• Published 27th Jun 2012
  • 30,291 Views, 3,552 Comments

Living in Equestria - Blazewing



A young man finds himself in a world beyond his wildest imagination...

  • ...
123
 3,552
 30,291

PreviousChapters Next
An Apple Family Brunch

Rustic.

That was the one word I could come up with as we approached Sweet Apple Acres, which was around a mile or so outside of town. It was an old-fashioned apple farm, with a big barn and windmill and everything, but those were just the usual fixings. The rest of the land was devoted to row upon row upon row upon row of apple trees, of all the sizes and colors I recognized apples usually were. However, there was something about these apples that astounded me. They seemed…fresher and juicier in appearance than the apples I saw at the local grocery store. The smell coming from them was intoxicatingly sweet and fragrant, and made me hungrier.

“One of your friends works here?” I asked Pinkie, as we stopped under a tree.

“Yep! I just hope she’s not too busy right now.”

“If she is, it might be a good idea not to disturb her,” I said. “Farm work can’t be easy for even one-OW!!”

I was interrupted unpleasantly. Something had knocked against the tree with a loud thud, and a big, ripe apple had clonked me right on the crown of my head, followed by dozens more, which landed into buckets set around the trees. I hadn’t noticed those before.

“Pinkie, what did you do that for?!” I snapped, rubbing my head.

“That wasn’t me!” said Pinkie, defensively.

“Whoops! Sorry, ya’ll. Didn’t know anyone was back there.”

The voice that said this was a hardy female’s, bearing a thick Southern accent. An Earth pony stepped out from the other side of the tree. Her coat was orange, with a straw-yellow mane and tail loosely tied up like, heaven forgive me for making such an obvious pun, ponytails. She had green eyes, small white freckles on her cheeks, and a brown Stetson hat on her head. Her cutie mark was a trio of red apples. She had a stout, stocky build, one that seemed appropriate for strenuous labor. Her expression, on the other hand, was very friendly and inviting, as if she were someone you could talk to about anything.

“Howdy, Pinkie Pie!” she said, recognizing my companion. "What brings ya round these...parts?"

This last word, separated by a pause, was spoken as she caught sight of me, and she gave something of a start. She looked me over, staring from my sneaker-clad feet to my head, and gave a low whistle.

“Land sakes…” she said, in a low voice. “Yer a...a human, ain’tcha?”

“Er, yes, I am,” I said.

”Ah never imagined Ah’d be seein’ an honest-to-goodness human in mah born days. Thought they were just one of Granny’s stories.”

“AJ, this is Dave,” said Pinkie. “He fell out of the sky!”

She said this so proudly and matter-of-factly that the Earth pony gave her a weird look, but said nothing.

“Davie, this is Applejack," she went on.

“It’s a pleasure,” I said, extending my hand.

Next second, I found myself jittering as if I were inside a blender. Applejack had taken my hand in both of her hooves and was shaking it vigorously. She had surprising strength in those legs of hers.

“Same to you, sugar!" she said, beaming. "We here at Sweet Apple Acres always like making new friends, even if they ain’t exactly ponies, and if yer pals with Pinkie, then Ah reckon that's good enough for me.”

She finally released my hand, which I was quite glad of.

“So, what brings ya'll 'round here?”

“We’ve got a hunger crisis on our hands, AJ!” said Pinkie, in a surprisingly serious tone. “Poor Davie’s gonna starve if we don’t get something for his belly soon!”

I rolled my eyes.

“It’s not that serious, Pinkie,” I said, but Applejack chuckled.

“So ya’ll came to see me for some vittles? Ah suppose we did make a fair bit more than need be, in case any neighbors showed up, and we were about to break for lunch, so Ah don’t see why not.”

“Aw, now, I don’t want to impose-”

“You ain’t imposin’. Ah’m sure mah family would be glad to have ya, and Pinkie Pie’s practically family as well. Follow me.”

I was about to protest, but Pinkie nudged me forward, and all I could was comply. We followed Applejack past more apple trees until we reached the barn, more specifically a farm house settled beside it. From inside, the smell of something hot and sweet wafted through the open window, assaulting my nostrils with a wonderful sensation.
Applejack led the way inside, calling out,

“Granny! Set the table for two more! We’ve got guests!”

“All righty, Applejack,” came an old woman’s creaky voice. “Who’s come?”

“Pinkie Pie and a new friend of hers. He’s not quite from these parts.”

Now there was the understatement of the century…

“Big Macintosh!” called the voice. “We’re gonna need two more chairs. Applejack’s brought company!”

“All right, Granny,” called a deep, drawling voice.

“Are you sure I’m not imposing?” I asked, unsure.

“Don’t you fret,” said Applejack, kindly. “It’ll be our pleasure.”

“You’re very kind to open your door to a stranger, let alone one like me.”

“Well, Pinkie Pie seems to think you’re all right, so who am Ah to argue?”

I looked down at Pinkie. First the mayor, then Rainbow Dash, now Applejack? Did everyone see her as an infallible judge of character?

There was a thud of something wooden through the door nearby, and then the elderly voice called,

“Come and get it!”

Applejack led us into the kitchen, where a table was already set for six, with plates, utensils, and big platters and bowls full of what appeared to be baked goods all made from apples. It made me wonder if this family ever got tired of them.

Applejack’s relatives were already there, and looked up as we entered, their eyes widening in astonishment upon seeing me.

“Dave," said Applejack, "Ah’d like you to meet mah brother, Big Macintosh, mah sister, Apple Bloom, and mah grandma, Granny Smith.”

Big Macintosh was a stallion close to my own height, with a strong, sturdy look about him. He had a red coat and orange mane, with green eyes, a rather mellow look about him, and freckles like Applejack. His cutie mark was a green apple split in half. Apple Bloom was a little yellow filly with orange eyes and a red mane done up with a large pink bow. Unlike the others, she had no cutie mark. I hadn’t seen a filly this close before, and, if I was to be perfectly honest...she was downright cute, like a little puppy. Granny Smith was an elderly green mare with her white mane and tail done up in buns. Her cutie mark was an apple pie. Despite her tired, wrinkled face, she looked the most astonished to see me, while Apple Bloom was gazing with wide-eyed wonder, and Big Macintosh merely elevated his eyebrows in curiosity.

“Everypony,” said Applejack, “this here’s Dave. Pinkie Pie here’s showing him around Ponyville, and he decided to stop by and say howdy.”

“It’s ok, everypony,” said Pinkie. “He’s harmless.”

“Er, how do you do?” I said, shyly.

Big Macintosh nodded pleasantly, and Apple Bloom smiled adorably up at me. Granny Smith, on the other hand, looked at me with intense attentiveness. I wondered if she thought I was going to attack them; Hell hath no fury like a protective matriarch. Finally, she said,

“You a human, sonny?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Figured so. I'd heard tales from my own grand-folks, but I never thought I’d see me a human in Equestria in my own lifetime. Ain’t ever been one in Ponyville before, but you look like how mah grand-folks described them in the old tales.”

“And, er...what were those humans like?”

“Mm...can’t quite remember, to be honest, but you seem like a nice enough feller, and if Applejack trusts ya, Ah don’t see why Ah shouldn’t.”

Her wrinkled face cracked into a smile. Applejack let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like she had been on tenterhooks to hear her grandmother’s judgement.

“That’s very gracious of you, Miss Granny Smith,” I said.

“All right, ya’ll,” cut in Applejack, “let’s get eatin’ before the grub gets cold.”

With enthusiastic assent, the Apple family settled down to eat. Little Apple Bloom had insisted on sitting beside me, so Applejack took to my other side, and Pinkie sat between her and Big Macintosh, who sat quite at his ease next to Granny Smith despite his size. The first bite I took of the apple pie...how could I even describe it? It was heavenly! The sweet taste of fresh-picked, baked apples, mixed with cinnamon and light, flaky pie crust...It was like a choir singing an aria in my mouth, and it took me a while to will myself to finish chewing and swallow. It was also then that I noticed that Apple Bloom was plugging me with questions.

“So, where do ya come from, mister? Is it far from here? What’s it like? Are there more like you? What are the ponies there like? Gosh, Ah can’t wait to tell mah friends about this!”

“Hush, Apple Bloom,” said Applejack. “Don’t badger the poor feller.”

“Ah wasn’t badgering him,” said Apple Bloom, defensively.

“Well, can’t ya see he’s tryin’ to eat?”

“Oh. Sorry, mister.”

“It’s fine, Apple Bloom,” I finally said. “In fact, it’s nice to know ponies have an interest in where humans come from, instead of just seeing us as weird aliens.”

“Back in my grand-pappy’s day,” said Granny Smith, “he used to tell us how he heard about humans off in the distant corners of Equestria, but anypony that had sighted them either never came back or didn’t believe what they saw. Never did find out if them stories were true.”

“Eeyup,” said Big Macintosh, in his deep voice.

And...that was it. That was all he had to say? 'Eeyup'?

"Not very encouragin' for your sake," said Applejack, snapping my attention back into place.

“I can imagine,” I muttered. “Stories like that kinda makes me sound like a boogeyman. I don’t even know where Equestria lies compared to where I come from.”

“Where do you come from?” asked Apple Bloom.

“A country called America.”

“A-mare-ica?” asked the filly, tilting her head. “Does that mean there’s lots of ponies there too?”

“Huh?” I asked, puzzled, before the meaning of her words hit me. “Ohh! Oh. No, no, Apple Bloom, I didn’t mean ‘mer’ as in ‘mare’. It was named that by an explorer who mapped it. There are ponies there, but, uh...they don’t talk, fly, or anything.”

“Really?” asked Applejack. “Must be right dull for them. So this ‘America’ only has mute Earth ponies?”

“And horses, yeah, but don’t get me wrong: they can be very hard-working when they need to be.”

“Now that’s what Ah like to hear,” said Applejack, smiling. “And none of them dress up or nothin’?”

“Not really, except for very special circumstances, though I kinda like the way you pull off the Stetson look, Applejack.”

“Aw, thanks,” said Applejack, modestly, giving the brim of her hat a tug. “Ah just couldn’t help imagin’ Rarity goin’ nuts tryin’ to gussey up yer ‘American’ ponies.”

“Rarity?” I asked.

“She’s one of our friends. She runs Ponyville’s fashion boutique. Kind of a priss, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

“Don’t worry, Davie. That’ll be our next stop, I promise!” said Pinkie, sounding as if I were sorely missing out on something.

“Really, Pinkie, there’s no need to get so worked up,” I said.

“In fact, I Pinkie Promise!” she said, emphatically, acting as if she hadn’t heard me. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"

She went through the motions of crossing her heart with her hoof, then placing that hoof over one eye. Applejack nudged my side and muttered,

“Word of advice, sugarcube: when you make a Pinkie Promise, you stick to it. Otherwise, things might turn ugly.”

“Did you say something, Applejack?” Pinkie asked, sweetly.

“Nuthin’, Pinkie,” said Applejack, with a rather fixed grin.

No more was said on the subject, but I was curious. Things might turn ugly if you broke a Pinkie Promise? What did that mean, exactly? Was Pinkie so adamant about promises that she would personally punish anyone who broke them? Honestly, I couldn’t imagine this plump little pony performing any kind of physical harm on anyone.

“So, Applejack?” I piped up.

“Yeah?”

“We ran into Rainbow Dash before we came here.”

Applejack grinned.

“Did ya now? Ah hope she didn’t bore ya’ll with another of her ‘why Ah’m so awesome’ rambles.”

“Nah, though she did seem to take great pains to magnify her image. Is she always like that?

“Yeah, but don’t let it fool ya. She’s got a big ego, and she can be pretty dern arrogant, but under all that, Rainbow’s got a good heart. Always there for a pony in a pinch.”

“Sounds like she’d make quite a town hero.”

“Oh, she was, for a time, and still is now and then, but give her enough leeway, and she’ll let it get to her head.”

“Really? She did come off as kind of a braggart. She said she pulled off some ‘Sonic Rainboom’ when she was only a filly.”

“Heh, yeah, that girl’s always had a competitive streak, but she was born to race. Says so right on her flank.”

“You mean her cutie mark? So yours means you’re born to work this farm?”

“Yep, and dern proud of it. We Apples have always been orchard folk, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Right, Granny?”

“Darn tootin’!” said Granny.

“Eeyup,” said Big Macintosh.

I couldn’t help but smile at this. I may not have had a clear idea of what it was like to work on an orchard when one had the enthusiasm for it, but this family seemed to cherish their livelihoods with a passion. They were so honest, so friendly. They seemed like the perfect group to call your neighbors.

A small, disappointed sigh came from Apple Bloom, and I looked down at her.

“What’s wrong, Apple Bloom?”

“Ah think Ah know,” said Applejack, in a slightly wearied tone. “She’s still a little sore cuz she doesn’t have her own cutie mark yet. She ain’t the only one, either.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Me and mah best friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo,” said Apple Bloom, looking up at me. “We're Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders? Is it like a secret club?”

“Sorta. Used to be, but it ain’t really a secret no more We go out and try to discover our talents by doing whatever we can. The only problem is…”

She trailed off.

“You’ve tried nearly everything at this point?” I supplied.

She nodded sadly.

Poor Apple Bloom. Even if I only knew a smattering about cutie marks, it hurt my heart to see such a cute little kid looking so disheartened. I wasn’t much for consolatory speeches, or for saying anything at all, for that matter. I was much more verbose on paper or by keyboard. Still, I had to do something. I picked her up and set her on my knee, like a father about to lecture his child.

“You wanna know something, Apple Bloom?”

“What?”

“I can’t claim to know exactly what you’re going through, but I have a feeling I can take a wild guess, since I’ve had days like that. There’s times when I majorly screw up, or just plain feel down in the dumps, and at those times, I wonder if there’s anything I can do right at all. It’s a bit dramatic, I know, but we all get that way sometimes. The weight of the world’s on our shoulders, and we feel like we can’t make a difference. At those times, all you can do is be you until the time’s right, when you’re ready to embrace your calling.”

I stopped, because I figured what I was spouting were completely random and sappy generalities. The other occupants of the table had their eyes on me, even Pinkie, who had paused in the middle of a bite. Apple Bloom continued to gaze at me, so I cleared my throat.

“My point is, Apple Bloom, life’s like a good book. If you want to fully enjoy it, you can’t just rush ahead to the good part. It takes time and patience, but when you finally get to that point, your patience will be rewarded ten times over. Just the fact that it’s taking this long must mean you and your friends will have the most spectacular cutie marks of all, worthy of admiration because they were allowed to develop and mature.”

She looked at me a little longer, then she smiled.

“You really think so?” she asked.

“I know so,” I said, giving her a little tickle for good measure, making her giggle.

Her older siblings and grandmother smiled warmly at this, and Pinkie was grinning from ear to ear.

“Thanks, Mr. Dave,” said Apple Bloom, giving me a little hug.

“Anytime, kiddo,” I said.

It was funny; I’d never considered myself good with kids, but seeing how I’d made this sweet little filly smile with less effort than I’d imagined, it made me wonder how many other things I’d kept kidding myself on. I can say this, though: these ponies were already starting to help me open my eyes to their world, and it wasn’t even noon!

PreviousChapters Next