//------------------------------// // Applejack and Soarin' // Story: Applejack and Applebloom in Appleoosa // by Metal Pony Fan //------------------------------// "Is that all, miss Applejack?" asked the unicorn conductor. "Yep," I responded, "Can ya send it to Ponyville? Address it to either Big Mac or Twilight Sparkle." He concentrated for a moment, and a glow enveloped his horn and the paper he had written on. Slowly, the words started erasing themselves from the page. "All done," he said once the last word disappeared,"the Ponyville train station will send it out via mail mare as soon as they receive it. All we can do now is wait. Please accept my apology, this never should have happened." "Shoot," I said, "'tweren't your fault, but you best believe Ah'll be havin' words with Twi just as soon as Ah get back." "I feel sorry for her," he said with a solemn nod, "you can head back to your seat and I'll notify you if we receive a response." "Thank ya kindly." Am I really that scary? I know I've been a little out of sorts lately, but is it really that noticeable? Everypony's been acting like I'm one mispoken word away from smacking them silly. I returned to the car where Soarin', Divin', and Applebloom were waiting. We moved up a car for obvious reasons. The two foals were sorting out who got to keep the various pictures and Soarin' was sitting near the back, sipping a ginger-ale from the snack cart to help calm his stomach. Hoping I wasn't making a big mistake, I walked over and sat across from him. "Hey Sugarcube, stomach settle down yet?" He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Um, about that, I'm really sorry, I just, um, don't really react well under pressure." He sighed and looked out the window. "Personal pressure, anyway." "Ah wasn't tryin' ta pressure ya." Is dinner really that much of a pressure? He shook his head. "You didn't do anything, I just have trouble speaking to other ponies." He seems to be loosening up a little. I just need to keep the conversation going. "Ah've got a friend who's the same way, Ah bet ya got herself some nice, quiet little job somewhere just like she does, don't ya?" "Um, it's a nice job." He nodded. "I wouldn't exactly call it quiet. Or little." He's opening up, that's good. "So, what is yer job, exactly?" He looked over at me. "You don't remember me?" "Should Ah?" He let out a sad sigh. "That makes sense, I guess I don't make much of an impression." Now that I think about it, he does look a little familiar. We've met before, but where? "The gala!" That's where I saw him! He bought- Where'd he go? I looked around, but couldn't see him. When I looked over at Applebloom and Divin', they both pointed down. I stuck my head over the edge of the seat to look under it. I found a pair of green eyes looking back. "Oh, hi there." Soarin' crawled out and took his seat again. "Sorry about that." I spooked him when I shouted? "How did you ever become a wonderbolt?" He shrugged. I sighed. "Ah was hopin' for a little more of a response than that, Sugarcube." He nodded. "Sorry." That's it! I can't take this anymore! It's like he's not even there! "How the hay is a wonderbolt too shy ta talk to a mare?!" He shrunk back from my outburst, but didn't hide again. "Sorry." That's what I'm talking about! "Quit apologizin'." "Sorry." He paused for a beat. "Oh, sorry, I just did it again, didn't I?" His eyes widened a little as mine narrowed. "And again. Sorr- Uh, I mean-" I put up a hoof to stop him. This is getting painful. "Just stop fer a minute, Sugarcube. Tell me, how did ya not have a total breakdown at the gala?" There were a lot of ponies there, and this pony doesn't seem like he'd be good with crowds. He shrugged. "I was wonderbolt Soarin'." "Say what now?" That makes no sense whatsoever. "Of course you're Wonderbolt Soarin'." "No, um-" He looked around a little and moved his mouth as he struggled to gather his thoughts. "How do I put this? Um-" He put his hooves together and pointed at me. "When ponies look at you, what do they see? No, wait. Who do they see?" They see me, of course. "Applejack, apple farmer and one a' the best athletes in Ponyville." Rainbow and I still haven't settled that question. "I didn't see that. At the gala, I mean." He looked down at his hooves. "Ponies can only see what's in front of them. At the gala, I saw a salespony, maybe a chef. I never would have guessed that you were a farmer. When I'm in uniform, like at the gala or the royal wedding, that's all anypony sees. They don't see me, they see one of the wonderbolts, and that makes it easier to deal with. I just act like they'd expect, the team goofball." I think I'm starting to understand. "So it's all an act?" He nodded in response. But something doesn't add up. "Why the team goofball? If it's just an act, why not be a tough guy?" He shrugged. All he does is shrug, or nod, or apologize! It's like I'm talking to a slightly less polite Fluttershy! I sighed and looked over at the foals. They had just finished sorting out who each of the pictures belonged to and Divin' was putting his into a duffel bag. For a moment, I saw blue and yellow, it must have been his uniform. Then something else caught my eye. I walked over and grabbed it out of the bag despite Divin's protests. Then I walked right up to Soarin' and smacked the thing down on his head. He looked up at the old set of flight goggles with a look of confusion on his face. I hope this works. I sat down, next to him this time. "Now yer in uniform," I said, "what would Wonderbolt Soarin' do?" He clicked his hooves a few times before answering. "Complement you." "Why?" He sucked in as much air as he could and held it for a moment. "BecauseIthinkyou'rereallyprettyandI'dreally,reallylikethechancetogettoknowyoubetter!" I took hold of his hoof with a smile. "You've got it, Sugarcube. See, 'tweren't that-" "THUD!!" "-big of a deal." With a groan I dragged the unconscious Soarin' from the floor back up onto the seat. If Fluttershy didn't already have somepony, I'd try setting her up with this one, but for now, I'll give him a chance. He actually seems like a nice stallion, well, nicer'n most. Now, if he could just talk to me without getting sick or passing out, then he'd be perfect. "Enjoy yer nap, Sugarcube. Ah'll wake ya when we get ta-" "APPLEOOSA!!" Bellowed the conductor, his voice coming in loud and clear through the speaker pipes running along the ceiling. "NEXT STOP IN TWO MINUTES! PLEASE MAKE ALL NECESSARY PREPARATIONS TO DISEMBARK!" "Sorry 'bout that, Sugarcube." I started poking him in the side. "Time ta wake up!" He rolled out of the seat, crashing to the floor before popping back up like nothing happened. "I'm up! I'm, uh," He furrowed his brow. "How long was I out?" "About ten seconds." He nodded. "What'd I miss?" "We'll be in Appleoosa in two minutes." "Oh." He twiddled his hooves for a moment. "Um, about dinner-" "Don't ya worry 'bout it." I suppressed a sigh as I looked out the window. I was looking forward to it, but I probably shouldn't have put him on the spot like tha- "I'll pick you up at six." I looked over to see him with his eyes clenched shut and a hoof on the flight goggles that somehow remained on his head. He cracked open one eye. "Where would be a good place to meet?" "The local apple farm, Applebloom and Ah are stayin' there with kin." He did it! Wait a minute. I did it too! After almost a year, I have a date! And I can be sure this one ain't seein' nopony already. At least I know this is going to go better than some of the dates I've had. "Hey, I did it." He slowly opened his other eye and offered a small but genuine smile. It's been too long since I've seen a smile like that directed at me by a stallion. "Ya sure as sugar did. Those goggles're really something, ain't they? Where'd ya get 'em?" "I dunno." He picked them up off his head and turned them around in his hooves. I didn't take a good look at them before, but they look old. There are also some burnt spots on the synthetic material. "I guess I've always just had them. They're important to me though. I don't why, but they are." He put them back on so they hung loosely around his neck. "Well, the train's starting to slow down, we should probably get our stuff together." "Yer right, Sugarcube." Those goggles sound like they mean as much to him as my hat does to me. "See ya tonight then." I started back towards our car to retrieve our luggage. "C'mon Applebloom." "Hey, sis?" She jumped off the seat and walked over to me. The look on her face told me that she was about to ask for something. "Can Ah just go with them and meet ya tonight?" No. "What about meetin' yer uncle Braeburn?" She rolled her eyes. She never did that before she became friends with Scootaloo. "He's yer cousin, that means he's my cousin too." "Ah know, but he's older'n you." "He's older'n you too, an' you don't call 'im uncle." We're getting off topic here. "He ain't seen you in nearly a year, we're gonna go see him. But if it's ok with Soarin', you an' Divin' can play at the farm while we're at dinner." Divin' ran over to Soarin' and started tugging at his mane. "Can we?! Can we, please?!" Nice to see Applebloom's got yet another friend with hyperactive tendencies. Soarin' looked from Divin' over to me. "Who's this Braeburn you mentioned?" "Cousin Braeburn's the local sheriff, among other things." He looked back at Divin'. "Ok, you can stay at the farm while Applejack and I, uh-" "Enjoy our date?" "Yeah, that." Is he blushing? "Well, see ya tonight, Sugarcube." Applebloom and I walked back to our train car. I just hope he doesn't chicken out. ***----------------- I hope I don't chicken out. Divin' and I left the train station and headed for the hotel. The entire time, I was thinking of the upcoming dinner date and, of course, the multitude of ways it could go wrong. We walked until we found the hotel. A large sign marked its location. And a large oaken door stood at the front, allowing access to the smoking crater behind them. What?! I stood at the entrance looking back and forth between the front of the hotel and the view through the doorway. The front of the hotel is fine, just a regular small-town hotel, but everything else is gone! Somepony or something blew the back of the hotel off the map! Our hotel! Where are we going to stay?!