//------------------------------//
// chapter 5 ponyville 
// Story: From a pony to a changeling 
// by skittle strike 
//------------------------------//

Skittles POV

After taking going to sleep for the train ride, I'm awoken by Braeburn nudging me awake. "hey, Skittles wake up, the trains pulling into the station, it's time to get off."

Groaning I stretch myself out hearing some clicks from my neck, looking out the window I can see we're arriving at Ponyville station.

"Thanks for waking me." I yawn. "So what are we doing first when we get of the train?" I say starting to follow Braeburn of the train.

"Well first, we're going to go see Applejack to see if she'll let you work there, then afterwards, I'll be helping out at the farm for a while and we'll see what Applejack will want you to do. She may not need you till Monday so she might let you have a look around Ponyville."

Getting of the train, I see there's not many ponies around. Looking around I can see the town seems fairly quiet, ponies just going about their business. Seeing Braeburn calling me from the other side of the train station I trot to catch up to him.

"Your going to love it here, everypony who lives here are great, you won't find anywhere more friendly than Ponyville." Braeburn states with a smile while he waves to some of the ponies milling about.

Walking through the town, It does seem really peaceful here, ponies walking around without a care in the world. Looking at the ponies going about their business, waving to some, where others just smile and give a friendly nod in my direction.

While I was looking around at the houses and the scenery, I failed to notice the pink mare that saw me and made a bee line straight for me until she was straight in front of me.

"Hi I'm pinkie pie and I've never seen you before so you must be new here because I know every pony and every pony knows me and since I don't know you you must be new so I thought that since you just arrived I'd come over and say hi and welcome to ponyville! oh and hi Braeburn."

Completely stunned that a pony was able to say that much without even taking a breath I can't bring myself to say anything, all I could do was do my best imitation of a fish. I was only able to say anything after I got a shove from Braeburn. " um, hi, uh I'm skittles strike, and yeah, it's  uh nice to meet you pinkie."  holding out my hoof for the pink mare known as pinkie to shake. I'm surprised instead of a hoof shake I get a bone crushing hug.

Looking over to Braeburn while I'm being crushed by this pink mare, all I can see is him stifling his laughter with his hoof in front of his muzzle.

After a while Braeburn is able to control himself to help me. "pinkie, I don't think he can breath, you may want to let the fella go."

After looking at Braeburn, pinkie looks at me slowly turning as blue as my mane. "oopsy my mistake I forget how strong I am sorry, oh right I gotta go places to be, cakes to bake, see ya later."

And just like that, I'm able to breath again and pinkie had just disappeared in a blur of pink. Looking around I see a lot of ponies go back as if nothing just happened, turning my head to Braeburn with an eyebrow raised. "What just happened?"

"Pinkie happened, it will be a lot easier if you don't think about it. It will just give you a headache." Braeburn tells me and continues to lead me through town towards sweet apple acres.

Getting through the town was easy enough, not many ponies paid too much attention to us, apart from the ponies who had met Braeburn before, others had merely opted to wave to us from across the path.

Finally arriving at the gate to sweet apple acres, I could see just how vast the trees were. There was about five times as many fields here than there were back at Appaloosa.

Walking through the gate towards the apples family farm, I was blown away from how fresh all the apples smelled they all looked ripe and juicy. It was hard to restrain myself from flying up and picking one to eat.

Going through the entire farm was a struggle to stop myself from eating all the apples in sight, so when we started to hear the thumps of somepony bucking the trees we started in the direction of where we heard the sounds coming from. With Braeburn leading the way we finally found the pony responsible for the sounds.

What I saw took my breath away, she was absolutely beautiful, her orange coat shimmered from the small spots of sweat dotting her coat. Her blonde main and tail tied up into the classic pony tail looked stunning and to top it all of she wore a Stetson on top of her head.

While I was staring at the orange coated mare, I didn't notice Braeburn walk past me and towards her. " hey Applejack how ya been cousin."

Turning towards Applejack tilts her hat back to see us easier. "howdy Braeburn, been busy with the harvest, but not much else has happened around here." Looking past Braeburn she motioned to me with a hoof. "who's the pony ya brought with ya Braeburn?"

Looking back towards me Braeburn looks surprised for a second then motions me forwards. "well this here is Skittles Strike he's been helping us at Appaloosa and I remembered you saying you could use some extra hooves so I brought him along to see if he could be of any help to ya, well what do ya think willing to give him a try?"

Looking over at me Applejack walks up to me and starts inspecting me, walking around me she gives a couple of thoughtful hums while she inspects my rear legs.

"Well he looks like he has some muscle on his rear legs, but being a Pegasus you might find it harder to buck the trees, but I take It you figured that out working on Braeburns orchard." Applejack said with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah it was hard bucking the trees there, but as I kept doing it, it got easier to do and get more apples to fall down with each kick, but I can only get about seven to ten apples in each buck." I said looking at Applejack trying to sound confident in what I could do at the moment.

Looking between Applejack and Braeburn, I could see Braeburn was looking at me with a small smile on his lips and Applejack had a thoughtful look on her face, most likely thinking on what she should say.

After a few minutes, Applejack moved back over to the tree she was bucking when we had arrived. "Well, we could use the extra hoof. So, what we could do is have you start tomorrow, so today, you can just have a look around Ponyville, you'll also been staying in the spare room we have in the barn if that's alright with you. We'll tell ya what you'll be doing tomorrow after breakfast."

Nodding my head I shift my wings to get the numb feeling out of them to prepare for flight. "alright I'll be back here later on then and thanks for giving me a chance Applejack, I'll do my best not to slow you down." looking towards Braeburn "Thanks for helping me out Braeburn I really appreciate it and I'll see you both later then."

Spreading my wings I flap them to get myself of the ground and start heading back over too where we came from.

Getting closer to Ponyville I can see ponies from above going about their business. Landing in the middle of the market, I can see a lot of ponies around here buying their groceries at some of the stalls and from what I could hear at pretty decent prices.

Looking around I see a building which looks like a gingerbread house, I feel tempted to take a bite of the house. I start to make my way over to the building so I look at the sign above the door which reads 'Sugarcube corner' guessing it's a place to get something to eat I make my way inside.

When I get inside all I could smell was everything sweet and savoury, I felt like I could gain weight just from the smell alone, even before I start eating anything. Making my way up to the desk where a plump looking mare had just finished serving another customer.

She had a cyan blue coat with a two toned pink mane and her cutie make were of three cupcakes.

"Hello dearie, what can I get ya?" the mare behind the desk asked me.

"hmmm, can I get a strawberry muffin and a chocolate milkshake please."

"sure, that will be five bits please."

Handing the bits I'm asked to wait over at a table where she would bring them over to me shortly, sitting down at a table next to the window so I can enjoy my snacks while looking out at the scenery around Ponyville.

After a couple of minutes the mare brought them over and introduced herself as Mrs cake, looking back out the window while sipping on my milkshake I see a purple unicorn with purple hair with a pink stripe going through her mane and tail, walking around with what looks to be a small purple dragon which has green spikes going down his back, tail and a green underbelly.

While looking around outside I don't notice that said unicorn and dragon had walked into Sugarcube corner and ordered something at the counter, as they walk past me the purple unicorn stops and pokes me on my shoulder.

Turning around I see the unicorn looking at me with a smile, giving her a smile back. "hello something you need?"

"oh no I just can't see any other tables available mind if we sit with you." giving the mare a nod they move to sit at the table with me. "Thanks and my name is twilight sparkle but my friends just call me twilight and this is my No 1 assistant spike, who is a baby dragon." said baby dragon gives a thank you and his own greeting.

"I'm Skittle strike and it's nice to meet you twilight, I've heard a bit about you, from what they've said about you and your friends in the newspaper, they say you've saved us quite a few times now haven't you." I replied.

"Really you've heard about us?" I could see a little bit of a blush on her cheeks. "we never really wanted to get any attention, we just tried to help out and do our part, so what brings you to Ponyville?"

I'm actually here to work a friend of mine brought me here to work at sweet apple acres with Applejack and her family she said I could start tomorrow, I'm having a look around Ponyville today so I can get familiar with the town." 

"Really I'm glad she let you work there, Applejack is really stubborn about letting ponies help out at their farm took all of our friends to convince her to let us help her with the harvest before."

"Yeah I'm glad she gave me a chance to work with her, I could use the bits and stuff to do."

" I see, well I hope you enjoy working with Applejack, she does need help on the farm even if she won't admit it herself or ask for it, so I'm glad your able to help them out."

"Yeah I'm glad she said I could start tomorrow, I've only been apple bucking for about a week so I hope I won't slow them down much on their farm, from what Braeburn told me they have a lot of apple trees to go through for the harvest."

Looking out the window again I see it looks to be midday, standing up from the table. "sorry to cut this short Twilight, but I'm going to have a look around town so I can see what other kinds of shops you have here." going towards the door I think of a question to ask. "Hey twilight, before I go do you happen to know if you have a bowling alley in town?"

"Oh yes, we do but I don't know where it is since I don't normally play it much."

"that's good to know, I played it all the time back in dodge junction which was where I lived before going to Appaloosa, so I hope I might to play it again with more ponies with me." Waving to Twilight and spike I head towards the exit.

Leaving Sugarcube corner I start to walk around Ponyville seeing all sorts of shops everywhere, there was. Quills and sofas, carousel boutique, the library, the hospital and eventually I found the bowling alley which was actually called Pins bowling lane.

Looking up towards the clouds I can see the Pegasi moving them around, it looks like it's going to be sunny with cloudy patches this afternoon.

Flapping my wings to get higher and higher I'm eventually above the cloud layer and looking down at the town below me, looking around I can see a forest far on the outskirts of Ponyville. 'Must be the everfree forest, I've heard that place is very dangerous where ponies try to stay away from it'. flying over to get a closer look at the forest I can tell it's nowhere anypony wants to go near it just screams 'DANGER'.

Landing on the outskirts of the everfree forest looking into the forest all I can see is trees and vast amounts of darkness, seeing as I can't see too far into the forest. I turn around to head back towards Ponyville so I can find a path back towards sweet apple acres, to find out where I'll be sleeping.