A Bad Day to Fish

by FlashKenshin77

12 - Avoiding the Truth

The first rays of the sun made their way through the still clouded sky, hitting Martin through the window. He grunted, opening his eyes and looking at the small guest room. He slowly got up and walked towards the door, opening and glancing around in the dim light; no pony was up yet. It was still silent; the ticking of the clock rang loudly. He made his way down stairs and into the living room, walking over to the book shelves and scanned them, looking for something to pass the time. He paused at a book called The Spirits of Equestria and grabbed it, sitting down on the couch and started to read.
A few hours later, he heard clawed feet coming down the stairs and he looked up to see Spike, who waved at him while he made his way into the kitchen. Martin smiled at him, going back to reading his book.
Twilight soon followed, her bed mane the same as before. She yawned and headed towards the bathroom. "Morning Martin." She said, before shutting the door.
He wasn’t paying attention and simply nodded.
A few minutes later, she came out, her mane and tail brushed. She trotted over to him. "Whatcha reading?"
"Breakfast will be ready in a few." Spike said from the kitchen.
Martin turned to look at her. "Reading something about Discord…"
"Oh?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.
He sighed. "Making a deal with the God of Chaos might have been one of the worst things I've ever did…"
She nodded. "What's done is done, you can't change it. But you can be ready for him next time." She reassured him, giving him a small smile.
"Guess…" He replied. He got up with a sigh and placed the book back before heading into the kitchen and sitting down at the table.
Spike set the now usual plate of pancakes in front of him and a daisy sandwich in front of Twilight. He went to put another plate down and paused. "Hehe… guess I got used to making food for three…" He said sheepishly.
Martin chuckled. "Yep… who knows if he'll come back; he might go with Fluttershy. They seem to get closer with everything that happens…"
Twilight nodded. "They do… surprisingly…." She paused before she broke into a smile. "But they make such a cute couple!" She squealed, clapping her forehooves together. Spike looked at her with an eyebrow raised.
"Umm… sure…" Martin agreed, eating.
She blushed and started to eat her sandwich. "So when are you heading over to AJ's?" She asked after she finished chewing.
He looked at the clock. "'Bout an hour or so."
She nodded. "So is there something going on between the two of you?" She asked, looking at him.
He choked on his pancakes, hitting himself on the chest. "Pardon?"
"Well… it just seems like there's some sort of 'something' between you two… I can't put my hoof on it though… And the way you acted when Mike brought her up suggests something…" She continued to look at him.
Both of his eyes widened, glancing left to right. "Um… no…" He said, quickly finishing his pancakes. "I-I better get in the shower…" He said, avoiding her eyes and left to the bathroom.
She watched him leave and sighed, looking at Spike. "Did I say something wrong?"
He shook his head. "I don’t know Twilight…"
Martin took a quick shower and dried his hair before he was out the door. "I should pay Rarity a visit first…" He muttered, putting his boots on. He left the library, saying goodbye to Twilight and Spike.
They waved goodbye and he walked down the familiar road to Rarity's. He hadn't seen Pinkie since yesterday and he was slightly nervous she would appear in front of him. He made it to the Boutique rather quickly and opened the door, the bell going off.
"Just a moment!" Rarity said.
He looked around, it wasn’t as messy as it was the first time he had visited and he stood in the middle of the Boutique waiting for the white unicorn. He heard hoof steps behind him. "Well good morning darling, how's the arm?"
He smiled at her. "It's better, thanks for asking. How are you?"
She smiled. "I'm wonderful darling, thank you for asking. I assume you're here to see if I made any more clothes for you?"
He nodded. "Indeed I am."
She motioned for him to follow. "I didn’t have enough time as I wished, but I still managed to make a few pairs." She led him into the room he had came to last time and there were at least four more pairs of the clothes he was wearing, just different colors; mostly dark brown or black with one white pair.
He looked at the different clothes and smiled. "Thanks a lot Rarity, is there anything I can do to repay the favor?"
She shook her head. "Not at the moment but thanks for asking. I'll let you know if I need something."
He took a white button shirt and a pair of blue jean-trousers and walked into the changing room. He came out a few minutes later, wearing his new clothes. "Thanks a bunch, I'll be off then..." He waved at her before leaving the Boutique, heading towards the farm.
"Ta-ta darling!" She yelled.
When he got to the farm, he easily spotted the orange mare in front of the barn and he walked up to her. "Hey AJ, how are ya?" He asked.
She wiped sweat off from underneath her hat. "Ah'm fine, just getting' started on the morinin' chores. How 'bout you?" She asked.
"Can't complain… arm still annoying with the sling around." He said, looking down.
She nodded. "Ah figured as such." She looked around. "So Ah take it you came ta see if ya can help?"
"Yep, that’s what I'm here for."
She put a hoof to her chin. "Ah think Big Mac could use some help organizin' the apples, if ya wanted to see if ya can give him a hand."
"Sure I can do that…" He walked past her into the barn, the tall red stallion going apple by apple through the baskets. "Hey Big Mac, doing good?"
He looked up to stare at the human. "Eeyup."
Martin smiled. "AJ said I could help ya with something?"
He blinked. "Eeyup." He hooved him a basket. "Any bad apples, toss 'em into that bin." He pointed to another barrel before getting back to work.
Martin looked at the basket. Seems simple enough… He followed Big Mac's example and began sorting apples. It was silent in the barn, neither really having much to say. At least an hour passed before he left the barn, shielding his eyes as they adjusted back to the sunlight.
He watched AJ kick a tree nearby and all the apples fell off and into baskets placed around the trunk. She paused and moved to the next one, continuing the cycle. He walked towards her. "Um… AJ?"
She turned to look at him. "Hmm?" She asked, kicking a tree. "Whatcha need sugarcube?"
"Well… do ya need help with anything else?" He asked her as she moved to the next tree.
She paused in mid-kick. "Maybe ya can help out Applebloom with feedin' the pigs? If yer up to it." She said, looking at his arm.
"What's the worst that could happen, aye?"
She looked at him. "Didn’t Mike say that before the manticore tore his side open?"
He thought for a moment. "Um… it's just pigs, it's not like they’ll eat my leg or something."
She laughed. "You'd be surprised what they do when their hungry."
He looked at her, horrified. "What?"
She shook her head. "Ah mean if yer too chicken, Ah'd understand, everyone has a fear of something."
He shook his head. "No… don’t worry, I can do it."
She nodded her head. "The pen is on the other side of the barn; watch out for the apple cellar… Ah'll see ya later." She said as she started walking away.
"Ok…" He said, turning around and he walked to the pen. He knew he was there by the smell, it wasn’t pleasant nor unbearable. He saw a small yellow filly with a red mane and a big pink bow in it holding a bucket in her mouth. "Hey Applebloom."
She stared at him in awe, dropping the bucket. "What are ya, yer huge!" She said, her eyes wide.
He looked at her in surprise. "Um… I'm Martin… I was here loads of times before, but we only met once if I recall…"
She still stared at him. "Weren't you tha one that brought mah sister home?"
He nodded. "Yeah, that’s me."
She latched onto his leg. "Thanks fer saving mah big sister." She said, squeezing his leg.
He looked at her. "I'd do it again, don’t worry." He said with a smile.
She smiled and hopped off, quickly explaining how to feed the pigs and she giggled. "Ah never thought Ah'd have ta tell somepony how to feed pigs before."
He shrugged. "Wouldn’t have expected to ever feed any."
The two of them quickly fed the pigs and he noticed AJ watching. When she saw him looking at her, she blushed and went back to apple bucking. They finished rather fast and when they left the pen, both were covered in slob and mud.
He sighed, slightly tired as he looked at his muddy clothes. "Rarity will have my head… but it was worth it." He smiled at the filly.
She nodded, mud flinging everywhere. "It was really fun! Ah rarely get help when feedin' them."
He smiled as the filly stood in waist deep mud. "How bout we rest, aye?"
She nodded and ran over to the barn, Big Mac walking out. She stopped and talked to him real fast as he looked over at Martin and gave a small nod before they left to the main house. Something cooking wafted through the air. Martin climbed over the small fence and made sure the pigs couldn’t get out.
He headed to the main house, knocking on the open door. "'Ello?"
"Come on in whippersnapper!" An elderly voice said as he slowly walked in. An old green mare sat rocking in her rocking chair.
"'ello there, I don’t think we've met yet."
"Names Granny Smith." She said, looking at him. "And you must be one of those humans that AJ keeps mention'… what's yer name? Melvin, Mark, Mart?"
"Martin." He said, taking off his boots and leaving them by the door.
She waved a hoof at him. "Well nice ta meet cha… AJ told me a lot 'bout cha… Says ya broke yer arm?"
He nodded. "'Bout right… ya."
Applebloom came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of apple fritters on her head. "Wanna try one? AJ and I made them yesterday."
As he grabbed one, he noticed Big Mac leave through the back door, heading towards the trees where AJ was headed. He took a bite. "Juft as goof af they look." He said, chewing on it.
Applebloom smiled and hopped back into the kitchen and Granny Smith had nodded off. There were a round of knocks at the front door and two fillies ran inside, passing Martin and went into the kitchen. He looked at them and noticed the young orange pegasus. He shrugged and walked outside, putting his boots back on. He walked along the trees, looking at the apples.
There were hoof steps behind him and he turned around, AJ carrying several baskets full of apples to the farm, she didn’t seem to notice him.
He quickly ran up to her and grabbed a basket. "'Ello there…"
"Howdy yerself." She panted. "Woo wee, Ah'm beat." She said, leading the way to the barn.
When they got in the barn, he put the basket down and grabbed one of the apples and handed it to her. "Hey Applejack, ya look like ya could use this." He said.
She eyed it for a moment before she took it and bit into it, humming happily as she smiled at him. "So what are ya gonna do now?"
He looked out of the barn. "Not sure, maybe pay the smithy a visit."
"Been meanin' ta go there mahself… the plow is on its last legs and Ah wanna see if he can coax a few more years outta it." She said.
"Ya wanna come along?" He asked, heading towards the barn door.
"Sure, why not?"
He smiled and waited for her as she grabbed the plow and strapped it to her back. They left and headed towards the smithy. He looked at it. "Geez… that thing looks like its at least fifty years old…"
"Been in mah family since mah granddad." She looked at it sadly. "But its bout time ta get a new one before next season or it's gonna be hard to prepare the land."
He stared at it again. "'Bout time I guess."
She laughed. "Wish it was that easy but with Granny Smith hip going we cant afford a new one at the moment, so we just gotta make do."
He nodded and looked at the ground. "I was going to ask Forgehammer if he had a job for me."
She looked at him. "The old smithy; he's still there? Ah thought he retired and passed it to his son last year."
He shrugged. "I don’t know; I wasn’t there now, was I?"
"Well did he have a scar on his left eye?"
He nodded. "Yeah… if I remember correctly."
She laughed. "Well Ah'll be… the old coot is still there." She began to trot.
He walked a little faster to catch up. "Why so speedy… in a rush?"
She nodded. "Crazy coot taught me everything Ah know on how ta fix things… He was like a father that Ah never had…" She said, frowning.
They arrived at the shop and Martin walked up to it, knocking on the door a few times before opening it and entering. "'Ello mate." He said, greeting the elderly pony.
Forgehammer waved a hoof at him before smiling when he saw AJ. He ran over and gave her a hug. "Well I'll be… AJ, I haven't seen you in years, since you were a wee filly!" He laughed. "How's your old man? He hasn’t been in and I still have…" He trailed off when she lowered her head and her shoulders sagged, her hat covering her eyes.
Martin placed a hand on her shoulder and she tensed before looking up, pain hidden in her eyes. "Hey Forge; Ah was wonderin' if ya could fix the old plow?" She asked, motioning towards it.
He nodded. "It'll be my pleasure." He said, taking it from her and dropping it on the anvil.
Martin looked at the different weapons again, almost as if he was a kid in a candy store, but he glanced at AJ from time to time, noticing that sad look was back on her face. She watched Forge work on the plow, standing off to the side silently.
Martin took off the sling and grabbed one of the swords with his right hand, checking the balance and weight of the sword but Forge got his attention and subtly shook his head towards AJ, motioning for him to try and cheer her up. He stared at the smithy dumbfounded, pointing at himself in surprise.
The smithy smacked his head and more violently motioned for him to talk to her. Martin hesitated but hung the sword back up on the wall and walked over to her. He stood there for a moment, trying to think what to say. "Um… AJ, ya seem a little distracted."
She blinked and stared at nothing before shaking her head and looked at him. "Huh? Sorry, Ah was just thinkin'."
He looked at her. "Maybe you should do something… ya know... something to get them off your mind…"
She tilted her head slightly. "What did ya have in mind?"
He scratched the back of his head. "…Maybe a drink at the pub?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Remember the last time Ah had a drink?"
"Umm… maybe I could tag along to make sure you don’t drink too much…" He added quickly.
"I say go have a few, it'll take me a few hours to finish this thing anyway." Forge said. "Go have fun you two."
Martin looked at him, surprised. He winked at Martin and AJ sighed. "Ah guess if Ah had someone to there ta make sure Ah don’t overdo it." She looked at him.
Martin nodded. "Go ahead, I'll be right there." He waited for her to leave before he walked over to Forge. "How am I supposed to pay for the drinks?" He asked, panicked.
"Calm your britches." The smithy looked at him. "I'm getting too old to run this shop by myself and you seem to have some knowledge in this stuff, so how bout you work here as an attendant and pay back the bits I let you borrow?"
Martin stared at the pony. "Course, I'd do nothing more happily." He held out his left hand.
The smithy shook it quickly before tossing him a small bag of bits. "I suggest you hurry; it's not a good idea to keep a mare waiting." He said, winking before going back to work. Martin went to leave but Forge cleared his throat. "Shop opens at seven; I expect you to be there."
Martin turned his head. "I'll be there." Forge nodded and started working on the plow. Martin quickly ran outside, AJ waiting. "Sorry that took so long." He said with a small blush.
She nodded and quietly started heading back into town, heading towards the pub.
He walked next to her. "How's it at the pub?"
"Not too bad, not too crowded and nicely vented for yer smokers." She said, paying attention to the road.
He nodded. "Never was too keen about the whole smoking thing, but I guess I'll have to live with it, aye?"
"Aye… some ponies like it Ah guess, says it relaxes them."
"I'll never understand them." He said, seeing the pub in the distance.
"Not as crowded as it usually is." She said, stretching her neck.
He looked around. "Well it's not very late."
"Ah guess, the afternoon crowd will probably be here soon."
They walked up to the counter and the barpony eyed Martin. "What'll you have?"
He looked around for some sort of menu, but he couldn’t find it. "I'll take what she's having." He said, pointing to AJ.
The barpony raised an eyebrow before he mixed two drinks so fast that neither of them could follow. "Two Appletails." He said, passing a glass to each of them.
Martin grabbed the glass with his right hand, only realizing he forgot his sling in the smith. He raised his glass slightly towards AJ. "Let's hope ya'll feel a little better."
She nodded and smacked her glass against his before downing it in one gulp. She placed the empty glass on the counter and the barpony gave her a glass of water.
Martin stared at her empty glass; he hadn't even taken a single sip. He raised the small glass and took a sip; the strong taste of alcohol and sour apple entered his mouth, the aroma spread through his body, warming him.
The barpony looked at him and put a glass of water on the counter for him before giving AJ another shot and left to deal with another customer. "A little strong fer you?" She asked, sipping the second shot.
He emptied his first glass and put it down. "Nah… it's ok, nothing I'd drink regularly." He grabbed the water and washed the apple taste out of his mouth and dulled the alcohol.
"It's ok, it's not fer everybody." She said, resting against the bar. He nodded and put the empty glass of water on the bar. "So what's the real reason we're here?" She asked, staring into the glass.
The barpony came back and gave Martin another shot; he quickly thanked him before downing the entire glass, hoping it'll loosen his tongue. "…Well… I'd hope to get your mind of everything that’s bothering ya… it isn't nice to see your friends sad. I think you can imagine."
"Can't change the past, no matter how much ya want."
He nodded. "'Fraid so…"
She looked at him. "Remember back when you made the deal with Discord and Dash said something about the 'Elements of Harmony'?"
He thought for a moment. "Yeah… why?"
"Ah'm the Element of Honesty." She simply said.
"And?" He asked, getting another shot. He stared at it glumly but drank a little bit anyway.
"Ah can tell when ya lie and Ah know Michael was lying the other day bout what he was gonna stay." She stared into his eyes.
He nervously looked back at her. "Um…"
"So what was he gonna say that had you act all crazy?"
"It really ain't important…" He said hastily.
She raised an eyebrow. "It's got ya flustered, sounds pretty important ta me."
He stared at the bottom of the empty glass. I can't just tell her, what the hell would she think… He was silent.
"Well?" She asked, staring at him.
The pub door flew open. "THERE YOU TWO ARE!" Pinkie yelled, running over to them. "I've been looking for the two of you all day; it's hard planning a party when one of the VIPs doesn't show." She said, looking at Martin.
He sighed in relief as he put down the glass and paid for the drinks. AJ glared at her pink friend, then at Martin, giving him a 'this ain't over' look. "Well come you slow ponies, we got a party to finish getting ready for!" Pinkie said impatiently, looking at a hoof drawn watch on her hoof.
He quickly escaped that little verbal trap and left AJ behind, walking towards Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie caught up to him, hopping along happily. "Don’t worry buddy, I got your back." She said with a huge smile.
He chuckled and shook his head, trying to ignore how she knew. They made their way to the bakery, the pink bouncy pony next to Martin while AJ wasn’t that far behind them, glaring at both of them.
"I think she's mad at us." Pinkie whispered.
He turned his head and instantly turned around again after seeing AJ's glare. "I think she's mad at me…"
Pinkie paused and fell back to AJ. "Why are you mad at Marty?"
He quickly left them behind and sped walk to the bakery, opening the door to the smells of cakes and cookies.