"An awesome fairy tale, etch it into history..."
Over the past week I had finished making my cave into an actual house, by the time I was finished I'd fought off a pack of wolves made of wood, two manticores and a fucking chimera on my daily hunting trips. I mean the one from Greek mythology. Yeah I was a bit upset that it wasn't something from Fullmetal too, would have made this place a lot better.
By then I had decided I would go to Sweet Apple Acres and meet the Apples Kat had told me about and see if they really are related to Millstone. But once again fate reared its ugly head and taunted me with was the most confusing thing I had seen since being sent here. Ponies beating the tar out of each other. The fight seemed to focus on a whichever pony decided to ran away or something. By sundown the ponies still hadn't finished their brawl, when Celestia came out of nowhere as she lowered the sun and descended onto the crowds and made them stop fighting with her magic. By then I was looking over my back as I ran back into the forest hoping she hadn't seen me and wondering what the hell had I just seen.
Only a few nights later Princess Luna had come to town during some Halloween festival they were having and terrorised half the town trying to explain that she wasn't evil or something while yelling at them in the Royal Canterlot Voice. I wasn't sure whether I should laugh at how clueless she was or cry how clueless all of them were at the simply problem they faced. Though the pink one scares me. She would slowly turn her head towards me at random times during the night as if she knew where I was and then smile and wave.
This is it...
I stood motionlessly as I stared at a hanging sign with words "Sweet Apple Acres" carved deep into the wood. Time slowly past by as the sun rose from the horizon painting the farm in it's morning glow, a bright red barn-style house stood in the middle, hundreds of tree were scattered around the property with bright red apples hanging from their branches. A loud crowing broke from my thoughts. I slowly walked up the dirt path and onto the porch, a murmur of voices reached my ears, I knocked on the door twice and stepped back and leaned down a little as I waited.
"Just ah moment! Who goes knocking on ponies door's at this time ah mornin'..." A strong southern accented voice called. A light orange mare with a stetson hat stood on the other side as the door slowly opened. "Now how can ah help-" The mare stood wide-eyed as she looked at me.
"Just let me explain myself before you start yelling, okay?" I said placatingly trying to lower myself even further "Your name is Applejack yeah?".
She nodded slowly, her eyes never losing there focus on me.
"I don't suppose you know who I am, do you...?" I asked getting another slow shake of her head in return "Crap... Well my name is Edward Elric. I know this is probably going to sound insane. But, I might be your great great great great great great great great great great great great grand uncle... Give or take a few greats."
"Yer right... That does sound a'might... crazy," Applejack shook her head lightly, eyes closed "But ah can tell you ain't lying..." she said while standing a little more confidently.
Well this is awkward now...
We stood there just staring at each other for a few moment before someone yelled hoarsely "Just let whoever it is in and come eat breakfast!"
"How about you join us for breakfast. But you got some explaining to do after. Got it?" Applejack said with a glint in her eye before moving back inside.
This is going to be one of those really weird times isn't it...
During breakfast I met with Applejack's brother Big Macintosh, a large red stallion who took strong and silent to a new level, that or he's mute. Granny Smith, reminded me a lot of Honeygold, the frying pan she, swinging at my head when I entered the kitchen certainly helped. And finally Applejack told me about her little sister. Applebloom, a young red-haired filly, who by the sound of it, was one of the kids I saw before Discord freed me.
When Applejack told them about me possibly being their relative Granny Smith pulled me from the table and looked over every part of me with a scrutinizing eye for a minute before declaring I hadn't a lick of resemblance to them. I swear she is freaking senile or she really wanted to troll everyone by the way she smiled at our deadpan look before she continued eating her breakfast with gusto.
After we had finished up, we sat down in their living room and I started telling them about Millstone, Honeygold, Golden and Melrose. Granny Smith looked at me strangely when I mentioned their names while the two Apple siblings stared at me with neutral expressions for most of my tale. When I told them about my age and alchemy Applejack fell of her seat laughing. Grabbing the few bits I had with me and transmuting them into a tiny statue in my likeliness with the added 'I'm dead serious' look stopped her laughing, but only manage to raise more questions. I gave them a quick explanation of alchemy to stop their questions before continuing on.
When I was finished telling them about my time in Equestria, the non-incriminating parts anyway, Granny Smith was still looking at me with a strange demeanour before telling a story of her own. Apparently I had become somewhat of a bedtime story they passed down along the generations, though most of it somehow got twisted throughout the years and slowly began portraying me as some guardian to the family or a of leprechaun who would bring fortune. Somehow I had made a big impact of the with what was the founding Apple Family, even in that week I stayed with them.
"I can still remember the stories about him," Granny Smith replied, her mischievous smile never dulling in the slightest "My favorite story was the one about Uncle Shorty."
I groaned and slammed my head into my lap at her words while the others started laughing. "Seriously? They have stories about that too?" I mumbled into the table quietly.
"I'm just having my fun now deary. Besides, there is one thing I need to check before I can say you definitely are him. Now look at me..." Granny Smith said getting me to lift my head to see her wide grin "So what do you need me to-"
*Whack*
"AH GODDAMNIT!" I yelled at the old mare as she chuckled "What the hell was that for?"
Fucking hoof slaps... I swear...
I glared at the wrinkled mare as I nursed my bruised face "So what was the point of that?" I asked pointedly.
"Well one of those stories mentioned something of slapping you across the face if I recall," she chuckled again "Had a similar reaction to it too in the stories."
Goddamnit Millstone...
Applejack questioned, silencing the room "Wait wait wait. So your telling us, this feller here is not only of long lost uncle... But also is one of the reasons we Apples have a family to talk about?" only getting a nod and smile from the old mare before she turned to me with a look that could only mean one thing "How old are you anyway, you must be over a thousand by now."
Looking back at her as I scratched the back of my head "Well... I'll technically be one-thousand, five-hundred and twenty-four year old at the winter solstice." I smiled before realising where this was probably headed.
"An' how can be that old anyway? Only the Princesses and that no good Discord have been around that long..."
Looking around I could see Granny and Macintosh seemed interested in knowing as well. Taking a deep breathe I began "Well... The thing is... I was-"
*Slam*
"Granny! Ahm home!" We all turned our heads to see Applebloom trotting in through the front door.
"Applebloom! We have someone for you to meet!"
A yellow filly with a reddish mane wearing a pink bow turned towards us, completely ignoring me for the moment and walked straight up to the rest of her family "Who is it?"
Granny Smith smiled "If you turn around you can find out for yourself."
It felt like hours had passed before she finally faced me with a curious look on her face before it exploded into a wide grin. I closed my eyes expecting her to start streaming question after question, but only a light poking followed.
Huh?
Opening my eyes I found her inspecting my automail arm in her hooves, poking at each of the parts and looking at her reflection on it's surface before opening her mouth to speak "Wait a minute..."
Penny in the air...
Applebloom turned her head towards me, her inquisitive look slowly became one of realisation, and then strangely enough her smile returned even greater than before "YOUR AN ALCHEMIST!"
...And the penny drops
"I saw a statue in Canterlot last week that looks just like..."
Where the heck did that second penny come from...
"...you"
I gave a sheepish smile as everyone in the room slowly began to realised what Applebloom was saying.