Gehrman awoke with a gasp—wait, he awoke? That means he had fallen asleep. He had slept! He had fallen asleep without having a nightmare… which was strange, considering the fact he had them almost every night. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and scratching the back of his head, Gehrman let out a sigh of relief.
“I feel a like I am reborn” he said to himself, stiffing a yawn. “Another day in the waking world.” He smiled at that. It was true. The waking world was truly a beautiful thing, even if it wasn’t Yharnam. Looking out of a nearby window, Gehrman saw that the sun had already risen. He had no idea what time it was, nor did he felt the need to ask someone.
“I think I’ll go for a walk,” Gehrman said to himself, chuckling as he stood up from his chair. Grabbing his top hat, he put it back on his head. “Look at me. Here I am, talking to myself. Ha, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think I be turning insane.”
Shaking his head and clearing his mind from some unpleasant memories, Gehrman walked towards the library’s exit and opened it. Walking out of the library and inhaling the sweet smell of fresh air and grass, Gehrman began to walk further into Ponyville.
It was a very strange scene to begin with. Ponies were setting up different kinds of stands, others were happily strolling through town. Of course there was the occasional look of discomfort and hesitation from some ponies, but Gehrman just ignored those. He’d gotten used to those stares a long time ago. Walking into town and eyeing various buildings with curiosity, Gehrman stopped at a nearby stand.
“Excuse me,” Gehrman said, getting the attention of the Earth pony stallion behind it. “How much are those apples?”
“Well ah’ll be.” A voice called out.
Gehrman turned his head, but saw no one. He blinked in confusion, and returned his attention to the stallion. “As I asked, how much are those—“
“How are ya this fine mornin’, Gehrman?”
There it was again. The same voice that called out to him seconds ago. “Who is there?” Gehrman asked.
Suddenly, a familiar looking Stetson hat pooped out from behind the stand. Gehrman peeked his eyes, but smiled when he saw who was standing behind the stand.
“Applejack, hello,” Gehrman greeted. “I am fine,” he replied, looking over at all of the apples that were displayed over the stand. “I must say that these look quite appetizing.”
“Would ya like one?” Applejack asked, holding out an apple to him.
Gehrman waved his hands in front of him in a dismissive way. “No, I don’t have any way of repaying you. That would be like stealing—well maybe not stealing, but you get the point.”
“Just eat it already, big fella,” Applejack chuckled.
Gehrman smiled at her. Reaching out for the apple, he grabbed it and brought it to his mouth. Taking a bite out of the apple, his eyes widened at the sweet flavor and juices that entered his mouth. “This is amazing,” Gehrman commented, smiling brightly as he took another bite. “I must say that I’m very impressed, Applejack.”
Applejack tipped her hat. “That’s mighty kind of ya, Gehrman.”
“This the fella you were talking about, yesterday?” The stallion asked Applejack.
Applejack nodded her head. “He sure is,” she replied. “Gehrman, I’d like you to meet mah brother: Big McIntosh. But we all call him Big Mac for short.”
Gehrman tipped his hat at him. “A pleasure to meet you.”
“Pleasure’s all mine,” Big Mac replied. His eyes inspected Gehrman, his thoughts of him being ones of curiosity and awe. “You are one big fella, aren’t ya?”
“I am quite big for my standards, yes,” Gehrman chuckled. “But I must say that you are quite big as well.”
“Thank you”
“You’re welcome.”
“If ya’ll are gonna keep complimenting one another, then please do it somewhere private.” Applejack said, stiffing a giggle.
“My apologies, Applejack,” Gehrman said, tipping his hat at her.
“Though I must say,” Applejack said, peeking her eyes at him. “That is a mighty fine hat you’re wearin’. Where’d you get it?”
"I made it myself." Gehrman replied.
“Really, then you must be quite talented at your work,” Applejack said, earning a nod from Gehrman. “Well,” Applejack trailed off. Looking up at her own hat, she sighed as she grabbed it and held it out to Gehrman. “Ya see, my hat’s been damaged when I went applebuckin’ not too long ago. I didn’t really care at first, but as ya can see,” she said as she showed him the big cut that was running from the middle of her hat, to the right side. “The cut’s been getting bigger and bigger.”
“May I?” Gehrman asked, holding his hand out.
Applejack nodded, handing him her head as she watched in curiosity as Gehrman began to inspect it.
“The cut can be fixed pretty easily, and some parts are a brighter color than other parts. I can fix it for you, if you want. Though I know that a hat has some kind of emotional value to a person, so I understand if you decline my offer.” Gehrman said as he handed her; her hat back.
Applejack shook her head. “Just promise you’ll fix it quickly, I really don’t like not having my trusty hat on my head.”
“I will make sure this hat will be better than before,” Gehrman said as he took one last bite from his apple. “Where do I need to go to get some cloth, or a needle?”
“Try Carousel Boutique,” Applejack replied. “It’s Rarity’s boutique, I’m sure she’ll let you in.”
“Which way?” Gehrman asked.
“Just keep walking straight from here on out,” Applejack replied. “I would come with ya, but I can’t let Big Mac sell all these apples all by himself.”
“It’s all right, Applejack,” Gehrman replied, turning around and walking away from the stand. “And don’t worry, your hat will be fine.” He called out to her.
Applejack smiled and waved him goodbye.
“He’s nice,” Big Mac commented, looking at his sister.
“He sure is,” Applejack replied, a small hint of warmth making it up to her muzzle. “He’s a mighty fine fella, that’s for sure.”
Gehrman continued his walk through Ponyville, Applejack’s Stetson hat in one hand, while the other held nothing but air. He had to admit that Ponyville looked a little childish, and a bit too colorful, too. But he couldn’t care less about that. He’d rather have to look at Ponyville for eighty years, than to look at the scenery of the Hunter’s Dream for two seconds.
“Excuse me,”
Gehrman stopped in his tracks. “Hello?” he asked.
“Down here,” a childish voice replied.
Gehrman looked down, only to be greeted by a white unicorn filly. “Oh, hello,” Gehrman greeted the filly. “How can I help you?”
“I was just wondering, is your name Gerham?”
“My name is Gehrman,” he corrected the filly. “Now, how can I help you?”
“Nothing really,” the filly replied, smiling at him. “I was just wondering what you looked like, since my sister couldn’t stop talking about you yesterday.”
“And who might your sister be, young lady?” Gehrman asked politely.
“Her name’s Rarity. She owns the Carousel Boutique. Surely she told you that, yesterday.” The filly replied.
“Is she the one who talks and acts like a noble?” Gehrman asked.
The filly nodded.
“Then, yes I have. But if you wouldn’t mind me asking,” Gehrman said as he got on one knee. “Would you mind telling me where your sister’s boutique is located? You see, Applejack gave me her hat, and I promised to fix it for her.”
“Applejack gave you her hat?” The filly asked, a hint of surprise in her voice. “She must really like you, then. From what I’ve seen so far, that hat is sacred to her.”
Gehrman shrugged, standing at his full height again. “Will you help me, Uhm… what is your name, young lady?”
“My name is Sweetie Belle,” she replied, smiling at him. “Nice to meet you. Oh boy, I can’t wait to tell the other crusaders about this.”
“Crusaders?” Gehrman repeated in confusion. “Aren’t you a bit young to go on a crusade?”
Sweetie Belle tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean? We’re all trying to get our Cutiemarks, and we’re trying really hard. All the other fillies from our class already have their Cutiemarks.” Sweetie Belle looked down at the ground in shame as she let out a sigh. “Me, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo are the only blank flanks left.”
Gehrman cleared his throat. “I’m not trying to be rude. But I haven’t got the slightest clue of what you just told me. Now, will you or will you not take me to your sister’s boutique?”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Sure, just follow me. It isn’t too far from here.”
Gehrman nodded his head and followed the filly. The walk to the boutique wasn’t that long, as she told him before. And it was actually quite fascinating how big such a small looking town actually was. Sure, it was nothing compared to Yharnam, but that didn’t mean it didn’t impress him.
Having finally reached the boutique, Gehrman and Sweetie Belle exchanged their goodbyes and went separate ways. Gehrman walked towards the entrance of Carousel Boutique and knocked.
“Come in.” A voice form inside the boutique called out.
Gehrman opened the door, careful not to bang his head on the way in. He entered the boutique, only to be greeted by an all too happy Rarity.
“Why Gehrman,” Rarity said, levitating pieces of cloth over her head. “What brings you here?”
Gehrman held up Applejack’s hat. “Applejack asked if I could fix her hat. I said yes but found out I didn’t have the proper tools for fixing it. So she told me to visit you, and here I am.”
“That sounds logical. However, Applejack could have just told me she needed her hat fixed.” Rarity commented. Shaking her head, she continued. “But what can one do? Come now, Gehrman. I will show you were the magic happens.”
Gehrman followed the mare until she showed him a room full of cloth, some needles, silk, and many other various objects that one could use to fix clothing. Or in this case, a hat.
“Feel free to take whatever you like. But try not to make a mess, okay?” Rarity said, looking up at Gehrman.
“You have my deepest gratitude, Rarity. If you ever need something from me, then feel free to ask.”
Rarity bit her bottom lip. “Well,” she trailed off. “There is one thing.”
Gehrman raised an eyebrow. “And that would be?” Gehrman asked.
“Well, I promised Sweetie Belle and her friends that I would ‘hang out with them’ as they called it. But I have just received a really big order from one of my customers. So if you could take my place, you would make me the happiest mare in all of Equestria.” Rarity replied.
“If that is all,” Gehrman said as he reached for a nearby chair. “And when am I supposed to ‘hang out’ with your sister and her friends?”
“Two hours from now,” Rarity smiled.
“… By the Old Blood, woman. Couldn’t you have told me that before I told you that you could ask anything of me?” Gehrman sighed, sitting down on the chair, which could barely sustain his weight.
“If you don’t want to, then--.”
“I never said I didn’t want to,” Gehrman interrupted her. “I will do it. But first I need to fix this hat, and that will take some time.”
“Take all the time you need,” Rarity said, turning around and walking out of the room. ‘But be prepared to be bombarded with questions by my sister and her friends.’
And with that, the First Hunter began his new mission. Fixing the hat of a pony he had just met.