//------------------------------// // A Friend's Friends // Story: The Sweet Taste of Apple // by Icecane //------------------------------// With no clock and no windows in the comfy farmhouse basement, it was quite disorienting for the young pegasus as he awoke on his own accord. All Trader had to go on was his own feeling of a well-rested body. It came as a surprise to him though, having turned in much earlier the night before, ready for an early morning, it would still be a trying attempt to into the swing of an early rise. He was certain he had slept in far longer than he should have, though still unaware of just how long it actually was. The stallion had expected the day to continue much like it had before, with his sleeping form being disturbed by his friend. Not that he was complaining about the extra rest. With his hindlegs still sore from their time attempting apple bucking, and his nose still holding remnants of pain from the two times he had nearly broken it, it was a wonderful thing to get a good sleep in and rest the aching muscles. Yearning to see what the day would bring, Trader made his way upstairs, listening intently to any sounds in the humble home. His curiosity was touched as he couldn't hear a sound. Not a single voice or hoofstep could be heard from where he was, the only sound that could be caught was the creaking of the wooden boards under his own weight. What also brought surprise to him was when he caught sight of the first window, seeing a bright sky stretching on with nary a cloud to cover it. It had to be near midday for such a sky, something that made the pegasus wonder what was going on. Life was soon found within the house as Trader entered the dining room. There, at the dinner table, the Apple family sat. Applejack, Big Macintosh and Granny Smith all sat near one another, their gazes crisscrossing between themselves. Even the family dog Winona sat nearby, watching her owners curiously. The only one missing was Apple Bloom, clearly away at school. Their gazes soon turned toward the appearing stallion, hearing him approach. “Morning,” Trader said with a smile, “I think... anyway.” “Trader, there you are,” Applejack replied. “You have a good sleep?” The pegasus nodded. “I suppose I did. Though, I can't help but feel I've overslept.” The farmpony looked surprised at him for a moment, her eyes returning to her family. “No, it's nothin' like that. We've just been doin' some talkin' and figured you could use the rest.” “Oh...” Trader murmured, slowly approaching the table. “What about?” “Well,” Applejack began, “about your work and you helpin' us.” It was all the stallion could do to not frown as he took a seat at the table. Small beads of sweat could be felt on the nape of his neck, his nervousness slowly making itself known. He was expecting the bad news at any second, to be told he wasn't up to snuff for the demanding work the farm held. To hear a rejection he was silently preparing for longer than he really knew, from an old friend he had known as a foal. Applejack kept her smile, though it seemed to look forced the longer he looked at it. “We've talked about how you were doin', with your work yesterday while Ah was with you,” she continued. Trader could almost feel himself shrinking in his seat, having the eyes of the three ponies on him, his mind just waiting for the words he was expecting. “And we've decided that you're Sweet Apple Acres material, and that you're welcome to work with us here on the farm.” Trader's eyes stared widely for a few moments, almost certain he had heard the mare wrong. It took several moments for what she had said to sink in before he could speak. “Really?” “Eeyup!” Big Macintosh replied, his tone just as happy as the look on his face. “What Big Mac said,” Applejack added. “Though, you might've been a bit slow when you started apple buckin', you seemed to get the hang of it faster than Ah expected. And you definitely showed how hard workin' you are when you need to be.” A large smile parted her lips as Applejack beamed cheerfully. “Though it's been years since we've seen ya last, Trader, yesterday helped remind me how reliable and trustworthy of a pony you are.” Trader's surprised smile faltered slightly at such words, it being a long time since he had ever heard them directed toward him. But even the oddity of the chosen vocabulary couldn't quell the joy brimming inside of the pegasus. “Again, I... I really don't know what to say,” he muttered. “Just... thank you, I guess. And I can give all of you my word that I'll do my best with whatever you need from me.” “We can't ask for anythin' else,” Applejack replied. “And you're still welcome to stay in the guest room for as long as ya need. It didn't get much use until you came along anyway.” The farmpony got up from her seat at the table and approached the stallion. “Now, is the newest addition to Sweet Apple Acres ready to join me on a trip into town? There's a few things we need to pick up.” Trader nodded his head enthusiastically. “Of course,” he answered. Gesturing for him to get ready, Applejack turned away from the pegasus and went off to prepare herself. Trader did the same, heading back down to the basement for his saddlebag. Applejack and Trader both trotted happily down the road that led into Ponyville. Their saddlebags strapped to their backs and smiles on their faces as they spent the trip conversing with one another. “So how are you feelin' after a day of apple buckin'?” the orange-coated mare asked. “Your legs still hurtin'?” For some unknown reason, there was a momentary hesitation within the pegasus' mind as he thought on what to say. “A little,” he admitted. “But I figured it won't be as bad next time. First time's the hardest, right? Isn't that what everypony says?” Applejack nodded her head in agreement. “Ah suppose that's right,” she replied. “Ah just hope all that city livin' hasn't turned you into a tenderhoof.” “Me?” Trader questioned, putting on a faux expression of offense. “Celestia forbid. My hooves touched nothing but stone streets and hard wood floors during my 'city livin'. Unlike the soft, grassy ground you have around here.” The straw-roofed houses of Ponyville began to pass them by as the two ponies entered the town. Applejack didn't fully notice it as her sights were kept on the stallion before and she replied, “Well, too bad it didn't help your nose none. Sounds like you almost went and broke it last night.” Trader felt nearly every muscle in his body tense up spontaneously at the mention of the previous night. It was a subject he had been wanting to avoid, too afraid to have Applejack question just what had caught the stallion's attention so thoroughly. There was a small bit of help in the fact he knew he was never the most coordinated of ponies, but he wasn't sure his old friend would be so oblivious as to not piece it together sooner or later, or just guess wildly. Stalling for some time, carefully choosing what to say in order to alter the topic, the pegasus was saved as Applejack's diverted to the path ahead of them. Her smile noticeably widened as she said, “Oh, look,Trader, some of my friends are over there. Let's go introduce ya!” The farmpony then galloped off ahead of the stallion, charging toward a group of three mares who had been talking with one another. As Trader slowly made his approach, he noticed that they were two unicorns and an earth pony. Most noteworthy about the earth pony was her pink coat, the same shade as cotton candy while her mane looked to be made of the stuff. There was also an odd sense of familiarity as he looked at one of the unicorns, as though he had seen her white coat and purple mane before. Though the stallion couldn't hear her, Applejack looked to be the dominant speaker as he came closer toward the group. Their eyes drifted toward him on occasion, quickly looking away as they became aware he noticed them. When he was finally within earshot, he could hear the pink one talking frantically. “Why didn't you tell me this sooner, Applejack?!” she said. “I could have had so much more done for his party!” Looking as though she was about to go on a long rant about her current predicament, the pink mare stopped as the pegasus joined the simple circle of friends and smiled meekly. “Uh... hello,” Trader murmured, uncertain on how to start the introduction. “So... you are all friends of Applejack's?” “Yes they are,” Applejack replied. She extended a hoof and pointed to each of them in turn. “That's Pinkie Pie, Twilight and Rarity.” Then, with a simple nod toward the stallion himself, Applejack regarded her friends and said, “Girls, this is Trader, an old friend from back when Ah was a little filly.” Smiles were had from the three mares, greeting him just as warmly as anypony else would. “It's wonderful to meet you,” Rarity said cheerfully. Twilight nodded along with the white unicorn. “Any friend of Applejack is a friend of ours.” Returning the positive expressions that the two unicorns were giving him, Trader found it faltering slightly as Pinkie Pie began to stare at him intently. Before a word could be asked toward the reason, the mare rushed forward, breaking into the pegasus' personal space and nearly bringing her face against his own. “Hiya, Trader!” she shouted, speaking a mile a minute. “Can I call you Tradie? How long have you known Applejack? Has Ponyville been super duper wonderful so far? What kind of cake do you like? Maybe vanilla or chocolate? Oh, or maybe you like special cakes like carrot or banana, or maybe even crazy cakes like licorice or taffy cakes! I don't think I've ever made cakes like those before, but they sound so fun!” Trader could only stare blankly at the hyperactive pony, slowly inching his head back to set a distance between his face and hers. “Uh...” he tried saying, trying to remember the frantic questioning. “Please, no... Few years... Without a doubt... And... chocolate, I guess.” His gaze shifted toward the other ponies who looked as though they were enjoying the treatment he was receiving. “Why-” “Wow, chocolate?” Pinkie interrupted, sounding amazed by the answer. “That's great. Now I know what kind of cake to make for your party! You might not know yet, Tradie, but I like to make every new pony to Ponyville a welcome to Ponyville party. That way they feel totally welcome here and they make new friends and they get to have fun and-” The stallion held up a hoof to try and get a word through to the excitable mare. “Wait,” he said quickly, causing her to stop her tangent and stare at him expectantly, her eyes seemingly piercing through his soul. “Well... technically, I'm not new to Ponyville. I grew up here as a colt and left. So... I really can't have a 'welcome to Ponyville' party.” “He's kinda right, Pinkie,” Applejack added. The pink-coated mare sat down on her haunches as the answer hit her hard. She stared off aimlessly as her ears and mane sagged down limply. To the collective surprise of everypony there, they could see her lower lip quivering. Her blue eyes began to glisten, looking as though she could burst into tears of disappointment at any moment. Then, the other ponies were shocked again as she suddenly gasped in epiphany and shouted frantically, “Oh, I know! I gotta go now everypony, bye!” Before the last word could even be fully uttered, she was already gone, disappearing in a flash of pink as she darted off in what seemed like a random direction. Trader looked off toward where she was headed, gaping at what he had just witnessed. “H-how did she...?” “Oh,” Twilight said, seeing the stallions evident shock, “don't worry, that's just Pinkie being Pinkie.” Though the answer had no merit in actually answering his question, for some reason, Trader found himself accepting it. Applejack began to stare off in the direction the pink mare had run off in. Her expression was one of deep thought until she turned toward her friends and said, “Well, Ah need to get goin' too. There's a few things Ah need to get done.” Her sights were then turned toward her stallion companion. “Stay and chat with them for as long as you want, just don't forget to get our package from the hardware store.” “Can do,” Trader said with a nod. Satisfied with the answer, Applejack gave her farewell before trotting away, disappearing in the nearby crowds of ponies and leaving the pegasus and unicorns alone with one another. “So,” Twilight said, regarding the stallion for a moment, “your name's Trader, huh?” She eyed him curiously, as if trying to discern the reason for the name. “Heh, yeah. It's actually my mother's doing,” Trader explained. “She wanted a mercantile son, to take after her in the ways of buying and selling. Though, more often than not, my friends liked to coin the name Trade Jack as a joke whenever they could.” Both unicorns eyed him strangely. “Really?” Rarity questioned, not getting the meaning. “Well, it's sort of because of my mark,” Trader said, nodding toward the cutie mark on his flank. It was a playing card, a Jack of Spades to be exact. Though, the mares could see that there were alterations that weren't seen on the normal card. The mirrored stallion depicted within wore posh, aristocratic robes that were partially tattered and worn. Small stains of dirt could also be seen on his face, while a smile that was the epitome of pride was etched onto his expression. Next to the card itself, a small stack of bits stood, like a payment of sparkling coins. As the unicorns fully noticed the mark, Trader smirked as he bowed his head in a showy fashion. “I am but a knave in the court of employment. A servant to the concept of goods and services. A Jack of all of trades, as they say.” “But a master of none,” Twilight added, knowing the phrase. Trader nodded. “Exactly,” he said. “My range of jobs is much larger than I wish to admit. I've tried my hooves in almost everything that doesn't require a grand amount of talent or intelligence, mostly ending in disaster for one reason or another. Thanks to my merchant of a mother and my father, who was an accomplished handypony in his time, I've learned a lot of simple basics I've used most of my life.” “Well, we always need a hard working pony from time to time,” Rarity said. “Though, typically they end up uncouth ruffians as a result.” Again, Trader found himself staring at the alabaster unicorn, being struck with a sense of familiarity. “Rarity,” he murmured, “I feel like I...” He began to trail off as he searched his mind frantically, then it hit him. “Wait a minute, you were in the same class as me and Applejack, weren't you?” The unicorn eyed the pegasus with the same discerning gaze he had given to her moments ago. Only after a second of silence from her, a slow nod came by as her first response. “Yes... I do recall a young colt always with Applejack at the time,” she replied, taking her own trip through memory lane. “Though, I'm ashamed to say, we never really had much interaction as fillies.” “Yeah,” Trader nodded, “I remember you always made yourself busy with plays and shows that the school would sometimes have. I don't think we ever attended them ourselves, never found any interest in them.” “Well, it certainly is a small world,” the unicorn said. “Now you're back home in Ponyville, helping Applejack like a true friend would. It's a pleasant surprise to run into old faces.” “What was Applejack like as a filly anyway?” Twilight asked, becoming curious to learn more about her friend. There was a slight pause in their conversation as Trader thought on the question, thinking back all those years ago to when he ran about town with his filly friend. “Well, she was just as strong willed as she is now,” he answered. “She was always a little stubborn and ready to prove herself. You could get her to do just about anything if you challenged her ability.” He chuckled lightly over the old memories. “We often got into trouble because of it. Especially since I had a knack for making stupid mistakes, never really thinking things through with my actions. But it never stopped her from feeling adventurous. She's really matured a lot since I've last seen her, looking as though she already knows what she wants and is happy with what's going on in her life.” A simple smile crossed his lips as he remembered one other detail. “And I remember, back then, she had a lot more of those cute freckles.” The silence could almost be cut with a knife as the stallion's last words hung in the air. Trader himself didn't seem to notice them for some time, until his eyes widened as his face twisted into a mild mixture of shock and horror, holding an expression someone might have after swallowing their own tongue. “No, I-I,” the pegasus stammered quickly, “I don't- I mean cute as in adorable or something like that! Like-like somepony might find a puppy or kitten cute, or a foal dressed in a Nightmare Night costume. N-not cute as in pretty or attractive or anything.” Though it seemed impossible, his eyes widened even more as small beads of sweat formed in his near panicked state. “Not that I'm saying she's ugly! No I-I mean she's really not but I'm just saying that... I...” A loud groan emanated from the stallion's throat as he hung his head down shamefully, finding the ground a much more pleasing sight than the awkward glances of Applejack's friends. “I'm just... gonna stop talking now...” The entire performance elicited small laughs from the two mares, which were quickly muffled but still apparent. “It's okay,” Twilight said reassuringly, “we know what you mean.” “Right...” Trader sighed, lifting his head slightly but still not wanting to meet the gazes of the two mares. “Well... to escape the risk of making a fool of myself again, I think I'm going to go and finish what Applejack set me off to do. It was nice meeting you two, I'll see you around.” Without waiting for a goodbye from either ponies, the pegasus took off and headed deeper into Ponyville. Twilight and Rarity were left to share glances with each other. Both giggling amusingly at the odd pony they had just encountered. All the while, Trader was off in search of a nice brick wall to smash his head against for a little while.