Chapter 6: Re-adjustment
James awoke with a start, like he usually did. He lifted his head up and looked around. He was in the same barn he fell asleep in. Looking out the window, he observed that the sun wasn't up yet, but it was starting to get light out. It was probably around 0500.
'So I guess this isn't gonna change anytime soon.'
Grabbing his pistol and shoving it into his right side cargo pocket, he descended from the loft, wincing from his side and shoulder, and checked to see it his blouse was dry.
'Still a little damp, but it'll dry out with my body heat.'
He tugged it off the line and threw it around his shoulders while starting to button it up. Suddenly, the creaking of old hinges made him spin around, his hand flying to his pocket to draw his sidearm. He froze as he locked eyes with a large red pony sporting an orange-ish mane. They stood there a moment before the large pony spoke up.
"Ah'm guessin' you'd be 'James', right?"
James nodded yes.
"Sorry ta be botherin' ya, I just needed ta grab a few extra buckets from the back. Ah'm Big Macintosh by the way, Applejack's big brother, but most ponies just call me Big Mac." He explained with a deep southern accent.
"It's all good. I was already awake. Anyway, it's nice to meet you. If it's alright to ask, whatchya doing up so early?"
"Well, it's a lotta hard work, what with this here bein' a farm, so we gots ta get up earlier than most folk 'round here do."
"Makes sense. Well uh, I'm up already, so, is there anything I could help out with maybe? You guys gave me a place to stay, not to mention the delicious apples your sister brought over yesterday."
"Naw, Ah couldn't just put a guest of ours ta work. AJ would probably get mad at me too."
"Nah man, I insist. I'll feel scummy just sittin' here if I didn't try to give back some how. C'mon, give me something."
"Well alright, how good are you at apple buckin'?"
"Apple what now?"
"Don'tcha know what apple buckin' is?"
"First time I've ever heard of it."
"Oh, ya just give the trees a good kick ta make the apples drop in th' buckets so we can harvest 'em."
"Uh, I don't think kicking trees all day is a good idea. Why don't I just haul the buckets around for you?"
"Well alright, that'll do just fine."
"Sweet, let's get started."
James spent the next few hours carrying full buckets of apples from the orchard to a storage barn near the house. It was hard work, but James was strong and he needed a good workout anyway. It also helped to take his mind off things like the fact that he was in a strange and colorful land featuring talking ponies and magic, and he had absolutely no idea where he was or how he was getting back home. The pain of his wounds still bothered him, but even that didn't feel so bad anymore. They kept working all the way up to noon, Big Mac 'bucking' the trees and James collecting the apples. It was then that a familiar blonde maned pony in a hat walked up to them followed by a timid looking yellow pegasus with a couple bags resting on her back.
"James, what in tarnation are you doin' workin' with that shoulder 'o yours?! Big Mac, how could you let him work while he was injured?"
"I didn't know he was hurt 'lil sis, he didn't even seem like he was in pain all while we was workin'. Besides--"
"It was my idea," James cut in, "I offered my services and I wouldn't take no for an answer. I wanted to repay you for your hospitality somehow, hell, I didn't even thank you for bring me that food yesterday. By the way, those were some of the best apples I've ever tasted."
"Eeeyup."
Fluttershy was already by James' side before the end of the exchange.
"You poor dear, you really should have said something yesterday, I would have help you. Can you please remove your shirt, t-that is, if it's ok with you?" she asked softly.
*sigh* "Alright," he complied, sitting on an old stump nearby.
When he took of his blouse and undershirt Flutteryshy's face contorted with concern.
"Oh my, how could you even move with such wounds? Don't worry, I have just the thing."
As Fluttershy started to wrap clean bandages around James' shoulder, Applejack asked Big Mac about his progress.
"So how far along are ya? Ah jus' got done with about fifty or so buckets."
"Well with James' help over there, we've managed to store about a hundred an twenty or so in the barn."
"A hundred.... and twenty? Shoot, that's more than either of us can do in a day? How'd y'all manage that?"
"Hey, I may not look like it, but I'm actually pretty strong." James called from the stump. He had been listening while Fluttershy was patching him up.
"You really shouldn't be exerting yourself," the fuscia maned mare said from beside him, "you might re-open the wound and it could get infected. How did you even get hurt like this? I-if you want to tell me that is."
"It was an accident. I made a mistake and got hurt as a result," he offered up.
"Oh, ok. I'm really sorry that happened."
James was glad when she didn't push for details, though Applejack was giving him a look of suspicion.
Fluttershy finished and James put his uniform back on before Applejack spoke again.
"Well anyway, th' reason Ah came over here was ta let y'all know that lunch is ready. Fluttershy, yer welcome ta join. There's some for you too James. Ya definitely earned it."
"Thanks, I'm starving."
"Eeeyup."
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James sat back on the bench, his belly full. For lunch they had had apple pie and apple juice. Once again, some of the best he's ever had. As he sat there relaxing, a certain lavender unicorn came trotting down the road.
"Hey everypony, how's work going?"
"Jus' fine sugarcube," Applejack answered, "in fact, we can call it an early day thanks ta this one here helpin' out," she said, raising a hoof towards James.
"Wow, that was very generous of you James."
"No biggie. I didn't want to be a mooch."
"What are you talking about? You've only been staying here since yesterday."
"I guess it's just the way I am. Plus, I don't know how long I'll be here for."
"Well that is still very kind of you. Anyhow, I just stopped by to see if you wouldn't mind answering some more questions."
"You really want to learn more?"
Applejack shook her head and smiled, "You have no idea."
"Not to be rude, but why do you want to know so much? No one really ever took an interest in me before."
"Well partly because I like learning about new and unknown things and also because I need need to write a letter to the princess about you."
This was something James did NOT want to hear.
"Oh no, please don't do that, I just want to be on my way as soon as I can find a way outta here."
"I'm sorry, but I already did last night and she even said she wants to meet you!"
"You WHAT?"
The last thing he wanted to do was deal with the government of this strange land. It never really went well when an MIA soldier met the government of even a friendly country back on earth. He couldn't even imagine how it would go here.
'Shitshitshit, how am I going to handle this. These ponies don't even know what I REALLY am, what I do for a living, and I'm going to have to explain myself to one of their leaders? Not even just a bureaucrat, but their fricken PRINCESS.'
"Uh, James? Are you ok?" Twilight asked, concerned.
James had a dazed look on his face, his right eye twitching a little.
"Yeah, fine. Just fine. So when is she coming?" he replied as smoothly as possible.
"Oh, she's out investigating some strange incidents in the eastern mountain ranges, so it will still be a few days before she actually comes here."
That was a little relieving. He had a little while to come up with a suitable explanation as to what he was and why he was here.
'At least I'll have a little slack to work with, being potentially the only one of my kind in existence here.'
"Alright, I'll come answer some more questions for you, but only if you take me around town as well."
"Fair enough, let's get going then."
"Alright." Getting up, he turned to the table while walking away. "Thanks for lunch Applejack and it was good workin' with you Big Mac. Fluttershy, thanks for the clean bandages, you didn't have to do that for me, but it's very much appreciated. I guess I'll be back later."
"Eeeyup."
"No problem James. Thanks fer all yer help this mornin'."
"You're welcome," Fluttershy said at an almost subsonic volume.
They started off down the road towards town.
"So, what exactly is it like where you're from," Twilight inquired.
James thought for a moment before answering. "Hmm, well some places are a lot like here. Lots of green vegetation and the like, but my world is also a planet of extremes. Some areas are always freezing cold and covered with nothing but snow and ice, while others are always so hot that there's never any water. Neither areas really support plant life. Most of the land, though, is just like it is here and that's where most people live. We have four seasons; Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Our planet is orbited by one moon, much like here, and the planet itself actually orbits our sun."
"Wow. It sounds very similar to Equestria, except that last part of course."
"I've been meaning to ask you something, is Equestria, like, this whole world or is it just a country?"
"Equestria itself is actually just a country, but it's one of the largest. East, over the mountains are the Griffon Colonies and farther up north well past Canterlot are the Dragon's lands. If you go far enough west Equestria ends at a large ocean. Down south from here are the Diamond Dog territories."
"Diamond Dogs, Dragons and Griffons? Those exist here. I mean, I know about griffons and dragons, but they were just myths where I'm from. And I don't even know what a diamond dog is."
"Oh, I'm sure if you stick around long enough, you'll get to meet all three. I'd just steer clear of dragons though, they tend not to be very nice. Although, there are a few exceptions." she said knowingly.
"I'll keep that in mind."
About this time, they had reached the edge of town. There were many ponies walking around, running errands and taking care of their tasks for the day. As Twilight and James passed by a lot of them would give the two stares and strange looks.
"Do they look at most strangers this way?" James asked quietly.
"Oh, don't worry about them. The ponies around here aren't too trusting, especially living so close to the Everfree. They'll warm up to you eventually. Usually they'd be actively avoiding you, but this morning I asked the mayor to explain your presence to them. You should have seen it when Zecora first moved here, practically the whole town shut down."
"Zecora?"
"Yeah, she's a zebra. She actually lives in the forest nearby. She is an expert at medicinal plants and potions."
As they walked around the town, Twilight started to point things out.
"Over there is the Town Hall," she said, pointing to the large building near the center, "and there's the post office, the market, and a spa." They walked over to another part of town. "Over here, we have a few restaurants and even a couple of bars."
'Thank whatever crazy gods rule this world,' James thought inwardly. He'd have to figure out how to get some of the local currency, maybe he could get a beer later.
"Hey Twilight, what do you use for currency here? You know, money."
"We have bits. I actually have a couple left over from lunch," she produced three gold coins from a bag on her back, levitating them out with her magic.
James plucked one out of the air, inspecting it.
"Interesting." He gave it back to Twilight who placed it back in her bag.
Continuing on, the arrived in front of a small three storied pink and purple building in the shape of a carousel.
"This is Carousel Boutique."
'Really.'
"My friend Rarity owns and works here. She makes fashionable clothing for ponies. Let me introduce you to her." she said while trotting inside. "Rarity! I've got someone here for you to meet!"
"Really? Who would that be?" a posh sounding voice came from the back room. Out came a unicorn in a white coat and a deep purple curled mane. "Oh! You must be that fellow they found in the forest, James was it?"
"Yeah, that's me. You're Rarity then?" James replied, extending a hand.
She hesitantly reached out a hoof and James shook it.
"A bit of a, uh, rough gem I see."
"Uh, thanks? I guess?"
"Rarity, who is it?" Came a young voice from upstairs, the sound of hooves treading on the staircase accompanying it.
A young filly appeared at the base of the stairs. James recognized her as one of the three he had encountered a few nights ago.
"Sweetie Belle, have you finished your homework yet?" Rarity interjected.
"HEY! You're that thing that saved us from the timber wolves!" She exclaimed, ignoring her big sister.
"Sweetie Belle! He is not a 'thing', don't be rude," her head back to James, she continued, "So you're THAT gentlecolt who rescued my sister and her friends. I'm EVER so grateful for that. The forest is such a dreadful place."
"Ah, don't mention it. I wasn't gonna let any children come to harm. Why were they even there if it's so dangerous?"
"Oh, it's this club my sister and her friends started to earn their cutie marks."
"THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" Sweetie Belle yelled from behind, making Rarity jump a little.
"Yes, and they routinely get themselves into these kind of situations. No matter how many times we tell them NOT to." explained Rarity, shooting an annoyed look towards her younger sibling.
"I see. I just have one question then. What is a cutie mark exactly?"
"What do you mean? Don't you have one?"
Twilight started to explain, "Cutie marks are symbols on or flanks that magically appear when a foal learns his or her special talent or calling in life. Mine is magic and Rarity's is fashion. You don't have any marks like that?"
"Ah, no. I have a few tattoos though. I actually thought that was what those were."
"Tattoo? What's that?"
"You don't have tattoo artists here?"
They both replied in the negative.
"Uh, here let me show you." He said while removing his top.
When Rarity and Twilight saw the bandages, they gasped.
"What in Equestria happened to you?" exclaimed the fashonista.
"Yeah, I don't remember you ever getting injured since we met you." added Twilight.
*sigh*
This was getting annoying.
"It's nothing. Just something that happened before I... 'arrived'.... in Equestria. I'm fine now, honestly. Fluttershy even took a look at it. Now here is what I was talking about." he said pointing to a mark on the upper part of his left breast, above the bandages.
It was an image of an eagle, clutching a crossed flintlock pistol and trident in it's sharp talons.
"I got different one on my back, on the opposite shoulder, but I guess you could say this is my 'cutie mark'." Ugh, that didn't just sound right. "But this didn't just appear for me, I had to earn it through a grueling training process for my job. An artist has to take a needle, dip it in some ink, and apply it to the skin."
"That just sounds absolutely unpleasant." scoffed Rarity.
"Yeah, it is a little painful, but the result is a mark I was proud to earn and it's with me for the rest of my life." James said as he pulled his upper garments back on.
"We should get going Rarity, I have more to show James and I still haven't introduced him to Pinky Pie yet."
"All right then, it was a pleasure meeting you James."
"The pleasure was all mine."
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On the way over to the duo's next stop, they were joined quite suddenly by a certain rainbow maned pegasus mare.
"'Sup guys, whatcha doin'?"
"Hey Rainbow Dash, I'm just showing James here around town. We're actually on our way to Sugarcube Corner."
"Oh wow, this should be good." Rainbow Dash chuckled.
"What does she mean by that?" James asked with a concerned glance towards Twilight.
"You might want to brace yourself." Was her only hint.
The three walked up to the candy house he had seen from the sky the day before.
"This is Sugarcube Corner, they probably make the best baked goods I've ever had." Twilight informed.
"Yeah, and our friend that works here, Pinkie Pie, throws the BEST parties ever."
They stepped inside to find a light blue mare with a pink mane that resembled frosting.
"Hi Twilight, Rainbow Dash. Is that the new arrival I've heard about?"
"Hello Mrs. Cake. This is James, he's a human."
"Nice to meet you."
Twilight continued, "Mrs. Cake, you wouldn't happen to know where Pinkie is, would you?"
"Oh, she asked for the day off. She's been working so much lately that I think she deserved it. Now that you mention it though, it has been unusually quiet around here. She did say something about having something else important to do, but that's all I know."
"Thanks, Mrs. Cake. Oh well, I'm sure you'll get to meet her later. Now, how about I show you the town Library?" Offered Twilight, trotting out the door.
"Sounds good to me."
"Bo-ring, I'm gonna go see what AJ is up to." Rainbow Dash complained.
"All right, see you later."
"Yeah. Bye James, bye Twilight." And with that she took to the sky.
"Don't mind her, she's just not the reading type."
"Meh, to each their own."
After a short walk, they ended up in front of a tall house that looked to be carved out of a tree.
"This is the Ponyville Library. It's also where I live. Come on inside and I'll introduce you to my number one assistant, Spike."
"Alright."
Twilight opened the door with her magic and trotted inside.
"Spike!" she called, "Come meet the human I was telling you about!"
"Coming!" Came a reply from upstairs.
Down came a small purple scaled crocodile looking thing with green trim and claws, walking on two legs.
'What is that, some kind of purple talking crocodile?' Thought James, with a quizzical look.
"James this is Spike. Spike, James."
"What is he?" James asked.
"I'm a dragon!" Spike exclaimed.
"I thought dragons were bigger."
"Spike is just a baby."
"Yeah, but I can still breath fire!" Spike retorted.
"Heh, well it's nice to meet you dude, just don't burn me and we'll get along fine." James extended his hand for a shake.
"No problamo." Spike took James' hand in his claw and shook.
"Well that's about it for town. Anything in particular you want to do?"
James looked out one of the windows, gauging the position of the sun. It was hanging low in the sky.
"Uhhhh, I think I'm good. I kinda just wanna get back to the barn and think for a bit. This is all still new to me."
"Well, for somepony from another world, you seem to be taking it quite well."
"I'll let you in on a secret, Twilight. I may be keeping a calm demeanor, but inside I'm totally freaking out. Panicking never did anybody any good though."
"Oh, well, ok I guess. Do you mind if I walk you back to Applejack's?"
"No, it's cool. I wouldn't mind a little company."
"Can I come too?" Asked Spike.
"Sure, why not. Couldn't hurt."