As I woke the next morning I couldn't help but question weather or not I could get him to go a second time. I had managed to get him to come to town with me yesterday and he met Applejack. But could I get him to come with me again? Static was definitely not a normal pony. He wasn't necessarily weird or creepy, just different. He seemed to be reluctant to every attempt I would make to try and get him to make friends. I was so far the only one and I still wouldn't say I was an actual friend, I more so just wore the title. But hopefully Applejack's plan would work, if he and big mac could get along then there should be no reason why anyone else couldn't.
But it didn't help me to just lay in bed thinking. I knew I could get him back into to town at least one more time and Applejack would handle getting big mac there. And if both of them were to spend a little bit of time then they would have to get along, but that meeting wouldn't happen if I didn't go to the lesson and talk him into going. So I got up, went through my morning routine of taking care the animals and so on, then left to go to sugarcube corner and meet Static.
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Flight lessons with Fluttershy had gone by rather smoothly today, but they had to be cut a little short. She had asked me to go back into town with her again today and for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to say no to her. But I told her that I would need some of my own food this time, I wasn't going to take anymore food from the townspeople.
So there I set at the edge of the stream, drinking some water happily while keeping my eye open for just a little more food. My homemade satchel, tucked underneath my wing held in place by strap going over one shoulder, was already filled enough to get me through two days, but snacks never killed anyone. As I sat there drinking another stallion came walking over to the stream. His red coat was wet with sweat as he sat there waiting for me to finish my drink.
I lifted my head having quenched my thirst, guessing why he was here and waited. "Here to wash-up?"
"Eeeyup."
"Somewhere to be?"
"Eeeyup."
"Alright. Streams your's so have at it." With that last remark I spread my wings and prepared to take of to meet Fluttershy at the edge of town. The stallion stepped into the stream and lowered himself so it covered his shoulders, allowing the water to wash away the sweat. I turned away and headed for the town, flying moderately slow. Much like that stallion I had somewhere to be and choose not to work up a sweat. I began my descent as I saw the yellow figure of Fluttershy.
"Hey Fluttershy, I'm here now. Where are we going to today?" I mocked happiness as I was lacking it at the moment. I was still not used to having friends, but the more I though of the benefits the idea grew on my a bit. Don't get me wrong I still would choose my life of freedom over friends any day. But maybe if I made just one or two friends when I visited somewhere would help me to liven things up just a bit.
" Oh hello Static. I thought maybe we could see if Applejack is back in the stand today. Is that okay?" I couldn't understand what we were going back to see the pony we saw yesterday but I might as well just do it, it may ensure another day of flight lesson. (Fluttershy had made some progress.)
"Very well. Shall we go now?" She nodded her head and turned to walk off. I followed.
It didn't take us long to get to the stand, Fluttershy had already stocked yesterday and aside from one or two ponies saying hey she didn't really stop for conversation. She seemed so determined, not at all like yesterday. When we approached the stand I saw the orange mare's familiar face as Applejack smiled at Fluttershy before looking at me.
"Howdy yall! You here for some apples? Liked the first two so much?" She reached over as if to sweep a few more apples to me.
"No no no. I'm quite alright on food. I went and got some food for myself." I lifted my wing to show the pouch tucked underneath it.
"Ya sure? Ya could have a few if you want."
"Oh no that's quite alright." I folded my wing back in place. "I'm just here because Fluttershy asked me to come along. Not shopping."
"Oh well if that's the case then I think I'll just start packing up then, don't look like there'a gonna be no more ponies coming. Big Mac can you give me a hand closing up?"
"Eeeyup." The moment I heard the way the voice spoke and the sound of the voice I heard I knew it was the one from the stream. And when the red stallion with a green eyes and hair, but this time wearing a large wooden collar around him with to metal ball tipped pieces at the top, had a pretty good guess it was him.
"Big Mac? Weren't you down at the stream earlier?" I had to ask, the collar was new and had to make sure it was him, curiosity's sake.
"Eeeyup." Something about that simple phrase coming from him seemed to speak all that he needed to say.
"Yall have met before?" A puzzled look crossed Applejack's face and she looked to Fluttershy who shrugged. What a strange reaction.
"Yeah I saw him done at the stream when I went to get food. He was cleaning up, said he had somewhere to be."
"Eeeyup. Take it you're then one I'm supposed to meet."
"I guess so." I wasn't really upset I wasn't told. Fluttershy seemed determined to have me make friends, but I was just as determined to show her freedom through flight. I could live with minor inconveniences.
"Welllll why don't yall two hang out some. Static here is new, why don't ya show him the farm while I finish closing up?" Big mac simply nodded his head then motioned for me to follow. I was hesitant about going along, I needed to get heading home before to long. But something about this pony just seemed welcoming and like anything would end well in some way.
"Sure." I began walking after Big Mac
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As Static began walking off with Big Mac I noticed he pulled the same thing with him as he had done both times with me, walking behind looking down. It was a shame he was so antisocial, he was so well mannered for someone who never was in town.
"Which one ya looking at?" Applejack chimed in, startling me. "If it's my brother I'm afraid he simply ain't looking for any form of relationship. If it's the gray one, well your the friend he made."
"What?! Oh no no. I was simply thinking about how he's so well mannered for someone who is never in town or anything."
"And that's the only thing ya noticed? He is fairly easy on the eyes." She gave me a grin and I knew what she was doing. She was trying to weasel the answer out of me.
"No I'm simply trying to show him friendship. We are just friends." If that was true then why were my cheeks so warm? Applejack simply wore a satisfied grin.
"Look I know ya only known him for a few days but you can't deny he's cute." I simply stayed quite. He was cute but he was still just a friend.
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As Big Mac bucked the apple tree I watched as a slew of red and green apples fell into the perfectly placed buckets.
"How exactly do you do that?"
"Really all you have to do is give the trees a shake. The apples fall themselves." He moved to the next tree putting the two baskets into the nearby empty wagon. "Try it." I wasn't sure but I saw no reason not to try.
I walked up to the next tree as he set two large buckets under it. I leaned on my front hooves as I prepared to make the buck. Big Mac stepped away and I picked up my back hooves putting all my weight on my fore hooves and let out a strong kick against the tree. A small portion of the apples fell. I reared and kicked out a few more times knocking all the apples out.
"It's a lot harder then you make it look."
"Eeeyup." The small smirk meant he enjoyed watching me try and fail to replicate his feat. He picked up the buckets and added them to the wagons before moving on.
The rest of the afternoon had gone buy like this. He had already filled one wagon and had to go get another. For the most part the work was accompanied with idle chatter, neither of us really big on talking. A few jokes were cracked and some small conversations where sprinkled throughout the day, but they were few and far between. All in all the rest of the afternoon was uneventful but somehow good.
As the day began coming to a close we started heading back, each of us carrying a full wagon. (Something else he made seem so easy that wasn't.) As we were walking through the orchard we noticed Applejack and Fluttershy walking to the barn
"Let me ask you something Static. I ain't much of a talker so I'll keep things short. How'd ya meet Fluttershy?"
"Oh um.. I was flying and not paying much mind to anything around me and kinda crashed into her... literally." the question had startled me a bit, but it was a simple one.
"Really now? Well for someone who crashed into her two days ago she seems to have opened up quite a bit for someone like her."
"Really? I was beginning to wonder if it was first meeting nerves and she was only a little shy."
"Nope. Fluttershy is really quite, even with all the other ponyville folk. She's normally never this open with anyone other then her animals or the rest of the gang. Pinkie, Rarity, Twilight, Rainbow, and my sis. Though she is much more open with them."
"Well I did notice her openness with the others I've seen that are always together, and I've noticed the animals before to. I don't know I think she has made her goal to get me to make friends."
"Why would that be a goal?" The red stallion looked truly puzzled.
"Well I guess it's when I told her I don't really have any." Once again a pony gave me a startled look after that was mentioned. Though he seemed only a little shocked.
"Well now I get her openness. Why do you not have any friends?"
"I've never needed or really wanted them. They would hold me to one place. That would make a chain and I would no longer be free."
"You don't have to be alone to be free."
"Yeah but it's makes it much easier. You'll never be hooked into one place that way."
"Did you everything think that maybe you have this freedom thing wrong? Freedom isn't about simply going were you want and not staying anywhere."
"How would you know about freedom? With that collar and all?"
"I'mma take that as a you don't know better rather than an insult." Why would that have been an insult? It was a question. "Look this collar is so I can hook to a plow not to put me on a leash. Freedom ain't about wandering. Freedom is when you can be who you are with people who ain't gonna judge you. Freedom is being able to express yourself without worry of what people will think. Just because you go wherever don't mean your free. You have formed a chain Static. But not to a place or to people, your chain is to a lifestyle. Because you refuse to accept that friends are good you have chained yourself to you. You're no longer allowing yourself the freedom to go and meet new people. Friends will show you freedom, true freedom."
For a pony who 'ain't much of a talker' Big Mac seemed to posses wisdom far beyond what his appearance and lifestyle would suggest. This was something I hadn't thought of. It was completely preposterous of course, but a new view. It was something new, even if it as wrong.
But was it really wrong? What if he was right? Could I pass up a chance for the one thing I've always believed to be the best because it was new? Maybe this new view was better. But what if it wasn't? My head was scrambled and I needed time to think. As soon as I got to the barn I told Fluttershy that maybe tomorrow we could take a break from lessons, and the moment she agreed I took off to head home.
Which path was true freedom? Which one was right? Which one?