The next morning started about as normal as they could get given the situation I was currently in. I woke up some time around 8, got up and stretched and proceeded to try and get things into some sort of smooth flow. As it turns out these ponies do have plumbing and electricity so I have changed my opinion of them from animals to aliens…it just makes things easier to accept. Anyway, I was able to use Twilights bathroom and got myself to a much more acceptable rank of clean and did what I could for my cloths.
For the rest of the morning I proceeded to get as much information out of Twilight as I could. By the time I was finished I was fairly convinced that I fell into some sort of fantasy novel due to the sheer amount of mythological creatures she claims to live around various areas. The most stunning of them all was the fact that she lived with a dragon. Mind that is was far from the standard thoughts of dragons being large, scary and dangerous as hers, which she calls Spike, was small and relatively pudgy. After getting acquainted with the Spike I turned my attention back to Twilight to discuss a most pressing matter.
“So Twilight, I hate to be a bother but…would it be possible for me to get some new cloths around here? My current suit is looking and feeling a bit worn out and could use a good cleaning and I would rather not walk around naked.”
“Why not? I do it all the time, same with almost every pony I know.”
“We have been over this, humans have this nudity taboo and I am not looking to break it, even here.”
“Right, sorry, no offence. I can guarantee that there are no cloths stores that sell human cloths for obvious reasons so…you would have to get custom ordered cloths. This sounds like a job for my friend Rarity! We can get you acquainted!”
“Rarity”, are you kidding me?! That name just screams fashion diva…oh this is going to suck, I thought to myself and with a nod I agreed to Twilights plan and she went off to pack some things before we leave. Not 5 minutes later the two of us were walking back into town on our way to Rarity’s house which also doubled as her business hub. On the way there we were stopped by many different ponies all looking to meet the strange creature that was walking with Twilight and more than once did I have to repeat answers as they lacked the coordination to gather in a group and ask all and once. By the end of it all I wanted to kick more than one pony here but thankfully Twilight shooed them away saying we had important business to attend to.
Finally we reached the “Carousel Boutique” which was a rather…I am going to say decorated, for lack of a kinder word…building. If anything could be described as frilly and feminine this was it, primarily because of the light shades of pink and purple that were all over it. Twilight nocked on the door and soon enough a white unicorn with a painstakingly styled mane and tail answered.
“Twilight! Darling! How are you doing? What brings…you…here?” said the unicorn as she saw me
“Hello Rarity, I know this looks really weird but can we talk inside please?”
With that we were both ushered inside and the door closed and locked behind us. It took a long while of explaining and reasoning to bring the unicorn back down to a reasonable level of calm.
“Well then, it’s a pleasure to meet you Daddy Legs. Sorry for my reaction, although by the looks of you it seems you have a rather refined style.”
“The same could be said about you Lady Rarity, in fact that is the very reason we are here. As this suit no doubt shows I have been through a lot and find myself with the sudden lacking of fresh cloths to wear.”
“Well I wasn’t going to say anything but that suit looks like it lost a fight with a pair of dull scissors. Am I safe to assume you came to me in hopes of getting new clothing?”
“If it’s not too much to ask of you.”
“Of course! I have never made anything for a human before, this would be an excellent trial of my abilities! Do you have any preferences?”
“Well, I would like to be like this suit I am currently wearing. It needs to be durable but light, easy to move in with very little restrictions. I also find I like the shoulders to be just a tad bigger than what the measurements say. It also has to look good with my fedora as I refuse to go out without it.”
“Well, you certainly know what you like. Step up here and let’s get to work!”
So the next two hours were Rarity getting my measures and me showing each piece to her in detail so she could actually make a full set. Rarity picked up the blazer, tie, under shirt and pants very easily. The shoes gave her pause as did the socks but she caught on soon enough. What struck me as odd was how much my boxers confused her, I would have thought the shoes would have been the problem but the thought of wearing cloths beneath cloths that no one would ever see was border line illegal to her. Thankfully I convinced her other wise and she had all the information she needed.
Once Rarity was completely confident she had everything under control she told us to stop by tomorrow and Twilight and I left the house. It was around noon now so Twilight thought it would be a good idea to show me to lunch. Twilight brought me to some place called “The Misty Bowl” which apparently was best known for its soups. Once the brief scare of the waitress was over with we picked a window table and looked at the menus. This was going to take some getting used to as I quickly picked up on the lack of meat…kind of obvious as they are pony themed aliens but it was disappointing all the same. I did note that fish was still on the menu so that was a relief; protein won’t actually be an issue.
Twilight ordered a daffodil and daisy sandwich and I got the fish chowder. Lunch was rather calm and quiet save for two ponies who were curious about me just like all the rest. It wasn’t until we were both done eating and just sitting idly at the table when Twilight spoke up.
“So, I know it is a bit soon to be asking but, what do you think of our world right now?”
“A fair question. Baring the falling from the sky, several black outs, fighting with a Pegasus and waking up in a dungeon I must admit it is rather interesting. It feels a lot more tranquil than my home and certainly smells better. I don’t really have an opinion on the ponies though, not enough experience other than answering the same question fifty times over. Overall it seems stable enough…I still think I would rather be at my home rather than here.”
“At least you are giving us a chance. Anyway, Is there anything else you need or want to do?”
“Well, I noticed all the stalls outside selling various goods and that obviously means there is some sort of production going on. Would it be possible to see that?”
“Sure! My friend Applejack runs a farm for a living, selling apples.”
“Do you have a friend for every area of my interests? If so than perhaps we should just go down your friends list and save me the trouble of having to ask?”
Twilight gave a brief chuckle before responding “It certainly seems that way. Come on, let’s go.”
After Twilight paid the bill for our meal we started walking to what she called “Sweet Apple Acres” which is apparently the best place to get apples for miles on end. The trip took us out of the town and down a dirt road. It didn’t take too long given my normal walking speed so soon enough we passed through a gate that had an apple painted on it. What I saw was like the back of a juice box, rows upon rows of apple trees all of them tall, green and healthy. The pleasant smell of apples wafted through the air and the open area allowed a firm breeze to blow through making me hold onto my hat.
As Twilight and I passed through the rows of trees I began to hear a loud thumping noise every now and again. As we got closer and closer to the sound I eventually saw the source. An orange pony was there kicking the trees with both her hind hooves thus knocking the apples out of the tree and into buckets that surround the base of said tree. As for the pony herself, she was orange, had a blond mane and tail both of which were pulled back by hair bands, freckles on her face, greens eyes and to top it all off, a Stetson hat sat on top of her head…I approve of this.
“Well howdy there Twilight! Who is your freaky friend?”
Oh god, she has a southern accent…reminds me of Eric from the orphanage.
“Hi Applejack! This is Daddy Legs! He is the first human to ever be in Equestria! He was curious about produce and I immediately thought of you!”
“Well you came to the right place! First off though, How do you do Daddy Legs?”
“I’m fine, lovely to meet you Applejack.”
I reached my hand out and she apparently caught on as we gave a friendly shake of hand and hoof
“So, what are you curious about? Ah can’t say I know everythin’ but ah can try mah best!”
“To be honest, Twilight answered my question when she was able to walk here with me. Where I come from the farms are very far away and have to ship their produce to stores to be sold which creates a middle man for the farmers to have to deal with. Must be nice to simply gather your apples and sell them off yourself.”
“Well, not all farms are so close to a town that they can sell at; some of us have to make other ways to sell our products. If ya like I could give you a tour of the place, maybe introduce you to the rest of the family.”
“Please do, that sounds interesting enough.”
True to her word Applejack began to show Twilight and I around the farm. First and foremost were the apple trees. They have thousands of them! The field that I assumed was the entire farm was just one field of many! After that she brought us back around to the barn house. This was just like the barns from earth as they kept tools and various other items such as hay and feed here. While she was talking we ran into a very large pony. He was a red with a blond mane and tail, he also has a piece of hay in his mouth. His most notable feature being his height, he easily stands at twice the height of Twilight.
He introduced himself as Big Macintosh, or just Big Mac for short. He is the older brother to Applejack and a…stallion…of few words. We shared a brief conversation in which all he ever said was “eeyup” or “nnope” to most of my questions. The only way I got more out of him was asking a question that held a more detailed answer but even then he managed to keep it short. Thankfully Applejack wanted to continue the tour so we parted ways before I did something I would regret.
Next stop was the farm house. It was a simple building in the traditional red and white colors that barns normally sport. Inside it was cozy and carried the feeling that this was a place meant for family and not an individual to live in alone. In the living room I had the…ahem…pleasure of meeting Granny smith, and elderly green mare with a white mane and tail. Most of our conversation was her asking if I was some sort of alien from space here to steal her chickens and dentures…yea, that was about as awkward as it could be. Thankfully Twilight and Applejack convinced her that I was a friend and we quickly moved along.
Further into the house we ran into a much younger pony by the name of Applebloom. She was yellow with a red mane and tail. At first sight she ran up and bombarded me with question after question. I was really tempted to send her flying with a good kick just to get her to shut up but myself restrain managed to hold me back. I answered a few before Applejack sent her on her way as we still had a tour to finish. Applebloom left with a pout and the tour continued.
Finally Applejack showed us the back of the farm. This part looked like it was more for entertainment rather than work. A large picnic table sat on the grass and a tree with a tire swing was not too far from that. Not much more to see here so that ended the tour of Sweet Apple Acres. Amazing how time flies when you are occupied as it was nearing dinner and Applejack was kind enough to offer us a meal with the family, with nothing else on the agenda Twilight and I agreed. Twilight quickly returned to the library to pick up Spike and when she returned we all sat at the table for Dinner.
I don’t know why I expected anything other than apples; it was a foolish thought as every single dish was some form of apple base. Apple pie, apple strudel, apple sauce, apples and peanut butter. While it all tasted amazing I was so tired of apples by the end I almost felt like puking at the thought of eating any more. Some small talk went around after the meal was finished. The primary topic of course was me and my world. I should really look into writing this down so if another pony asks I could just give them the written copy rather than say the same thing over and over again. Luckily Twilight caught onto my irritation and quickly changed the topic to how current business was going for the farm.
Sometime later we said our good byes and left Sweet Apple Acres. The sun was still setting so there was a reasonable amount of ponies out and about by the time we reached Ponyville. Thankfully none of them were hoping to meet me and we made it back to the library without a single stop. When Twilight opened the door I saw that it was pitch black inside and I couldn’t see a think so I fumbled for the light switch. The moment I turned it on there was a loud bang as ponies jumped up from every corner of the library and a pink one jumped right in my face screaming “SURPRISE!” as loud as she could. My reaction could have been better I suppose as I jumped back and brought a kick around that connected cleanly with her side sending the poor pink pony fling across the room and into the wall.
The entire room fell silent and everyone there was either staring at me or at the pink pony who now lay on the floor groaning. As for me, my face was frozen between a horrified look and a panicked looked as I realized what I just did. The single minute that passed felt like an hour before Twilight ran over to the pink pony and began checking if she was ok; the rest of the ponies back away from me…all except one very familiar blue and rainbow Pegasus.
“What is your deal dude?! She threw you a party and you kick her?! I knew you were too dangerous to leave alone!”
“What did you expect me to do?! She suddenly jumped in my face screaming and my first reaction was to defend myself!”
“Oh please! You act like you never went to a surprise party! More like you just like to kick things and saw a good chance!”
“I haven’t been to a surprise party before! Also I do like kicking things but that was out of surprise and self-defense! It was an accident I swear!”
I think she was about to kick me square in the face when the pink pony I just kicked got to her hooves looking no worse for wear. She walked over and pulled Rainbow Dash away from me before speaking up.
“Well that is one way to start a party! I know you would be startled but I NEVER saw that coming! Don’t you worry about it though; Twilight fixed me up good as new! I’m Pinkie Pie and this is your surprise welcome-to-Equestria party!”
“Ah, yes, hello Pinkie Pie. I am Daddy Legs and I am really sorry about that, force of habit and what not.” After briefly looking around the room I said “Lovely party you got here! Thank you!”
“Alright! It’s time to paaaaaar-tay!”
By some form of miracle the pink pony with the fluffy pink mane and tail managed to get the party rolling. Cheery music began to play and the ponies that had gathered around got into the mood and the whole thing passed over. There were sweets aplenty and I avoided anything with apples in it. Punch was served that actually tasted like the fruit it was made of rather than the crap I was used to back on earth. Most of the ponies there I had already met and those that I hadn’t quickly came up and introduced themselves. I am never going to memorize all these names.
The party carried on well into the night and by the time every one was leaving it was one in the morning. I helped clean things up around the library and put away the left overs before sitting on the couch that sat against the wall in the main room. Twilight sat on the other side of the couch and we made simple small talk until both of us were yawning more than talking. We said our good nights and I returned to my mattress on the floor. Someone had removed the frame I didn’t use and replace the mattress with a larger one that I could actually fit on. Upon further inspection I found a note from one of the ponies I had met earlier, Lyra Heartstrings, which simply said “Hope this is better”, I would have to thank her the next time I saw her. I get the feeling that I might sleep better tonight and the world faded away not five minutes after I lay down.