My alarm blared in my ears, and I quickly shut off my phone.
I’d set it the night before so I’d wake up on time. I didn’t remember that is was loud as a passing fire truck, though. I hoped I hadn’t woken up Lyra or Bon-Bon.
Sunlight poured through the window, creating a small rectangle of light on the wall opposite. It was on time, at least.
Seeing no need to leave a note this time, I headed directly to the farm.
“Hello?” I called out as I entered the gates.
“Huh? Ah, Ian! Over here!” AppleJack peered out through the Barn’s door.
I headed over to see what she was doing. It looked like she was piling barrels up against the wall.
“What’s in those?”
“Cider.” She said, then she… panicked, I think? “Uh, the uh, season’s comin’ up soon, we’re preparing earlier this year.” She explained. “Usually we’d, uh, run out before everypony got some, so this year, we’re getting ready early so they can.”
She stood in the door, grinning nervously.
Or you could just set a limit on how much a pony could buy, I thought.
“Uh-huh…” I said, nodding.
“Now, I need you to get buckin’ the apples from the trees. Don’t worry ‘bout bringin’ the apples here, Big Mac’s job it to haul ‘em over.” AppleJack explained, her normal demeanor returning. “Oh, and if ya’ get hungry, feel free to take an apple or two.”
“Where do I start?”
“Anywhere there’s apples in the trees.”
“Oh. Right.”
I started walking away, before I remembered something. I didn’t know how late I was working. I might be late for or miss my lessons.
“Uh, Applejack?” I started, turning back around to face her. “I thought I might need to tell you, I have lessons in the afternoon, around three…”
“What for?” She asked, poking her head around the door.
“Well, I never learned magic, so Twilight is teaching me. Do you know-”
“Twilight? Course I do. Is that the lessons she was talking about? If ya really do need ‘em, I’m not gonna stop ya.”
Weird how things like that work out.
“Well, that’s… great! Thanks, Applejack.”
“No problem.” She said, then returned to stacking the barrels.
I headed off to start kicking the apples down, which was not very easy. It took a few kicks on most of the trees, and they often missed the buckets. It was slow work, to say the least. I made a small amount of progress, which was better than nothing. I did take AppleJack’s offer and ate a couple, because I hadn’t eaten breakfast, and lunch passed by.
Time passed, and it was nearing three, according to my phone, so I headed back to the barn, and found AppleJack talking with… Twilight?
Huh, I thought. I wonder what Twilight’s doing up here?
“... So that’s why I’m teaching him.” I heard Twilight finish, as I neared the two mares.
“Twilight?” I asked. “Not that I’m unhappy, but why are you here?”
“Oh, Applejack told me yesterday that she hired you. I thought that I could come over to pick you up, so you could get to your lesson on time.” She explained.
“Oh. Cool. But, uh, I think I can find my way from one place to another at this point. It’s not like the buildings move around here.” I joked. “Eh… Right?”
“Now where’d ya get an idea like that?” AppleJack asked me.
“Heh. Just being silly.” I said, then turning to Twilight. “I guess now I have to go for the lesson…?”
“ Yes, is that okay AppleJack?”
“Sure. Oh, an’ before ya’ go, lemme get yer pay. Wait here.” Applejack headed into the Barn house, and returned with some bits to pay me.
“Here ya’ go, twen’y bits.” She said, hoofing me a small brown pouch with the bits inside.
“Thanks AppleJack. I’ll see you tomorrow?” I asked.
“If yer on time ya will.” She replied, then heading back into the barn.
Twilight and I headed back to her library home.
“So, you and AppleJack are friends?” I asked as we walked.
“Yes. We’ve known each other for a long time now.”
Briefly a stupid question passed through my mind, but I dismissed it.
“So, anyone else I should be warned that your friends with?”
“Oh, yes. There’s Rainbow Dash, FlutterShy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and, well, you’ve met Applejack.” Twilight listed.
“Is Pinkie Pie bright pink all over?” I asked. Twilight nodded. “Might’ve seen her around. So they all know each other too?”
“Yes, why?”
“Well, back home, I had these two, really different groups of friends, and neither of them wanted anything to do with the other. It’s weird, like I’m a bridge between… I was.” I corrected. “Was a bridge.”
“Oh. What were your friends like?”
“Very different, it’s like the difference between… uh… well... It’s difficult to explain… One of them was a group I’d hang out with during and after school. The other was the group I’d go out with to have fun. Neither really liked the other, and it was hard to get them together at all. I’d always have to choose between them, which I always hated.” I explained.
“So they couldn’t get along, and you had to pick between them?”
“Yeah. Not the best arrangement, but it worked out.” I replied.
“So… where did that girl fit in?”
I was silent for a moment.
“Oh, hey, we’re here.” I said, as we arrived at the tree. I was glad for such a distraction.
We’d finally arrived at the library. Twilight took off the disperser, set it in an empty alcove between some books, and we got to work. We finished up my learning of levitation magic rather quickly. (I’d finally stopped breaking things when I tried to manipulate them.) Finally she said I was done learning the levitation.
“So what’s next?” I asked.
“Follow me upstairs. I have a surprise.” Twilight said cheerfully, heading upstairs.
Ignoring any stupid thoughts that came to mind when she’d said that, I followed her up the staircase. It was too dark to see. She must’ve covered the windows and turned off the lights.
“I can’t see two feet- uh, hooves- um, steps in front of me…” I muttered, feeling the wall for a light switch.
Not finding one, I magically lit my horn for light, and was scared (And by that I mean surprised) by a group of ponies jumping out at me, shouting “Surprise!” to which I reacted by falling down the stairs backwards.
“Ow- What was that?!” I exclaimed from the bottom as the some of the ponies above descended.
“Are you alright?” Lyra said as she came over to check me. I nodded in reply, rising back to my hooves.
“That was a surprise, for a surprise party. You haven’t had one before?” Twilight asked.
“Can’t say I have. By the way, next time, wait ‘till I move away from the stairs?” I asked in a slightly sarcastic tone. “Why the party?”
A bubblegum colored mare with a mane like a pink cloud hopped up in front of me, and said something so quickly that I couldn’t understand one word of it. I recognized her as the mare who’d gasped at me and fled last I’d seen her.
I blinked once. “What?”
She repeated herself, slower this time. “I said, we wanted to throw you a welcome party so you can meet everypony!”
“A welcoming party…?” I said quietly, slightly taken aback that they’d go to that much trouble over me, who was essentially a stranger. “That’s… That’s really, really-”
“Awesome?” A blue-coated Pegasus with a multicolored-mane finished for me.
I pointed at her and nodded, a grin on my face. “What she said. You guys really didn’t have to, but I’m kinda glad you did!”
“Well, come back upstairs with us. Everyone’s waiting!” Said the pegasus, flying up the stairs.
After about an hour or so, my mind was a puzzle of half-remembered names and faces, along with a burning sensation in my throat from the mishap with the drinks. (Seriously, who in the right mind would serve hot sauce as a beverage? At least there was some apple cider on hoof so I could put out the fire in my mouth.) I’d talked with everypony, introducing myself, telling them I was from some far off place that nobody had heard of. Surprisingly many ponies rolled with it, and those who didn’t pretended they’d heard of it.
I stepped outside for a moment to cool off. That amount of living things, people OR ponies, should not be crammed into such a poorly ventilated area.
I noticed someone else was out here, a pegasus with a dark, red-brown mane and coat the same shade of red as sunset. Her eyes were strange, green irises and purple pupils. She had on a pendant with two crescents, facing opposite directions and connected at the back.
“Uh… Hello?” I said.
She looked up at me, and seemed incredibly surprised. Not ‘surprise party’ surprised, but almost fearfully so.
“I… I…” She stammered.
“I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Ian.” I held out a hoof to shake.
She quickly glanced at the hoof like it was holding a knife, then at her own hoof, which was holding something silver, then turned and bolted away, taking flight after about ten seconds of running.
Was it something I said? I thought, scowling slightly. Is my breath still spicy?
My thoughts were interrupted by Spike, who had a lampshade on his head.
“Hey! Your missing your party!”
“Heh, right. Hey lets go see if AppleJack has any cider left.” I followed him back inside.
(Don’t worry, it was non-Alcoholic.)
I promptly lost the cider chugging contest to the pink mare, who’s name I remembered was Pinkie Pie. Everyone began heading home a couple hours later, Lyra and I being the last, aside from twilight and her friends.
“Thanks again you guys. That was an awesome party.”
“No problem!” said Rainbow Dash. (Her name was so painfully obvious that I face-hoofed for not guessing it earlier.) She gave me a high hoof, which I nearly missed.
“It was a pleasure to meet you dear.” Said Rarity. (Still can’t quite pinpoint what that accent is.)
“Ditto.” I replied.
“I’msohappyyoulikeditIhadnoIdeawhatyou’dwantinaparty!” said Pinkie Pie in that high speed whir of a voice.
“I’m not exactly sure either.” I said, grinning. “Congrats on the cider chugging contest, by the way.”
“It was nice meeting you…” whispered FlutterShy.
“You too.” I whispered back, winking to let her know I was just teasing. “Uh, by the way, you might want to keep that rabbit away from the hot-sauce from now on.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry…” She whispered.
“Nah, Don’t worry. I’m fine.” I gestured to my head, which, thankfully, had been put out soon after catching fire.
I nodded to AppleJack, then asked “Work same time tomorrow?”
“Eeyup.” She said, mimicking her brother.
“Lessons too, Twilight?” I asked my tutor.
She nodded.
“Alright! Goodbye everyone, it was nice meeting you all tonight! See you around.” I said as we parted ways, a chorus of goodbyes calling back in reply as Lyra and I headed back to her house.
“So, uh, Lyra, did you have a good time?” I asked, trying to strike up a conversation with my friend and landlady.
“Hm? Oh! Oh, of course I did.” She said.
“Good, good, that’s, uh, great…”
Lyra was staring at me, scowling, obviously thinking of something.
“Uh… do I have something on my face or something? Is my mane still smoldering?” I asked.
“No, no, it’s perfectly fine.” She said, still staring. “But… something is off…”
“I don’t really notice anything.” I said.
“Hm… I guess you’re right…” She said, and she stopped staring at me.
We continued back to her house, bade each other good night, and went straight to our respective sleeping places.
I rolled over on the couch. It was only three in the morning by then, according to my phone, but I couldn’t sleep. I was restless, I had too much energy, I’m not even sure exactly what kept me up.
I had to burn it off somehow, so I decided to go for a walk in the woods. What did Twilight say they were called…? The Everfree forest, I think that was it.