//------------------------------// // Chapter 7; Friends // Story: A World Away // by Hodd //------------------------------// ================================================================================ Chapter 7; Friends ================================================================================ The sun, as usual, was what woke me. I swung my legs to the side of the bed, and peered outside. Judging by the sun, it was somewhere around eight o'clock. Well... Time for work, I thought to myself, almost regretting the deal I'd made with AJ. With a grumble, I stood and stretched, preparing for the long day ahead. After walking downstairs, I was once again bombarded with the fresh smell of an Apple Family breakfast. That's gonna take a little getting used to, I thought to myself, only now realizing how hungry I was. Breakfast was the usual affair, with the standard dishes of grains and fruits- most of which being apples, of course- and the occasional conversation interrupting the silence. Before long, the food ran out, and plates piled up in the kitchen sink, signaling that breakfast had come to a close, and the day was about to begin. When the dishes were all washed and put away, and the table was cleared, Applejack walked over to me and began detailing the chores for the day "First off," she began matter-of-factly, "We need to slop the hogs, then we gotta replace the old barn door, and then you, Damien," she said shooting me a mischievous glance, "get to try your hoof- er... hand- at apple buckin!" I almost choked on the apple cider I'd been sipping when the last item came up. "Apple bucking? Me? No offense, Applejack, but have you seen me? I'm not exactly built to kick trees," I replied incredulously. "Aww shucks, Sugarcube," she replied, placing a hoof on my shoulder. "You'll do just fine." Before I could protest, AJ was scooting me along. The warmth of the sun was the next thing I felt, signifying the beginning of the day. With a sigh, I walked to the barn to start the day. I stood back and eyed my handiwork over one last time before nodding to myself, satisfied. The old barn door was now discarded, and replaced by a new, much more appealing one. Wiping a bit of sweat off my brow, I turned to start back to the farmhouse, when a voice stopped me. "Hold on now, Damien. Day ain't over yet!" It was Applejack. I grimaced a bit, for I knew what was to happen next. "The South Field needs buckin' and I sure could use your help!" I begrudgingly followed Applejack to the South field, eying the trees with apprehension. "Are you sure this is such a good idea AJ? Humans and ponies aren't built the same, you know," I said, trying my best to get out of the task. Before she could answer, we were at the first tree. I stared up at it, looking for a weakness, some way for me to shake it. I looked down at AJ, one eyebrow cocked. "Go on," She said. "Just take a good whack at it." I looked back at the tree. Most things here were slightly smaller than on Earth, and the trees were no exception. Apple trees on Earth easily soared twenty feet, but here, they rarely grew past twelve. With sigh I balled my fist and reared back. My hand struck the tree, and sent a huge wave of pain through my arm. I cried out in pain, but was cut short by something that surprised me. Nearly ten apples fell from the tree neatly into the buckets that had been placed there earlier. My small victory glow was interrupted by Applejack. "No, silly! No wonder you were so fond of skippin' apple buckin! You're doin' it with your hands!" I looked at her exasperatedly. "But you said take a good whack at it!" "With your feet," she replied with a laugh. "You got two of 'em. Just give it a good, solid kick." I shook my head, and backed up a bit from the tree, kicking myself mentally. I reared back again, and this time, drove my foot forward, striking the trunk of the tree with a dull thud. This time, the impact was much less, and didn't hurt. To my surprise, nearly all the apples fell out of the tree in a shower around us. I looked up in wonder, and then back at Applejack, who was almost as surprised. "Good gravy, Damien! You got a mean leg on ya! Even Big Mac couldn't empty a whole tree his first time. Glad I decided to keep ya around!" She added the last statement with a small wink. I couldn't help but smile a bit, proud at my work. "Now," Applejack began, cutting off my victory glow yet again. "For the rest of the field." I looked in the direction she pointed with her hoof, and was instantly deflated. There stood upwards of two hundred trees, waiting to be bucked. "Better get movin," Applejack stated. "It's nearly two, and this'll take us a couple hours." Wonderful. It was around four o'clock when the job was finally done. Everything from my waist down was aching, and I was more than glad to sit down to a refreshing cup of cider. As the day was winding down, however, I grew restless. Sure, relaxing out on the front porch of a farmhouse was nice and all, but a nice evening sampling Ponyville's activities appealed to me more, so I decided to head on down to the town square and check out the local spots. Walking through Ponyville town square, the usual places stuck out; Twilight's Library, Sugarcube Corner, Rarity's boutique, the list goes on. With a little hesitation, I decided to sit at a nice little restaurant across the street to the library. I found a nice little booth, surveyed the menu, and grimaced. Oh yeah... Herbivores. My waitress, a pleasant mannered yellow mare with short, red hair, approached, and with a sigh, I decided upon the potato stew. I'm gonna die if I only get to eat- "Hi, Damien!" cried a familiar voice. I looked to where it came from and immediately discovered it's source a few tables over. "Oh, hi Derpy," I responded. While she was a bit on the goofy side, Derpy always put a smile on my face. She trotted over, smiling widely. "Hi Damien," she repeated. "Is it ok if I sit here?" I smiled, and pulled out a chair, patting the seat. "Of course, Derpy." "Thanks for letting me sit here. I don't like the table over there. There are too many ponies near it," she replied. "Oh, don't mention it Derpy. That's what friends do," I added with a smile. She immediately gasped and looked at me. "We're friends?" "Of course we are," I replied with a small laugh. She gasped a little more, and her eyes widened. "Yay! I have so many fun things we can do! We can watch movies, and go hang out with Rainbow Dash, and bake muffins!" I laughed. "Ok, ok. Hold on a minute. We gotta eat first." Derpy popped back from her excitement, and blushed a bit. "Oh yeah. Sorry." "So what do you want to do first, Damien?" Derpy asked me excitedly. I looked around and exhaled a bit, leaving my full stomach a bit of room. Next time I'll go easy on the potato stew. I snapped back from thought when I noticed Derpy eying me expectantly. "I don't know Derpy. It's a little late in the evening. What is there to do?" I asked. She rubbed her hoof on her chin bit, and furrowed her brow. "I've got an idea! You could come over to my house. We could make muffins!" I thought about that for a little while. "Hmm... I guess Applejack won't mind too much," I said, pondering that idea. "Sure. Why not have a little fun?" With that, Derpy squealed a bit with excitement. "Oh it's going to be so much fun! What's your favorite kind of muffin? I like the blueberry ones the best, but banana nut are also really good," she said energetically. "Well Derpy," I responded. "I'd have to say that blueberry are my favorite." Her mouth opened in an almost filly-like smile. "Me too!" she responded with excitement. I chuckled to myself. Before long, we reached a somewhat small, yellow house with standard Ponyville thatched roof. Near the front door, various lawn ornaments and bobbles dotted the small grassed area in random locations and directions. Only one window was lit, and looking through it, I could make out the shape of a bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. "Well, here we are," stated Derpy, opening the door. The interior of the house was much less than what I expected. A single red rug lay in the living room, and only minimal furniture adorned the small room. Flipping on the light switch, I noticed that there were no paintings or pictures on the shelves or walls. Normally, a Ponyville home's shelves would be adorned with pictures of loved ones, but here, the shelves remained barren. The bookshelf that stood in the corner near one of the two chairs in the living room held only two books- both very basic by the look of it. A small chill ran down my back, and my stomach knotted up a bit. The house was a massive contrast to its occupant, a bubbly, happy-go-lucky mare. As we entered the kitchen, she threw open the cabinets, and tossed various ingredients onto the counter. The kitchen was a standard room. It had a refrigerator, an oven, and a sink, and yet, there was still a vague emptiness to it. I grew more uneasy. Derpy began throwing the ingredients in a bowl, and stirring happily. I eyed her with confusion. How can she live here? It doesn't add up, I thought to myself. About twenty minutes passed, and the oven sounded its bell, signaling that the muffins were ready. Derpy let out a small squeal of joy, and opened the oven door, grabbing the baking pan, and placing it on the countertop. We let them cool a bit, and then sat at a table located just across from the oven. We ate in silence, until I got up the nerve to as her a question that nagged my mind since I got there. "Derpy," I began. "Why don't you have any pictures of your family?" Derpy stopped eating, and looked down. My heart fell into my stomach. Oh, God, what did I do? She was silent for a while before answering. "I don't have any family." My heart skipped a beat, and my stomach lurched when she said this. Her tone had gone from merry, to sorrow in a matter of seconds. "Why don't you have any pictures of your friends, then?" I asked. Her gaze dropped further, and tears formed in here eyes. Once again, I was slammed in the stomach with guilt. "Oh, Derpy... I'm... I'm so sorry," I said, voice cracking a bit. A tear dropped from her face and landed on the table. I couldn't think of anything to say, so I wrapped my arm around her, and embraced her. After a minute or so, she squeezed back, and the tears stopped. "Thank you."