A Journey Unthought Of

by Hustlin Tom

Chapter Sixteen

I got my first set of Equestrian made clothes later that day, and weren't they comfortable! After having spent so many days wearing my environmental protection suit, it felt good to wear something a lot less formfitting. It took Rarity a bit longer to magically produce my clothes then it did for Lyra, but there was decidedly a lot more of me than there was of her; not to mention the ‘unusual contours’ of my body, as Rarity put it. I was in a rather simple outfit, just some denim jeans and a short sleeved t-shirt. I found the simplicity of it rather appealing!

As we were returning home, Lyra and I passed Sweet Apple Acres. Lyra looked up at me, or rather, where I would be if I wasn’t invisible. “Want to go visit Applejack?”

“I think that would be great.” I whispered, and added, “You may want to keep your voice down in public, or people may start to think you’re crazy!”

“Maybe I am. I kept you didn’t I?”

We came across Applejack in the farther out fields, which was good for me, because then we wouldn’t be seen from the country road. There she was, bucking at one of the many apple trees, when Lyra sauntered up with invisible me in tow.

“Hey Applejack!”

Applejack gave one last kick to the tree, bringing down the very last of the stubbornly clinging apples. “Oh hey Lyra! How you doing this fine Celestia blessed day?”

“Just great, thanks! Oh by the way, Adam is here.”

“Is’he now? Well, where is he? Come’on out Adam!”

“I’m right here Applejack,” I gave a chuckle as I reappeared, and I put on my worst Western accent ever. “Don’t you worry none, yuh hear pardner?”

Applejack snorted at my botching of the accent. “You better stick to your regular way a’ talkin’ Sugarcube. How you been anyways?” She sat down in the grass on fours, while Lyra and I laid on our backs, heads up to the incline of the hill. As Lyra laid one of her hind legs over the other, we began to tell our story of the day so far.

“Yep, Rarity can be a bit of a pain when it comes to fashion. She has a good heart though, even if she is a bit mamby pamby.”

“You certainly do give off that vibe of being more down to earth than most ponies.”

“I reckon I do, don’t I? We Apples know the secrets of the soil! Been our chosen lot in life for generations. The only thing special about us is common sense.”

Here Lyra interjected, “But you know Applejack, they say common sense isn’t as common anymore.”

Applejack sighed, “Ain’t that the truth.”

“So how big is your family Applejack?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s me, mah Granny Smith, brother Big Macintosh, and mah sister Applebloom. There are scores of other Apples throughout all of Equestria, but that’s just my immediate family.” She hadn’t mentioned her parents, but why not?

“So it’s just the four of you taking care of these fields?”

“It wasn’ always like that. There used to be my ma Gala and pa Apple Cider, but we lost them. Farming accident.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Yah didn’t know. It happened when I was fairly young, and Applebloom was just a little foal. On a farm, you come to appreciate the cycle of life an’ death very quickly. Each is jus’ a part of the other.”

“Those are pretty wise words.”

“Yeah, I reckon so.”

Suddenly, we heard the sound of hoof steps approaching from behind us.

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[The_Devils_Advocate]

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