As I reached the library, I pulled up short and examined the situation. The smoke had subsided quite a bit by this point. However, there was still a little bit coming from between the roots. Still, there didn’t seem to be any signs of fire or anything to suggest to whole place was about to come down. And after all, the place had survived being catapulted into the air at one point. I doubt anything short of a sustained, high power blast of undirected magic could even scratch the place.
My first thought was, understandably, for my parents, both of whom I knew were inside. Running for the door, I attempted to open it and barge my way in. But that attempt was short lived, as the door held firm; the place was locked up.
Normally, that would come as a surprise, for a library to be locked up during the daytime. But since Twilight had both my parents in there, and since we’d all agreed that it was best to keep their presence a secret for the time being, it should not have come as a surprise.
Still, being unable to get in and check that neither my parents, nor Twilight and Spike were hurt worried me, so I banged on the locked door with both my front hooves.
“Twilight?! Spike?!” I called out. “Are you in there?!”
Getting no reply only inflated my worry. My thoughts turned to darker places, and the idea that they might now all be lying injured as a result of whatever had happened. So, I endeavoured to force my way inside
Now, as a rule, unless the door is made of paper, I would have no chance of kicking it in without or doing myself an injury. Even the police back home didn’t kick doors in; they used what they called ‘The Big Red Key’; a one man battering ram that made light work of anything that wasn’t PVC. I didn’t have a Big Red Key, but I did have two solid back hooves.
Turning around, I kicked out at the wooden door as if I were kicking a tree back on Sweet Apple Acres. The door didn’t stand up to it. With a sharp clang as the lock gave way, the door burst open, swinging back on its hinges after banged against the wall.
Running inside, I found the library in quite a state. It looked like a bomb had gone off. All the tables had been overturned, books had been scattered all over the place, and even the odd window had been blown out. Rainbow Dash herself couldn’t have made a worse job crashing into the place when she was practising her stunts and tricks. But worse still, there was no sign of anyone, human, pony, or otherwise.
I quickly found my way to the basement door, and I was about to check for heat on the other side, when it too burst open and a slightly overdone alicorn emerged, a singed dragon following her. Still, they both looked relatively unharmed.
Twilight coughed a couple times as she walked out, putting a hoof to her head. I fell back on the St. John’s training from when I was younger and went to check on her.
“Twilight! Are you alright? What happened?” I asked, checking her over for anything more serious than a singed feather. The alicorn seemed quite shaken up, and coughed a couple more times before replying.
“I was…” Another cough. “Trying to open the rift in the library, to see if I could find you and your family a way back. But it destabilised and collapsed.” Spike stood behind her, with singed scales, and clutching at his tail like a child does a stuffed animal.
“What about my parents?” I asked, who I noticed hadn’t yet come up. Twilight was quick to reassure me.
“They’re okay,” she answered. “I managed to put a shield around us. It held back most of the blast. Though I can’t say the same for the library.”
“Aw, heck,” Spike exclaimed. “It’s gonna take ages to put everything back where it belongs.” Twilight laughed a little.
“That can wait, Spike,” she replied. “Let’s fix ourselves up first.” She began to lead him off toward the upstairs.
I meanwhile headed down into the basement the pair had just come from. There was still a little bit of smoke hanging around, but not enough to obscure my vision, or interfere with breathing. The basement was in even worse shape than upstairs. A good chunk of Twilight’s scientific equipment had been either damaged heavily or completely knocked out. Still, the place seemed to be holding together well enough. Aside from a lot of burn marks and soot damage, the place looked to be in good shape.
I didn’t know much about fires or explosions, apart from the odd bit I picked up from TV shows. But I did recognise a void when I saw one. In the centre of the room, not too far from the foot of the stairs, there was a single spot of untouched floor. Something had been there to protect it from the light and heat of the explosion, and whatever that was, was now gone. Presumably, that was where Twilight had tried to create her opening before it came unstuck.
A little way past that were my parents, both unhurt, but a little shaken up just as Twilight and Spike were. I quickly rushed over to them, and hugged both of them, propping myself up on my hind legs and wrapping my forelegs around them.
“Oh thank Celestia,” I exclaimed. “Are you both okay?”
“We’re both fine, son,” my dad replied, returning my hug. I dropped back down to my hooves. “Twilight threw up some kind of force field; it took the brunt of the bang before it collapsed.” I quickly ushered them up the stairs.
“C’mon, let’s get you both back upstairs. I’m sure Twilight has a first aid kit around somewhere.” My parents both followed me up the stairs, their steps careful and a little hesitant.
“It makes you realise how powerful this pony magic is,” my mum said as we ascended. “The last time I felt a bang like that, I was in Birmingham when the paddy’s set their bomb off.”
“Could be worse,” I replied. “When Twilight first used her magic as a filly, she turned both her parents into potted plants and turned Spike from an egg into a fully grown dragon. It took Princess Celestia herself to get her under control.” Dad laughed.
“Heh, remind me not to tick you off when you start to use your magic.” Smiling, I shook my head.
“No, Dad, Twilight’s a magical prodigy. Even if I do get my magic working, the best I’ll be able to do is probably pick things up with it, and even then, probably not things that weigh too much. Assuming of course, I get it working before we get home.”
The three of us then reached the threshold and came back out into the library proper. My parents both went upstairs to catch their breath. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was almost time for me to head back to Sweet Apple Acres, so I made for the door. And I would have done so, were it not for one terrifying entity blocking my path.
An angry Twilight Sparkle.
Her wings were flared out, her ears pressed back, her nostrils flaring, and her eyes seemed to boring a hole right through my skull; I was in trouble.
“Blade Star!” she exclaimed angrily. “What in the world did you do to my front door?!”
Oh, that. I guess in the heat of the moment, and the equally sudden relief at finding everyone inside unharmed, I forgotten about my little breaking and entering. Leaning around the mad alicorn I looked at the damage.
It was pretty bad at a glance. The door had been locked when I’d hit it, and as it was forced open, the bolt had pulled away a good chunk of the door frame. The door too had taken quite the pounding, with two new horseshoe shaped marks on the front, and a fair bit of damage on the back, caused when it swung back on its hinges and hit the wall. I was no builder, but I’d say that the thing would need to be replaced, along with a fair bit of repair work to the doorframe.
I wilted in front of the alicorn, feeling suitably embarrassed and guilty over my actions.
“Oh, heck, I’m sorry, Twilight,” I replied awkwardly, scratching at the back of neck with a hoof. “I guess I kinda kicked your front door in after I saw the explosion. I thought you and my parents might be hurt.”
In hindsight, it was a stupid move; the result of panic. In addition to thoroughly ruining Twilight’s front door, I had also potentially placed myself in danger. If anything serious had happened, what would I have done? With no training in either firefighting, or real lifesaving beyond bandaging cuts and splinting arms, I would have been of little use, and possibly gotten myself hurt for my trouble.
Twilight however, seemed to cool her temper a little at my response. While the execution was flawed, my intentions were good at least. After all, how would she have reacted if she saw her parent’s house suddenly start spewing out smoke? I’ll wager more than a few bits that she’d go charging in with just as much foolhardiness as I.
“Well,” she said, in a far quieter tone. “I suppose I can’t really blame you for that. But…er…did you have to kick it that hard?” I smiled awkwardly again.
“You can blame Applejack teaching me applebucking all morning for that.” I answered light heartedly. I was about to go on, when Dad called from upstairs.
“Twilight!” he called down. “It looks like that explosion has drawn a bit of a crowd. There’s a whole load of ponies gathering outside the library.” The two of us looked outside.
He was right. Given that the explosion was pretty loud, it was to be expected that half the town would come looking to see what was going on. At a rough guess, I’d say there were the better part of thirty ponies out front. I happened to glance at the clock; I needed to get a move on if I was to get back to Sweet Apple Acres in time.
“I think you better head out there and allay their fears, Twilight,” I suggested. “I promised Applejack I’d be back at her farm in ten minutes to get back to work. But I promise I’ll come back this evening and help fix things.” I began to walk away, when Twilight called me back.
“Pinkie Promise,” she ordered, half sternly. Laughing slightly, I did the required motions as I spoke.
“I Pinkie promise that I’ll come back this evening to help you repair your front door. Cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my…ow!” Like a fool, I neglected to close my eye before I poked it. Twilight laughed at my plight. Shaking my head and blinking a few times to clear my vision, I reiterated myself.
“I’ll be there this evening, Twilight. So long!”
With that, I started back for the farm. Though I could have sworn I heard someone out there whispering ‘forever’, and I could feel a pair of unseen eyes watching me all the way back to the farm.
I had to keep up a fair pace back through town and headed toward Sweet Apple Acres. I had planned on checking on Fluttershy and Lizzie that afternoon as well. But given all that had happened, I now had very little time left, so that would have to be put off for another day. The town clock began to strike the hour just as I passed through the farm’s gates, and I broke into a gallop in order to reach the farmhouse.
I found both Applejack and Big Mac a little ways off from the house and farmyard, near a small grove of apple trees. Applejack was reclining against the tree, her hat tilted forward over her eyes and her hind legs crossed over each other, with her forelegs behind her head. For a quadruped, it was a remarkably human position; something I would have more expected from Lyra, assuming of course anything I thought I knew about her was true. As for Big Mac, he was lying down in the grass more after the fashion of a horse or dog, with his forelegs tucked under his front. From his mouth, there protruded a long wheat stalk, which he was contentedly chewing on. Both ponies roused themselves and looked up as I came back at a pace somewhere between canter and gallop.
“Well hey there, Blade Star,” Applejack greeted, pushing her Stetson back into its usual place on her head. “You’re just in time to get back to work.”
I pulled up, huffing and panting somewhat from my run back to the farm. Even in this new pony body, it seemed that general fitness was not my strong point.
“Say, you alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked as she noticed my fatigue. I paused to wipe a bead of sweat from my forehead.
“Sorry, AJ,” I replied, slipping into my mimicry of her accent again. “Ah didn’t wanna get back late and make you two wait up.” I briefly explained what had happened at the library, and how I was now obliged to go back and help Twilight with repairs. Applejack let out a low whistle.
“Sounds like ya had quite an adventure, sugarcube,” she declared. “Ya think ya can manage the work on your own?”
Actually, I didn’t. Well, no, I could do the work. But more than likely, the sun would have risen on the next day before I’d finished. I was an academic, and not particularly practical, though I did know a bit about woodwork and the like. Still, my stubborn pride wasn’t about to let me admit that.
“Ah reckon so, AJ,” I replied simply.
Now, it was at this juncture that I think Applejack’s position as the Element of Honesty shone through, and she quickly saw through my words, although she was kind enough not to rub salt in the wound.
“Well, Ah ain’t busy this evenin’,” she said. “Ah reckon Ah might come along an’ join ya. Ya can borrow my tools as well.”
I was glad of help on that front. Strangely though, I heard Big Mac snort as he got to his hooves. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of that.
“Anyway,” I went on. “What’s on this afternoon, AJ?” The orange earth pony gestured for me to follow her.
With Big Mac following behind us, we headed back to where we had last left off in the orchards. Stopping at the barn, we all took up the large baskets and hauled them out to where we’d left off.
“Ah’d say we made some good progress so far today,” Applejack said as we neared the orchard and prepared to split off to tend to our own sections. “If we can clear out this section of the farm today, we might even be able to take it easier tomorrow.”
“Nnope.” Big Mac called from his position a little ways behind us. Evidently he wasn’t a fan of slacking off.
Reaching the orchards, the three of us parted, still within shouting distance, but not really close enough to talk.
The afternoon was just as trying for me as the morning was. Even though the midday had passed and the sun was now steadily setting in the sky, it was still very hot. Equestria’s climate I guess, at least the centre of the country, I don’t know about the rest, isn’t that dissimilar to that of the mid-western states. So, while most Americans would probably take things in their stride, I found it a touch warm, having been used to cold, overcast days, with summer weather rarely topping twenty degrees Celsius.
As I steadily worked my way through my section of trees, getting into something of a rhythm, I felt myself begin to sweat again, with the runoff trickling down my sides and matting my mane around my horn. Applejack and Big Mac were in the same boat, though not quite as much as I. I was paying dearly for my lack of physical exercise for the last…few years.
“Keep at it, sugarcube,” Applejack called out encouragingly as we both met at the end of a row. “This right here is the worst part of the day. It’ll drop cooler soon enough, just you wait.” That did perk my spirits up a bit, as did the fact that I was more or less either keeping pace with the two Apples’ or only falling a little way behind.
The afternoon kept on in its monotony of applebucking, hauling full baskets to the barn, and then dragging them back to do it all over again. However, there was one other incident that stood out.
As I’d been working, I’d been slowly moving from Applejack’s side of the field over toward Big Mac’s. The stallion still remained somewhat impassive, and perhaps just a little cold toward me, being far less chatty than his little sister and occasionally giving me a sideways glance. However, that seemed to change when the two of us both began hauling a set of filled baskets back to the barn at the same time.
I’d just finished clearing the last but one tree on that particular row, and Mac was one more ahead on his. I’d taken to using a length of rope as a makeshift yoke, rather than pushing the basket with my head as Applejack did. It didn’t make the work much easier, but it was a bit painful on the neck.
As I drew up alongside Big Mac, I noticed the big red stallion pause and watch me for a moment. I’d noticed that he’d do this every now and again the whole day. The expression on his face was a little more readable; it was as if he was deciding something, or turning something over in his mind. As I passed him, hauling what felt like the thousandth basket of the day, I saw him seemingly come to a decision. He smiled slightly and nodded his head toward me, nothing more, nothing less. After that though, I noticed his watch became far less relaxed and the cold looks stopped. Perhaps his view of me was changing a bit. I’d come in as a stranger, but so far, I’d proven that I could do the work and earn my keep without complaint.
So, the three of us continued to toil away in the slowly declining heat. Still, it was very quiet, aside from the continuous thud from one of us making contact with a tree, and the occasional grunt from some effort. I’d always found some enjoyment in singing or whistling when doing something physical like this for long hours. I’m not a brilliant singer, but forced attendance to church, and growing up in rural Wales, which is full of choirs, had given me a better singing voice than the average. I had quite a good repertoire too, mostly campfire songs from re-enactment camps. I picked one of these out now.
Tis old Stonewall the rebel that leans on his sword.
And while we are mounting prays low to the Lord.
Now each cavalier that loves honour and right,
Let him follow the feather of Stuart tonight.
Come tighten your girth and slacken your rein,
Come buckle your blanket and holster again.
Try the click of your trigger and balance your blade,
For he must ride sure that goes riding a raid.
“What song’s that, Blade Star?” Applejack called, trotting over to me. Pausing in my own work, I turned to her.
“Oh, just an old cavalry song, Applejack.” I replied. Applejack’s face became puzzled.
“Cavalry?” she asked. “What’s that then, some kind of music?” I laughed slightly. Of course, ponies wouldn’t really have much of a concept of mounted soldiers.
So I took a minute or two to explain the concept. She and her brother were both surprised at the idea of humans riding on horses, although Mac agreed that it did make sense.
“Ah s’pose it’s kinda like pegasus ponies,” he said. “They’re faster and more manoeuvrable than other folks.” I nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. Cavalry would be used to scout ahead of an army, or to harass an enemy.”
“You sure know a heck of a lot about all this stuff, sugarcube,” Applejack said, pushing her Stetson back on her head. “So what, were ya like a guard or somethin’ back home?” This time I laughed more heartily.
“Good God no, Applejack!” I exclaimed. “Ah learned about all that stuff at school; history. Cavalry went the way of the dodo almost a century ago.”
As we continued to work, I kept up with the odd song, even teaching Mac and Applejack a chorus from a couple of them. It helped the day pass at a quicker rate, or so it seemed. The temperature too began to drop, making work more comfortable. Granted, my muscles were still aching from the work, but I was willing to power through that.
Eventually, with the sun low, and having all reached the end of our assigned sections, Applejack called a final halt to the working day. And with a profound sense of relief, I followed the Apple siblings back along the path to the farmhouse.
We reached the farmhouse just as the sun was dipping below the horizon, painting the sky a mix of reds and golds, while higher up, the sky began to turn a darker shade of blue. As the three of us drew up, Granny Smith came out to meet us, a large metal triangle in her hooves. Without warning, she suddenly began to beat the thing mercilessly.
“Soup’s on, everypony!” she called out over the racket. I expected that she could have been heard a quarter of a mile away. Sadly, Applejack, Big Mac, and I were just a few paces off.
We all shook our heads and rubbed out ears in an effort to get the ringing to stop, which persisted long after Granny Smith had laid down her instrument. Following the elderly green mare, we all headed through into the kitchen, where dinner was waiting.
Apple Bloom was already sitting at the table, having got back from school a few hours ago. She seemed glad to see that I was still here and had more than a few questions. I was able to explain that I would be here at least until Saturday morning, when I’d have to head up to Canterlot. The five of us then sat down for our meal.
“So, how d’ya take to your first day of applebuckin’, sugarcube?” Applejack asked innocently, smiling.
“Not too bad Ah think,” I answered. “Sure, Ah was a mite out of my depth, but Ah think Ah held my own.”
“Eeyup.” Big Mac trumpeted, agreeing with me. He turned to his grandmother. “Granny, this here colt might be new to farmin’, but he learns mighty fast and gives it all he’s got.”
I was quite surprised at the sudden testimony from him. While he seemed to have settled down to my presence, I didn’t expect him to have quite such a turnaround in his opinion of me.
“So what’s happenin’ this evenin then?” Apple Bloom asked. “Can ya help me with my math homework, Applejack?” AJ shook her head.
“Sorry, sis,” she replied. “But me and Blade Star have to head on over to Twilight’s tonight, help her replace her front door.”
“Oh, so that’s what that noise was.” Apple Bloom said to herself.
“Besides,” Applejack went on. “Ya know your brother’s better suited to them fancy mathematics than Ah am.” Mac rolled his eyes at that.
After dinner, I took the brief opportunity to bed down and catch forty winks before heading out with Applejack to the library. She appeared in the doorway decked out in a full tool belt with enough kit to possibly consider building a small kitchen extension. I knew a bit about DIY; after all, as a wise man once said:
‘Take these three items right here. WD-40, vice grips, and some duct tape. Any man worth his salt can do half the household chores with just those three things.’
Still, I wasn’t too sure about all this, and was privately glad for Applejack’s help. As we made our way to Twilight’s in the…well, twilight, I chatted with AJ about what I knew about DIY, along with what had happened at the library that afternoon.
“Yeah, that’s Twilight for ya, sugarcube,” she said, laughing. “But in my experience, something going up in smoke like that usually means she’s on to somethin’. With any luck she’ll be able to get y’all home in no time.”
“Ah sure hope so,” I replied, then hastily adding. “Not that Ah ain’t grateful for your hospitality.”
“Shucks,” Applejack replied. “Ah’m just grateful to have another set of hooves to help out on the farm. It’s nice to have some company beside your own kin once in a while.” She turned and smiled at me.
I was actually a little surprised at how accepting Applejack had been of me, considering that I’d only been in Equestria for a couple of days. Given her more conservative leanings, I’d have expected her to be a little more suspicious, at least at first, just as Rainbow Dash had been. But instead, she already felt like an old friend. I couldn’t help but feel that it would be an awful shame if we did end up departing on Saturday.
Before long we came upon the library. The lights were on and Spike was sitting outside waiting for us, reading one of his comic books. By the looks of things, Twilight had managed to get the door to close most of the way, but the clean fracture across it meant that there was no use in it anymore. Hence, the lengths of wood balanced on our backs. We’d build the thing from scratch and then simply attach it to the existing hinges, since it was only the wood that had splintered.
As we set our materials and tools down on the soft grass, Twilight trotted out to join Spike, a pot of tea held in her magic. She was a little surprised to see Applejack, but soon agreed that it would be a good idea for her to lend a hoof. At least if she wanted a new front door before next week. The young alicorn had already taken her own look at the door and drawn up a little plan of how to build a new one. It certainly saved us time, and let us construct a replica, rather than making a more traditional frame door that would have stood out next to the rest of the building.
For the next few hours, the three of us worked away, while Spike kept us supplied with tea and sandwiches. I actually wasn’t as bad as I thought I was, although using a hammer when holding it between my teeth was a bit tricky, and occasionally painful.
Before long, the new door was complete, and between the three of us, we were able to get it into position so that Applejack could replace the screws and attach it to the hinges. Much to our mutual surprise, we were able to reuse the handle and lock from the old door. When I’d kicked it open, it had simply busted though the frame of the door, without taking much in the way of damage, so it was still serviceable.
Satisfied with the result, the three of us parted ways, with AJ and I heading back to the farm for some well-earned rest. It was getting quite late after all, and we still had an early start tomorrow.
I’d found the little project quite enjoyable too; it was a chance to get to know both Twilight and Applejack in a more relaxed setting. Still, it felt strange somehow, talking to two ponies who I once thought to be pure fiction, and who were somewhat famous, at least among the fandom, it made me feel a bit more at home around the alicorn. I really was starting to like it here.