Macintosh yawned as he sat on a stool, the noise nearly reverberating Applejack's faintly lit room. He was assigned the latest watch after sending Breaburn back to sleep, and while he normally was alert and responsive at this early hour, carrying Twilight to Redheart's last night had made his body painfully sore, preventing him from sleeping through most of Luna's splendor. He groaned, standing and walking to the window. After fumbling with the latch with his hooves, he opened it and peered outside.
The predawn light of Celestia's sun had only now graced the horizon, showcasing the vast fields of Sweet Apple Acres in their glory of contrasting reds and greens. In the far right corner of the fields, he saw the Zapapples, ripe and ready to harvest, their rainbow coloration striking even at this distance. Below the window, he heard two pairs of hooves slowly walking on the packed earth. Waiting a beat, he saw Applejack and Braeburn appear, Braeburn loaded to a wagon and pulling it with a grunt, and Applejack carrying several buckets on her back.
"Howdy!" Macintosh called down to the two.
Applejack looked upwards, suppressing a yawn. "Mornin' Mac."
"Howdy back at ya!" Breaburn grinned. "Sleepin' beauty still snorin' logs?"
Macintosh gave a glance behind him. Noting no change, he peeked his head back through the window.
"Eyup," he drawled. After thinking, he added, "It's pretty early, even fer you, sis."
"Ain't gonna get the job done by sleepin', Mac," AJ countered. "'Sides, I got a greenhorn here, he needs ta learn the ropes."
"Hey now," Braeburn replied, dejected.
A groan from behind Macintosh stopped the pony from any further conversation. "Uh, hold up for just a minute, ya'll," Mac called, ducking back inside and turning.
The stallion they were watching over had opened his eyes, and let out a gasp as he became fully awake, looking around the room with wild amber eyes. He weakly sat up on the bed, breathing deeply. Sweat coated his yellow body, and he shook violently.
Macintosh approached him, aware of his size, and looking as non threatening as he could.
"E-easy now fella. Ya'll are fine now."
The other stallion looked up at Macintosh, his breathing slowing down upon seeing another of his kind.
"Où bin trovo?" the stallion asked, looking expectantly at Macintosh.
"Uh..." The farm pony paused. "Hello?"
Tilting his head, the other pony spoke. "Welche manière de langue maternelle t'irrites-tu besitzen? Ich kann ne peux pas verstehen tes discours."
Macintosh blanched at the foreign words, and he promptly shot his head out the window, letting out a loud yell.
"Applejack! Help! The pony's up, and he's speakin' in fancy!"
000
A few moments later, Applejack stumbled into her room. Their earth pony guest had opted to lie down on his back again, but glanced up in alarm upon hearing another enter.
"Relax, I ain't here to hurt ya," the orange pony reassured.
"Meine épouse, wie du parler même in derselben Sprache wie die croix-rouge l'un à côté de moi? Ich hoffe vous können peut comprendre." The strange stallion said.
"Uh..." Applejack paused, looking helplessly over to her brother.
"What ya lookin' at me for? I ain't got an idea neither." Macintosh shrugged.
Glancing between the two, the yellow stallion spoke again. "Je peux meine Redezeit parlant doivent résoudre lösen. Je te danke tant pour auch für l'utilisation de ce lit. Je Anwendung vais tenter de werde trouver une explication de l'endroit Erklärung sonst je suis d'ailleurs. Bonne Tag." With that, he moved to the side of the bed, and attempted to stand, only to have his legs buckle underneath his weight. He landed sharply on the floor, a mess of splayed limbs. Applejack moved to pick him up, hoisting him back onto the bed.
She leaned forward, putting on a stern frown and pointing to the bed to drive her point home. "Now, ya'll just need to stay put. Ya gotta rest up, ain't no shame in it." She looked over at Macintosh. "Make sure he don't go anywhere. I gotta catch up with Braeburn, I bet he's already tryin' ta work the field."
As promptly as she came, she left, leaving the two stallions locked in a staring contest.
After several minutes, Macintosh finally broke the silence. "Ya thirsty, pardner?"
The stallion simply continued the contest, wearing a confused expression on his face.
Eventually, the large pony rolled his eyes. "This is hogwash!" Mac loudly complained, running a hoof through his mane.
Seconds after his outburst, the sound of a quiet canter in the hallway drew his attention. He moved over and threw the door open, coming face to face with Zecora.
"I heard commotion earlier, you yelled to Applejack at the top of your lungs. I overheard something else too; was the stallion talking in tongues?"
Macintosh nodded. "Somethin' like that."
The zebra looked over at the yellow coated stallion. "Hello little one, do not fear me. I am harmless, you will see." She knew the words would probably have no effect on him, but her warm eyes and smile seemed to reassure him, and so, he spoke once more.
"Du bist ein étrange bête, von dem ich nochenc ontrés avant. Beten sagen, vondans les terres dervous haben siegrêl eaus?" Upon seeing Zecora furrow her brow in concentration, the pony gave an exasperated sigh. "Zwietracht elfstündigen Discord flighted moimich das bisher ausde Steedhelm verrück tepeut kann um siemoiver stehen?"
Zecora looked over to Macintosh. "His language is unusual to see, but a few things sound familiar to me. His tongue is faintly similar to my own, at least in a few pronunciations and in tone."
The earth pony shrugged to the zebra. "That good?" he asked.
"I do not know, Macintosh. Don't get your hopes up, unless you want them squashed."
Zecora briefly gave thought to her old life, conjuring a language she hadn't spoke in several years. When she was confident of her ability, she spoke pleasantly to the unknown stallion.
"Hello child, Zecora is what they call my name. As soon as I realized you awoke, I came. Might you understand my speaking now? Or is it still lacking, and I will need to simply take a bow?"
His eyes widened in recognition of a few of the words, and he spoke fervently to the zebra.
"J'ai seulement entendu aber 'tis Glück, dass ich einmal da Vous devez m'aider. Help, J'ai besoin d'une appelée urgent. J'ai besoin d'une directions besoin d'une Steedhelm. Bitte. Ich bete nur, dass Please. comprendre que beaucoup."
After hearing his nearly incomprehensible rant, Zecora turned to Macintosh. "I can only catch a little of his words. He says a matter is urgent, and something about finding a place named Steedhelm- the rest of his speech was lost in his emotional surge."
The red stallion mulled that over. "I ain't ever heard of a place called Steedhelm."
"I have traveled far across the world, and Steedhelm to me is an unseen land. Perhaps it is far south, among the desert sand?"
"Maybe we should ask Twilight. I reckon she'll know where it is."
"I hate to after she had been hurt, but it shouldn't be a problem, as long as we're curt."
Macintosh nodded in agreement. "I'll go and find her. Ya'll keep an eye on our new friend."
The farmpony limped briskly out of the room. After he was gone, Zecora stood awkwardly, debating on what else she could say. Finally, she had a thought dawn on her.
"Do you hunger for something to eat? I'm sure I could find you a treat." she questioned in her zebranese tongue. After noting he didn't seem to understand all of it, she pantomimed eating something from a spoon with her hoof, then rubbing her belly.
He understood her body language, and gave a brisk nod, then tilted his head back, and raised a hoof to his mouth.
"Are you thirsty?" she questioned, then tried to simplify her words even more. "Thirst?"
His eyes sparked with realization, and he smiled enthusiastically. "Thirst," he agreed.
"I can relieve that no problem, cooking on the other hand...well, I'm at least not the worst," Zecora said, before she chuckled to herself.
"Just relax your head, and simply stay in the bed," the medicine pony ordered with a smile, cantering out the door, and shutting it quietly with a leg.
The brown maned stallion, finally alone with his thoughts, sighed at his situation and looked meekly around the room. He spied a picture frame on a nightstand by the bed. The pony's curiosity got the better of him, and he picked it up to steal a look at it.
It was a photo focused on three ponies; two younger, and one around middle age, all near a large apple tree. The eldest was a powerfully built orange stallion with a brown mane and a gentle smile on his face, carrying a smaller, orange filly with blond hair, freckles, and a large, laughing mouth on his back. Behind the two was a young adolescent stallion with a red coat. He watched the two with a smile reminiscent of the orange stallion's, and the photo appeared to have caught him just as he was tilting a brown stetson hat back from his face. In the foreground was the remains of a picnic, the placing of the plates on a checkered cloth indicating at least two other ponies not seen in the shot.
He was examining it with such scrutiny that he failed to hear the door opening, and a frail, green furred mare walked up to him.
"Ya like that, young'un?" she asked in a warbling, weak tone.
His eyes widened in alarm, and he promptly sat the picture back down on the nightstand.
She laughed quietly at his reaction, slowly sitting at the foot of his bed. "Ain't nothin' ta be scared of. I'm jus' an ol' mare with more memories then I know what ta do with. Name's Smith. Most folks 'round here call me Grannie Smith."
The stallion listened intently to her tone, despite not understanding any of her language.
Grannie Smith pointed to the picture. "That was taken 'bout, oh, ten or so years ago. My last granddaughter wasn't even a thought at the time." She laughed quietly, before letting a tired breath cross her lips. "They had a good life, my Appleseed and Greenhoof. I jus' wish it had ended better for them."
Glancing towards the stallion, she explained. "Greenhoof lost her life bringin' Applebloom inta the world. It just broke my Seed's heart. I guess that's why he did what he did just a few weeks afterword."
She trembled at the memory, turning away from the stranger to stare out the window.
"Ain't fair. No pony should have 'ta bury their boy." Grannie Smith muttered, giving thought to it as she rested her chin on a hoof. She put on a strong face, and smiled toward the stranger, despite her eyes watering at the corners.
"'Course, I guess I can't ask for everythin'. I got the three best grandchildren in Equestria, that's gotta count fer somethin'."
The yellow stallion wasn't able to understand her, but he could tell she was down, so he put a comforting hoof on her shoulder and offered a concerned frown.
She shook her head. "Naw. I'm alright, sugar. Sometimes when yer old, ya just gotta talk, don't matter none on if ya get heard." She looked at his hoof. "Still though... thank ya kindly."
A throat clearing from the door alerted the two of another pony, just outside the room.
"Not to break a tender scene, but I made a meal for you out of praline." Zecora said in her rhyming speech. She carried a plate of sweet nuts covered in caramel on her back, and walked to the nightstand, setting it down gently to his side.
"As for the drink... I'll be right back, let me just visit a sink," the zebra said, walking out and returning quickly with a pitcher of ice water.
The stallion extended his hooves for the whole pitcher. With a shrug to Grannie Smith, Zecora gave it over.
The pitcher was empty within seconds, the yellow pony downing it in one frenzied binge.
"Careful young'un. You'll get yourself a right bad tummyache if'n ya drink so fast." The matriarch of the Apple family stated with a wink and weak chuckle, before rising off the bed.
"I'll leave ya'll up here fer a bit. Lunch should be 'bout noon or one, I reckon," the earth pony drawled, slowly walking out of the room.
Zecora watched the elderly mare leave, before turning her head to face the other pony in the room. She felt her jaw drop when she noticed that the praline dish she had prepared was already gone, the recipient patting his stomach contently.
The zebra rubbed her eyes, trying to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. Sharing her awe, she spoke. "I am far from mad, in fact I'm impressed. I only know one pony that matches your appetite, but I digress."
000
"Steedhelm?" Twilight repeated, her brow raised as she took a sip of tea, before placing the cup back on the table she sat by.
"Eyup." Macintosh nodded, glancing past Twilight to the large collection of shelved books on the inside of Ponyville's library.
It had been a relativity easy job finding her, once he checked with Nurse Redheart. Macintosh found out that she had already been released from the hospital due to her burns being all but healed thanks to Twilight's own unicorn magic.
He looked her over, and could only see the faintest traces of the previous nights wounds. Although, judging by her fatigued stance and weary eyes, she paid a price for the fast healing.
"You know Macintosh, that name sounds familiar to me," the scholarly pony stated, her horn glowing. From the top of one of the many shelves, a large scroll was wrapped by a thin, purple energy, and gently brought down. Twilight moved the scroll with her magic, placing it with precision on the large table she stood by. With a brisk flourish, she undid the clasp that kept the scroll shut, and unfolded it, smoothing out the creases with her hooves. It covered the entire table, and she lifted up an edge to grab her teacup and saucer, before placing the map back down. With a deftness that came from years of study, she started to scan the map with expertise.
"This is a map of all of Equestria. Unless he's from one of the wilder uncharted areas, we should be able to find that town. Did you inquire what region it was in, or perhaps the climate? Did he say anything that could help us? I don't mind searching the map for it, but if it's a small community like Ponyville, then it's going to take exponentially longer."
"Expo-what?"
Twilight's expression faltered into a frown. "Exponentially: a rapid increase in something. In this case, I mean time."
"Ya'll don't have ta clarify it THAT much. Now I feel like a right dummy," Macintosh drawled, twisting slightly to work out a few painful kinks from his back. "As for askin' 'bout that stallion's town, well, we never got to it. He was speaking fancy to me."
Twilight gave Macintosh an incredulous stare. "That's all?"
"All?" Mac repeated with a snort. "Twilight. Ain't none of us speak fancy, and even Zecora could only understand a word or two. It's a big problem."
The lavender pony only wore a sly half-smile. "You're forgetting something. I'm Celestia's star student for a reason. Not to boast, but I know quite a few languages. I can solve that conundrum faster than Rainbow Dash clears clouds."
Macintosh mulled it over. "AJ says ya ain't the kind to wear britches you can't fill- that's more of Dash's area of expertise." He gave a nod, his plain face lazily gazing at the lavender unicorn. "If it ain't a trouble, would you be willin' to come home with me? We'd at least feed ya fer the hassle."
"An Apple family meal? I can live with that." She smiled, before turning away from Macintosh.
"Hey Spike?" she called out.
"Yeah?" her assistant replied from a few rooms away. Seconds later, he entered from a door by the side of the stairwell leading up to their bedroom. He wore a white apron that had the words 'Kiss the Dragon' in a strong, black print.
"You don't have to worry about fixing lunch for me today," Twilight said.
"But-but I'm almost done," the purple dragon groaned.
The unicorn thought for a beat. "Well, you could take it to Rarity, I doubt she ate yet, and I'm sure she'd love a home cooked meal."
Spike had retreated to his room at the very mention of his crushes name. He returned to Twilight, dressed in a small red bow-tie and fedora, before she had even finished talking.
They stood face to face for what felt like ages.
"Didn't I get you that tie for your birthday?" She blinked in astonishment.
"Yep," he replied quickly, showing his well brushed fangs. The baby dragon ran into the kitchen, and returned promptly with a covered dish.
"Sauteed garlic asparagus, a la Spike!" he exclaimed, bringing a hand to his mouth and kissing the tips of his claws.
He paused, lowering the dish and holding it in both his hands. "I guess I better go. I don't want to stall my..." Spike's eyes sparkled as he drew out the pause. "Lunch with Rarity," he finally squealed.
Without so much as a goodbye to Twilight or Macintosh, he bolted giddily out the door.
Both ponies stared after the rushing figure as the door shut gently behind him.
"Assertive little guy sometimes, ain't he?" the red stallion stated.
"Eyup," Twilight replied, for lack of a better word.
000
"Come on Braeburn," Applejack grunted, slamming her back hooves into a tree. The blow knocked Zapapples loose, and they poured into one of the several baskets she had placed around the tree.
"W-workin' on it, cuz," The cowpony replied, fanning his heated body with his stetson hat as the sun beat on his weary head. He grunted as he put it back on, and moved towards the wagon they had loaded all their full baskets into. Braeburn slipped easily into the yoke at the front of the wagon, and he strained his muscles, leaning forward with all his might. Finally, the wagon started to move, and Braeburn began to pull it towards the Apple family homestead, where Grannie Smith was working the Zapapples into jam.
As Baeburn got a good distance away with the wagon, a sudden noise caused Applejack to look up. Far up in the cloudless sky, a cyan blur left a rainbow streak as it approached AJ's location.
"'Bout time," the orange pony muttered under her breath as the blur sped closer, it finally descending enough for AJ to see Rainbow Dash's features.
With a shudder, the cyan pegasus instantly stopped propelling herself, and she limply started to drop, falling downward, end over end as her body offered no resistance to the free fall.
As the weather pony got dangerously close, AJ noted that Dash's eyes were closed.
Not hesitating in the slightest, Applejack rushed forward, toward where she expected her friend was going to crash land. She guessed the spot and made her stand, raising her hooves to catch her, and praying to Celestia she'd get Dashie safely to the ground.
Seconds before impact, Rainbow Dash spread her wings and gave a single, powerful flap, creating enough air around her body that a gust blew off Applejack's hat, and rustled several of the Zapapple trees in the area. That one flap slowed her body down enough that she landed gently on the ground, raising her front legs up before giving a deep bow.
"Thank you! Thank you!" She laughed, imitating a crowd. "What you think Applejack? How'd you like that trick? I call it a 'Dead Mare's Dive.' Pretty swag, am I right?"
Applejack scowled, picking up her hat from the ground and dusting it off, before returning it to its rightful location. "Ain't funny Dash. I though you were gonna go an' hurt yerself."
Rainbow Dash scoffed. "As if. You're lookin' at the number one flyer in all of Equestria. I don't got time to hurt myself on simple tricks."
The farmpony chose to ignore her friend's last comment. "Where the hay have you been?"
"Sleeping. You said to come over and help after I woke up."
"S-sleepin'?" AJ asked, her jaw very nearly hitting the floor.
"What?"
"Ya even realize what time it is?"
"Sure I do!" the pegasus responded. "Like around nine or so, right?"
The sound of a triangle echoing across the farm interrupted them.
"Soup's on, everypony!" the young voice of Applebloom shouted.
"Late breakfast?" Rainbow Dash questioned, hope in her voice.
"Try lunch," AJ snapped back, before sighing. "Come on. Let's get you fed, then we're gonna work your feathers off."
"Alright. But I'll want to catch a nap after the grub."
One look at Applejack's face caused the pegasus to roll her eyes.
"Ok, ok. No nap," Dash replied darkly.
000
Spike entered the Carousel Boutique with a wide grin. The door chimed, letting Rarity know she had a customer.
"Just a minute!" the sing-song voice of his angel called out from deeper into the store. Spike decided to just go and give her a nice surprise with the food he made. He placed the meal on the counter by the bit register, and moved through the door leading to the kitchen. He crossed that room, and entered a hallway, one that had a door straight ahead, and two on either side of him. Spike knew her well, so he took a left, stepping into a room Rarity normally used for stitching designs during earlier parts of the day.
There, sitting over an angled desk, was Rarity. Her pure white alabaster fur and deeply contrasting purple mane were impossibly beautiful to the dragon, not even mentioning her gentle, regal nature that made Spike's heart almost physically melt whenever she spoke. Regardless, he kept those feelings to himself, due to their age difference, and a fear of rejection- though he would never admit that second part.
The unicorn seemed to be concentrating on writing something, she was scratching a pencil onto paper with her magic at an almost frantic pace. She slumped visibly as she came to a stopping point, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. The fashion focused pony rose, briskly turning around, before letting out a gasp when she saw Spike; she jumped backwards slightly in reflex.
"Good heavens!" she exclaimed. Upon seeing her, the dragon noticed how tired she looked. Her hair was in a disarray, and despite the makeup adorning her face, Spike couldn't help but notice the heavy bags under her eyes.
"Oh, sorry Rarity, I didn't mean to scare you," Spike said, putting his small hands up.
"Don't worry Spike, I was only frightened because I don't normally have customers back here, and I assumed that whoever had came in was still in the front." Her demeanor softened, once she had her wits back. "Is there something I can do for you?"
Spike rubbed the back of his head. "W-well. I was hoping that me and you could..." he gestured towards the front room, "Maybe have lunch? I brought some for you."
The unicorn gently smiled. "Aw, you're such a sweetie. I could eat you up instead of the meal!" She giggled. "Of course, Spike. I'll take a break to eat with you."
The dragon gestured towards the door, letting her walk out first. As soon as he saw she wasn't looking, he pumped his fist up and down and grinned wildly at his success.
"Coming, Spikie?" Rarity asked in a regal voice.
"Y-yeah!" he called back.
After collecting their meal, they sat at her kitchen table, Rarity beaming at the food Spike had prepared.
"I hope you like it. I'm not the best cook," the purple dragon said.
"Nonsense. This looks delicious," she stated, using a fork with her magic, and putting a few dollops of the asparagus onto her plate. She put one to her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
An awkward silence soon passed between the two as Rarity mechanically chewed while staring at something over Spike's shoulder. He turned, glancing at the kitchen cabinets behind him. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he looked back to the mare.
"Uh, what you looking at?" He questioned.
The white pony nearly jumped, letting out a little gasp. "Oh. Sorry Spike. I must have just been lost in my own little world." She quietly laughed.
"Is something wrong, Rarity?"
"Why, whatever would you mean, Spike?" the dressmaker innocently asked.
"I mean, you're not looking yourself," the baby dragon replied, turning to his meal. He stopped mid bite, realizing a potential conversational pit he fell into. "N-not that you aren't looking gorgeous today. In fact, you look absolutely stunning. Y-you know what? Forget I said anything."
She laughed at him. "Don't worry darling, I'm not mad. I understand what you're trying to imply." She blew out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "You're right, and you don't have to tell me I look stunning when I know I'm a train wreck." The unicorn glanced at the floor, rubbing her hooves together. When she had enough of that action, she finally spoke. "Sometimes, I have trouble sleeping. Last night was pretty rough."
"Nightmares?"
The mare stopped, debating on continuing the conversation. With a shrug, she carried on. "Well...not always," Rarity carefully replied. "Sometimes, they're just so vivid and powerful. I'll wake up, and I have to write them down."
"Was that what you were working on when I came in earlier?"
"Did you notice that?" she questioned, a dull surprise in her voice. "Indeed I was, Spike."
"They must be really wild if they stay with you for so long." He shuffled in his chair uncomfortably, nervous to broach the subject. "Do want to talk about them?"
Rarity smiled, touched at her young friends consideration. "I appreciate the offer, but I shall decline."
"Oh," Spike simply said.
"Perhaps later, though." She noticed how dejected he looked after she shut the door on that topic, and couldn't bear to see him that way. "Although, there is one thing you can do for me, Spikie."
"I'm your dragon!" he proclaimed, pointing a thumb towards his chest.
"I would like you to help me with a few dress patterns. Just a bit of cutting, and a little sewing's all I need from you."
The dragon jumped off the chair and snapped a crisp salute. "Yes ma'am, ready and willing!"
Rarity giggled. "I had the faintest feeling you would be." She replied, rising from her chair, and leading the baby dragon to her sewing room.
000
Macintosh and Twilight walked together on one of the simple roads that lead to Sweet Apple Acres, the noontime sun resting on their backs.
The red stallion stoically looked over at Twilight, but decided against breaking the silence. As they continued at their slow meandering pace along the near empty fields, rarely encountering anypony on the road, Twilight couldn't take the lack of sound, and spoke up.
"So, uh...nice weather today."
"Eyup," Macintosh agreed.
"Bet it helps the crops out, days like this," she hinted, awaiting a conversation from the large stallion.
"Eyup," he casually replied.
She clammed up for a while, looking at the green scenery as they slowly walked by it. Finally, she began to talk again. "Macintosh?"
"Eyup?" he asked.
She stopped in the middle of the road, taking a breath. "Do you not like me for some reason?"
The farmpony stood alongside her, looking her over. "I don't know ya that well, compared to some 'a AJ's other friends, but ya seem like an alright mare. Why do ya ask?"
She looked anywhere that wasn't his face. "Well, it's just that...you're so quiet, and when you do talk, it's nothing but curt replies or asking for favors."
He gave a shake of his head. "That don't mean anythin'. I just ain't one to give a lot of big talks," the stallion stated.
"'Big talks,' huh?" she questioned with a small smile.
"Eyup. I ain't exactly a book sort, but I've always thought the best way to get to somepony ain't through big words, or fancy speeches."
Twilight gave a nod at the contrasting view between the two. "I see," she said, deciding against expanding on their differences. "So, we're ok then?"
"Eyup." The stallion simply said.
The ringing of a triangle reached both their ears, Macintosh's eyes widened.
"Aw shootfire. It's already lunchtime. Let's go, Miss Sparkle," the farmer spoke, moving at a quick canter.
"W-wait!" Twilight called, running after him as the stallion pressed forward on his powerful legs.
000
The dining room at the Apple family farm was typically a chaotic one on an average day, what with three to four outspoken and headstrong mares eating together all the time. It was usually the place for arguments, squabbles, and boasting; a lot of boasting, thanks to Rainbow Dash and Applejack. To Macintosh, the noise was almost deafening. However, today, thanks to the inclusion of his cousin Braeburn, Zecora, and the surprisingly talkative Twilight Sparkle, the rest of his family kept their drama in check.
"So, as I was sayin'," Braeburn continued, scooping a pile of mashed potatoes onto a plate filled with corn, "We've been havin' a heckava time getting water to our orchards, what with the drought over Appleoosia, and the lack of pegasus ponies to water 'em the civilized way, so I've been hittin' the desert 'round the town to try and find some sorta oasis. I remember Uncle Applewaltz- ya'll remember ol' Applewaltz, right?- Well, he always told me the best way to find an oasis is to follow the lill' critters 'round. He said, that was yer best bet if you were ever lost in the sands, just look for snakes and the like. They know where that sorta stuff is, it's why they're around there in the first place."
"Well, that's only natural," Twilight agreed, grabbing a piece of bread from the basket at the center of the table. "It's just a simple rule of hoof. Lower level animals are rational in their base needs. If they encounter a supply of sorts, they'll frequent the area and usually live there."
"Eyup," Macintosh said, chewing thoughtfully at his meal.
Applebloom rose slightly from her chair, and stretched her foreleg towards the center of the table, desperately trying to reach the bread basket. Mac saw this, and simply grabbed a piece, gently tossing it her way.
"Well, how much ya'll got to do?" Macintosh asked Applejack.
Rainbow Dash smirked. "I bet we can get finshed in half an hour."
"Uh, you serious, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.
"Well yeah. I am totally ready for this."
"If ya think so. We're not even a third done." AJ shrugged.
Dash opened her jaw. "W-what? But you've been at it all day!"
"I've been at it all day without Macintosh or you. Breaburn's been pickin' up great, but he just doesn't have the muscle like Mac does- no offense intended, cousin-"
"Eyup," The cowpony nodded, digging into his meal.
"-So, if anythin', it's a miracle we've gotten this far."
The pegasus grunted, crossing her forelegs with a sulking frown. "Fine," she hissed.
Twilight coughed, interrupting the two most argumentative ponies she knew, before their conversation could reach a boiling point. She rose from her table, dabbing her lips with a napkin and folding it, placing it on her now empty plate. "I guess I'll help with that new pony now. Got enough time to spare to escort me to your room, AJ?"
The orange pony took a large bite of bread, before rising and joining her friend. "Yeff," she answered, her voice muffled from the food in her mouth.
Zecora rose as well. "May come with you on your visit? I find Twilight's skill in magic exquisite."
"Fine by me." AJ stated after swallowing. "Twi?"
The unicorn nodded. "If I need to use magic, it won't be quite as spectacular as the show you saw the last night." She paused, then added under her breath, "I hope."
The group made the trip up the flight of stairs, and proceeded toward the farmmare's room. AJ raised a hoof, and gave a polite knock.
"Kinda odd, doin' that 'fore enterin' my own room," she drawled, opening the door.
The yellow pony was still lying prone on the bed. Upon seeing the three mares, he weakly lifted his head to observe them.
The pony spoke out in his language once more. Twilight listened intently to his words, before shaking her head.
"No... I don't know that language," the lavender unicorn stated to the others. "Darn. I was so sure it would be Japaneighse or Neighjun. I can speak both of those fluently..."
"Do you know anythin' bout the fancy he's speakin'?" Applejack questioned.
Twilight shook her head. "Negative."
"Guess we're right back where we started from, then."
Twilight smirked. "That's where you're wrong. I know a spell."
Applejack gave a little laugh. "You're jus' full of surprises," the mare said with an easy grin, tilting her hat back.
Twilight seemed to make a few mental adjustments, before taking a step forward. "Alright girls, here we go!" She smirked, her horn beginning to swim in a purple aura.
She leaned gently forward, and the same hue of energy wrapped around the yellow ponies throat and ears. He let out a gasp and started struggling against the spell, writhing on the bed.
Applejack's eyes widened. "Whoa there, mister," she called to him, quickly moving past Twilight and putting a kind hoof on his shoulder. "You'll be alright. Twi's jus' helpin' ya."
The stallion gazed back to her, vaguely understanding what she meant, if not through words, but through her honest green eyes. He swallowed nervously, and lay rigidly still, his breathing shallow and scared, but his determination to see it through obvious.
"There's a good pony." AJ coaxed, rubbing his shoulder slightly to ease his anxiety. She looked back at her magically inclined friend. "How much longer, Twi?"
"Al-almost there!" The lavender pony strained, as the tip of her horn produced two small, eye sized white spheres of energy. The two spheres gently floated over to the stallion, and intermingled with the aura around his neck and ears, swimming in a gentle clockwise motion inside the purple energy. He grunted as the white and lavender began to mix together, their speed effortlessly increasing over his body. As sudden as they were in appearance, they plunged into his body even faster, sinking into his fur and eardrums like ghosts. The stallion coughed and sputtered for a moment, holding his neck in a pained wince.
A long silence between everypony ended when Applejack looked amongst all those present, and leaned closer to the unknown pony.
"Uh. Howdy. Ya'll ok?" she quietly asked.
The yellow pony looked at her, surprise and relief mixing on his face. "Y-you speak my language?" he questioned in a posh, civilized tone that reminded AJ of their friend, Rarity.
"Not exactly." AJ nervously chuckled. "My buddy Twilight? She did some sorta magic...ey stuff that fixed you right."
"Actually," Twilight corrected, "It's a translation spell; it alters the way your body transmits signals, so to your ears, I'm sure it sounds like we're speaking your language. In reality, your body is just adapting to a new way to sense stimuli."
"I, I'm not sure I understand. Mayhaps I simply lack the book knowledge to comprehend thine explanation?" he offered, furrowing his brow in thought.
The stetson clad pony shook her head in sympathy. "That makes two of us. Anyway, 'fore we get too deep inta conversin' , let me introduce everypony. To my right is my friend and all around egghead, Twilight Sparkle."
"Greetings," the lavender unicorn smiled, before shooting a glare at AJ for the 'egghead' comment.
Applejack gave a teasing smirk back to Twilight, before continuing. "Over to my left is Zecora." She paused. "Zecora...uh..."
"Do not fret, my little dear. My last name I haven't used in many a year," the zebra quickly replied, giving a playful smile. "The pleasure to meet you is grand. I hope a new friendship can blossom amongst us, even if it is a bit unplanned."
The orange mare nodded at the zebra's words. "As for me, I'm a simple farm pony. Names Applejack, darned please ta meet ya." She beamed, before glancing out the door. "We still got a whole slew of ponies downstairs that'd love to meetcha, but first, would you tell me yer name?"
"Tilting," he stated in a serious tone, staring directly at the farmpony. "My name is Tilting Windmills."