I watch out the window of the coach as the train pulls into Ponyville station. Steam billows out of the engine as the conductor issues everyone off the train. I detect an eighteen degree rise in temperature here over Canterlot. A few ponies that have been on the train since Canterlot turn to sneer at me, but most of the local ponies ignore me.
Twilight, however, has a small crowd waiting for her when we get off the train. Lots of parents and their foals are gathered to greet their hometown princess. She greets them warmly and laughs as the foals rush to hug her. The parents stand back with smiles on their faces. I don't notice any of the pomp and circumstance that typically accompanies a visit from Celestia and Luna. Although Twilight may reside in Canterlot, Ponyville will always be her home.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine," Twilight says, gesturing in my direction. "This is A.M.P."
There is a brief moment of stunned silence as everyone notices that I am not a flesh and blood pony. "Hello. Pleasure to meet all of you."
One particularly concerned mother leans over to Twilight. "Is it safe?" she asks.
Twilight sighs wearily. "Of course. I built her."
The group visibly relaxes, and while a few ponies remain hesitant, most of the group comes up and introduces themselves. They seem friendly and unafraid overall, which is welcome after the shunning of Canterlot ponies. I notice a few of the foals tapping on my alloyed hooves.
"Leaflet! Leave the poor pony alone!" one annoyed father calls. A green unicorn foal winces and runs back to him. The other young ones back up, but still appear to be curious about me. "I hope you like it here," a mother tells me.
As the group begins to congeal again, Twilight steps over to me. "You can go sit down if you want, A.M.P. It'll probably be a few minutes before we get out of here." She nuzzles me lovingly, and walks back over to greet her subjects. I take a seat on a bench under the platform's awning, and wait for Twilight to wrap up.
* * *
I walk beside Twilight as we make our way through Ponyville. "That was a markedly warmer reception over the norm in Canterlot," I say.
Twilight smiles and nods. "I agree. Ponyville is a much more welcoming place to live."
"Where is your friend Pinkie Pie? You had mentioned she is quite fond of welcoming newcomers." I am hesitatant to meet such a gregarious pony
"Don't worry, A.M.P.," Twilight laughs. "I asked Pinkie to wait a day before meeting you, so you have time to get settled."
"She was not disappointed by this?"
Twilight laughs again. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. She drew frowny faces all over her last letter, but she also said that she understands, and she wants you to be in the best mood when she throws you your 'welcome to Ponyville party'."
"I understand." The prospect of a party worries me, but thankfully it will be another day before I have to deal with that. Twilight told me earlier that I must attend, but I maintain my reservations. "So where are we going now?"
"I'm taking you to Sweet Apple Acres; you'll be staying with Applejack while you're here. It's almost time for the harvest, and she'll need the extra help around the farm. Apple Bloom was especially excited to get to meet you. She's developed quite the eye for good engineering."
"You are being a bit conceited with that statement," I point out.
"Not at all!" she smirks. "I am proud of who you are, not the fact that I built you. Besides, there is as much of Phase's work in you as there is mine. That pony's programming skills are phenomenal, as well as some of her theories on the magic of friendship and harmonic resonance."
She has deflected the question, which reinforces my theory. Twilight is indeed proud of her skill, and the adoration of young mare pleases her.
"There it is." Twilight points a hoof as we crest a rise in the road. Nestled into a vast expanse of rolling green orchards stands a large red barn and a sizeable barnyard. The simple farmhouse stood out in the south field, and a chicken coop rounds out the setting. It is very picturesque.
Twilight walks up to the house and has just raised a hoof to knock when it bursts open, and an orange earth pony with blonde hair sweeps her into a hug. “Twilight! Ah’m so glad to see you. Ah hope y'all had a good trip!”
Twilight smiles and returns her friend’s embrace warmly. “It’s good to see you too, Applejack. Our trip was just fine. I’d like you to meet A.M.P.” She gestures toward me, and Applejack turns to me for the first time, readjusting the tilt of her distinctive hat as she does so.
She runs over to me and begins the most vigorous hoof-shake I have ever experienced. “Of course!” she exclaims. “Twilight’s told me so much about you, it’s like we’ve already met. Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!” As she pulls her hoof back, I make a note to check for burnt-out servos later.
“It is a pleasure, Applejack. Thank you for allowing me to stay with you.”
“Absolutely! Any friend of Twilight’s is a friend of mine.” She shows us inside, where the remaining Apple family waits for us. “This here’s mah big brother, Big Macintosh, and that’s mah little sister Apple Bloom. Kin, this here’s A.M.P. She’ll be stayin’ with us through the harvest.”
“Eeyup,” replies Big Macintosh. He is the most formidable draft pony I have seen, with a deep red coat and unshorn fetlocks. White freckles stand out against the fur on his face, and his brown tail has been cut short in a strictly utilitarian fashion.
Applebloom walks over and shakes my hoof, though in a much more gentle fashion than her sister. “Howdy! Ah’m Applebloom. It’s such an honor to meet you. Twilight’s sent me all of your schematics, and Ah’m just so excited to finally get to actually meet you.” Her mild salivation is uncomfortable, but moderately flattering. The younger sister displays similar phenotypes as the rest of her family, notably her blonde coat and bright red hair. A simple pink bow holds her otherwise discordant mane in check.
“Greetings,” I say calmly. “I am flattered that you think so highly of me.”
“Apple Bloom is going to be your mechanic while you’re staying here,” Twilight elaborates. “She’s been studying the technical plates diligently for about two weeks now.”
“Well, now that we’ve got the introductions out of the way, why don’t Ah show you upstairs to your room?” Applejack offers. “Apple Bloom’s been hard at work settin’ up your chargin’ station. Why, Ah reckon it’ll be just like back home in Can’erlot!”
Applejack leads the procession upstairs, followed by myself, Twilight, Applebloom, and Big Macintosh, respectively. She stops at the first door on the left side of the hallway and nudges it open. Inside is a tall white tower that is noticeably out of place in the rustic farmhouse. A black cable snakes out of the base of the unit and disappears into a bundle of blankets on the floor. A computer terminal dominates one side of the structure, and another cable snakes out the window, presumably to a solar panel on the roof. The rest of the room is simply outfitted. There is a desk against the left wall, and there are few simple paintings to add some color.
"Twilight told us you weren't used to havin' your own room in the lab, but we figured you might appreciate the privacy," Apple Bloom speaks up. "The computer tower is an exact duplicate of the one in Canterlot, so your power-down routine shouldn't be any different than back home. Ah had to install a lightin' rod on the house, but we were overdue for the upgrade anyway."
I am impressed with the quality of work she has shown in assembling the charging station. "Thank you, Apple Bloom. I believe it will fuction as intended." I drop my saddlebags next to the blankets on the floor, content to have found a good spot to set them down.
"Now, what say we finish off the tour of the house?" Applejack calls, and begins a brief presentation of the upper floor.
* * *
Applejack invited me to dinner, an offer I was told to accept despite the fact that I have no need of food. Winona, the family dog, was quite content to consume my share of the meal.
"Twilight told us you were havin' trouble gettin' along in Canterlot. Them big-city ponies can be a bit rough on newcomers."
"You have visited a large city before," I deduce.
She nods. "Ah went to live with my aunt and uncle in Manehattan for a while when Ah was a filly. I tried to fight who Ah really was." She drifts off for a moment and gives a sad smile. I can tell she's thinking about her experiences and give her a moment of quiet contemplation; she eventually comes around again. "Anyway, Ponyville is just the place to leave all that mess behind. The quiet countryside is just the place to find yourself," she smiles.
"Ah think she secretly misses the city," Apple Bloom says.
"You're plumb off yer nut, little sister," Applejack replies testily. "The farm is where Ah belong."
"Eeyup," nods Big Macintosh from his end of the table.
"Aw, c'mon AJ," Apple Bloom prods. "You can't tell me you don't sometimes wish you could go back."
"Manehattan was a nice enough place to visit, but I ain't got no desire to go back and put down roots."
"'Put down roots'... This is not an expression I am familiar with," I say quietly.
"It means she doesn't want to live in Manehattan," Twilight whispers.
Apple Bloom smiles and returns her attention to her plate. "Well, in any case, we're happy you decided to come back home. Right, Big Mac?"
"Eeyup."
The eveing proceeds in much the same way. The family dynamic between the three Apples is an odd one indeed. Applejack and Apple Bloom enjoy teasing each other while Big Macintosh sits quietly by. It is entirely unlike Twilight's relationship with Phase; the Apples are more considerate and loving than Twilight has leave to be with her student.
"Do you have dinner together every night?" I inquire.
"Ever since mom and dad were still around," Applejack answers. "Granny made sure we kept it up even after they passed on."
"It was the one thing that Pa always said made a family." It is the most amount of words I have heard from Big Macintosh since I arrived.
"Granny made sure that we always got together at least once a day. She never stopped talking about how important it was to spend time together every day." Apple Bloom seems sad now. "Even when she was in the hospital, we had...we had..." She is unable to continue.
Applejack puts one hoof around her sister. "We had one meal together everyday. The dinner table is the one place we can take time for each other, no matter what else might be going on."
The mood at the table sombers, and I feel awkward. "Tell me about your family's history in Ponyville."
Applejack wipes at her eyes with a hoof. "Right. Granny was actually one of the first settlers of Ponyville. Princess Celestia granted her folks the land the farm sits on, and the town just kinda sprang up around it."
"It's become one of the most up and coming towns in Equestria," Apple Bloom continues. "It's a proud testament to the Apple name."
"And none too bad of a place to get away from your troubles," Applejack says. She winks at Twilight.
"It was my understanding that Ponyville has been the epicenter of many of Equestria's major disturbances in recent history," I point out.
Applejack gives a hearty laugh. "Well, sure it hasn't been as quiet as it was in years past. But I reckon that's thanks to the arrival of Priness Celestia's protegé here," she says, gesturing to Twilight. "Adventure seems to follow her wherever she goes."
"Applejack is exaggerating," Twilight states defensively. "The history books in the Ponyville library indicate that this town has had its share of troubles long before I set foot here. The incidents seem to be clustered in ten-year cycles, with the average incident rate at the height of each cycle being roughly-"
I lose the rest of her rant in watching Applejack silently mock her friend with exaggerated physical gestures. The other two members of the Apple family supress their laughter with mixed effectiveness. I smile at her antics as well, while Twilight remains unaware as she cites facts and figures with her eyes closed.
"-and thus we can draw no conclusive causal relationship between my arrival in Ponyville and the incident rate of extraordinary and disastrous events."
"Whatever you say, Twilight." Apple Bloom rolls her eyes and picks off the remainder of her dinner.
After supper, everyone takes a share of cleaning up and we retire to the living room soon after. Applejack and Twilight catch up on some of the local events while Apple Bloom asks me about some of my more complicated systems. The young mare seems quite adept at complex mechanical theories. Big Macintosh is content to sit quietly and read the weather schedule for the following week.
The clock over the mantel strikes ten o'clock, though my internal chronometer marked the hour three minutes prior. "Mah goodness, I hadn't realized it was so late. I reckon we best be gettin' to bed. Will you be spendin' the night with us, Twi?" Applejack asks as she stands.
"I'm afraid not, AJ," Twilight replies. "I promised Spike I'd stay at the library. I haven't even been over there yet. We came straight here as soon as we got off the train."
"Golly, I hadn't realized! C'mon, I'll show you the door." The two of them get up and move for the entry way.
"Goodnight, Apple Bloom," Twilight says cheerily.
"Goodnight, Twilight!" she replies.
"And goodnight to you too, Big Mac."
"Eeyup." I note that Big Macintosh, for all his intimidating physical appearance, is very soft-spoken.
"A.M.P., why don't you join us?" Twilight asks, nodding toward the door.
I excuse myself from Apple Bloom's company and follow the others outside. Twilight and Applejack embrace once more.
"Why didn't you tell me you hadn't seen Spike yet? You know your visit's all he's talked about for the past two weeks."
"I made all the arrangements for this visit ahead of time. Spike knew it would be late tonight before he got to see me again." She nods towards me. "I had to make sure A.M.P. was all settled in here before I could leave."
"Thank you, Twilight," I say. "Your presence here this evening was reassuring and welcome."
She leans over and gives me a hug, wrapping both of her wings around me. "I'll be back tomorrow to take you to Pinkie's party."
"Not before we get a full morning of work in!" Applejack interjects. "The harvest is just around the corner and we've gotta gear up for the biggest crop yet! Hope you like getting up early, my little android."
"Automoton," I correct.
"Either way, we've got a full day of work ahead, so let's get some shut eye! G'night, Twilight. Tell Spike we said 'hi.'"
"I will. Goodnight everypony!" Twilight starts off at a gentle walk toward the lights of Ponyville.
"Goodnight, Twilight," I call after her.
After she walks below a rise in the road, Applejack turns to me. "Alright, A.M.P., let's get some sleep."
"Yes, Applejack," I agree.
We walk back inside, where the others are in the midst of cleaning up for the evening. "Alright Apples, let's hit the hay!" Applejack calls, and the four of us walk upstairs to the bedrooms.
Apple Bloom accompanies me to my room and performs the nightly back-up routine usually handled by Twilight or Phase. It is more awkwardly quiet than usual, and the cold grip of the computer seems even more uncomfortable normal. Apple Bloom is quite adept, however, and finishes with good time.
"Quite a wild day, huh A.M.P.?" she comments as I settle into my nest of blankets.
"Yes. There were a lot of unfamiliar situations to accomodate, though they were not entirely unpleasant." All in all, I counted the day a success, and had many things to analyze.
"Well, Ah hope you'll feel at home here. Now if you need anythin', my room is right nextdoor, don't hesitate to knock."
"Thank you, Apple Bloom. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." She turns off the light on her way out the door.
I pull Princess Prettypants out of my saddlebags and hold her close. "An exhausting day, Princess Prettypants," I say quietly. "I hope the Ponyville residents will be more accepting than their Canterlot cousins." The doll is, as usual, silent. "The Apples seem nice enough, though." I give her a quick kiss, and shut down for the night.