"My head!" I groaned rubbing my poor brain with my hoof.
"Well, good mornin'! I was wonderin' when you'd wake up. Here, take these." A voice sang out from somewhere.
I opened my eyes enough to see Applejack. She walked over next to me and placed two blue pills on the bed-side table along with a glass of cold water - the condensation already forming around the body. Staring at the two oval shaped tablets, I reached over and picked them up before throwing them to the back of my mouth, and chasing it with the cool, refreshing taste of water. Only after I did that did I realize that I had just picked up two tiny pills with hooves. I'll never get used to this.
"Figured you'd not want any more apple flavored goodness, seeing as you took Granny up on her challenge and all," Applejack chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief, "A whole mug! You're a sucker for punishment."
"Tha-thank you," I replied in reference to the pills. I wasn't too sure about the other half of he statement.
My mouth felt dry and numb, even after downing the glass of water, and my brain did not stop thumping . Forcing myself to sit up, I looked around. I was in a small room, but it was cozy. The bed with me on it lay in the corner and next to me on the left was the side-table, and to my right was a wall with a long rectangular window overlooking the backyard. The edge of the barn was just barely in view from my angle. Opposite me was a small stack of drawers, on top of which lay a bunch of trinkets, and next to that was another door - the closet, I guessed. There were a number of pictures on wall, photographs of various Ponies in various places. Some looked very old. My eyes followed Applejack as she walked over, then reached across the bed and let the blinds open, the sunlight flooded the room in a warm glow. I squinted and stared up at the sun.
"What's the time?" I asked.
"Just past seven. I came to check up on you when you stirred. Honestly, I started gettin' worried." I turned to see Applejack staring at me with a frown on her face that spoke volumes. I was touched. She really cared about my well-being.
"I've made a total fool of myself, haven't I?" I asked, "I'm sorry for worrying you."
"Well, thankfully there's no harm done. On that note, that harvester of yours works too well! I've been suddenly findin' myself with a lot of free time."
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing?"
"Well, no, but it's still disorientin' to wake up early in the mornin' with nothin' to do! I'm runnin' out of ideas to keep myself busy!"
I smirked and laughed. Looking up at the ceiling, which was covered with stars cut out of what looked like gold paper, my mind instantly replayed the last moments before blacking out, "Applebloom..."
"Applebloom was all keen and excited. She said that you'd discovered her talent."
"By your tone, I think you already know."
"'Course I do. She's my lil' sister. But, it ain't for me to tell her, it's for her to discover it on her own! If I told her what her special talent was, then she might not want it or like it."
"I see..." In reality, I didn't. Why not just tell her if that's going to make her happy? I was used to being a social reject, and did not mind being alone. I highly doubted that Applebloom shared that trait. If getting her Cutie Mark was so important to her, and made her more comfortable around her peers, then wouldn't it be the right thing to do to tell her? To help her get it? But, I'm new. Maybe she had to go through all that - the words 'trials and tribulations' came to mind - to earn her Cutie Mark. If that was the case, then Applejack would be perfectly correct.
I rubbed my eyes, and rolled myself out of bed. "My bag?"
"Over there," Applejack pointed to it lying on the small dresser - I didn't see it there while I was lying down, "Can I ask what that strange box you're carrying around is? Sorry, but after you fainted, it fell out of your bag, and well, I had to put it back... I've never seen anything like it before."
You know that feeling you get when you know something just happened that wasn't supposed to happen, that if it did happen could mean that everything you've ever earned was suddenly pulled away from you? No? Well, let me tell you, it doesn't feel good at all. Not one bit. Forcing myself to remain calm, which was difficult, I went through a library of excuses. Nothing. Then I looked at the walls, and it dawned on me.
"I-it's a... picture frame. You know, one of those folding picture frames?"
"Really? A picture? Well, let me see!" Applejack said excitedly, "Maybe it'll give us a clue to who you are!"
Ah. Shit. Didn't see that one coming. "S-sure!"
Walking over to the dresser, I took my bag, opened it, and pulled out the laptop. As I opened it my breath caught in my throat. As I looked at the screen I saw a picture of a bunch of trees. My mind reeled, but then I saw a tiny little Tutela in the corner of the screen. She mouthed something. I think it was 'you-owe-me'. Then she was gone.
I showed Applejack the screen.
"Why would you have a picture of the Everfree Forest?"
"That's a very good question." I replied, my heart beating again, "I'm not sure. Maybe it's why I went there in the first place?"
She seemed to buy that.
"And what are all these numbers 'n letters 'n symbols on the other side?"
"Oh, it was just like that when I got it." I said, unable to think of anything clever.
"Oh! Like that modern art Rarity's always going on about."
"Yes! Like that! Maybe..." I closed the laptop, and slipped it back into my bag eager to stop talking about it. Perhaps I had acted to hasty?
If I did, Applejack did not comment on it. She turned and walked out the door, "Well, come on down for breakfast. Oh! Bathroom's the third door on the right down the hall that way," She said pointing to the right. She headed straight, the hallway was split by a banister, the left had two more doors facing the left side of the house, while the right half had the stairs that descended down towards the lower floor. Come to think of it, how did I end up here?
I watched her go, and counted to sixty before pulling the laptop from my bag.
"You do understand that if she mentions this to Brian, he's going to figure it out." Tutela said as soon as I opened it.
"Then I got to ask her to keep it a secret," I replied whispering.
"Well, if you do, that's only going to make her suspicious and she's going to talk to one of her friends about it. The purple Unicorn is very intelligent. Don't underestimate her. Twilight is very inquisitive. If she gets a whiff that you're hiding something, she will stop at nothing to find the answer. If you thought Brian was tough, then you are sadly mistaken."
My mind thought about the librarian Pony I met. The Unicorn that had a Dragon that seemed to be more like her adopted child than anything. That aside, my brain could not get past the stereotype. Of course is was the Pony who slept in the library would be the brainy one.
"So you're saying that my only hope is that Applejack doesn't mention it to either Twilight or Brian?" I inhaled deeply, "Can we rewind and start again?"
"Even if I could, would you really want to erase these memories? You've made quite a few in the short time you've been there." Tutela replied.
She had a point. These memories were already more precious to me than gold, diamonds, or anything. Strange that. Four days ago I was some stupid computer desk-jockey and now I'm a talking equine in a land of magical Ponies, and I was starting to not only become accustomed to it, but I was actually starting to like it here. Now that was a scary thought.
"You're right. But why are they so... nice to me?" I asked.
She shrugged, "I think they are just friendly. You have to understand, that in their world they don't have the same kind of horrors you do. Murder is extremely rare, so is death by unnatural cause other than disasters, and war is almost unheard of. Almost. All this is possible due to the supreme might of Princess Celestia, and her sister, Princess Luna who watch over the Ponies ensuring that they are safe."
"Must be quite handy, being all super-powerful."
"Magic does have its limitations. Princess Celestia might be all-powerful, but she is not invincible."
"You said she was god-like. At least, I think you did..."
"Compared to other Ponies, yes. But even she had trouble defeating Discord without extra help from the Elements of Harmony."
I stared at her blankly, "The fu..."
"I'm not going to go over that with you. Go to the library."
"Oh shit! Twilight's library books! I left them at the hotel!" I exclaimed quietly.
"Forest? Are you comin' down or what?" Applejack's voice called from downstairs, "Breakfast's gettin' cold!"
"Coming!" I shouted back, then reverted back to a whisper, "Just one more thing. Those three conditions of our bet..."
Tutela sighed, "One, you have one month to understand the true meaning of friendship. Two, not a singled being on that world can discover you're a human. Three, you cannot harm a pony or a Changeling - but I will excuse you from that one if there are extenuating circumstances."
"You mean like a jealous Cyan colored Pony coming into my room and stabbing me?"
"Yes, something like that."
I grunted and shook my head; now it was confirmed that I couldn't even hint to Brian about my human origins. The thought of giving him clues that there was something going on and try to make it obvious to him that I was a human and the fact that for some reason I couldn't tell him. The second condition of my bet with Tutela made that impossible. If anyone guesses, and is sure, then I lose. I understood that it was the second half of that bet that was keeping me in Equestria. If Brian was positive without a doubt, then it would all be over. Closing the laptop, I slipped it back into my bag, and left it on the dresser.
Walking out of what I could only guess was a guest room I headed down the stairs. It ended at the front door of the house and the main entrance hall. To my left it opened into a lounge area, where there was a fireplace at the far end of the wall - with no fire, and on the mantle were small frames of pictures. All the windows were open letting the cool air blow through the light translucent white cotton curtains that waved lazily whenever a breeze passed through them. To my right was a dining room with a long table that ran parallel to the stairs. There were twelve chairs, all identically shaped with a back that sort of resembled an apple. Five were neatly tucked in on each long side with a single chair at either end. Up against the wall on the far end were more chairs similar to the ones at the table, and considering the length of the dining room I could only surmise that the table opened out quite a ways. At the back of the dining room was a large cupboard where I could see plates and other dining room related paraphernalia stacked inside. Crockery, all with apples and apple-like art etched into them, stood out making it look somewhat like a trophy dresser.
At the far end there was a door where I heard noises coming from. Walking through the dining room, I could not help but scan the wall. Again it was covered in pictures of all sorts of Ponies. Some were pretty old, but others were taken recently. As I walked through the door at the end, I entered the kitchen.
Applebloom was standing on a small stool, her fore-hooves elbow-deep (or was it knee-deep?) in soapy water. She was obviously washing dishes. She noticed me as I walked through the door, which was to her left, "Hello, sleepy-head!"
"Good morning."
Applejack and Big Mac were sitting at a small table at the far end of the kitchen, Applejack had to turn around in her chair to look at me. The kitchen was long and narrow, and easily the biggest room in the house. There were three entrances from the main house here, the one I used, one that looked like it led into the hallway with the stairs, and the last one towards the den. There was an open door to a small alcove-like area, and I could see light streaming in from the outside, probably a door to the backyard.
"Nice to see you up and about! I was about to come and and check on you again." Applejack gestured with her hoof, "Come, sit down."
Walking across the kitchen, I looked to my left. The entire wall looked like one big window where you could see apple trees all around. Wherever there wasn't a window, it was being used for something else. Either the kitchen drawers, the counters, or even the stoves. I noticed a particular patch of trees that looked pretty much dead from where I stood. Yet they seemed to be in such a prominent place, I wondered why that was. My eyes drifted from the dead-looking trees to the stoves. There were three different stoves, and one was particularly bigger than the others and much, and also much lower to the ground.
"I see you're curious about that. It's for makin' our famous Zap Apple Jam!"
"Zap Apples?"
"You've never heard of Zap Apples?"
I shook my head.
"You've never tasted Zap Apple Jam?"
I shook my head.
"Never?"
It took me a second to realize what she was doing. I was getting careless, "Not that I can remember at least."
The answer seemed to both annoy and pacify Applejack, "Then come over and sit, yer in fer a treat!" She said the last part even more 'Southernly' than normal.
Walking the last few over to the table, I sat down at the indicated chair - between Applejack and her big brother. At once a plate of bread was buttered by a rainbow colored spread, dropped on a plate and placed in front of me. Picking it up, I sniffed it. It smelt strange. Not unpleasant, but not something overly enticing either, not like Pinkie's cakes.
"Take a bite."
I couldn't describe the sensation. Eating it not only tasted wonderful, but it was as if a jolt rushed from my mouth and tingled every inch of my body at once. I shook my head, "That's... that's amazing! That is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted."
"It's even better when it's served on bread made at Sugarcube Corner!" Applejack beamed.
Big Mac nodded approvingly of his sister's statement, closing his eyes and smiling in his way.
Destroying the piece of toast, I was sad to hear that I had eaten the last of the bread. But that was okay, because they had made pancakes! Before I could be polite, Applejack jumped up and quickly heated up one of the stoves and put a pan on. Within minutes she had whipped up three thick large pancakes, stacking them on a plate with the ease and dexterity of a professional chef, flipping them in the air. Then she brought it to the table, and drowned it with honey - I think it was honey.
"There you go!" She said, and sat down.
Eating a bowl of soup with your hooves was one thing, but to eat with my hooves with all that honey? No. It would get all sticky, and stuff. So, I reached over to a small wicker basket in the middle of the table where there were utensils, I tried picking up the knife and fork. It was not easy at first, but then I started to get used to it. But when I tried to cut the delicious looking cakes the knife kept slipping out of my grip.
Big Mac snorted out a laugh, but a look from Applejack silenced him in the next moment. Didn't stop him from laughing again once her attention looked away.
Trying again, I managed to pull the tiny blade back and cut a small incision. I was so impressed with myself that I had to stop and admire my work. I looked up to see Big Mac trying hard not to smile or laugh as was Applejack, and by the way Applebloom was shaking near the kitchen sink, I knew that she was laughing silently to herself.
Usually being made the brunt of a joke made me angry, but for some reason I didn't mind these Ponies laughing at my expense. In fact, it made me feel rather warm and fuzzy on the inside. It was both a disgusting and wonderful feeling at the same time.
"I'm really bad at this." I confessed.
That was the last straw. Big Mac could no longer contain his laughter, and he let us all know about it. I rolled my eyes and made a weak smile as Applejack joined in the laughing fit. Eventually I managed to get the hang of it.
After breakfast we all went to the lounge. I had tried to help with washing dishes, but Applebloom threatened to bite my hooves off if I came near the sink. We spent the rest of the morning playing a strange board-game. It had something to do with Pony lore. Many years ago there was a bad princess trapped on the moon - but then she got freed not that long ago. Long story short, the game was about how six friends defeated her by returning her to normal. It was essentially Snakes'n'Ladders, but with many more obstacles, follies and traps. Despite the simplicity of the game, it was really fun. We managed to play several rounds before we were graced with Granny Smith's appearance.
"Well, well. Looky what we got here. You fillies having a good time?" Granny Smith asked and sat down in a large lounge chair in the corner. It seemed to swallow her up, and yet she looked like she belonged there at the same time. Like a queen on her throne, "How's the head, Forest?"
"Better now." I replied.
She gave a short cackle, "That's what ye get for takin' on the champ!"
"I will be better the next time," I gave her a wink, and we both laughed together despite the disapproving glances from the two younger Mares.
"Forest, did you know that Applejack is one of the Elements of Harmony?" Applebloom said, placing her hoof on her sister's back in an obvious attempt to change the subject.
"No. No I didn't... wait! Then that means... this game is about you?" I asked, my eyes widened.
"Well, not just me. The six of us are Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity and me," Applejack explained. She then regaled to me how they had converted a creature called Night Mare Moon to Princess Luna using the power of the Elements. It was a fantastic tale, and I wouldn't have believed it, but I couldn't not believe it. Why? Because, as Applejack said, she represented the Element of Honesty.
Indeed, when I looked at the box cover for the game, I saw six Ponies together and each had a 'aura' around them with the title of the game in a language I didn't recognize! Was it coincidence that Tutela brought this up earlier this morning? For a while Applejack told me about the other Elements, but I couldn't really follow. All I got was that Applejack was honest, and got special super-magic because of it but could only be used when she was wearing some jewelry with her five friends. Yay me! Probably over-simplifying it, but there you go.
As I was thinking, I saw Applebloom stand up from the game and walk over to her grandmother and 'hugged' her, in the way that I suspected Ponies hugged - which was more of nuzzle. It was outrageously cute and I couldn't help but smile at that. Then Applejack walked over kissed her grandmother on the forehead laying her jaw on her head, and finally Big Mac nuzzled her as well (but not as affectionately as Applebloom's nuzzle - after all, there was another Stallion in the house) on the other side of Granny. They were a really close knit family, and so open and trusting. It just felt so wrong to lie to them, and with Applejack revealing herself to be the Element of Honesty, it just made the feeling worse. No matter how many times I told myself that I had no choice, it still didn't help.
As I sat there trying not to feel uncomfortable in the warm glow of the Apple family's display of affection, my thoughts drifted. I began to think of my family, or lack thereof. Thinking about Earth made me think of people, and thinking of people made my train of thought drift to the only human in Equestria. Well, the only other human. Brian Dash, the only person who truly suspected my real identity. Not that I blamed the guy, he was spot on in being suspicious of me right from the start. While all the other Ponies welcomed me and accepted me as one of their own, only Brian remained skeptical. He had correctly guessed that I wasn't from Equestria the very first moment we met. In retrospect, meeting him so soon was probably my undoing. My only consolation was that he would believe my words when I said that I willed no harm to befall him or his daughter. Even if he suspected my origins were not of this world, as long as I keep him from admitting and more importantly proving that I wasn't a Pony, I was fine.
I excused myself and walked out of the den, and outside onto the porch to clear my head. Brian was not stupid. If anything, he was the smartest one here. It was him, and only him that had the ability to weed out the truth from me, so I needed to practice every scenario, every conversation, every phrase, sentence... everything! I needed to be an Equestrian Pony from back to front and back again.
Applejack appeared a few minutes later.
"Sorry about that forest..."
"Sorry for what?" I asked. I honestly didn't know what she meant.
"For that," She gestured towards the den by tilting her head slightly, "We're just thankful that Granny's still with us, and we relish every moment we have with her. We didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
I had to admit, she was pretty sharp. She had guessed half of the reason why I went outside, "Please, Applejack. I only went outside so that Big Mac wouldn't be embarrassed with giving Granny a proper hug." I replied with my best smile.
She laughed at that comment, "Well, thanks, Forest, I appreciate the gesture, and I'll thank you on behalf of Big Mac as well."
A wind chime sounded somewhere down the path, and I turned to look at it, as a breeze blew gently against my face. Along with it came a hint of apple, very slightly, barely noticeable. I closed my eyes and relished this feeling. It was so peaceful here. Somewhere I heard birds singing, and the rustle of leaves in the trees as they danced in the breeze's wake.
"Bored?"
"Would you be offended if I said yes?" I asked.
"See? Now you can relate to what I was talkin' about this mornin'! With that harvester you made, this is what I get to look forward to most days!"
"Well," I turned my head to look at her, "It's not all that bad."
We both laughed. "I suppose I can find a new hobby."
Applebloom walked out the door as Applejack said that and I watched as the Filly stood next to her older sister. She gave me a huge smile, and I couldn't help but smile back - that little one had such an irresistible happy face! She turned and grinned up at Applejack, and said something under her breath, which earned her a not-so-rough nudge from her older sister.
Walking off the porch, and onto the lawn, I sat down on the grass and just did nothing. Perhaps it was my hangover, but I did not want to move.
"Maybe I'll go to the market, try and sell some more apples," Applejack thought out loud.
"Ya better git to town and help Forest get somethin' ta sleep on," Granny's said and then I noticed that she was slowly exiting the house with the help of Big Mac. I watched as she made her way to a rocking chair and plopped herself in it. She looked right at me when she was comfortable, "Unless ya wanna sleep on the floor."
Wisely spoken. Now with Granny awake and able to keep an eye on things the rest of us got ready to go to town.
Big Mac was to pull a cart full of fresh apples while I was given the task of pulling an empty cart for some reason. Not that I was complaining, after all Big Mac was a helluva lot strong than me. As we went on our way, Granny Smith waved to us from the porch rocking chair. To make the trip go by quicker, Applebloom started humming a tune, which was kind of catchy.
As we entered Ponyville, I suddenly had the strangest sensation that everyone was staring at me. Doh! I mean everypony. Everywhere I looked, I saw Ponies looking over to me turning their heads away when I glanced in their direction.
"I'm getting a strange feeling that everyone's staring at me..."
"They are." Applejack replied.
"What? Why? What did I do?"
"Here's good. Big Macintosh!" Applejack shouted.
She made me jump a little, and Big Mac quickly moved past me and came to sudden stop parallel to where Applejack stood, the rear of the cart facing in my direction. Then, she put up the lower part of the cart and it hung down much like a dispenser, and pulling on a small lever the back of the cart lowered itself. As it did, the apples fell into little chutes making it easy for other Ponies to pick up and choose. Then, she slid out a sign that was tucked in the side of the cart and folded it out. It had a bunch of prices. Five bits for a dozen! Special! That seemed to grab the attention of quiet a few Ponies, who immediately started to make purchases.
Applebloom and I stood off to one side unsure what to do.
"Forest, you go with Applebloom and get the things you need. I reckon you're gonna need a bed, mattress, and maybe a desk or table of some sort," Applejack said after the tenth Pony bought some apples.
So that's what the empty cart was for! I wanted to smack my head for not figuring that out sooner.
"This way forest! I know just where to go!" Applebloom led the way
We headed down a narrow alley towards a store marked 'Quills & Sofas'. After parking the cart, and taking off the pull-harness, we walked inside. A Pony rushed over to us almost immediately as we stepped inside, "Are you interested in purchasing a sofa?" He said, probably a little too eagerly.
"No," Applebloom replied, "Just a quill."
The Pony sighed, "That's all anyone wants here! Quills, quills, quills! If it weren't for quills, I'd be out of business!" He grumbled, and trotted off to the desk and pulled out a box of quills.
"Well, we're in such a small town. How many sofas do you expect to sell?" I asked.
The Salespony turned and looked at me and was about to say something when he stopped himself, and nodded, "Well, that is a good point actually. Never thought of it that way."
"You know, out of curiosity, do you have any sofa-beds?" I asked. It would be nice to have a lounging area in the clubhouse. After all, it was too small for a sofa and a bed, but if I got a sofa-bed...
The shopkeeper spun around, "No... wait! Do you mean a sofa that turns into a bed? Well, as a matter of fact, I do!"
We followed him around back to a really horrid looking sofa. It was full of what looked like water stains, and the seams were peeling at almost every stitch. We were relieved to find out though, it was just a dust cover and as he pulled it off, a dark brown colored sofa appeared underneath.
"So, the bed?" I asked.
"Ah, yes. You see this here? You just pull, like so, and..." He pulled a strap that was attached to the back of the headrest near the middle. As he pulled, the backrest of the sofa folded down, and then folded outwards. It was more of a sofa-futon than a sofa-bed, but it did the trick, and was actually a lot bigger than I thought. Not to mention the mattress looked really comfy.
"Coo-ool!" Applebloom sang out.
"I designed it myself! How did you know about it?" The shopkeeper asked.
Me and my big mouth! "Well... I... er... saw something like this... before... somewhere... I think..."
"Forest! You're remembering something!" Applebloom stated.
Shit! Forest, shut your fat mouth! "Yes... I think so... it just seems... that I remember things like that sometimes..."
"Well, that's great!" Applebloom smiled at me, "Maybe sleeping on this new bed will help you remember other things!"
Damn it! That smile! It was completely disarming, "You know what, maybe you're right." I ruffled up her mane a little bit with my hoof, "How much?"
"Twenty bits," He said, "It's my pride and joy. Can't let it go for less than that."
"Twenty bits!" Applebloom exclaimed, "Forest are you sure you want something that expensive? We can find something cheaper..."
"Fine. Nineteen bits. But nothing less!"
"Ten, or nothing." I replied once I realized that he was lower his price.
"Eighteen!"
"Ten!"
"Seventeen!"
"Ten!"
"Sixteen!"
"Ten!"
Applebloom looked at me with her mouth open. Was she shocked, embarrassed, or both?
"Fif-fifteen!"
"Twelve." I said after a moment.
"Sold!" The salespony barked, making me jump.
Taking out my coinpurse, I dumped the desired number of coins onto a nearby table. The salespony took them and pocket them with glee. From the way he was acting, it was almost assuredly that I got ripped off, but Applebloom seemed happy, so I guess it didn't matter. As I said, I had no idea what the value of the currency on this world was, but it was bothering me. I just needed to know, "How much would you have let it go for? Honestly."
The salespony rubbed the back of his head, "Promise not to get angry?"
"Sure."
"Eight."
Applebloom's mouth dropped to the floor, "What?" She asked.
On the other hand, I just laughed, and ruffled her mane again, "It's only four bits, Applebloom. No worries."
"Only four bits?" She repeated exasperated.
I sighed, "It's okay now. We got something cool, right?"
"I guess..."
"Come on, don't let it bother you." I said, looking at her. She was visibly upset, "Bargaining is a part of life! You got to know when to haggle, and when not to."
"I guess..."
I could tell she wasn't convinced, "Then how about we get a cake from Sugarcube Corner to celebrate?"
That seemed to cheer her up, "Okay."
With the help of the shopkeeper, we loaded my new sofa-bed onto the empty cart. It was slightly longer than the cart, so we had to let the back open, and tied it down with some extra rope that the shopkeeper had for those clients that did not buy quills. He had quite a good length of rope. A very good length.
"How much rope you go there?" I asked.
"Not sure. My brother makes ropes - he's a sailor Pony!"
Of course he is! "Well, Applebloom, at least we now know where to get some rope too!"
She of course, wasn't interested.
As we arrived at Sugarcube Corner, I parked the cart with my sofa next to the one that I had pulled for Pinkie the other day. Then, I walked around to the front with Applebloom by my side and we entered the bakery. Immediately I saw Pinkie, the Cakes, Rainbow, and Rarity there. At once I scanned the area for Brian with my eyes. He was not around - at least nowhere I could see. I walked up to them all.
"Hello," I said as I approached the counter, "Anything interesting happen?"
"Oh, not much. Apart from the fact that you've become the talk of the town, Forest." Rarity cooed.
"Huh?" I replied stupidly. Why would I be the talk of the town. I looked at Pinkie. She was looking away from me, and her face was a lot pinker than usual.
"Let's just say that yesterday somepony saw you check out. And let's just say that somepony heard you say... certain things about somepony else..." As Rarity said it, my face exploded. I could feel the blood rushing through my cheeks.
"But... it was four in the morning!" I moaned, "Nopony should have been awake!"
Rainbow Dash grinned at me from next to Rarity for a moment, then began to say something as if she were on stage at a play, with one hoof in front of her and the other one extended into the air - a typical pose for a Shakespearean actor, "You know why everypony likes Pinkie and not you?" She said in a deep (as deep as she could get it) boom voice before bursting out in gales of laughter.
My eyes whipped over to Pinkie, who was still looking away from me.
I was just protecting your friend! I said to myself, but my mouth refused to move!
"It's because she's kind, friendly, open, gentle, beautiful, majestic..." Rainbow continued.
Did I say majestic?
"No, no, Rainbow. He said she was special, beautiful, wonderful, fun..." Rarity interrupted.
Applebloom looked at me, "Are you okay, Forest? Your face is all red."
They all looked at me, and I looked away.
Mrs. Cake giggled, then stated; "He's blushing!"
The other girls joined in the chorus of giggling. Pinkie turned to look at me, but I just couldn't meet her eyes. Why was I feeling this way?
Before further being embarrassed, I turned to go.
"Wait, wait, Forest. Don't go, we're just teasing. We know that you were just protecting Pinkie as a friend." Rarity said looking away from me. I think she was giving her friends a wink but I couldn't tell, "But I have to admit that it was something I didn't expect to see."
I stopped in my tracks, "You were at the hotel yesterday morning?"
"Why yes, I was. I was on my way to drop off some new dresses for a client who was staying at the hotel, and was scheduled to leave on the five twenty express to Canterlot. I saw the whole thing. Imagine my surprise when I saw you at the reception with that rude Crystal and imagine my further surprise when you gave that wonderful speech!" Rarity was talking nonchalantly, relishing the attention she got from everyone, "At first I wanted to chase after you, but I was on my way to see my client, and well, I couldn't. After I was done, I came down and saw someone else! It was Brian."
My face blanched, "B-Br-Brian?" I stuttered, shocked.
But I wasn't the only one surprised by this. Apparently this was news to Rainbow too. "What was he doing there?"
"Well, it's a fact that Brian is the only Pony - relatively speaking, of course - in Ponyville able to talk to Crystal on friendly terms. Why, you could even say that Brian's Crystal's only friend here in Ponyville."
"I see," My brain was rushing now. So many questions. What was he doing there? Why was he there? What was his purpose? It couldn't have been coincidence. He must have been there to spy on me! By why so early in the morning? "About what time?"
"Oh, I'd say around five, maybe a bit later." Rarity replied, but she was being talked to by a few other Ponies.
As the girls were talking amongst each other, I pieced together what I could from the clues. The only reason I could come to was the one thing that made my disguise here on Equestria flawed. The one thing that I could not contest no matter what. My laptop! Indeed, it made sense. Placing myself in Brian's shoes, I thought about it. If Brian needed to make me fully admit that I was a human, then he'd have to prove it to everypony. And the way to do that was to gather evidence from my world. Surely, I would have something, anything. After all I did mention that I had to go and work at Sweet Apple Acres, and if he managed to get into my room and open the safe while I wasn't there...
"Forest? You okay?" Applebloom asked.
"Yeah, just..." I couldn't answer her, my mind was too preoccupied with other thoughts. My bag was safe for now, or was it? Back at Sweet Apple Acres. Brian didn't know that I stayed there, right? And even if he did... my bag! My bag was in the guest room! If somehow Brian got into the guest room, "It would be game over." I said aloud.
"What would be game over?" Applebloom asked, clearly confused.
"Applebloom, can you wait here for a moment? I'll be right back... I forgot something back at the house." I turned before she could protest and was sprinting - galloping as hard as I could back towards the farm. I ran as hard and as fast as I could, Ponies leapt out of my way as I charged down the road, leaping the fence, and charged up the path to the porch.
Granny was napping in her rocking chair, so tiptoed - tiphoofed? - around her and into the house, then up the stairs. My bag was there, and I reached inside.
Relief. I let out a long, deep sigh. The laptop was still there. I opened it.
"You run pretty fast." Tutela said as soon as it opened.
"Did anyone find this?" I asked.
"No. You're lucky."
"This is too dangerous. We need to find another way to communicate."
"No, this is it. There is no other way without giving away who or what you are. You have to understand that magic can be very unpredictable."
"And that's the problem with magic." I muttered.
"Indeed. If you break that laptop, then you'll be stuck there, as I can't pull you back from that world without the magic stored inside that device."
"Couldn't you have picked something smaller and easier to hide?"
"No."
"Well. That sucks."
"Go, Applebloom and the others will be wondering where you went. So, Pinkie, huh?"
I blushed, and slammed the laptop down. Placing it back into the bag, I hid it in the space behind the bed near the wall. Satisfied with my new hiding spot, I slipped out of the Apple's home, past Granny snoozing on her chair, and ran back towards Sugarcube Corner. By the time I arrived Applebloom was happily finishing a slice of cake talking with the other Ponies, and I noticed that Applejack had joined her friends. As I entered, everyone looked over to me.
"Where was the fire, Forest?" Applejack asked, "I saw you run all the way back home! Hooey, you run almost as fast as Rainbow Dash can fly, I never seen a Pony run that quick."
"What? Oh! I remembered that I had no more coins, so I had to run home and grab some." I replied in between gasps of air.
"You could have just paid us next time." Mr. Cake said, shaking his head.
"I don't like to leave debts."
"Well, at least we got to see you run, Forest," Mr. Cake replied, "Are you part of a team, or anything?"
I shrugged, "No clue."
"I've got a great idea! Forest, why don't you try out for the RACE?" Applejack asked.
"The race? What's that?"
"You don't know what the race is? The 'Relay Across Equestria race? R-A-C-E," Rainbow Dash zipped over to me, "It's only the toughest, meanest, hardest, race in all of Equestria?"
"Doesn't ring a bell. Amnesia, remember?"
"Dear, be a doll and let me explain," Rarity said, pushing a shocked Rainbow Dash aside, "The RACE is a relay race from all parts of Equestria. There are teams of three Ponies, where each Pony participates in a particular leg of a race. The race will start and finish at Canterlot."
I nodded. Canterlot, Camelot... yeah, I see.
"The first leg is a flying race where the Pegasi fly to a certain city to collect a specially made baton, and bring it back to Canterlot. Then the second leg of the race, is done with Unicorns where they have to magically solve puzzles or problems with their magic. The third and final stage of the race is done by Earth Ponies, such as yourself. It includes running and swimming," Rarity acted the running by running on the spot, and swimming by doing the front crawl with her forehooves.
"I see. So who won it last year?" I asked.
"Well, nopony did. This is the first year they're having it." Rarity replied, "So we were planning on holding tryouts for all the Earth Ponies. Since the entrance to the race is a hundred bits per Pony - a total of three hundred bits, as a town Ponyville can only afford one team."
Fat chance. There's no way I'm doing that. "When are the tryouts?" I asked, feigning interest.
"We've already had the ones for the Pegasus and the Unicorns. The one for the Earth Pony is in two days," Rarity replied.
"Two days?"
"I know it's short notice... well, there was no way we'd have known of your speed if you hadn't raced out of here the way you did."
"Ah. Good point. Then when's the big RACE?" I asked.
"At the end of the month," Rainbow replied before anyone else could answer. She seemed suddenly really unhappy.
"So, who is the Unicorn... uh... representative?" I asked.
"Twilight is," Rarity replied, "And the Pegasus is..."
"Let me guess, Rainbow Dash?"
At this Rainbow made a crying noise and lay flat on the floor of Sugarcube corner with her hooves on her head, "No," She replied weakly, "It's Derpy."
"Derpy?" I tilted my head, "Derpy? There's a Pony here in Ponyville named Derpy?"
Everyone seemed to ignore my surprise.
"Dashie, I'm afraid, will not be able to race for us as she will be on duty that day, seeing as she's one of the Wonderbolts now," Rarity chimed, proud of her friend.
That seemed to cheer Rainbow up and she stood back up on her feet as fast as the lighting bolt on her Cutie Mark represented.
"Wonderbolts?" I asked.
Rainbow made a noise that was only possible for her. It was a half gasp, half groan, with a disapproving moan thrown in all at the same time, "The RACE is one thing, but how can you not know who the Wonderbolts are!"
Suffice to say, after ten minutes I knew all about them. Every detail. The names of the members, fastest timings, racing times and schedules. Literally everything. I also found out that Rainbow Dash was part of this amazing aerial acrobatic group! I had to admit, Rainbow was one of a kind.
"Oh yeah! Now that you mention it," And given me all the details I would ever need, "I do recall something about them. I would love to see you guys racing."
"Well, we're have a pre-RACE race, so you'll be able to see." Rainbow said, slapping my back.
"So, Applejack was telling us that you've moved into the old Cute Mark Crusader Clubhouse," Rarity cooed.
"We built it together!" Applebloom piped in.
You did most of the work! I wanted to say out loud, but I didn't. "Yeah, that's why we're here. We're buying furniture."
"Yeah! We just bought a sofa-bed!" Applebloom boasted.
"Sofa-bed?" Rarity asked, "What's that?"
Rainbow gave Applebloom a queer look, then that look went over to me.
Shit! Human alert! Human alert! My mind screamed. "Well, I've heard about them before. Beds that are built into sofas to help save space. Especially in the bigger cities where people don't have large houses."
"That makes sense." Applejack stated, "And considering how small the Clubhouse is, that's goin' to be mighty useful. Good job, Forest."
Rainbow Dash flew over to me, "But how did you know what to ask for? I mean, sofa-bed is a pretty specific term, don't you think?"
"It sounded natural. Bed-sofa doesn't roll as well."
Dashie floated around my head, and I did my best to ignore her piercing gaze. Did I now have to worry about Rainbow Dash too? After all the effort I went through with her father? I needed to change the subject.
"Out of curiosity, what happens when you win the RACE?" I asked.
Rainbow leapt on that question, almost shoving me to the ground, "An audience with all three Princesses, who will grant you one wish each."
"Three wishes?" I asked. Great, now all I need is a magic lamp! "Princess Celestia..."
"Princess Luna and Princess Cadence!" Rainbow replied rolling her eyes when I stalled on Celestia's name, "Princess Cadence is Twilight's sister-in-law."
"Wait, what? Doesn't that make Twilight a princess too?" I asked.
They all looked at me.
"He does have a point," Applejack said after a moment, "But these princesses are Alicorns."
Another type of Pony? "What's an Alicorn?"
"Well, they're Unicorn, Pegasus and Earth Pony all rolled into one," Applejack explained. She was really patient with me, and I appreciated that.
"Also, one months supply of free cake from us here!" Mr. and Mrs. Cake chimed in.
"Sign me up right now!" I exclaimed - as a joke!
"Great, I knew that you'd accept!" Rarity replied.
"Huh? What?" I asked.
By the time I closed my mouth on my second word, a quill and the paper disappeared into a glitzy saddle-bag on Rarity's back. I had just officially been signed up for tryouts.
"See you at tryouts in two days, Forest."
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! I screamed in my head, "Hooray!" I said aloud, putting as much effort into it as I could - which wasn't very much.
"Well, I got to get back home. Maybe Dad's back," Rainbow suddenly replied hovering past me.
"Wait? Brian's missing?" I asked.
"He's not missing. He said he had errands to run, and that he would be back later," Rainbow replied. Despite her attitude, it wasn't difficult to see that she was worried.
"I'll come with you, Rainbow," Applejack answered, "Let's go Applebloom."
"Oh, I've got to make some last minute touches on the RACEing uniforms!" Rarity sang and followed the others out.
As they all left together, I stood there and watched them go with my mouth half open trying to say something to Rarity. Anything to get out of going to tryouts! Why? Why did I open my mouth? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
"... but sis', you said I had to help Forest find furniture..." Applebloom's voice faded out as her sister pulled her along.
"Oh my!" Mrs. Cake suddenly put in. I turned around, "The girls all left! Now what will you do, Forest?"
I raised and eyebrow.
Mrs. Cake nudged her husband.
Mr. Cake seemed to wake up suddenly, "Hm? Oh right! Pinkie," Pinkie stiffened at the mention of her name, "Can you help Forest?"
Oh please! I've seen better acting in cheesy soap-operas! I said in my head. I looked at Pinkie who was still acting quiet and weird, not the lively, bubbly Pinkie from before.
"Okay." She squeaked.
Walking over to her, with genuine concern, I looked her in the eye.
She turned away.
"Are you okay, Pinkie? You've been really quiet today."
"Yes," She squeaked again.
"Would you mind helping me? I would go alone, but... I don't know my way around. And... well, it's no fun alone," The way I said it made me feel really dumb.
"Okay," Pinkie squeaked again still not looking away from me.
I walked into her field of vision, but she just looked away.
Shrugging to myself, I lead the way to the rear exit. Pinkie followed slowly with her head lowered and her eyes looking down at the ground. As I walked out, I got in front of the cart and slipped the pull-belt over me from my cart. Pinkie was standing silently in front of me to the left. It was getting really awkward.
"Pinkie, look. What I said... to Crystal," I thought about what I wanted to say, "I meant it. I think you're a one-of-a-kind Pony. But... I said it because I thought it was unfair of her to not like you for who you are. If you thought I meant... I mean... I..." What was I trying to say? Take a deep breath, relax, "What I'm trying to say is, you're a special Pony. Just not my special somepony."
Pinkie looked up at me, "I'm not?" She asked.
"Well, no. We've only known each other for a couple days. Don't you think that's too quick?"
She thought about it. I could tell by her expression. "You're right! It is!" She perked up instantly, "Gosh, Forest. I'm sorry, but Rarity was saying that..."
"Shall we go?" I interrupted her. Didn't want to feel that weight of embarrassment from before. Plus the Cakes were standing at the door and were listening to our every word. I didn't want to put up with any more humiliation.
Together we walked side by side. Pinkie reverted back to her normal self already and was talking to me at a hundreds words per second. I just couldn't understand her fully. I caught some words and managed to get a gist of what she was talking about, but it all seemed to be gibberish. She didn't seem to mind, and was in her own bubble. Every once in a while she'd pause and I'd say something like, "Oh, really?" or "Is that so?" and that seemed to be acceptable. All in all, Pinkie was indeed one-of-a-kind.
Pinkie led us straight to a small furniture store. Here I saw dressers, cupboards, easels and all sorts of things laying outside on the ground. The stores name was 'Barns'n'Stables'. Unhitching myself from the cart, Pinkie led the way inside.
There honestly was not much selection, but the craftsmanship was simply amazing. Each piece was impressive and obviously hand-made by someone who enjoyed doing it. Some of the pieces were incredibly complex with carvings, while others were laminated with and painted, and a few were plain but each one had character and personality. These weren't just furniture items, they were pieces. In a strange way I realized that each piece of furniture chose their owners, and not the other way around.
The Stallion who owned the shop stood grinning at the other end of the store as Pinkie and I looked around. It was obvious that he had managed to get a whiff of that false rumor that was going around before. But Pinkie didn't seem to notice, so I shrugged it off as well.
"What about this one, Forest?" Pinkie said, pointing at a rather girly looking bed-side table. It was covered in red hearts, with a black background.
At first I made a face, then I gave her a half-smile, "Well, Pinkie, I was thinking something not so..."
"But it's cute!" Pinkie argued, "Lookie, you it's got a place where you can put late-night snacks!" She pulled open a small drawer.
"But... it's got hearts on it..." I said trying to hint to her.
"And that's why it's cute!"
"Can I get something that's not so... cute?" I asked.
"Okeedokee!" She moved on.
I let out a sign of relief.
We looked around a for a few minutes, but everything else was too big. Regretfully, and I do mean regretfully, I had to buy the heart-covered tiny bed-side table much to Pinkie's joy. But I did manage to salvage some of my masculinity by buying a plain looking dresser. The total of everything? Five bits!
As I was loading, I noticed Pinkie and what I could only assume was the shopkeeper's special somepony were talking to one another. Pinkie was back to her usual lively self. She caught me looking at her and blushed a little and waved. Because I was hold the dresser in place, I gave her a smile and a nod before returning my attention to the task at hand.
"So. You and Pinkie, eh?"
That caught me off guard, and I nearly dropped the dresser on myself, "What?"
"It's the talk of the town. Apparently you stuck up for Pinkie at the hotel, telling that receptionist off. Everybody loves Pinkie, but she can sometimes get on your nerves."
"I guess," I knew exactly what he meant.
"But, that Cyan deserved it I bet! Well, I'm not one for gossip. It was very good on you for sticking up for Pinkie like that, she never means any harm to nopony."
"Thanks... er..."
"Brawny Charger," He held out a hoof, "Pleasure to meet you. Call me Braw."
I grunted with the sudden increase of weight, when Brawny removed his hoof from the dresser. I reached over leaning the dresser against my thighs and shook his hoof, "Thanks, Bro. Don't recall my name, but everypony's calling me Forest."
"I know. Shame that you lost your memories. Must be frustrating." He put his hoof back on the dresser relieving the weight. I gasped in relief, but Brawny didn't notice. up onto the cart. It shifted under the weight a little.
"Not really. I've managed alright so far."
Placing the drawer next to the sofa-bed, we untied the sofa-bed and tied it down using the same length of rope. Then I carefully placed the small rose-covered bed-side table next to the sofa-bed. After tying it all down, which is hard for someone with no thumbs, I got behind the harness again.
Pinkie walked up next to me and smiled, "Where to next?"
I thought about it, "Pillows and stuff."
"Oh, Applejack said that she'll lend those to you," Pinkie replied waving her hoof in front of her.
"Did she now? Well, then let's head back to my place."
"Okeedokee," Pinkie said, and together we headed back towards Sweet Apple Acres.
"Have fun!" I heard Bro call out.
Pinkie turned around, "We will!"
Despite her innocence and the reality that she did not understand what Bro was suggesting, I could not help but find myself actually disappointed. What the hell was wrong with me? I shoved the thought aside.
Together we headed towards the road that led to Sweet Apple Acres.
"Pinkie!" I suddenly exclaimed.
"What?"
"Can you buy that frame for me?" I asked pointing to a frame outside a store. It was uhideous, but it was the perfect size.
"Sure," Pinkie rushed over before I could hand her my money-purse. She came bouncing back, "The shopkeeper says that it's going to be two bits, but she says she'll give it to you for one if you help her move some things in her storeroom."
Staring at me, Pinkie waited patiently for my answer. I narrowed my eyes, "You want me to help her, right?"
She nodded.
"Fine," I undid my harness, "Hi, what do you need help with?"
Leading me into the backroom, I saw a huge stack of boxes, at least two dozen of them, and all I needed to do was move them to the basement and stack them against the far wall with all the other boxes. Hefting two on my back, I started to job. The boxes weren't that heavy, but there were so many of them. After my eighth load, I could not help but stop for a break. As I did, I saw Pinkie blushing and shaking her head. So I stopped at the top of the stairs and listened.
"... so, you are going to help him set up his new home?" The shopkeepers asked.
"Yeah!" Pinkie replied, "That's all!"
"Nothing else?"
"No!" Pinkie blushed again.
"Really?"
"Really!"
I rolled my eyes. Gossip about my relationship with Pinkie most probably. And proceeded to my ninth load. As I was loading them onto my back, I saw Twilight join the other two. There was a very brief conversation before she continued on her way, Pinkie staring after her.
Not wanting to disturb whatever it was, and also needing to complete the task at hand, I placed the ninth load down and started up for the tenth. That was when I saw Pinkie with two boxes on her back standing at the top of the stairs. She came down and I helped her unload them. She looked at me.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Brian didn't go home last night, and he hasn't been home yet," Pinkie said.
Two thoughts came to my mind at that moment. The first one was relief! Maybe Brian went away. If he did, my cover was safe! But the second thought was how terrible it was for Rainbow. I mean, he is her father. Not that I understood what it meant having one, but I knew that losing something special was painful. Losing somepony special must be devastating.
"What do we do?" I asked.
"Twilight is rounding up the girls and we're going to form a search party. Everyone's going to be looking for him."
"Well, do you have any ideas?" I asked.
"No. But Twilight said that he was last seen at the hotel you were staying at," Pinkie looked at me eyes, "Twilight asked me to ask Crystal..."
I understood, "I'll ask her for you. She already hates me, and unlike you, I don't mind being hated."
"Really?" Pinkie asked, "You'll ask her for me?"
Did she just ignore the entire second half of that sentence?
"Yes, Pinkie."
Apologizing for being unable to finish the job, and being forgiven, Pinkie and I headed back towards Sugarcube Corner as fast as I could. Upon arriving at the bakery, I left my cart there, and told Pinkie to wait with the Cakes, and explain the situation while I conversed with Cyan Crystal.
Standing outside, I took a long deep breath, closed my eyes, allowed myself to calm down.
As I walked inside, I heard her voice, "What are you doing here? You're not welcome..."
"Stop. Please. I came to ask you for help..."
"What makes you think..."
"Brian's missing. Any information you can give would be greatly appreciated," I said cutting her off, "This isn't about you and me. This is about Mr. Dash. I know you don't like me, and I know that he doesn't either, but..."
Cyan Crystal put down whatever she hand in her hooves, "Missing?"
"He apparently hasn't come home yet."
For the next ten minutes, Crystal regaled the story from yesterday. How Brian got the key for my room, went there, found nothing, and then left. That was the last she saw of him.
The thing was, I wasn't shocked. Although I had predicted it, my mind was on one other thing - if Brian was not found, and giving the tense relationship I have with him, adding the fact that he was in the room I checked out of, it could look very bad for me if there was some sort of official investigation. I needed to nip this in the bud before it had time to bloom into something ugly.
"Then nothing?"
"Brian sometimes likes to go on this long walks. He walks all around Ponyville, usually taking a long cut towards his home," Crystal replied. She looked up at me, "Look, I don't care for you or for that Pink Filly, but find Brian. If you do... I'll..."
"No need, ma'am. If I can find him, I will," I replied cutting her off. I didn't want whatever she had to offer.
Leaving the hotel, I rushed over to Sugarcube Corner and relayed what I found out to Pinkie and the Cakes. That seemed to ring a bell with Pinkie.
"When Brian was new, he sometimes liked going to the Everfree Forest. He said that it reminded him of his home, whatever that means."
"That place? Isn't it dangerous?" I asked shuddering. The memory of the Timberwolf chasing me was still very fresh.
Pinkie's silence spoke volumes.
"Pinkie, find the others and tell them that you think Brian's in the Everfree Forest. I'll go ahead and start searching, okay? Mr. Cake, can you please go to the hospital and tell them to send a doctor the Everfree forest, just in case?"
Pinkie gave me a salute, and Mr. Cake ran out of the store with his apron still on. I nodded farewell to Mrs. Cake, and sped out of Sugarcube Corner and headed towards the Everfree Forest.
It didn't take me long to reach it. Pausing outside the entrance I could not help but stop.
"Okay, Forest. Just suck it up. You need to go in there. You might not like Brian, but he needs your help. You need to find him," I said trying to reason with my fear, "So, go in there and find him!"
I walked into the Everfree Forest.
It might have been my imagination, but as I did, it felt that the air got cooler, and the ground felt moist. Walking along the path, I suddenly jumped when my hoof snapped a twig. I instantly dove into the nearest bush. I waited, shuddering to myself. Was it a Timberwolf? Something else? Something bigger?
Instead I saw a light-blue Pony with a lighter-blue mane and tail. She seemed to be sneaking about the way she kept stopping and looked over she shoulder. That was pretty strange, so I watched her continue. She suddenly turned and walked towards me. My breath caught in my throat, did she spot me? Then she took a left just before she walked into the bushes where I hid. I heaved a sigh of relief. After giving her a head-start, I slowly came out of hiding and followed her from a safe distance. She walked along the edge of the thick foliage for a while. It was not long before the foliage-boundary ended. Here she paused and looked around. I ducked into the trees again, but it looked like she hadn't seen me. Seemingly satisfied that she was not tailed, she walked through some trees and straight into the thick forest. Waiting for a few minutes to ensure that she was not sitting there waiting to see if somepony else was following, I trotted up to place where she had disappeared into the thicket. I peered through the wall of greenery expecting to see nothing but more forest but instead I instantly saw what looked to be a trailer.
Well, that was slightly unexpected. I muttered to myself. Creeping towards the house, I walked over to one of the glass windows.
"... now the Great and Powerful Trixie will perform her magics!" She said aloud.
"Trixie, please. My little girl..." Came a second voice. I knew it was Brian's straight away.
"Silence! The Great and Powerful Trixie knows that the Rainbow Loud-mouth is not your daughter!" The blue Pony cut him off, "She is a Pony, and you are not!"
"I adopted her!" Brian exclaimed, he was frustrated, "Look, just let me go and tell them I'm okay, then I can come back."
They continued to talk with one another. But who was this Great and Powerful Trixie? And why did she have a trailer in the middle of the Everfree Forest? Surely there were better places to set up? There was something strange about this trailer and setup as well. It looked like a stage, but folded up on one side. Walking around to the side of the trailer, I looked for a door. None. That would mean that the door would actually be on the stage itself.
Slowly, carefully, I walked up the stairs. Not a sound. Then, as I placed my hoof on the top most step, I heard a loud groan as the wood shifted under my weight. I ducked down behind stairs. Nothing. I climbed back up again, avoiding the loose wooden floorboard, and made my way down a narrow corridor that was formed from the stage folded up, from one side, and the side of the house on the other. As I reached the door, I peered through the keyhole.
Brian was stuck in a chair tied down with rope straight ahead from where I was peeking. He was not gagged, and did not seem to be in any discomfort or pain.
Now here was my dilemma. What should I do? Should rush in there, and help him? What if that Pony kills me? Tutela said that if I died in this world, then that was it. I was not immune to death.
I peered again.
"... you will bring Twilight here!" The blue Pony was pacing in front of Brian.
Brian shook his head, "There's no need! She doesn't want to hurt you! I doubt she even remembers... Trixie! No!"
I gritted my teeth, ready to pounce. Ready to attack the blue Pony as she reared herself on her hind legs. As she did, I saw a long black rope unroll from her right hoof.
Pulling my head away from the keyhole, I rubbed my eye. Was my mind playing tricks on me? No, no. Better make sure that I saw what I saw. So, I peered through the keyhole again.
"A whip?" I whispered to myself, "A whip?"
She let it crack, but the way she used it and how careless she was seemed... childish. She was more likely to hurt herself than Brian. Relaxing a little, I continued to watch.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie demands that you obey!" She said and let the whip crack. It struck her rear, and she let out a yelp.
Brian burst out laughing, and I could not help but grin. But Brian was laughing really, really hard.
Just then I heard something that did not sound anything like laughter. It sounded more like coughing. Bad coughing. A deep, throat grating cough. It was coming from Brian. He was coughing really hard. He leaned forwards, his head bent at the neck. It looked like he was choking.
The blue Pony backed off away from Brian. From my angle I saw red liquid coming from his mouth and onto his chest. Blood. The blue Pony screamed.
I tried the door. Locked! I turned around, and using my hind legs from my apple-buckin', I kicked the door hard. Nothing. I did it again. Still nothing. I took two steps forwards, turning and ran as hard as I could into the door. That did the job. The door collapsed with me. The blue Pony screamed again when she saw me, but I rushed past her and right to Brian.
"Brian!" I shouted.
No response. Not good.
"Brian!" I shouted again, trying to undo the binds on his hands. I noticed that we were in the kitchen, so I turned and saw a knife lying on the counter. I took it, and cut the ropes that bound Brian to the chair. Then, I pulled him from the chair. He put his entire weight again me, but still no response.
Laying him down gently, I turned to the blue Pony, "Go to the entrance of the Everfree Forest! There should be a doctor there. Tell him how to get here! Go, now!"
Realizing the urgency of the situation, she turned and fled.
Placing my ear against Brian's chest, his heart was not beating. Could Ponies do CPR? Placing my hooves on my chest, I started pushing down in a rhythm trying to help his body along. I counted the pumps. Five, then check to see if he was breathing. No? Again! Five more time. Check. Is he breathing? No? Again! Do it! Again!
Just as I began to give up hope, Brian coughed, and I turned his head. Blood oozed from his mouth onto the floor. The relief washed over me in waves, and I could feel my heart slow down.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
He did not respond. I was not sure if he was conscious or not, but I was glad that he was alright. There was no doubt in my mind that I had to help him. No matter what, death was not an option. It was not an option for me, it was not an option for anyone else. There was a limit to how selfish I could be. Stealing a life, when life was stolen from me, is not something I was prepared to do. Not now, not ever.
"Don't scare me like that," I said leaning against the kitchen cupboards.
We sat there in silence for a long while. I kept an ear out for his breathing. They were no longer hard or labored as they were earlier.
"Over here!" I heard a voice outside
Rainbow was at the door faster than any of the others.
"Dad!" She screamed.
I jumped in her way and by the Powers of Grayskull! She was strong! "No, Rainbow! You're dad is in a very delicate condition right now. You must not move him without letting a doctor see him first!"
"What happened?" She screamed.
"I don't know. I'll tell you about what happened later, but for now, we have to get him stable," I looked into her eyes, "The doctor..."
"He's coming. He's coming," Rainbow fought back her tears, "Dad..." She said softly.
"Don't be rough with him, okay? Hold his hand gently. Your touch will help," I let her go.
She hovered next to me for a second, then moved over to her father, and gently gripped his hand. I saw Brian's fingers tighten around his daughter's hoof and nodded. If I lost the bet over this, there would be no regrets. I mean, it would suck that I had lost.
Leaving the Dashes alone for the moment, I ran outside. Why was that doctor taking so long?
"Where are you, Rainbow?" Came a familiar voice.
"Over here, Applejack!" I called.
"Forest? What in tarnation are you doin' here?" She asked as she came into view. Two doctors were right on her heels.
"No time to explain, this way, quick," I turned and led them into the trailer.
"How long has he been like this?" One of the medic-Ponies asked.
"I'm not sure. I'd say about ten minutes," I replied. I looked at Rainbow, and considered whether or not she ought to be there for the next series of questions. The thought of convincing Rainbow to leave would have just made matters worse.
"What was he doing before?" He asked, wiping the blood from his mouth, and checking Brian's neck.
"Coughing. He was coughing very hard," I replied, "He was tied down to that chair, and started a coughing fit."
"Tied?" The medic asked, "Did you tie him there?"
"No, but is that relevant?"
"Did he go into cardiac arrest?" The medic was now checking Brian's head and shining a flashlight, which he held in his mouth, into Brian's eyes.
I looked at Rainbow, who looked right at me. I could see it in her eyes. Fear. Raw, unrefined fear. I could feel her willing me to say no. To lie.
"Yes."
"And did you perform CPR?" The medic asked.
You guys know of CPR? I asked in my head, "Yes. Yes, I performed it. He started breathing, and I turned him."
"Well done, my boy. You might have just saved this Pony's - er, man's life," He nodded to the other medic and he started to unpack a stretcher.
"Will he be okay?" I asked.
The doc nodded, "Nothing is broken, and his pupils are responding properly. He'll be back to his usual self with some rest. We'll take him to the hospital for observation."
The medic placed the stretcher next to Brian's body and pushed him onto it. Then, using specially made harnesses, they carried him out. All the while, he did not leg go of his daughter's hand.
Outside the house, two Pegasi in white - also from the hospital I guess, took over from the doc and the other medic, and they used their wings to fly in the air, and towards the hospital. Rainbow flew with them, never once leaving her father's side.
Standing on the ground, I watched them go for a moment.
"Well done. You saved his life. Perhaps you're also a doctor, Forest?" The doctor asked.
"No, sir," I replied. I had done some First Aid training - it was mandatory in a company I worked for back in my world. I even had a CPR certification!
The doc placed a hoof on my shoulder and patted it, "Well, anyway, good job," Then he went off.
I followed him and once I got down from the trailer I looked in front of me. Applejack, Twilight, Pinkie and Applebloom were standing there.
"Where's the blue Pony?" I asked.
"She ran off once she told us where to go. The 'Great and Powerful Trixie' is long gone now," Twilight replied, "But, how did you find this place?"
"Pinkie explained about Brian's walking habits, and mentioned that he sometimes came in here. I entered here, and then I spotted that blue Pony and followed her to the edge of the clearing. I had thought I'd lost her, so I peeked through the trees and saw this," I gestured to the trailer.
"She said that you were punchin' him," Applejack looked at me.
"Punching?"
"Punchin' his chest."
"CPR," I looked at Twilight, "Surely you know what that is."
"Of course. It means cardiopulmonary resuscitation. A technique used to restart someone's heart."
"So, not punching, Applejack. Wait, are... are you guys accusing me of assaulting Brian?"
"Well, we weren't sure, Brian. Shucks, now I feel rather silly. It's just... well, Brian and you haven't been on good terms and we thought that you might have..."
I furrowed my brow, "What? Were you really thinking that I'd..."
"No, Forest, we knew you were helping," Pinkie replied.
All at once my anger vanished, and I smiled, "Thank you, Pinkie."
"I don't want to ruin this gatherin', but the sun is settin', and we're in the Everfree Forest. We need to go," Applebloom interrupted.
She did not need to tell us twice. We high-tailed it out of there.
Outside the entrance, I felt relieved and safe.
"So, what are you goin' to do now?" Applejack asked me.
"I've got to go back to Sugarcube Corner and get my cart."
"No need. I asked Big Mac to go grab it for you. He should be bringin' it to Sweet Apple Acres any moment."
"Thank you, Applejack. I appreciate it."
"I want to check up on Brian and Rainbow," Twilight said.
Applebloom looked at Twilight, "I'll come with you."
"Forest, you comin'?" Applejack asked.
"I doubt that Brian would want to see me there. I think it would be best if I stayed away."
To be honest, I was still shaken up by the events. Trained in CPR I may have been, but actually practicing it was something else. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, I didn't feel very much like facing anyone.
"I'll let you know if anythin' has changed," Applejack then followed her sister and Twilight back towards Ponyville.
I started to walk when I bumped into Pinkie. Pinkie grinned at me, "Ready to go?"
"Go?"
"You said that I you needed help with your new home," Pinkie looked up at me, "Moving the furniture and everything."
This Pony was ridiculous, "Sure, Pinkie. Let's go."
The cart with my stuff on it was outside the Clubhouse, and we wasted no time in getting everything inside. First was the sofa-bed. Taking it, we placed it inside. For the next ten minutes, Pinkie argued that it needed to go closer to the door, while I wanted it as far away as possible to possible. We came to a compromise and had it leaning on the far wall in the middle.
The dresser went opposite the sofa-bed, and finally the tiny heart-covered side-table went on the near side of the sofa-bed, closest to the door.
"Perfect," I stated.
"Oh! I have something else for you!" Pinkie said, and went outside. She came back moments later with a box, "Your first house-warming present."
"Aw, thank you, Pinkie," I opened it. It was that butt-ugly frame that I had wanted, "This is perfect!"
"Really? Because it looks kinda ugly," Pinkie replied. It was refreshing talking to someone completely honest and blunt.
"Now we need bed sheets and stuff," I stated.
Together we walked towards the house. By the time we reached, Applejack had returned from the hospital with Applebloom and they were preparing dinner. The table in the dining room was set, and we all sat down together, even Pinkie! Of course, the discussion automatically was all about Trixie and Brian. Brian was talking, and was saying that he was not going to press charges against Trixie, but Rainbow was furious with her father.
"I don't blame her," I replied, "I would be to. I was there, Trixie might not have meant to harm Brian, but in the end, she was a cause."
"He coughed blood, Forest," Applejack reminded me.
"So, Forest, have ye moved yer things into the Clubhouse?" Granny Smith asked, desperate to change the subject.
"Yes, ma'am!" I said, grinning.
"Well, then you'll be needin' blankets and sheets."
After dinner, Applejack and Granny selected sheets that I could use. I also got a towel, and a facecloth. As the mares were busy, I went upstairs and found my back hidden in the same spot. Taking it out, I took it downstairs with me. Pinkie was there playing a card game with Applebloom. Big Mac was in the corner looking at a newspaper.
"Uh, Big Mac?" I asked.
"Eeyup?"
"Thanks for bringing my cart from Sugarcube Corner."
"Eeyup," He replied.
And that was it. Our conversation was over. We stayed for a while, talking about the events of the day and soon it was getting pretty late, so I thanked the Apples again and was seen to the door. They watched me as I headed back towards the Clubhouse with Pinkie following me.
"Forest?" Pinkie asked as I opened the door to the Clubhouse.
"What is it, Pinkie?"
"Can... can I spend the night?"
"..."
"Well, it's just... it's just... I'm tired," She said looking down, "And... I want to see what it's like sleeping on the sofa-bed."
"..."
"I'm sorry, I don't know what..." Pinkie began, she was starting to get nervous again.
"Sure, Pinkie. I was just teasing you," I lied. In all honesty, I was too damned shock to think or speak.
The first thing I did was light a small candle, and put it on the dresser as I unpacked the bag of goodies the Apples gave to me. Next I walked over to the sofa and pulled it out - it was a snug fit against the dresser, but there was just enough room to walk past without having to stand on the bed. We put the sheets on it and then the blankets.
We stood at the end and admired our handiwork. It was clear that neither of us were good at making beds, but it didn't matter. Taking the candle, I put it down on top of the side-table. Then we both slipped under the sheets. She had her own, Pink sheets, and I had mine in black. I leaned over the heart-shaped table, and blew the candle off.
"Good night, Forest."
"Good night, Pinkie."
"Forest?"
"Yes, Pinkie?"
"What's supposed to happen now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Rarity said that if I spent the night that that you'd show me something special."
I was so, so, so, so glad that it was dark so that Pinkie would see my face turn bright red.
"Forest?" Her voice asked again.
I started making snoring sounds.
"Good night, Forest."
And, strangely, I fell asleep for real not long after that.