Two Worlds Collide

by RainstormRiddles

Ponyvale

It was a fifteen minute walk from Sweet Apple Acers to the edge of Ponyvale. Even from a distance, Twilight could tell that this village was very different from the city of Canterlot where she grew up.

Because Canterlot is built into a mountainside, it's buildings are often tall and closely pressed together. They are fashioned out of marble, stone, and other durable materials. Most are painted as brightly as the morning sun itself, and the cobbled streets are always kept clean.

Canterlot was the norm of Twilight's life, but seeing this little village made Twilight realize that her hometown was a paradise by comparison. Not to say Ponyvale was in any way unpleasant to view, but it was so very simple next to what she was used to.

Applejack took her around a longer rout so she could whiteness the town from the top of a hill, giving Twilight a good vantage point to study the basic layout of the town.

'Sprawling' was the first word that came to mind. At the core of the town was the central hearth and water well, around which formed the market square. Stalls were set up and Twilight could see the shapes of humans moving about them. The buildings immediately around the square sat close together the way Twilight was familiar with. Paved stone ran between them. However, the orderliness at the heart of the village dispersed rather quickly. Houses were spread further apart, merging with the tree-line. The cobblestone gave way to dirt paths that zigzagged around and in-between the buildings.

This lack of a clear structure made Twilight's eye want to twitch.

Disheveled layout or not, the buildings were well kept, if a bit weathered. Most were small, house-like huts made of wood and thatch. These often had small gardens and pens at their sides. The buildings surrounding the square were more varied in structure, but only a couple of them stood at two stories. All of the buildings were colored in the browns of the wood they'd been made from, the paint being reserved for the signs that hung over doorframes.

To the far side of the village, almost obscured from her vision, Twilight could see a path leading into the woods. It had rivets where years of carts being pulled across it's surface dug into the earth.

All-in-all, Ponyvale was a very small yet cozy village. A little haven tucked away into nowhere.

"Are you done lookin' or do I need to draw you up a map?" Applejack cut into Twilight's thoughts.

"Hm? Oh, right!" Twilight followed Applejack down the hill so she could actually whiteness Ponyvale up close, not just analyze it from a distance.

They dipped down into the trees again before coming onto more level ground. Soon, the first buildings were visible amidst the trees. Applejack walked past these with little interest. Something about them... bugged Twilight.

It was after about the third shabby little house they passed that Twilight was able to place what her subconscious mind had picked up: The proportions of the doors, windows, and, well, everything was completely off. These where human structures.

Twilight already knew that fact, but seeing the difference in the architecture made it all the more surreal.

"Where are we headed?" She ventured to ask after they passed some more buildings. They were getting to be closer together, and Twilight counted passing by over a dozen humans. Many of them watch the ponies curiously, but not one bothered them.

"Town square," Applejack answered. "Got someone there we should meet up with before we move on to the stable-house. That'll be where most ponies are at this hour. It's good timing; lets the word get 'round that you're a welcome visitor. Some folks..." she trailed off hesitantly, "aren't quite as friendly toward strangers as some," Applejack decided on. "No one'll give you much trouble so long as they see you're with me," she added in reassurance.

The square was a place that buzzed with happy energy. It wasn't the bustling chaos that was Canterlot's market square, but it was still very clearly the center of life in the village. Embers still glowed in the hearth from the previous night, offering a place of warmth to those who were chilled by the autumn air. Many of the vendors were already closing their stalls as it was late evening. Tall humans pulled water from the well by grasping a rope with their claw-less hands.

As Applejack led Twilight onward, the humans muttered to each other in words Twilight couldn't understand, pointing at her and smiling.

Then Twilight saw a sight that really grabbed her attention.

A cluster of human children were gathered in the open space not far from the hearth, surrounding and riding on a bright pink pony. And the pony was laughing with the children as she bounced up and down, jostling the small humans that held onto her glittering saddle. When she stopped they slid off, and another pair climbed aboard.

The scene was absurd and rather undignified, but Twilight found herself smiling.

"Pinkie!" Twilight jumped at the loudness of Applejack's shout.

The pink mare froze in her prancing and gave a gasp so loud Twilight could hear it clearly over the high-pitched squeals of the little humans. She shook herself to shed both her saddle (and the kids still on it) then bounced, quite literally bounced, over to Twilight.

In less than three heartbeats Twilight found her personal space infiltrated as the blue expanse of two smiling eyes filled her vision. The pink mare's nose was nearly touching her own.

"Hi! I'm- whoa!" Whatever she was about to say was cut off as Applejack yanked her back by her overly poofy tail.

"We talked about this, Pinkie," Applejack warned. "Boundaries."

"Oh, right!" She stuck out a forehoof to gauge her distance in front of Twilight. She quirked her ears to the farm pony. Once given a nod of approval from Applejack, the pink mare launched back into her introduction... and a few inches forward.

"Hi! My name is Pinkamina Dian Pie, but you can just call me Pinkie Pie! I used to live on a rock farm, then I lived in a circus, and now I live here in Ponyvale. Oh, welcome to Ponyvale, by the way!" She stuck out her hoof again, this time in an invitation for Twilight to take it.

She obliged, tentatively shaking the offered hoof. "I'm Twilight Sparkle,"

Pinkie clasped Twilight's hoof in both of hers, jostling her arm so vigorously that Twilight started to feel dizzy before she was abruptly released.

"I'm so, so glad to meet you Twilight! It's been wayyyy too long since we've had any new ponies around. And you're just in time, too! The Autumn Harvest Festival in only three days away! And there's nothing like a good ol' Ponyvale party to welcome a new pony to town!" She bounced around Twilight playfully as she spoke. "Right, Applejack?"

"I'm not sure if it's the best way, but I'll be darned if the Festival ain't in the top three," she said with a proud grin. "So Pinkie, I was just about to take Twilight here 'round to the stable so she can meet everypony. Wanna tag along?"

"Are you kidding me?! Ab-so-lute-ly!" she over-emphasized each syllable with a bounce. "I love helping friends make new friends!"

"Great! But first, you've gotta answer a question for me before we go," Applejack said.

Pinkie Pie's reaction was immediate. The energetic prancing stopped and she stood rigidly still, her hooves positioned close together. Her ears drew back by a fraction and her tail twitched. She smiled a smile that was just a bit too broad. "What is it?"

Twilight got the feeling that Pinkie knew exactly what she was about to be asked.

"Pinkie," Applejack started in a slow drawl, "where are your vegetables for the day?"

"Right where they're supposed to be," Pinkie forced out a laugh.

Applejack scowled, and Pinkie visibly wilted, her knees bending, her ears falling all the way lo lie flat against her head, and her tail tucking between her legs. She gave a guilty whimper.

Applejack sighed and let up the stern face a little. "We talked about this, Pinkie Pie. And as I recall, you pinkie promised to eat your vegetables every day after the last incident."

"I know, I know." Pinkie dragged herself over to the hearth and removed a stone near the base. Reaching in, she pulled out a pile of green stalks along with a couple of carrots. She looked down at them with a pout. "I was just kinda hoping that I could save them until later..."

Applejack shook her head. "We ain't leaven' till you've eaten every last one of those." And with that she plopped down on her flank.

"Heh, Leaf-in," Pinkie joked half-heartedly.

Not sure what else to do Twilight settled onto her stomach with her hooves tucked beneath her.

Shaking herself resolutely, Pinkie Pie grabbed the dreaded food and scooted in-between the other two, working around the rope and sitting closer than Twilight found comfortable. She dove in without any more hesitation.

"So..." Twilight tried to figure out how to phrase her question.

"Oh, oh, I know!" Pinkie bounced in place, taking Twilight's hesitation as an invitation. "You want to know how you can help with the festival!"

"Err, no. Well yes actually," Twilight amended, "but that's not what I was gonna-"

"Or you want to know how many other pony's live here! That's the first thing I wanted to know too," Pinkie nodded sagely.

"Yes, but that's not what I was-"

"Or maybe you just want to ask how we're doing! I'm doing great, by the way, even if I have to eat this icky stuff." She poked her food. "Or maybe you want to know how to whip cream just right so it's not too stiff or to melty! I can show you that. Or maybe you wanted to ask Applejack a question like 'why is the sky blue?' or 'why is your family called Apples even though they aren't really apples? or 'were do foals come from?" Pinkie tilted her head and pouted at the aforementioned mare. "She still won't answer that last one."

Applejack shook her head. "Nope."

Twilight tried again, "Uh, no. I was just wondering-"

"Ooh, ooh, maybe-"

"Pinkie!" Applejack finally snapped.

Pinkie snapped her mouth shut and settled down, looking mildly abashed. Mildly.

Applejack gave Twilight a nod, and Twilight in turn smiled her silent gratitude.

"I was just wondering what's the big deal about the vegetables. You made this sound like something that happens quite often." Twilight shrugged to pass her question off as nonchalant, but truthfully she was very curious. A foal putting up a fuss about their dinner was one thing, but a full grown mayor? If she wasn't eating vegetables, then that'd be a pretty sad diet for a vegetarian species.

"Oooooh," Pinkie said at the revaluation. She slapped a hoof to her forehead. "I should have known that's what you'd ask. It's always the obvious ones," she tisked.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Pinkie Pie here is breaking out of a diet of pure sugar. We've been working on it for the past three years."

Pinkie nodded. "The circuits had lots and lots of yummy treats! They'd always give me the leftovers after a show. Cupcakes, funnel cake, cake cake, cotton candy, fritters, pies, basically anything that wouldn't stay good long enough for the next show. And during the day, people would throw candy to me! Lollipops and licorice and even gum! Sometimes it took a while to get it out of my mane, but boy was it worth it! Those were the good ol' days," she reminisced.

While Pinkie stared off dreamily, her veggies forgotten, Twilight noticed that Applejack was clenching her jaw. She tilted her head sideways in a silent question, but Applejack just shook her head and mouthed the word 'later.'

"Go on and finish up now, Pinkie," Applejack urged. "We don't have daylight to spare."

With a final grimace, Pinkie Pie wolfed down the last of her greens. As soon as they were gone, she bounced to her hooves. "All done!" she announced. "Now lets go introduce you to everypony!" She raced on ahead before the others had even risen.

Applejack and Twilight followed her at a more leisurely pace.

"So what's with the look?" Twilight asked once they were out of the square.

Applejack sighed a tired and sad sigh. "Pinkie likes to make the circus out to be some amazing wonderland, a world full of fun and games. She's always telling ponies the good stuff, but..." she shook her head. "it's nothing but a coat of pretty paint to hide the wood rot."

"How so?"

Applejack let a moment of thought pass before answering. "Twilight, if Pinkie Pie had stayed in that circus instead of being rescued she'd be dead by now."

That caused Twilight to trip over her hooves. She gave Applejack a disbelieving look, to which the earth mayor nodded.

"What Pinkie leaves out of the story is that those leftover pastries they gave her are all they gave her. That was her meal of the day, split up among whatever other ponies and animals they had. And if there was no show? She went hungry that night.

"Pinkie Pie loves to preform and entertain. She likes making people and ponies happy." Her face darkened. "The people at the circus love making quick coin. She's lucky that the feller in charge of her decided to sneak her out and get her here. It ain't my place to say anymore than that, but you need to know that her past can be a sensitive subject. Same goes for a lot of ponies here."

Twilight nodded, making a mental note to check in with Applejack before asking anymore personal questions about ponies.

As they entered an area with tall grass and more trees than buildings, Twilight thought she saw someone in her peripheral vision. When she turned to look, no one was there.

Something slammed into Twilight's chest hard enough to knock the wind out of her and her vision to briefly go dark. She could feel claws gripping tightly around her neck and pressing into her chest.

As Twilight's vision swam back into view, she saw a pair of golden eyes glaring at her over a silently snarling beak.

In the suddenness of all this, Twilight could only think one thing: Eagles aren't supposed to be that big. She blinked the fog out of her mind and took a better look at her attacker. This time, she saw the golden-brown fur beyond the white feathers.

A-a griffin! Of, course, Twilight, ponies aren't the only creatures who were sucked away. But why is there one here? And why is she looking at me like that?! Wait, not at me..

With her barring fully returned, Twilight realized that the griffin's eyes didn't quite meet her own. Instead, they where directed to the side of her head. With a quick glance, Twilight looked to see that it was the rope connecting her to Applejack that held the griffin's ire.

"Hi-a Gilda!" Pinkie pranced on over, unfazed by the peril Twilight was currently in.

"Sup," the griffin grumbled absently. Her intense glare turned into an annoyed frown as she shifted her eyes to Twilight.

"Gilda," Applejack said warningly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I see it." With a small shove the griffin, Gilda, got off of her.

Twilight coughed a little as she got back to her hooves. Gilda slowly walked around her in a predatory prowl.

"Ah-hem, Gilda, this is Twilight Sparkle," Applejack introduced. "Twilight, this is Gilda, our resident griffin."

"Hello," Twilight waved weekly.

Gilda scowled.

"So-uh, I've never met a griffin before-"

"Listen here, unicorn," Gilda cut her off, "I don't trust strangers hangin' around Ponyvale. Know that that rope tying you to Applejack is the one thing keeping me from not killing you right now. If I see you wandering around without it, I'll have to assume that you're up to no good and kill you. If you do anything that even might threaten my pride, I'll kill you. Got that?"

Without waiting for Twilight's reply, Gilda spun around and took to the sky, letting out a mighty eagle cry as she went.

"That went well!" Pinkie began skipping down the path once more.

"It... did?" Sure, she hadn't been eaten, but Twilight wouldn't constitute that as 'went well.'

"Don't worry, Twilight," Pinkie slowed down to trot by her side. "That whole big, scary, meanie-mean griffin act is just for show. Gilda's actually a big softie and would never hurt anypony."

Applejack snorted. "Right. A softie."

"You could have mentioned there was a griffin here," Twilight griped.

Applejack shrugged. "You're right, I could have. Just chose not to."

"You chose not to warn me about the possibility of being attack by a griffin in the grass?" Twilight asked incredulously.

"Don't be silly, Gilda pounced from the trees, not the grass," Pinkie chided.

Really? I could have sworn I saw-

"Sorry Twilight, but Griffins tend to send ponies packing unless they get to know 'em first," Applejack explained. "I've had one to many ponies panic the second I mentioned her, so I stopped mentioning her."

Seeing the look on Twilight's face, Pinkie wrapped a hoof around her. "Awe, don't be like that, Twi. Gilda's one of Ponyvale's best surprises! It wouldn't be very surprising if we told everybody about it!" Pinkie put a hoof to her chin. "Tell you what, after you and AJ are done meeting everypony, I'll take you 'round to the library!"

Twilight blanched. "There's a library here?!"

"Mm-hm!"

"Really? Where is it? How big is it? How- Wait, how did you know I'd like to go to a library?"

"You smell like books."

"I- I do?"

"Yep! Actually, you smell like you were living in a house made out of books. Not as fun as gingerbread house, but if it make's you happy than it makes me happy." Pinkie beamed at Twilight, and Twilight couldn't help but smile back at the joyful mare as a warmth spread in her heart.

Wait... Not in her heart, on her heart!

"What is it Twilight?"

"Oh- a- nothing. Come on, we better catch up with Applejack before she starts to drag me along," Twilight joked at the rope.

Thats... unexpected, Twilight thought. Pinkie doesn't seem like a very heroic type. She acts so foalish. But I guess I don't mind that much, she seems like decent company. That was two elements discovered in one afternoon. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard to figure out after all.

Comments

[Pete100]

Applejack took her around a longer rout so she could whiteness the town from the top of a hill, giving Twilight a good vantage point to study the basic layout of the town.

Witness

"Hm? Oh, right!" Twilight followed Applejack down the hill so she could actually whiteness Ponyvale up close, not just analyze it from a distance.

Witness

"Where are we headed?" She ventured to ask after they passed some more buildings. They were getting to be closer together, and Twilight counted passing by over a dozen humans. Many of them watch the ponies curiously, but not one bothered them.

Are they not used to seeing ponies?

"Town square," Applejack answered. "Got someone there we should meet up with before we move on to the stable-house. That'll be where most ponies are at this hour. It's good timing; lets the word get 'round that you're a welcome visitor. Some folks..." she trailed off hesitantly, "aren't quite as friendly toward strangers as some," Applejack decided on. "No one'll give you much trouble so long as they see you're with me," she added in reassurance.

They have a town square?

"Hi! My name is Pinkamina Dian Pie, but you can just call me Pinkie Pie! I used to live on a rock farm, then I lived in a circus, and now I live here in Ponyvale.

I think you mean “Diane”.

Applejack sighed and let up the stern face a little. "We talked about this, Pinkie Pie. And as I recall, you pinkie promised to eat your vegetables every day after the last incident."

An incident with vegetables? Didn’t even know that was possible.

"I know, I know." Pinkie dragged herself over to the hearth and removed a stone near the base. Reaching in, she pulled out a pile of green stalks along with a couple of carrots. She looked down at them with a pout. "I was just kinda hoping that I could save them until later..."

Good plan

Applejack shook her head. "We ain't leaven' till you've eaten every last one of those." And with that she plopped down on her flank.

If that was me she would be sitting there for a long time.

A foal putting up a fuss about their dinner was one thing, but a full grown mayor? If she wasn't eating vegetables, then that'd be a pretty sad diet for a vegetarian species.

“Mare”

While Pinkie stared off dreamily, her veggies forgotten, Twilight noticed that Applejack was clenching her jaw. She tilted her head sideways in a silent question, but Applejack just shook her head and mouthed the word 'later.'

Hope she does answer later.

It ain't my place to say anymore than that, but you need to know that her past can be a sensitive subject. Same goes for a lot of ponies here."

That’s interesting

"Listen here, unicorn," Gilda cut her off, "I don't trust strangers hangin' around Ponyvale. Know that that rope tying you to Applejack is the one thing keeping me from not killing you right now. If I see you wandering around without it, I'll have to assume that you're up to no good and kill you. If you do anything that even might threaten my pride, I'll kill you. Got that?"

Just blast her.

Without waiting for Twilight's reply, Gilda spun around and took to the sky, letting out a mighty eagle cry as she went.

Nevermind, maybe next time.

"You could have mentioned there was a griffin here," Twilight griped.

Applejack shrugged. "You're right, I could have. Just chose not to."

At that moment, I’m cutting that rope.

"Sorry Twilight, but Griffins tend to send ponies packing unless they get to know 'em first," Applejack explained. "I've had one to many ponies panic the second I mentioned her, so I stopped mentioning her."

That’s the most bs excuse I’ve ever heard.

Thats... unexpected, Twilight thought. Pinkie doesn't seem like a very heroic type. She acts so foalish. But I guess I don't mind that much, she seems like decent company. That was two elements discovered in one afternoon. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard to figure out after all.

Way to jinx it, twilight.