*Twilight POV*
"Thank you kindly Twilight, for helping out" Applejack said as Spike kept saying different variations of 'no' while on my back.
Me and Spike, just me actually, were helping Applejack this morning.
"I bet Big Macintosh I could get all these golden delicious in the barn by lunchtime" she continued with a jump, "if I will, he's gonna walk down stir up street in one of granny's girdles" she finished as with an excited tone, like a filly knowing that she has absolutely won her bet.
"No problem at all Applejack, I'm glad the goal is lunchtime, all this hard work is making me hungry"
"I know right" Spike said as an apple fell on my head.
He gave me a sheepish smile as an apology.
"Puh-lease Spike, you've been lounging on my back all morning while we worked" I retorted.
"Exactly, you two are taking so long, I missed snack time" he said
My stomach rumbled, earning myself a nervous giggle.
"I guess we better get some food then" I said as I continue on forward.
"Nope, worm" small thuds told me that Spike was throwing away apples.
"A-HA!" he suddenly exclaimed, prompting me to check what it was about.
"Oh Spike, that looks delicious" I say as I gaze upon the brightest apple I've seen in my life, which was promptly devoured by Spike, splattering some apple juice on me.
"Spike!" I say with an annoyed tone.
"What?" he asks innocently.
Then he burped.
A trail of green smoke comes out, exciting me slightly, before turning into a scroll.
"It's a scroll from Princess Celestia!"
Spike grabbed the levitating scroll, clearing his throat before opening it.
"Hear ye, hear ye, Her Grand Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala, to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot on the twenty-first day of yadda, yadda, yadda, cordially extends an invitation to Twilight Sparkle, plus one guest"
I let out a gasp, shocked at the scroll, Applejack was equally surprised, shock evident on her face too.
"The Grand Galloping Gala!" we both yell excitedly as Spike fake vomits.
Then he belches, letting out another trail of green smoke, which turned into two golden tickets.
"Look" he held up the tickets, "Two tickets!"
I was about to ask if Spike ever went to the Gala before, which I know he hadn't, only asking out of excitement, before he belched once more, another scroll with the royal seal on it.
"Another letter?" Spike asks as he picks it up to read the contents.
"Hear ye, Hear ye, Her Grand Royal Highness, Princess Luna of Equestria, courteously sends an invitation to Calming Blaze"
He finishes as he pulls out a note attached to the letter.
"Dear, Twilight Sparkle,
please send this letter to Calming Blaze,
-Princess Luna"
Spike belches on last time as another golden ticket land on his claws.
"Well, that's a mighty surprise, would he be fine going alone though" Applejack said with her heavy accent.
"I hope" I shrug.
"Where is he though? I didn't see him this morning" Spike interjected.
"Now that you mention it, I don't think I've seen him in the morning at all" I reply nervously.
"That's worrying" Applejack added as we continued talking.
*No one POV*
A red coated colt held dumbbells of 100kg in his front hooves as he lifted them systematically while sitting on a log.
Sweat poured down his body as his muscles bulged out with every movement.
Rhythmic grunting could be heard before the colt suddenly released the equipment.
Gasping for air, he stands up and reaches for one end of the log where a bag and a jug of water sat.
Grabbing the jug of water, he takes large gulps of water as he steadies his breathing for a minute before grabbing the equipment and starting once more.
The area around him was blocked by dense growth, hiding the area from almost everything.
Almost, being the keyword as a long black figure slithers on the ground, reaching 4 meters easily, raises its head, revealing its white scutes.
It slowly approaches the exercising colt from behind, traveling so silently, almost as if it didn't exist.
Preparing itself for an attack, the snake readied its body.
Just as it was about to spring, the colt spoke up.
"If you try to bite me you're not getting any dessert" he commented without looking back.
This stops the serpent almost instantly.
It approached the colt quickly, making much more noise than before as it climbs onto the log and looks at the colt for a few seconds before bringing its tail up.
An apple presented itself, wrapped up by the snakes tail.
"Thank you Drega" the colt said as he dropped the dumbbells and took the apple with his hooves.
Taking a bite, he stops to look around his area.
All kinds of weights and machineries were spread around the clearing, making small dents into the ground from constantly dropping them.
His snake friend, now curled into a pile, slept next to him on the bench.
"Everything feels so much friendlier in this world" he thought to himself.
Compared to his old world, every being was non-hostile most if not all the time.
Only starved beasts would attack.
Even then, nothing a simple meal wouldn't fix.
It worked the same way with all sentient beings too.
Barely a single pony looked the same from his old world.
"Especially the commander" he said to himself.
Twilights' image overlapped with another unicorn, one much fearsome looking.
With a white mask, fully hiding her face and a much deeper shade of purple, closer to dark coat.
A body filled with scars from countless experiments.
It perplexed Calming Blaze as he thought about how a single event could dictate whether the world dies or not.
"Well, we take what get" he muttered to himself.
After finishing the apple, he threw away the core, leaving it for nature to consume it as he continues his workout.
"I'm ba~ck" Delicate Cuisines said merrily as she trotted in through the front door of the library with saddlebags.
Much to her confusion, the library had been empty.
"Weird, Blaze and Twilight are usually home when I'm back" she muttered to herself as she set her saddlebags down on the table in the middle of the room.
"Well, I did get off work early today, so they must be out, maybe buying groceries, or desserts" she chuckled to herself at the last part.
"Twilight probably got that trait from Princess Celestia" she thought to herself as she headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
"Should be fine" she told nopony in particular as she waved her hoof.
"Should be" she says as she starts to sweat.
"WHERE'S MY BABY!" she yelled as she ran to pick up medical supplies.
"Oooh, he's alone, hungry, tired, what if he's injured" she mutters to herself as she stuffs her bag with food, water and a first aid kit as she ran through the front door.
Straight into a yellow mare with a pink mane.
"Eep"
"Oof"
They exclaimed as they both felt the force of the impact, sending them to the ground.
"Sorry, OH! Fluttershy! Have you seen my son?" Delicate said rapidly as she stared at Fluttershys' eyes, ignoring a small army of animals around them.
"Um, I did hear a rumor about a red colt staying inside the Everfree" she stuttered as she explained.
"Yesthankyoudearbye" with that rapid reply, she ran straight to the forest.
"But, I didn't tell you where in the Everfree though" she muttered weakly as she stared at the disappearing visage of the mare.
"Fluttershy? What're you doing here? Wait, you're not here to do me a favor so you could get the ticket right?" Twilight asked with an irritated voice.
"Surprise!" a crowd of ponies yelled, making both ponies and the animals jump.
As Twilight took a look around, most of Ponyville had gathered and somehow managed to sneak up on them.
"Hello my bestest estest friend in the whole wide Equestria!" Pinkie exclaimed as she grabbed Twilight and started singing a song.
"Aaah, this is something I'll never get tired of, you agree yeah?" Blaze lazily said with a sigh as he sat in a steaming pond.
Drega was in the water too with only his head exposed as he laid back on the edge of the pond.
Different kinds of food stuff were placed within hooves reach.
They stayed in peaceful silence as they enjoyed themselves.
The silence was soon interrupted by heavy stomping and shouting.
"BLAZE! WHERE ARE YOU HONEY!" his mothers' voice rang out.
"MOM?! I'M OVER HERE!" he said as he got up.
"MY BABY!" she burst through a tree as she leapt to hug her son.
"Oof" Blaze released air from his lungs as his mother hugged with speed close to sound.
"There you are! Are you alright? Are you injured? Do you need food? Come on, I'm taking you to the doctor for an examination!" she rapidly fired her lines as Blaze was starting to see dark spots in his vision.
"Strength to fight the gods and I still can't beat mother" he thought to himself as he accepted death.
*Hiss*
Drega leapt up to show his presence, causing Delicate to release her grip slightly.
*GASP*
Breathing in fresh air, Blaze starts to cough as he sees Death wave him goodbye.
"Mom? What're you doing in the Everfree?"
"What am I doing here? What're YOU doing here mister?" she said sternly as she held him up high.
"What am I- wait, no, release the snake first, he's my friend" he said as he looked down to see Drega under Delicates' left hind leg.
"What!? No, it's a snake, what if it bites you?" she said worriedly before gasping. "Did it bite you? Where's the wound? We'll get a poison test!"
"Mom!" he said as he grabbed her face in his hooves. "Calm down, I'm not injured, nor am I lacking in any physical or mental needs, ok?"
"Ok" she says as her voice gets muffled by the hooves.
"Good, now release Drega, that's the snake, and put me down"
She follows the instructions as Blaze notices something.
"Is that a Timberwolf skull?"
"Oh this thing, holding it made the others stay away, so I held it" she said with a small shrug.
Blaze only stared blankly as his mind shut down, tried to load and shut down once more before forcefully deleting the memory.
"Well, why don't you take a dip in the pond, the water is pretty relaxing" he said as smile appeared on his face.
"Oh, that sounds nice"
"Yeah, eat some snacks while you're at it too" he said as he handed over a cupcake with his hooves.
"Thank you" she replied as she stared at him. "Uh, why aren't you using your magic?"
"Uuh, I'm just, depleted, yeah that's it, I was practicing" he finished with a nervous smile.
She nods in response.
"I trust you" she said with a small smile on her face.
A stunned expression grows on Blazes' face as he looks at her with a bit of shock.
A smile, one of genuine happiness makes its way onto his face as he gives a bright smile.
"I trust you too"
They both share a chuckle.
"So, tell me how you found this little place" Delicate asks as she takes another bite of her cupcake.
"Well, first I gotta tell you how I met Drega" he replied as he too sat in the pond.
The black serpent took the opportunity to throw a cupcake to the sky and eat it in one bite, wrappers and all.