Far From the Tree
“Well, we were going to have apples for breakfast,” said Applejack
“That’s fine,” I said
“But ya told me ya don’t like apples.”
“I mean, yeah,” I said, “but it’s not like they’re poisonous.”
Applejack sighed. “Sweetpea, Ah want ya ta enjoy yer food, not just choke it down to spare ma feelings.”
“To be honest, I really wish I hadn’t told you.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”
“Because now you’re going to have to make different food or know that I don’t like the food and both of those are going to be... bad?”
“Ah don’t mind at all.”
“Yes you do.”
“Would Ah lie?” Applejack questioned.
“I mean, sure it doesn’t bother you now, when you’re thinking about it in the future,” I replied. “The resentment will come later, when you have to make me special food just because I don’t like apples. Which is something you can’t even understand. You’ll probably convince yourself that I’m just saying that to be difficult, but you won’t want to tell me because you’re not sure and then you’ll feel guilty for about thinking bad things about me -”
“Green,” said Applejack. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Why not?”
“Because if Ah had doubts that you were being honest, Ah would tell ya and we would talk about it,” said Applejack. “Ah’m the honest one, remember?”
I felt kinda silly. I was assuming Applejack was going to react to the situation in the same way I would.
“Ok.”
“Now, what do ya want for breakfast?”
Don’t say bacon. Don’t say bacon. Don’t say bacon.
“Uh, can you do eggs on toast?”
“Sure can.”
“Thanks.”
I tried to sound happy, but I couldn’t. As much as Applejack said she didn’t mind, I just couldn’t bring myself to believe it. I was still giving her extra work by being difficult for no good reason. It wasn’t like she didn’t have enough work already.
With my poor hoof grip and my lack of magic, I couldn’t even help her with the farm work.
“What’s wrong?”
She just had to be so damn perceptive, didn’t she? Or maybe I was just easy to read. I couldn’t tell her I felt useless. Then she would feel bad that I felt useless and there would be nothing she could do about it anyway.
“I’m fine.”
“If ya say so.”
After the third time I’d refused Applebloom offering me an apple based food to have with my breakfast, Applejack gave me a nudge.
“Honesty, remember Sweetpea?”
“I, err-” I grabbed at my glass of water, intending to stall by taking a drink, and only succeeded in tipping it over.
Fortunately, it had been mostly empty.
Dammit, now she’s going to think I did that on purpose as a distraction!
“Idon’tlikeapples.” I blurted out.
Apparently, Big Mac was as quiet in his movements as he was in his speech. Somehow, in the moment I’d had my eyes screwed shut, he’d managed to grab a tea-towel and walk around next to me to dry the spill. I nodded my thanks to the stallion, and he wordlessly acknowledged with a nod of his own.
“But how can ya not like apples?” Asked Applebloom. “Ya were eatin’ them just fine yesterday.”
“It’s not like they’ll kill me,” I explained, “I just don’t like the taste.”
“But how can ya not like every kind of apple?” Applebloom pressed. “Ya can’t have tried all of them!”
“Aren’t they all kinda similar?”
As it turned out, I had a lot to learn about apples, and Applebloom was eager to teach. There were over a dozen different varieties currently growing on this farm alone that apparently tasted ‘completely different’. I’d agreed to at least taste each variety at some later date, but only after AJ made sure that I was doing it because I wanted to and not just because Applebloom had pressured me into it.
I couldn’t help but smile. That had gone way better than I’d dared to hope.
I really needed a haircut - manecut? Whatever. My hair was too long and it was a pain to deal with. Having it brushed wasn’t entirely unpleasant, but needing somepony else to do it for me reminded me how useless I was. I just stood there and tried not to think about it, making sure not to move or fuss to avoid causing any additional hassle.
The brush tugged at my mane. Yesterday it was just uncomfortable, but now I couldn’t get the feeling of wrongness out of my head. I’d felt that being a pony was something abstract, but being aware of my new anatomy made it painfully real.
This is wrong. I’m not a horse. I’m not a little girl.
But I was, wasn’t I?
I slowed my breathing. I let my eyes unfocus.
This is happening to my body, but I don’t have to pay attention to it. All I have to do is stand here and not react.
Something orange waved in front of my vision.
“Ya ‘alright?”
“I’m fine.” I shuddered involuntarily.
“Do ya not like it when ponies are touching yer mane?”
I sighed.
“It’s not like I have any choice.”
“If somethin’ makes ya uncomfortable, Ah want ya ta tell me,” said Applejack.
“I can’t brush it myself, and it needs to be brushed,” I explained. “If it were up to me, I’d just cut it off, but I doubt anypony will let me.”
“But yer mane is lovely, why would ya want ta cut it all off?”
“Because I just don’t want to deal with it,” I replied. “Look, just forget it, I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Green-”
“Look, it’s fine.” I huffed, “I’ll get used to it.”
“Alright.” Applejack looked unsure. “Well Ah take it yer not ready to go back to school yet?”
Why did she have to make it a question?
“I can learn faster without being at school.”
“It’s alright Sweetpea,” Said Applejack. “I was going to have to pick you up from school early today anyway since we have an appointment with Dayglow.”
Damnit.
Applejack was going to tell them about the soap thing.
Okay, so I can’t not tell them; My story won’t be consistent with Applejack’s, and they were definitely going to interview us separately. I needed to figure out how to pre-empt and downplay the situation, but not in a way that made it look like I was coached.
With my eyes closed in concentration, I didn’t see Winona approaching, but I could smell her doggy breath as she attempted to lick my face. I hugged her. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to see her again after today.
As much as I tried to tell myself that I shouldn’t get attached, that I had only been here for a few days, there was a pain in my throat. The idea of losing the small amount of stability that I had in this new life was devastating.
I was being stupid. This body was being stupid. I shouldn’t care about this.
“I’ll be in my room.” I tried to keep my voice even.
“Ah was hopin’ you could help me with some work on the farm again today,” said Applejack.
“Ah’m-” I began before shaking my head, “I’m supposed to be at school, so I should be studying. We both know I won’t be any real help.”
“Well yer’ just learnin’ the ropes,” Countered Applejack, “Ah don’ expect’cha ta an experienced farmhand on yer first week.”
If I’m even here that long.
“Dayglow said this was only a temporary placement,” I explained. “We shouldn’t plan on me being here long enough for that to matter.”
I could see Applejack was a little taken aback at that. Good. If I could put some distance between us maybe the separation wouldn’t hurt her as much.
“Sweetpea...”
“Don’t worry,” I told her, “ I’ll just be in my room reading my books. I’m not going to get into any trouble.”
“Ah think Winona wants to play with ya again’ today.”
I could do without the guilt trip AJ.
“She’s known me for two days, I’m sure she’ll get over it.”
Applejack sighed.
“Are ya gonna be alright with Granny bein’ in charge while Ah’m gone?”
“It’s fine AJ,” I said. “You worry too much.”
There were too many fields of magic. Which was to say too many fields of study, not literal magical fields. That was going to get confusing. I’d need an acronym just to remember the names of all the types of magic. Projection, Negation, Animation, Divination, Alteration, Wards, Dimensionalism, Conjuration, Transformation, Illusionism, Medical Magic, Combat Magic, Mind Magic, Soul Magic, and Dark Magic.
Alright, let’s simplify. Medical Magic, Combat Magic, and Illusionism are fields of study, but not separate types of magic so they can go in a different list; I’ll just have to remember to include them if someone quizzes me.
P N A D A W D C T S M S D.
Ugh. Not enough vowels to make something pronounceable.
Okay, let’s chunk them. Projection and Negation, Alteration and Transformation, Animation and Conjuration, Wards and Dimensionalism, Mind and Soul... And Divination.
Hmm. Put that in with Wards and Dimensionalism.
So. PN, AT, AC, WDD, MS.
Purple Newt, ATAT walker, Armor Class, White Double D’s, Makes Soup.
A Purple Newt with the Armor Class of an ATAT walker and White DD breasts is Making some Soup.
That was a mental image that would be hard to forget.
PN AC AT WDD MS.
Projection Negation Animation Conjuration Alteration Transformation Wards Dimensionalism Divination Mind and Soul.
Also Medical, Illusion, and Combat.
MIC, microphone. So I guess the purple newt is stirring the soup with a microphone.
Those were all the legal forms of magic. The textbook didn’t explain much about dark magic beyond warnings not to look into it. There seemed to be the implication that just seeing the information could do some kind of unspecified harm, a cognitohazard, though they didn’t use that word.
There was a certain thrill to knowing dangerous things that you weren’t supposed to know. In Equestria, I might have to be more careful with that impulse. Of course, without access to the internet, I’d have to ask for books about things I wanted to learn about - asking for books about dark magic seemed like a poor idea. So figuring out whether dark magic was a literal cognitohazard, or just a metaphorical hazard in that someone who knew it would be tempted to use it was a question that I would have to approach carefully.
After skimming through The Modern Mage, I quickly discovered that while there was a section on constructing or deriving spell formulae, it didn’t have the kinds of practical casting instructions I needed to develop my own magical abilities. Because of course it didn’t. Unicorns learned magic while they were in magic kindergarten and the level of this text made it clear it was intended for a unicorn beginning their post-secondary education. Or whatever the equivalent of that was here.
I’d need to find a book about how to instruct foals in developing their magic, a thaumatology book about therapeutic exercises for patients with injuries or disabilities that affect their casting ability, or a book that was intended for actual foals. I sighed.
I reached for my saddlebags and considered how to classify them. The shrinking effect on the books was either dimensionalism, or alteration. Considering the effect was only affecting books, it would have to be altering the books into smaller versions of themselves, right? But if that was the case, why did their weight also decrease? Alteration only rearranged matter, so their mass should be unchanged.
I needed a book on physics now. I’d stupidly assumed that physics was still the same in this world. I really missed the internet. Maybe I could just study in the library, so I wasn’t limited on how many books I could have on hand... on hoof.
I pulled out the first aid book. At least this was something I could commit to memory without needing more books for context.
There was a knock at my door.
“Come in!” I said without really thinking.
Granny Smith entered the room and I immediately considered several reasons why that might be. None of them rose to the top as the most likely. I didn’t know why she was here. Rather than anxious, I just felt resigned.
“How’s it goin’ deary?”
“Good.”
“Did ya want a snack or somethin’?”
“No thanks, I’m good.”
Granny almost left the room, but she sighed and turned to face me again.
“Yer so different ta the other foals Ah’ve raised,” Granny explained, “Ah’m just not sure what ta do with ya.”
“In what way?” I asked.
“When Applejack told me she was bringing a troubled foal into our home Ah thought what ya needed was stability, consistency, and discipline,” Said Granny, “But Ahm not so old Ah can’t admit when Ah make a mistake.”
The memory alone gave me the sensation that there was still residual soap in my mouth. I thought about how to word my response to assuage her guilt.
“It’s fine, really,” I said. “You were treating me like you would your own family, and I couldn’t ask for more than that.”
“That’s what Ah mean!” Said Granny, “Where’s the fight in ya? Where’s the youthful energy? Ah wanted ya ta remember not ta use bad words, not ta scare ya inta’ hidin’ in yer room all day.”
Time to try a bit more honesty I guess. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.
“I’m not afraid of you, Granny,” I explained. “I’m afraid that when Applejack tells foal services that you punished me by washing my mouth out with soap, they’ll move me to a different foster home. I think Applejack is becoming too attached and that she won’t cope well with that.”
“They’re not going ta take ya away just for somethin’ like that.”
“Honestly, they probably will,” I felt tears welling in my eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t blame this on you. You didn’t mean for this to happen.”
Please leave the room before I start crying.
“Ya shouldn’t be sorry for things that ain’t yer fault,” Granny sat down on the bed next to me, her joints creaking along with the bed. “Ah’ve lived a great many years and Ah’ve learned a thing or two about regrets. When somethin’ bad happens sometimes there’s a lesson to be learned, an’ sometimes there ain’t. Ah’ve seen tha’ way my granddaughter looks at ya. She’s not goin’ ta give up on you, not ever - so don’t try ta push her away. It won’t make it any easier when the time comes.”
“I don’t know what to do,” I whined. “I don’t want to lose anything else.”
Thoughts of everyone I’d left behind in my old life, the people I’d tried to distance myself from, I couldn’t get them out of my mind. It was pointless to think of them. I couldn’t go back.
“When ya know somethin’ bad is goin’ ta happen, ya have ta make the most of each moment ya’ve got left. Every moment wasted is another regret,” said Granny, she stared off into space for a moment before sighing, “Ah’m sorry, Ah’ve gone an’ prattled on - Ah was rememberin’ somethin’ else.”
She must be remembering her daughter... no, her son. I couldn’t remember his name but AJ’s mother was Pear Butter so the father must have been her son.
“Now, enough moping around,” said Granny. “Let’s go do somethin’.”
“I’m not moping, I’m studying!” I said in exasperation.
“Alright, but ah expect ta see ya out playin’ with yer friends this afternoon. Bein’ inside all day ain’t healthy for a young filly.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.029 seconds
Total duration
1,002 users online
22,542 hits today, 2,314,256 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
That art is drop dead Adorable!!
Awesome chapter Green!
10994361
Sadly just a recolor I made. When I saw how cute the original was I couldn't resist.
https://derpibooru.org/images/2334188
derpicdn.net/img/2020/4/28/2334188/large.png
Skydreams is a QT.
10994366
It's a really good recolour!
what a pity that people do not know how to write at an infinitely high speed, because this is what history deserves
oh, I hope you understand me correctly
Ouch the dysphora is hitting hard. I hope Green gets more help soon because this is not going well.
Poor Green. She really needs to stop assuming she knows how this world works, and jumping to the worst conclusions based on he assumptions. But I suppose that's kinda hard to do when the world is just similar enough to make you think things work the same.
As my parents (one or the other) would say, in the words of a servant that they dealt with frequently while on a cruise, "Oh, what a surprise!"
That picture is cute.
It's alive!
Poor green. Maybe she won't have a heart attack before dayglows meeting.
I love the mnemonic attempts.
Nice chapter! (And cute pic!
)
nice chapter, green is worrying way too much.
that magic study tho wow :D wait what?! soul magic !
that picture is too adorable
Hmm... Green kinda got similar color to Bright Mac, only richer.
10994366
Honestly you did better than I could. When it comes to drawing, I have stupid fingers.
Honestly I spent most of my childhood reading and playing video games. And just look at me now.
Thoroughly enjoying the story. Please keep it up.
10994454
… And now you’re Vaguely Demented! :P I see how good for you it was.
(Jokes aside, me too)
Dear Faust, now that'd be bad
In a world with talking animals, that'd be a trip the mental hospital if not the asylum.
Very nice chapter! I'm glad go see you broke our of your writing funk!
I honestly hope Green learns to, appease her fear. Great chapter, hoping Dayglow's meeting goes well.
o my Luna! That picture is so cute im dying!!!
*died to heart meltdown.
Reason cuteness overload*
Nice chapter green,
when update?
I can only hope Green remembers this moment.
And that moment.
Some excellent, hard-won wisdom from Granny. Hopefully Green takes it to heart.
You know what's really sad? That I can give this story only one thumbs up.
> PN AC AT WDD MS.
> Projection Negation Alteration Transformation Animation Wards Dimensionalism Divination Mind and Soul.
Is the omission of Conjuration intentional? Because this newt has got no (armor) class.
That is not something you ask an apple farmer with a family history of apple farming spanning a couple of generations... unless you really want to know more about apples
10994659
Oops, lol.
aw, you didn't call them "Restoration "and "Destruction".
Skyrim reference
10994668
The magic system here is adapted from/inspired by this magic system.
https://mother-of-learning.fandom.com/wiki/Magic
Though there are some fundamental differences.
I remember you talking about this on your discord at some point, but when’s the twist with the aliens?
Always brightens my day to see a new chapter of this story.
camo.fimfiction.net/1WHvIv1ZPgPuBk1GypWACCxv5ftCb4aIJjzX_TvFxrI?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.postimg.cc%2FQMP20jkM%2Flar33ge.png
Awwwwwwww
I luv this
Thank you for the cute chapter
I'm not sure why, but I suddenly thought of
this is a deep chapter but dang it is good.
the art work is grate.
I generally think of good ol' ICED TEA (Illusion, Conjuration, Evocation, Divination, Transmutation, Enchantment and Abjuration).
Okay, that's funny!
Just realized that I bond with Blackjack emotionally but not your character who’s sorta similar at times. Huh, now I can tell people it ain’t just bad sad, depressed, anxiety ridden characters that I like, put them in there places.
Still love the character to death.
I noticed you had listed mind magic, how far reaching are its capabilities?
Would it be considered highly regulated, almost dark magic, but useful enough to allow a select few closely monitored and licensed individuals to learn it, or is it more mundane, having an influence on the mind but not actively changing it directly, like making someone tired and fall asleep, or make them feel a certain emotion, and not the sort of lethal mind breaking/mind control kind that's often depicted?
Great chapter. The thought spiral is very believable, and a little bit close to home, if I'm honest.
We need more of this story. Also:
Wow, what a mental image.
Very nice
10995232
Yes, she is! Yes she is!
10994876
Agreed. Thinking is such a powerful tool but, it can often be very dangerous. Knowing when to set up mental checks and get your mind to clock out for the day is an important life skill I wish my parent taught me. Fortunately, it is a skill you can learn. Thoughts are fickle in the sense that they are the greatest canvas an artist of any kind ever could have yet, it is also the worst battlefield you will ever see. more wars are fought internally in minds every day than history will ever get to know out in the world.
Applejack's not going to handle it well, or you're not going to handle it well, Green?
Of course, that's just... part of the game. If she admitted it was self-protective, she'd have to punish herself by not acting on that impulse because it wouldn't be nice to Applejack. She has to turn Third Law violations into First Law violations in order to justify acting on them, and fundamentally that's down to assigning herself the same kind of relative value as one of Asimov's robots.
Really needs to learn to have more faith-- wait, that's basically the premise isn't it? 😁
Still, taking time to orient is valuable indeed.
Huh, I can't remember AJ's father's name off the top of my head either.
10995478
My first thought was Apple Bright but it's actually Bright Mac.