Of Mares and Machines

by Razalon The Lizardman

Chapter 7

The following few days passed by uneventfully for Mavis. The day’s routine didn’t change beyond how it went her first day living with the Apple family. Everything that had seemed strange at first became more normal with each passing day. The only thing that caught her off guard was the end of the first day when she felt her belly aching and remembered Applejack’s warning, how she needed to sit on the toilet when that happened. She’d rushed to the bathroom as instructed and sat on the bowl after lifting the lid. The smelly brown things and the stream of yellow liquid that came out of her ensured she didn’t sleep much that night.

Doing the normal chores involving the farm animals didn’t get any easier or harder over time, but Mavis couldn’t find it in her to be excited with how many eggs were collected from the coop like Applejack tended to be. She did make considerable progress working in the orchard, however, thanks to the help of Applejack and, only occasionally as per her request, Big Mac. The magic inside her became more clear and accessible over time, as normal as the oil fueling her back on Sodor, allowing her to buck apple trees with greater force with each try. One fallen apple became five, then ten, and eventually more than she could count at a glance. The more apples she knocked down, the prouder she was, and the more conceited she became.

All her progress and hard work had the benefit of making Applejack especially happy. When she’d first asked for time off to help Fluttershy, Applejack had told her that she might allow it if Mavis kept up a consistently good performance over the following few days

“One more tree, Mavis!” Applejack called from a short distance away.

Mavis approached the last remaining tree in the row they were harvesting. She turned around and readied her hind legs. The magic gathered in them, making them strong enough to withstand the impact. She pictured herself back on Sodor, shunting troublesome trucks in the quarry. The only thing to make those trucks behave was to give them a good, solid, but not too rough bump. It was one of the first pieces of advice Toby gave her back when she first started working, and, as much as she was loathed to admit it now, he knew what he was talking about. The tree was like a truck in need of a bump.

She lifted her legs and struck the tree with as much speed and force as her legs could muster. The trunk shook violently and a rain of apples tumbled down around her. Mavis smiled proudly.

“I gotta say,” Applejack said as she approached her, “yer strength is definitely on par with my own.” She looked up to the sun in the sky. “Looks like we finished early. Colour me impressed, Mavis.”

“Does that mean I can visit Fluttershy?” Mavis asked, hopeful.

Applejack smiled. “You know what? Go on ahead. I can run the stall just fine on my own fer a day.”

Now Mavis strode through Ponyville on her way to Fluttershy’s cottage with the biggest, cheekiest grin splitting her muzzle. The ponies were all fusspots being so scared of monsters in the forest. Monsters weren’t scary. She was brave.

Her memory capacity had also improved greatly over the past few days, as the route from Sweet Apple Acres to Fluttershy’s cottage was much clearer in her mind. She made her way through the market, past the outskirts of town and onto the path leading to Fluttershy’s cottage, all the while wondering what she might find in the Everfree Forest if the castle was too far away for her to get to on her own. She hoped she’d get to see the monsters the ponies kept warning her about because then she could brag about how she wasn’t scared of them.

At last, she made it to Fluttershy’s cottage. She knocked on the front door and a few seconds later it opened to reveal Fluttershy.

“Oh, hello Mavis,” she greeted warmly. “Does this mean Applejack is okay with you being here in your free time?”

Mavis nodded. “Yes. Is there anything you want me to do to help?”

“Oh, you don’t need to do anything for me. Just having your company is good enough.” Mavis shot her a pleading look. “... But if you insist, I could use some help tending to my animal friends.”

Mavis’ plan was going smoothly so far, much to her delight.

The next hour was spent with Mavis filling food bowls, dusting off floors, and other small tasks along with Fluttershy. She genuinely enjoyed doing the work, but what she was waiting for was an opportunity to slip away unnoticed to the backyard and into the forest.

Her chance came when Fluttershy announced she needed to fetch some supplies from the market.

“Can you finish dusting the furniture for me while I’m gone?” she asked Mavis while equipping her saddlebag.

Mavis nodded and Fluttershy left through the front door. Mavis turned around and glanced around the living room. Most of the animals had retreated into their little homes while the rest eyed her curiously; their presence wasn’t discomforting, though, Mavis wondered if they would tell on her when Fluttershy came back.

The only dusty spot left was a corner near the kitchen entrance. Mavis worked briskly, sweeping up the dust and disposing it into the ‘trash can’ in the kitchen. Once she put the broom and dustpan back into the ‘supply closet’ a wide grin broke out on her face. Her plan had worked perfectly! She briskly slipped outside through the back door, unmindful of all the animals watching her. She trotted across the backyard, searching out the spot where Fluttershy brought her the other day. She found it quickly and stepped past the treeline, heading straight forward.

I wonder what I might find? she thought. Where does that path lead? Oh, I can’t wait to find out!

She tried to recall the exact path they’d taken the other day to the best of her memory. Fluttershy had followed a straight line to the clearing, so she followed suit and sure enough, she came upon the exact same clearing a minute later. She quickly found the path and ventured down it, forcing her way past a tangle of extra long tree branches. One of them scraped along her flank, making Mavis wince in pain. Looking back, she saw a big, nasty scratch running along her flank. Pony bodies really did get damaged more easily; her frame was more resistant than this.

Mavis shrugged off the pain and continued walking along the dirt path.

She traveled for what felt like a few minutes, but never once did anything particularly interesting stand out to her. Lots of bushes with pointy plants barred her way, resulting in her body getting further scraped and scratched from pushing forward. Strange red stuff started oozing out of a particularly nasty cut on her left foreleg which Mavis figured wasn't good.

All of Mavis’ excitement and interest faded the further she walked along the dirt path. The forest only seemed to get darker and darker over time. A few times she thought she heard a sound from somewhere close by, but turning to look revealed nothing but thick foliage. The air grew stuffier as well and something like a thin mist began swirling in the air after a while. Aside from the leaves crunching under her hooves and her own breathing, the forest was dead silent.

She stopped in front of a large tree, checking her surroundings. Everything looked too similar. Everything was too still. Too lifeless.

The heavy weight in her stomach came back. The last of her boldness slipped away, replaced by a sliver of fear. Something wasn’t right. She didn’t know how she knew it, she just did, like another instinct had made itself known.

Mavis turned around. Her curiosity gone, she picked up her pace to a trot, eager to return to the cottage before Fluttershy returned and learned what she’d been up to.

A twig snapped to her left.

Mavis froze in place. Fear rooted her to the spot. She could only turn her head towards the wall of bushes to her left. “Wh-who’s there?” she asked.

No one replied.

Mavis took a step forward. “I’m not scared of you,” she said shakily.

Another twig snapped. Suddenly, a big brown blur darted from behind the bush onto the dirt path in front of her, making her squeak in surprise. The creature faced her and Mavis felt true fear for the first time since entering the Everfree Forest.

The creature before her looked like no animal she’d seen in her entire life. It stood just as tall as her and was covered in brown fur. Red hair framed the top of its head and two long, sharp fangs stuck from its mouth as it eyed her with an intense gaze. Protruding from its rear was a tail with a pointed end which moved up and down seemingly independent from the rest of the creature’s body.

The creature gave a low growl of warning. Mavis instinctively took a step back. “I’m sorry to bother you.” She tried yet failed to sound brave. “I’ll leave now.”

She took another few steps back and the creature took a few forward. The strange beating rose again in Mavis’ chest, rising in intensity at an alarming rate. A soft ringing similarly rose in her ears. She needed to run; that was what her body was screaming at her to do now.

She turned and broke into a gallop down the path. She immediately heard the creature following her, its footsteps pounding the ground as it quickly began catching up with her. Mavis picked up her pace. Trees and bushes whizzed past her as she bolted down the path faster than she’d ever gone before as a pony or an engine. Dirt covered her body as her hooves kicked it up into the air. She didn’t dare look back for fear of running into something and allowing this creature to get closer than it already was. A couple of times she felt hot breath on the back of her neck.

The creature chased her along the dirt path all the way to the treeline. Mavis was running so fast that her hooves started aching, but she couldn’t stop. She had to keep running even if she didn’t know exactly what would happen if she stopped. Up until now, adhering to the new instincts that came with her new body spelled only good things, so she wasn’t going to stop listening to them now.

Some plants scraped her face as she broke through the treeline with a fearful cry and sprinted across Fluttershy’s backyard, the creature following right behind her. To her immense relief, the back door was slightly ajar. She flung it open, bolted inside, and slammed the door shut as hard and as fast as she could.

“Mavis!?”

Mavis barely heard Fluttershy’s voice over the sound of her catching her breath. Her legs screamed with agony and her chest heaved. She slumped face down to the floor, too tired to move or speak. A small part of her did wonder if the creature was going to try to break through the door, but she didn’t have the energy to be afraid.

She heard hoofsteps trot over to her and a hoof rested on her back. “What’s wrong, Mavis? Where were you? Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.

Mavis managed to lift a hoof toward the door. “Monster…” she moaned.

There was a moment of silence before she heard Fluttershy open the door, followed by an excited squeal. “Robbie, is that you!?” She ran outside.

Mavis lay there motionless for a few more seconds before she forced herself onto her hooves, ignoring the aches in her legs. She looked outside and felt her jaw drop in amazement at the sight of Fluttershy gently rubbing the creature’s back as it now laid on its belly with a friendly, relaxed expression.

The creature, ‘Robbie’, let out a sigh of content and Fluttershy giggled. “You’ve grown up so much since I last saw you. Is life treating you well these days? How are your parents doing?”

Robbie purred.

“Glad to hear that.” Then Fluttershy noticed Mavis staring and frowned. “Is something wrong, Mavis?”

“How are you doing that?” Mavis asked.

“Doing what?”

Mavis pointed at Robbie. “He was chasing me before, but now he isn’t.”

Fluttershy stared confused for a moment before realization seemed to strike and she giggled. “Oh Mavis, Robbie here was just playing with you. He’s just a cub after all. He loves chasing ponies since it lets him get some practice for when he’ll have to start hunting in a few years. Isn’t that right, Robbie?” She scratched behind his ear.

He purred again.

Mavis blinked. The only part of that she could make sense of was the part about Robbie ‘playing’ with her, which was a queer way of playing if she ever saw one. But seeing how calm he was helped melt away the last of her panic. She wanted to go over and scold Robbie for scaring her as he did, but couldn’t bring herself to for some reason. Another instinct in her mind was holding her back, yet another one she couldn’t identify.

Fluttershy continued stroking and scratching Robbie for a few more minutes before she sent him on his way. Once he was out of sight through the trees Fluttershy turned to face Mavis with a disapproving gaze. It was the same look Mavis got from the Fat Controller whenever she did something bad, but the sinking feeling in her stomach made the experience even worse. Then it came upon her that she could actually run away— she could move entirely on her own! She turned toward the side of the cottage, readying herself to gallop.

“Mavis.”

All at once her resolve shattered. Fluttershy’s voice cut deep into her, coupling her to the spot she now stood, unable to move. All she could do was turn her head to meet Fluttershy’s eyes as the pegasus came up right next to her.

There was a moment of silence that felt much longer like Mavis was being made to wait in the shed again, before Fluttershy asked her, “Did you go into the Everfree?”

The instant the words left her lips Mavis’ discomfort turned into guilt. She cast her gaze downward in shame. “Y-yes,” she admitted.

“We’ll have to tell Applejack about this, you know that right?” Fluttershy said firmly.

Mavis nodded. Her eyes threatened to well up with tears.

Fluttershy sighed and rested a hoof on her withers. “I’ll make sure to let her know that you were a big help to me, but she needs to know what you did.”

A tear rolled down Mavis’ cheek. “I-I u-underst-stand,” she choked out.

Fluttershy nodded. “Let’s go.”

---

The entire trip back to Sweet Apple Acres was awful for Mavis. If there was ever a time she wanted to be turned into scrap, it was now. Tears streamed down her face more than a few times; ponies they passed probably stared at her for that reason more so than her lack of a cutie mark.

The only thing she could think about the entire way was the scolding Applejack was sure to give her. Even worse, Applejack was sure to tell the Fat Controller, who wouldn’t be pleased at all to know Mavis had acted out of line. He wouldn’t let her work in the quarry again.

I’m such a naughty engine, she thought dreadfully. I’m sure to be locked up in the shed forever now.

They reached Sweet Apple Acres within the hour. They made their way through the gate and across the front yard to the door. Each step was more labourious than the last for Mavis like she was trying to pull an extra long line of trucks. When they ascended the porch steps Mavis held back, earning a curious stare from Fluttershy. Her choked sobs prevented her from saying it, but she was too afraid to go any further.

Fluttershy must’ve understood, as she simply turned and knocked on the door. A few moments later the door opened to reveal Applejack. “Howdy Fluttershy—” she turned to acknowledge Mavis’ presence, “howdy— whoa, what’s wrong, Mavis? Why’re ya cryin’?”

Fluttershy sighed. “Can we talk inside for a minute, Applejack?” she asked.

Applejack looked to her with a quirked eyebrow, then back to Mavis for a moment before saying, “Oookay, sure,” and stepping aside to let Fluttershy inside. She shot one last curious glance to Mavis before shutting the door.

Mavis perched herself down on the porch. She wiped her eyes clean of tears, not caring about the stains she got in her coat. Eventually, her eyes ran dry altogether and her choked sobs subsided. She laid her head down on the wooden boards, left with nothing but her imagination. Applejack would probably be cross to learn she’d put herself in danger and be ready to barge through the door to scold her.

That scenario played repeatedly in her head for the next few minutes. At one point, she heard a sharp gasp inside followed by some indistinguishable words. She tried to get her mind on something else by looking at the clear blue sky above but to no avail. The thought of running away surfaced in her mind again, but it quickly came upon her that she had nowhere to run to. She only knew as much about Equestria as she’d been shown, which wasn’t much. If she left and got lost, that would be just as bad as having to listen to Applejack scold her. To that end, she stayed put, awaiting whatever punishment she would get.

Finally, the door opened. Mavis couldn’t bring herself to look around.

A moment of silence passed before she heard Applejack’s voice say, “Turn around and face me, Mavis.” It was calm, yet firm.

Mavis sniffed, stood up and did as instructed. Applejack didn’t look cross, much to Mavis’ surprise, but not at all pleased. She looked like she was ‘appraising’ Mavis, to use another one of her driver’s terms.

“What you did was wrong, Mavis,” Applejack said, and Mavis felt the weight in her stomach sink a little deeper. “I’m disappointed in you, but this is a discussion all three of us need to have.” She stepped aside and motioned for Mavis to come inside.

Mavis obliged. She saw Fluttershy standing in the middle of the living room, but she was surprised to see Big Mac looking at her from the doorway to the kitchen. The look on his face was impossible for her to understand; it wasn’t quite happy or sorrowful or cross. A small part of her was happy her symptoms weren’t returning upon seeing him. Fluttershy motioned for her to sit on the couch, which she again obliged.

Applejack came in and took a spot next to Fluttershy. The two of them stared at Mavis for a full minute, all while she squirmed under their collective gaze. It reminded her too much of when her manager and the Fat Controller first locked her up in the shed after her accident.

Finally, Applejack broke the silence. “Mavis, I need to know: Did you want to help Fluttershy just so you could get into the Everfree?”

Mavis blinked. That wasn’t what she was expecting to hear first from them. “No, no I didn’t. I really wanted to help her.” That was true, but she hadn’t been blind to the opportunity working at Fluttershy’s cottage would give her. It wasn’t actually lying, she was almost completely positive.

Applejack stared at her for another short while, judging her honesty, before sighing. “You know, Mavis, Sir Topham Hatt told us you were young and full of your own ideas. He also gave us all the details about the accident that got you locked up in the shed.”

Mavis cast her gaze downward in shame.

“Look at me, Mavis,” Applejack continued, and Mavis obeyed. “There’s something you need to realize: Ponies, and humans fer that matter, have their own version of being turned into scrap.”

“Really?” Mavis said, genuinely surprised.

Fluttershy nodded. “We call it ‘dying’. Dying is what happens when your mind completely shuts down and you can never move your body anymore. It’s kind of like permanently going to sleep. Being eaten is just one of many ways to die, and probably the most horrifying.” She narrowed her eyes in a serious manner. “Robbie would never actually harm a pony, but if something else had found you and eaten you we would’ve lost you forever.”

“I feel like we should’a talked about this earlier,” Applejack put in. “S’pose it’s my fault fer that. But Fluttershy’s right, we would’ve lost you forever, and we would’a been in a whole heap o’ trouble; a thousand times more trouble than you got in fer your accident.”

Mavis’ jaw dropped a little. A thousand times more trouble!? What kind of punishment could be worse than being locked up in a shed?

“You need to understand how important it is ta heed our warnings ‘bout dangerous places,” Applejack continued. “Pony bodies aren’t so sturdy; we can’t take a lotta punishment before we keel over. You ain’t gonna survive to work in Ffarquhar iff’n ya fall off a cliff or somethin’. You understand all that, Mavis?”

It was strange. Since gaining a pony body and coming to Equestria, Mavis was having trouble understanding certain ideas she was told about, but now things were different. The fact that pony bodies weren’t as strong as engine frames made perfect sense to her, as did the comparison between getting scrapped and ‘dying’. Everything was all so clear to her now for a reason she couldn’t explain. Maybe it had something to do with what Twilight had said the other day about utilizing more brain power.

“Yes, Applejack,” she answered genuinely. “I’m sorry. I promise to be good from now on”

“Good to hear,” Applejack said, her mouth lifting into a smile. “It’d be such a shame to lose such a dependable and hard-workin’ pony like yourself, ‘specially one who’ll help out friends without bein’ asked to.”

Mavis looked at her curiously. Applejack nodded at Fluttershy, who spoke up. “You were a big help to me today, Mavis. If you’re really serious about being good, I’ll let you keep coming over to help, or even if you just want to chat.”

Mavis smiled. “Oh yes, please, I would like that very much.”

Fluttershy and Mavis turned expectantly to Applejack. The stare Applejack gave Mavis was coy. “Well, I don’t know,” she said playfully, “I wouldn’t want ta lose ya to her.” She laughed and slapped her leg. “I’m jus’ pullin’ yer leg, Sugarcube; I ain’t gonna be one ta stop ya, so sure, I’ll let ya go whenever I let ya take a break.”

“Thank you, Applejack,” Mavis said, a great sense of relief coming to her.

“No problem.” Applejack looked thoughtful for a moment. “You know, my brother nearly fell over dead from shock when he learned you entered the Everfree.”

“He did?” Mavis said, interested.

“Yep, I ain’t never seen him more deathly pale in my life.” Applejack laughed again.

“Deathly pale?” But all Mavis got for an answer was more laughter from Applejack, much to her frustration.

“That’s enough, Applejack,” Fluttershy lightly admonished, and Applejack settled down. “While I’m here, why don’t we set up Winona’s next appointment?”

“Sure thing,” Applejack replied.

Mavis’ mind drifted elsewhere as the two friends delved into their conversation. She was surprised she’d gotten off without any real punishment, which meant she could still be useful. Of course, the last thing on her mind now was any desire to explore the Everfree, or any other dangerous place, again. All that stuff they’d said about ‘dying’ was horrible; there was no way she’d misbehave again if it meant risking that and never being able to work in the quarry again.

Then Mavis’ mind floated to Big Mac and his reaction to hearing about the danger she’d put herself in. Why would he react that way? Her curiosity won out and she hopped off the couch, walking over to the kitchen. Peeking inside, she spotted Big Mac washing dishes at the sink, face turned away from her. He must’ve heard her hoofsteps, as he turned around to face her when she was halfway to him. His eyes bulged and the dish in his hoof fell out of his grip, only for him to quickly snatch it with his teeth just before it hit the ground. The entire display was undignified and disorderly, but Mavis was too distracted to voice that opinion.

“Hello, Big Mac,” she greeted as politely as she could.

Big Mac nodded his acknowledgment and lifted his head to drop the dish back into the sink. “Hey,” was all he said.

A few moments of awkward silence passed between them, during which Mavis tried to strike up the courage to ask her question. It was hard for some reason.

“Applejack said you were ‘deathly pale’ to hear I went into the Everfree Forest,” she finally managed to let out. “What does that mean?”

Big Mac said nothing at first. His eyes were turned away from her, but Mavis knew he’d heard her. Another shorter silence passed between them, broken only by the rushing water in the sink. Mavis’ symptoms came back, but this time they weren’t unwelcome. Indeed, for some reason she actually found herself relishing in them. Yet another thing about her new body she didn’t understand.

Finally, Big Mac sighed and turned to face her with a serious expression. “I overheard Applejack and Fluttershy talking to ya jus’ now. I hope you really do stay outta the Everfree, ‘cause I couldn’t live with myself if somethin’ bad happened to ya.” He then turned back around and resumed washing the dishes.

Mavis stared at him for a few moments, waiting for him to say anything else, but he didn’t, so she turned around and headed back for the living room. Her curiosity hadn’t been satisfied, so she decided to ask Applejack what was going on.

Fluttershy and Applejack continued talking for another minute before Fluttershy left, saying goodbye to both of them as she left through the front door.

“Can I ask you something, Applejack?” Mavis asked right away. “Somewhere away from the kitchen?

Applejack looked surprised but still smiled. “Sure thing, Sugarcube,” she replied. The two of them retreated to the far side of the room.

“Big Mac says he ‘couldn’t live with himself’ if something bad happened to me,” Mavis explained. “What did he mean by that?”

Applejack looked thoughtful for a few seconds before a small laugh escaped her lips. “Sounds like Big Mac’s returning your feelings.” Another laugh threatened to break through her mouth, but she held firm.

Mavis quirked an eyebrow. “Big Mac has a crush on me, too?”

“Seems like it,” Applejack said. “You wanna know more about crushes, I take it?”

Mavis nodded.

“Then I guess it’s time fer yer gal pal Applejack to tell you all about love.” She snickered.

Mavis looked at her curiously; something told her she would never completely understand the language of ponies.

“Well, first things first;” Applejack began, “ponies, and every other sapient, organic creature fer that matter, eventually starts developin’ special feelings for the opposite gender; special in a way that goes beyond just being friends. Like, you actually want to spend the rest of your life with them, living and working with them, sleeping with them, but if the feeling isn’t mutual none of that’ll happen.

“We call that ‘romance’. Romance is a special kinda love that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Since y’all weren’t an organic creature originally, I doubt this is something ya can really understand, but since you’re feeling it I s’pose I oughta explain what it’s all about so you’re all the wiser for it. As long as you’re here, at least.”

What Applejack was describing wasn’t making any sense to Mavis, but she was determined to learn if it meant being comfortable for the rest of her stay.

“What about the heat in my cheeks and the funny feeling and beating in my chest?” she asked.

“Those are the physical manifestations of romantic feelings, usually because you find the pony in question physically attractive.” She walked over and pressed a hoof against Mavis’ chest. “But that beating is your heart working overtime, which also happens when you tire your body out from exercising a lot.”

Mavis looked down to where her hoof was. “My heart?”

“Yep, it’s the body’s organ responsible for pumping blood,” Applejack explained. She looked Mavis over. "Looks like you might have lost a bit on yer little adventure, from the looks of it."

Mavis glanced at her flanks and all the cuts she'd gotten from scraping against branches. Now she knew the red stuff that was coming out of her was called 'blood', which was apparently important to keep inside of her, but it was good to know that the beating in her chest was normal. “I’ve been having these symptoms since I first met Big Mac,” she stated.

“Really, huh? That’s interesting.” Applejack retracted her hoof. “Well, normally I wouldn’t mind somepony tryin’ ta hook up with my brother, but it ain’t gonna work with you.”

“Why not?” Mavis asked.

“Because doing so usually leads to gettin’ married, an’ that usually leads to havin’ foals.” The emphasis she put on the last word surprised Mavis; it must be important. “Now, y’all won’t be here long enough fer that to happen, but better safe than sorry, ‘specially when Sir Topham Hatt would have my neck if it happened.” She shuddered.

Mavis understood what marriage was; her driver mentioned about a year ago that he’d attended a wedding and had explained to her what it was about. All the stuff about the ‘physical manifestations’ of ‘romance’ he’d neglected to talk about, however.

“That said,” Applejack continued, “if you’re interested, I wouldn’t mind if you got a little cozy with my bro.”

“Cozy?”

“Nothing too serious,” Applejack said. “Like, dating would be okay, but that’s about it.”

“Dating?”

Applejack laughed. “Rarity’s really the pony to ask about this kinda stuff. We can visit her once we’re done fer the day.” She turned toward the front door. “Right now, there’s a break in the fence that needs fixin’. I’m gonna need yer help for it, girl.”

“Of course I’ll help!” Mavis said with a smile.

She followed Applejack outside and towards the front gate. All while she helped she kept thinking about everything Applejack said about love and relationships. Marriage and having foals didn’t interest her, but the idea of ‘getting cozy’ with Big Mac sounded nice, if for no other reason than to make the rest of her stay here even more enjoyable.