//------------------------------// // Ch 5: Freedom! // Story: Raising a Human in Equestria // by Flame6666 //------------------------------// Freedom! Co Author: The “Special” Pegasus Once again the roosters contributed to the local farm family’s morning with gusto. Today was especially important however, since not only would they be providing the food for the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration, but they were also hosting this year’s Apple Family Reunion. Knowing full well how important it was to keep their youngest addition a secret to Equestria, they planned for young Jonathan Apple to spend the day somewhere safe from the public eye. In short? Another play date. “Rise ‘n’ shine, Johnny!” hollered an orange-coated mare. As she entered her little brother’s room, with a red stallion right behind her, she made sure to remind little Jonathan of what day today was. “It’s time ta get ta Fluttershy’s, Johnny! Up an’ at ‘em! Don’t wanna be late now, do ya?” Knowing how much the young colt agreed, she watched Johnny practically jump out of his mattress, nearly tripping in his enthusiasm. “Yeah, I thought so.” said Applejack, unable to hold back a fond smile at her adopted brother’s expense. “C’mon, let’s go!” the colt squealed, before bolting over to Big Macintosh and attempting to jump onto his back. Still too small for such a task, he merely slipped from his grip on his older brother. After a moment’s thought, Jonathan climbed back onto his bed and hopped toward the stallion, successfully this time. “I wanna see the cute li’l critters!” Having grown used to this routine, Big Mac simply let his little brother get himself comfortable before heading out to the cottage at the edge of the Everfree Forest, the bell around Johnny’s neck jingling all the way. * * * The day of the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration was approaching its second half. In the distance, a royal chariot carrying a purple unicorn and a young dragon was approaching the town of Ponyville. “...doesn’t that make you happy?” said the reptilian child. As he listened to the pony’s response, he took the opportunity to take in the view. By a stroke of coincidence, he managed to spot a large red speck in the ground who, for some strange reason, was carrying something weird looking on their back. A moment of thought led to the drake dismissing it as his imagination. Regardless, the time he had spent living with the biggest egghead in Equestria had rubbed off on him and the thought would not leave his mind that easily. Oh well, I’ll think about it later. * * * The trip from Sweet Apple Acres to the cottage on the other side of town was always a long one regardless of how one would get there, be it galloping, flying or even teleportation. Jonathan Apple knew very well how long this would take, especially out of the nearby town’s line of sight and tried to coax his brother into conversation, which both of them knew to be a difficult task. That didn’t stop the youngest of the two from speaking his mind to keep the boredom to a minimum. “I can’t wait ‘til we get there! It’s gonna be so much fun! I hope Angel is awake this time, do ya know how it feels to have a cute critter on top o’ ya? It’s amazin’!” The stallion let out a smile, knowing exactly what the child meant. “Eeyup.” “And then maybe I can play “Hide ‘n’ Seek” with all the critters. And Fluttershy too!” Johnny took a look at his brother for any reactions, simply seeking to know that the stallion was acknowledging his excited rambling. What he didn’t expect was to see his brother’s cheeks turning light. “Wow, what happened to your cheeks? Are they burning? But the sun ain’t shinin’ on ya, that don’t make no sense.” “...” “Are you alright, big brother? You look kinda, what’s that word, nerfus? Is it havin’ ta carry me all the way to Fluttershy? I’m sorry, big brother. I didn’t mean ta make ya tired. Should I get down? I can walk just fine, ya don’t have ta worry ‘bout me.” said Johnny apologetically. “Nnope.” “Ya sure?” “Eeyup.” “Okay, then. Hey, ya know the Summer Sun, uhh, Celebwayshun?” “Eeyup.” “The princess is gonna be there, right? Ta raise the sun?” “Eeyup.” “What’s she like?” “Dunno, never met ‘er.” “Really?” “Eeyup.” “Are ya gonna go see her?” “Nnope.” “Why not?” “Because somepony’s gotta keep an eye on th’ farm.” “Why can’t Granny Smith take care o’ the farm?” “You know how Granny is; she never wakes up from ‘er nap an’ she started when we left. Either that or, she’s just sleepin’ in.” “Oh, right.” The boredom was swiftly increased by at least eleven notches, the only noises in the vicinity coming from the stallion’s hooves, the wildlife around them and the bell attached to Jonathan. It wasn’t until at least ten minutes had passed that something noteworthy occurred. “Hey, look, big brother, we’re here, we’re here!” Indeed they were. Wasting no time at all, Johnny dismounted Big Macintosh and ran the rest of the way to the cottage. Upon arriving, he eagerly knocked on the door with his clenched fists. “Fluttershy, Fluttershy! We’re here!” A matter of moments later, the door was opened by a cream colored pegasus mare casting her adoring gaze upon her guest for the day. “Hi there, Johnny! My goodness, look how much you’ve grown! You’ll be bigger than Big Mac at this rate!” Said the animal caretaker, lowering herself to the child’s height and playfully ruffling his hair with a wing. Her response was the foalish giggling that she always loved to hear, followed by a deep “Eeyup.” from the distance. Fluttershy and Johnny looked toward the noise, smiling at the stallion’s support. “So what’re we gonna do today, Fluttershy? Is Angel up yet?” “No, not quite. We can always do something else, though. Oh dear!” “What is it?” “I almost forgot! I’m supposed to conduct the bird choir for the Summer Sun Celebration! I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go practice. Oh, but I can’t just leave you here...” It was a tough decision, but in the end, her caring instincts emerged victorious above her sensibility. Not without justification, though. “Johnny, would you like to come and watch the birds and I practice for the Summer Sun Celebration?” she asked. “Ya mean outside?” Fluttershy nodded and his eyes widened as he rushed over to her and hugged her, “That’d be swell! Thank you so much!” After hearing that, Big Mac had to ask, “Are ya sure ‘bout that, Fluttershy? Ain’t it a tad bit dangerous?” She raised her head, “Well, yes, but ever since he got this big he hasn’t been able to see a lot of the outside... all he ever sees now is Sweet Apple Acres and hardly anything else. Besides, the spot we practice in is still outside Ponyville and pretty much nopony is there, so I’m sure it’s safe.” Big Mac looked towards his younger brother and noticed that he was attempting to perform Apple Bloom’s famous puppy dog pout, though it wasn’t as cute as when a pony did it. However, Big Macintosh only took a few moments to figure out where Fluttershy was going with this. Nopony to disturb them, a seldom visited location... it would have to do. Johnny had yet to be capable of taking care of himself for the day, anyway. “Eeyup.” “Thank you. I won’t let you down, I promise.” Fluttershy said as Johnny let go, jumped up cheering and gave Big Mac a hug. “I’ll just make us a few snacks and leave a note for Angel. Would you like to stay for lunch, Big Mac?” After receiving an affirmative from the stallion, she left to the kitchen. A while later she made some daffodil sandwiches for herself and the farmer, along with a tuna fish sandwich for Johnny and some oranges. She finished her note for Angel and with that, they were ready to take their leave. The three of them left the cottage and arrived at the fork in the road, parting with a few waves. After taking the road to the practicing spot, Fluttershy turned to her feathery friends, “Okay everyone, if you could all take your places on that tree we’ll get started in just a second.” They all landed in the branches while Fluttershy turned to her audience of one, “And as for you Johnny, could you please hide in one of those bushes, that is, if you don’t mind?” He nodded, “Okay Fluttershy.” and obeyed. Once Fluttershy was certain that Johnny was completely hidden she turned back to her feathery musicians and nodded, “Okay everyone, from the top.” Fluttershy flew a few feet into the air and started to direct the birds with her front hooves and the bird started to sing. From his hiding spot, Johnny couldn’t focus on anything but the sound of the nearly angelic chirps and whistles that the birds were emitting. It was so hypnotic that he didn’t even notice that another pony was coming this way. “Hello!” The new pony said, knocking Johnny out of his trance, scaring the birds away and almost giving Fluttershy a heart attack. As the pegasus turned around, the new arrival said, “Oh my, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten your birds, I’m just here to check up on the music and it sounded beautiful.” Fluttershy landed without saying a word and scratched her hoof on the dirt, her shyness kicking in. As the silence continued the purple mare started to smile awkwardly and attempted to introduce herself. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, what’s your name?” Fluttershy started to hide behind her hair before saying, “Um... I’m Fluttershy.” “I’m sorry, what was that?” “Um...my name is Fluttershy.” she mumbled, backing away. “Didn’t quite catch that.” “I’m Fluttershy.” she squeaked timidly. After getting over the situation, the birds slowly returned to their respective places in the branches. “Well, it looks like your birds are back. So I guess everything's in order, keep up the good work!” Fluttershy merely squeaked in response. “Oookay...” The purple mare walked away and started talking to a small creatures covered in scales, “Well, that was easy!” Both Fluttershy and Johnny looked to who the unicorn was talking to, “A baby dragon!” exclaimed the yellow mare while the child moved in closer for a better look, jingling his bell. The two new arrivals noticed the sound, “Wait, Spike, did you just hear that—” the purple mare would have completed her question, if it weren’t for the fact that she was flying through the air due to Fluttershy's overexcitedness. The rest of what happened was lost to Jonathan, as he was too busy observing this new creature. He was looking at a green and purple lizard-like creature which was apparently called a dragon, if Fluttershy were to be believed. He didn’t really care, for the only thing that he noticed, was the fact that it was standing on two legs, just like him. A little while later, the three were starting to leave and once they were out of view Johnny crawled out of the bushes before standing up. He was all alone now. He was outside the farm and no one was watching him. For as long as he could remember, he’d been told rather strictly to never, ever go even close to the town known as Ponyville. Otherwise, he would be in deep enough trouble to even make Discord shudder in sympathy. That was only if he were caught by his family, if somepony from town saw him then... well, the Apple Family never really told him anything about that, which of course, made him unbearably curious about it. It would never leave his mind! With that thought sparking something in his foalish mind, he let his imagination burn free. He started pacing and thinking. I’ve always wondered what Ponyville’s like. Maybe I could go find out! Yeah! I could just make sure they don’t see me, and see what the town’s like. How big is it? What’s everypony doin’? I gotta see! And maybe have some good ol’ fun too! He couldn’t stifle the giggle that followed, his anticipation was killing him! Determined to get away with the biggest crime that he had ever been told of, Johnny took his first step toward the nearby village... and stopped when he heard a rather bothersome noise. Oh, right. What do I do with this, though? Clutching onto the bell attached to his clothes, he tore it right off, but not without straining himself for a few attempts. As a result, the part of his outfit where the bell used to be was rather nastily ripped up, opening by at least an inch. “Rarity’s gonna be real mad if she finds out...” The very last jingle that the bell ever made finally sounded as it landed inside the bush that Jonathan Apple had just occupied. The town of Ponyville was a tad busier than usual, considering the circumstances. Not only that, but a Pinkie Party was about to be held and nopony could resist the cause to celebrate their work and take a break. Not all of them were there yet, though, so the town wasn’t completely asleep. It was with great curiosity that Jonathan Apple looked out upon the town from one of the alleys. The occasional pony would come into view, all of them trotting toward the same destination, none the wiser to the strange creature watching from the shadows. Quite a few times, he shimmied and sidled his way from hiding spot to hiding spot, avoiding the citizens’ gazes along the way. He was on his toes the entire time, riding on a rush of fright and the resulting bouts of adrenaline. The excitement was unlike anything he had ever felt! This was gonna be great! One of the townsponies was on her way to the nearby oak tree. She had been working hard all day and Celestia help her, she was gonna go to that party! So absorbed was this unicorn in having a good time with her roommate and friends, that she only barely took notice of a foreign shape darting through the almost empty street, bumping into a couple of crates and emitting a series of giggles in its blind excitement. She stopped in her tracks, eyes darting across the street, trying to find out what exactly had happened. Dismissing it as her exhausted mind playing tricks on her, the light green coated mare resumed her trot toward the glorious collection of snacks and fun games. To be continued... AN: First things first ladies and gents. Fan art WOOOOT! A HUGE thank you to ForestOfSpring for this awesome piece of art. If you somehow haven’t seen it yet it’s the new cover art! Second- The tuna fish sandwich will be explained in two or three chapters, just so you know. Third- Yes this is a two parter. To be 100% honest we got a little lazy this week and only got half of it done, so sorry about that. On the bright side you do get something this week yay! See you guys same time next week, ‘til next time readers. C-AN: We apologize for how things turned out here and by that I mean the fact that this actually split up in segments. Hopefully it’ll take less than another week to get the next part out. PS: Happy Birthday, Mom! You’re the best!