//------------------------------// // Return of the Apples // Story: In Another Life I: Week One // by Bateman66 //------------------------------// “Applejack!” hollered Apple Bloom as she bounced down the stairs with an excited grin. “Can I go over to Sweetie Belle’s house? We have ah’ big mechanized band project and I’d really like to get started before the oil we ordered arrives. I found the order form for it in the newspaper and it says it’s supposed to…” The little filly trailed off as she reached the bottom step, realizing she’d gotten no returning reply from her big sister from wherever she was in the house. Looking around the front room, she didn’t even see a trace of where she might be. “Applejack!” she called once more. “Where are ya’!? I have something to ask you, and it’s important!” Silence. She trotted through the front hallway and poked her head into the kitchen. Nothing but the quiet hum of the refrigerator. “Applejack!” she called louder than last time, hoping that the louder she was, the higher chance she had of being answered. But again she was met with no response. This worried her, not that because her sister wasn’t replying, but more so that if she didn’t reply she’d be risking getting in trouble if she decided to go to Sweetie Belle’s without permission. She recognized going over to her friend’s house was a straight necessity, so getting off without getting reprimanded would be a nice plus. For now, she had to find her sister. She looked back in the kitchen, in the parlor, upstairs, downstairs, the front door, the backdoor, the front hallway, the back hallway, and even her own bedroom, but she still couldn’t find her sister. Where in the hay was she? It wasn’t normal of her to wander off announced, especially without a note or some sort of hint towards it. Was something legitimately wrong, or was this just some sort of special occasion? Apple Bloom was close to giving up on her third check of the front door when she heard the distant laughing of her sister from somewhere outside. “I found her!” she happily announced to no pony while in turn throwing the door open with all her might. Stepping outside onto the dirt circle surrounding the Apple homestead, she scanned across the property for her desired target. Spotting her across the yard by the Yellow Delicious section of the orchard, she began to gallop towards her, already imaging the grand success of the electric flute section and pneumatic drums. As she came closer through the spring green grass and spire like trees, she saw that a brown cloaked figure stood adjacent from AJ while she giggled in conversation. Their back was turned in Apple Bloom’s direction, but she theorized this must be her friend Zecora stopping in for alchemy ingredients once again, as was her schedule every first week of the month. Becoming more elated that she was here as well, Apple Bloom picked up her pace and sped towards the two. “Applejack!” she called as her little hooves skidded across the grass to a halt. “Why didn’t ya’ tell me Zecora was comin’ over? She’s mah’ friend too ya’ know.” Before AJ could respond, the cloaked figure turned around slowly to face the young filly. Pushing back the hood to reveal the entirety of his face, Alistair smiled tenderly toward the filly. “Hello there,” he said heartily with a slight grin, “are you the rascal I’ve heard so much about? I don’t believe we’ve met.” He outstretched his hand to shake. Apple Bloom’s eyes flashed open in shock as she took a few steps back from Alistair in horror. Frantically glancing him over, she craned her neck around to AJ. “Who is?” she said anxiously, looking back and forth from her sister to Alistair, who now stood solemnly in silence with his hands back at his sides. AJ glared harshly towards her little sister, aghast at the rudeness she was displaying to an honored guest. “He’s ah’ friend Apple Bloom, and deserves the same amount of respect and kindness you’d show to any other of yer’ buddies. Is this how you were taught, bein’ rude to anypony y’all saw fit? ” Apple Bloom’s eyes peered towards the ground in shame as she bashfully made circles in the grass with her hoof. Realizing her regret, Alistair spoke calmly. “It’s quite alright. Several of the other ponies I’ve encountered have displayed much worse reactions.” He looked to AJ with a disgusted expression. “You’d think they’d pay a bit more attention to news and their own manners than hurtful names and screaming.” Applejack nodded in agreement, formerly being told of Alistair’s endeavors with some of the less kind elements of Ponyville before Apple Bloom had arrived. “I don’t mean you though!” he said quickly, worried about the implication he made. “Your reaction is understandable; it’s been quite some time since one in your world has walked upright.” Apple Bloom looked up with shaky, saddened eyes. “I’m sorry mister; ah’ just was surprised is all. I didn’t mean nothin’ by it, honest. I’ll never do it again, ah’ swear.” “That’s good sugar cube,” complimented AJ with a nod. “That’s how an Apple properly apologizes.” Alistair chuckled. “I still cannot get over that, your second name sharing that of a fruit, quite interesting.” “But mister,” continued the filly while tapping on his the side. “I don’t mean to be rude or anythin’, but who are you exactly?” AJ opened her mouth to reprimand her sister once again, but Alistair raised his hand to stop her. “She deserves an explanation; I am not offended that she is curious.” He cleared his throat while placing a hand across his chest to show he was speaking of himself. “I am Alistair, amateur wizard and hopeful friend of your sister. It is very good to meet you.” The two smiled and shook hands/hooves. “And what about you, my friend? What may I address you as?” Apple Bloom confidently placed her hoof to her on chest as she responded; feeling some great liberty in introducing herself to a stranger. “I’m Apple Bloom, co-founder of the coolest secret society in all of Equestria. Here’s mah’ card.” The filly handed him a crudely designed note card with even more simplistic representations of the three founding Cutie Mark Crusaders. Written atop it in illegible hand writing was most likely their society’s name embroidered with gold crayon. Alistair had to bite his lip to prevent any awkward grimace from showing as the little pony looked for him to respond. “It’s very…colorful,” he managed finally. “I really like the…manes.” Apple Bloom smiled boldly as she pushed her own red mane back in gusto. “We get that compliment all the time when we show our official business cards. Makes us look ten times more professional.” “Right…” murmured AJ as she rubbed the back of her neck. Alistair nodded assuredly and placed the small card into his side cloak pocket. When he looked back to Apple Bloom, he could see that she was now staring at him skeptically, as if somehow trying to determine if what she saw before herself was real. To Alistair, it looked as if she hadn’t yet reached a conclusion. “Is something wrong?” Apple Bloom clicked her tongue while shaking her head, an action better suited for a gruff Badlands stallion about twenty years older. “It’s just…I’ve never seen something like you in all of Equestria. What are you exactly?” Alistair’s eyes rose in surprise but quickly moved back into his own composition of confusion. “You do not know what I am? Have they not taught you of my kind in your places of learning?” “Schools,” corrected AJ. “Schools—yes.” Apple Bloom shook her head. “Ms. Cheerilee hasn’t taught any of this stuff before. Should she?” “You gotta understand,” explained AJ, “that Apple Bloom is a younger pony, so they teach at a slower pace to account for her age. I’m sure once she gets older, maybe in just a few years, they’ll start coverin’ Humanities and other bigger topics.” Alistair nodded his head in approval. “I would certainly hope so. I’ve done my best to read up on our history and it is most influential, not just to time, but to the world in general. Leaving somepony out of the loop is criminal, especially with the past.” “So your ah’…human then?” concluded Apple Bloom while rubbing her hoof across her chin. “Is that what yer’ called?” “Indeed. Although I’m not sure where the name comes from, it’s one I hold proudly. But…” his face tightened in recollection as he leaned in towards her, “was there not a reason you were searching for your sister, before we met? It sounded most important.” “Oh yeah!” she exclaimed with a wide smile. “Ah’ was gonna ask if I could go over to Sweetie Belle’s to work on somethin’.” She looked towards AJ while flashing a set of large, pleading eyes. “Can I? Pleeeease?” AJ sighed. “Alright sugar cube, just be home before it gets dark. Most of them critters are out of hibernation by now so you gotta watch yourself on the roads at night.” “I will sis!” The little filly turned back to Alistair, who couldn’t help smile at the warm relationship between the two sisters. “It was nice meetin’ you Mr. Alistair!” “Likewise, my friend. I entrust we will be seeing each other in the near future, hmm?” He asked the question with a hopeful expectation in eyes, an action he’d picked up from careful observation of Twilight. “Of course!” she exclaimed happily. “Maybe you could meet some of my friends next time yer’ over. I’m sure Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle would want to meet cha’. But ah’ gotta get goin’ now. See y’all later!” With a wave from Alistair and Applejack, Apple Bloom galloped away in the other direction, down over the rolling green orchard hills. The two watched the filly skitter across the dipping landscape until she peaked under one especially tall slope and disappeared behind it. “It must be amazing having family,” Alistair stated while still beaming towards where he last saw Apple Bloom. “The warmth and happiness that your sister brought…it is indescribable.” “We have our bad moments,” she objected casually, more trying to correct than counter. “Like everything it ain’t always perfect.” “But most of the time it’s enjoyable?” AJ nodded strongly. “Of course. It don’t seem like that with the few bad moments tossed around through it, but when ya’ actually sit down and think about it, the positives always outweigh the negatives.” Applejack looked around the farm, then back to Alistair who was now studying the landscape for no real reason. His mind seemed focused intently on it yet he didn’t seem to be paying much attention. She tapped him on the shoulder with her hoof. “Y’all still wanna get some cider? We gotta a bit distracted when ya’ started tellin’ me about those town ponies.” Alistair looked back to AJ, a slight sense of yearning about him that signaled that he did not wish to leave. “You want to just keep talking?” AJ grinned. “I think I’d prefer that.” The two continued to chat under the shaded apple trees until the sun began to droop lazily over the edge of the sky. Saying their goodbyes for the day, the two beings went their separate ways as the evening slowly began. Thankfully, no critters materialized along the road home, giving Alistair a moment of peace as he looked up towards the starry night sky, and whistled.