A Chance Meeting
“Nice,” I said like an idiot; I had been so dazzled by the display of acrobatics that I had forgotten the basics of pony-based applauding.
“Thanks,” Scootaloo replied, taking the comment in stride.
I looked to Steel who was still standing next to me, though he seemed to have been driven into a stupor by the momentary display of awesome from his personal favorite pony. I waved a hoof in front of his face a few times and after getting no visible reaction fell back to just snickering at his stupidity. Oh man, this was just too great, watching him standing there slack jawed like a deer caught in the headlights was giving me so much enjoyment that I completely missed the girls beginning their own conversation. Unable to snap in front of his face to rattle him out of his comatose state I settled for ribbing him. “Bet you can’t do something like that.”
The elbow to his side seemed to do the trick as he blinked a few times before turning his stare at me. “Well no duh.”
I looked back and forth between the two pegasi within our midst a few times. “Well you’re orange and she’s orange, plus you’re both pegasi. Let’s say we put you on the scooter and roll you down the ramp to see how you do.”
“Yeah I don’t think that will be happening,” he deadpanned.
“Are you sure?” I asked with a smile, “You might discover a talent for stupid stunts.”
“Now I thought that was your thing,” he shot back.
“I will have you know…” my thoughts were derailed by two hoover being planted in my lower back and the sudden sensation that somepony was using me to prop themselves up. I turned my head back to see none other than Scootaloo with her front hooves pressed against me, standing there inspecting my flank. “Can I help you?”
“You’re right, he does have a cutie mark Applebloom. What’s it supposed to be anyways?” Stoocaloo asked as she turned to face me, though she didn’t get the hint and move off of my person.
“It’s a pen, it means I’m good at writing.” I said, taking a step away to let her fall back to the earth though she managed to land easily enough.
She quirked an eyebrow at me and waited a few seconds before speaking again. “That sounds kinda...boring.” I caught the sound of an unmistakable snicker from behind me, but truly I wasn’t too bothered. I was still just kind of spitballing here and assumed that was what the cutie mark meant though I honestly didn’t really know.
“Well that is pretty rude,” I said, feigning indignity.
“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle agreed.
“Hey I’m just sayin’,” Scootaloo said in her own defense. “Besides since he has a cutie mark why would he want to join the club?”
I motioned my head back at Steel. “I’m not joining, he is.”
“What!” Steel exclaimed, somehow surprised that was what was happening here.
Scootaloo looked over my shoulder at the orange pegasus standing behind me like she was seeing him for the first time, and since i had been standing in front of him this whole time that just might have been the case. “Oh hey,” she said simply.
He glared at me before looking back to Scootaloo and attempting a simple wave, “Hey.”
I was forgotten as Scootaloo walked past me over to Steel and inspected him as closely as he would allow. She looked closely at his wings, probably finding them small and unusable though I had no real idea. She inspected his backside to see that he did in fact not have a cutie mark, and she even moved incredibly close to his face to put their eyes just inches away from each other. The entire process was a bit bizarre, and something I would expect more of Pinkie Pie, but when Scootaloo moved away she seemed relatively satisfied with the CMC’s new inductee.
“We still gotta vote,” she announced as she moved back to her friends that were standing around the table.
“Of course,” Steel sighed.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders gathered around each other in a huddle and began murmuring to themselves. I wasn’t that far away but I couldn’t make out anything they were saying, and the things I did manage to hear didn’t actually sound like real words at all. I had an inkling that they were just mumbling nonsense words to themselves, but who was I to point this out. The huddle was broken just about as quickly as it had formed up; the crusaders even did a little break as they formed into a little line in front of the table.
Sweetie Belle stepped forward and put a hoof up to her mouth before clearing her throat quite audibly. “A vote has been taken, and it has been decided that Burnt Steel shall be allowed to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders on a probationary trial thing.” She kind of lost her poise towards the end of the announcement, but I was still somewhat impressed.
“So what does that mean?” he asked, taking a step towards the three.
“It means that ya’ll are gonna’ have ta prove that yer Crusader material mister,” Applebloom answered as she took a step forwards.
“And how do I do that?”
Scootaloo took the chance to get her two cents in. “It means you show us that you’re good at crusading and stuff, and that you’re dedicated to getting cutie marks for everypony in the club.”
Steel looked to me somewhat pleadingly, but my slight smirk was the only thing that I was going to give him here. He looked back to the three fillies that were smiling at him as adorably as they could I was sure, but still he didn’t exactly look too excited. I had honestly thought that he would jump at the prospect of joining the CMC but for some reason he was being obstinate, or at least more reluctant than I had expected him to. I pushed him a little farther forward and after regathering himself he glared back at me before sighing and turning towards the CMC once more.
“Alright, sounds like fun,” he said eventually.
“Hooray!” they all cheered far too loudly, making me shrink back a few steps. Scootaloo took the lead and walked forwards to sling a hoof over Steel’s shoulder and start ushering him towards the clubhouse. I watched the two depart and it seemed that I wasn’t alone in finding the new behavior a little out of the norm since Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were also standing there a little bit confused. It was a little funny though to watch Steel being jerked around by the girl pegasus that obviously had some muscle on the guy. A little part of me actually felt bad for him, but that part was quickly snuffed out and removed.
“So…” I began.
“Yeah, I guess we are going to go crusading now,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Yup,” Applebloom agreed.
“Right, what are you guys planning on doing?” I asked.
Applebloom acquired a list from...somewhere and began to read it off. “Stitchin’, Skateboardin’, and Dressmakin’.”
The last one seemed kind of odd, at least compared to the first two. “You guys are going to try and make dresses?” I asked.
“We each get to pick something to do for the day and I wanted to try dressmaking again. I nearly got it last time, I’m sure of it,” Sweetie Belle chimed in, Applebloom’s frown announced to me that she didn’t agree but Sweetie Belle didn’t seem to notice.
“Huh,” I said, awkwardly scratching the back of my neck, “well while that stuff sounds like tons of fun I actually have some stuff that I need to do in town.”
“Awww,” they whined simultaneously, I swear that the cuteness nearly killed me but I somehow managed to hang on.
“Yeah…” now this really was getting awkward. “So, look after my brother and stuff.” I began to slowly walk away as they continued to stand there watching me. “See ya...later.” Without another word I stole away into the bush that held the path on the other side of it. My original intentions had been to actually hang out with the CMC a bit, but after getting here it suddenly dawned on me, they were kids. I hate kids.
I know, I know, we were all children at one point, and for my part in that I apologize. Children just can’t stimulate me intellectually they way an adult can, or at least I hadn’t met one yet that seemed to be able to. Diamond actually seemed remarkably mature for her age at times, though at others she was just a prissy brat. The CMC had been nice enough, though Scootaloo was most definitely a bit too energetic for my tastes, but since I already had a cutie mark it seemed that it was fine for me to take off. I’m sure Steel would hate me for it in the end, but I sure as hell knew that I didn’t want to take part in any dressmaking.
The orchard was actually really nice to walk through now that I was taking my time. There didn’t seem to be any birds living in the trees, but the faint light of the waning day would occasionally peek out through the leaves and cast orange rays to reflect off the multitude of fruit that hung about me. The display was quite wonderful to watch and combined with the rich earthy smell of the farm about me gave a distinct feeling of being on a ranch. I had frequented a few cattle ranches when I used to live back in Texas, and the atmosphere caught me feeling a bit nostalgic for the old days.
I shook away the burgeoning emotion, and proceeded along my route with twigs snapping intermittently beneath my hooves. I didn’t count the time, but it wasn’t too long before I exited the orchard into the backyard of the main Apple family house. I took another look at the massive structure and a moment to reflect on how many it may have been originally built for. It could easily fit twenty ponies inside and still probably feel roomy enough, but my knowledge of canon told me that only four family members actually lived there. I assume at one point there had been at least six, but trying to find a way to broach that conversation would likely be impossible so I would just have to let that lie.
I made my way around the house the same way I had come, and noted that Granny Smith was still rocking laconically back and forth in her chair despite her being asleep. The house was blocking most of the wind on this side so as I stood there for a few moments I was unable to figure out how she kept up a constant motion without any input. Eventually, I decided that it would be better for my continuing sanity to leave logistical questioning to things that had a lot more importance, like Pinkie Pie. Shrugging off the perpetual motionchair, I began to walk down the long drive that led out to the main road I would need to use.
The path was was very well worn, with deep tire tracks running into the dirt from repeated use while muddy and hoof prints coming to and from the house. Some of the tracks seemed to still be particularly deep, which gave me the impression that it had rained recently though now the ground was dry and hard. I realized as I was walking that the litter that had brought us here was gone; I hadn’t actually expected them to wait on us to finish playing, but some kind of warning that we would need to walk back home would have been nice.
Unlike the path that cut through the orchard itself, the country road that led back to the main gravelly path was wide enough to allow a lot of sunlight to shine through. It also helped that I was walking west and the sun was directly in front of me, sprinkling the dirt path with the dying rays of the day. I grew up mostly in the cities, the parents always wanted to live near where they worked, and I didn’t really have a problem with it. Honestly, I had always been a bit wary of the wide open spaces of the outdoors, but here I felt a certain kind of calm.
Perhaps it was because I knew that the only bad things in this world came from the Everfree Forest, and as long I wasn't near there I would be fine. Maybe, it was because this earth pony body had some sort of connection to nature that was making me feel more relaxed than I normally would have, or maybe I just felt that Equestria was a much safer place than the one I grew up in and that it was unlikely for anything bad to actually happen to me here. Whatever it was, by the time that I turned out of the main drive and passed the sign with the words “Sweet Apple Acres” inscribed on it, I was in an excellent mood.
I turned right, heading towards the main town of Ponyville along the gravelly road, and found that I was soon humming a little song to myself. I kept my ears trained for any music that might magically spring up around me to know if I should cease my humming, just in case. I was trotting along for around five minutes when I caught sight of a figure in the distance ahead of me. I couldn’t make out much, but from where I was it looked to be a pony pulling a cart, and as we continued to walk slowly towards one another that is in fact what it turned out to be. Though it wasn’t just any pony that was on a beeline right towards me; it was none other than everypony’s favorite farmer, Applejack.
The great mood that my little walk had put me in seemed to vanish immediately as I tensed at the meeting. I did happen to like all of the mane 6, but if I had to make a list ranking them Applejack would in fact be at the bottom. There wasn’t really any reason in particular for her to be the last on the list, but there also wasn’t much reason for her to be any higher. I could see as we neared that the cart she was pulling was completely empty, and that she was gazing off at some trees blankly, probably mulling over something that was weighing on her mind. It also occured to me as we got closer to each other was that the cart she was pulling was way bigger than she was. It was kind of amazing that she was even able to move the vehicle, but it was by far the least strangest thing I had encountered so far.
We were barely twenty feet away from one another when she noticed my small form heading the opposite way along the road and looked me over. Looking into her bright eyes I felt as if I could feel her inspecting me for impurities or falsehoods. We both continued our steady pace and passed with a simple nod.
“Howdy,” she said pleasantly.
“Evenin’” I replied, mentally slapping myself for slipping into a southern accent for the split second.
It was a couple of seconds after we had cleared one another that I heard the cart behind me come to a sudden stop. I winced at the grinding noise of the wooden axle coming to a rest, and turned slowly to look back at the mare who was now starting me down. She arched a brow at me and I parroted the movement while also tilting my head to the side somewhat reflexively. The uncomfortable silence permeating the atmosphere between the two of us stretched on for a little while longer until I lifted a hoof to begin and make my way back along the path that I had been taking.
“Now hang on a moment, youngin,’” Applejack called to me stopping me mid step, though I lacked the courage to turn around to look back to her. So there I stood frozen in place with probably the most scrutinizing pony I knew existed in this world staring into the back of my head, no doubt her mind fast at work tearing away at the lies I was fabricating in my mind and had not yet had a chance to spew from my mouth. “Are you the little friend that Applebloom said she was bringing to the farm today?” I heard from a few paces behind me.
Somehow I managed to gather the courage to turn back and look at her, and there she stood, her face sincerely earnest. She wheeled her cart around faster than I expected she possibly could with the load that she was pulling. She pulled the cart along as she made her was towards me, and I could do not much other than watch her approach. It wasn’t until she stopped that I actually processed what she had asked, and my brain began to figure out an appropriate response. “Um…yeah…yes, I was there but it was my brother that was going to join their club. I was just heading into town actually.”
She continued looking down at me, and now that she was closer and I was stuck looking at her while I waited, I could see just how big and muscular she was. The fur that all ponies were covered so thoroughly in helped to conceal just how completely ripped she was, but it was still quite apparent that she was stronger than just about any other pony I had run into so far. Her eyes were piercing and continued studying me carefully though I didn’t see anything on her face to give away her scrutiny. “You are headin’ into town all on your own then?”
“Um…yes, I was going to pick up a book at the library and let Steel hang out with the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” I smiled at her as innocently as I could, hoping beyond hope that there was no possible way she could see through it to the fear that was growing inside of me. It struck me that for whatever reason I was being far too paranoid here, sure she was the Element of Honesty, but that was fine as long as I didn’t lie to her. Avoiding the truth and fabricating a new one are two very different things after all, and any expert liar knows that the truth is a valuable ally to have. I managed to subdue the worry that had been growing within me somewhat and felt myself regain control once more.
“The library huh, well that isn’t too far away. Just be sure you make your way back home before it gets too dark outside alright,” she said with a nod.
I turned once more and began to make my way back down the road once again when I heard her call after me once more. “My name’s Applejack by the way, I don’t believe I caught yours.”
“Ashen Stroke,” I called back to her without turning. Suddenly it felt like all of the air and life in the world had been sucked away as I came to a stop on the dirt road. I stood there stock still for a few seconds before feeling an icy breeze blow past me and the sound of the rustling leaves and grasses that grew on the farmsteads on either side of the road began to grow louder and louder. I continued to remain motionless, knowing that I had likely just made a huge mistake without even thinking about it, and expecting to hear Applejack break the silence between us and give some indication that she had caught me, but all my strained senses could pick up was the rustling of the foliage and the low hiss of cicadas coming from somewhere a long ways off. Another few seconds later I did hear the sounds of wooden axels turning and wheels grinding into the soft dirt of the road we were both travelling, but instead of heading towards me once again they began to grow softer and softer as Applejack pulled her cart away without another word or acknowledgement of me.
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Last paragraph was weird...
i wonder if his cutie mark is for spell crafting?
3667332How? He's an earth pony. How exactly would he do that?
And AJ knows something's not right now. This can't be good.
3667876 AJ always knows if it's a human. I wouldn't mind if Fluttershy noticed they were awkward in their bodies for their age and suspected them because of a slip up from steel or stroke.
3667930
Doesn't really matter if ponies figure them out for humans, they're stuck as ponies, and young ones at that. At worst, the ponies will think they're just hallucinating or more likely just making up imaginary lives as mythical 'humans'... and promptly ignored as childish ramblings. I'm almost certain the only pony that can determine their true identity is Twilight; not that she can change them back. (Might need the Princesses to do that or just send the pair back home and hope the ponification wears off too, heh, hope it does)
Looks like ash managed to dodge a bullet in his meeting with AJ. Also wonder how long it will take ash to actually speak with Twilight on the matter, though they can't really do anything yet as if they try to do anything outside of the schedule set for them. They will have ponies looking/searching for them. Then again I am sure ash could just manage as he is sneaking around since he is using steel as a distraction. Steel is more like a child despite his previous age which makes it easy for him to blend in with the rest of the foals, giving Ash the needed time to go do more research and contemplate on how to get them home.
3667876 well i just thought he can write things to happen like a story like that so random portal he just so happen to be talking about with his friend side there not exactly normal ponies so maby they can do magic to an extent without there knowing possible factor to consider.
???? um ok that was an awkward pause but still I like this fiction keep up the good work.
I'm kinda confused....was he nervous about saying his name because it was not actually his name?
Is this... is this dead?
4017799 Hopefully not
3970708 I believe that is the case in that she can sense lies.
3970708 From what I gathered, yes.
hooves
To quote Silver Quill, "In my defence...... I have none. Do as you will."