//------------------------------// // 5 Market // Story: Alternate Beginnings: Year One // by Doug Graves //------------------------------// Applejack slowly trundles down the road, dragging her cart of Apple products behind her. The town of Ponyville looms ahead, still too early for much activity. The sounds of other merchants echoes in the quiet town as Applejack pulls up to her stall. She begins unloading her goods, setting up baskets of apples in easy reach for customers and displaying some of her other wares behind her. She looks up at the sky; while there are still some remnants of clouds, it looks like at least one of the weather patrollers has gotten an early start. She looks nervously at the rest of the market; she is beginning to doubt her earlier decision to present Doug to the town. He certainly doesn’t smell like most stallions from Ponyville. She doesn’t want anypony to get the wrong idea. She also doesn’t like the idea of, as her Granny put it, ‘parading around town’, and regrets the rash words she had spoken earlier. Even if the other ponies expect it from her, to show that she is in a relationship and with whom. Her thoughts are interrupted as her friend Rainbow Dash lands next to the stall. The cyan pegasus blows her rainbow colored mane out of her eyes before she drops a bit on the counter, grabbing an apple while waiting somewhat impatiently for Applejack to finish unpacking the drinks. She looks around at the bottles, saying, “Morning AJ. You got any cider back there?” “Good morning to you too, Rainbow. Unfortunately we’re all out of the ciders you like, just a bit of the reserve packed for my lunch and no, you can’t have any.” Rainbow gives Applejack a pleading look, bits of the apple she had been biting falling from her mouth. “Please, Applejack! It’s been so long since I’ve had any! You’ve been so busy at the farm, I haven’t seen you at the stall. It’s just been the secondhoof apples that Roseluck would sell for you, after she’s picked out all the good ones!” Rainbow starts to scoot around the counter as another voice pops up, “Good morning, Applejack. Oh, and Rainbow Dash, good morning to you as well. I didn’t expect to see either of you awake at this hour, or at least in town.” An alabaster unicorn with a styled purple mane and tail walks up to the stall. Applejack gives Rarity a nod in return as she grabs a few items from underneath the counter. She body checks Rainbow to keep the pegasus from getting to her lunch, Rainbow yelping in frustration. Rarity drops a couple of bits on the counter, grabbing a breakfast apple and a wrapped lunch Applejack has prepared. She sniffs as she goes to take a bite from her apple, mouth slightly turning to a smirk. “Hmm, Applejack? What is that smell?” Rarity sniffs behind herself, then over at Rainbow Dash. She shakes her head in frustration before looking to Applejack. “It smells like perfume, but I can’t quite put my hoof on it. Rainbow, you weren’t with anypony last night, were you?” Rainbow scoffs, “Ya, as if I have the time to be seeing somepony. I have that Wonderbolt interview coming up and I can’t afford any distractions! I thought the smell was from you, I know how much you like to imitate those Canterlot nobles.” Rarity raises her head in indignation, “Why, I never! I-” Rarity is interrupted by Applejack’s loud cough, “Um, girls, Ah think the smell might be me.” “You?” Rainbow lets out a loud laugh, taking off from the ground and rolling around in midair. “Oh jeez, you get so lonely back at the farm you have to borrow some of Big Mac’s supply?” Applejack gives Rainbow a quick glare, saying, “No, Ah met somepony yesterday… Well, not really somepony, but-” Rarity gasps, looking closely at Applejack. “That quickly?” Rainbow stops her aerial gymnastics, looking at Applejack. “What, you borrow some of his cologne?” Rarity gives Rainbow a sideways look, shaking her head. “No, Rainbow, I think she’s presenting his scent. But it is awfully quick, for us to have no inkling that anything was going on. You are presenting, correct?” Applejack gives a sheepish smile, walking over to Rarity and letting the mare get a better smell. “Ah thought Ah’d be more eager, but Ah'm having some serious second thoughts about it. Ah mean, here you are, my two best friends, and Ah can barely tell you!” Rainbow Dash moves close to Applejack and takes a long sniff, wrinkling her nose at the smell. She backs off a little, sniffing again. “So, what’s the stallion like? We met him before? Doesn’t smell like somepony I’ve met before. Not that I’ve been going around smelling the stallions around here, you know.” “Well, no, Ah don’t think you’ve met him before. He showed up at the farm yesterday morning, out of the Everfree. His name is Doug, and he’s a human.” “A human? I don’t believe I’ve heard of a human before. You met him yesterday, and you are presenting his scent already? What happened between you two?” Rarity eyes Applejack suspiciously, taking another bite of her apple. “Well, he’s tall, stands on two legs, arms with these weird claws on the end he calls hands. We really hit it off yesterday, but he might have pushed a little harder than Ah was originally comfortable with…” Sensing Applejack’s hesitation at continuing, Rainbow pulls her hooves out of Applejack’s lunch and leaps up, “You mean he forced himself on you?! Well, I’ll show him what happens when you mess with my friend!” Rainbow shoots off from the ground, rainbow contrails following her blurred body. The two stand there, speechless before Applejack manages to call out, “No, Rainbow Dash! Stop, get back here!” Rarity pats Applejack with a comforting hoof, “Well, I suppose we should hurry after her. Maybe you can tell me more on the way. I do hope we’re not traipsing around your farm too long, I must get back to the Boutique soon.” Applejack nods her head, saying, “Ah suppose so.” She moves over to the adjacent stall, saying, “Hey, Roseluck? Mind watching my cart until Ah get back? Thanks!” The two head out at a brisk trot before reaching the edge of the town and breaking into a canter. Applejack starts explaining, “Well, Ah was walking back home last morning with my cart, full of seeds…”