Time to get up.
Derek’s body shivered as a sudden cool breeze washed over him. He groaned as he woke up, oblivious to his own predicament for a few moments as he stretched. With a final wide yawn, Derek took in his surroundings.
“What the…” Derek said, trying to hop up on his feet, but then stumbled onto his stomach the moment he tried to stand.
With a mixture of dizziness, incoordination, and a draining sensation, Derek couldn't even find the strength to stand up on his own two feet. Looking down at his hands, Derek could only stare owlishly at the two things in front of him: a note, and a dark grey fur limb. Speechless with mild terror, Derek read over the note first before the panic started to kick in.
Hello my boy, I hope you are well rested because our game has just begun. I hope you like your new pony body. Along with your new body, I took the liberty to also give you a new name. Your name will be Silver Line. Just a last minute point of info to go along with the rules, you must try to learn and act as a regular pony citizen to evade suspicion. Have fun!
Guess I need to learn my new name now. Derek sighed as the recent events of what happened earlier came back to him.
Looking down, he couldn't help himself to try and shake his hands, only to find that the limb moved instead. He tried to curl a fist, yet the front hooves bent inwards.
“Where am I?” Derek asked himself. He looked around and found himself filled dread as he noted where he had woken up at.
Derek had found himself, what seemed to be, within a large forest, but only at the edge and not deep within it. The large, formidable, dark trees looked damp as both the branches and leaves hanged limp in the air. Thick moss and large vines covered the majority of the trees, as the canopy blocked out any form of direct sunlight from the sky. Ferns and bushes grew wild around him, with some of the bushes even having thorns thicker than those found on roses sticking out. With the small amount of light protruding from the forest edge, Derek could tell that there was a weak, thin, opaque fog just above the forest floor.
“I swear, if a motherfucking headless horseman comes waltzing out of the bushes, I’m going to smash a branch on top of someone’s head.” Derek mumbled under his breath as he attempted to stand once again. “If I don’t run first.” He squeaked from the sudden chill down his spine.
Taking a few, slow, testing steps, Derek managed to get a bare understanding of walking on all fours. After soon walking around for a bit, Derek felt his movement were becoming close enough to natural, as natural as could be to him anyway. Looking out through the fog, Derek managed to spot, what he believed to be, Ponyville in the far distance.
“Guess that’s where I’m going to go play this damn game…” Derek mumbled to himself as he headed towards the unfamiliar town. “I wonder if they are hostile.”
***
Derek found himself speechless to what he saw. Unicorns, Pegasi, and regular ponies had coats and manes of pastel colors. He watched in surprise as the ponies went about their daily lives, chatting amongst each other like any human would.
Derek shook his head as he had to correct himself. These ponies, as far as he could see, were more lively, more social, and seemed much friendlier than any human he ever knew back home. Every where he looked, ponies were laughing amongst themselves with not a care in the world.
“Wow,” Derek said breathless. “This place seems so… surreal.”
Derek had to catch himself when he stumbled back as a bit of anxiety took over him. After taking a couple of deep breaths, he slapped himself to get his mind back on track. Once again calm, he noted the sheer size of Ponyville. It wasn't as small as he had originally thought it would be.
Alright, this town isn't as small as I first thought. Still, it shouldn't be too hard to find a Draconequus here. He seems to be the odd one out from all these ponies, Derek thought as he looked left to right.
Choosing a random direction, Derek started to trot down towards a mass of ponies. Taking the moment for sight seeing, he stopped into a nearby shop and examined exactly what the ponies were eating. To both his amusement and surprise, he found some ponies drinking tea and eating cookies.
As he headed out, Derek stopped once he noticed his appearance for the first time upon the reflection of the glass door. His coat was a dark shade of grey, with golden yellow eyes, and his mane was snow white. He put a hoof to his head, seeing if he could stroke his mane down low enough to see it himself.
“I don't think I’ll get use to this,” Derek mumbled as he pushed the door open and walked out.
Walking past some of the other shops, Derek found, again to his amusement, the ways ponies carried their stuff. Pegasi carried bags in their hooves, Unicorns with, what Derek could only conclude to be, in their magic. But the funniest of them all was the earth pony. Earth ponies had to pick or hold things in their mouths before placing them inside their bags. Still, he was awed how nopony really fussed or complained upon the way they done things. Walking past a pastry shop, Derek halted, as he inhaled the sweet aroma coming from within.
“Mmm, that smells good,” Derek noted, as the smell of cake and donuts filled the air. It was then his smile dropped as he realised he had no money. He didn’t even know how the currency worked here, and so with a sigh, Derek opted to just keep walking around.
After spending some time, occasionally keeping an eye out for Discord amongst the masses of ponies, Derek came to a horrifying realization. He had no idea where to start or how to even look for Discord. He didn't even know what Discord was capable of doing, or how magic even worked. Keeping to himself as to not to draw any attention, he began to observe the unicorns using their magic. That proved to be fruitless when majority of the time the unicorns around him only ever used their magic to pick up certain items and nothing else. Furthermore, Derek came upon the fact that he had nothing to eat, no money for food, or even have a place to stay. While he wasn't too bothered upon the thought of sleeping outside, seeing as how the weather was more than pleasant, it was the idea of starving for the night that bothered him the most.
Derek walked out towards the far end of of town. He spotted a few ponies who had been attending, what looked like to be, market stands. While some stalls seemed to be selling various things, it was one stall that caught his attention the most. This stall was selling apple, apple pies, apple ciders, and other various apple-made products. But what really attracted Derek to this stall was the fact that everything was out in the open. He scanned around to find no one was paying close attention to the stall, nor did he see the stall owner.
Man, I wish I had some money right about now. Derek thought as his stomach grumbled. I wonder…
Looking around more closely, Derek spotted at least three different escape routes. He wasn’t much of a thief, but he wasn't against the idea of stealing. And though he considered himself a good fighter and being able to hold his own ground against someone, he had no idea how to fight in his current body. While Derek prefered to get what he needed earnestly, right now, he felt he was in no place to be judging ethics. If this was his word, not many would think second about stealing, and he learned that the hard way. Casually walking up to the apple stand, he began to eyed a potential target.
Lets see, when no one is looking, I’ll grab the apple pie and- At the mere word of ‘grab’, Derek’s mind stopped as he looked down at his hooves. There’s no way I’ll be able to steal a pie like this. How would I even grab it, let alone, run with it?
A moment of thought ran past his mind as he remembered how the ponies carried their items. Looking back to the stand, Derek shook his head, knowing he wouldn't be able to run with a pie stuck in his mouth. Looking towards the stand, he decided he was better off snagging a few apples and dropping them in his bag. Walking up to the stand, Derek reached a hoof out and scooped up four apples then dropped them into his bag.
“Hey!” A female pony screamed out.
Without looking back, Derek turned on his hooves and started to run, kicking the stand by mistake.
“What in tarnation? Where do ya think yer goin?” He heard from behind. “Get back here.”
Without thinking, he turned towards an open field as he tried to outrun the pony who was vastly catching up. He turned to look behind him and saw an orange earth female pony wearing a stiletto hat chasing him. He quickened his pace in fear of what he saw the pony had in her mouth. A lasso, and from the looks of it, Derek knew she knew how to use it.
“Don't think yer goin to get away,” Derek heard her shout before seeing her ran past him.
Just as Derek turned on his heels to run the opposite way, the rope went right in front of his face. With the most manliest of yelps he could muster, he found all four of his legs caught within the rope as he fell on his face. “Fuck!”
Unable to move, Derek laid on the ground with a daze from the fallen impact. He groaned and shook his head as the female pony walked up to him. Looking up to the pony, he only found an impassive looked on her face as she looked down at him. He continued to stater as he tried to shift his body away from her.
“So what do we have here?” She asked in the most southern accent Derek ever heard. “Now ah know Sweet Apple Acres’ apples are delicious, but ah never seen a pony go an’ try to steal ‘em before.” The female pony placed a hoof over one of the apples as she rolled it near her. “Now, who are ya, and why’d ya tried stealin’ mah apples? Ya even broke mah stand tryin’ to flee.”
Derek open his mouth to respond, but shut it when he didn't know exactly what to say without breaking any of Discord’s rules, if he hadn't done so already. Not even a single day has passed and now Derek was positive he had just failed the game. So he kept his mouth closed, waiting for Discord to show up and declare his loss. Except he never showed.
“Hey partner, ya okay there? Ya didn't go bustin’ yer noggin from the fall ya took just now, did ya?” The pony asked, her concern crossing her face.
“No,” Derek groan, slowly shaking his head, “Just a little dizzy.” He stated, taking a deep breath. “And probably a little winded as well.”
“Ah see.” The pony sighed, holding the rope in her mouth that held Derek’s legs tight. “If that's the case, then how ‘bout ya answer me some questions then. What’s yer name?”
“My name, it’s D-” Derek stopped himself before the words could leave his lips. A strange sensation washed over him, reminding him that he couldn't use his real name. “Its um…” Derek faltered for a bit, trying to remember the name he was given. And as if someone was whispering in his ear, the name came back to him. “It’s Silver Line.”
“Silver Line, is it?” The pony questioned, somewhat perplexed. “For a moment there, ah thought ya had amnesia or somethin’.” The pony chuckled, her eyes fixated on Derek’s. “So, why did ya steal mah apples?”
Derek turned his eyes away from the pony with a heavy sigh. “Well, I figured no pony was watching, or would mind me taking a couple of their apples. I mean, they’re just apples.”
The pony glared down at Derek, causing him to metaphorically sweat. “Even if they’re jus’ ‘apples’, ya shouldn't go around taken things that don’t belong to ya, or without asking. So, why ya take ‘em?” she asked again, with Derek noticing she wasn’t wearing a look of anger, but curiosity.
“I was hungry,” Derek said under his breath.
“What was that now? Ah couldn't hear ya.” The pony moved closer to emphasize her point.
“I was getting hungry, okay!” Derek said louder, with a edge to his voice. “And I don't have any money as well.”
“Oh,” the pony said, taking a step back. “Well, why didn't ya say so? Ya could've just ask for some, Ah wouldn't mind givin ya a couple.” She flicked her hat up as she eyed Derek. “You could've just traded somethin’ or even worked out a deal. Ya didn't have to go and steal ‘em.”
Derek couldn't even respond to her. The situation was already weird enough to him just being caught. He never expected his pursuer would try talking things out with him, and get a better understanding of what happened. Derek knew the laws and streets of his world, and getting caught stealing by someone would have you ended up in a fight or arrested. There was never a time to just talk things out if you weren't a little kid, yet here he was, explaining himself.
The pony began to look him over, her eyes searching every part of his body. “Now that ah gotten a better look at ya, yer not anypony ah seen around here. Are ya new in town?” The pony asked with a tilt of her head.
“You could say that,” Derek replied, noticing the rope loosening around his legs. “I’m more of a…” He let the words die on his tongue as he tried to quickly come up with a excuse. “A stray wanderer you could say. Going between city to city, town to town, no place to really stay or call my own.” Derek stated, standing up with a limp. “Ow. I think I sprained my hoof.”
“Sorry ‘bout that.” The pony said, letting go of the rope in her mouth. Walking over to one of the stray apples, she kicked it over to Derek. “Now Silver, I’m goin’ to take yer word for what ya just said,” she said, walking back over to Derek. “But Ah’m not gonna let ya get away with breaking mah stand and ruining all of mah stuff.”
Derek reeled back from the glare the pony was giving him, sending dread right down his body. He wasn't prepared for a fight, and he knew he stood no chance of winning against this pony. Yet, instead of a fight, she said something else that took him by a bigger surprised.
“And since ya don’t have any bits on ya to repair mah stand, or all of mah wasted apple products from the fall, Ah’ll just have ya work it off.” She gave him a sly smile.
Of course, have me work off a debt since I have no money to pay, but Bits? Is that what they use as money around here? What do they even look like? Derek thought, leaning down to pick up the kicked apple while trying to keep the weight off his leg.
“So I just have to work off the payment for the stand and wasted food?” Derek asked after taking a bite out of the apple. “Oh, this is juicy, and delicious,” he complimented as he swallowed.
The pony gave him a smug smile as she observed his face. “Of course they’re good. Grown ‘em mahself. Ah don't mean to brag, but Sweet Apple Acres has the best apples in Ponyville, if not all of Equestria.” She stated, taking an apple for herself. “And for how long it’ll take ya to work off that small debt, Depending on what ya can do around the farm, it shouldn’t take ya longer than say a week, probably less.”
“A week.” Derek grimaced, noting that he only had four weeks until his game was up.
The pony gave him a sideway stare. “It’s not a bad deal, ya know?” She said, walking over to look at his hoof. “Mah family is rather nice, and we have more than enough room to spare for a single guest.”
“Wait,” Derek said, stopping the pony before she could continue. “Are you saying I can stay at your house while I work?” He wondered how anyone or anypony could let a complete stranger stay at their house.
“Of course,” the pony answered, confusion plastered on her face. “Ya said ya have no place to stay or call yer own. Plus, this way Ah can make sure ya don't run off.” She added with a smile. “But ya seem like an honest stallion, and look at the bright side, if ya good enough, we might actually offer ya a job. That is, if ya looking for a job and a place to stay.”
Derek couldn't help but look at the pony slack-jawed. Is this pony stupid? Why would she even consider the idea of offering someone, who just robbed her, a job? Closing his eyes, he gave off a small smile. This world is definitely a lot more nicer than mine, or is this some sort of ruse?
“So, what do ya say partner? Sound like Ah fair deal to ya?” The pony stuck out a hoof in the sign of a handshake.
Using his springe limb, Derek weakly shook the pony’s hoof. “Sounds good to me. I was in the wrong anyways.” He added under his breath, but loud enough for the pony to hear him.
“Well I’ll be. If ya can be honest with yerself like that, maybe we can find ya a place amongst mah family,” she said, with a expression of respect. “Now, let’s get ya back to the farm so we can get some ice on that leg there.”
“Yeah…” Derek mumbled, making sure his bag was on tight and nothing was lost from the fall. “So, how far do we have to go before we come to the farm, Miss…” He trailed off, not knowing the pony’s name.
“The name’s Applejack, and it ain’t Miss or any of that fancy stuff, jus’ Applejack,” she started, walking over to scoop up the last of her apples. “Mah family’s farm is just on the outskirts of Ponyville, so it ain’t that far from here.”
“Alright, let's get going then.”