//------------------------------// // Three Good Looking Ponies // Story: Observation // by Bromad //------------------------------// Two days passed in relative silence, for the first time in years, I was finally having my fill from Almond and Pink. With my own hunger satisfied, I redirected their energy towards the pegasus and back unto themselves to preserve them. By drawing on their energy periodically, letting them rest, and storing excess, the two can provide for me with liquid emotional energy reserves to last for months. I cleaned her pod today, dead skin tissue and loose mane and hair that came loose turned the membrane of the pod black. Some of it was clotted blood that would rise to the surface after perixsomes in the cell purged toxins from the nucleus host. This process allowed me to wipe the dead matter and tissue off the surface of the pod with my hoof. I tsk'ed at the gnarled face as her features became clearer through the membrane, I'm sure it was very pretty before her crash. My walk around town as Peer with camera in tow made me stop when I saw a guardspony with a stapler standing next to a small wooden board with dozens of flyers and papers tacked in. Cake Catering at Sugercube Corner, first time visitors receive special discount. Take one: Rosetta's Flowers, your arrangement for 5% off. Thrift's Potluck Friday, please bring desserts for raffle. Dinner starts at 6:00 Interested in Going on nature walks with Nature Walk? Info session at 604 Elderwood Way, 9 A.M. Wednesday the 13th. Monday: Cloudy and cool all day. Tuesday: Sunny. Wednesday: Sunny. Thursday. Morning Showers, Sunny Afternoon. Friday: Sunny. Saturday: Cloudy. Sunday: Overcast morning, Afternoon and Night Showers. 50 Bits for a Sofa, Contact Lazy Bones. The guard pony pressed the first white sheet up, MISSING/WANTED FOR QUESTIONING Almond. Dirty brown coat, Golden colored mane-naturally straight, cut ear length, green eyes. Almond Cluster Cutie Mark. Last seen leaving Wendy Whistle Wetter's with individual(s): Pink Lady Apple and Bomb Shell. MISSING/WANTED FOR QUESTIONING: Pink Lady Apple. Magenta/pink dual colored hair, long, wavy. Neck Length. Two (2) yellow/red/pink apples connected to wooden branch Cutie Mark. Orange eyes. Last seen leaving Wendy Whistle Wetter's with individual(s): Almond and Bomb Shell. Pink Lady Apple was the only one of us with a picture, I reasoned that she was the first to have a pony that knew them realize they were missing. WANTED FOR QUESTIONING: Bomb Shell. Deep Magenta hair color, neck length. Dark red coat. Eye color unknown. Red rocket firework cutie mark. Last seen leaving Wendy Whistle Wetter's with individual(s): Pink Lady Apple and Almond. Nopony reported Bomb Shell missing, giving them plenty of suspicions. It was surreal as I took my pictures of the guard putting up our posters, even going so far as to smile and wave cheerily as he glanced in my direction at the sound of the shutter, then trotting off. What arrested my curiosity was the fact that I never saw a similar poster for my pegasus 'friend'. I wondered when, if at all, somepony would knock at my door. For the first three months, I'd hoped that the only pony to knock on my door would be a changeling in disguise. But, going from summer to fall, I was convinced that whoever was suppose to take my place was never going to arrive. Now I worried that if a changeling knocked on my door, they'd replace me and then hide the body. Ironic isn't it? I guess I'd already accepted the fact that it was inevitable for somepony to knock on my door by abducting three ponies off the streets, but admitting the fact made me worry about the possibility of somebuggy actually showing up. If they did, it's not like they could take over my ingrained role as a pony, it's not like they...are...watching me... My mind wanted to slap itself silly, of course 'they' were watching me. There was more than one changeling here in Ponyville, at most a dozen, maybe less. It wouldn't be stretching the realm of possibilities too far to say that two of them worked in tandem. Emotions in the air seem to dry up whenever I spot a large group cantering and chatting their way through town. Farmers markets' was where I always sensed a brother of my kind soaking up the ambiance and well-to-do attitude of the Equestrian ponies. From my brief trots around town, no pony I observed broke their facade and glared at me with burning eyes, telling me I wasn't wanted. At least they were well ingrained into their role. I may be perceptive and think ahead, but I'm prone to accidentally wandering around, and not realizing where I am or who I pass on the street. I stopped infront of a market stall with two pictures taped to the outward facing poles, and then noticed exactly who the stall owner was. I wonder if the ponies have a word for it...spacially challenged? Mentally Dense? An Idiot? Pink Lady Apple was sitting under a tree with three other ponies, one from the picture was also manning the stall. Two overlapping circles were drawn around Pink Lady's face, with the words "Have you seen me?" scrawled below the picture itself. Applejack stared at me, not yet ready to ask 'How my day was,' because my eyes were soaking in every detail of the picture and comparing information with the rest of my brain. From the apples on display, the additional missing pictures, the way Applejack's throat clenched and chest rose. Applejack was ready to speak from the way she cleared her throat with a little cough. "Morning, how are you today?" She genuinely asked, 'Terrified, I'm talking to an Element of Harmony that's known to represent honesty, and I think I peed a little. Would it be bothersome if we carried this conversation some other time? 'Never' seems to work for my schedule.' "Quite well, thank you." I replied, hoping to move along as fast as possible. "Can I interest you in some Sweet Apple Acre's apples this morning? Some of the best apples in Equestria are grown right here in Ponyville." Yeesh, her sales pitch was lacking spirit, I knew spirit, she delivered her line like a clerk called in on their day off to work the cash register all day. "I'll pass this morning." I casually replied, "I was actually looking at the pictures and posters that are showing up all around town. I wish on my behalf that she's found safe." 'Pink Lady is hardly in a sound state of mind.' Applejack drew up a smile from the vote of confidence I'd given her, "Well, thank you kindly." "When did you last see her?" I asked, playing my role of a concerned citizen. "Three days ago, Pink Lady breezed in from out west, and was only passing through for the day. She went out to have a little fun at the watering hole later that night after dinner, and that's all I know. She left all her things at the farmhouse, so I know she didn't decide to just up and leave." Applejack summed up rather briefly. I could tell she was keeping her emotions close to heart, struggling to keep a certain anger from rising too quickly. It seemed coy, but an idea popped into my head, "I've been taking pictures all around Ponyville for a few weeks now, and I might have a picture of the mare, Bombshell." Bingo, her eyes rose in curiosity and want, with a small breath of affection blown my way. "I heard somepony was lugging a camera around these past few weeks. I take it, with all your gear, yer that pony?" She took a moment to eye my camera with more speculation, I could tell she was reading the red and white metal tag bolted into the faux black leather exterior - Tasek Film. Model number: A#3708. "Yes, ma'am!" I cheerily replied. "Peer... Pictograph," Offering my hoof, she shook it with enthusiasm that was building the moment I mentioned Bombshell's picture. "Pleased to meet you, Peer. So you think you might have a picture of this 'Bombshell' pony?" "Well, I do remember stunning...seeing a mare matching her description, and I might of taken a picture of said mare from a distance." Tripping over the Freudian slip, Applejack gave me a queer smile. "Stunning and stalking?" Applejack teased, leaning into her side of the stand. "Rhymes with jail bait?" She asked, I looked at her with a curious brow, wondering if the anachronism was a local jargon for her. "You know," She implied as if I were in on the inside joke the whole time. 'Not really.' My curious blank stare and silence allowed her to reiterate. - "Flirting with trouble?" Huh? Applejack didn't even skip a beat and kept the conversation going. "Hey, now, I like to think I know a lot of ponies here in Ponyville, us girls keep a pretty tight knit group. We all know each other through a friend or a friend of a friend, but I guarantee you that there is definitely no pony named 'Bombshell' living in Ponyville." Applejack said the last word with spite. Oh. Figures, of course in a small town like this, nothing remains a secret for long. I was right when I thought that the ponies would figure the odd-pony out in situations like this. But then again, taking an eligible mate in Manehatten will still have at least one pony asking questions. "Well, I'll be sure to take a gander through the film and see if anything turns up!" I said, turning my hooves away from Applejack and down the street. "Thank you, Peer." She was deliberately slow with her words, distraught and sincere. It was different from the other 'thank you's she's given me. The emotions chilled my spine and made my mouth water at the same time. It was touching, and my eyes were hot, I was worried that my nervousness would make my eyes switch colors or flip to their natural form. Being dishonest with that mare made my insides squirm and twist. In truth, I did have a picture of Bombshell, but it certainly wasn't the one I was going to show Applejack. I tried to reasonably think of how long I should keep the ponies tucked away in their pods. After three months, all three of them would need nourishment, by then their bodies will have metabolized excess body fat and their stomachs shrunken. After six months, the ponies wouldn't be able to walk properly if they were freed from the pods and expected to walk. That was if I weren't actively trying to preserve them, in a hive setting, the same scenario would apply more quickly. With energy directed towards the pegasus, and myself just skimming emotions off the top, I theorized I could easily live comfortably for a year. I smacked myself in the head with my hoof - As a changeling, I was supposed to bring food back to the hive. How could I have gone four months without realizing that one facet of my very existence? Suddenly I was struck with another debate - take them back or leave them here, I should've taken them back and let the emotions be shared between the whole colony, but I was too preoccupied with providing for myself to remember that tidbit while starving. Pacing in the basement, my thoughts were directed at the three waiting guests. "No, I need to wait, get my own reserves up, and let the pegasus heal. Pink, Almond, and her..." I rambled, "Pink, I'll let you go. I can't have your cousin get the whole town whipped up into a frenzy especially since she thinks Bombshell kidnapped you. I dont want to imagine how quickly things could go right for everypony but me if she pleaded to the other element bearers for help... I mean it's true." I said to Pink Lady. "You have no idea how absolutely terrified I am of your cousin, the element bearers, the guards, of the princesses, of trying to come up with the words to a conversation. Even my queen, yes. My queen, she's the most wonderful mother who raised us and taught us about the world, and sent us into it/ There are just so many combinations of words! And so many ways to say it, I can't ever get the right one without thinking to myself ten minutes later 'Did I say it right? Did I say everything that needed to be said? How do they see me now?' That's every moment of every social interaction in my life, Pink." Admitting it to the silent observers at first seemed passively easy at first, nearing the end tears were coming out of my eyes. "Am I happy? Or am I sad? I don't...know." My senses dulled, and a queasy feeling was building in my stomach. Suddenly being around these ponies felt like I was standing in a room filled with rotting garlic. I wanted to take one pony with me to hold, but at the same time it seemed crazy and wasteful. "I could leave her on a train..." I tried talking as if they weren't there anymore. "...not going out, they'd know. OR...at a restaurant, the side of the road if I were mean, a bench..." Obviously it would need to be someplace far a way from here. I thought of leaving her somewhere picturesque and poetic, but what type of changeling would do such a thing like leave a pony in the middle of a concert hall... A total creep I realized, I never known how many memories a pony retains of before the abduction. From what others told me, our venom does a pretty good job of scrambling the memory of that night into a jubilee of brain paste; if they did remember anything at all. I wouldn't want to be the pony caught playing hooves on with a changeling in disguise. Making it worse would be wake up in someplace like a bench. Back upstairs, I returned to my makeshift dark room. I hadn't yet decided on a means to get Pink out of the village, and instead focused on having Bombshell make a quick reappearance around town. Sure I could use a Polaroid camera, or a crystal clear image lens, made in the crystal empire, but I could argue that unless a pony puts emotion into their work, it doesn't show the extra effort. That's why I spent so much time practicing, mimicking what real emotion and effort looked like so I can show my work to others and convince them I'm a pony alongside them, basking in their praise for a few minutes before retreating. Taking in the view of the whole world tends to polarize things, small details are lost, everything is so black and white. Raising a picture out of solution, I placed the photo into a rinse pan and then letting it dry on the rack. I wonder if it was vanity that made me take a picture of Bombshell, or ego: I'm risking another confrontation with an Element of Harmony, with a picture that showed my previous disguise, all for a little bit of adoration. I staged it so Bombshell was walking behind three ponies, showing a semi-full profile of her face and a glimpse of the firework cutie mark. Pink Lady, Almond, and the pegasus were still floating in their pods when I returned. Lacking any plans, I needed to think. A rational pony would return to Applejack either the day of, or the next morning. Each decision came with different responses, if I took the photo to her now, she'd be surprised, elated, happy, and gracious as I could only guess. If I kept her waiting until morning, that curiosity I planted earlier today would grow until tomorrow morning, and might reduce the amount of surprise and positive affection Applejack would end up giving me. I convinced myself that the first option would be better and changed into Peer as quickly as I could. The farmers market was already sparse and closed down for the afternoon. A few merchants were holding out for last minute of the day customers. Only I knew what was really going on from their emotions-they were bored out of their minds, hoping I would come up and buy something to validate their reasoning for staying open later. Alas, Applejack was not there, and must of returned to her farm. I wasn't tempted to ask either, I knew where she lived. I know where all the element bearers live. I prefer to avoid them like they carried the plague, but I guess plague victims need hope too about their missing cousins. The walk to Sweet Apple Acres was spent calculating and planning every little response I needed to make and appropriately feign emotional response, just to make sure she wouldn't discover me and to get the most out of our little conversation without going over the top. None of that, 'Let me kiss you because I'm greatful, because it's still a possibility'. Skies above, my entire chitin would burst in to pieces at the thought of trying to maintain composure if that happened. "Peer. PEer. Hey! Peer! peeeEER! Peer Pictograph!" Every time I said my new name, I tried imagining somepony calling out to me. It was something I did to help me ease into another day as one of the ponies. The Apple's faces came to mind, I remembered the expression on each of their faces as I saw them for the first time. It was through the long range scope of a viewfinder as I took pictures of them in my first month here in Ponyville. "Keep it concerned, cheerful, and then progressively more upbeat." I said, like some kind of mantra. Like a director giving an actor their emotion, and I, the actor slipped into this mindset. Approaching the door, a calendar listing phases of the moon and weather cycle for the next month was pinned off to the side of the door, and red X's already crossed out on the days that predicted rain. "Hum...Says rain in two hours." The note under today's date, as well as a red X, read 'rain 9 PM-1AM' I pulled back the screen door and knocked loudly, every rap against the wooden door echoed across the farm and through the quiet orchards. Suddenly a dog was barking and howling, I heard a strained voice shout, "Winona, shut yer' barking!" The barking continued for another twenty seconds followed by more, "WINONA! SHUSH!" loud enough to shake the whole house, the last words I heard before the door opened were 'Winona, git in there.' It was opened by a unexpected, train-engine sized red stallion with the emotional fortitude of a brick wall, 'Feathers, her brother is tall!' The barking died instantly, most likely from my heart skipping a beat to make the dog believe I was dead. "How 'Bout it'?" "Perhaps later, if you're still interested. I'm actually here for Applejack. Is she home?" Turning Mac's words on himself made his expression stall for a moment, and with a eye roll he looked back over his shoulder. "Yep." Behind him, two mare voices asked "Well, Who is it?" "Yeah, Who is it, Mac?" I recognized the first as Applejack's, the other was the darling little sister to the Element of Honesty, Applebloom. "Peer," I offered, "I have a picture for Applejack, I was looking through my photos I took in the last week and found one of Bombshell, she is...wanted for questioning?" I added the inflection without realizing it, in the back of my mind I hoped Big Macintosh knew what I was talking about. Big Mac turned called over his shoulder, "AJ, it's fer you." The Clydesdale stepped back, and Applejack took his place. "Peer! Your here!" I smiled, trying to make her feel comfortable. "I've got that photo for you." I said, reaching back into my saddlebag for the black and white picture. Applejack took the photo and held it up to the porch lantern, a smile stretched across her face. "I'll run this into town first thing in the mornin', Peer. Thank You." She said. "You're quite welcome, Applejack. I'm just trying to be a good citizen." I said with a hearty smile. Be sure to place a really strong emphasis on trying. "Tryin', shoot, you are a good Ponyvilli'ain. Have you had dinner yet?" Applejack asked, "I'd like ta get to know a new face aroun' town." Ouch, in the art of conversation, I internally winced at her heartfelt request. Asking me to dinner, filling a pony's need for food, and holding a stimulating social visit? Applejack was certainly a welcoming host and new how to twist a pony's leg with her words. Mentally I made a note of that, next to first impressions. With her humble background and status, I'd be hard pressed not to want to meet with an element bearer and listen to her stories. However, as a changeling, if I could get this far with a conversation with an enemy; a known enemy and verify her stories with our own records, this might be the most important night of my life. Somehow I wasn't paralyzed with fear from that fact and nodded. "If you're offering dinner, I'd love to try some." "Come on in! We always cook enough for leftovers, we got friends and family rolling through this farm all the time! Wouldn't be the first time the Apple family set another plate at the table." Stepping back, she held the door open and I was allowed in to a brightly lit and warm home. Macintosh was standing close by to the couch, about ready to sit down again, as Applebloom was on her hooves, ready to meet me. "Mac, Applebloom, this is Peer. I met him in the marketplace, he was taking pictures throughout Ponyville and found a photo of one of the ponies who was last seen with Pink Lady." I smiled and shook hooves with all of them. "How many photo's did you have to look through to find this one?" Applejack asked. "Only a few dozen. I went through all my color photos first, looking for that mare. Then, I went and developed my black and white film, and she was in the middle of the strip." "You do black and white film?" "Yes, I'll buy two or three cameras at the beginning of the year, then experiment around to find the best scenes to photograph to match the film medium." "What do you take pictures of?" "What kind of cameras do you have?" the question came from Applebloom this time. A voice from the kitchen cut through our idle chit-chat. "Do you have a studio for family portraits? Applejack, we need to get a family photo taken. A good one! One with all of us!" The rest of the Apple family collectively rolled their eyes to the several framed photos starring the Apples in different times throughout the years around the living room. "I have-" I started to say, but was cut off by the matriarch of the family, Granny Smith. "All dressed up real fancy!" She rattled on. "You do that kinda photo work?" "I-" Granny Smith carried on, striding right up to me and shaking my hoof. "Name's Granny Smith. What's yours?" "Do-" After spending so much time planning out all the little details for conversations, then from being shut down so man times in a row, and finally after all that, we're back to square one?! I was crying on the inside and wanted to leave. I needed something to calm me down, water, to move around. Applejack's gaze was warm and inviting, but to me... they were thrashing my disguise apart. Getting a message through to my brain was impossible. I tried telling myself they weren't going to hurt me, but I was internally screaming everytime Applejack looked at me. I felt like she would be the first to know, to figure out I'm a changeling. I dug in my back hoof to the floor and twisted it back and forth into the carpet like a nervous tell, then worked on answering the first question and keep talking from there. "I haven't done anything like that for anypony in Ponyville yet, but I'd be willing to take a photo of your family. I'm still trying to find my new muse for-" "OH! I could be a muse!" Applebloom proposed, I winced, I needed to. There was so much logic and planing that went into a single response, from everything as simple as a yes or no answer, silence, or elaborating; I was off the rails and hardly able to keep it under control. Looking down at her, the bundle of energy was barely contained at the seems. I laughed as she danced around, striking ten poses. Swinging her tail, leaning back onto two hooves, and spinning on one hoof. Applebloom paused for barely a second between poses as if a crowd of ravenous photographers were demanding more. Compassion, loyalty, humility, pity, I stopped myself immediately from the temptation. 'I'm here to return an Apple, not pluck another one off their family tree.' I wanted to ask a question myself, but I'm under a microscope every second I was around ponies and needed to remember all the parts to my alias as Peer. "Geeze, I don't know? How long can you hold a pose?" I asked, curious and playfully confident. "Fer' hours!" She said, standing back up on one hoof, she was determined to show me without waiting to see reached up behind her head and gripped her rear left leg while leaning back. I was shocked at the stretches and watched as she jumped from pose to pose. "Those are some pretty good poses," I said, "What do you do to be so flexible-" I stopped, this is what I meant when I tried to think up of the hundreds of different ways of saying something, saying it, and then realizing there was something else I could've said that would've been WAY better. Could'a, should'a, would'a, a grown stranger stallion who takes pictures for a living asked a filly how was she so flexible in front of her family. "Do you do gymnastics? Or dance alot? What about sports or running around with your friends?" I spat out as many questions as I could, as fast as I could, to get bury the thought and direct the attention back on to Applebloom. Was my face red? Darn it, I should've made Peer a red pony. He may have stood out more, but at least he could hide a blush in his cheeks. I dreaded saying it, and now the thought would haunt me for a few years as I accidentally said the worst thing in the history of trying to be sociable. From that point on in the night, I wanted to leave and go bury myself in the dirt outside. "Oh yeah, my friends and I are all part of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. We're all looking for our cutie marks so we keep on trying tons of new ideas every day to see how we can find them!" "Oh really, what did you do yesterday?" "We went out and picked fruit and veggies at all our neighbors. We tried blueberries, and black berries, Carrot Tops, and Salmon berry's farm, and plucked potatoes..." "Wait, are these ponies, or the fruit and veggies?" I asked for clarity sake. "Huh? Oh, They're both. So, anyway, after rootin' around and harvesting everything. My friends Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell, and me were working in different rows in the berry patches." My disdain of small fillies grew in that moment, curse them and their ability to only understand questions at face value and not elaborate. "I'm working a row filled with blueberries, Sweetie Belll is over in strawberries, and Scootaloo is a few rows down, trimming back thorn vines for black berries. When we get to lunch, we've all got a few flats of berries from our own row. Scootaloo asks Sweetie Bell to toss her some strawberries, so she does. You know, 'goin' long." Sweetie Bell asks Scootaloo for some blackberries and so she over hoof, fast-ball pitches a pint of blackberries all at once right at Sweetie Bell. Sayin' 'Catch!'" Applejack and Granny Smith were already grinning at that point in the story. "Now, Sweetie Bell has a beautiful, white coat and a real sparkling 'dai' hmond' for a sister who likes to keep things clean and organized. She doesn't like it when we go out and roughhouse and get all dirty." "I don't mind the dirty part, it's the far-fetched ideas that you take to the extreme too quickly to find your cutie mark." Applejack interjected. "So that's why we went berry picking, Applejack." Applebloom said defensively, turning back to me. "The blackberries were already a few days past their harvest date, 'cept no pony had gotten to them yet. But these blackberries Scootaloo threw were the biggest, juiciest blackberries she could pick. The ones that matured early and stayed on the vine late. They hit her like mini water balloons filled with jam." Applebloom leapt out of her chair. "She was like 'AH, Ah. ah! Ah!' trying to catch and deflect and of the berries, but it was like an instant dalmatian makeover." "And her sister was mad when she saw Sweetie Bell covered in blackberry stains?" "Oh, it got way worse." Applebloom assured me, sitting back down in her chair. "Sweetie Bell had a fit. Going off on Scootaloo about how she threw them way too hard. Scootaloo was all like, "I said, 'Catch'. Maybe we can toss a ball around later, and work on your skills. We could try that again!' Scootaloo doesn't even see Sweetie Bell boilin' away. Nostrils flarin', steam coming out of her ears. She picks up a dozen strawberries with her magic and flings 'em right at Scootaloo. Boom, instant berry fight. They each take a flat and are lobbing berries back and forth at each other, running up and down rows. I'm walking over towards them with my blueberries as they get into round two. A few minutes go by and they sit down all tuckered out. I walk up behind them and say 'Oh, Sweetie Bell, Scootaloo! I love your new shampoo!" Applebloom brings up both hooves and slaps them down onto the table around her plate. "I smashed blueberries right into their manes! " I laugh, even a deep chuckle comes from Big Mac. From the way Applejack was looking at Applebloom, I realized that this type of behavior wasn't suppose to be condoned and switched to a different topic. "Speaking of farms we're you thinking of using a backdrop or maybe a I could have the family somewhere meaningful around the farm?" Applejack's ear twitched at the mention of the setting. I picked up on it instantly and offered her some of my time. "Would you mind if I brought my equipment and wander around the orchards? I'd love to try and capture Sweet Apple Acres. I'm sure there's a spot you can think of, but on my own time I want to do a case study for different cameras." I was being forward, and I honestly wanted to wander around Sweet Apple Acres. I wagered they owned close to twenty five to thirty acres. There's bound to be an interesting photo opportunity somewhere in those endless orchards. Applejack wrangled me into a deal, the family portrait in exchange for as much time as I wanted in the orchards. That's right, Apple family, let me get to know you a little better. Let me sit at your table, and eat your food. Let me hear tales of friendship and family matters while eating ice cream and apple pecans. I'll even help clear the dishes and tell you a story of my own to sate your well meaning curiosity. "I was a bored photographer living in a two room apartment in Phillydelphia, and everyday the view outside my window was of a brick storefront, two concrete houses with gravel yards, some gaudy looking trees, and a two by one lot filled with weeds. Nothing was inspiring me. For the longest time I said to myself, 'Nah, I'm fine with this.' Fine, if you ever catch yourself saying 'you're fine,' you're telling everyone you are freaked out, insecure, nervous, and emotional. One day I said, 'I'm not fine with this.' and wholey-moley, I realized how terrible things were in my little world." I took a moment to think, I didn't want this story getting too complex. "But, I reflected that there were a lot worse things going in on the world than the problems in my own life." "You sound like someone I know with that last bit." Applejack interjected, I briefly considered asking who, and realized I could ask anytime. I wanted to finish my story before asking any. "Yeah, it's called being mindful. There isn't a city park big enough to make me feel like I was in the true outdoors. I'd grown so accustomed to seeing the same buildings. I realized that I needed a change in scenery in my life. Ponyville was my fifth stop during the Everfree Overgrowth so I was kind of stuck here." "Oh jeeze, you were here for that? I gotta say, it's one of those things you put up with to live in a quiet valley town." Quiet valley town? My mind burst in to flames, I remember at least two occasions where I've looked outside my window an seen a herd of screaming ponies in the street running for their lives. I didn't go outside on those particular days, saying "nope, I do not need that type of fear and paranoia in my life," and closed my blinds for the time being. I didn't even know what they were running from. Movement outside the kitchen window caught my attention, the sky was getting darker and Pegasi were moving clouds over the orchard. "Did you ever take any pictures for a newspaper?" My head whipped around to Applebloom, I quickly realized I'd been off in la-la land for almost half a minute and was tuned out of the conversation. "Newspaper photographer?" I went through my mental alias checklist, "No, what I do is I'll save up my work in portfolios and then try to sell them to studios." "What was your last portfolio of pictures?" "I did cups, mugs, glasses, pitchers, growlers, lanterns, all filled with different levels of water." "Sounds like a hoot." Granny Smith chided. "It made good kindling before I came here." I tossed back. "You destroyed your own photos?" She asked, shocked that I would do something like that to my own work. They were lies of course, I didn’t need the Apples or anypony they spoke to to ask about my things that did not exist in the first place. "I was depressed, the whole six months before I moved out felt like building a sand castle right up against the water’s edge. Burning them felt like being able to be that kid who got to kick it all away before the waves came in.” “I apologize for making you bring that up, sounds like getting out of the city was a long time coming." "Yeah, after passing through towns on my way out of Philly, I started hearing more sounds of nature. I took a big shine to hiking around here with my camera.” More like securing alternate routes out of town, but tomato tomato. I took a quick breath and pointed my hoof at the pegasi through the window, “Are they watering out there?” Everypony’s head swung to see where I was pointing. “Oh, Yep! Those fellers are gathering rainclouds for late night watering, It helps soil absorption so the ground has enough time to suck up all the water, instead of in the daytime, where the sun would dry it up faster.” Granny Smith said, waving her hoof over the trees. "What's a growler?" Applebloom asked, I wondered how long that question had been burning in her mind. For a while now I suspect. Her curiosity grows like a giant beanstalk when you’re not looking, and it reached its peak. I took a moment to glance around the kitchen, hoping to spot one, and saw the perfect example sitting on a middle shelf next to more cups, glassware, and pitchers. "A glass half-gallon jug with a screw cap, they're usually brown." I pointed at the one sitting on the shelf. Applejack looked at Granny who was oblivious to the stern look and then to Big Mac, "Hey Mac, when did we get that growler?" "Cider season?" He shrugged. In that moment I couldn't help but stare down the pony who hasn't said more than ten words the entire time I've been here. He was lying. The way he safeguarded his emotions was like extinguishing a candle by putting a much larger dome over it to suffocate the flame. He became so cold that when he said those two words, it was likely he didn't know percisely when they got it, but he certainly knew how it came to be inside their home. To have such a large reaction to that made me question what the story behind Big Mac's glass jug could be. Half-truths...wow. How difficult it must be for the rest of Applejack's family to have to become this defensive when talking to her. Barking out 'Yep' or 'Nope' and other short responses while praying that she wouldn't dig deeper. Big Mac feels threatened by Applejack's integrity, so he chooses to muscle through his problems and keep quiet. He only chooses to answer because he doesn't want to be rude, never pushing the relationship forward, even though I'm sure he would've preferred to stay silent. I was on the fence, but I think I found a brother in arms who I could talk to about not wanting to talk about things. That and I wanted to know why in the tartarus Big Mac was lying about the growler. I bit my lip as his emotional dome rose and waves of fear started eminating from him. I rolled my shoulders to mask the fact I was breathing shallower breaths. I was mirroring Big Mac's emotional state, and then feeling conflicted as Applejack and Applebloom and Granny Smith all projected positive emotions that were blind to what Big Mac was thinking. "Would you like some warm cider?" Gosh, it seems that no matter how many times I mentally tune out of the conversation, I keep on forgetting that I'm still here in Applejack's house! My stomach churned, I felt daggers glaring into the side of my head coming from the part of the room being took up by the giant brother. 'Damn it Big Mac! What's got you so pissed off?' He was looking at me with hatred, the real 'boring a hole in my head' type of stare. I could feel his burning desire to rip off my disguise, my chitin, organs, and then scream into my soul. His eyes expressed a sign that it was one of my few opportunities to leave. "I actually need to get going, I only came by to drop off the picture, and I didn't expect to stay so long. We'll pick up this conversation again sometime, how does that sound?" It sounded great in my head, and I was satisfied with the words. Sweat was picking up on my brow and mane, and now that I was on my way, Big Mac finally backed off, snuffing his emotions again. That scared me, how quickly and close he held his emotions to his chest. "Sounds mighty fine! In fact, w'all see you next week for the family photo!" She said, giving me another hoofshake. I agreed, making my way to the front door. "Applejack, it was pleasant to meet you and your family. Applebloom, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith. It was nice having dinner and chatting with you, thank you." "Pleasure is all ours, Peer." She said, pushing the door open for me. "Later, Peer!" Applebloom called out. Stepping out onto the porch, I noticed how late it was, the darkness was already settling across of the sky as the sun was already hours past, turning it a dark red, almost violet color. They reflected off the gathering clouds "Thank you again, and I hope Pink Lady is found soon. Have a good night." I said, remembering manners of all times.