Planted somewhat near the heart of Equestria, the town of Ponyville was fairly innocuous, its inhabitants going about their daily business. And given how close it was to the Pegasus city of Cloudsdale, it wasn't considered off to see somepony land in town.
Which explains why no one really batted an eye when a Pegasus-drawn chariot landed and two figures stepped off.
"So this is what Ponyville looks like up close." Spike commented, looking around at the houses, "I mean, you can see this place from some of the palace's upper floors, but it was mostly just roofs." He did another quick look, "Quieter, doesn't seem so packed...I kinda like it."
"Well, it does look nice." Twilight replied hesitantly, just before a sense of urgency took over, "But we still have to look into Nightmare Moon! As Princess Celestia's student, I have a royal duty to...!"
"Twi! Relax" Spike put his hands on her shoulders, cutting her off "Look, how about we go ahead and check up on the festival preparations, that shouldn't take long, right?. Maybe you'll make a friend or two in the process."
She snorted slightly, "That's rather unlikely, Spike."
He pretended to not hear her, "Then, if you REALLY feel it necessary, we'll head the library so you can do some research. I'll even order some Chineighese from that place in Canterlot. Deal?"
"There's more important things right now than...!" She froze mid-argument, "The-the one with the cucumber and alfalfa egg rolls?"
"And the red bean cakes with candied lotus seeds in it."
She bit her lip in thought, "Well..I..I guess I can give it a try..."
"As long as you do." He grinned, giving her a one-armed hug, "And speaking of which, here comes somepony now."
Skipping their way with a smile on her face was a bright pink mare about Twilight's age, wearing a blue and white dress with a mane and tail that could easily be mistaken for cotton candy. She got to within a few feet of them before stopping.
"Hi!" Spike said, giving Twilight a nudge.
"Um...hello?" Twilight said uneasily.
The pony looked at them for a split second before suddenly letting out a screaming gasp and bolting.
"Well...THAT was informative." She muttered sarcastically
"Uh..." Spike scratched his head in confusion, "Was it something we said?"
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"Let's see.." Spike mumbled as he looked over the instructions Celestia had given them, "'Summer Sun Celebration Overseer Checklist...In accordance...blah blah blah...followed in the utmost...blah blah blah...Here we go! Item No.1: Banquet Preparations." He looked up at the front gate to the large farm they had just reached, "Sweet Apple Acres" He inhaled deeply, "Smells pretty good here."
"Yee-HAW!" A voice called out from nearby, catching their attention in time to see another mare, this one an orange color with blonde mane and tail, dressed in jeans, flannel shirt and a stetson hat. Leaping towards one of the apple trees growing on the property, she hit it a hard side kick. The tree shuddered slightly before nearly every apple fell into baskets waiting underneath while she watched with a look of pride.
"Wow.." Spike half-whispered, obviously impressed.
Twilight almost did a double-take when she heard him, "W-what?" She asked, trying to hide the uneasy squeak that crept in. Was..was he..?
"That was a pretty good kick." He said appreciatively, "Looked kinda fun too."
"Oh, yes, heh. It was impressive." She replied, mentally scolding herself for even thinking what she thought. Clearing her throat, she stepped closer to the farm mare, "Um, hello? My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is my friend, Spike... "She was abruptly cut off by being grabbed in a heavy duty handshake.
"Well, howdy there, Miss Twilight, Mr. Spike! Pleasure to make your acquaintance! Name's Applejack. If's one thing we love here at Sweet Apple Acres it's new friends!"
"Fre-e-ends?" Twilight's voice warbled from the vigorous greeting
"Now, what can I do ya fer?' Applejack winked.
"Actually, we're here to check and see how things are going for the Summer Sun Celebration." Spike said, getting both their arms to stop vibrating even after the cowpony let go.
Applejack raised a brow when she got a better look at the kirin, "Hmm, ain't never seen a pony like you around these parts before." She said, stepping closer to him.
"My first time to Ponyville, to be honest. Lived in Canterlot my whole life."
"You ain't one of them highfalutin' types, are ya?" She asked, the suspicion in her tone showing she didn't think too highly of ponies like that.
"'Highfoo-wha..?" Spike asked, his face screwed up in befuddlement.
"It means having an unacceptably high opinion of yourself compared to others." Twilight supplied.
"A high....OH!" He turned back to Applejack, "You mean a Dickhead!" He shook his head, "Don't worry, that's not my style. I got a cousin who's almost that ponified, unfortunately. "
"S-Spike!!" Twilight yelped in shock at the language.
"Well, he is!" He replied, "Remember when you met him?"
"That's true. But still, language! Anyway," She added, to get things back on track, "He was correct as to why we are here. And you are in charge of the food?"
Seemingly appeased with their answer, Applejack quickly resumed her original cheerful demeanor"We sure as shootin' are? Care for a sample?"
The two Canterlotians looked at each other briefly
Spike shrugged, "Sure, why not?"
"Well, as long as it doesn't take too long." Twilight added.
Ten seconds later, the duo found themselves sitting at a loaded table surrounded by Applejack's relatives as she introduced them.
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"Ooooohhhh..." Twilight groaned pitifully, one hand holding her slightly bulging tummy while the other was draped over Spike's shoulders as he helped her stand, "Too much pie...." She had tried to tell them she and Spike couldn't stay long, but getting the infamous 'puppy eyes' from Applejack's little sister, Apple Bloom, tore through the prince's defenses like Celestia through a cheesecake.
"Well, at least we know the food's good, right?" Spike said, keeping his free arm around her to keep her steady. "All right, next is the weather; a pegasus named Rainbow Dash is supposed to be in charge of that."
Twilight looked up at the cloudy sky, frowning, "Well, she certainly isn't doing a very good..."
*WHUMP!*
Unfortunately her commentary was cut short by a multi-colored blur sending them both into a mud puddle
"Uh, hehe.....excuse me?" The cyan pony on top of them said sheepishly after a moment.
My only regret is that I can't like this twice.
More my good sir! More I say!
Very impressive.....
This is getting good lol
This story, I like it! ANOTHER!!
Also, Twilight getting a little paranoid of how Spike views other girls is hilarious.
Awesome chapter.
Let´s see what happens when he meets Rarity.
Will it go the standar way?
Or wil it go a diferent way?
Hoping for the later
5802314
Rarity: "Hello and welcome to.... Oh! ...My!"
Spike: "Umm! Twi? Why's she staring at me like that?"
Twilight: "Spike? Could you leave the room for a moment? She and I need to have a little.... talk!"
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NMM: "Any moment now! Soon I will return and I will... Oof!.... who threw that pony?"
The poor maids... they have to be given medical leave and counselling after that day.
Good this is, like it very much I do.
Another update? I clearly must still be drunk from last night
Yay for updates! I hope to see another soon!
This looks interesting. Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
I know everyone probably said it but I'll say it again for good measure; what's gonna happen when they meet Rarity?
The suspense is killing me! This is just an amazing story!
5804410 I too wait with baited breath for that moment. Twilight got just a little jelly when Spike made a comment about AJ. I expect she will probably go nuclear when they meet Rarity.
Sounded a bit like Twilight is getting the green eye. I also take it that Spike's status as Celestia's son isn't public knowledge? Everyone in the country would know if it was.
5804734 I'm more curious about them meeting Fluttershy.
5805032 that should be interesting as well. I don't think she will have quite the same reaction to Spike as he isn't a baby dragon as he originally was.
The rarity spike moment is gonna go 2 way which we all can guess, what I wanna see is how spike is gonna react to nightmare moon
5805046 Heh, I take it the two chapters met with everyone's approval
5802373
Make me wonder if Rarity can sense royalty when Spike and Twilight meet her for the first time. After all, Rarity's been looking for a prince for so long. And I think that Spike would be happy to give her a head's up about his cousin (she doesn't need all that heartbreak).
Also I'm hoping for a little feud between Twilight and Fluttershy. it would be so out of the ordinary, but it would be perfect. Twi would be insanely jealous of Fluttershy just by how Flutter acts, and I could believe Spike to have a bit of a crush on her.
Yes! A decent length chapter. I knew you could do it. I especially love Twilight freaking out when Spike was checking AJ out. And as a guy I can confirm that yes he was indeed checking her out. Unintentionally still counts. And who could blame him.
All that hard farm work would tone that body, the sun would bronze her skin just right with her golden hair. Good farm eatin would give her that healthy sheen compared to supermodel hideous skeletons with skins stretch over them.
Sweat glistening down her skin as her chest heaves to catch her breath. Those perfectly toned legs flexing as she shifts her weight. That content proud smile that lights up the orchard as she watches the apples fall.
In case its not clear yet I prefer natural beauty. So of course Rarity would be my arch rival.
Nothing wrong with the writing itself in this chapter that I can see. However, it's a little boring to read considering they are going through the same exact motions as in the show for the introductions.
5876092
you sir are amazing with the description