//------------------------------// // Give & Take // Story: Xenophilia: a Change of Circumstance // by BackgroundNoise //------------------------------// "Hard to believe it's already been a month, isn't it" asks Ponyville's first (and only) human resident, Bellerophon (or "Lero" as he prefers to be called). "When you get as old as I have time tends to pass a mite quicker sonny," chuckles Granny Smith Apple, elderly matriarch of the Apple family and Lero's would-be savior, "Mmm, you folks sure do make some good tea." Lero blushes a bit at the unexpected compliment. Ever since his mysterious and nearly disastrous arrival to Equestria the old mare had been a solid friend of his, teaching him how to better ingratiate himself to the local populace and generally keeping him from withdrawing into his metaphorical shell. "Thank you, it was my grandmother's recipe before... before she died," he states, melancholy slipping into his voice. "Feh, trust me on this one sonny, ain't no better service to her than you still being here and using what she taught you. I should be so lucky when my number's up," she stretches a bit, gasping as her hip practically explodes with pain. The damn thing had been even harder on her in recent days and her wounds utterly refused to adhere to any schedule but their own. Lero practically leaps up from his chair on the veranda, intent on helping her wi- dear sweet Celestia full of light! Those hands of his just ain't fair! "Are you alright?" and there he goes again, it's been this way the past couple of weeks, the human hovering around like mother hen always making sure she was comfortable, always there to lend a helping hoof (heh, or should she say "hand"?), it was sweet as syrup, but he really did worry too much. "M-fine, the darn thing just caught me off guard," she tests her languid muscles, luckily the impromptu massage seems to have done it's job and all she feels is a dull throb. "You folks sure know how to spoil a gal," she chuckles a bit, attempting to reassure her young friend of her improved condition. Obviously she isn't quite convincing enough as Lero looks straight at her, eyes shining with undeserved guilt, and once again Granny Smith goggles at her granddaughter's attitude. In the evening sun his hair almost seems to glow in the dim light, forming the image of burning halo around his gentle features, how Applejack could take one look at him and think anything other than "beautiful" is one of life's great mysteries; then again, perhaps she's a bit biased. Broken out her reverie she notices Lero about to speak stops him short, already knowing what he was on about. "Hush you, and stow your sorry, I did what I did because it was the right thing and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had to," she smiles crookedly at that, showing off her new dentures, "Ain't your fault I don't know when to quit." He barks out a laugh at that and she actually giggles for the first time in what feels like ages. The mood settles after that, falling into a warm silence between the two of them. Unfortunately, the moment is broken as the fading light directs her attention to the Everfree, her mood souring at the sight, "Something wrong?"; consarnit, when did he get so good at reading her?! "Ain't nothing but old memories, wouldn't wanna worry a young'in like yourself with something that happened a lifetime ago." "I don't mind," Lero states politely, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but I'm here for you if you'd like to talk about it." at that he places his hand on her withers, silently lending her support and (unsuccessfully) pretending to not be interested in her answer. There's a pause as she stops to gather her words, staring out at the Everfree as she dusts off an old, painful memory, "That forest," she stops for a beat, "has both given and taken everything from me, everything but my grandchildren," she closes her eyes, getting lost in a rippling tide of tumultuous emotion, "It gave me my farm, it gave me my herd, and then... then it took all of that away from me." Lero squeezes her withers, lending her support as best as he can without interrupting her narrative. "We were an odd bunch," she starts again, speaking slowly, delicately, as if the words themselves were fragile, "Griselda was a sweet old bird, a bit rough around the edges, but I dare you to find a more noble Gryphon anywhere. I know she saved my sorry flank more than a few times," her voice picks up as she starts to get lost in the memory. "Then there was Zuri, most beautiful creature I ever saw, even to this day; I swear that Zebra drove us all crazy with her rhyming, but Sweet Apple Acres wouldn't be where it is today if it weren't for her alchemy," her voice hitches a bit, this memory was without a doubt a sore one "And then, then there was Alexander, my own Alexander Apple, the sweetest stallion I'd ever known, and the only one I could imagine putting up with a misfit bunch like us. After all, who'd ever heard of a herd that had only had two ponies?" she turns to Lero and gives him a watery smile. He scoops her up into a brief hug before urging her to continue. "I did tell you about how I found Sweet Apple Acres didn't I?" she asks, stopping for a second, Lero nods and waves her on. "Well those three were the ones that helped me build it, tree by tree, board by board," pride shines through her voice, even after all these years. "It wasn't easy, and when we finally got over ourselves and formed a herd a lotta folks weren't happy," she sounds weary at that, thoughts of all the trials she faced, all the ponies who looked down her for being a part of an interracial herd. "I felt guilty you know, being the only one of us mares who could have young'ins of her own," she sighs, disappointment clear in her tone. "But I loved him, my sweet little Johnny Apple, I loved him right up until he died of a broken heart. It's a terrible thing, when a mother outlives her son," sorrow pours off her in waves and Lero hugs her tightly, after a moment she regains her composure and returns to her story, "We had good run," she sighs, "and even if the others couldn't have foals of their own, little Johnny was a burst of sunshine and we all loved him," she pauses a bit, rolling the words around in her head. "And then one day little Johnny went off to get his Cutie Mark, he'd heard things about the Everfree from the other foals and he... he wanted to get a monster catcher Cutie Mark," she bursts into tears and Lero starts stroking her mane, whispering those sweet, little assurances we all make up when trying to convince someone (or somepony as the case may be) that everything is going to be all right. It takes longer for her calm down this time, and when she finishes her voice is practically a whisper, "Alexander though, he was so brave, he dashed off the moment he heard that Johnny might be in trouble. By the time the rest of us knew, it was already too late," she breathes heavily, her voice raw and thick with emotion. "He saved Johnny from the Manticore, drove it off, we tried to him to help but the poison... it was just too much," she finally breaks down, tears of regret streaming down her face, Lero just holds her, tears of his own starting to drop at seeing the strong mare cry. "Johnny blamed himself and we blamed each other," she states, spitting the words out as if they tasted bitter on her tongue, "We tried to stay together as long as we could, we at least managed to raise Johnny, bless his heart, but we just couldn't make it without Alexander, we needed him." Lero starts rubbing her withers, a nonverbal show of emotional support. "We were stupid, said a whole lotta things we shouldn't have ever said, things I'm still ashamed of, and in the end we fell apart," she sighs, exhausted beyond words from the out-pour of bitter memories. Lero hesitates, his curiosity burning even as his heart swells with sympathy for Granny Smith, "And what happened to Johnny?" he whispers, silent as the grave. "Johnny was never the same after we lost Alexander," she explains tiredly. "He became shy and withdrawn, nothing like the bright, spirited colt he used to be," then, inexplicably she brightens. "Then he met Honeysuckle. AJ's friend, Fluttershy, reminds me a bit of her. What a pair they made," she shakes her head and starts chuckling softly, "It was so adorable watching them dance around each other, when they finally formed a herd you'd swear they were joined at the hip. They used to call them the 'Herd of Two'. It's not that they were mongoamists or anything like that, they just couldn't see anything but each other." Lero starts chuckling as well, the tale evoking memories of his married friends and how they acted during their Honeymoon Phase. "Then one day when Honeysuckle was tending to the animals she was attacked by a pack of timber-wolves. Poor thing could never bring herself to hurt a fly, let alone a pack of savage animals like that," she deflates at that, something like a sigh escaping her chapped lips, "Johnny didn't make it in time to save her, but he did make in time to show those mangy mutts what for. After that he just... wasted away. I tried to help him, tried to tell them he needed to be there for his foals, to be strong for them, but I didn't know what to say!" there was a plea for understanding in her voice, which Lero gave wordlessly, "He may have been my blood, but he was always Zuri's foal, she always took care of him, I was either busy working or arguing with Zelda, I... regret that, I wish I could have been the mother he needed, the mother he deserved, but when the time came it was too late and he just wouldn't listen to me. Why wouldn't he listen to me?! Honeysuckle wouldn't have wanted him to die like that, I know she wouldn't," she weeps openly, letting Lero soothe her long-buried pain. "He died of a broken heart," she says at last. "And all that was left was me and the foals. I've raised them as best I could, I can only hope that it's enough, I can only hope... that Johnny forgives me," she wavers a bit at the end, voice shaky. "There's nothing to forgive," Lero says solidly, and Granny Smith's head snaps up in surprise, "Mac's a good man, and a good friend of mine, Applebloom might be a little overenthusiastic sometimes, but she's a bright, happy filly, and anyone with eyes can tell she loves her family, and AppleJack and I might not always get along, but I know she's got a good heart, she's an Element of Harmony for Pete's sake, she's saved Equestria." He stops for a moment, "I don't just think you've been a good mom, I know that you've been one. I truly believe that your herd would be proud of them, would be proud of you, and for what it's worth, I'm proud of you." They sit there on the veranda, the sun having long since set, and enjoy the warm silence between each other... "So when are ya gonna ask my granddaughter out? Celestia know that the filly's too darn stubborn for her own good." "What?!" A cackle echoes off into the night.