//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: An Invitation to Lunch // Story: Red Vs Blue: Epsilon in Equestria // by The Sentient Cloud //------------------------------// Ponyville Library: Twilight approached the Library at a gallop, throwing the door open with her magic. “What-” She stopped, seeing that Rainbow was pacing back and forth across the room, muttering angrily. “Rainbow! What happened?” “What happened?!” Dash turned to look at Twilight. “That stupid colt went nuts and walked off! That’s what happened!” Twilight stared at her. There had to be more to it than that, but she knew that Dash would never admit to doing something wrong – or maybe Church had done something worse and she just hadn’t mentioned it. “I… Which way did he go?” She looked back at the door. “That way.” Dash grumpily gestured in the general direction of up-town, where the town hall and square were located. “Come on then! We need to find him before somepony gets hurt!” “You do what you want.” Dash shook her head. “I don’t want anything to do with that nut-job. I’m going home.” “But Dash-” “And that’s final!” Rainbow nearly shouted, taking off and swooping over Twilight’s head and out the door. Twilight watched in dismay as she flew off in the direction of her cloud home, and then turned to Pinkie and Spike as they arrived. “Church has gone towards the town square. We need to find him.” “Oh!” Pinkie bounced once on the spot. “It’ll be like a game of hide-and-seek! Let’s go!” *** Ponyville Town Square: Church looked around as he walked. This place seemed so… wrong. All the buildings looked like they had been coloured in with vivid pastels, and those thatched roofs were still bugging him. His thoughts were in turmoil. That stupid Pegasus had really stirred them up with her questions. Church couldn’t stop thinking about Tex. Where was she now? Was it possible that he had actually deleted her? What if this entire world was just her getting revenge for him trying to forget her? He doubted it. Tex wouldn’t have a memory or a mind like this. Why this world existed at all was beyond him. Church glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the Library. He didn’t want to go back there – at least, not yet. He couldn’t stay cooped up in there any longer. He turned back to watch where he was going, seeing just too late that he was about to walk into somebody – a large red pony. Church collided with the red pony’s side - or more accurately, the huge bag of apples hanging from his side – knocking over the precariously stacked pile. “Oof!” They both grunted as Church took a step back. The red pony swayed momentarily on the spot, compensating for the collision while Church looked around at the spilled apples “Whoops.” “Careful partner.” A female voice spoke up, and the orange pony from the hospital – Applejack – entered his field of vision. She looked down at the spilled apples, and then up at Church. “Hey, yer that pony from the Hospital… Uhh… Monk?” “Church.” Church deadpanned, looking down at the mess. “Uhh… Sorry about that fruit, I guess.” In reality, he was sorrier that he hadn’t eaten since he had arrived in this stupid world – and this body needed to eat. “Right.” Applejack stopped down, grabbing an apple stem between her teeth and lifting it back up to the red pony. “Don’t worry. Apples is apples, right Big Mac?” The red pony opened his mouth, before simply saying “Eeyup.” “Uhh…” Church didn’t want to offer his help. He didn’t know these ponies. His conscious was about to get the best of him, when a voice rang out. “Oh Applejack! What happened?” The apples spread around them were encased in a light green aura, and each one suddenly rose into the air, forming a pile in one of Big Mac’s saddlebags again. Church watched disinterestedly. In this strange world, there wasn’t much that would surprise him. A green unicorn walked over, her horn glowing. “Did you run into somepony?” “Uhh… Yall could say that.” Applejack gave a weak smile. “Thanks very much Lyra.” “No problem!” The Unicorn smiled, and then walked away. “Well that was weird.” Church muttered. Who was ever that nice, just for the hell of it? “Wha’s that partner?” Applejack turned back to Church. “Nothing.” Church looked away. “So what brings ya out of the library?” Applejack queried. “The blue Pegasus.” Church replied shortly. “I can’t stand her.” “Who, Rainbow? Ah know she can be a little difficult sometimes, but yah just need to take the good with the bad.” Church pointedly increased the angle between his vision and Applejack. “Well, I’m not going back there. Not until she’s gone.” “Well, y’all can come back to the farm with us. It’ll be a change o’ scenery, right Big Mac?” Church glanced back around at the two as Big Mac opened his mouth and once again drawled an ‘Eeyup.’. “No, that’s fi-” He was cut of by a slight groan from his stomach – extremely quiet, but still audible. “Uh, fi-” “Nonsense.” Applejack stepped forward. “Just listen to that stomach. We’ll fix you up a right proper lunch!” “I…” Church paused, thinking back to what he had thought of earlier. He could barely remember the last time he had eaten – and definitely not the last time he had eaten real food. “Wait, what kind of lunch?” “A good ol’ fashioned Apple Family lunch!” Applejack’s face brightened. “With some hay, tulips, and apples – o’ course.” Mentally, Church cringed from the idea of eating hay – even though the mention of it made his mouth water. Apples sounded good though. “I… uhh…” Church paused, still hesitant. They stood in silence for a couple of seconds, before Church’s stomach voiced it’s opinion. “Well then, I s’pose that decides it.” Applejack waved with her hoof for Church to follow as she and Big Mac kept walking. “Ah need t’ stay here in town and sell these here apples…” She spoke conversationally. “But Big Mac here can take you back to the farm, and Applebloom can fix ya up something to eat.” “Uhh… Thanks, I guess.” Church frowned uneasily. He didn’t like charity. He didn’t like owing people. That gave others leverage – and if Tex had taught him anything, it was that letting someone have leverage against you was very very dangerous. He waited patiently as Applejack and Big Mac – who was apparently her brother – set up shop at an empty store, displaying far more apples that Church had ever thought they would ever be able to sell. “How much of this do you normally sell?” “How much?” Applejack grinned sheepishly. “We normally need to bring in some more. Us Ponyville ponies love our apples.” “Yeah…” Church watched as multiple ponies started converging on the stand. “I can see that.” “Eeyup.” Applejack started handing out apples and taking small golden coins. “Things a’ about to get a little crazy here, so you an’ Big Mac should prob’ly get goin’.” “Eeyup.” Big Mac nodded, starting to walk away. Church hesitated, and then followed, quickly catching up to the slow-moving colt.