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// Chapter 4: Take It From Me 
// Story: My Dearest Applejack 
// by RealityPublishing 
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	“What are you doing?”
Isaac was furious; he probably had a reason to be. I had humiliated him in public by squandering his tavern visit and now I had confessed my feelings for a pony whom I knew nothing about; I take it back, he had a lot to be upset about. 
“You know what your father would think if he ever found out.”
I rolled my eyes, “Do you really think I care what my father thinks? He’s a moron; a failure like my brother.”
Isaac raised a brow, “A failure, huh? I take it this comes from the one who threw his future away…”
I frowned, “So? I’ve done a lot more than you have in the last two days.”
“Oh you’ve done a lot, my friend,” he shook his head with disappointment, “You’ve shocked the entire pony community, gave the town stricter alcohol laws, and they even put a curfew for all human residents! What a way to make an impression!”
We sat in silence for three whole minutes. It was a nice café, it really was, but sadly, it was the only one that accepted both human and ponykind as customers; the competition had their favorites. A pony couple eye-balled me from across the room; I shuffled my shoulders. 
“Do you remember when we were kids?” Said Isaac, breaking the silence, 
“And by kids you mean reckless, foolish teenagers without a sense of direction, yeah I remember.”
“Good,” he nodded, finishing up his regular order of cheesecake, “then you’ll remember the deal and the consequences we put forth if it were to be broken.”
”Ugh, the deal. When was he going to live that down?”

It was a while ago, but I still remembered. Of course, we were still in school and oblivious to what the future would hold. It was during recess, and like all kids then, we had our crushes. The school we attended was named, “Ponyville Integrated Academy” and it did just that. It was an integration of both pony and mankind; a simple concept at best. The school did well the first few years, but then started to decline in funds; they soon had to resort to cutting corners. It didn’t end well for the school or its students. But as children, we didn’t care for the sort of thing. We moved one day at a time, counting the days until freedom. Anyway, Isaac had his crush that surprised even me. I knew he was doing a bit of research on genetics for quite some time, but I had no idea he would actually carry out with it. He was in love with a pony. At first, the news passed by with ease, 
“Alright, I’m sure he’s just joking,” I said one morning, getting ready for the day ahead of me. But another day passed and still he held onto his story. I asked him again one afternoon,
“So you never quite told me, who’s your crush?”
For a moment, he looked annoyed, “I should be asking you the same question,” he paused, his eyes glittered, “Oh, the hell. I’m in love with SugarBlossom.”
She was a student taking the Integrated Art class; the same Isaac had been taking.
A month went by and he returned to me with a gloomy face. 
“Well? How’d it go?” I asked, ignoring his body language to make room for an actual explanation. A week earlier, Isaac told me he was going to do his best to talk to the pony and try to actually “start” a relationship with her. I told him it was a long shot, but he was determined he could do it with his vast vocabulary. I remember rolling my eyes, but I still wished him luck. It wasn’t until today that I had heard from him. 
“What’d she say?” I asked again; Isaac looked down at the concrete. We were walking home from school. 
“She didn’t say anything, instead, her father did.”
He didn’t need to say anything after that; I knew what was coming.
“I tried to stay calm, but it didn’t matter. Her father was just as prejudice as she was,” Isaac’s eyes grew teary, “she was withdrawn from school…”
I tried to show my sympathy by patting him on the back, 
“Don’t worry about it, Isaac. I’m sure you’ll find someone better than her!” He looked up at me, “Besides, she didn’t really love you. That’s the whole purpose of dating!”
He stopped in his tracks, “Nathan, I want you to promise me something.”
I stopped when he said it; I was several feet from him, “Anything,” I said, waiting for whatever was to come. This was something entirely new.
Isaac began to weep, “I want you to promise that you’ll never date pony. Ever. And if you do,” his fist trembled, “then I pity you. I’ll pity you for choosing poorly because I’ll make sure you’re the one who talks to her father. Then I can watch you be consumed by hatred. Do you understand? Can you promise me that?”

“Isaac, that was four years ago.”
Isaac sat still, not saying a word. His hands trembled around a small brown coffee mug. 
“It seemed like yesterday,” he muttered under his breath. There was no sign of contempt, but I felt as though he was cursing me.
I stood up, drawing everyone’s attention, “So are you going to do it? Are you going to ‘burn me with hatred’?”
Isaac remained seated, calm as usual, “Sit down,” he said patiently. He was always the collected type.
“I’m going to give you a chance,” He said, at last, standing up to head for the door, “If I catch you anywhere near that pony. I will tell your father.”
I stared him down but did not flinch. He continued, “And your father will talk to whomever it is you’re currently seeing, and he will tear you apart. So keep your head low, and you won’t get hurt.”
He pulled over his light blue hood and walked out of the door. The café was silent. I sat down, terrified by what would await me. I tried not to think about it. It was getting late and I needed to what had to be done. I grabbed my bag and left the restaurant. 

“I promise.”
“good,” said Isaac, returning to his regular walking pace. He turned around, “you sly dog, after all this time you never told me who your crush was. Who was it?”
I smiled and started walking, “The sandwich.”