would be best to go.
Managing to close her mouth she slowly turned her head towards Rainbow Dash. Who was rolling on her back, holding her sides and laughing fit to burst.
“Oh stop, my sides, my sides hurt…”
Giving up on the pegasus, Sunbeam looked back down the street to where 'The Pink One' had gone.
Oh yes, most of her old teachers would not approve of... 'Pinkie' wasn't it? Dull and stern the lot of them. A smile started to form as a thought took hold. Something about all her old, stodgy, and more importantly, weak hearted teachers... as she threw an unexploded 'Pinkie' into the same room as them and locked the door.
“You'll okay their sugar?” Asked an orange pony wearing a stetson. She was looking at Sunbeam with mild concern.
Sunbeam gave a slow nod, as the smile grew bigger at the thought of their hooves, failing madly against the locked door as Pinkie went to work.
The orange pony continued. “Saw Pinkie with somepony new and thought I'd check up to make sure y'all okay. Don't worry too much, she has that effect on most ponies. Though y'all seem to be takin' it a little worse than most, judging from the smile.” She tilted her head. “Best not to think about it is the best advice I can give.”
Sunbeam tried to stop thinking 'happy, happy thoughts' about her old teachers and tried to regain control of her facial muscles. The smile didn’t seem to want to leave though.
The orange pony gave a glare to Rainbow, who was calming down by now. Unfortunately, upon seeing the glare it set her off giggling again. The orange pony gave a huff and turned to Sunbeam and held out a hoof.
“Hi, I'm Applejack, m'ah friends call me AJ.”
Sunbeam reached out her hoof. “Hi, I'm Sunbeam.”
Applejack took Sunbeam’s hoof...
When Sunbeam got her hoove back, she shifted all her weight onto the other foreleg and let the abused leg drop and hang limply, not quite letting it touch the ground. An expression of polite interest in what Applejack was saying was the only thing on her face.
“So you're saying that all the apple trees I saw on the way in are yours?”
“Yep siree and more, Sweet Apple Acres, home of the finest apples in Equestria.”
'Ah, another modest person. Must be something to do with all the fresh air.'
“Well, I guess I'd better get back to m'ah stand, Big Mac will be wondering where I’ve gone. Come on over, I’ll treat you to a free sample.” She said the last bit in a hushed tone, seemingly hinting at conspiracy at making the offer. “It seems that RD has recovered now.” She noted.
“You two know each other?” Sunbeam inquired.
Rainbow, who by now had got up and was walking over to them, still sporting a wide grin, answered before Applejack . “Oh yeah, we do. Oh your face Sunbeam, wish I'd had a camera.”
Sunbeam shook her head before looking up at a clock face on a nearby shop. It was mid-afternoon.
“I think I'll deal with getting a house tomorrow. Bank first, then sort out a place to crash for the night and then, most importantly…” She turned to look at them. “Can you recommend a place to get something to eat? Pizza in preference.”
“Banks behind you on the left.” Rainbow pointed. “The Daisy Cafe serves a mean daffodil sandwich, not too sure about pizzas though. That's on the other side of the market place. 'The Pony's Leg' is a decent enough place to stay. Not the best but a good place for the price. That's a little way into town. I can show you later... Oh ponyfeathers.” She said looking at the clock on the shop front.
Applejack coughed pointedly, Rainbow's head slumped down.
“I know, I know, thanks for reminding me, no swearing in public. Look sorry Sunbeam, can't stay, remembered I got a weather team meeting to attend in about five minutes.”
Spreading her wings, grimacing slightly, she took off. Hovering for a second, she flew back down to Sunbeam.
“Erm, been meaning to ask.”
Sunbeam looked over her shoulder at her white back
“Foalhood ... incident.” She said with a carefully neutral tone.
Rainbow nodded and flew up again yelling down. “Laters AJ, nice meeting you Sunbeam.” As she gained altitude, she winced. “Ouch! I hope the M.O. doesn't find out about me damaging my wing again.”
Sunbeam watched her go and turned to Applejack.
Applejack looked a little awkward. “Would love to offer y'all a place to stay and some real home cookin', but we’ve got most of the clan stayin' over. Place is fit to burst.”
“No worries AJ, it'll give me time to wander around Ponyville and get to know the place.”
Applejack looked around, “Is it right about ya'll wanting a house in Ponyville.”
Sunbeam nodded.
“Don't take the old Stockyard place, they've been trying to offload it for ages. It's next to 'Vinyl's Place', a big music club. House is fine, provided y'all don’t like sleeping at nights.”
Sunbeam smiled, “Thank you kindly.”