I could hardly wait for that door to open. Every fraction of a second seemed like eternity, waiting for this door to swing open feels longer than the two weeks I spent working up a bit of cash. I wait. Wait. Damn no one is here, this isn’t how I pictured it my head. Stupid, what did I picture in my head? I would just tap on the door, Applejack would be on the other side and we would be happy together forever? Idiot.
I hang my head and turn around, well my day opened up. I walk around town for a bit and overhear a couple ponies talking.
“I hear that the Everfree forest outside of town is super dark and scary.” A blue mare said to a pal of hers.
“I know, I walk by it sometimes and it gives me the shivers.”
A forest…………… Wonder how dangerous it actually is. I haven’t done anything reckless in a while. No, that’s just stupid I shouldn’t risk myself. But how dangerous could it be? I decide to find the entrance of the forest and see whether or not to take a hike within.
I walk around the perimeter of town until I find what I am pretty sure is the forest. Dark, she sure wasn’t joking. I really shouldn’t go in.
...........................................................................................................................................................
The inside of the forest isn’t as bad as I thought from the outside, it might be dark but I love the solitude it brings me. I walk around a stream of water when I hear a noise. The noise shook me; I was trembling and started running away. It was a howl.
I can’t run fast enough, but I instinctually stop. My knees locked, a second later my mind registered why; those howls were in pain.
I take a moment to work up the courage to make the first step towards the sound. My guard is still high. Why couldn’t Applejack just answer the door? I would not be here right now, I don’t want to die in this forest. I walk through bushes and they seem to get more jagged the closer I get. I see a brown body behind branches and leaves….. It’s a dog!
The moment I realized, I sped to its aide. The dog looked mortified. I made myself as gentle as I could, to not frighten it further. Her leg was caught in some bramble and could not set it free. I looked into her eyes and started to loosen her leg, she trusted me. I released her. She licked my face and we jettisoned.
We went into town and found some bandage for her leg, that was my first priority. We walked around town and I bought her some food, I wonder if she has an owner? Deep down I hope that she doesn’t, I wish I could keep her. We sit by a stream in town and I cracked open the dog food. She certainly was hungry she ate the whole can in no time. I and the dog just sat there and enjoyed each other’s company. A voice came from behind.
“Winona!” A white pony with stunning purple locks calls very relieved.
The Winona ran looked at me and ran towards the pony, they have met before.
“This---is your dog?” I paused for a second to take in her charm.
“No no no, but she does belong to a friend of mine. What is wrong with her leg?” Her look turned to concern.
“I found her in the forest outside of town, she was caught in some stickerbrush. I freed her from it.”
“What a hero!” Her eyes widened. “The Everfree forest is extremely dangerous!”
“I did nothing really, don’t give it a second thought.”
“How could I not? I cannot begin to thank you! Could I get your name sir?”
“Emerson Edge.”
Her excitement could not be contained.
“Whhhhooooaaaaaa!” She gasped. “You………You are Emerson!” She gave a look of disbelief as if I were too good to be true.
“Yeah that’s me.”
“You must know my friend, Applejack!” The moment she had said that, I recalled the night with Applejack. I remembered Applejacks summary of her friends, by process of elimination I guess this is Rarity.
“You must be Rarity.” A good guess from the dazzling description Applejack gave me.
“Why yes I am. Applejack must have mentioned me. She is going to be so pleased that you found Winona.”
“Winona is her dog!”
“Why yes she is, she and her whole family have been looking for her all day.”
Now that I think of it she might have mentioned that she had a dog. She didn’t mention that her dog was exceptionally good company. That also explains why there was no answer at the door earlier.
“We should go to Twilight’s house, we decided we would all meet up there whether or not we found the dog.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I contained my excitement, I couldn’t wait to see Applejack.
“So this is Twilights place heh?” Makes sense a library, no wonder why her intellect is so high.
We step inside with Winona, I see a pony I have never met before. She doesn’t even notice my presence, she races to Winona with love. She inspects the dog’s leg very thoroughly.
“Winona you had us all worried sick about you!”
“Fluttershy meet Emerson Edge, he rescued Winona from the Everfree forest.”
She looked at me with very uncommon blue eyes, well not like blue is uncommon; just that you don’t see that eye shape very often. It took her a moment to get a word out.
“Oh……..thank you.” It got harder to hear her at the completion of the sentence.
“Nice to finally meet, Applejack has told me so much about you.” I am starting to wonder if she is going to reply back to me.
“How……..nice of her.” I feel like I should stop trying to talk to her, for her sake. She lives up to the name for sure. “I am going to go make some tea.” She exited the room.
“She seems nice.”
“Oh yes Fluttershy is just an absolute treasure to have around. Would you mind me asking why you are in Ponyville? Last I heard you left town.”
I take two seconds to think of an answer and let out a bit of a smile, Damn. I can already see that I have been read like a book. Rarity’s eyes gleamed back at me.
“You are here for her! Awwwwwww! What a charmer you are.”
Ok now I am getting embarrassed. “Maybe so.”
“Have a seat please.” Using her magic she fluffed up a pillow before I could sit on it. “So tell me more about yourself, I hear that you are a student.”
It is only natural that I get a bit of a screening from one of Applejacks friends. A knock on the door interrupted, I glanced over to the door just Pinkie Pie. We greeted each other and she went to go help Fluttershy in the kitchen. I return to the conversation, no way that I would get off this easy. Especially with Rarity.
“Yes I am, I have a semester off and I decided that I want to travel around.”
“Oh my, and you can’t continue now that you met Applejack.” How is she so good at this? I give her a nod. “That is so romantic of you!” I haven’t thought of myself as romantic in a long time. Damn.
Fluttershy came in the room and handed us some tea. I feel very welcome from these two, Applejack is quite lucky to have this group. I am envious.
I can hear some voices walking up to the house three to be exact, and one of them is Applejack.
“I searched up from the sky and could not see her. Sorry AJ, just calm down we will grab something to eat and start back up after before night falls. We are sure to find her then.”
“Shoot, I don’t know if I can eat. I just gotta find her, I told my family to go home and rest while I keep looking. I don’t wanna let them down.” Applejack said in a disheartened tone.
“Rainbowdash is right. We need to rest up a bit before looking once more.” That voice was definitely Twilight.
The door opens and Winona greets them all first. They all instantly feel better, Applejack’s smile is the focal point of the room.
“Oh Winona I thought I would never see you again!” Her eyes fill with tears.
The moment was truly beautiful.
“Who the heck is that?” Rainbowdash very poorly whispered to twilight.
Applejack looked up at me.
…..
Our eyes locked, everyone disappeared. From space and time itself, or at least it sure felt like it.
It took me a bit to realize Twilight was introducing me to Rainbowdash.
“Hello! Nice to meet you, I’m glad to put a face to the name. I’m Rainbowdash.”
“Hi…..there.” I can’t function like this.
Applejack stood up and gave me a massive smile.
“What…..What are you doing here?” She said with a puzzled but happy tone.
“Why he is the hero who found poor Winona!” Rarity said in a split second.
“Where did you find her?”
“Can I take you out to dinner?” Oh my……. What did I just blurt out this time? I am such a jer-
“Yes of course you can…… Anything for the stallion who found Winona.”
We headed out after getting awed at from her friends. We took Winona with us while Rainbowdash went to go tell the Apple family that we had found her.
“Where did you find her?”
“In the forest outside of town.”
“Thank goodness you found her! I have had a couple ugly brush ups with that place.”
“She wasn’t in any real danger, She was just caught in some bramble that’s all.”
She took a look at Winona’s bandaged leg and started walking closer to me.
“When did you get back to Ponyville?”
Damn, what do I tell her? Do I tell her that I left town or not?.............
“I never left….”
My heart is true. To her.
“I was going to continue my travels, but after meeting you…… I couldn’t.”
She gave me a bit of a perplexed look.
“I found a job in town and decided to make some money to ask you on a date.” I can’t believe how much I am telling her.
There was a bit of a silence before we decided on eating at the roasted turnip. Sans dance night, this time. Melody greeted us and gave me a playful wink as congratulation on bringing a date there. She sat us at our table gave Winona a treat and we ordered our food.
“You didn’t need to do that, I would have really liked to see you sooner.”
“I know, I just thought you deserved more.” I should have just built up the courage earlier.
“Just where are you working anyway?”
“The coal shop.”
“That sounds like hard work, have you just been staying in a hotel all this time?”
“Yeah but the owner is throwing me a bargain since I have been staying so long. Nice of him.”
“You can’t just stay there forever, have you thought about what you are going to do till you gotta go back to school?”
“I won’t have to go back for another two and a half months, but I see what you are getting at.”
The food showed up, we stared into each other and had a lovely meal.
I tipped heavily again, Melody did a fantastic job after all.