Equestrian reformation

by Vladilen_pro

First day of work

I was standing in the bathroom, toweling myself, looking at my clothes covered in tomato soup.

(Looks like my favorite T-shirt and jeans are ruined...)

After I dried myself off and put on my other clothes, I walked out of the bathroom with a sad expression on my face. Luna was lying on the couch in the living room, taking a ton of selfies again using my phone.

"I'd like to ask you next time not to teleport so suddenly. I don't think I'll live to see the end of my program if you keep doing that..." I said, picking up the shards of plate from the floor.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to scare you... At least not until nightmare night." said Luna with a sly smile.

(This mare certainly wants to kill me...)

"Hey, why doesn't your phone take pictures anymore?!" Luna asked frustrated.

"Looks like you filled my phone memory. The number of pictures you can take is not infinite, you know." I said, tossing the shards of the plate into the trash.

"Will we never be able to take pictures again?" asked Luna sadly.

"We have to delete old photos. There's no other way." I said, wiping the soup off the floor with a broom.

"But all these pictures are so beautiful! We don't want to get rid of them!"

"Maybe soon you won't even be able to look at old photos. I can charge the phone two more times, then it will turn off. Unless you ponies invent a place where I can charge indefinitely."

"What?! The phone can't work indefinitely either? Can't we fix it with magic?" asked Luna, looking at me hopefully.

"You know, it's better not to experiment with magic. What if the phone will break?" I said as I finally finished cleaning the soup off the floor.

"We need to hurry Tia and her scientists up with human technology research... We so want our own phone!" Luna said dreamily.

After Luna said that, I heard a low charge alert.

"And here's what I was talking about..." I said, taking the phone from Luna's magical aura. "We need to charge it up."

"We hope Tia can resolve this issue with the impracticality of human technology." Luna said proudly.

I took the powerbank out of my backpack and put my phone on charge. Like I said, the indicator showed that two more charges were available, one of which had started now.

"Would you like some soup? Or just a soda?" I said as I entered the kitchen.

"We ate with Tia before we met you. So just a soda will suffice."

"Okay, which one do you want? There's mango, peach, pear, banana..."

"Banana one, please. Tia likes to eat bananas, and so do we now..." said Luna a little shyly.

(What the... Okay. None of my business.)

I picked out a mango and took both cans, returning to the living room.

"Here you go." I said, holding out the soda to the princess of the night.

Luna took the soda can into her magical aura. I sat down at the other end of the couch.

"So what's the news?" I asked, opening my soda.

"Ah yes, about that... Listen." Luna opened the can, too, and drank some. "It's good... We think we should get some while we're in Ponyville."

"Ahem." I reminded Luna of the main topic of our conversation.

"Yes, yes, we got a little distracted. So... We managed to spy on Tia again today. She had a meeting with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Tia asked Shining to increase the security of Canterlot Castle for the near future. And especially to increase the number of guards... For the day you leave Equestria." Luna said in a slightly frightened voice.

What I heard really surprised me, and I almost spilled my soda on myself.

"What the... Increase the number of guards when I go home?" I said and got up from the couch, walking over to the window. "What on earth is your sister up to? I have no idea..." I said in a thoughtful tone.

"We don't know either... But it doesn't look good already."

"Wait a minute... Do you think Celestia could have sent me to Ponyville so I wouldn't find out about her plans?" I said, turning to Luna.

I saw a surprised expression on Luna's face. Then it changed to a thoughtful one.

"Maybe you're right about that, Vlad! That way she ruled out the possibility that you'd find out anything..." Luna said a little sadly. "But she left out one fact... We can still spy on her and give you the latest news!" said Luna confidently.

"Right idea, Luna! You'll spy on her, and... Say... How about regular meetings? You will tell me what's going at Canterlot Castle." I asked Luna, sitting down on the couch again.

"We were just about to offer you the same thing! We already think as a team! Hooray!" said Luna cheerfully.

"Great. Is there any more news?" I asked, taking another sip of soda.

"Well... Tia was a little sad today. We don't know if it matters, but maybe it has something to do with the recent negotiations?" said Luna uncertainly.

"Damn. I hope everything went well for them, otherwise... I don't know what to think." I said in a worried tone.

"We hope so, too. But perhaps there is some other reason why Tia was sad? We shouldn't put it all down to the strange events that have been going on lately."

"There's almost nothing we can be sure of right now ... We need to keep monitoring the situation, it may be too early to make any conclusions." I said thoughtfully.

As I finished talking, I noticed that I had finished my soda.

"Can I get you another soda?" I asked, getting up from the couch.

"Oh, no, thank you. We should be getting back to the castle by now. Thank you for your warm welcome." Luna said sarcastically.

"Yes, of course, I'm always happy to have a guest like Princess Luna." I said sarcastically, too.

Luna just laughed a little, and waved a hoof at me, disappearing in a flash a few seconds later. This time I was ready, and I covered my eyes with my hand.

(What's happening is getting weirder and weirder... But now I'd better get ready for tomorrow.)

***

My blissful sleep was interrupted by a seemingly endless thumping against the wooden surface. Only a minute later could my sleepy brain realize that it was a knock on the door.

(What the fuck is this... Why can't I get a decent night's sleep in this town...?)

I hardly got out of bed, and I almost fell down the stairs. The whole time I was walking to the door, the knocking didn't stop.

(If the one who knocks doesn't tell me anything important... I...)

When I opened the door, I saw that strange pony again. She was trying to convince me to leave the café in Canterlot.

"Finally! I thought you'd never open up! We have to talk again!" the strange pony was talking very actively.

"You again..." I said, rubbing my eyes. "I don't mean to be rude, but you're starting to get on my nerves. And how do you even know where I live?" I asked in a frustrated tone.

"It doesn't matter! I have to let you know that-" but I didn't let her finish.

"I have to tell you to leave me alone and don't bother me at night anymore! If you really have something to say, find me during the day! And now, I don't want to talk about anything. Good night." I said, closing the door.

"But..."

I closed the door and went back to bed.

(What the fuck is wrong with her...? She's really starting to annoy me.)

I finally relaxed on the bed and prepared to go back to sleep, but the alarm interrupted my plans.

(Shit.)

In fact, it turned out that I still managed to sleep a little more after that strange pony disturbed me. But the time flew by so fast that it felt like I hadn't slept at all.

(What a beautiful start to the day...)

I got out of bed and started cursing Celestia for employing me on the farm. When that was done, I went about my morning routine.

Before I left the house, I grabbed a few sodas to give them to Apple Bloom and her friends.

(I still have 20 minutes before work... I'm going to get some coffee.)

Walking along the now familiar path to the Ponyville Market, I started looking for the coffee stand.

(Where is it... Has the owner of the stand removed it?)

"Hello. Looking for me?" came a familiar voice from behind me.

I turned around and saw that it was the same pony who had yelled at me when I tried to find out why she was sad.

"Yes... I didn't sleep well this night, and if I don't have some coffee, I'll fall asleep while I'm walking."

"I see... Follow me. I moved my stand, I think I'll have more customers there." the coffee pony said, showing me the way.

"Ah, so that's why I couldn't find it..." I noted sleepily.

(She needs more customers? So she needs more money... But for what?)

It turned out that Coffeine Cream moved her stand next to the stands that sell everyday products. Eggs, milk, bread, and so on.

"You picked a good spot, I'm sure when ponies go shopping for in the morning, they'll definitely want to buy coffee." I said when we got there.

"Yes, I know. That's what I was counting on." she said and stood behind the register. "What do you want today?"

"Cappuccino, please." I said and put the bits on the counter.

"You don't like changes, huh?" asked the coffee pony as she began to make my drink.

"I wouldn't say I don't like them... It's just that if the thing isn't broken, why fix it?" I said, stretching my legs, which still hadn't woken up from sleep.

"Fair point."

While Coffeine was busy making my coffee, I noticed a photo standing just behind the coffee machine. On photo there was Coffeine herself and some old mare. The old mare was lying, I realized, in a hospital bed, but she was still smiling, even in spite of the tubes connected to her nose and all the other hospital stuff.

"Is that your mom?" I asked, pointing to the photo.

The pony looked at me first, and then to where I was pointing. When she realized what was going on, she quickly turned the photo upside down so I couldn't see it anymore.

"Here, have your coffee. Don't hold up the other customers." Coffeine Cream said, pointing behind me.

When I turned around, I actually saw that there were several ponies already, also wanting to buy coffee. Not wanting to keep them any longer, I took my drink and stepped aside.

(This place for the coffee stand is really perfectly chosen...)

As I walked to the apple farm, I thought about the photo I saw at the coffee stand.

(Her mother doesn't seem to be in good health... Is she in the hospital? Coffeine certainly didn't want me to know that...)

And then it hit me.

(Wait a minute... Twilight said that this pony had some kind of problem in her life... Could those problems be related to her mother being in the hospital?)

I slowed my pace a bit so I'd have more time to think before I got to the farm.

(Where do they even have a hospital here? I've never seen it while I'm here. It's worth asking someone about it, maybe I can clear up that situation.)

(What if... Coffeine didnt have enough money for her mother's treatment? That's terrible! I hope I'm wrong... Now I definitely need to find out what's going on).

I came to the farm after all. As I walked along the fence behind of which was what seemed to be endless apple trees, I saw Apple Bloom walking toward me. It looked like she was on her way to school.

"Hey there! Going to school?" I asked, stopping beside the filly.

"Hi... Yes, I'm going to school..." said Apple Bloom sleepily.

"Didn't get enough sleep either?" I asked, taking a sip of coffee.

"Yes... We stayed up late in the tree house, once again wondering how we could find our talents."

"I brought something." I said, taking off my backpack and placing it in front of Apple Bloom. "Pick whatever flavor you want, and get your friends some. Don't worry, there's no apple-flavored soda here." I said with a smile.

"Wow, thanks!" said the filly and began to take sodas. "I'll take these three."

"Great choice!" I said, and helped put everything in the saddlebags. "Have a good day at school."

We waved to each other, and I went on my way.

(I have to hurry... There are only a few minutes left.)

As I approached the right place, I saw Mac. He was talking to someone. But I couldn't see who he was talking to, because a tree was blocking his conversation partner.

(That must be Applejack. I'm just in time.)

"Hey, Mac! Good morning!" I said, walking up to him.

But then I saw that Mac wasn't talking to Applejack. It was the pony I least expected to meet today. It was Cheerilee. We stood and looked at each other in silence for a few seconds.

"Vlad..." the former teacher said.

"Cheerilee..." I said.

"It's nice to meet you after... That day..." Cheerilee said uncertainly.

"Yes... Likewise." I said, and silence began again.

"Honey, aren't you going to be late for your new job...?" said Mac.

"Oh, yes, right... I'm on my way!" said Cheerilee as she walked around me and started to walk away. "See you later... Vlad."

I just waved at her and she moved on. Mac and I watched her walk away for a moment.

"So you met her..." said Mac.

"Yeah... I didn't expect that. But it went better than I thought it would."

"Come on, we talked it over with her a long time ago, she's not mad at you. We were all wrong that day." Mac said, poking me in the arm in a friendly way.

"Thank you. That's good to hear." I said, putting my elbow on Mac's head and laughing a little.

"You better not start that again..." said Mac in a friendly tone.

We laughed, and at that time Applejack came to us.

"You're already here, great." Applejack said, looking at me. "Load the baskets into the wagon and come to me. Mac will show you the way."

(Looks like the fun is over...)

"Let's go. The wagon is over there." Mac said, pointing to the barn.

I followed Mac and got into the barn for the first time. Inside were a couple of wagons, wagon wheels, and baskets. There was also hay on the floor.

(Ironic... Hay on the floor... Equestria may be inhabited by intelligent ponies, but some of their habits are no different from ordinary horses back home).

While I was looking around the barn, Mac had already started loading baskets into the wagon, and I hurried to help him.

"Do you think Celestia will count working together as an improvement in our friendship?" I asked, loading another basket into the wagon.

"I think so. I guess the important thing is that we spend time together, and circumstances don't matter." said Mac, harnessing himself to the wagon.

"If that's the case, that would be good." I said, watching Mac start to pull the wagon. "Wow, isn't that heavy for you?"

"I've dragged a lot more weight, I'm fine. Just follow me."

"Okay, lead the way."

Mac was dragging the wagon like it was empty, and it surprised me.

(Will it be as easy for him when there are apples in the baskets?)

"Say, Mac, what do you do with all those apples? There are so many, you can't eat them all. Does your family sell them?" I asked, trying to keep up the conversation as we walked to the job site.

"Yes, we sell them. And we also make juice, cider, jam, and so on. I could go on for a long time listing the products we make from apples." Mac said, stopping. "We're there."

Applejack was already waiting for us, leaning against a tree.

"Okay, let's get to work!" said Applejack when she spotted us. "Mac, you're pulling wagons with apples into the barn as usual."

Mac nodded, pulling the wagon closer to Applejack.

"I bucking apples off the trees. And you, Vlad, place the baskets under the trees and then, when they are full, take them to the wagon and load them. You got it?" Applejack asked me.

"Yes, ma'am!" I said, saluting and laughing.

"Are you laughing? Good." Applejack said as she walked over to me and patted my hand. "Let's see if you have the strength left at the end of the day to laugh..." said Applejack, smiling at me.

It surprised and even scared me a little. I made a wary face.

(You absolutely had to do it, didn't you?)

"Okay, let's get started, for real this time! Vlad, place the baskets under the trees." Applejack said, instantly replacing her smile with seriousness.

That's how my whole day went. Dragging baskets under the tree, from under the tree to the wagon, waiting for Mac to take the wagon and come back, and this cycle of actions is repeated very many times. The work is not so much difficult as it is monotonous, but of course I was pretty tired, too.

(I'm lucky Applejack didn't make me pull wagons, I think in that case I definitely wouldn't even be able to laugh right now...)

"Good job, sugarcube!" said Applejack, slapping me hard on the back, nearly breaking it. "Maybe you're not so bad, though. I didn't expect you to be so productive, to be honest."

"Well, thank you. Will you stop knocking me to the ground now?" I asked ironically.

"I'll think about it." Applejack said ironically, too.

(Well, at least she no longer wants to kill me every time we meet... That's good.)

"Anyway, do you want to have dinner with us? I won't offer twice." said Applejack.

"No thanks, I'd better go home and rest," I said, in a tired voice. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is Saturday, sugarcube. I'll see you on Monday at the same time."

"Oh, well... That's cool. I somehow didn't keep track of the days of the week while I'm in Equestria." I said a little confused.

"It happens. Okay, see you on Monday. Or sooner, you and Mac kind of need to spend time together so this stupid program is finished so he can go back to Earth, remember? So feel free to come here this weekend..." said Applejack with a slightly intimidating smile.

"Uh... Yeah, sure, I'll see what I can do." I said, trying not to give away my wariness.

Applejack left, leaving me alone with the silence. After standing alone for a moment, I went home.

(It would be nice to know how much our friendship with Mac has improved so far... Maybe I could ask Celestia about that?)

"Hey, Vlad! Do you want to hang out with us? I'll introduce you to the girls!"

I turned around and saw Apple Bloom peeking out of the tree house.

"I'm tired today, and I want to rest. Maybe another..." but I couldn't finish as Apple Bloom turned on her puppy eyes.

(I can't say no to her...)

"Okay, I'm coming!" I said happily.

"YAY!" came three joyful voices from the tree house.

Comments

[Negativity enjoyer]

No comments??? this was a pretty good episode
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