Chapter 5: We're a happy Family
by Tray Hunter
It wasn't easy to find the orchard in the darkness of the night, but being over 600 m above the ground definatley helped.
'Sweet Apple Acres?
Are you gonna drink again?'
"Nope."
'Are you-
Oh please, don't tell me you're going to steal from the farm!'
"Ok, I'm not telling you."
'These apples belong to Applejack and her family!
You can't just steal from the most honest pony ever!'
"Fine... I'll ask."
I landed in front of the farmhouse and trotted towards it.
When I clopped at it (meaning I hit my hooves against it!) it swung open and a big, red stalion appeared from inside.
"Can ah help yer?"
"Well, I'm new in town and wondered if you could spare an apple or two."
He gasped at my sight.
I must've been looking like some thirdworld filly from a billboard.
" 'course!
Jus' yer get in!
Yer mus' be freezin'."
Actually I didn't.
That jacket of mine can keep you warm in a full grown blizzard, if it comes to that.
"Thank you.
And it's realy no trouble for you?"
"Ah trouble schmouble.
Jus' get in, sit down an' ah'll get yer some applefritters. "
With that he left for the kitchen.
'Did you notice?
Not one time he said "Eyup" !
I rolled my eyes and
It was pretty warm and some candles illuminated the room.
"Hng, candles!"
I rubbed my belly, that still lacked some coat from the training of that madpony.
When I sat on the sofa, I felt as if I was sinking into a cloud.
All these weeks on solid rock beddings almost made me forget about soft things.
And painless walking.
Short after, Mac came in with a steaming plate of applefritters in his mouth.
I glanced at them for a second or two.
These things realy looked good.
Not to mention the smell.
"Get 'em while they're still hot!"
Well, thats something you don't have to tell me twice.
I took a mouthfull of the fritters and was short to cry.
"Fveees arf foooo goooooodf!"
Other than Lyra, Big Mac understood me just perfectly with my mouth full.
"Eyup."
'Aha, I knew it!'
I finished the rest of the fritters in records time and sighed.
"Wow, thats it!
I'm full!
Anyway, thanks for the food.
I'll better be on my way."
"Yer know theres gonna be a storm tanight, right?"
I opend the door and shot him a confused look.
"No way!
It's a beautifull and clear-"
Suddenly clouds formed out of nothing and the rain of the century started to fall.
"...night!?"
I heard about pegasii, controlling the weather but had no idea how good they were when it came to humoristic timing.
"Great, now I'll have to fly through the rain!"
"Yer can stay fer the night if yer like."
"I can't accept that.
You already gave me food and I don't want to be a burden for any longer!"
"But ah mus' insist yer at least drink a glass o' cider with me!"
"Cider?
I mean, if you insist, I would be glad to provide some company."
'Drunky!'
He got a big bottle with the logo of the Applefamily from under the table and poured some of it into two glasses, he took from the drawer next to him.
It was then, that I noticed how warm the room was.
Nice change after that earthhole but too much if you're dressed to survive a cold winternight.
I took off my jacket and noticed something even more satisfying.
I still had the weightbands around my wings!
At least that jackpony lost something.
As I took them off, my wings felt infinitley light.
The loud thump, the weights made as they fell onto the sofa, gave me a good idea how heavy they must have actually been.
Mac looked at me as I laid my jacket and weightbands onto the table.
"Are yer some kinda minin'pony?"
I looked at my body.
I lost so much weight, thanks to my root diet, that my ribs were showing.
Confound this jackpony!
He drove me to become skinny!
My entire body was covered in bruises and scratches.
The only things that got bigger were the muscles on my legs and wings.
"Nope, just hadn't had the possibility to look after me while in training."
"Trainin'?
Yer some kinda athlete?
Is that were yer got all these muscles?"
"I'm no athlete!
It was just flighttraining.
Boneshattering, coatpiercing flighttraining!"
I stretched my wings and reached for my rings and wristbands in my jacket.
After straping all the things back to their rightfull places, I flapped my wings to make sure the rings sat tight.
The blow I created, slammed the door on the other end of the room shut.
"Sorry, not used to that ...uhm...strength...yet. "
He looked at me like at a magical talking leafblower.
"Eyup, mighty impressive if'n yer ask me."
Suddenly the door opend again and a tired looking, creamcoloured earthpony of about my size stepped in.
"What in tarnation is goin' on down here?"
As she noticed the bruised and skinny pegasus on her sofa, her mood switched to confusion.
"An' who's yer friend?"
"I'm..."
'Name? Nopony ever wanted a name from us!
Whatever shall we do?'
I instantly remembered my encounter with Lyra.
"I'm Smokey.
Nice to meet you, Miss Applejack.
Big Mac and me were just hanging out some."
Two pony jaws hit the ground simultanously.
New record!
"Hav' we met or somthin'?"
They also spoke in unision.
'Don't you know some relatives or friends of these two?'
"I'm a friend of Apple Cider."
"Eyup, yer realy seemed ta enjoy it."
Big Mac pointed at the glasses on the table.
'Seriously?'
I facehoofed.
"Your cousin!"
Again they spoke in perfect unision.
"Oh, that Cider!"
Applejack suddenly grinned at me and came closer.
"If yer a friend o' Cider, yer a friend o' mine an' the Applefamily aswell. "
"Eyup."
"Uh, thanks.
That realy means a lot to me.
Realy!
But I guess, I should go now.
Don't want to bother you anymore."
Applejack shot me a suprised look.
"But yer can't jus' go outside there.
That storms terrible!
Why don'cha stay fer the night?"
"Already tried that, sis.
He's jus' a might too humble."
"Ah, humble schmumble!"
She trotted over to me and laid a hoof on my shoulder.
"Yer stay!"
I don't know if I was weakend from the training and the roots diet or if she was just a lot stronger than me after all that work on the farm.
Anyway, I couldn't move a muscle.
'You better do as the lady says!
I'm not sure what will happen if we decline her proposal.'
"Oookaaay, th-thank you."
She smiled at me and took her hoof from my shoulder.
"Then it's settled.
Yer can hav' the guestroom.
Ah'll see yer at breakfast."
With that she left as fast and suprisingly as she had arived.
"Is she always like that?"
"Eyup.
Care fer som' mor' cider?"
After we finished the bottle, Mac took me to guestroom.
It looked as if it hadn't been used for years.
Not that it looked dirty or anything.
Just as if it had been abandoned a long time ago.
On the drawers were some small pictures.
One of them instantly caught my attention.
On it was a tiny Applejack with a stetson, way too big for her head, riding on the back of a younger Macintosh.
"Daaaaw..."
"Eyup.
Almos' forgot about that one.
't was taken one year before our parents..."
He looked away and sobed.
I never saw him so depressed until then.
And never again since that.
"Are you alright?
You want to talk about it?"
"Naah, it's jus' the picture.
These wer' realy good times.
Yer probably wanna hit them pillows.
If'n yer need anythin', jus' yer holler."
I nodded.
"Alright then, see yer tomorow.
Good night, Smokey."
"Good night, Mac."
He left for the door and smiled.
"Don'cha think we're all saddy waddy aroun' here.
Actualy, we're a happy family."
I smiled at him.
When he left, I decided to call it a night and get some sleep.
My pile of rocks was nothing compared to the softness of that bed.
No suprise, I was fast asleep within seconds.
The next morning I had a rather harsh wakeupcall.
A loud crash and the sound of splintering glass tore me right back to cosciousness.
I dashed towards the living room downstairs, but when I arived at the staircase, the only thing I saw were three little furballs rolling over the floor shouting
"Yeah! Cutiemarkcrusaders Bowlingballs! Yeah!"
You shuold have seen it!
It was quite a unique sight.
As the rolling rampage commando passed, a raging Applejack galopped after them.
When she noticed my dumbstruck expression, she stopped right in her tracks and looked at my wings that hung from my sides.
I guess thats the pegasusform of a bedhead.
"Yer mind lendin' a hoof?"
"No problem!"
I went down to her and asked
"Do you have a plan?"
"Well, usually they get quiet once they fin' somethin' mor' intrestin', but ah jus' can't think of anythin' ta distract 'em."
I stretched my wings and got a little creaking from the joints.
"Leave it to me!"
I went outside the farmhouse, assuring the three fillies followed me.
"So, I heard you kids like some action, huh?"
They didn't seem impressed at all.
'Awkward!'
That orange pegasusfilly was the first to speak up
"And who are you?"
"Well I am..."
I took off gaining altitude and speed.
Phase 1 of my performance meant getting a cloud.
Fortunatley there were some small ones from the storm last night.
I grabed one and spun it around.
After several loops and turns, the cloud was spread across the sky above the orchard.
"On to Phase 2!"
I flew through the pieces of cloud, forming it with the same magic I used to make the smokeball back then.
It took me about two runs, untill the cloud formed the desired writing.
"And finaly, Phase 3!"
I flew towards the three awestruck fillies and reared up for my powerlanding.
About 20 m before them I touched the ground and slid towards them, forelegs and wings stretched at my sides.
They looked at me as if I was a onepony wonderboltshow and rockstar in unision.
"How did you do that?"
The white unicorn asked.
"Can you show me how to do that?"
The orange pegasus queried.
"Who's Smookel?"
The yellow eathpony, which I recognized as Applejacks sister Applebloom, looked at me questioning my flight skills to the hardest.
I looked at her and back at my masterpiece.
"It's Smokey. SMOKEY!"
"Yer got yerself a pretty bad hoofwritin, Mister!"
"Or better, wingwriting!"
Scootaloo added.
I finaly remembered her name.
I shaked a hoof at them but was pulled away by a certain farmpony.
"Mac? Why did you do this?
I was about to yell at them!"
"Eyup.
Figered that out.
An' thats the reason ah had to stop yer."
'He's right.
Yelling at kids just ain't your style!'
I sighed.
"How do you get along with these brats?"
"Yer get used to 'em."
He looked at me.
My coat was covered in dust.
Even more than before my powerlanding.
"Yer might wanna take a shower or somethin'."
"Maybe you're right.
Mind me using your bathroom?"
"Jus' up them stairs an' ta yer left."
The bathroom wasn't very big but it had everything a pony could need.
In the center of it was a bathtub with a shower head and a curtain.
As I got into the tub, I found it hard to find a safe stance.
Hooves on ceramics just tend to slip away.
Once I found a way to prevent that, I pulled the curtain close with one wing and turned around for the faucet.
"How do I use this without falling on my face?"
'Ahem...Mouth...hinthint!'
"You're such a smartflank!"
'And you're a showoff!
Although that performance out there was pretty impressive, Smookel.'
I rolled my eyes and opend the faucet, using my teeth.
As the water ran down my body, some lose feathers and hairs dropped into the tub, along with some mud that must have been stuck in my coat.
'Oh by the way, I figured out how to reproduce these feathers.
So don't worry about that.'
"Cool."
As I lowered my head a bit, my mane dropped right into my face.
"Great! If only I could use my hooves without faceplanting."
I switched to my magicsensor and looked around.
"Now where is that soap?"
Suddenly I heard yelling from outside.
"Scootaloo! Get down there! It's dangerous!"
Then I noticed hoofclaps above me and looked up.
I saw an about filliesized, orange energytorch shining through the roof.
Without any second thought, I jumped out of the tub and dashed towards the window.
Before I arived, the flare started moving downwards.
Although my reflexes made it look slow, she was falling pretty fast.
Her tiny wings didn't manage to carry her weight.
"Horseapples!
No time for that!"
I jumped through the window and flew towards her, catching the filly just metres before the ground.
As I gained height to evade some appletrees, I looked at the scared little pegasus.
"It's alright!
I gotcha."
I learned to alter my talking speed while in ubermode.
But from my perspective, it was taking me almost half a minute to say these two short sentences.
She looked at me with big eyes and grinned.
"You're almost as cool as Rainbow Dash, Smookel!"
Good thing she didn't hear what I was about to yell at her, since suddenly something hit me in midair.
I colided with some careless pony crossing my path.
The force caused me to drop Scootaloo.
As she fell down, I reacted as fast as my enhanced reflexes would let me.
All this time I hadn't had one free hoof to get my mane out of my face.
I flew downwards but couldn't catch up with her.
My still wet wings prevented me from gaining enough speed.
From the corners of my eyes, I saw a blue shimmer flying beside me.
'That pegasus is fast!'
"Think of something to dry the wings!
We gotta hurry!"
The ground came closer and closer.
Not more than 300 m were between Scootaloo and a terrible fate.
'Spin around!'
"What?"
'Like in a centrifuge!
The rotation will throw the water right from your wings!'
I started to spin counterclockwise and saw some small water drops flying from my wings, hitting the blue glowing pegasus next to me.
The pony dodged some of them but as I gained speed, the water soaked his or her coat and wings.
"It's working!
We're getting closer!"
I must admit, if the enhanced reflexes weren't making the rotation look so slow for me, I woud have puked in midair.
I don't think I have to explain, what it means when you puke in the same direction you are flying.
When I was close enough, I grabbed the fillies legs.
The poor thing hadn't had my reflexes and waved her hooves in shock, as I spun her around in slowmotion.
A more alarming sight was the ground closing up on us.
We were less than 20 m from an instant death.
I ceased the rotation and turned up in an angle that would have made Rainbow Dash proud.
I reared up, holding the scared (and motion sick from spinning with more than 120 rpm) filly over my head.
After a long slide over the ground I came to halt and switched back to my normal vision.
I looked at Scootaloo.
She smiled.
Then I smiled.
Then she threw up on my again dustcovered coat.
After a few seconds the others shouted from behind us.
"Are yer alright?"
The three farmponies were the first to spot me.
"Where are they ?"
That voice was new.
Not actually new at all, but new to my ponyears.
I looked over my shoulder and saw a soaking wet Rainbow Dash, with her mane hanging befrore her face.
It seemed as if Sweetie Bell, the white unicornfilly, guided her towards the others.
I would have fainted in joy for either seeing Rainbow Dash or the fact that I just flew faster than her, but not this time.
My wings and knees were hurting, I was exhausted from spinning around like a madpony and somepony puked at me.
All that before breakfast.
I sat the still dizzy pegasusfilly down and trotted towards the farmhouse.
As I went past him, Mac shot me a confused look.
"Where 're yer goin'?"
I looked at him then back at Sootaloo, who was trying to walk but flaceplanted.
"Back under the shower!"
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Tray here, folks
That chapter was realy fun to write :D
I'll try some new things in the next chapter, as the story seems to demand some...well... different perspectives.
Just wait a little bit longer and you will see what I mean.
If you have anymore suggestions, questions or critics, just leave a comment or send me a message.
Tray out