Apology: 10
Andrew followed Rainbow Dash as she hovered a few feet over the dirt road. He watched the light blue mare as she stubbornly avoided eye contact, attempting to disguise her glances as exaggerated stretches. They reached the top of a small hill and as they broached the crest Andrew saw a small park, complete with fountains and benches in the distance. A simple bench sat at the top of the hill a few feet from the road, overlooking that park. From their spot they could see ponies as they went about various activities, from walking their pets to having picnics. Rainbow Dash made to continue further down the road, but Andrew spoke up.
“Alright, that’s enough walking, time for the talking part.”
“Oh… right.” Rainbow Dash said awkwardly, clearly wishing she could have put it off longer. “Um… So how was your first night in Ponyville?”
“Sore” Andrew responded simply, his arms now crossed in annoyance.
“Right… I’m really am sorry about that…” Rainbow Dash apologized as she drifted down to the side of the road.
“I’m sure you are.” He responded, his arms still crossed.
“I don’t know what came over me… I just kinda…” Rainbow Dash began, struggling to find the words, but struggling with something else as well...
“Just stop, I’m not buying it.” Andrew loudly cut off. He was beginning to notice something, and acting on a hunch, he took a rather menacing step toward her. “Clearly something is up and I’m not buying your bullshit.”
“W-what?” She asked, taking a few rapid steps back. She looked nervously around, her wings ruffling as if preparing to take off. “I don’t k-know what you mean.”
“Well for one thing when you attacked me, you reacted immediately. No shock, no questions, just immediate violence. Now according to your friends you can be a bit impulsive. But that wasn’t impulsive. That was like… instinctual violence.”
Rainbow Dash just looked back at the human worriedly, but remained silent.
“And second… you’re absolutely fucking terrified of me.” He finished, taking a step back from the practically shaking pony. “Which again, from what I understand, is really weird for you.”
“N-no I’m not!” She denied, indignation overriding her obvious alarm. “Why would I be scared of a-”
“BOO!” Andrew shouted, interrupting her and jumping forward while waving his hands around.
“AHHHH!!!” Rainbow Dash screamed, rocketing up into the air as her wings beat furiously. She shot straight up, traveling a few hundred feet into the air before coming to her sense. She regained control of herself and stopped, slowly gliding back down to Andrew, landing a couple feet further away than before.
“Have I made my point?” Andrew asked, raising his eyebrow when she finally reached the ground.
“…Yeah, but you could have been a bit nicer about it…” She mumbled to herself.
“…You may be right” Andrew concede with a sigh. “But you could have just come clean when I asked.”
Rainbow Dash shrugged and looked to the sky, watching the clouds as the drifted past, the occasional pegasus fluttering around to push them this way or that. She still seemed extremely tense, so Andrew took a few more steps away, sitting on the nearby bench. He wanted to prove his point, not give the poor pony a heart attack. He gave her a few minutes of quiet contemplation before he spoke again.
“Will you tell me what’s going on?”
She sighed rather explosively, as if finally giving up a breath she had been holding in.
“Only if you promise never to tell anyone, ever!”
“Uhhh…No?” Andrew said with a humorless laugh, shaking his head, “I’m not gonna promise you anything. But… you do have my word that I will keep this between us, unless I feel like it could hurt someone.”
“…Fine.” She said as she chewed her lip. “I’ll tell you.”
She paused, her eyes once again watching the sky, like she wanted nothing more than to fly away from this conversation. Andrew finally grew impatient and cleared his throat to break her gaze.
“Oh relax, I was just thinking.” She complained. She took a deep breath and let it out before beginning. “I’ve been having nightmares for the past couple of months. And they’ve all been about you.”
“Wait… what?” Andrew asked, very confused. He wasn’t exactly sure what he had expected, but certainly it hadn’t been this. “Nightmares… about me?”
“Well not you exactly… you as in humans… I think…I’m not entirely sure what you’re supposed to look like.”
“You’ve been having nightmares about humans, even though you don’t know what we are supposed to look like?” Andrew asked to rhetorically . “I don’t see how that could be possible…”
“Well until last night they were just… nightmare things.” She explained. “Then suddenly you walk in the door and...”
Once again Andrew adopted a now very familiar pose. He cradling his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes as he sighed.
“Why can’t anything be simple?” He asked under his breath, before looking back to Rainbow Dash. “You realize how insane that sounds, right?”
“You’re telling me! Imagine chatting with a friend, waiting for the guest of honor to show up to a party then BAM! Literally your worst nightmare walks in the front door.”
“Well…I can see how that would be terrifying… and you attacking me would make a bit more sense … if you can claim anything in this place makes sense…” Andrew relented with a second sigh of exasperation. “But I don’t understand how you could be dreaming about something you’ve never seen before.”
“Like I said, before last night you… they were just nightmare things.” Rainbow Dash repeated.
“How much did they look like me?”
“I don’t know… their tall, they stand on two legs, have two arms and hands like yours… but they were all greyish. And they didn’t have faces…and they are always cold.” Rainbow Dash said as she described her nightmares, struggling to recall specific traits. “It’s hard to remember, I mean have you ever been able to describe a nightmare days after it happened?”
“Well… yeah but I understand what you mean.” Andrew agreed. “I just don’t know what to make of this.”
“But do you at least understand why I attacked you?”
“… If you’re telling the truth? Yeah I can understand it.”
“So you accept my apology?”
“Begrudgingly, yeah.”
“Thank you Andrew, maybe you’re more awesome than you look!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, oblivious to her insult.
“How often do you have these nightmares anyway?” Andrew asked
“Uh, kinda randomly actually, sometimes once a month, sometimes a couple times a week” Rainbow Dash explained. “So… will you keep this between us?”
“…Yeah I guess I will, mostly because I have no fucking clue what to make of it. But only on one condition.” Andrew said, his voice growing stern at the end. “Luna is coming to stay here in Ponyville. Apparently dreams are kinda her thing, she never really explained it to me personally. Anyhow, you’re gonna ask for advice about your nightmares, and you’re gonna follow it.”
Rainbow Dash thought about his terms for a moment, looking like she might try and worm her way out it.
“Fine, but this better stay between us until then!”
“You have my word I won’t tell anyone, unless it’s important.” Andrew agreed, shrugging as she began to complain. “Rainbow Dash it’s the best you’re gonna get. Get over it.”
“Ugh fine, whatever.” She said, spreading her wings once again. She took off at a much more leisurely pace, stopping after a couple dozen feet to look back at Andrew. “Thanks for… understanding and whatever.”
“No problem.” He said with a smile and a wave, continuing until she was out of ear shot. “Goddammit, this place is completely fucking insane.”
Andrew shook his head in bewilderment as he turned back down the road they had come from, his head hung low. He reached the bottom of the hill and kept walking, passing trees and a few ponies, with stares still aplenty, only now he was too wrapped up in his growing problems to notice.
“I honestly can’t keep up with all of this shit anymore.” He lamented to himself. “I swear to god if one more thing goes wrong…”
His muttering complaint drifted off as he reached an intersection.
“…Oh you sonovabitch!”
Andrew sat at the bottom of a tree, wedged in between too large roots, watching ponies trot by. After Rainbow Dash had left him to his own devices, he had spent a while fruitlessly trying to find his own way to Sweet Apple Acres. He had even tried to find the boutique again, but by then he had lost the road he had been on. Finally he had sat down for a break, both annoyed and tired. He was finding that the town was unexpectedly and frustratingly large. He had even tried to find someone who would talk to him long enough to give him directions, but everyone gave him a wide berth so he soon grew tired of that. So there he sat at the bottom of the tree, relaxing in the shade, ignoring the stares and points. He was musing at the variety of colors ponies seemed to come in while watching a particularly vibrantly shaded pegasus when he heard a voice from beside him.
“Umm… Hello…?” said the clearly male voice. Andrew whipped his head around, slightly startled by the newcomer.
“Woah! What? Huh?” Andrew said, surprised. His surprise only increased when he recognized the pony. “Oh wait, you’re Time Turner, aren’t you?”
“Uhh yeah… wait how did you know my name?”
“Twilight and Applejack recognized your description from last night… which reminds me, sorry for scaring you so much last night.”
“Oh…” Time Turner said, embarrassed by the subject. “I actually came over to uhhh… apologize for running away…”
“Seriously?” Andrew questioned, surprise still rampant. He pushed off the tree to stand up and stuck out his hand to the stallion. “Well, don’t worry about it, it was a lot better than some of the other greetings I’ve gotten so far.”
Time Turner hesitated before sticking out his hoof, which Andrew quickly wrapped in his hand and shook.
“Names Andrew Dike. Yes it sounds like decay, but it isn’t spelt that way I promise” Andrew said, continuing after releasing his hoof. “Just call me Andrew.”
“Umm, well I guess you already know my name. Just call me Turner” He said, taking a look up and down the tree Andrew had been sitting against. “So uhh…what are you up to? You uhhh…looked a bit lost…”
“That’s ‘cause I am. I was supposed to have someone to show me how to get to Sweet Apple Acres, but the dumbass left!” Andrew explained, shouting at the sky as if Rainbow Dash was up there listening. “And they aren’t helping ‘cause their all too scared to spare five seconds to help a stranger.”
Turner wasn’t exactly sure how to react to the Andrews outburst, or his wide gesture at the now staring Ponyville citizens. He nervously rubbed the back of his head and gave an awkward smile to those who noticed him, before looking back to Andrew. Andrew was giving the nearest pony, who was sneering at him, some sort of one fingered hand signal.
“Well I uhhh….could lead you to the main road, which goes to the apple orchard.” Turner offered. “I can’t show you all the way though… I’ve got plans to meet someone.”
“Oh man seriously?! That would be so helpful!” Andrew said, perking up considerably. “Are you sure you have time though?”
“Yeah, it uhhh… shouldn’t be a problem. It’s on the way and umm… Doo will understand if I’m a few minutes late. C’mon, it’s this way.”
Andrew followed behind the tan earth pony, quickly catching up to walk beside him. He was silently hoping that this olive branch was the beginning of acceptance in Ponyville.
“So who’s Doo?” He asked after they had walked for a while.
“Uhh… Doo is my marefriend.” He said, with only a hint of shyness.
“Marefrie-?” Andrew said slowly, before snapping his fingers in recognition. “Oh! You mean girlfriend.”
“Uhhh no… I mean marefriend.”
“Right right, no I gottcha” Andrew said, waving off the Time Turners weird look. “A date with your marefriend, sounds like fun.”
“It always is, she is uhhh…an amazing mare.” Time Turner said, getting a bit dreamy eyed. “We’ve been dating for four months, but it still feels brand new.”
“Well that’s always a good sign!” Andrew said with a smile, giving the pony a pat on the back. “Good for you dude!”
“Uhhh thanks Andrew. It’s funny, she’s uhhh… the one who said I should apologize if I see you again.” He explained. “She was one of the ponies at your party and she felt bad for you after Miss Sparkle explained your situation.”
“Oh really? Well then please thank her for me, I would still be sitting under that tree if you hadn’t.” Andrew said happily. “It’s nice to know not everyone is avoiding me right off the bat.”
“So… all that stuff Miss Sparkle said was true?” Time Turner asked, surprised.
“Well probably, I’m not exactly sure what she said though.”
“So you’re from another planet and you uhhh… fell from the sky, almost died and ummm… got taken to the moon? And you have magic?”
“Yeah, that pretty much covers it. Though to be honest not sure about the whole other planet thing, could be anything.” Andrew said, shaking his head. “After all I’ve seen and heard the past few day, anything is possible.”
“Sweet Celestia that’s… that’s… that’s insane.”
“Oh trust me, preaching to the choir.”
The two continued to walk through the town, passing houses and shops, making small talk as they went. Finally Time Turner stopped at a seemingly random street.
“Uhh alright. If you follow this street that way.” Time Turner said pointing down the road. “It will lead you out of the town and uhhh… eventually to Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Finally! Thank you so much Turner, you really saved my ass there.” Andrew said with a smile.
“Umm… don’t mention it, consider it making amends for running away the first time.” The tan earth pony said, sticking out his hoof which once again Andrew grabbed and shook.
“Right, well I’m sure I’ll see you around, it looks like I may be staying here awhile.” Andrew said after releasing his grip on Turners hoof. “You’ll have to introduce me to your girl- marefriend at some point.”
“Uhhh… sure! I’m sure she would love to meet you.”
“Alright see ya! Oh and have fun on your date!” Andrew said as he turned to walk down the road, waving as he went
Andrew was quite enjoying his leisurely walk down the relatively empty road. A few ponies walked past him on the way, but most were too wrapped up in their own business to even notice him. What’s more, as he got further and further from the town, less and less ponies populated the dirt path. Finally, awhile after the town slid out of sight behind a hill, the road began to run along a white fence. Row upon row of apple trees, broken only by a scattering of other crops, sat planted on the other side. Andrew resisted the urge to lean over the fence and pluck one of the lower hanging apples, remembering the amazing apple had had had the other day. Before long he reached opening in the pristine fence, a vine laden arch and an apple sign hanging down the middle. Somehow apples were growing from the tangled vines, a fact that would have flabbergasted Andrew if he couldn’t already clearly imagine Twilights explanation of “magic” without even having to asking her. As he walked through the arch, he could see Twilight and Applejack in the distance as they walked along the edge of the apple trees.
“Hey guys! I’m here!” He shouted to get their attention, waving as he did.
“Andrew, there ya are! We’ve been waitin’ forever!” Applejack shouted back as the two made their way to human. “We almost went lookin’ fer ya.”
“Yeah well, Rainbow Dash left without showing me how to get here.”
“Ha! That’s five bits Twi’, ah told ya she’d forget!” Applejack boasted, giving her friend a playful shove. “thats what ya get fer betting along with that mares memory!”
“Seriously?” Andrew questioned with an annoyed look at Applejack. “You bet Twilight that Rainbow Dash would leave me behind to get horribly lost in a town where most of the people are scared of me?”
“Well when you say it like that…” Applejack trailed off rubbing the back of her head, embarrassed.
“I can’t believe she left you all alone!” Twilight said as she shook her head. “Even after I explicitly told her she needed to show you how to get here.”
“Yeah well, I’m sure you can give her an earful next time you see her.”
“I will…” Twilight agreed. “So other than that… how did it go?”
“She apologized and I accepted her apology.” Andrew answered simply.
“That’s… it?” Twilight responded, surprised. “Somehow I don’t think it was that simple.”
“Twi’s right, no way it was that simple.” Applejack agreed. “Dash is too stubborn and your… well… you.”
“Normally I’d agree with you, but ‘simple’ is in short supply these days, so I intend to enjoy it.” Andrew added. “We had a heart to heart and I forgave her. Done and done.”
“Well a’right, if you insist.” Applejack said, turning away from the other two. “Let’s get go’in, family’s inside. Apple Bloom’s been dyin’ ta meetcha since Big Mac told her she couldn’t go to last nights party.”
“And Apple Bloom is your…. younger sister?” He asked, looking for confirmation as he followed behind.
“Mhmm, she’s got ah heart of gold, even if she can have ah bit of ah one track mind at times.” Applejack said with a proud smile. “Just uh… don’t mention her blank flank, it’s ah bit of a sore subject if ya catch ma drift.”
“Oh, is that a thing? Ponies not getting their marks?” Andrew asked as they made their way to the barn like house.
“Nah, she’s still young enough that it’s not unusual. Besides, Apples have a history of being late bloomers.” Applejack explained. “She just feels left out cause of it, both her an’ her friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.”
“Ah, gotcha.” Andrew said as they arrived at the front door of Applejacks home. Applejack pushed the door in and motioned the other two to come in.
“Hey yall, I’m back! And guess who ah brought with me!” She shouted.
As Andrew walked through the front door, he looked around with interest. The interior was simple and rustic, with pictures hanging from the wall and the amazing smell of apple pie flowing through the air. If it wasn’t for the two ponies standing in front of him he could have mistaken it for a southern farm house. His inspection was cut off by the clip clopping of a small filly running through the house and stopping in the kitchen doorway. The filly, who Andrew assumed was Apple Bloom, stared at him, eyes wide and legs frozen to the spot.
“… Yo.” Andrew finally said, looking to Applejack for help.
“Apple Bloom, wipe that look of yer face and say hello, starin’ is impolite.” Applejack said, lightly admonished her sister.
“Umm… sorry.” She said quietly. Her words carried the same southern accent her sister and brothers did, but with a lot less intensity. “So, you’re the human Applejack's been talking about?”
“Yup, names Andrew.” He replied, dropping down to sit on his haunches and sticking out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
The little mare made her way to Andrew, placated by his good mood. She shook his hand, before taking a step back.
“Welcome to Ponyville I guess…” She said as stepped back. “You look kinda weird. Do all humans look weird?”
“Apple Bloom!” Applejack started to shout, but Andrew waved her off with a laugh.
“Well I’m not sure, depends on what you find weird.”
“You’ve got no fur on your coat!” Apple Bloom replied before her sister could cut her off.
“In that case, yes, all humans look weird. Not that we don’t have hair, it’s just not very thick.” He answered, extending his arm to show her. “See, same as you.”
“Riighhhttt…” Apple Bloom said, looking at the human skeptically. “So what are you doing in Ponyville Mr. Andrew?”
“Just Andrew Apple Bloom, and I’m going to be staying here for a while.”
“Oh, that’s cool, were ya from?”
“Uhh…. I’m from-” Andrew began, trying to think of a way to explain it to her when a light green pony hobbled into the room.
“Applejack? Whats takin’ y’all so long? Me and Bloom had lunch on the table fer an half an hour a’ready!” The white hared mare stopped when she noticed their guests, specifically the bipedal one. “Oh heavens me! If you aren’t the queerest looking minotaur this side of the Palomino Desert!”
“He isn’t a minotaur Granny, he’s a human.” Apple Bloom corrected, walking past her grandmother into the kitchen. “He’s Applejack and Twilight’s friend, pretty sure she already told ya that.”
“Well ah don’t quite know what a human is, but if he wants his apple pie still warm, he’d better get his butt to the table!”
The group quickly moved into the kitchen, Andrew following Apple Bloom, listening her describe her day at school. Big Mac was already seated at the large table, which was laden with more apple themed food than Andrew new existed. He took in a deep breath as they all sat down.
“This all smells amazing!” He praised. “It’s been way to long since I’ve had a good home cooked meal. Thank you for having me.”
“Oh it’s no problem Andrew, Granny always makes too much anyway.” Applejack assured him. “We’ll probably have you and Twi’ leave with a big bag of left overs!”
“Oh, Spike would love that!” Twilight said happily as she served herself an apple turnover. Soon everyone’s plates were full of aromatic apple-ly goodness.
“Were is Spike anyway?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Oh he was around doing errands.” Twilight answered, her anxiety on the subject clear in her voice. “He may even be home by now.”
“Awww, I haven’t seen him in a while.” She complained, poking at her food. “He stopped coming by the clubhouse when the Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to get our cutie marks in dragon taming.”
“Gee, ah wonder why…” Applejack said under her breath, but loud enough for Andrew to laugh to himself.
“Well maybe you three should visit him instead” Twilight suggested. “But uh… no nets in the library.”
This got the rest of the table laughing, minus of course Apple Bloom, who just looked around the table, very confused.
The meal continued for an hour or so, before Applejack and Big Mac had to excuse themselves to get back to work.
“Sorry about this, usually I’d at least walk you off the farm, but we’re mighty busy today.” She apologized before leaving, shouting at Big Mac to hurry up over her shoulder. After they left Granny Smith packed Twilight and Andrew a hefty bag of leftovers.
“Thanks again Granny Smith, that was some of the best food I’ve eaten in years.” Andrew praised.
“Oh hush ya flatterer, it was just some everyday fixin’s, stop by some other time with some warnin’ an’ I’ll make ya a real meal!”
“I might just take you up on that.” Andrew said before looking to Apple Bloom. “It was nice meeting you short stuff, I’m sure I’ll see you around town.”
“It was nice meeting you too, I can’t wait to tell Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo about it!”
And with that she ran out the door, no doubt in search of her friends. Andrew and Twilight followed her out after once again thanking Granny Smith. The two made their way off the farm, leaving under the same baffling apple laden arch that Andrew had gone through on his way in. They traveled down the road quite a ways, passing by the end of the white fence before Andrew broke the amicable silence.
“Nice family.” He said simply.
“You’de be hard pressed to find a kinder group of ponies.” Twilight agreed with a nod. “They’ve been through some tough times, and in the end it only brought them closer together.”
“I noticed. When did they lose their parents?” He asked solemnly.
“I’m… not sure to be honest, a long before I came to Ponyville I think. They never really talk about, and of course it feels wrong to ask. All I know is that they were gone at the same time.” Twilight explained, the amicable atmosphere gone, replaced by sadness that at the both of them. “How did you know?”
“I had Applejack pegged for an orphan five minutes into when we first met.” He said quietly. “We aren’t hard to identify when you know what to look for.”
“You... You’re an orphan?” Twilight asked, eyes wide as she stumbled a bit in surprise. She increased her pace to catch up.
“……Yeah.” He said simply, waving off her condolences before they could start. “My mother died ten years ago. Left me and my sister.”
“Oh, that’s terrible! What about your father?”
“He was never in the picture, bailed when he learned my mother was pregnant.” He rubbed his face. Twilight was shocked by how much older, how much more haggard he looked. “It was ten long years ago, I’m doing alright now.”
“What about your sister?”
“Alice is… Alice is the only reason I care about going home now.” He said, more than a bit cryptically.
“We will get you home, I promise.” Twilight said solemnly before stopping and wrapping Andrew in a hug, one that he saw no reason to avoid. They parted after a moment or two, and continued down the road. Ponyville was once again visible in the distance, looking quiet and peaceful.
“How did she die?” Twilight asked, before hastily adding “If that’s ok, I’ll understand if you don’t want to talk about it.”
“Its alright, I’m used to explaining it. She uh… she was killed in a mugging gone wrong. A group of punks tried to steal her money but she put up a fight, so they killed her.”
Twilight stopped again, this time not bothering to try and catch up and instead just stood, rooted to the spot.
“Oh Celestia Andrew that’s terrible! I’m so sorry I brought it up! I-I-”
“Relax Twilight, I said it was ok. It’s been ten years, I can talk about it without melting into a puddle of sadness.” He assured her, managing to look relatively unfazed. “I had my sister to focus on, keeping her safe and happy, that helped. That, and watching every single one of the bastards getting locked up.”
“Still… I’m sorry you had to go through that…”
“Yeah, me too.”
Silence fell over the two as Andrew began walking again, forcing Twilight to catch up. Andrew looked stonily at road ahead. Twilight, sensing the need for a different topic, racked her brain for a new subject.
“So… how did you manage to find your way to Sweet Apple Acres?” Twilight asked, finally breaking the solemn silence that had grown between them. “I’d be really impressed if you managed to do it by yourself.”
“Oh, I tried to find it on my own for a while, but I just got myself even more lost.” He explained. “This town is surprisingly large and confusing.”
“Well it’s grown a lot in the past couple of years, especially after the Canterlot Invasion.” Twilight replied, referring to the wedding mishap two years previous. “A lot of ponies moved from the city to smaller towns.”
“Makes sense I suppose. Well I was hopelessly lost when Time Turner stopped to say hello and apologize for running off last night.” He explained as they finally reached the town, crossing a bridge into the pony filled streets. “When I told him I was lost he led me to this road and pointed me in the right direction.”
“Time Turner? See I told you guys he was a nice pony, apologizing after you scared him so baldy.” Twilight gloated. “Though next time you should just not scare him at all.”
“I told you I wasn’t trying to scare him!”
“Right, okay sure, I totally believe you.” Twilight said sarcastically before pointing to the Town Hall, which had just appeared from behind another building. “C’mon, we are almost there, let’s get the keys to the house and get you situated.”
“Oh…. I completely forgot about that…” Andrew admitted.
Twilight led the way through the streets to the town hall, the afternoon hustle and bustle making the town a lively gathering of ponies. They walked through the town center and once again climbed the stairs into the building. Surprisingly there were quite a few ponies inside this time, going about their business, all of them watching him with shock. Andrew didn’t even notice them as he followed Twilight into the familiar office. The same mare sat behind her desk, this time reading a piece of parchment, a quill in her mouth.
“Hello again, we are here for-” Twilight began, but was immediately cut off when the mare behind the desk.
“Oh thank goodness you are back!” The mare practically jumped from her seat to stand in front of Andrew, even going as far to give him a small bow. “I want to sincerely apologize for how rude I was before Ambassador, it was totally unacceptable behavior.”
“Uhh… it’s okay, don’t worry about it?” He replied, looking to Twilight in confusion. She shrugged in response, equally confused. “But I’m not a-”
“Thank you Ambassador Andrew, you are too kind. Now I’m sure you’re anxious to see the mayor, so please come this way…” She motioned for them to follow as she walked to the largest door in the office, stopping with a hoof on the door handle and pushing it open. “Here you are, she is right inside, and once again I apologize for my behavior this morning.”
“Yeah… thanks…” he replied as he passed through the open door, Twilight right behind him. Inside the room sat a grey haired, tan hide earth pony. She sat behind a desk that put the desk outside the door to shame, covered in stacked documents and important looking binders. The mare looked up at the two as the door clicked shut behind them
“Oh hello there, Ambassador Andrew I presume?”
“Uh… Yeah, I think so?” Andrew responded, uncertain.
“Welcome back, I do hope Ink Well properly apologized for her earlier behavior. It was in extremely poor taste but you must understand we only just received word of your arrival this afternoon!” The mayor left her seat to greet the two, shaking Andrew’s hand and gesturing them both to sit. “Please, you must be tired, take a seat.”
“Thank you for seeing us Mayor Mare, but we are a bit confused.” Twilight said, Mayor Mare returned to her spot behind the behemoth of a desk. “Why the sudden change of heart?”
“Ah, the letter said that there may be some confusion. Well, not more than an hour ago, a rather tired royal messenger dropped off a letter marked by not one, but two royal seals. It’s not every day we see piece of parchment signed by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. It explained that Andrew Dike has been recently elevated from a temporary visa all the way to foreign Ambassador. As befitting his new position, as long as he is in Equestria, which of course includes Ponyville, he shall receive all the benefits that position entails. That includes the use and temporary ownership of the Grand Home, our living space for important ponies and foreign dignitaries.”
“Ambassador, really?” Andrew said, complaining as he rubbed his face. “I didn’t want that kind of attention.”
“That was also mentioned in the letter.” The mayor said with a pleasant laugh “It is merely a formality in case of emergencies or, heavens forbid, you are harmed in anyway. Rest assured Ambassa-err… Andrew, You shall be treated the same as everypony else.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that.” He said, relief clear in his voice. “I just don’t want to create any trouble, you know?”
“I completely understand Andrew and I appreciate the effort. Now I’m sure your anxious to see your new accommodations, so is there anything you would like to ask before we make our way to them?”
Andrew began to stand, shaking his head no when Twilight spoke up.
“Actually Mayor Mare, I believe there is something you could help Andrew with. Nopony is interacting with Andrew, save the girls and a few others. Is there anything you can do to help?” She asked.
“Oh I was worried about that.” She said, looking to Andrew. “Please don’t take offense, I’m sure they don’t mean any harm.”
“Don’t worry about it, I understand how hard it can be to accept new and strange things.” He assured the mayor. “But I wouldn’t say no to any help you can offer.”
“Hmmm… Well I shall endeavor to come up with something to break the ice, so to speak. Perhaps a town meeting, or a small interview? Either way I shall see what I can think of, and let you know.”
“Thank you, I appreciate all the help you’re giving me, I know you must be a busy lady.” Andrew said.
“Don’t mention it, anything to help the new pony- erm, human in town.” She reassured him, before standing and opening up a cabinet next to her desk, fishing out a set of keys. “Now, let’s get you to your new home.”
Twilight and Andrew followed Mayor Mare through the town, walking behind the grey haired earth pony as she weaved through the streets. The mayor pointed to this and that, mentioning where important stores were, and where to get the best cauliflower soup in the town as they walked. Eventually the reached a quiet dead end lane, filled with some of the larger houses in Ponyville. At the far end of the street stood the largest of these homes, three stories tall and more windows than Andrew cared to count. The front gate bore Princess Celestia’s royal seal, carved into the wooden panel and inlayed with gold and silver. Mayor Mare pushed the gate open, walking along the stone pathway to the front door.
“Well here we are, a rather beautiful home don’t you think?” She asked with a radiant smile.
The home followed the half-timbered style of most Ponyville homes, with flower laden windows placed generously over the walls. The roof was not the town standard thatch, but instead sported a terracotta style, with orange red clay shingles tightly interlaced. The grounds were covered with green grass and a variety of flowers, with vines and bushes artfully covering almost all of the houses foundation. A large chimney dominated one corner of the house.
“It looks amazing, I really get to live in that?” He asked, doubtful.
As if to answer Mayor Mare held out the key to the front door, which Andrew reverently took. He turned to the door and slid the key into the lock, twisting it with a resonant “clack clunk”.
“Lucy I’m hooommmeeeee!” Andrew shouted into the house as he pushed the door open and stepped inside, getting odd looks from the mayor and Twilight. “It’s a reference to something… oh just never mind!”
“Right…. well what do you think?” Mayor Mare asked again, gesturing to the interior, which was very well lit by the large windows.
“I think it’s fantastic, certainly a lot better than my apartment.” He quipped, heading to room next to the entrance way. “Yeah, I could get used to this.”
He walked further out of the main hall, into what turned out to be the living room, and quickly putting down the bag of leftovers from lunch, plopping down on the inviting sofa.
“Ooooo comfy.” He said as he put his hands behind his and yawned. “I think I might take a nap.”
“You… You don’t want the tour?” The mayor asked politely.
“No, that’s fine.” he assured her. “I feel bad, I’ve wasted enough of your time today. Besides I like exploring.”
“Well in that case I’ll be off, if you have any question or concerns please be sure to contact me.”
“Alright, and thanks again Mayor Mare. I really appreciate the help.”
“Don’t mention it! Toodles!” She said as she shut the door behind her. A long pause of silence filled the room as Twilight stared at her hooves.
“Hey Twilight, I really think I’m gonna take a nap.” Andrew finally said, his arm now covering his face. “Thanks for showing me around today.”
“It was my pleasure. After all…” she said as she too got up to leave. “What else are friends for?”
Twilight shut the door slowly behind herself and walked away, leaving Andrew alone in his new home. He let out a haggard sigh, slipping into sleep before Twilight could even reach the end of the street.
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Rewrites are a trap. Seen too many decent fics fall into it, and never climb back out.
Abandoned too many creative projects of my own, because I was never quite happy with them, and didn't have anyone to set deadlines.
once again, great chapter
Neat!
Thanks for the update!
~8chill
Loved the new chapter. You've started to really hone in on your characters. As far as rewriting the early chapters, they were certainly good enough to get me to stay with the story (so don't take this as an insult), but I do remember faving this as a 'lets see if this gets better, because I like some of the ideas'. That said, there's not a whole lot you can do with a human in Equestria fic at the beginning that hasn't been done before in some way, so I would say don't spend too much time with it, just give 'em a little spit and polish and move on to the meat as soon as possible. Looking forward to more!
thinktoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/slenderman.jpg
nuclearsalad.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/silence.jpg
Dash, I think you're in trouble, and you might die ..... but ..... you know .... no pressure
Don't rewrite, it's already fine!
5757735
hmm.... there are two links here, but only one picture.... i think?
If minor things needs fixing, then fix away. But I prefer the early chapters staying the way they are.
5757820 One is The Slenderman and one is the 'silence', you know, from doctor who.
5757847
*cough* *cough* *silence makes you forget they exist when you look away, thats the joke* *cough* *cough*
;-P
5757857 You got me ^^
really good story it is moving along vary nicely.
and wow this chapter is really good.
cant weight for the next installment.
Harts Fire
5757735 I was getting more the image of cybamen from her description. Too early to tell where the story is going yet though.
Don't rewrite! This story is good as is. I'm liking it so far!
5758291
Thank you ^_^
Don't rewrite! But if you do could you finish the story first?
Also awesome I love Lucy reference!
yes Iron Sky is right leave well enough alone
Uh, just go over and fix the spelling and grammar errors you make before you publish. They're kinda scattered everywhere. Otherwise, interesting so far I guess? Not much happened here, so can't really say much.
Wrong words: (spellcheck is nice, but not perfect)
Quire is a term for 1/4 of a ream of paper (25 sheets. Used to be 24 in the mid-ages). Choir is a group of people singing.
Site is a place. Sight is related to vision.
You used Applebloom in one line, then Apple Bloom in the next.
Sweetie Belle not Sweetie Bell, from everything that I've seen at least.
Applejack's, as in contraction of Applejack has.
Twilight's is right, Applejacks should just be Applejack (only add the posessive 's to the last noun of multiple)
a couple lines later... 'he was' or 'he is', not both.
There are probably more.
How did you manage to write a five letter word and get every single letter wrong? "Choir." As in "redundantly preaching to the presumably already sufficiently pious church choir."
5758828
Because quire is a word as well, so when I typed it it didn't show up as red. Not a very good excuse I know, but good context.
That being said someone else managed to point that out with out the extra sarcasm and insults.
I don't appriciate those particular attributes, so please keep in mind the constructive part of constructive criticism wasn't a request, it was a requirement.
5758827
Thanks for pointing those out, I've gone through and changed them!
5758092
I fixed a bunch of these, but I'm holding off for the rest until I decide if I'm re-writing the first few chapters.
5758884
Sarcasm is what I do, I'm afraid you'll just have to live with that part. I don't know what insults you mean, though. The quoted sentence is just me illustrating the idiom and the intended meaning behind it, because I figured you misspelled the word due to knowing the phrase, but not the origin. That sort of context always helped me a lot when I was learning English.
If you rewrite one chapter you'll end up having to rewrite them all.
If I ever get dropped in Equestria, I want to meet Granny Smith. She seems like a awesome old lady.
What is it with people and rewriting chapters? I say focus on future chapters instead ^^
I like this fanfiction I think it has a nice pace :3 The characters are interesting and well-written and so on, good job, keep on going XD
5760356
That seems to be the overwhelming consensus, so I'll leave it be sans some minor grammatical corrections ^_^
And thank you, I'm so glad you enjoy the story so far, I'll try not to dissapoint! >_<
5760233
I'm particularly proud of how granny smith turned out, glad you liked her portrayal!
Hey, mate, awesome story. You've got great writing talent and an awesome imagination. This is the only "human in equestria" fic that hasn't been painful for me to read. My advice though is to get an editor. It seems you write fast and therefore miss small things. It doesn't deteact at all from the story as I am able to distinguish what you are trying to say. But still. Anyways, keep up the great work! I'm looking forward to more!
Okay guys, I'm once again looking for an editor. I'm looking for someone who i can email a copy of the draft, and who will go through and highlight the errors in word. I know its more complicated than just correcting them but hey, what can you do.
Send me a message on her if your interested!
5761535
Thank you! comments like these help get through the harder chapters!
I'm looking for an editor as well, so look forward to better grammar and syntax!
5762757
I noticed that, good job!
5765645
its pronounced decay :P
Alright this story really is interesting. I've read other HIE stories before but this one is a different take. I'm going to follow this because I can't wait to see what comes next.
Day 78291: Chapter 11 is still being a pain in the butt and refuses to sound right. I am running out of oxygen and food, and will surely parish if i cannot finish it soon. I leave my all my possessions to my dog.
--------------------
But seriously guys sorry this chapter is taking so long, but the words refuse to come out properly! It will come out eventually though , so nobody panic! ^_^
i absolutely love this, i have to boop your nose
i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr289/axlthehedgehog_2008/responses/nose%20boop/boop_by_otakuap-d6tbrdn.jpg
stayclassy
Huh. something happened to chapter 10 and it was unpublished. must have been a miss click on my part. should be fixed though
5875444
sorry, first few chapters are a little rough
5869810 Man.. I have to say this story is great!
Also
OK 1st of all. The dragons on equus are sentient as they would've known regardless. 2nd of all that's a How to Tame Your Dragon reference horribly put in. Finally WHO DAFUQ WOULD DO THAT?!
Passed. Not past. However, walked past him is correct.
5910987 ... iambrony.dget.cc/mlp/gif/35511__safe_scootaloo_apple-bloom_animated_sweetie-belle_cutie-mark-crusaders%20(1).gif
Had this in my tracking for a while, glad I started reading it. Oh and I'm up for some editor work if you still need them. Errors abound, but I didn't mind too much until this part.
5816821 LOL! That being said, I've heard other authors point out their own difficulties in finding the right words, without the extra sarcasm and jokes. They generally aren't this entertaining. There's no denying that sarcasm is great. In fact, I'm convinced that if more people would partake in the greatness that is sarcasm, the world would be a happier, brighter, more colorful, and more magical place.ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/webdr01/2013/2/13/13/enhanced-buzz-12128-1360778628-4.jpg
I have the bad (or good) feeling that he is going to be neighbors with diamond tiara...or that just might be gas. Can't tell.
Great chapter but I did notice quite a few errors. So I would suggest re-reading and editing this chapter. Also I wouldn't do a re-write, the other chapters are perfectly fine without anymore tampering, besides touch-ups for spelling corrections.
Sooo, he is ten years old?