Sketchy sat in his jail cell with his eyes clenched shut. “I don’t understand,” he said in a voice just above a whisper. “Adults are supposed to pretend that sex doesn’t exist around young ponies?”
Applejack pressed her hat against her face to cover up her burning cheeks. “More or less.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, okay? That’s just the way things are.”
“Okay,” Sketchy said in a tone that meant he didn’t understand anything. He huddled into himself a bit more. “I wish I could be back home.”
Applejack felt bad even thinking it, but she was kind of wishing he’d head back to Griffonstone too. Her life involved a lot more facehoofing since he got to town. She pushed those thoughts aside and turned to the guard stationed in the jail with them. “How serious are the charges?”
“He owes five-hundred bits for selling indecent material to a minor and one thousand for sexually harassing the Princess,” the guard said flatly, keeping his eyes on Sketchy. “Finally, his bail is one hundred bits.”
Sketchy somehow managed to sink down farther. “Oh, I guess I’ll be moving out of Mr. Suite’s apartment building. Are there any abandoned buildings around here that I could stay in for free? They had them everywhere in Griffonstone.”
The guard gave him an unfriendly look. “There are no such buildings in this town.”
“Oh. I guess … I’ll find an alleyway or something.”
Applejack looked from the downtrodden stallion to the angry guard. There was a part of her that really wanted to leave and put this whole mess behind her. Sure, she’d feel like a terrible pony, but at least she’d be a terrible pony without a criminally stupid stallion on her hooves. In fact, she was pretty sure most ponies would agree that leaving was a good idea.
“Ugh,” Applejack lowered her head in defeat, “I’ll pay his bail.”
The guard stared at her like she was crazy. He probably wasn’t wrong about that. “Are you sure?”
“Eeyup,” Applejack said, not the least bit happy about where her day was heading. “Just let me run by the bank. How long until he has to pay the other fines?”
“One moon.”
“At least that’s something.” Applejack headed to the door. “Be back in a jiffy.” She didn’t like banks, a whole bunch of highfalutin’ ponies acting all big because they had a bunch of other pony’s money, but Sketchy’s fine was at least half her fault anyway. She owed him, and even if she didn’t, it just wasn’t right to turn away from a pony that needed a helping hoof.
She was back at the jail in ten minutes. “Here’s your darn hundred bits.” She shoved a bag into the guard’s hoof. “I’ll talk to Princess Twilight and see if I can get her to drop the sexual harassment charges too.”
The guard took the bag and opened Sketchy’s cell door. “You’re far more generous than he deserves.”
“Not generous, just owning up to my mistakes.” Applejack walked in and reached out her hoof to Sketchy, who was still hunched over with his eyes closed. “Hey, Sketchy, it’s okay. We can get outta here now.”
He opened his eyes and looked up at her like he didn’t understand what was going on. He probably didn’t, now that she thought about it.
“I paid enough of your fine that you can leave,” Applejack said gently. “Now come on, we’ve got one moon to rustle up the rest of that money.”
Sketchy kept up the blank-faced stare for a moment, then he came forward and slowly lifted a foreleg, like he wanted to hug her. “I, um …” He looked away and started to pull his leg back.
Applejack smiled and stepped into the embrace, wrapped a hoof of her own around him. She could feel him tense up at the contact, but it only lasted a moment. “I know,” Applejack said, patting his back. “You’re welcome.”
He nodded into her shoulder. “I’ll pay you back for this, somehow.”
“Let’s just worry about paying off that fine,” Applejack said.
“Okay.” Sketchy slowly pulled out of the hug, looking at the floor. “I just, um, don’t know if I’ll be able to make enough money in one moon.”
“We’ll figure something out.” Applejack led him outside and picked a random direction to walk. She didn’t have any real destination in mind, so she decided to see where her hooves led her. “For now, why don’t you tell me about yourself? I don’t really know nothing about you.”
“You know I was raised in Griffonstone,” Sketchy said, walking alongside her.
“Heh, guess that’s true.” She looked him up and down. “How’d a pony wind up living there, anyway?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I think they stole me from a group of travelers, or maybe my parents were explorers and got killed while hunting for the Golden Idol of Boreas. I never had enough money to pay the older griffons to tell me where I came from.”
Applejack’s jaw dropped. “They’d charge you for something like that?”
“Yes,” he said like it was perfectly normal. “Why wouldn’t they?”
She sighed and shook her head. “Never mind. So why’d you move to Ponyville of all places?”
“I heard ponies in Canterlot will pay hundreds of bits for a single picture,” Sketchy said, “but I didn’t have enough money for an apartment there, so I thought I’d move to the closest town and travel there on weekends.”
“Guess I’ve heard worse plans.” Applejack glanced at her companion. He was looking at the ground. “So do griffons really not hide the,” her cheeks flushed, “facts of life from their young?”
He shook his head. “Is it really that big of a deal to ponies?”
“I suppose it kinda is.” She took a deep breath. “Look, you getting locked up is mostly my fault. I should’ve warned you not to show pictures from that magazine in public, and especially not to sell them to kids.”
“Is it your fault that I didn’t know it would get me in trouble?” Sketchy asked. “It seems as though it should be my fault.”
Applejack smiled faintly. “Let’s just say we both made mistakes, alright?”
“Okay,” he said, “though I hope you won’t be too upset if I avoid using models from that magazine in the future. I prefer to draw models that aren’t so overtly sexual.”
“Then why’d you do it?”
Sketchy blushed a little. “I’m almost out of money.”
Applejack stopped. “How much do you have?” she asked softly. “Only if ya don’t mind telling me.”
“A little less than four-hundred bits,” Sketchy said. “Food and rent are more expensive than I thought they’d be.”
Applejack hummed thoughtfully. “So you need money, but to get it, you need a model.”
Sketchy nodded. “Or someone willing to commission a picture of themselves.”
That sounded like something the fancy-shmancy ponies of Canterlot might do, but no way they’d hire Sketchy for it unless he was already famous. Applejack sighed. She’d never understand rich ponies. “Guess we’ll start with a model. Any preferences on what they look like?”
He shook his head. “All that matters is that ponies find him or her attractive.”
Applejack tapped on her chin thoughtfully. “Well, Rarity’s still the first pony that comes to mind, but I think we’ll save her as a last resort, considering how that turned out last time.”
Sketchy shuddered. “Agreed.”
“Right, then.” Applejack looked at the many houses that surrounded them. “Let’s find you a model.”
This story is so good. Waiting for more.
I am enjoying this story. Hopefully, it won't end for a while. Not very often you get a good OC x Applejack fic that's not clop.
9048671
No clop, just butts.
9048686
Exactly
9048644
Expect the next update tomorrow, and I'm glad you're enjoying it!
9048713
As I said, I have no explanation, but I also have no regrets.
Pony butts are best butts~
9048833
There's a reason so many people watch it for the "plot."
if only it was anthro but still good
9048907
I'm glad you're enjoying it, and yeah, it would make more sense anthro.
Got to say, little disappointed in Twilight let her emotions run away with her in this chapter, because you would she would notice that there was something off about him.
Good read, and good luck AJ. Stop leaving this guy alone!
I am starting to wonder what was his foalhood like for the guy if griffins that he was razed him weren't even kind enough to impart that basic fact without a price even as a lie. If anything his wanting to go back there is more out of familiarity more then actual love for his adoptive nation, and the fact that he arrived in Equestria so unprepared tell a lot about his upbringing, especially sense he seems to be fine with squatting in abandon buildings. I am starting to think that he had little to no formal education and that he managed to make it on his own with drawing art for passers byes if only. I am curious to know what got him interested in going to Equestria if only to be with his own kind and in hopes to make bits for a living in doing what he loves best in life.
I wonder if AJ will hire him for some work if only to help him out a little, I am guessing that she can expect him to be bluntly honest if he does the job right or not not sure if he will like it.
Seriously, this is basically PK
I just read this whole thing from start to finish, I'm really liking it and I can't wait for the next chapter.
Well look at that you got the bits for every thing....
How'd ya do it?
a Whole family ?
CHEESE! CHEESE CHEESE? ???
IT'S A DRAWING PINKIE
Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeee
And Spike bought out the rest of those Princess approved 1st. editions...... ...of Rarity....
9049076
Twilight letting her emotions run away with her is the plot of a significant fraction of the episodes centered on her, especially early on. She does significantly better when it's somebody else's problem she's nosing her way into.
He already asked you be a model though! Just do that for him!
EXPLAIN IT TOO HER, SHE'S REASONABLE! SHE'LL UNDERSTAND! Right...?
9049508
u do a lot of emoticons
9050677
THIS IS THE WORST POSSIBLE THING
I'm feeling sorry for Sketchy. He pretty much got thrown in jail for something he had no way of knowing and was treated poorly by the guard. I am glad Applejack is that understanding and willing to help. It is nice to see her if necessary even embarrass herself just to help him settle.
Hm. Didn't quite see it happening that way, but I also wasn't expecting him to be running out of money that quickly. Applejack's blissful obliviousness to the realities of growing up on a farm with pigs as tenants (they don't really feel much need for privacy) is so in character. Twilight I can see going either way; she was an early and voracious reader, which guarantees picking up on all the peripherals of sexual relations even in the absence of any interest in the topic, and does tend to treat other people as just like her - but she's also perfectly capable of memorizing and religiously following any random book on parenting.
Paid
10183179
Fixed it. Thanks!