I Walk the Line
Contrary to what he feared, Johnny didn’t have nightmares; indeed, he didn’t dream at all that night. It was one of those sleeps where you go in, see nothing but black for what feels like a few seconds, then wake back up. It was refreshingly peaceful.
He was also the first to wake up, with the sunrise beaming through the window. He felt much better having gotten the much-needed rest. He also noticed how quiet the house was. Not wanting to wake the others, he picked up his guitar and silently walked outside; sitting on a chair on the front porch and strumming his instrument.
He continued doing this as he watched the sun slowly rise. He didn’t really play anything, just sat and played a few patters and rhythms as he passed the time. That time was a couple of hours, though it only felt like half of one to him.
“There you are,” Applejack said, coming outside. “I thought you ran off somewhere.”
“Na, just watchin’ the sunrise,” he said. “Sides, I don’t really have anywhere else to go.”
“Well like I said, stay here as long as ya’ need,” she assured him. “Now come on inside and get some breakfast; I wanna introduce the family.”
“I could certainly use some food in me,” he replied, getting back up. “Ya’ll got pancakes?”
“Some of the best.”
“ Alright, I’ll be there in a minute.”
Applejack trotted back in while Johnny stared at the sun some more.
“What am I here for?”
Johnny found his spot at the table. Along with Applejack, there were three other ponies sitting there. A large red one, an old, greenish looking one, and a small yellow one. He was about to introduce himself, but the little one beat him to it first.
“Hey Mister!”
“Hey there. And what would your name be, little one?”
“Apple Bloom!” she responded happily. “Were you really a musician back on your world?”
“Yep, and I guess I still am, technically.”
“Sound’s fun!”
“It was, or is. It somethin’ I’ve always been passionate about.”
“Is that so?” the older one suddenly piped up from the end of the table. “You ever had any other jobs?”
“Oh, yes ma’am. Several,” he replied. “I first started workin’ my family’s cotton fields when I was five.”
“Ah, so you know farm work. You wouldn’t mind givin’ us a hoof to help out ‘round here, would you?”
“Granny! You shouldn’t be askin’ our guest to work!” Applejack said. “He just dropped in here yesterday from another world!”
“Oh, I don’t mind,” Cash replied. “I’d probably ask anyways. I’d hate to impose.”
“Well, ok. I’m sure we can find somethin’ for you to do, right Big Mac?”
“Eyup”
The work was long, hard, and became rather monotonous; but, it was nothing he wasn’t used to. Though he wasn’t quite as good as knocking down the apples, his hands proved he was much more capable of moving things, such as the baskets, around and at a quicker pace. During the lunch break, he decided to sit with Macintosh, the only one who hadn’t said anything directly to him through the day.
“You don’t talk too much, do ya?”
“Nope.”
“Figured you’d be a little more interested in the alien that just appeared in your home,”
“Nope.”
“Well, alright then,” Cash said before looking back at him. “Y’know, you remind me a lot of my oder brother, Jack.”
This seemed to grab his attention.
“How?”
“I’m not too sure, be honest,” Cash admitted. “You just…remind me of him. Though, I don’t really remember much, since he died when I was younger.”
Cash turned and hung his head and stared at the ground, leaving a long silence between the two.
“How’d he die?”
“He, uh. He got pulled into a head saw at the mill…damn near cut in half,” he explained, with the explanation and wording surprising the stallion a good deal. “He suffered for a week before he finally passed on. Just fifteen years old, too…”
“That’s…brutal,”
“I felt so guilty about it,” Cash continued. “I always hoped that I’d see him when I died.”
“I’m sorry. Really, I am. I couldn’t imagine losing AJ or Apple Bloom.”
“It’s alright, I know he’s in a better place now,” he assured Mac. “Let’s get back to work, looks like it might storm later.”
“Yea, we don’t need the farm floodin’ with all our produce in it.”
“It floods?”
“Once it did,”
“Well how about that; my family’s cotton farm flooded a couple times.”
“Really?”
“Yea, even wrote a song about it.”
“I might have to take a listen later.”
Work finished up in time for the rain to come. Dinner was filled with the Apple family asking questions to Cash. Most of them were about the similarities between their cultures.
“So we really sound like your family back home?” Applejack asked.
“Yea,” John answered. “Well, you remind more of people from the state of Texas.”
“And what state are you from?”
“Arkansas, though I spent a lot of my time in several different places.”
“Where else?”
“Tennessee, for one. I’ve even been to Germany.”
“Germany? You didn’t mention that state.”
“Oh, it’s not a state, it’s another country altogether.”
“Really? What’s it like?”
“Real pretty, especially durin’ the fall months. Big forests, old villages, it’s all quite nice.”
Cash got up from the table and stretched out, popping his joints.
“Well, if ya’ll don’t mind, I’m gonna hit the sack,” he said. “Been a day of hard work, so that means some hard rest. Ya’ll sleep well.”
“Hey mister!” Apple Bloom called out. “Can you play one of your songs? I haven’t gotten to hear one yet.”
“That’s right, I’m the only one here that’s heard you,” Applejack said. “You mind playin’ the family a quick song before you go to bed?”
“I suppose. You two don’t mind?”
“No, I don’t” Granny said. “I’d actually like to hear yer music. Applejack wouldn’t stop talkin’ about it.”
“Uh, Gran-”
“She went on and on about how deep the song was and how nice yer voice sounded while singin’.”
“Granny!” Applejack said, blushing and causing Johnny to chuckle.
“Oh, alright. Ruin all my fun. What about you, Mac? You mind?”
“Nope.”
“Ok, then,” the singer said, taking out his Dreadnought. “One song, then I’m goin’ to bed.”
“Well, that was very nice,” Granny said. “I haven’t heard music that nice since I was a little filly.”
“Yea, that was great!” Apple Bloom cheered. “You should sing for ponies more often.”
“Heh, well we’ll see about that,” he replied. “For now, I’m just goin’ to bed. I have a feelin’ tomorrow’s gonna be interestin’.”
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Johnny Cash/MLP crossover?
That's possibly the most ridiculous thing I've heard.
I love it.
3254082 Its something i dont think was done before,And for that i applaud the author,New things are hard to find afterall
3254208
That's my favorite thing, doing stuff no one's thought of before. I enjoy breaking away and doing the less-known things. Like, I preferred to do a Brothers in Arms cross because no one had done, as compared to the dozen or so Modern Warfare fics that came out at the time.
You knows what funny, I was listening to Johnny Cash when I found this story. It was meant to be. Still, R.I.P Johnny "Man In Black" Cash. We'll miss you.
3254327 I still love this story. Btw, how is BIA coming along?
3254422
Just fine. I have the rest of the plot planned out. Just wanted to take a break from all the war stuff. I'll get back to it.
3253084
"Stories containing copyrighted song lyrics. This includes lyrics from songs in the show.
Stories containing embedded images or videos in their description. Embedded content in the story itself is allowed, but not in the description."
Doesn't matter.
3254208
It certainly stands out from the millions of "teenager wakes up in Equestria" fics.
Even before getting to the story, the premise alone makes it wonderful.
3254473
I didn't say I didn't read it, I said I didn't claim any work and that, since it made it past moderation, it's clear; so, I don't see how 'doesn't matter' makes a difference when it's already cleared (not to mention i'm not the first one who's posted a song in their story).
Besides, why is it bothering you? I'm not trying to steal his work and, if anything, i'm promoting it.
3254435 That's cool. Take your time, man. No need to rush.
This.
All the others in this genre try to be too big for their britches, a nice slow story is welcome.
Great chapter! A little slow but I know it'll pick up, so it's all good.
One thing though: "Applebloom" should be "Apple Bloom". Her name is canonically two words. Sorry to be picky--just a pet peeve of mine!
Other than that, excellent!
Could the next song pleaaaaseeee be a boy named sue?
This really seems well done. A bit too short for my tastes, though. Looking forward to what you put out next!
dam i love it
I sorta figured that sometime during Johnny's time in Equestria, he would be picking apples.
It's also nice the Apple Clan seem so interested in him and his music. One must wonder if The Man in Black will be as bug a hit on Equus as he was on Terra Firma… Looking forward to the next chapter! 
3256168 bug????????
3256780
I meant "big." Stvn kant tipe oar spel todai.
3254865
I'll use it, but not for a few chapters. I already have all the chapters and songs for them figured out, and I want each song used to accurately represent the given situation in the chapter.
3254826
No, please keep at it. Any kind of correction, no matter how small, is welcome. One must always strive to do better.
3255425
Yea, I have a habit of working out the story and dividing parts into chapters that they belong in, so as not to make one too terribly short or long as well as make everything organized. Not to mention, my daily writing time is little, so it works best for me. But, that does mean updates come more often, so it works out.
3254808
Eh, I don't like to brag too much. Though, I do take a certain pride in coming up with original ideas.
You mean "Bloom" with a single capital "B"
Looks like you hit "enter" for no apparent reason.
Do I need to point it out or are you good?
There were others but I shrugged them off to the accent. Southern accents you know?
3275676
No, the world one is just the text. Thanks, though
he's been everywhere man