aptions

Ray awoke with a start as the bright morning sun shone through the window. A combination of drawn back curtains and perfect positioning with a touch of golden sun allowed the light instant access to his eyes. He rubbed them sleepily as he moved out of the ray’s blinding path, sitting up against the sofa. His neck was sore from the awkward position in which he had slept, and his back felt tight. Standing, he twisted his core from side to side, earning several large cracks. He did the same with his neck, earning more cracks and sighing in relief as the slight discomfort left him.

He started walking into the kitchen, squinting against the golden sunlight that filtered through the window and filled the rest of the room. Crossing into the kitchen, he saw that the clock read 5:43 a.m, much earlier than he would have woken up with his alarm. With slight worry, he wondered what would’ve happened if he had accidentally slept in past when he was supposed to be at work. He was only three days into the job after all, and showing up late so early into his career there did not seem like a good thing.

He lightly slapped a hand over his eyes, rubbing his head thoughtfully, trying to remember exactly why he had ended waking up on the couch. He had been cleaning up tea, thinking about what they had talked about, and -oh yeah, that made sense now. He’d remembered it. That night. December in Pittsburg.

He shook his head before he could be sucked back into his head like he had last night. He’d remembered enough! It was his past now, a past life to be left where it was supposed to be, not with multicolored ponies too kind for their own good. He didn’t need it haunting him in his every thought, waiting for him in every shadow, jumping at him around every corner.

He grumbled a couple indecent strings of profanity to clear his mind as he reached into the fridge. Since he was up so early, he figured he would give himself a proper breakfast, something he hadn’t had since he’d arrived here. Chuckling at himself as he pulled some milk and eggs from the fridge, he thought of how peculiar his situation was. If somebody had told him five days ago that he was to be teleported to another world to fight a war for the pony inhabitants, he would have asked which dealer they were using.

He got out a small bowl and three of the eggs from the carton, cracking them into the bowl and beating them. He mixed in a small amount of milk before he turned the burner, putting the smallest skillet he had on it. As he put the milk and eggs away, he pulled out the butter, using a fork from one of the drawers to scrape it into the skillet. As the butter finished melting, he poured the eggs into the skillet, rinsing out the bowl afterwards. He searched for a spatula for a second before discovering it under some ladles. Turning back to his eggs, he began to stir them around. Finding them not quite in their solidifying stage, he rushed to pull out two slices of bread and put them in the toaster. When he returned to the eggs, he found them solidifying and began scraping it around the pan with the spatula.

Within two minutes, the eggs were well cooked and the toast popped out of the toaster. He threw a little more butter into the skillet as he pulled it off the heated stove, turning it off and grabbing the toast. He piled the eggs back into the sink, putting his fork in the hot mix so the remaining butter would melt off. He pulled some jam out of the fridge and a spoon from the cubby, spreading the jam across the bread haphazardly.he took his meal and sat in the front room, watching the rising sun as he ate.

He briefly wondered what the day would hold, but then figured that the best way to find out was to live it. He sighed contentedly as he ate, the eggs and toast being the perfect meal for the peaceful morning. He thought for a moment, then stood and went to the door. Opening it, he left the house, walking out towards the open green hills. The soft grass tickled his feet as he walked off the gravel path, the chill morning dew wetting them. He smiled at the sensation, the peaceful morning smell of wet grass mixing with the aroma of buttered eggs and toasted bread. He continued to eat as he moved, going down one hill and coming to the top of another in short time.

Content with the spot, he sat, not minding the fact that the dew was seeping through his pants. He crossed his legs, setting the bowl in his lap and finishing off his bread as he looked around. Sunlight sparkled off of the morning dew, making the grass look as if it had been sprinkled in droplets of gold. He smiled at the irony. Gold seemed to be almost as common as pennies were back home, with gems and diamonds also as forms of common currency. He wondered how the ponies thought of the scenery. Gold was such a rare and valued thing on Earth, with people fighting for control over it, but here, it was just another piece of the market, like the dollar bill or pound.

He looked over at the mountains, wondering what it would be like to camp on them. He’d never gone camping, at least, not that he could remember. He fantasized of sleeping under the stars in an open clearing, a small fire dismissing the dark and cold. He imagined hiking to the top, the peaceful serenity of the mountains taking over his thoughts and actions, the beauty of nature and the wonder of life surrounding him. Shoveling another scoop of eggs into his mouth, he chewed thoughtfully.

Life seemed much more abundant here, as if God had replaced all of the conflict here with beauty. If God existed in a different universe, that is. He stared off in space, slowly eating his eggs as he pondered such things. He was a Christian, though not as devout as his parents and siblings. He’d been too busy surviving, too stubborn to accept his Creator’s help. His Maker had given him this situation, so he must have been designed strong enough to take it in stride. Grunting in annoyance at his thoughts, he suddenly felt a sharp tapping on his knee.

Looking down, he found a small brown bird pecking the crumbs off his pants. Smiling slightly at the sight, he carefully reached down. The bird didn’t even flinch away from him as he pet it on its head, instead continuing to peck at the tiny morsels on his leg and inner thigh. Wait, inner thigh... He moved to block, but it was too late.

The bird, searching for more crumbs pecked at his groin, scoring a direct hit on a particularly sensitive spot. He yelped in pain as he buckled inward, frightening the bird into the sky. It twittered at him angrily, as he pressed on the sensitive spot, grimacing slightly as he tried not to yell at the bird. It was only an animal, he argued with himself, sitting back up and letting a deep breath out. The bird continued to twitter at him angrily, so he turned to it.

“Yeah, sorry for scaring you, but do you have any idea what you just hit,” he asked sardonically. Instead of continuing to twitter, it landed on the ground in front of him, cocking its head to the side as it listened. Slightly astonished at the fact that it was actually listening to him, he said, “Do you know where you pecked me?”

He felt silly for asking a bird such a question, but the bird responded by shaking its head from side to side. He looked down at the little bird, a small smile crossing his face. “Nevermind,” he told it. “You wouldn’t understand anyways.” After a moment of hesitation, he amended, “Not that you wouldn’t understand me, you just, well… ugh, nevermind.”

The bird twittered in supposed laughter, to which he responded jokingly, “Oh shut up, you! I’d ask you your name, but you’d just twitter, and I don’t think Twitter is a good name for a bird.” The bird nodded in agreement, ruffling its wings slightly. It looked up at him, a small twinkle in its eye. With a little chuckle, Ray spoke up. “I don’t even know if you’re a girl or boy. Here, how about if you nod when I say your correct gender. Girl?” The bird's head stayed still. “So I guess you’re a boy, then.” Once again, the bird’s head stayed still, though it twittered in the equivalent of a chuckle. Rolling his eyes, he instructed, “Stop messing with me. Just please work with me.” The brown bird nodded, encouraging him to continue with, “So are you a girl?” It -she nodded. “Great! And just for clarification, you aren’t a boy?”

She shook her head. Ray’s smile dropped flat. “Oh c’mon! Don’t play me like that.” The bird twittered cheekily, leaving Ray with his head in his hands as he let out an annoyed groan “You’re a right git, you know?” The bird only chuckled in response. “Yeah yeah, look at you, the cleverest bird on the hill.

“Her name is Otolo,” a voice said from behind, making Ray jump slightly. Turning, he found Fluttershy there, a soft smile on her face as she approached from the air. He hadn’t noticed her, probably due to the fact that even now that he was listening for it, he couldn’t hear her wing beats. She looked from the bird to him then back to the bird, smiling. “ I found her when she was just a baby bird. She had a cut on her wing and I couldn’t find her nest, so I took her back to my cottage. Sorry for the intrusion. I was flying over to Zecora’s this morning for some medicine for Angel Bunny’s poor mate to help her with birthing pains, and I couldn’t help but notice that you were talking to somepony rather… loudly.”

Ray refused to blush at the fact that he was losing an argument with a tiny brown bird, instead opting to ask, “Who’s Zecora?”

Still smiling, she answered. “She’s the local zebra. She makes potions for us and lives in the Everfree. She tends to get lonely out there by herself, so I visit her biweekly to cheer her up. This time I’m also in need of something.” She paused as she once again looked from him to the bird. “You know, you two make a good match.”

Ray snorted at the remark, smirking at the little bird. “She won’t even answer whether or not she’s a she or not without spinning my words!” The little bird responded once again with cheeky twitters as it hopped closer to his knee.

“She says you were being unclear with your directions,” Fluttershy translated. Ray actually found it unsurprising that the pegasus could speak with animals. Someone so soft spoken with her own would have to be fluent with another form of interaction.

“Oh confusing my a... rm,” he protested, censoring himself in front of the pegasus. Turning to the bird, he commanded, “You tell her the truth, Ohs.”

The bird once again let out a cheeky series of tweets that left Fluttershy blushing. Ray could’ve sworn she muttered, “Oh yes, definitely one of of the same in speech, at least.”

“What did the little bird say to me,” he asked, half to know and half to joke about. Despite the bird’s annoying demeanor, the little blighter was genuinely growing on him. He found himself smiling at the tiny bird, and could tell that the feeling was mutual.

“Well, um, she said that you were too large for your own good and too strange looking for any good. Minus some unimportant snippets,” she added quickly, looking like she might just choke on her own embarrassment. Ray chuckled heartily at the statement. He was about to say something in return, but Fluttershy continued to speak, now looking around the crown of the hill. “You know, it seems like a lot of the other animals here think the same thing, or at least, that you are interesting.”

Ray was confused for a moment as to what she meant until he too looked around. He found that a small cluster of grey and brown rabbits had encircled him, all eyeing him curiously from the grass. A couple of blue jays had also joined them, their heads cocked to the side as they observed the strange intruder. Fluttershy smiled at them, and Ray followed in suit. Upon being noticed, the small critters began to retreat, but when they saw the friendly nature of them human, and the encouragement of the well known animal lover, they closed in on him.

Ray reached out to the closest one, a grey one with short, dingy fur. It clicked happily at him, something he didn’t know rabbits could do. The others piled around and onto him, causing a giggle to escape Fluttershy’s mouth. Ray shot her a smile and continued to pet embrace the little creatures. After a couple minutes, Otolo chirped angrily at the other animals, flapping her wings as she flew up into their faces, scaring them off. This only caused Ray to chuckle.

“Jealous, are we,” he asked cheekily. He received the avian equivalent of a withering glare. Ohs chirped heatedly at him, once again causing a blush to appear on Fluttershy’s face. The little bird continued to chirp angrily as it hopped onto his knee, climbing up his leg in a supposed lecture. He rolled his eyes at the little bird, pinching its beak shut with his forefinger and thumb as he used his other hand to pat her on the head. “You know I’m just teasing, Ohs. No need to overreact.”

He released her beak, frowning slightly. The sun was now above the mountains, the day warmer and the dew dissipating. It was probably close to time to leave, but he didn’t really want to go. Something about joking around with the little bird made him feel more like a piece of the world he was coming to accept. Back on Earth, birds in the wild didn’t understand what was spoken to them, much less respond to it. Here, it all felt natural, as if it was intended to be like this.

As he stood to leave, Otolo flew up to his shoulder and landed on it, looking over expectantly at him. “Oh what? You coming with me,” he asked the little bird. It twittered back firmly, and Fluttershy -who he had forgotten was still there- translated for him.

“She says of course.” Fluttershy paused, giggling slightly. “She couldn’t let you be out on your own. It wouldn’t be safe!”

Ray quirked an eyebrow at the snarky little blighter, who only gave a short chirp of affirmation. “Thanks,” he said to her. Turning to Fluttershy fully, he apologized quickly, “Look, I’m sorry about last night. For snapping at you and all of that. Also, sorry for having to leave so shortly, but I have a job to get to. Hope your date with Discord went well.”

“Oh, it was absolutely lovely,” she gushed, looking up to the sky with a bright smile. “He surprised me really well to start with, and then he kept on giving me compliments and then we talked about… things and… danced.”

Ray felt a pang of some indescribable emotion in his chest as his brows dipped. Shouldn’t he be happy for her, for them? They were happy together, at least it sounded like it. And what was with those little pauses. What did they talk about, and how did they “dance”? Was it merely as a lovely little couple, or was it something more scandalous. Or was he simply reading too much into the shy pony’s words, and not enough into her actions. She didn’t seem extra shy today, which he felt she would if she had been to bed last night. In fact, she seemed even more cheery today than usual.

Oh, who was he kidding! He’d known her for only three days now. Who was he to decide what was going on with her and what was going on in the later hours of the night. She had to be at least twenty, which made her six entire years older than him. Then again, life had taught him that age wasn’t everything to being old. For all he knew, she didn’t even consider what he was thinking as a possibility!

Shaking himself, he once again said, “Well Fluttershy, it was nice talking to you, but I do have to go. See you soon, hopefully.”

“Me too,” she responded softly with an even softer smile. Dammit, why did she have to be so cute as she said that? He turned back towards his home and the path to it as Fluttershy flew over him, straight towards where the path to the Everfree lay. Otolo sat on his shoulder, giving him an inquisitive cock of the head as if to ask what all that was about. She stayed silent, thankfully, as they entered his home.

He made a mental note to buy a watch on his off time, as he had to go back into the kitchen to see it was 6:50 a.m. With a short yelp of surprise at how late into the morning it was, he rushed to put on his shoes, finding them on the floor a few feet apart from each other. Running back out of the door, he realized that Ohs had fallen off of his shoulder sometime in the hassle, and had to put his foot in the door to stop it from slamming shut. The little brown bird shot out of the door, chirping angrily at him as she continued to fly over his head.

“Alright, I’ll meet you at the Apple farm,” he called out to her as he sprinted off at top speed. He raced down and up several hills, racing into town and carefully maneuvering around the much smaller native inhabitants. As he turned to leave the town to the Acres, he had to leap over a cart pulled by a pony with a blue mane and green coat. He yelled back at the human as Ray gave a quick apology, continuing to run. Up above, he could faintly hear Otolo’s jeering twitters, which only drove him to run faster, as if in a race against more than just time.

He panted heavily, gasping for breath as he ran down the path and past the apple trees. He was surprised to find that many of the trees were now bare of apples, which meant that they’d been working past him working there. He nearly slapped himself for his idiocy. Of course they did! This was their entire life! They ran dozens, if not hundreds of acres of apple trees, plus all of their other crops and livestock! Eight hours a day, even if it was every day, was not a compatible amount of time for running such a large operation. His thoughts halted in their tracks as the entrance into the farm became visible in the near distance.

Otolo swooped down from above, gliding beside him as he ducked under the entrance, skidding to a stop. He huffed, out of breath as Otolo once again landed on his shoulder, chirping as if to ask why he was so exhausted from a little run.

“Hey, flying can’t be nearly so exhausting as running a seven minute mile. At least, I hope it was seven minutes,” he added nervously. He looked around for any of the Apples, but saw nopony in the main courtyard. Looking over to Otolo, he asked, “See anypony around, Ohs?” She shook her head, continuing to look around. “Hey,” he called out. “Anyone out there?”

As soon as he asked, a yellow and red blur shot into him from behind the well. He went down in surprise as Ohs shot into the air, twittering in surprise and hovering above him. After a few seconds of panicked struggle, he managed to turn the tables on his assailant, flipping them onto their back and pinning them. He sat up, smiling at the now recognizable form of Apple Bloom as she struggled in vain against his restraining arms. After a couple more seconds of struggle, she returned the smile, and Ray could see the confidence in it.

Another force came from behind, shoving him into the ground. Otolo twittered encouraging things he couldn’t understand as he rolled to the side slightly. This made his attacker from behind, who hadn’t gained a proper grip on him, slide off with a feminine grunt. So it was Applejack, then? He tried to stand as Apple Bloom wrapped her forehooves around his knees.

“What the heck,” he asked as Applejack suddenly came charging into view, head bowed like a bull to a matador. He managed to pry Apple Bloom from his legs in enough time to leap over the charging orange pony. Gently tossing Apple Bloom to the ground, he turned in time to see a lasso flying into his face. It caught him around the shoulders, but he was still able to reach his arms out enough to grab the lasso and tug it from Applejack’s mouth. With a quick jerk, he pulled it off, tossing it aside in time to catch AJ in another charge. He spun her slightly, accidentally running her into her sister. He grimaced as their heads whacked and both fell to the ground with a groan.

As the action died out, he heard laughing coming from the orchard. Turning to the trees, he saw Sugar Belle and Big Mac watching the entire thing unfold, whatever it was. Sugar Belle was the one laughing while Big Mac simply stood still, grinning broadly at it. Seeing he had the audience, he gave them a sweeping bow, to which Otolo landed on his head.

“Hey, Ohs,” he muttered to his companion, “you know I can’t stand back up without you getting off?” She gave him a short tweet of acknowledgement, and hopped onto his shoulder. “Thanks,'' he muttered to the brown bird before doing a double take. “Wait, did you just listen to me?”

The little bird seemed just as surprised as Ray, and instantly began to give insistent chirps otherwise. In the meantime, both AJ and Apple Bloom had picked themselves up from off the ground, groaning in pain. He turned to them as he asked, “What the heck was that all about?”

Grinning sheepishly, Apple Bloom answered, “Well, I wrangled Petunia this mornin’, our rowdiest pig on th’ farm, and said ‘I bet I could wrangle any critter in all of Ponyville.’ But then Big Mac was sayin’ maybe, and Applejack said she’d believe me if’n I could wrangle you with her help. I took her up on it, but apparently ya ain’t a wranglin’ critter!”

Ray chuckled lightly at the young pony’s short story. “You made a critical mistake,” he told her, leaning in and gesturing for her to come in closer. When she had done so, he whispered, “I ain’t no critter.” She smiled at him as he stood back straight up, turning back to AJ, summoning a more respectful demeanor. Even though he had whooped her tail twice now in wrestling, she was still his employer and still commanded his respect. Wiping the mischievous smile from his face, he asked, “What job do you have for me today, boss?”

Returning her face to a more serious, business-like matter, she told him, “Today, we’re getting you to the town hall.”

“Uh, why,” he asked, smiling slightly at what might be.

“Cuz we’re makin’ you an official member of the Apple family,” Apple Bloom cried, launching herself back at Ray, although this time for a hug. He returned it as Big Mac and Sugar Belle joined them in the little space by the well, both smiling at him.

“We figured better now than ever,” the red stallion told him as he leaned against his wife. “After all, we wouldn’t be able to tomorrow because y’all are goin’ up to visit Twilight in Canterlot.”

The other three nodded in agreement as he felt a soft smile crossing his face, and he couldn’t help but feel slight pity for them. They were such a good little family, and here he was, ruining them as the fifth wheel. Yes, they cared about him, but they were loving a dead man standing. Would they even have time to mourn his death before the minotaurs overran Ponyville? The thoughts nearly erased the smile on his face, instead making it faker than before.

“C’mere,” AJ said, gesturing in for a hug. He accepted, leaning down so that they were on even levels. The other three joined in, and Ray had to resist laughing as Apple Bloom’s short coat tickled the inside of his ear. He felt tears come on, and he knew he couldn’t keep these back for long, but he tried nevertheless. As soon as he felt the tears of Apple Bloom on his neck though, he opened the floodgates, silently shedding his tears. He could feel the others doing the same, and before he knew it, all of them were clutching each other as tears of joy and pain mingled.

When they all finally pulled apart, Ray wiped his eyes as he grinned at the Apples. “Oh gosh,” he muttered. “I haven’t cried like that since…” He trailed off as he remembered not even four nights ago, the fateful events that had transpired in his head. Thankfully, the others took it as him attempting to recollect his memories as to when exactly, and not how exactly.

Sniffling slightly, AJ conveyed a genuine smile and shouted out, “Alright, all y’all! Ray won’t become a member o’ the Apple family if we drown ‘im. We need ta get to town hall in order to make ‘im ours for good!”

The others nodded or vocally agreed as Otolo once again landed on his left shoulder, twittering in a cheeky attitude. Probably something in bird about how cheesy the whole hugging and crying ordeal had been. He actually had failed to notice that she had left his shoulders when the initial intimate moment had begun. Now she was back.

AJ eyed the bird but said nothing about it as they all turned in silent agreement to the exit of the farm. After a few seconds of walking, however, Apple Bloom noticed, prompting her to ask, “Uh, Ray? Why’s there a bird on yer shoulder?”

Smiling a little at the memory, though it was more of a smirk, he responded, “The little blighter won’t leave my side. Says I’m too big and dumb to find my way around Ponyville safely.” Otolo gave a protestful chirp, pecking his ear. “Paraphrasing, that is. Although I do have my suspicions that Fluttershy secretly sent her to spy on me.”

Ray expected more protestful chirps from the brown bird, but he received none. Turning to his shoulder’s inhabitant with wide eyes, he asked, “Fluttershy didn’t send you to spy on me, did she?” After a second, he realized his mistake, his face dropping flat as he muttered, “Why am I even asking you? You won’t answer me correctly.” Otolo chittered sarcastically, which made Ray roll his eyes.

“You can understand her,” Apple Bloom asked, half yelling it.

Unplugging his ears, he answered, “Nah, I just generally understand the gist of her twittering.”

“What’s her name,” Sugar Belle asked as they crested the little hill that led into Ponyville.

“Otolo,” he responded, “though I call her Ohs.”

“She’s a cute feller,” Apple Bloom said conclusively. “I like her.”

On his shoulders, Ray could feel Otolo jitter slightly at being called cute. Muttering under his breath so that only the brown bird would hear, he said, “I agree. You aren’t cute at all. You’re a little devil, and little devils like you can’t be seen as cute.” As if in an attempt to prove him correct, she bit his ear and tugged, forcing a surprised yelp of pain from him. He flicked at the bird, intentionally missing, but causing her to hop away from his ear. “We need to set some ground rules with your pecking habits,” he pointed out as he heard the older three Apples chuckling.

“We used to have a pet, too,” Apple Bloom said mournfully. “Winona. She passed not too long after Granny Smith.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Ray comforted. “I didn’t know. What happened to your parents. I noticed they aren’t around either, and you haven’t mentioned them during our little conversations over lunch.”

He instantly regretted opening his mouth as he saw Applejack physically wince at the mention of her parents. Looking back at him over her shoulder, she slowly spoke. “Our parents’ death is a… painful matter in our life. We… don’t really… talk about it much.”

Ray nodded. “I see.” Looking around, he was pleasantly surprised to find that they had entered the Ponyville plaza. “Ah, it seems we’re here!”

They continued the short walk to the town hall in comfortable silence. Ray noted the way many of the ponies in the central plaza paused briefly to give him a cautious look. They would look from him to the Apples and go back to work, finding that if the Apples trusted him, they could too. He paid them no mind, reminding himself that he was the equivalent of an alien to them. He’d come to realize that other than their life in Ponyville, these ponies didn’t give much mind to outside affairs. They lived their own lives in their own little worlds. And he was here to protect that.

The grim thought was killed when he nearly tripped over Big Macintosh, who had stopped in front of the steps of the town hall. The large red stallion hardly noticed, as he turned and faced Ray, stone-faced.

“We aren’t forcing you to become a member of our family,” he said solemnly, looking Ray in the eye. “If you feel forced to do this, please, don’t. You don’t hafta, but we all would welcome you to our family with open hearts.”

Ray nodded in understanding. Instead of answering his silent question, he stood at full height, and walked up to the steps, opening up the door to the town hall. Smiling, he gestured for the Apples to enter. Returning the smile firmly, Big Mac walked slowly into the building, followed by his wife and two sisters. Before he entered the building, he took a deep breath, looking over to Otolo on his shoulder.

“You gonna go in with me,” he asked her. “Kinda gonna be a long wait, I think.” upon her nodding quickly, he smiled and said, “Well alrighty then. Let's do this.”

The procedure wasn’t too complicated at first. Mayor Mare’s assistant, Silver Quill, and Emerald Joy began questioning him alone about his family life. Just some questions of if he had any surviving family members that would be offended if he joined a different family. After telling them that he had no family in existence, they asked him questions on if he accepted the Apples as his family. He agreed to that easily, though his consciousness mourned.

Then came more complicated matters. They began discussing property rights, to which Applejack and Big Mac helped him secure his house as his and nobody else’s. They also came across the terms of his job, as he was now technically working for his family. The three older Apples and him agreed that a separate piece of the Apple Acres bank account flowed directly to him. The bank account was accessible for the older Apple siblings so they could make sure depositing and taxes were being held correctly. It was then that he learned that while Sugar Belle was an excellent cook, she was also an amazing bookkeeper, managing a majority of the financing on the Acres.

Sometime during the ordeal, Apple Bloom fell asleep in the chair she had been given, and Otolo soon found a little comfortable spot on her head and fell asleep too. As they continued to discuss the means of him becoming a family member, he decided to deny right to any shares of the Acres, along with the ability to make legal deals and payments on the Acres. He may work there and be a member of the Apple family, but he wasn’t a directive of its operations. He had a different purpose here.

Finally came the paperwork. A stack of thirty pieces of paper filled to the brim with hand(hoof)written ink describing in detail the Equestrian adoption. Although within only a few words of the ink, a problem arose.

“Um, I don’t know if I’m a minor or not,” he muttered to AJ.

Giving him a quizzical look out of the corner of her eye, she asked, “How the hay do you not know if you’re a kid or an adult?”

“Well, it depends on the aging system and the way time passes here. For all we know, I’m only three here!”

Looking between Ray and AJ, who was heading the adoption, Quill asked, “What do you make of him? Since he’s an entirely different species, and most likely ages differently, how would you count him?”

Without hesitation, Applejack answered, “Adult. Certainly acts like one.”

“Got it,” the mare said, writing something down on a clipboard. “In that case, this isn’t really an adoption, more like… a transition to become a member of the family. The papers you have will still work, I’ll just need to make a little note in the books on what really is happening.”

Nodding in understanding, he began to once again read the papers. The sheets were well thought out, and even clear. The reading was still boring, but he remembered exactly what it was for every time he felt his focus waver. He actually began to learn from the papers of the social and familial psychology of the equines. They held no last names, rather, a similar naming system like the Apples, and similar coat and mane coats as their parents. He found it strange, but at the same time, welcome. He would still be Raymond Stan Deang after this, holding onto his past family while accepting a new one.

He briefly wondered what his family would think of him doing this, joining another family that was a different species nonetheless! They would probably think him crazy, but so did he! He also wondered what his parents would think if they found out their son was the perfect candidate to save said race. With a small smile, he knew that they would be proud of him.

With a mental start, he realized that he should be too. Here he was, with the ability to restart his life and live it, but at the same time protect those unable to defend themselves. He was a special kind of person, he knew that. His life had been painful before this, and he hadn’t thought of how blessed he was to be able to relive it better. He wouldn’t thank Twilight for it, but he would thank those here that had made happiness a thing in his life again.

Smiling with determination, he flipped to the final page of the stack. Three dotted lines marked the page and read, in order, Guardian 1, Guardian 2, and Adolescent. Gripping the quill presented to him by Silver Quill, he scratched his name into the paper and into the Apple family.

Author's Note:

This was a satisfying chapter to write. I had estimated it to be around 5500 pages, but I decided to add Ray's little friend in this chapter. Originally, I was gonna have a Timberwolf or actual wolf be his companion, but then I realized that was too cliché and thought of all the possibilities, settling on the one with the most potential: the common brown bird. For all intents and purposes, this chapter is a feelgood chapter, because times are about to get dark. Also, yeah, I kinda screwed over the Apple family.

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GlitchyFox

GlitchyFox #1 · Jul 12th, 2020 · 1 · ·

the most bland things usualy have the most room to grow

Derpybrony890

Derpybrony890 #2 · Jul 12th, 2020 · · ·

I've been waiting for this for so long! This was a very cute chapter, and I officially am in love with Otolo. But you also have me worried about what may happen next , not that that is initially a bad thing, I am still very invested in this story

The_Darker_Fonts

The_Darker_Fonts #3 · Jul 12th, 2020 · · ·

10329388
I hope you know that there is a death tag for a reason. And a violence tag, and a trauma tag, and (if I could), a sad tag.

sykko

sykko #4 · Jul 15th, 2020 · · ·

The description of Otolo sounds like either a female oriole, a female cardinal or a female thrasher. A super cute pet. I hope Ray can admit he has feelings for Fluttershy openly and then maybe they can Barry White.

The_Darker_Fonts