//------------------------------// // Year 1: Summer; Week 2 // Story: Harvest Moon: Friends of Ponyville // by Rokkurin //------------------------------// Kasey sat on the porch of his house admiring his vast fields of fruit and vegetables. He scanned around them, looking at the full ripeness of each and everyone, and how the ocean in the background made the scene even more perfect. As he looked up to the cloudless sky on this calm and cool spring morning, his door opened up and out stepped a woman. “Honey, do you know where the kids have gone to?” asked his wife. “They are out in the fields playing.” He replied. “Can you go get them? Dinner's almost ready.” The rancher nodded his head as the door shut. He got up and stretched, feeling his muscles groan from being disturbed. He walked out into his fields to look for his children. He looked and looked and looked but couldn’t find them. The more he walked in his fields the more the plants would grow bigger and bigger. Soon the plants grew to block out his surroundings. He was closed in walls of leafy greens. He began to panic. He forgot why he came to the fields as he started running to find an exit. He ran and ran and ran but everything remained the same. He felt his chest burn as he grew tired. Kasey tripped over an overgrown root and came to a painful stop, but it didn’t hurt. “Why.” He looked up. “Why Kasey.” The farmer looked around. “Was I not good enough for you?” The voice sounded familiar. Kasey turned around and saw fin floating close to him. He was crying. “I thought...I thought…” Fear gripped onto Kasey like a spider would to its prey. He wanted to get up and run, but his body would respond. But where can he run to, he was in an empty void. There was nothing everywhere and nowhere. “I thought I was your...FRIEND! Finn yelled as he lunged at Kasey. (~) Kasey awoke with a start. It was that dream again. The same dream has been plaguing him for a few days now. Why it started? He does not know, but he does know one thing, a small part of him still misses his old home. “Will I ever go back?” He thought to himself. He looked around his empty home, watching as the sun slowly filled it with its warming embrace. Everything felt the same as it did back in his old life. The same small house, the same green fields, and the same crops. Only this time, a new crises was to beheld and he knew that it was up to him, and the residence, to find the cause of the problem. With nothing else on his mind, Kasey set out to beginning his routine. He watered his crops in the morning blaze of the summer heat It has been a while now since the start of the summer and he feels like he is missing out on some of the fun that was happening around town. On days like these, people (or in this case ponies) would be out at the beach enjoying the sun and having fun with friends. Kasey looked at the time and saw it was close to 11 o'clock. “That can't be right.” he said to himself. He just started his day and it was already half over. Was he in his mind more times than not? Was he about to repeat the same mistakes he did back in his old life? Just to focus on the crises at hand and skip out on finding love? Kasey shook his head, “No, not again.” “Hi Kasey!” A voice called to him. He turned in the direction of the voice and saw the pink pony, Pinkie Pie. “Hi Pinkie, how have you been?” he asked. The pink party pony skipped over to him, her smile growing bigger as she gets closer, “I have been super duper wonderful! It feels like we haven't spoken in a very very very loooooooong time! How have you been? Anything new? How are your crops? Blah blah blah blah blah blah…” Kasey tuned out the pink pony. He had a lot on his mind that he has no time to focus on her one sided conversation. “Don’t” Kasey jumped at hearing a new voice. Pinkie Pie was still talking as if nothing happened. “Did she not hear that?” he said in his head. “So anyway, what’cha doin?” she asked. The human rancher sighed, “Just finishing up my daily tasks. Maybe go for a walk.” “I have an idea! Why don’t you come down to Sugarcube Corner? I can make you some super delicious treats that will bring up your energy!” Pinkie Pie jumped around Kasey, waiting for his response. “Sure, I wo-uuuaaaaggghh” Kasey never got to finish his sentence as the pink ball of energy grabbed him by the arm and dragged the poor human with the strength of a great bear. In no time at all the two arrived at the sweet shop, the smell of fresh baked goods filled the air. Pinkie Pie pulls Kasey inside the giant gingerbread style building where she finally let go of his arm. “So, what will you be having Kasey?” The human rancher looked over the menu, a lot of goods that required fruit have gone up in price, or were completely unavailable. The threat of having no food was way more serious than anyone could imagine. But what could he do? He had no leads, no little spirit guiding him. No all powerful goddess who would know how to save the day. He was completely in the dark. “Kasey?” Pinkie questioned, her usual happy face was gone, her hair was no longer bouncy and poofy. “I know the menu isn’t all that full anymore, but I’m sure you can do something. Maybe not now, but I know you can in the future.” The human looked at Pinkie and felt his heart ache. The one pony who could put a smile on anyone's face looked gloomy and sad, but once he looked into her eyes, he saw a small sparkle of hope. To her, the one being that could reverse all this and put things back to the way it were was standing right in front of her. A new feeling swelled within Kasey. A feeling he dan’t felt in a very, very long time. This was nothing new to Kasey, it was something that he needed after he even started doubting himself. Determination “I will help everyone. I will find out what the cause is and return everything back to the way it was. I promise.” Kasey struck a pose while giving Pinkie Pie a thumbs up. This caused the pink mare to revert back to the way she was, her mane was bouncy again, her smile had returned and she jumped around excitedly. She ran to Kasey and gave him a bone crushing hug, “Thank you, Kasey! That was exactly what I needed to cheer me up.” She dropped the human, “That or some cupcakes!” Pinkie hopped to the kitchen, “Let’s go make some!” Kasey looked around, confusion written all over his face, “What just happened?” (~) Kasey and Pinkie Pie made a lot of cupcakes. They ate what they could and decided to have a small battle with the remaining ones. At first it was Kasey who was winning, until the pink ball of energy and doom brought out her party cannon. That was total overkill, but still, the two had a wondrous time, and as Kasey walked back to his home he felt as though he got closer with the pink mare. Even after her weird mood swing. One thing that he couldn’t get out of his head was that strange voice that he heard. Where did it come from? Was it his subconscious telling him to be more open and accept friends? “Sounds about right.” He said aloud. “What does?” asked an all too familiar voice. Kasey looked to his left and saw Applejack walking towards him with a smile on her face. “Something that is on my mind.” Kasey said as the two started walking together. Applejack looked at him, “And that would be?” she questioned. He looks at her then down the path, “I’m not exactly sure yet.” Silence follows as a gentle breeze cools them down from the summer evening heat. The two remain quiet as they arrive to Kasey’s home. “I’m going to go lay down.” Was all he said as he entered his home without giving her a chance to talk to him. Applejack stood outside for a moment, having an arm raised in vein to stop him. She casted her eyes down to the ground and turned to walk away. She glanced over her shoulder before leaving. Kasey took a shower and was now laying down in his bed, looking up at his ceiling with so many questions flowing through his mind. He did not settle on just one as they would all just melt together. He shifted in his position to try and get more comfortable, but nothing was working. He sighed and rose from his bed. The sun had set a while ago and put his room into darkness. His eyes have adjusted, but he could only make out silhouettes. The human maneuvered as best he could around his home till he got to his bathroom. He opened the door and turned on a lamp to look at himself in the mirror. He saw himself. The same hair, same eyes, same everything. The longer he stared, the more alien he became. It wasn’t that he looked different, his new home made him “feel” different. He closed his eyes and turned away. More thinking was just going to give him a headache. The human was soon sitting down on his bed. Trying to think over the events that happened today. More specifically, that voice. It felt familiar to him, yet it was so very foreign. The voice was pure, sweet, and motherly. A voice he knows he heard before. Shaking his head, he wrapped himself in his blankets and laid on his bed. He will save the headache for tomorrow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next day came rather quickly. Kasey got up with little effort and got dressed. Ate himself a small breakfast and went outside, only to realize that it was raining. “That’s odd, the clouds yesterday showed no sign of coming rain.” he said as he watched the gentle downpour of rain bash against the ground. He shrugged his shoulders, less work for him and more time for other things. Going inside, grabbing his raincoat, he left his cozy home in search of something to do. A short while after leaving his home, he runs into Spike. “Hey Spike! How is it going?” asked Kasey. The young drake was just leaving Sofa and Quills when Kasey said hi. “Oh! Hey Kasey, long time no see. I’ve been good. Yourself?” Spike replied. The human rancher shrugged his shoulders, “Could be better.” Spike tilted his head, “Did something happen?” “No.” Kasey was quick to reply, “Just didn’t get enough sleep is all.” The green and purple drake looked at Kasey, then smiled, “Is that all? Why don’t you come with me back to the Library and I’ll make you some tea,” Spike offered. The mention of tea sounds wonderful to Kasey. So he agrees to follow Spike back to the Library. This also counted as a double positive. He will also be able to talk to Twilight. He hasn’t seen her in a few days. Before long the two make it back to the tree house. “Twilight, I’m back!” Spike calls out. “Welcome back, Spike. Did you get the quills I asked for?” Twilight shouted from upstairs. “Yeah! I got them! By the way, Kasey is here!” The dragon responded. “Okay! I’ll be down in a sec!” Spike nodded and set the quills on Twilight’s desk. “Come on, Kasey. Let’s get some tea.” Spike gestured for Kasey to follow him into the kitchen. Once there, the baby dragon put water in a teapot, set it on the stove and turned up the heat. Spike turns to Kasey, “Is there anything you want to talk about while we wait for the water to boil?” Kasey puts a hand to his chin, “Well...there is one thing. But I don’t know if you will be able to help me.” “It doesn’t hurt to try.” Replied the drake. “True, I probably should tell someone.” Kasey thought, “I do have one thing. It happened yesterday when I was talking with Pinkie Pie.” Kaset paused to collect his thoughts, and at the same time Twilight walked into the kitchen, “I was about to tell her that I was busy, but a...voice told me not to.” “A voice?” asked Twilight, “What did it say?” “It said, ‘Don’t’. I’m not sure why, but I had this feeling after I heard it to hang out with Pinkie Pie.” “Hmmm.” Twilight thought as she put a hand to her chin. “It could possibly be your inner voice, or subconscious, telling you to make friends?” The human looked at Twilight, “But it wasn’t in my voice. Normally someone's inner voice is their own voice being projected in one's imagination, so it can’t be that.” “Good point,” replied the purple unicorn, “If i were you I would keep your mind open for it to happen again. I need more data if I am going to help you.” Kasey soon left the library after talking to Twilight a little more on the matter involving the fruits and vegetables, but nothing came as of yet. With no lead on anything Kasey went home and rested.