//------------------------------// // Chapter nine: Apples... and Gravity // Story: From the Outside In // by DarkParable //------------------------------// "KLONK!" "BOP!" "POINK!" "Well... Ah can honestly say that was one of the funniest thangs I e'er did see." said Applejack, stifling a giggle with a well placed hoof. "Even if ya did just ruin a few more apples." Red was wobbling on his hooves, eyes slightly crossed and a slowly forming knot atop his head. "Well... If old mister Newton ever got hit that hard... I can see why folks say Gravity is one mean mother..." muttered Red, shaking his head clear. AJ caught a few words and just brushed it off as another quirk in this odd pegasus. She wasn't much given to judging folks based on appearance, but even she'd been taken aback and Red's lack of a cutie mark. Her family were late bloomers, but this was a bit ridiculous to say the least. Almost sixteen from the look of him and still a blank flank. Still, he worked hard, if one ignored a few mishaps like gravity... and a bit of nervousness. He seemed to be trying to watch what he said most of the time. She didn't mind that too much, but it made her kinda curious as to just what he could be hiding. "So then Red... Where'd ya say yall was from?" she asked, stifling another giggle as she watched Red dodge another falling apple with a smug look on his face. "Well... Suffice it to say a long way off. The Princesses took me in not too long ago, set me up with a good flight instructor, let me stay in the castle... Heck they were even nice enough to give me some seriously awesome going away presents when I moved here. Luna gave me a great book and Celestia found something dear to me and returned it." he tapped a hoof against the bit of metal hanging around his neck with those words, drawing attention to it. AJ trotted over and gave it a look, cocking an eyebrow. Jewelry wasn't something she cared for, but that was her. Still, this little medallion was plain enough to fit into her view of acceptable fashion. The small metal disk was adorned with a rather eyebendingly complex set of intertwined lines that left her wondering just what they could mean. Shrugging she straightened up with a warm smile. "Looks nice... But what is it?" she asked him. His answer was kind of enigmatic. "Something precious to me." With the conversation lulled like it was the two returned to work, finishing quickly enough. A slightly bruised and sore Red Wyne stretched, fluttering his wings a bit and smiling softly at the now bare trees. "Thanks for getting me to help you Applejack. I had fun.. and never mind the knocks to the head, I've had way worse. Trust me on that one." Despite the soft chuckle there was something about the way he said those words that made AJ immediately want to do something nice for him. "Well... I did kinda tie your hooves ta'gather, so I can't let cha go without feedin' ya." she said, grasping on to the first thing that came to mind. What pony could turn down a free home cooked meal after all? Well apparently not this one. "Thank you very much!" said Red with a rather heart felt grin on his face. AJ could only chuckle at the way his eyes lit up. What kinda life had this pony lived if a simple offer of dinner got this kind of reaction from him? Shrugging a bit she led him to her family's home, passing the short trip all the faster with a bit of family history along the way. Pushing the door open she let him inside and hollered out. "Ah'm home! And ah brought us a dinner guest. Come 'an meet him!" The first one to make her appearance was Applebloom, who went from zero to leg leech in the blink of an eye. "Hi thar! Ah'm Applebloom! What's your name?" Red blinked down at the little filly, chuckling softly. "Red Wyne. Pleased to meet you." he said, thinking to himself how she certainly matched up with the show. A little bundle of overly friendly energy. Applebloom's next words caught him off guard however. "How come your eyes are two different colors?" He had no clue how to explain that one, mostly because he himself had no clue just why. "Well..." he began, fishing for something plausible. "I was born that way." In essence he was right, he'd been RE-born that way after all. Shrugging slightly he gently pried the filly off his leg and sat her side just in time to look up and catch sight of a certain very old mare giving him a once over. "'Bout time ya brought a fella home AJ.. Ah want some great grand-foals eventually." said Granny Smith, laughing to herself at the blush that crept over AJ's face. "Eeyup..." rang out the deep voice of Big Macintosh as he came plodding inside himself. "Ah'm just kiddin' you two... Come on, dinner's waitin'" said the old timer with another good natured laugh. Exchanging a rather relieved glance Aj and Red followed along behind the others, glad that had only been a joke. That would have been a rather awkward conversation had it not been. Dinner was a grand spread of apple related dishes, everything from apple dumplings to biscuits with apple butter. Despite the rather large amount of food present the obvious care put into the preparation of everything was what struck Red the most, that and the mouth watering aroma of fresh baked goods. Conversation was put of in favor of face stuffing, and it was glorious. Everything was almost as delicious as it smelled, and Red could honestly say that he'd never had an apple pie that tasted that good. Stuffed, he settled back on his haunches and sighed contentedly. At least this time he hadn't gone over board with food so it was a good sort of stuffed. After dinner, and Red insisting he helped clean up, everypony settled down to rest for a bit. "So the Red, why don't ya tell us a bit about yourself?" said AJ, giving her newest friend a soft nudge. He grunted, chuckling and glancing around. It was nice to have people wanting to hear what he had to say for a change, though he felt a bit awkward being the center of attention like that. "Well... To begin with I'm not exactly from Equestria. I come from a long long way off, a place where we're all grounded and nopony has a cutie mark." The shocked looks on the other's faces made him fidget a bit. "Wasn't all bad, there were always stories about this place, and my grandmother... Those kept me going when things just got depressing. Let me make a long story short here and just say that the princesses showed me an act of kindness at a very low point in my life and gave me a home here, away from all the bad stuff." He smiled warmly at them all, fidgeting slightly at the silence left in the wake of his words. "Welp... I done heard enough. Glad to have ya here in Ponyville Red. You're welcome here anytime sugarcube." said Aj. Her words were met with a resounding "Eeyup!" from Big Mac and the other two. Hugs were had by all and Red left for his own home that evening feeling as if he'd just won the lottery. He couldn't think of any way this day could have gotten better. He'd leaned a bit more about flying and controlling the weather, got to know Applejack and Rainbow Dash a bit better, and he'd been given one of the best meals he'd ever eaten. Sighing contentedly he snuggled into bed. Rolling over he found himself nose to nose with Pinkie Pie. "HIYA!" startled beyond belief he jumped and wound up clinging to the ceiling. "Hehehe, guess what! Its my turn tomorrow! Mister Parable's going to let me play with you ALL DAY!" Ahem... Pinkie... Shhh, that's for next chapter. "OKAY!" exclaimed the pink mare, yelling at the wall. Red watched in confusion as she zipped right out the window, leaving a piece of candy on the sill as she left. "...I swear I'll never get used to that..." Red said to himself as he settled back into bed, shaking his head and chuckling as he drifted off to sleep. Off in the distance Pinkie sat having a conversation with a rock, debating on something about spoilers or something along those lines.