//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Coming to terms with reality........ // by Furstreak //------------------------------// The day broke fairly quick for the dark blue stallion as the sun shone brightly through the window of Twilight's study. As the sun began to climb slowly into the morning sky, its warm rays began to slowly creep along the ceiling, down the wall, and almost to the floor of the library before hitting the stallion and causing him to give a slight groan as the rays began to warm him. His eyes flickered open before squinting shut again as he raised a hoof to block out the intruding light. "Ugh... it's morning already?" He yawned out, giving a stretching shudder before hearing a soft groan beside him. He turned quickly, looking down to see Twilight laying quietly on the floor, her chin resting on the book the two had been reading the night before. "Well now, I don't remember falling asleep here." He smiled softly to the snoozing lavender unicorn next to him. He slowly rose to his hooves, looking around for a moment before finding a small quilt and gently placing it onto the slumbering unicorn before turning and heading out of the room. Once he had made it to the front door of the library, he gave a sly smirk as he took a glance back before opening the door and heading out into the morning air. As he began his trot toward Sweet Apple Acres, he couldn't help but feel a pang of worry begin to fill his gut. Something didn't quite feel right to him at that moment. Pushing his worry to the side he continued onward through the morning fog right into his workplace. Once he had arrived however, things didn't seem like they had been in the day prior. *Thunk* *pat pat pat pat pat* "I guess AJ is already hard at it." He spoke softly to himself as he headed toward the sound of hooves hitting a tree, followed by the sound of many apples hitting the ground, or into bushels strewn about below the tree. Once he had made it to the sound, he paused as he saw a pair of large red legs bucking into another tree, followed again by the apples falling from it. "Big Macintosh? I figgered AJ'd be out here already, considering I'm a lil late." The blue unicorn stated with a slight smirk, only for it to drop as he caught a hint of a glare from the red stallion. "Mah sis is in the barn, 'parently she's been up most'o the night fer some odd reason. Said she was gonna come by the library yesterday teh check up onya an see what ya'll found out'bought that dream ya had. She came back purty quick, all inna huff to. Ya'll didn't say nothing teh upset'er now didja?" He stated with a cocked brow, seeing Kami's confused expression. "She came by the library? If she did come by, she didn't come in teh say hi'er nuthin. Ah ended up fallin asleep at Twi's though cause we were reading some spell books'n such. Didn't mean to, but ah guess all that reading kinda put me to sleep." He laughed out nervously seeing Big Macintosh's stern gaze intensify. "Well, ah don't right know what ya'll got planned. But ah don't like ya stringing'long mah sis, keeping her hopes up." He snorted as he turned, facing the unicorn who now wore the expression of slight shock. "Stringing her along? Now what in the world are you talking about?" He snorted slightly, his normal, more relaxed tone turning to a more serious one as his accent completely left his speech. "String her along, ya know, like ya'll er courting, but ya ain't... are ya?" He asked, cocking his head slightly. "No, we aren't. But it seems that she and Twilight are taking this little thing about capturing my interest in them a little far if she is going to get upset without even trying first. It's not like I'm just going to be magically interested in her or any woman that comes along. If she is expecting me to fall head over heels for her right off the bat, then she needs to reconsider her strategies." Kami groaned out, bringing a hoof up to rub the bridge of his nose. "Well, ah don't right know how mah sis plans teh flirt with a stallion. But she has her own way teh pick up their attention. If'n I was you, I'd at least ask her out on a date. It might make her a lil less... cruel to ya in the future." Big Macintosh chuckled seeing the expression of confusion creep across the unicorn's face. "Cruel? So you mean that if I don't give her at least some attention to play with her female ego, then she'll be mean toward me?" Kami asked incredulously. "Well, not really. Ya'll gotta unnerstand that she's a country girl. Born and bred on the farm, doing daily chores and hard physical labor. Being an earth pony without the aid of magic or flight gives us an edge in strength. But it also makes a lot of earth ponies rather stubborn and hard headed, cause they have teh do everthang by hoof an mouth. Seeing as yer a unicorn, and a biggun at that. Ah think AJ thinks ya'll might consider her teh be weak when it comes teh just about anything. Including physical labor, so don't be too surprised if'n she puts ya'll through some hell tehday." The red stallion chuckled seeing Kami cock a brow. "I think I am going to dread today." Kami sighed loudly causing Big Macintosh to laugh. "Welp, no time like the present. Ya'll kin find mah sis in the barn. Ah bet she's taking a nap in the hayloft. Don't startle her none, wake'er up all gentle like. Or ya might just get bucked upside the head." Mac laughed out even louder as he heard a loud and very annoyed groan escape the unicorn as he turned, heading toward the barn. As Kami made his way up to the barn, he slowly pulled the doors open causing them to creak out loudly. Cringing at the noise, he pulled them open quicker hoping to avoid any louder noise, but only succeeded with causing the creak to gain in pitch. "AJ? You in here?" He called out softly only to get no reply. As he trotted quietly into the barn, he could feel a cold chill run up his spine as he looked around. Gazing around through what little light was being let through the hay lofts window, as well as the open door, he could still see quite a bit of the barn's interior. Various farm equipment adorned the walls along with a couple of small wagons and a couple of troughs in the back. The stallion paused in his steps as a loud snore ripped through the barn. His ears automatically swiveling to the source of the sound within the loft above him. Looking up to the loft he saw the end of AJ's tail hanging over the edge of the ladder's top rung. He sighed loudly, slumping down as he headed to the base of the ladder, staring up to the top. "Wonderful, now how in the hell am I supposed to use these," He groaned as he sat onto his haunches, staring toward his hooves, "to get up there without falling to my death?" Kami glared at the ladder for a moment before he began to fumble with his hooves, trying to place them in the correct position on the ladder. Another minute had passed before he was slowly climbing from one rung to the next. "This isn't so bad, just as long as the ladder doesn't move, I'll be fine." He gave a nervous smile as he was already half way up. "Finally!" He let out a satisfied, yet nervous breath, as he hit the top of the ladder, startling Applejack awake. However, there was one slight problem. AJ's tail was at the perfect angle for Kami to get an eye full of... something he would soon regret. AJ spun her head around just as Kami was staring wide-eyed at the sight before him. He then looked up to see the shocked expression plastered across Applejack's face, of course, until it turn to blind rage. "WHY YOU DIRTY LITTLE...!" Is all that Kami heard before receiving the business end on two well placed hooves directly in the face. "AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaahhhhhhhh~" Kami trailed off as he flew backwards, his eyes tightly shut and expecting the impact of the barn floor within only a second of being bucked in the face, but it never came. "Oh... my.. Celestia..." Applejack managed to squeak out as she stared over the edge of the hay loft at the sight before her. There, floating about eight feet from the barn floor, was Kami in a magical blue aura, curled up in a ball. He stayed in that position for a few moments until he noticed the severe lack of the ground on his backside. Then, realizing he was using his magic, lost control of it and fell the rest of the way to the ground, hitting it with a solid thud. "Ooooooowwwwwwww!" Kami cried out as he stamped his rear hooves into the dirt while holding his face with the others. Applejack quickly made her way down the ladder to in front of the fallen stallion, giving him a questioning glare as she came to a stop. "Ah hope ya'll got ya a good eye full, cause that's the only one yer ever gonna get when ahm done with ya." She growled out. Kami rolled over still holding his face with both forehooves as he mumbled out from behind them. "Damn it AJ! That hurt like a mother! Did you really have to break my nose! GOD! I swear I didn't mean to look. NNNNGGGGHHHH! You were passed out and yer brother sent me to wake you up! How was I supposed to know that was yer tail and not your mane?!" He groaned out as he finally rolled onto his belly, gently kicking his back legs up and down as he attempted to nurse his now swelling face. "Oh don't be such a baby, there ain't no way ah done broke yer nose." She sighed out as she sat down at the unicorn's side gently pulling his hooves from his face, only to see blood pouring from his nose and a gash under his right eye. "Ooooooo, sorry bout that." She hissed upon seeing his wounds, only to hear him whine as he covered himself again. "Don't ya'll know any healing spells? Considering ya spent the evening with Twi and all, ah figgered ya mighta read some o'them spell books." "Wait..." Kami paused as he pulled his hooves from his face, staring up at the orange earth pony at his side. "Your brother mention that you came by the library the other night to see if I had found out anything about my dreams. But you never showed, and then you just so happened to come back home in a huff. Apparently pissed off about something." Kami's eyes went wide as what he had just said, clicked. "YOU SPIED ON US!" He shouted out, pointing an accusing hoof at the farmer. AJ taking a quick step back from the volume of the shout. "W-what ya'll talking bout, spying?" She asked as her face scrunched up slightly. "Ah didn't spy on nopony!" She squeaked out as her face continued scrunching, her eyes darting around to see if anypony was watching her. Kami noticed her peculiar body language and gave a slight smirk as he wiped away some more blood from his nose. "AJ, is Applejack your real name?" He asked right out of the blue only to make her glare at him before answering. "You know that's mah real name ya idgit! What kinda question is that?!" She snapped. "Did you spy on me and Twilight yesterday at any given time while I was there with her?" He asked again only to see her scrunch her face up again before answering. "NO!" "HA! LIAR!" He shouted, pointing a hoof at her and causing her to gasp. "Why were you spying on us AJ?! Is it because of what I said before? About wanting a family? Are you really wanting to be in a relationship with me that bad but can't say it?!" He snapped back, seeing her wither backwards in what seemed like fear. "I... I..." She trailed off looking toward the ground as she began to shake slightly, speaking softly as she continued. "I'm... sorry... I didn't mean teh get upset... I didn't mean teh hurt ya a few minutes ago... Ahm just... sorry... fer everything..." She took in a shuddering breath as she raised her vision to meet his, tears evident in her eyes as they threatened to breach the rim. "Ah didn't want teh make ya mad... It's just... ah ain't getting any younger... and ah want a family... and ah good stallion teh call my own... and no pony else's." She sighed softly lowering her head again, staring silently at the floor. "Ah just wanted teh have a chance with ya... but mah hot head got the better of meh. Ahm sorry... Please don't hate meh." She sputtered as the tears finally broke free and began to fall to the floor below. It didn't last long though as she was quickly brought into a hug by the stallion. He gave a slightly annoyed sigh right into her ear before speaking. "AJ, even though you spied on me, lied to me, and probably broke my nose. I can't honestly say that I'm that angry with you. You had your reasons, of course, but you need to know something." He smiled softly through his blood covered face. "You are my friend, and friends forgive one another if they do foolish things sometimes. So don't think that something like this is going to deter your chances by that much from before." He chuckled slightly seeing her give one in return. "Well... ahm a might happy teh hear that." She smiled softly to him but cringed slightly seeing a lump of clotting blood fall from his nose and onto the hay covered floor below. "But let's worry bout that inna bit aight? We need teh get that nose fixed up, ugh... and the eye. Good lord colt, ya'll cain't even take a hit from a mare, can ya?" She sighed rolling her eyes as she led the way from the barn and into the morning sunlight. "I survived a fifteen foot fall and a buck across the face from you, didn't I?' He chuckled out. "Maybe, but don't ya'll be going round an telling ponies ya hear? Ah don't wanna be asked why ah bucked ya that hard." She groaned. "And why is that? I take it not many ponies have seen that shade of orange before." He snickered but stopped as he noticed the death glare he was getting from Applejack. "Sorry... sorry... My lips are sealed." He laughed out nervously as the farmer turned back toward the farm house. Kami slowly following her inside.