Closet Pony

by DouglasTrotter

January 19th

>>>Date: January 19th, Time: 9:09 AM<<<

As I look past her outward appearance, more and more, it's hard to tell Apple Bloom isn't a pony at times. Apple Bloom's hooves couldn't carry her fast enough after we stepped outside, darting around the yard like an excited child. While she continued to stretch her hooves under the brilliant moonlight, the air remained cool yet not so cold to warrant a heavy jacket. I found it enjoyable myself, sitting outside while gazing at the sky. I'm thankful I didn't come across as a jerk when I had to caution Apple Bloom about running on the concrete pool deck. Though my neighbors are good, all of us keeping to ourselves, the noise from her hooves might have aroused suspicion.

Soon, Apple Bloom's footsteps, hoofsteps I guess, ceased, and she stood beside me. Her entranced eyes locked onto the moon. She froze.

In the calm moment, I swear I heard her ask, or perhaps pray, for some figure named Luna to "please protect and guide" her home. Apple Bloom didn't seem melancholic, but her happiness wasn't there either. The change in her demeanor unnerved me, however, her demeanor changing back to normal, we continued to gaze at the sky. I took a cushion off of a nearby bench then placed it on the ground for Apple Bloom to sit on. For us, those fifteen minutes blossomed into a full hour. It may have been her hooves grinding against the deck that made me realize Apple Bloom started to nod off.

Both of us came back inside to prepare for bed, and I was ready to strain myself after Apple Bloom finished her business in the bathroom. She collapsed. Her eyes closed. She started to snore. I find it kind of cute that a pony can snore. From my past experience, I knew dogs could snore but didn't think ponies could snore. It wasn't so cute at the time as I imagined how hard it would be to carry pony of her size to the bed. I'm astounded, still astounded now that I think about it, that Apple Bloom weighed next almost nothing to me; she had to weigh fifteen pounds, maybe twenty-five at most.

That time outside was the happiest Apple Bloom has been since her arrival. It was one of my betters nights, now that I think about it. Last night didn't work out. Apple Bloom murmured the word "pegasi" when the gentle rain turned into a downpour, and we were forced to stay inside. From what mythology I knew about, I wondered if she meant the mythical creature Pegasus. How could he clear the clouds?

I need to get down to business. It's just so hard to concentrate on these numbers. We need, I need to figure out a food budget. Sure, what I have keeps me afloat, but I'm not sure how to factor in a pony. How much does she eat? That's wrong of me. Apple Bloom is a kind, innocent individual with a heck of a wit to boot. She's not some dog, cat, or domesticated pet. I need to be more respectful.

"Hey," a familiar voice said.

"Hey yourself," I said.

"Thanks for takin' me outside that night." Apple Bloom said in a cheerful tone, "Ya mind if ah take a dip in the pool?"

"I wouldn't. Though we're on the lower east coast, the water is pretty cold since it's the middle of January." I said.

"Jan-u-air-e? East coast? What east coast?" Apple Bloom said, turning to me for a second.

Heh, right, she doesn't know that stuff. I wonder if it would be a good idea for us to sit down and have a... "doctored" lesson of sorts. I can learn about her world, not to mention our cultural differences. This will be a good distraction from my "business" if anything else.

I'm such a procrastinator.

----End Entry----

>>> Date: January 19th, Time: 11:09 AM<<<

"Stop snickerin'," Apple Bloom said.

I swear I can barely type. I stepped outside for a minute to check the house after last night's storm, came back inside, rushed toward the kitchen after hearing a semi-loud pop, and saw Apple Bloom rear back then fall onto the floor. She actually turned red. Well, her face actually turned red. I didn't think it was possible for ponies to become embarrassed. It was better than any comedy act the way she slipped on the terrazzo floor in the kitchen with the towel landing on her face.

I think my first priority should be teaching her about the microwave. She needs to learn about what can and can't be "nuked" in it. Eggs explode. Why would she eat an egg anyways? Our little experience taught me she hated the taste of meat.

"Ya best not be writing about what happened!" She said to me with a shout.

"I'm not." I say in return, giving a hidden devilish smile. That whinny of hers was the icing on top of the cake when she fell. Poor thing thought I would be angry.

Alright, enough shenanigans. I need to do some research. She'll need to give me a helping hand, ehh... hoof I guess, in return. I'll need her help to understand the differences between our written languages. Last night she grabbed a pencil, and then drew some symbols on a piece of paper I handed to her. I don't know if they were words to her and foreign to me, or if they were just doodles a child would make.

----End Entry----

>>> Date: January 19th, Time: 12:09 PM<<<

"Are we done? Mah head hurts." Apple Bloom said.

"Ya. Thanks for the information." I said.

Unicorns, Earth Ponies, Pegasus Ponies, and Alicorns; princesses rule over ponies; all of that is just the start. One hour down and I have enough for a light novel. It's just a matter of where to begin with this information, and, I guess, the first thing to know is that Apple Bloom comes from a world completely different from ours; that's a Captain Obvious moment, I know. I'm not sure if "Equestria" is the name of the planet or the land. For now, I will consider Equestria to be the land. It would be nice if Apple Bloom knew more about the groups of ponies themselves.

As for the three distinct pony races, these groups form a triangle that support one another in a form of "harmonic" relationship. Each has their strengths and benefits to contribute to a greater whole, all of this sounding like some instruction set for an MMO game imho.

Earth ponies are the strongest of the equines; they have more stamina and strength than the other two groups, inherent knowledge of the land, and an innate ability to communicate with animals. Pegasus ponies/Pegasi control weather, Apple Bloom's comment making more sense now that I understand this part; this group also specializes in various weather phenomenon, and they also handle the changing of the seasons in various parts of Equestria. The third group sounds the same in respects to our world's mythology; unicorns have access to magical talents which enable them to use a variety of, I hate to use this word since magic is nothing but parlor tricks, "spells" in day-to-day living, and some have access to even more powerful magical spells to perform higher feats.

A potential fourth race exists, however, in my opinion, they sound like a bunch of freak videogame characters with a cheat-mod activated to give them access to all skills of the talent trees. I'll have to come back to this one after I've put my personal feelings aside.

All of that jotted down and it's just the start. I still need to jot down notes on the governing bodies, the talents of these alicorns/princesses, and other misc. information. The more I delve into things, the more I find myself disheartened yet fascinated by them. On one hand, I'm disliking these princesses, yet, I'm fascinated by their diversities and those of regular ponies. Also, what intrigues me is how all of them manage their lives. I feel so conflicted. I hate this.

"Apple Bloom?" I said.

"Ya?" she said.

"I think this will be a great start to understanding things. Maybe you can help teach me how to write in your language." I said.

"This is creepin' me out. Feels like Twilight is talkin to me, buggin me for information about somethin' ah just found. She'll pester ya till the sun goes down and moon comes up." Apple Bloom said.

A little piece of me just clicked, and I felt my heart sink with my body growing a little cold. It was my curiosity, and curiosity killed the cat. Apple Bloom is a guest. She's not here for my amusement. Not to mention my guest may not want to talk about home without it upsetting her. I've failed. I've already failed at trying to be more respectful towards.

----End Entry----

>>>Date: January 19th, Time: 1:45 PM<<<

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O well, I guess this little experiment will have to wait till later. The mic on this cheap, piece of garbage headset barely works anyways.

----End Entry----

>>>Date: January 19th, Time: 8:27 PM<<<

Things got pretty hairy when the county maintenance came by around two o'clock.

Apple Bloom opened the back door, which I shouldn't be surprised about since she's quite the intelligent creature, and jumped in the pool; the compliment about her intelligence ends there since I warned Apple Bloom about it being cold. Her whinny caught me off guard. The minutes slowed down to a crawl with the firm knock that came from the front door. I hurried Apple Bloom inside, grabbed several thick towels, and placed her in my room. I opened the door to a small set of question, as well as a stern voice telling me it was illegal to have a horse in my home despite the fact I own the place. I can't stand these homeowners association people, and I can't stand the county people. Neither want to help but they're on the spot when they want money. It was pure luck that a couple of fake smiles sent the jerk away.

My concerns about Apple Bloom being discovered almost came true today. Due to my conspiracy theorist brain going into overdrive at the time, I wondered what would happen if Apple Bloom were discovered. In our complicated, mess of a freakish world, minds driven by scientific curiosity wouldn't be so gentle with her as humans have the capacity for such evil in the pursuit of knowledge. We're such horrible creatures.

"Hey," Apple Bloom said.

"Sup?" I said.

"Ah heard somethin funny comin' from the closet." Apple Bloom said, her ears perking up.

"Was that it?" I said.

"Ya," She said. Apple Bloom grinned at me.

There's no sugar coating this answer.

---Mark---

I better insert that mark there since an hour has passed. I have to remind myself to close out these journals.

Those perked ears couldn't have lowered any faster after I told Apple Bloom about the "machine" in that small space. The AC makes funny noises since it isn't in the best of shape, and she just gave me a saddened "O" before heading to the family room.

"Apple Bloom, do you want to play some video games." I said.

"You have video games?" Apple Bloom said.

I thought it would be interesting. It was interesting since the unique part came from the fact a dang magical talking equine beat me. She made a little wager with me. I accepted it, like an idiot, without asking what we were wagering. What did she have to offer me?

"Ya owe me..." Apple Bloom said, giving me a smirk while I sit at my laptop.

Stupid game. Whatever, a bet was a bet. I shouldn't have agreed to anything without asking what she had in mind.

"Ok, so what do you want as a 'prize,' Apple Bloom?" I said.

"Can we watch the closet tonight?" Apple Bloom said.

Watch the closet? O, I get it. I would have done it if she just asked. "I have no objections. I'll need to pull out a sleeping bag for you. The carpet isn't too comfortable."

After a nod, I heard Apple Bloom boot up the console. I've still got a mountain of notes to go over, yet they feel incomplete. What bugs me the most is this machine that transported her here. There were a couple of knobs with some levers protruding from it, yet the odd part comes from the cables; they attached to some strange crystal that sounds like something out of a fantasy realm. Since Apple Bloom is a talking pony, I shouldn't be surprised about the crystal part. What unnerves me is not the fact the gem sounded like a red emerald with a star inside of it. I find myself unnerved at the fact Apple Bloom spoke in such a casual manner about where it came from.

"Maud gave it to Twilight. She said somethin about it bein from the Lazarus Pools near Tartarus. Maud's braver than any of us for venturin around there." Apple Bloom said to me.

Tartarus, as in "the" Tartarus from those mythological stories?

----End Journal----

Author's Note:

This update was ready a little earlier than usual but took some additional time to edit the material. I wanted to add in more of an emotional element when the protagonist gets the information from Apple Bloom about Equestria. Also, I wanted to fine-tune some parts for down the road.

Comments

[Calaigo Vrin]

Fairly certain only someone from Ponyville could talk about something from Tartarus like it was just a common and plain thing.