“I’m glad you could all come here so early,” Twilight greeted the group of ponies as they walked into the main room of the library. She tried her best to sound casual but even she could hear the worry leaking into her voice, causing her to wince slightly.
“Sure thing, Sugarcube,” Applejack replied, looking downcast and frowning a bit to herself.
“Where’s Spike this morning?” Rarity quietly asked Twilight, looking around the room, not seeing the baby dragon in sight.
“I thought it would be nice for him to be able to sleep in this morning, all things considered,” Twilight answered just as quietly. Rarity nodded in understanding, moving back a few steps.
“I guess you already know why I called everypony here,” Twilight continued and looked into the worried faces of her friends. They all silently nodded in agreement, even Pinkie Pie. “Has anypony even seen him in the last three days?”
“Not since we came back from Canterlot,” Rainbow Dash admitted and looked to ground, sullenly avoiding the gazes of the other ponies. “I went to his ship yesterday and tried to talk to him but he didn’t open the door.” A sad look appeared on her face as she remembered standing in front of the door for over an hour but receiving no answer to her calls.
“Ah… well ah wanted to but… but ah thought we should’ve waited for him to clear his mind… Ah didn’t want tah force him tah talk,” Applejack uncharacteristically stammered, nervously tilting her hat with her hooves.
“I understand, Applejack,” Twilight said softly, trying to comfort her friend. “I thought he would just need some time alone too, but I’m getting really worried now. I thought a day off would be sufficient but now I believe we should do something.”
“But I tried talking to him yesterday already and he wouldn’t answer,” Rainbow Dash interjected, flapping her wings in agitation. “What else could we do?” she asked while expectantly looking into Twilight’s eyes, hoping to find an answer there.
Twilight couldn’t answer her immediately, mulling over the question in her head for a few moments. “I don’t know,” she finally admitted, much to the other ponies’ dismay. “Not yet, at least,” she added quickly.
“What if he couldn’t answer because something happened to him?” Fluttershy whispered anxiously, her eyes widening with trepidation while she spoke.
The ponies went silent at what Fluttershy suggested and looked at each other with worried expressions, while the pink-maned pegasus herself looked to the floor, immediately feeling guilty at bringing up the subject .
“I don’t think so,” Twilight intervened before the room could get even gloomier. “If nopony saw him here then the only way he could go would be into the Everfree Forest. He may be upset at what happened but I told him it’s a dangerous place. I don’t think he would just run into it.” Twilight tried to sound confident but the words felt flat as they left her lips.
“Can he even live in there for so long?” Pinkie asked quickly. “Don’t you think he needs some sweet goodies to eat and drink? And what about teddy bears? What if he ran out?!”
“Relax, Pinkie. I’ve been in there and I saw how well supplied he is,” Twilight assured the pink pony. “Although it could be better in quality,” she added, the small smile she that she had tacked on for Pinkie’s sake instantly vanished as the taste of the meal he had offered her came back to her mind, causing her to grimace faintly at the memory.
“Hey, about a care package then?” Pinkie Pie proposed. “He could need it and he would see that we care about him. Even if he doesn’t want to talk to us, we could just leave it there and he would still see it!”
“That….. actually sounds very good, Pinkie. We should do that,” Twilight agreed slowly, her brain mulling over the idea before smiling at her friend, feeling rather bewildered she had gotten over such a straight and sensible answer from her somewhat erratic friend.
“Then we should go right away! We don’t want him to wait any longer, do we?” Rainbow Dash asked impatiently, flying into the air, her powerful wings flapping frenetically to keep her in place, all the while eyeing the door to the library, looking as though she wanted to speed off on her own.
“Yes, we should get going right away,” Twilight agreed, starting to head over to the door before hesitating, looking over her shoulder at the group of ponies trailing behind her. “Just let me do one more thing quickly and we’ll be good to go,” she said, trotting over to the nearby desk and pulling out a sheet of paper and quill from it. “I think I should write a report for Princess Celestia about this. She would want to be informed if something happened to Steve, don’t you think?” She began thinking of how she should phrase her letter, mumbling to herself as her horn lit up, levitating the quill to the parchment as she prepared to write. ‘Dear Princess Celestia’ is as good a place to start, she thought, scribbling it onto the parchment. “Do you think the Princess will…” her voice trailed off as she turned to her friends who had been whispering amongst themselves before abruptly ceasing, the sudden look of nervousness and unease instead of the previous determination on the faces of her friends causing her to stop. “What is it?” Twilight asked them, holding the quill in place as she looked at her friends, wondering at their change in demeanor.
For a moment, the room was quiet as they shifted uncomfortably, doing their best to avoid Twilight’s gaze. Just as she was about to ask again Rarity stepped forward, looking back at the group of ponies behind her for support before facing the now thoroughly confused lavender unicorn.
“Twilight darling…..” she began delicately, beginning to falter already before clearing her throat and pushing on. “Are you… quite sure that we should tell the princess?” she pressed out, looking almost relieved at having finished her sentence.
“Why wouldn’t we?” Twilight asked, feeling even more confused at her friends’ reluctance. “Don’t you think that she should be informed about this matter?”
“Well, actually….. we don’t think so,” Rarity said, automatically taking a step back from the unicorn across from her even as her other friends nodded their heads in agreement.
“But we have to!” Twilight exclaimed, starting to feel irritated at them not understanding what she was trying to do. “Princess Celestia entrusted us with looking out for Steve! What would she think if something happens to him and we don’t tell her?” she argued, stomping her foot on the library floor to emphasise her point.
“Well…. Um, well you see…” Rarity stammered, taking another step back from the vexed mare, starting to sweat lightly, adding to the discomfort she was in.
Fortunately for her, Applejack stepped forward, trying to reason with her friend. “Well, Ah reckon that might be true Twi, but look at it this way,” Applejack carefully began to explain. “If Princess Celestia found out that he hasn’t been seen fer a few days, she might probably come here to Ponyville herself. Ah don’t think Steve would like that. The two of them don’t seem like they see eye tah eye,” she said, recalling how tense they had been around each other in Canterlot.
Twilight thought about what Applejack had told her. It made sense, but on the other hoof she still felt the obligation to report to her mentor. “Still, it wouldn’t take too-” she managed to say before Applejack interrupted her, holding up a hoof.
“Ah reckon the princess is busy doing… uh, princess stuff, Twi,” she tried again. “Ah just don’t want the princess tah come out here and waste her time if it turns out nothing happened tah Steve.”
That seemed to drain the fight out of Twilight as she closed her eyes, thinking about what Applejack had just said. While she still wanted to tell Princess Celestia about their situation, Applejack’s words had struck a nerve; she internally winced as she remembered how embarrassed she had felt when the princess had to come and reverse the effects of her Need It Want It spell because of her reckless actions. The last thing she wanted was for the princess to feel the need to come to Ponyville for something that might be end up being a wild goose chase. She had also seen and heard for herself how tense and uncomfortable Steve had been around her mentor. While trying to convince Steve that the princess wasn’t as bad as he seemed to think was something she would try to convince him of later, she couldn’t deny the logic in Applejack’s words.
Sighing, she looked at her friends who were all waiting expectantly for her to respond. “Fine, no letter,” she reluctantly agreed. The other mares sighed in relief at her concession with Pinkie following it up with a loud hurray. Once again, however, Twilight levitated the quill to the parchment and began scribbling on it.
“Uh… Twilight? Ah thought ya said ya weren’t going tah send that letter tah the princess? Applejack ventured, a sinking feeling settling in her stomach at the thought of her friend going against her word right in front of her, almost as soon as she had given it.
Twilight let out an exasperated huff, rolling her eyes as she continued her writing. “This isn’t for the princess, Applejack, this is for Spike so that he’ll know where we’ve gone and his list of chores for when he wakes up,” she commented dryly. That’s if he wakes up before we reach back! she thought, chuckling to herself.
“Oh… well that’s er… a good idea, Twi,” Applejack said, once again feeling a wave of relief wash over her, along with a niggle of shame at having doubted her friend’s trustworthiness like that. Before the feeling could spread further, she noticed Twilight had stopped writing and was levitating the scroll onto the desk.
“There we go. Now, can we finally go now?” Twilight asked, a hint of snarkiness creeping into her voice as she levitated her saddlebags onto her back. Clearing her throat, she directed another question at her friends. “So, what should we get for Steve?” she asked, levitating the basket she normally used for the picnics she had with her friends, dusting out some old crumbs that had stubbornly resisted earlier attempts of cleaning.
Unfortunately for Twilight, that question destroyed the last remnants of Pinkie Pie’s bid to remain silent (which was really a futile endeavor from the beginning). “Ooh, ooh, ooh, I know!” she gushed excitedly, a wild glimmer in her eyes as she rushed up to Twilight, dragging her towards the exit before Twilight could protest. “We could get him some banana bread and some apples and some tomatoes and some lettuce and some…..” Pinkie kept up her list of things they could get Steve as she threw the door open, hooking a hoof around Twilight’s neck as she bounded out the door with the hapless unicorn in tow, cheerfully ignoring her friend’s complaints and assertions that she could walk on her own, thank you very much.
Rainbow Dash simply watched the spectacle unfold in front of her until the duo’s voices began to grow distant, before snapping out of her reverie, a small shake of her head at Pinkie’s antics before landing next to Fluttershy, causing her to jump backward with a small eep. “Come on, Fluttershy, let’s catch up to them,” she urged the skittish mare, starting to herd her out of the room.
“Um…. alright then, but can we stop by my house before we go into the forest…. If you don’t mind, that is,” Fluttershy whispered as they both left the library, leaving the two remaining ponies alone in the room.
Rarity rubbed her head tiredly, feeling tired already from trying to convince Twilight. “I must say, darling Applejack, that while I admire Twilight’s devotion to the princess, I must confess that there are times when it can be particularly…. aggravating,” she said, wrinkling her nose in faint disgust from having sweated in nervousness.
Applejack chuckled wearily at the fashionista’s complaints. “You’re telling me, Ah’m the one who saved your behind just now. Still, Ah’d rather spend a day wearing your frou frou dresses than try and come between Twilight and Princess Celestia like that again.”
The dirty look Rarity had aimed at the apple farmer for calling her masterpieces “frou frou” had quickly dissolved into a mischievous smirk. “Very well then, Applejack, the next time Twilight has a panic attack, I will be certainly be looking forward to your assistance for the entire day, I’m sure Rainbow Dash or perhaps Fluttershy would be willing to step in to calm her down,” she said, giving a gracious yet mocking bow at the flustered earth pony, before dissolving in giggles at the full-blown panic in Applejack’s eyes.
“Wha- Hey now wait just a apple bucking minute, Rarity, Ah wasn’t serious! Ah was just joking! One of them ‘figure of speeches’” she protested. Rarity’s attempt at stifling her giggles by placing her hoof at her mouth was futile as she continued chuckling even louder at the apple pony’s expense.
“Now, now, haven’t you always said that an Apple keeps her word, dear Applejack?” she mirthfully continued as she headed towards the door past the dumbfounded earth pony, trotting gaily out of the door. “Come on darling, let’s not keep the others waiting!”
For a few moments, Applejack just stood there, fuming to herself at having been tricked so easily by her friend before a rainbow-coloured blur swept into the room, signalling the theatrical arrival of Rainbow Dash, who was looking down at the still unmoving farm pony.
“Are you coming, or are you just going to stand there all day?” she demanded as she hovered above Applejack.
“Yeah, yeah, Ah’m coming, no need tah get so impatient,” she shot back, walking towards the door.
“Whatever, just get your butt into gear!” Rainbow Dash replied, sticking her tongue out childishly before shooting back out the library, Applejack having to hold on tightly to her Stetson to keep it from blowing away. As the wind died down, she finally headed out the library door, letting the warm sunshine hit her face for a few moments before shutting the door close behind her.
“Consarn it, Rarity,” she muttered to herself before trotting off to look for her friends.
Steve sighed in contentment as he felt the warm water running down his body, washing away the sweat that had clung to him since he had woken up struggling and panting on the verge of downright panic. He couldn’t remember how long he had been standing in the shower already; the steady flow of water soothed his mind and served as a means to restore some vitality to his tired body. Ever since the first nightmare that had terrorized him the night after they had returned from Canterlot, his mind tended to focus mainly on the horrifying scenes during the name. Even though he tried everything to distract himself, spending hours cleaning and repairing his ship, it was inevitable that he would stray and allow the lingering fears he had crawl back inside his head.
“Why can’t I just get it out of my damned head?” he asked aloud, his voice the only sound except for the steady flow of water, the words of the old mare from Canterlot sounding through his head once again, causing him to shiver slightly. Sighing, he stood in the shower for a few more moments before turning off the water. Rubbing a hand over his face, he stepped out of the shower, drying his feet on the mat just outside.
Go to Canterlot they said, meet new ponies and their leaders they said, it’ll be fun they said. Well, that turned out just peachy! he snarked to himself, going over to the sink and wiping off the steam that had clouded the mirror. Peering into the mirror these days made him grimace at what he saw; dark rings featured prominently under his eyes as though they had taken permanent residence, reflecting just how exhausted he felt. Using his fingers, he spread his eyelids open, taking note of how his eyes seemed unusually red today. Letting go, he passed a hand across his face, feeling the unshaven bristles that came with not shaving for a few days. Can’t even grow a proper beard when I don’t shave, he thought sourly, looking at how patchy his facial hair had grown before looking around for a razorblade.
Finding one, he quickly lathered up his face with shaving cream, dipping it into water before bringing it to his face. Carefully, he let the blade glide over his skin, removing the stubbles to leave smooth skin behind, always paying attention to avoid accidentally cutting himself. What is wrong with me? he wondered as he carefully let the blade glide over his cheek down to his jaw, wiping the excess shaving cream off with a towel as he continued the process. I already know Twilight and her friends would never do such things, they were the nicest peop… well, ponies I’ve ever met. They’ve gone out of their way to try and make me feel welcome here, I’m sure they had other things they wanted to do and yet they still made time to come with me to Canterlot. They haven’t shown the slightest hint of being anything like in my nightmares. Hell, they didn’t even hesitate to defend me against that old bag and apologized afterwards even though they didn’t even do anything wrong! Even though a lot of the ponies in Ponyville seem uneasy around me, I guess I can understand why but I don’t think they’ll suddenly try brandishing a whip in front my face! At least… I don’t think so…. Gaah, there I go again!
I need to do something about this or I’ll go crazy! he thought, setting down the razor blade while running his hand over his face to cheek if he missed any hairs. Satisfied with the result, he washed his face before pulling on his clothes and leaving the bathroom, heading towards the kitchen.
“When do you plan on living the ship again, Steve?” the AI greeted him as soon as he had set foot into the room, causing him to jump, momentarily startled. “You have had no contact with the outside world in the last sixty three hours, twenty eight minutes and thirteen seconds.”
Thanks for the reminder, Mom, he thought sarcastically and walked over to the fridge, grabbing a MRE he had stored there. “So what?” he asked dryly. “I have enough supplies to stay in here for months.” He pulled out some canned bread and cheese from the box and made himself some breakfast. Right now he wished he could have some of the fresh local food, especially when compared to what he was going to eat. Just the memory of the sweet, warm and soft banana bread Pinkie had given him a few days ago made his mouth water.
The AI remained silent for a while, giving Steve a glimmer of hope that she would not push the issue. That hope was dashed as she finally said, “Although social interactions are no longer required, I would still highly recommend it.”
He let out a long sigh. On the first morning after his return he had told her, now to his regret, what he had found out from Celestia about how their stay on the planet would likely be a permanent one. She hadn’t reacted in surprise, he wasn’t even sure how far she could feel anything at all, but seemed to accept it. He was unable to delete or change the mission protocols but at least got her to not remind him about them every time, until now it seemed.
“I was busy,” he countered somewhat weakly, looking deeper inside the box to find some different toppings for his bread.
“I have noticed that. You rearranged your bedroom, fixed all remaining technical problems from the landing and made a full inventory count of all supplies and equipment. That was when you were not busy watching TV, but you have refused to tell me why you are doing all that,” Sarah said. Although no emotion flowed from her voice, he felt like she sounded hurt that he had rarely talked with her. Or maybe it was just his guilty conscience making him hear things.
“Turns out I’ll be staying here longer than I’ll ever want to so I want it to be comfortable here, alright?” he snapped at her, his defensiveness making him sound sharper than he intended to. “Is it such a big problem if I just want to watch a few movies?”
“I fail to understand your sudden interest in documentaries over the role of women in the past,” the AI responded primly.
“It’s just curiosity. Do you know how many countries have had woman suffrage for less than a century?”
“Yes, I do,” it responded almost instantly, almost sounding smug in its assertion.
Of course you do, he thought, rolling his eyes in annoyance. “Anyhow, it’s just interesting to see what you can learn.”
“And how is that related to your lack of social interaction with the natives of this planet? I need more data to establish a connection.”
“Fine, you win,” he finally gave in. “I planned to go out again this afternoon anyways but it seems better for me to go right now if it gets you to stop bugging me about this.”
“But I did not do anything wrong,” she replied. Steve could swear she was trying to sound innocent.
“Whatever,” he replied, exasperated at the AI’s behaviour, turning his attention towards his breakfast. Delicious, he thought sarcastically while holding up the bread with a slice of cheese on top. So where should I go first? he wondered, taking in a large bite. Maybe Applejack? She lives the closest to the ship and I bet she’s out on her apple orchard already. Plus, after last night….. it seems as good a place to confront this thing head on. Mulling it over in his head, he decided it would be the best course of action.
“Where will you going then?” the AI spoke up again after he finished the last bite of his largely tasteless meal.
“Probably to Applejack’s first, after that I’ll play it by ear,” he replied and stood up from the chair, dusting the crumbs from his clothes and making his way towards the bedroom to put on some shoes.
“I will await your return,” Sarah bade him farewell when he returned as she opened the door to the airlock and let him step outside.
“I doubt you would be going anywhere else,” he chuckled and left the shuttle, unable to hear the response of the AI in time.
A few minutes and a short walk later, he had already found himself on the path to Sweet Apple Acres. A shudder went up his spine as he walked up the dirt road, recalling the horrifying scenes from his last nightmare. Enough of this, he mentally berated himself, trying to clear his mind and focusing on the movement of his feet in order to keep his mind busy; every now and again he would look around sharply whenever he thought he heard rustling in the bushes or movements from his peripheral vision but thankfully there was nothing jumping out to scare the hell out of him. A few minutes later and he already stood in front of the main entrance, panting slightly from the brisk walk.
He walked up towards the barn and began curiously looking around but couldn’t spot Applejack anywhere. A small flash of red between the trees closest to the farmhouse however caught his attention. He approached the trees where he saw it but stopped as he heard a loud grunt, followed by a thud and a faint trembling of the ground. What the… was his immediately thought but his unasked question got answered as a large red stallion stepped into his field of view from behind the tree, two large baskets full of apples balanced on his back and just like the first time he saw him, his wooden yoke around his neck as he plodded along among the trees.
“Hey, Big Mac!” Steve called out and approached the stallion.
Big Macintosh’s head whirled around at the sound of his name, trying to find the source. Seeing Steve, the small traces of suspicion that had been on his face melted away as he adopted the neutral expression that Steve had come to associate with the stallion. “Well howdy there…. uh, Steve, right? Big Macintosh asked, the steady manner in which he spoke making the question almost a drawl.
“Yep, that’s me,” Steve replied. Perfect time for a talk, I’ve rarely talked with any of the few stallions I’ve seen since I got here. I just hope he is a bit more talkative than last time.
“So, what’re ya doin’ round these parts?” Big Mac asked him.
“I was looking around for Applejack actually. Shouldn’t she be working on the fields with you?” Steve wondered. She doesn’t look like the type of perso- pony that would let her brother do all the work, right?
“Usually she does but she had to go to town this morning. Something ‘bout meeting with Twilight,” Big Mac shrugged.
Wonder what it could be about, I hope everything is okay, he mused for a few minutes, trying to ignore the stab of guilt in gut from avoiding his newfound friends for so long. Seeing Big Macintosh standing there waiting patiently for him to respond, he snapped out of his thoughts. “Well okay then, thanks for the info,” he replied with a smile. He looked at the stallion, he could tell there were powerful muscles hidden beneath all the fur that glistened lightly with sweat from working in the fields, yet he didn’t seem out of breath or winded as he stood there balancing two baskets of apples on his back. Indeed, the farm pony seemed to be the picture of health, especially since the last time Steve had ‘seen’ him: in his nightmares. Well, this is as good a time as any, he thought, hoping the stallion wouldn’t take offense at what he going to do. “Hey, uh, Big Mac,” he started again, trying to sound casual yet even to his ears it sounded rather forced. “Mind if I ask a few more questions?”
“Sure, ain’t no problem,” Big Macintosh replied, shifting a bit to work the apple baskets on his back into a more comfortable position.
“How’s life for you here with all the work and stuff, you know, as a stallion?” Steve asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
“Well uh, things are going pretty well here at our farm. Good, honest work and ya can see the result of yer labor at the end of every day. Ah reckon there’s a lot of folks who wouldn’t want to get their hooves dirty and some probably think that being a farmer is too low fer them.” His face darkened a bit before returning to its usual dispassionate expression, the change almost imperceptible that if Steve hadn’t been focused on the stallion’s face he would have missed it. “But that’s their problem, fer me I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he finished proudly before a confused look crawled on his face, one which he directed at Steve. “Ah hope that answered yer question but what did ya mean by ‘as a stallion’?”
Well there goes my attempt at being subtle, he thought, mentally facepalming at his effort. He didn’t want to just bluntly ask the stallion if there had ever any overt or extreme sexism shown towards him. He didn’t think that any of the ponies in town would do something like that but he was the stranger, not only to the town but to the entire world…. he had to make sure. “Well… it’s just that I found out that stallions were seen as er…. the lesser sex, so to speak, so I was wondering if ever any mare had ever….. you know, mistreated you for being a stallion? Physically I mean,” he carefully asked, hoping not to upset the large pony.
The reaction from the stallion dashed that plan. Confusion turned to shock and then to bewilderment played out in Big Macintosh’s expression as he tried to wrap his mind around the question even as he involuntarily stepped back, snorting in incredulity. In the back of his mind Steve was faintly surprised that the normally even-tempered farm pony had such a wide range of emotions. “What?” Big Macintosh blurted out, feeling rather surprised at himself at being taken off-guard so easily. “Of course not! Where in Equestria’s name did ya get that idea from?!”
“Oh er… it’s not important,” Steve hastily said, although the look the stallion gave him suggested otherwise. “So you’re sure no mare ever did anything- ?”
“No!” Big Mac cut him off emphatically. “Ain’t anypony ever done something like that! Why would they?! You think ah would….” His spirited defence suddenly tapered off as he seemed to remember something, his eyes drifting off a bit as he mumbled to himself, “Well, there was that time when I was being courted by….” Realizing he had an attentive audience of one intently listening, he abruptly stopped his musing. “Er, well… it ain’t never happened,” he quickly finished.
“What did you just say?” Steve inquired. Did I just hear what I thought I heard? he wondered, trying to look directly into the stallion’s green eyes, a difficult task seeing as they were wandering nervously around, avoiding the human’s gaze.
“Ahm… nothin’,” he stammered, his cheeks starting so red that Steve could distinguish it from his coat. “Ah gotta go back to work now, if ya excuse me, bye!” he said quickly and started a fast trot towards the barn, losing a few apples from his baskets on his way.
I did, he thought, a small smile on his face reflecting both his amusement and bemusement at the situation. So… nothing untoward going on at Sweet Apple Acres. That’s a good sign. This would probably be the first place to find something like that, seeing as how it’s far from Ponyville, he thought, composing himself and headed back towards the path that would take him from the farm. I should visit Twilight, if Applejack’s there I bet so are the rest of her friends.
He made his way back towards the barn and the path to leave Sweet Apple Acres again but stopped in his movement as soon as he heard a dull, creaking sound that seemed to be amplified in the quiet of the farm. Looking around, he spotted another pony at the farmhouse next to the barn he hadn’t noticed before. Slowly and as quietly as he could, he approached the lime green pony that, now that he was closer, he could see was seemingly asleep on a rocking chair, the noise from its creaking motion revealing the source of the sound he had heard.
Is this Applejack’s mother? he wondered as he stepped closer. Or maybe her grandmother, he amended as he noticed how old the pony actually was. Her entire skin was lined and wrinkled and her mane, which had been tightly tied into a bun save for a few loose strands, had turned completely white. She also looked considerably thinner than any other pony he had seen so far as she lay motionless in her chair. That’s a bit too motionless, he thought, beginning to worry at the thought of Big Macintosh finding him with a dead pony on his hands as he quickly stretching his arm out to check her pulse.
Before his hand could reach her neck, her eyes suddenly flew open, startling him as her hoof struck out to bat his hand away from her, causing him to wince in pain; whoever this pony was, she certainly was stronger than her feeble appearance seemed to indicate. “Whatchya’ think ya doin’ there, boy?” she snapped in an extremely scratchy voice.
Steve tumbled back a stop, being caught completely off guard by her sudden awakening. “I… I’m sorry, I just wanted to check if you were alright,” he managed to stutter out, his heart jackhammering inside his chest.
“Do ah look like Ahm not alright?” she asked and glared at him, rocking harder in her chair.
Steve turned red and stumbled something incomprehensible. She let him continue in that vein for a few more moments before holding up a withered hoof. “Ahm just jokin’,” the old mare laughed, her laugh quickly turning into a loud cough. “Ah ain’t nearly crazy enough to not know if Ahm alright or not.” After carefully inspecting him from top to bottom, she asked, “Are ya that stallion mah Applejack has been talking ‘bout? Thought ya’d look different. She said ya wasn’t a pony, guess ah thought mebbe you had ‘bout ten eyes and tentacles and all them crazy things the youngsters talk about these days,” she chuckled to herself.
“Well uh…. I guess that’d be me, minus all the eyes and tenctacles. Steve’s the name, ma’am” he replied and offered her a hand. Thanks a lot for that Applejack, he thought dryly.
“They call me Granny Smith,” the old mare replied and shook his already battered hand with surprising force. “If yer looking for Applejack, she ain’t here, she’s gone tah town to meet her friends. Ah can’t see her doing anythin’ else than working or hanging out with them.” She laughed again and added, “Ah wasn’t much different than her. When ah was not working ah was only here to eat and sleep. Those were some good times back then.” She sounded a bit saddened and her eyes slowly began closing.
“Granny Smith?” Steve asked carefully.
“Huh? What? Who’s talking!?” she shoot up in her chair and looked around. “Ahm sorry, ah was just lost in mah thoughts.
Steve struggled with the thought of asking her more about the old times. If there was anything that had happened with the stallions like the old hag had alluded to, she would probably be the best bet at finding out. On the other hand, he didn’t want to sound rude and risk being chased off the farm, the reaction from Big Macintosh fresh in his mind. Can’t get some answers without a risk sometimes, he decided and asked, “It’s alright. I just have a question…” As with Big Macintosh, he asked her the same thing, stuttering nervously throughout the entire thing.
Granny Smith’s eyes had focused sharply on him the entire time and she remained fairly motionless, the vigour in her rocking just a few minutes ago ceasing as the chair came to a stop. She remained silent for a few moments after he had finished, taking a few seconds before replying, her eyebrows furrowed. “Ah heard about that when ah was very young. There were some stories from other towns, especially Manehatten, where the stallions had a rough time but no Apple ever turned his hoof against anypony. We are good, honest ponies here. Now tell me, where did ya heard that story from?” She had spoken with an unusual loud and clear voice, making it obvious that she meant her words and her question demanded an answer.
He reluctantly told her the story about her trip to Canterlot and the unfortunate incident with the shop pony and how it had left him thinking that what happened to stallions was normal at times in this land. All through the story the wrinkled mare sitting in the rocking chair seemed to be growing more and more red in the face that Steve had begun to grow concerned that steam would start pouring out from her ears and cause her to faint, only a slightly less problematic situation than Big Macintosh finding her dead.
“If ah had been there when that mare was going on like that, ohh… she wouldn’t do that ‘gain!” Granny Smith furiously replied jumping out of her rocking chair with a speed that seemed to defy her aged figure, balancing on her back hooves as she held her front hooves in front her face like a boxer would. “Ah would have given her some of THIS!” she replied, jabbing her hoof at the air sharply. “And some of THAT!” She served an imaginary enemy a fierce uppercut. “Then Ah woulda finished her up with some of this! GAH!” She lunged upward then suddenly stopped as her back made an audible sound of protest that made even Steve wince, as she dropped onto the ground with a grunt of pain.
He quickly scrambled to help the aged pony, assisting her as she struggled to make it back to her hooves. “Phew, Ah keep forgetting Ah ain’t as young as Ah used to be,” she muttered, hobbling towards her chair, trying to slap away his assisting hands. “Keep yer hands to yerself, youngster, dontcha think Ahm a bit too old fer you to be groping?” Still, he guided her to the chair although he was unable to completely hide the grimace on his face at that thought. I’m going to have a different kind of nightmare from now on, he thought, shuddering at the images that came to his head.
Fortunately, he was finally able to put her back into the chair, releasing her as she panted lightly, her face slightly red from exertion or at least that was what Steve fervently hoped it was. A few minutes passed as Granny Smith finally caught her breath and regained her composure while Steve struggled to maintain his. Finally, Granny cleared her throat, looking steadily at the human in front of her. “So…. that’s what kept ya’ thinkin’ and hurtin’?” she asked, continuing before he could give an answer. “Ah heard mah granddaughter talking ‘bout ya, saying ya needed some time to think, right?”
“Yeah, it’s true,” he admitted, trying to forget what had just transpired.
“Ya don’t have to worry ‘bout that. Ah would know if anypony like that would be livin’ here and ah can assure ya, that’s not the case,” Granny Smith stated firmly, confident in her assertions.
“Well, thank you for answering my questions,” he replied honestly.
“A pleasure, mah dear,” the ancient farm pony replied and resumed her rocking on her chair.
“I think I should go meet with Applejack now.” Hopefully Applejack won’t think I was hitting on her grandmother. “Thanks for the talk,” he said, beginning to back away from the farmhouse.
“Anytime again. Bye,” she bid him farewell.
“Goodbye,” he said and turned around, an increased bustle in his step as he hurried away from the apple farm, heading towards a certain tree inside Ponyville.
“Ya think he’ll answer us?” Applejack asked the group of ponies walking over the field near the Everfree Forest.
“We can only hope for the best,” Twilight replied who was levitating a small basket in her magical grip and once again was going through its contents to make sure everything was there. She hoped he would take it as a good sign and maybe talk to them again.
“I’m sure he won’t stay there forever. Although… it could’ve been avoided if a certain somepony had been more persuasive when she was alone with him,” Rainbow snarked, shooting a glare towards Applejack which did not go unnoticed.
“Hey!” the farm pony shouted indignantly. “Ya didn’t even come along enough with us to know whether or not he would have listened. And we all decided that we would give him time, remember? So don’t blame me if he decided to lock himself up. Ahm surprised you even know a big word such as persuasive!” she added cattily, smirking at the prismatic pegasus.
Rainbow began hotly, “Yeah? Well we saw how that worked…”
“Girls!” Twilight stopped and raised her voice loudly, causing everyone else to halt. “This is not helping. We should focus on reaching Steve’s ship.”
Ashamed, Rainbow hovered over towards Applejack. “Sorry ‘bout that,” she said contritely, giving her friend her best apologetic smile.
“It’s alright, Sugarcube,” Applejack replied, nodding towards her friend.
The group continued walking again until they stood at the top of the hill behind which the ship had landed. “Here we go, girls,” Twilight said as they quickly ran down the hill, her eyes falling over the features of the strange vessel, its exotic nature yet to have lost its interest to her.
“Steve!” Twilight called out loudly as soon as they stood in front of the closed door. “I hope you can hear me, it’s me, Twilight. Listen please! We know what you found out had to be shocking for you but we assure you that something like that will never happen to you here.”
Her small speech would have sounded rather formal and serious if it wasn’t for Pinkie Pie bouncing around the ship, before popping up at different points of the ship. “Steeeeevieeeeeee oh Steeeevieeeeee,” she called out merrily. “Stevie oh Stevie oh Stevie! Come out and play!”
Trying her best to ignore the ever convoluted greetings her friend was coming up with, she waited for an answer but none came. “We would really like if you come out and talk to us. We are here to help you!” she tried again.
They all waited again quietly, save for a certain pony who was now trying to climb atop the ship, hoping for a response but still there was nothing forthcoming. “Can’t you just open the door with your magic?” Rainbow suggested impatiently.
“I don’t know. Maybe I could but I’d rather not try it. I don’t think he would be too fond if I broke anything,” Twilight replied, shaking her head. “We have to wait for him to come to us,” she said and levitated the bag in front of the door.
“We brought you a present,” Twilight shouted again. “You can take it once we are gone!”
She waited again for a response but was disappointed once more. Saddened, she prepared herself to march back towards Ponyville. She took the first few steps, ears flattened firmly against her head before they perked up, stopping immediately as soon as she heard Applejack calling out. “Hey girls! Look at this.” The group rushed towards Applejack who was standing a bit to the side of the path.
“What is it, Applejack? Something wrong with the dirt? Aside from being its usual icky self, that is,” Rarity asked, giving her a confused look after staring at where Applejack was pointing at.
“No, Rarity, look. A footprint,” she replied and the ponies looked closer again to where she was pointing at. “Could be his and it looks fresh. Maybe he just ain’t home right now after all,” she suggested and looked at Twilight, waiting to hear the unicorn’s judgement.
“Hmm,” Twilight said slowly while inspecting the footprint. The size did match and she could think of no animal that would leave such a footprint. “I believe it is his,” she concluded after a few moments. “But…. if we didn’t see him in town then this could very well mean he is inside the forest! We should check there immediately! Let’s go to Zecora, maybe she has found him wandering around there already or maybe we will find any signs of him on the way,” Twilight suggested, getting a bit worried at the thought of the human bumbling around in the forest, not fully aware of its dangers. While she didn’t want to believe that he was in the forest, she couldn’t simply discount the possibility.
“We shouldn’t waste any more time then! Come on Fluttershy, we’ll look out from above!” Rainbow ordered and immediately shot into the sky, not waiting to hear any objections from her friends.
Fluttershy stood there trembling, seemingly unwilling to fly as high or as fast as her fellow pegasus until Twilight walked up to her, putting her hoof around her timid friend. “We’re counting on you, Fluttershy,” she said firmly yet not without sympathy. Getting a small nod from her, Twilight stepped back as Fluttershy took to the air, a bit wobbly at first before she seemed to balance herself in the air, steadily following where Rainbow Dash had shot off to.
“Come on girls, let’s get going,” Twilight said, turning from the alien ship hulking over them and trotting off as her friends gave several murmurs of assent (and one excited cheer) as they began the walk to Zecora’s house.
