//------------------------------//
// Apple Coffee 
// Story: Brony Recon: To Live and Love in Equestria 
// by Freescript the Bard 
//------------------------------//

Rain's POV

"Rain!"

"Gah!" At Storm's calling, I bolted awake, falling out of the guest bed. But like every morning, I was groggy, so the fall took a whole three seconds. "Nugh… Storm, can you be more subtle next time?"

"Oops, sorry Rain," she apologized, "but breakfast is ready! It's pancakes!"

"Okay," I groaned, "just let me get cleaned up." She watched as I crossed the room we shared to the dresser. Storm was hesitant sharing a room with another mare, seeing as she wasn't one until yesterday, but everypony knew that she couldn't share with Aegis or another stallion. Looking in the mirror, I tried picking up the brush, but found it difficult with my hooves.

Suddenly, the brush was enveloped in a purple aura and floated to my mane, the magicked brush moving down the knotted locks. I looked at Storm, her horn glowing the same color as the brush. "Since when could you use magic?" I asked.

She smiled. "I figured it out. It was like walking with hooves; instictive," she said, "I guess levitation is natural for unicorns."

"And the sudden knowledge of mane-care?"

"Um… mare brain, remember?" Storm said dejectedly as she put my pink mane into a ponytail and tied on my favorite bandana, "it keeps getting weirder, Rain. Before I went to sleep, I caught myself trying to position my mane so I wouldn't get bed-head."

"That's a bad thing… how?"

"I don't know!"

Groaning, I pushed past the mare and made my way downstairs. The Apple family was already up, along with Aegis, who looked cheery as ever. I gave a 'humph'. I don't like morning people, and at that point I was surrounded by them. "Please tell me I can get a decent cup of coffee," I grumbled as I sat at the table.

Granny Smith smiled. "Applebloom? Be a polite hostess an' git this mare some coffee. An' fill my mug as well, I need mah jump-start."

The cute filly nodded, moving to carry out her elder's orders. "Would ya like it with apple juice or plain, Miss Rainchaser?" she asked.

I gave a blank stare. "Huh?"

"Granny says coffee tastes better with apple juice instead of sugar, but ah ain't allowed t' have it,"

No sugar huh? Great… "Yeah, I'll take it with the juice," I said, "Can't hurt to try." Applebloom balanced the mug on her head and brought it to me. I grabbed it with both hooves and nodded my thanks. I sipped it like any other coffee, then nearly dropped the cup.

"This. Is. HEAVENLY!" I exclaimed, "It's so sweet, but it has that unmistakable apple-y flavor! I do declare that this is the greatest cup of coffee I have ever had!"

Applejack smiled. "We make a special kind of juice just fer the sake of coffee," Applejack said, sipping her own cup, "It has natural sugar an' keeps ya from crashin' later on."

I let my jaw hang in surprise. "No crashing? Oh man, if you sold this where we come from, you'd make a fortune!" I said.

The farm mare smiled. "Glad ah could find somepony that shares a liking' fer coffee," she said, taking another sip, "hey- Aegis, is it?- do ya mind helpin' me with cartin' apples down to the market? It'd normally take me an' mah brother two trips to get three carts to the stall."

Aegis nodded. "I'd be glad to help. It's the least I can do for your hospitality," he responded with a galant tone.

"Aw, shucks, it ain't nothin'. We're just lettin' ya stay 'til ya find yer friends."

They spoke a bit more, but I was enthralled only breakfast of pancakes. I didn't know apple tree sap can be used for syrup, the gooey substance flowing down my pancake-tower. Pancakes in Equestria tasted a bit different from the ones on Earth, but that didn't mean it was any worse. I hoped wherever Skyblaze is, he didn't ask if they served bacon.

>>><<<

Storm and I walked along the three earth ponies pulling carts loaded with buckets of Sweet Apple Acres apples, Storm levitating an apple and munching on it, and me flexing my wings, the muscles new and unfamiliar to me. I knew I had to find somepony to teach me to fly, probably Fluttershy, or Rainbow Dash if I was lucky. Maybe it was a pegasus thing, but I could practically hear the sky calling my name and begging me to enter it. It was frustrating beyond comprehension.

The market square looked just like the one in the show, with the same vendors and stands. It was still early, but a few ponies milled around, occasionally stopping at a stall to browse or purchase something. The Sweet Apple Acres stand was next to other produce vendors, like the carrot stand run by Golden Harvest (or Carrot Top, whichever). Applejack and the two stallions dropped the carts and we all helped to unload the baskets of fruit. It wasn't long before customers lined up to buy the renowned apples.

So after a half hour of this, I look at Applejack, who was running the stand. She looked kinda frustrated. "I told ya he'd be late," she said, "it's his day to run the stand."

Sure enough, a tan stallion came at a hastened trot around the corner, looking frantic. "I'm sorry I'm late, Applejack," he said, giving a shamed look, "I forgot to set the alarm today."

"Well at least ya bothered to show up today, Caramel," she said, "Oh, but where are mah manners? Caramel, this here is Aegis, Rainchaser, an' Storm. Ya three, this is Caramel. He's a farmhand who sometimes helps us 'round the orchard."

I took a glance at Storm, who had frozen when she saw the stallion. "Hey, Storm? You okay?"

"AAAAAAAAA!" She jumped and left a dust trail as the hyped unicorn made like Tom Cruise for the nearest alley.

Everypony who was within earshot turned as she fled. Caramel looked anxious. "Um, what's up with your friend? The only non-pegasus I've seen move that fast is Pinkie Pie."

I sighed at my friend's odd antics. "I'll go see what's up," I said. I followed the fading dust trail to the side-street. There, I saw Storm curled up next to a dumpster, holding her head. "Storm? What happened?"

"Why did this happen? Why me?" she asked rhetorically, "my own mind is betraying me, Rain. My thoughts are not my own."

"What?"

"Rain, please help me… this is getting too weird."

"Huh?"

She clasped my head with magic and pulled me close. "Rainchaser, I have a crush on a STALLION!"

"Erm…" I stammered, then I realized the severity of Storm's situation, "oh."

"Uh huh."

"That's weird in, like, four different ways," I observed. Storm nodded and resumed he fetal position. "But I could see it."

"Huh?"

"Oh c'mon, Caramel is forgetful and distracted, and you're energetic… and distracted," I said. It made sense, and since nopony knew, other than the bronies, of Storm's predicament, I would have even called it legit.

"But what about…?"

"Okay, one; you're a mare now. Get used to it," I said, "two, I think it's kinda sweet the way you're blushing when you're thinking about him." The red hue on her purple mane deepened, making me chuckle. "C'mon, just be polite and… make small talk."

She nodded reluctantly and rose, following me back to the stand, where Applejack was handing the stall over to Caramel.

Skyblaze's POV

I hate mornings. Sure my usual wake up time is five AM, but that's 'cause of necessity and habit. But mostly my cat. I was too groggy to be surprised when the appendages rubbing my eyes were hooves.

Oh yeah, I thought, I'm in Equestria. Still not awake enough to care about why I was in a bed, I opened my eyes a crack. Somepony had put a midnight-blue blanket over my head during the night. I smiled at the generosity of my unknown caretaker, then rolled over, my left arm not being the one I usually sleep on. There was pain as I moved, my burns still not fully healed. My tired stirring was blocked by a soft pillow that was the same color of the blanket. Involuntarily I touched the spot where the blanket overlapped the pillow…

…and was greeted by a small giggle. A goofy grin of tired mischievousness crossed my face. The pillow was ticklish, I thought, this is gonna be fun. I proceeded to rub the area with my hoof, causing the pillow to giggle and snort. Finally, it rolled to escape and fell off the bed.

There is a point in the morning where my brain just starts up, usually two or three minutes after waking. What I thought was a blanket was a large wing, and the pillow was a certain alicorn who I thought would have banished me to the moon by now. As Luna crashed to the floor, I heard hoofsteps outside my ward room door.

Ben looked in, his white mane showing signs of bed-head. "I heard something crash; is everything all…" he stopped as he saw Luna her back, looking around frantically, and me just staring at him, "…right?"

"Um, e-everything is well, sir Ben," the moon goddess recovered faster than I did, "I merely, um, slipped."

The skeptical college grad looked at me. "What just happened, Markus?"

"Um, I-I don't know," I lied, "I woke up when Luna slipped." I kinda wanted him out of the room before my blue face turned purple.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Your wings speak otherwise," he said, "save your stories for the fan-fics, writer."

So it was true; pegasus wings go rigid when aroused. I facehoofed as I saw my treasonous appendages, completely extended and displaying my misfortune. "You know, if I had become a unicorn, my life would be so much easier," I said, "we still have to tell them you know."

Luna looked at us, perplexed. "To whom art thou referring?"

I sighed. "Ben, you're the designated ambassador," I chided the green pony.

He looked at Luna, his face going to 'diplomat' mode. "It would be best if we had your sister here as well, your majesty," he stated, "oh, Sky, before I forget, I have the necklace."

It took me a moment to realize that Ben was wearing a necklace, with a technological-looking quartz pendant. "Well it's good to know we have a way home," I said.

"Pardon me, but what art thou speaking of?" Luna asked, rising from the floor, "why would my sister be needed?"

"Let's just say that I am representing another nation," Ben said with a smile.

>>><<<

"So… why were you in my bed?"

Ben had gone with an escort to bring Celestia to my ward room, as I was still unfit to move. With attention deficit, it's complete torture.

Luna tilted her head. "You were… shivering in your dreams. I attempted to cover you, but you did not stop," she said, "The sole other way I could try was to distribute my body heat to you."

Uh huh. My ex-girlfriend used that same excuse. That was a rare time where me being a brony didn't end the relationship. "Yeah, and I'm a squirrel."

Luna shuffled her hooves. "You were resting very serenely--"

"Wait, that's an actual word? Storm owes me five bits." Attention deficit, remember?

"It's just… what you said last night… did you mean it?"

"Did you just drop the archaic idiosyncrasy?" Oh for the love of Celestia, make it stop! "But, yes, I did. I used to see you as my favorite princess, and since then held my adoration for you. Then, when I came to Equestria and saw your face in pony, my feelings for you were finally revealed to myself."

"What do you mean, 'came to Equestria'?"

Mental facehoof. Well, we were gonna tell them anyways, right? "We'll tell you when Ben comes back with Celestia."

We waited another ten minutes. I managed to force my wings closed and get my mane in presentable order. Me and Luna made small talk, about what coffee shops had the better brew, the weather, and somehow even turned to how the mane six were doing. Soon the door opened and in came Ben, followed by Celestia. In pony, the sun goddess was a very regal figure (but not as pretty as I thought Luna was), and seemed to grace the very room with her presence.

"My greetings, Skyblaze. I do hope you begin to feel better," she said in a friendly tone, but then raised a brow at Luna, "and what are you doing here, dear sister?"

"Erm… I am simply seeing how the stallion I rescued is faring." And on comes the Shakespeare thing again.

"Very well. It is convenient you are here, Luna, as Ben and Skyblaze say they have a great matter of importance to talk about."

Ben put on his 'pony ambassador' face and bowed lightly to the two princesses. "It is an important matter indeed. For it involves your world as well as ours," he said in a deadpan, "before you ask, let me put it frankly; we are not from Equestria, and nor were we originally ponies."