Chapter 15 - Coming to Terms
Applejack awakens early the next morning. Looking out the window at the murky morning light she spies raindrops pelting the glass furiously. Sighing, she closes her eyes, groans, and moves a hand to scratch her ear. However she bumps into something a bit… odd. Frowning, she gives it a few squeezes which cause some light grunts to ring out. Her eyes flying open, Applejack turns her head to see what she is touching. Spying a noticeable bulge in Arc’s shorts, she lies there wide-eyed and unmoving for several moments. After what feels like an eternity Arc calls out to her.
“A-Applejack?"
“Arc! I… I…!”
Arc grimaces. “Can you… let go please?”
Blushing furiously, she draws her hand back and quickly rolls off the couch. Landing on the floor with an audible thump Applejack hurriedly turns her head to look away.
“I… um… I just…!”
“It’s… okay.”
“Sorry! I didn’t mean to…!”
“Don’t worry. I saw the whole thing.”
“You did?!”
Arc nods. “Yeah. I’ve been awake for a while now just listening to the rain. You kinda woke up and looked to be trying to… um… reposition yourself when you… you know.”
“I had an itch! But what are we still doing on the couch?!”
“You fell asleep. Just like I said you would.”
“Then why didn’t you go to bed?!”
“I didn’t want to risk waking you up.”
Applejack groans. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Sorry for… you know…”
“It’s… okay.”
Applejack shakes her head. “No, it isn’t! It’s inappropriate for a mare to touch a stallion’s…!”
Arc interrupts her. “Please, Applejack. Let’s just forget the whole thing. After all, I’m sorry too.”
“You’re sorry?! For what?!”
Arc looks away nervously. “Morning wood.”
“What’s that?!”
“It’s… you know what, let’s just get up and start the day.”
“Um… okay.”
The pair stand up together. Arc looks out the window and sighs.
“Pretty nasty weather today.”
Applejack nods sadly. “That it is. What are we supposed to do now?”
“Well… I’m not really sure. I was planning to take you back to the countryside if you were feeling better today too.”
Applejack grins. “Really?!”
Arc chuckles. “Yeah. You liked it so much that I was thinking of showing you the free range cattle farm about an hour’s drive south of here.”
“That sounds amazing!”
“But there’s not much to see in this weather. Dangerous to be driving in rain this heavy too.”
“Well, we can go another time.”
“I suppose so. However that leaves us with no plan for today.”
“How about we have some breakfast and talk it over then?”
“Okay.”
Heading for the Kitchen, Arc and Applejack get to work cooking pancakes and eggs. Sometime later they sit down together and eat. Arc grins.
“Always loved your pancakes, Applejack.”
“Thanks. It’s an old family recipe.”
“A perfected one I would guess.”
Applejack grins. “Yup. Granny Smith did that when she was about my age I’m told.”
“One of these days I need to perfect my mother’s pizza recipe.”
“Still not sure how that isn’t perfect to you.”
“I still feel that it’s missing something though.”
“That I understand. The Tomato Soup recipe I made yesterday wasn’t the best it could be.”
Arc smiles at her. “Are you kidding?! It was awesome!”
Applejack chuckles. “Thanks.”
“Maybe we’re just being too hard on our respective recipes.”
“Granny Smith once told me something like that. She said ‘we’re our own toughest critics’, or something like that.”
“Sounds about right.”
“I didn’t really understand what she meant by that at the time. But now it makes perfect sense.”
Arc grins. “Well, I’ve figured out what we’re having for lunch.”
“What?”
“Prototype Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.”
“Sounds good. But that still leaves the matter of what to do this morning.”
“And afternoon.”
Applejack appears suddenly nervous. “I… might have an idea.”
“What is it?”
“Well… now don’t take this the wrong way, sugarcube. But we could do some cleaning this morning.”
“Like what?”
“Sweep and mop the floors. Vacuum the carpets. Wash the windows. Well, the insides of them at least.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “What brought this on all of a sudden?”
“It’s what we do at Sweet Apple Acres when the weather is bad like this. Not saying your house isn’t clean, Arc, but…”
“Kinda isn’t.”
“Huh?”
“With no one living here it is a bit dusty. But I’d love to clean it up with you. That is, if you want to.”
“Sure. It’ll be fun!”
“Cleaning is fun?”
“It is when you’re spending time with someone you care about.”
Arc chuckles. “Guess you got me there. Alright, it’s a plan!”
Finishing their meal, the pair do the dishes and get to work cleaning the house from top to bottom before sitting down to lunch together. Applejack grins as she looks to Arc.
“That was more work than I thought it would be.”
“Agreed. I didn’t realize just how dingy my house really was.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Arc. But I’ve found that places with nothing but stallions tend to be kinda… dirty.”
Arc shrugs. “I’m sure my guys tried their best to keep things tidy when they were here. However they’ve been back in Equestria for quite some time now.”
“Well, when we all start living together I’ll see to it things stay clean.”
“I’ll help too.”
“Thanks, but I think you’ll be a bit too busy for that. The other girls will help out too, I’m sure. After all, everyone’s house is pretty neat from what I’ve seen.”
“We’ll have to come up with a list of who does what so that everyone understands their duties.”
“Do you really think that’ll be necessary?”
“Probably. After all, if we’re all assigned certain duties it’ll be really obvious if someone shirks their chores.”
Applejack sighs. “Rainbow Dash?”
“You said it. I didn’t.”
“It’s not that she’s lazy though. She just takes a lot of naps.”
“Probably because of all the flying practice.”
“I guess. But she could at least do her work before practicing!”
“Is it really that bad?”
“Kinda. Let’s just say that you shouldn’t ever ask for her help without a backup plan. Now, I know that sounds really rude of me. But I’ve learned from experience that it’s true.”
“I didn’t know that.”
Applejack smiles nervously. “Um… maybe we should change the subject. I’m feeling kinda guilty for saying all that bad stuff about Rainbow Dash behind her back now.”
“Yes, well… I’m sure you were just being honest.”
“I was, of course. But that’s not fair to her. After all, she isn’t here to defend herself.”
“Then let’s get back to the original subject, shall we?”
“Good idea. Chore assignments.”
“Actually, let’s table that until everyone’s together. No reason to get everything all figured out and then have to start all over when it doesn’t work out.”
“Fine. How about we try to figure out what to do this afternoon then?”
“That’s a good question. After all, we’ve already cleaned the entire house from top to bottom.”
Applejack chuckles. “Right. But there has to be more to do. After all, housework is never done.”
“Well… there is one more place to clean.”
“Where’s that?”
“The attic.”
“Oh?”
“It’s pretty dusty since we pretty much never go up there.”
Applejack sighs. “I hate to admit it, but we Apples don’t typically clean ours either.”
“Well, in that case why don’t we do something a bit different.”
“Like what?”
“Go through the boxes up there. I can show you pictures of my family.”
“That sounds great! I can learn more about you AND humans too!”
They finish their meal and put the dishes in the sink. Arc leads Applejack upstairs to the attic hatch. Pulling the string the door opens and a ladder drops down. Arc takes the lead and pokes his head above the ceiling. Flicking a switch he climbs up and turns back to help Applejack.
“Watch your step there.”
Applejack looks around as she straightens up. “This place is huge!”
Arc grins. “It’s probably bigger when empty.”
“There is a lot up here, yes.”
“Come over here. I want to show you something.”
Walking over to a box, Arc opens it and steps aside.
“Take a look.”
Applejack does so. Reaching inside she pulls out several wooden blocks.
“Your toys as a child?”
Arc nods. “Yup. We never threw these kind of things away.”
“Everything in here looks to be pretty durable.”
“I’m told they were handed down through the generations. I got them from my dad whom got them from my grandfather whom got them from his father I assume.”
Applejack smiles as she stacks the blocks. “That’s really nice, Arc. We did the same in our family.”
“Oh?”
“I’m told that simple blocks were some of the few toys brought by the Apple family to their new home in what’s now known as Ponyville.”
“What do you mean?”
“Granny Smith’s parents were responsible for founding the town. Didn’t you learn that from the Founder’s Day story time?”
“If you recall, that was interrupted by a cloaked griffon.”
Applejack groans. “Oh, right. Forgot that happened.”
“I’d like to hear the story though.”
“How about another time? Right now I want to learn more about your past.”
“Okay. But I’ll hold you to that.”
Heading toward another box, Arc opens it and pulls out a pile of cloth. Applejack appears confused.
“What’s that?”
Arc chuckles. “An old Halloween costume.”
“Hallow-what?”
“It’s a holiday where you dress up in a costume and walk around the neighborhood getting candy.”
Applejack grins. “Ah! So it’s like Nightmare Night!”
“What’s that?”
“Pretty much what you described. Ponyville has a town-wide party which involves a lot of sugary foods along with candy for the foals.”
Arc chuckles. “And I’m assuming Pinkie’s in charge of that?”
“There actually isn’t a single individual who is ‘running’ it. Everyone just knows what happens on that night and just kinda contributes to the festivities and scary vibes as best they can.”
“When is it?”
“In a month or so.”
“This I gotta see!”
Applejack laughs. “Trust me. You’d have a great time.”
“Dinky would too, I imagine.”
“Everyone really.”
Applejack grins hugely as she continues.
“We could all go together!”
“That sounds like fun.”
“I’d be like a group date! Um… if that’s okay with you, I mean.”
Arc nods. “A group date would be fine.”
“That’s a relief. After the conversation we had in the Jeep I thought you wouldn’t like a group setting.”
“That’s just as far as sexuality goes. Just hanging out together is okay.”
Applejack looks to the item in his hands in an effort to change the subject. “So… what kind of a costume is that you have there?”
Arc chuckles. “A strawberry.”
“Like the fruit?”
Arc nods as he holds up the small cloth costume. “Yup. My mother made it for me because I liked them so much when I was little.”
“Looks like she did a nice job of it too.”
“Yeah. She always said I would turn into one if I ate too many. That’s probably where the idea came from.”
“Looks like it might fit Dinky with a few stitches here and there.”
“For Nightmare Night?”
“Sure. There’s no rules on what you can or can’t dress up as. And I think she’d look really cute in it too.”
“I suppose I could wash it and show it to her when we get home.”
“Worst thing that could happen is her saying ‘no’, right?”
“Exactly.”
Tossing the costume down the attic hatch to the floor below Arc moves to another box with Applejack. Opening it, he pulls out an old photo album and sits down. Applejack takes her place next to him as he opens it.
“Black and white photos?”
Arc nods. “Yup. These ones are pretty old. Here’s my grandfather before he shipped out to fight in World War II.”
“The facial features are really similar.”
Arc chuckles. “And the hair?”
“It looks brown like yours.”
“That’s just the lack of color pictures. My mother told me that, in truth, he had very vibrant red hair. Almost unnaturally so.”
Applejack puts a hand to her chin. “But the hologram of him we saw didn’t.”
“Well, human’s hair often grays as they age.”
“I do get that. After all, ponies are the same in that regard. What I don’t understand is why he chose to record it like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s what you’ll be remembered as. I’d have made myself look young again.”
Arc gasps. “That’s possible?!”
Applejack shrugs. “Probably. After all, it’s of magical construction.”
“All I can figure is that’s just how he looked when it was created. And grandpa was really insistent on being truthful. In fact, he had an old saying about it.”
“What was it?”
“It was ‘the truth will set you free’.”
Applejack nods approvingly. “Words to live by.”
“And he did as far as I know.”
“What about the whole ‘defender of ponies’ bit though? He never said a word?”
Arc shakes his head. “No. But even if he had, it’s not an easy thing to believe.”
“Would you have?”
“Believed him?”
Applejack nods as Arc thinks for a moment before speaking.
“I would have just thought it was one of his crazy stories. As long as I knew him he had mental problems which made him imagine things that weren’t there.”
“Like Granny Smith?”
“Something like that, yes. A lot of what he did and said wasn’t exactly coherent. But looking back at a lot of his stories… everything sorta makes sense now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Even in that state he was still trying to be honest. His stories were probably adventures he and his siblings had in Equestria. Or the land that came before, that is.”
“Siblings?”
Arc nods. “My great aunts. His hologram told me that they too helped safeguard the original homeland of the ponies.”
“What did they do?”
“Grandfather’s hologram told me that at one point his older sister, my Great Aunt Megan, took over ruling the land after the fall of the current leader. She along with the youngest sister, Great Aunt Molly, did their best to juggle their responsibilities between that of being rulers and their lives on Earth.”
“Sounds like a lot of work.”
“Probably was if what I’ve experienced in the past is any indication. But it ended just as abruptly as it had started.”
“Oh?”
Arc pulls Cherry’s pendant from his ring. “They used the power from the Rainbow of Light to travel between the two dimensions. One day it just stopped working though.”
“Just all at once?”
“Right. So they were stuck here on Earth.”
“What’d they do?”
Arc shrugs. “Lived out their lives as best they could, I suppose. Only grandpa was ever summoned back again to fight for Equestria. But apparently there was some kind of time disruption and centuries had passed in Equestria.”
Applejack’s eyes grew wide. “So everyone he knew before was…?”
“Long dead, yes. However he still fought to protect the land to honor their memory.”
“That’s a nice story, Arc.”
“You don’t believe it?”
“Oh, I do! After all, your grandfather’s armor is proof of that.”
Arc looks at the pendant. “And this.”
“The power from the Rainbow of Light?”
“Yeah. Once belonging to Great Aunt Megan before being left with grandpa for some reason. Then its power was passed on to me. And somehow stopped working... again.”
Applejack grimaces. “You don’t suppose that someday when we go back centuries will have passed, do you?!”
Arc shrugs. “I hope not. But there’s no way to know for sure.”
“My whole family would be long gone along with all of my friends and most of yours!”
“Calm down, Applejack.”
“But…!”
Arc puts a hand on her shoulder. “Listen. I know you’re scared for them. I’m scared too. However there’s a number of very capable warriors there that are willing to do whatever it takes to keep the land safe for everyone.”
“I know that! But what about my family?! I’ll never see them alive again!”
Arc sighs. “Same with Dinky and I.”
“And doesn’t that bother you?!”
“It does. Quite a bit actually.”
“Then how are you holding it together?!”
Arc smiles as he looks at the Rainbow of Light in his hand. “Because I know that, if at all possible, our friends will find a way to get us back there.”
“And if they don’t?!”
“If they can’t… then I’ll do my best to be satisfied knowing that Dinky will have a full and happy live with her mother and friends.”
Applejack sighs. “That might be okay with you, Arc. But remember that I’m not really a human. This land isn’t my home, nor do I truly belong here.”
“You’re right.”
“Darn tootin’, I am!”
“While you don’t belong here, please know that you’ll always have a place with me.”
“Arc?”
“And if we really are stuck here… then I’ll care for you as I planned to do so back in Equestria.”
Applejack’s eyes grow wide. “Arc! You… you mean…?! Are you asking me to…?!”
Arc nods and smiles. “Yes. I’ll marry you and we can live out our lives here on Earth together. That is, if that’s what you still want.”
“I… I do want to be by your side, yes! After we get to know one another properly, of course.”
“A long engagement then?”
Applejack smiles. “Yeah! But not too long! After all, I’d still like to be young enough to bear your foals!”
“Not really sure if that’s possible. But I would like to try.”
“Won’t you be lonely without… the others?”
Arc sighs and nods. “I do wish we could all be together, of course.”
“So do I.”
“But if this is the way it has to be, then you and I will make a life for ourselves here… together.”
Applejack takes Arc’s hand and smiles at him. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot, Arc.”
“So would I, Applejack. So would I.”
Sometime later the pair descend the attic ladder together. Arc picks up the old strawberry costume as Applejack closes the hatch behind them.
“Sure hope we can get home at some point.”
“Yeah. Dinky would look so cute in that.”
“I’m holding out hope that the others will find a way.”
“You sounded kinda pessimistic up there though.”
Arc frowns. “Guess I did. Was mostly just thinking aloud about what we’d do though.”
“Arc?”
“Yes, Applejack?”
“Did… did you really mean what you said back there though?”
“Which part?”
“About you and I… getting married here. If we couldn’t get back home to Equestria, that is.”
Arc nods. “I was, yes. And don’t you worry about a thing. No matter what happens here, I’ll take care of you.”
“Thanks. That really is a load off my mind.”
“Remember, I know how you feel.”
“You do?”
“Of course. Remember how I came to Equestria with nothing but the clothes on my back?”
Applejack bows her head. “First thing I remember was carrying you to the hospital with Rainbow Dash.”
“At the time I didn’t know where I was or how to get back.”
“You really do know how I feel.”
“Scared, excited, and confused all at once.”
“Exactly. But you learned about us and we about you.”
“It was the best thing to do. For everyone, that is.”
Applejack puts a hand to her chin thoughtfully. “The best thing.”
“Applejack?”
“Then I’d better start doing the same.”
“What are you…?”
Applejack turns to him. “Arc, could we… could we go out tonight? Weather permitting, that is.”
“If you think you’re up to it, sure. Was there anything in particular you wanted to do?”
“Kinda, yeah. You see…”
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With a disjunctive temporal shift that bad, all they need now is the snow and the wardrobe?
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The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe?
How long is so called date going to last considering there is a war or 2 to to worry about and the elements need all the bearers being in harmony with their elements and each other to work. The fact that no villains ever thought about this is amazing. Though discord did come close.
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Could it be anything else?
great chapter
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The rest of the volume.
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Glad you liked it.
Tomorrow will be a very special outing for our lovely couple. Be sure to tune in around this time to read all about it.
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I preferred 'The Magician's Nephew' myself.
No hate on the chapter or anything but I really want to see Celestia get what's coming for her.
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Be sure to tune in on Friday then.