Life with Luna

by ewrobel81

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Luna, Original Character, Twilight Sparkle, Big Macintosh, Applejack, Slice of Life
Length: 29816

A disillusioned man get the chance to come to Equestria for a better life.

A man who's life is filled with tragedy and despair is allow to come to Equestria and finds love, happiness, and a great unexpected friendship.

Published 2013-05-14 21:00:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-05-14 21:00:02 UTC

Chapter 1

LIFE WITH LUNA,
By
Emerson Wrobel

I am, by nature, a curious person who wants to understand everything. But, I have found that some things just can’t be explained. How, for example, can we truly explain love? Yes, I know the word has its definitions, but compared to the experience of love, no definition in the world can come close to explaining it. The depths of love reach many levels, and take on many forms. There is the love that exists between friends. There is the love one feels for a spouse. And, what about the sweet, innocent and trusting love that’s to be found in the eyes of a child? Doesn’t this love remind us just how much we all want peace and harmony, and what we would be willing to do to obtain them? Unfortunately, there are those evil people who will see this as a sign of a weakness that can be used to trick a lot of great people, by using their own goodness against them. It is for this reason that I am writing this story. Please enjoy.

I am just a simple guy, trying my best to get by. But, after dealing with so much evil, I have become disillusioned with society to the point that I have become numb to the world, and have lost my zest for life. To save my sanity, I have pretty much turned off my TV. If I do watch anything, it’s usually a video, or a documentary, or something like that. Forget about watching the news! (Well, OK, if I really need to vomit, I’ll watch news.) My heart longs for a better world than this one. But, I still go to church, because, without the hope that there was somewhere better than here, I would have no reason to go on living.

Now, hope can be a wonderful thing. It can not only help to motivate you, but it can give you a picture of the kind of world we would all like to live in. Hope can even bring you to places so magical that you could never understand them without it, (as I was soon to find out).

For quite some time, I have found myself stuck in the same routine: I get up, take care of the three S’s, and go to work. After work, I go back home, I eat dinner, and watch a little TV.
Now, what I’m getting ready to tell you might seem kind of weird, especially coming from a 30-year-old male, but here goes: It was one night, in front of the TV set, that I found a getaway from the twistedness of this world, and the rut my life in it had become. I began watching a program that showed a positive world, where people worked together for the betterment of everyone. The characters in this show did not live in a perfect society, but theirs was a LOT better than ours. The show gave me a great image of a more beautiful future. Oh, how my heart longed for such a world to be real. Some nights, I would even dream of going there, and visiting all that world’s beautiful cities.

What is this place I hope for, dream of, and long to visit? It is known as “Equestria,” from the TV show My Little Pony. The more I watched this program, the more I dreamed about Equestria, and of going there, and visiting all of the pony cities.

Meanwhile, back in this world, my routine, (rut?), goes on. Some days I feel like I am nothing more than a robot. My job has been getting quite stressful lately. I work in a factory, and, well, to be fair, they have people running the place who don’t seem to know what they’re doing. When something goes wrong, it’s always the employees’ fault, and never the fault of the manager. And, it really can take it out of you, when the manager barks at you for an hour blaming you for a mistake that the manager, himself, had created.

Well, today is Friday, and I’m just getting out of work. Today was especially great! The entire machine line that I work on literally burned up. In a display of his “infinite wisdom,” the manager, (the same fellow, as you may remember, who can never do anything wrong), pushed the line so hard that it jammed and caught fire. So, our entire crew got to go home early. Today, with extra time on my hands, I decided to walk home, instead of taking the bus. I really love to cook, but, working 12-hour shifts, I don’t often get to cook much. But today, I had time to stop at the store, buy some groceries, and go home and make myself a great dinner.

All throughout the afternoon and evening, while walking home, while at the grocery store, while cooking and eating my dinner, I had this funny feeling that something was about to happen, but I didn’t know what it was.

After finishing my first home-cooked meal since I-don’t-remember-when, I sat down and turned on the TV. BLAAHHHHH news: “Murder, rape, politics.” Not wanting to ruin my great day, I turned off the news, and popped in a DVD of My Little Pony, and watched a couple of episodes. One episode was entitled “Sonic Rainboom,” and the other one was called “Luna Eclipsed.”

I went to bed early, and, as I was rather tired, I thought it would be nice to get more than my usual six hours of sleep. It was a nice ending to what turned out to be a perfect day.

As I was in bed earlier than usual, it took awhile for my brain to turn off, so I could fall asleep. I wondered if I should set my alarm for work in the morning. I really didn’t want to go back to the factory, especially after savoring such a nice day like today. So, I thought to myself, “I have plenty of personal days. Why not burn one?”

When I called and said I would not be in, Helen, (the very nice receptionist), said that it would be no problem, since the burned-out line would be down until at least Sunday. She also told me that the repair would cost about $76,000. . . OUCH!!!. . . I had to laugh, thinking of my manager trying to explain away why the line had caught fire. After wishing Helen a good day, I rolled over, and closed my eyes. . . .

I think I remember that the red numbers on my alarm clock said it was about 3:30 a.m., when the sound of a noise awoke me. As I had been deeper asleep than I had been in a long time, I was feeling more than just a little groggy. Despite that, I jumped, (or did I really stumble), out of bed, and somehow managed to make my way down the dark hallway to the top of the second floor staircase. At first, I thought the noise might have been coming from outside, until I heard the living room floorboards creek. Then, as I slowly descended the stairs, I noticed an odd light emanating from the living room, which seemed to grow brighter with each downward step I took. With my bravest voice I shouted out, “HELLO!!!!”

My shout received an immediate response. It was a calm, authoritative voice that said, “Hello! Please come on down. There is nothing for you to fear.”

As you can imagine, I was quite apprehensive about having an uninvited guest, (who also happened to glow in the dark), show up in my living room at 3:30 a.m., and then tell me that I have nothing to fear. Yet, the voice did sound strangely familiar. With an unusual combination of curiosity, anticipation, and trepidation, I entered the living room, where I found that, to my absolute astonishment, the Princess Celestia was standing right there. It was the glow from her horn that was lighting the room. As I wiped the sleep from my eyes, I smiled. What could I have said, upon finding the awesome Princess Celestia standing in my living room at this hour? Was I dreaming? Was this some kind of hallucination? Could I have been suffering from a head injury?!?!?!? Right then, none of these questions mattered. For the moment, I would engage her in conversation. I smiled at the Princess, and simply said, “Hello!”

She looked at me, and asked, “You don’t believe I really am here, do you?”

“Well, that’s kind of hard for me,” I replied.

“You have been dreaming a lot about Equestria lately, haven’t you?” she asked, even though we both knew that I had been.

“U-m-m-m-m, well, yes, I have,” I answered. At this point, I was feeling a bit nervous. How did she know about my dreams?

She looked at me, and, with a smile, said, “You have a kind soul, dear sir. It is, however, uncommon to find someone who dreams so much about our land.”

“Well,” I told her, “Equestria is simply beautiful. And, I find that it holds the hope of a better world that I have come to need to make it here, day by day.”

She asked, “How could seeing how we live in Equestria give you the encouragement you need to live your life here?”

As my face sank, I lowered my head and told her, “Princess, the evil that is born of the jealousy, envy, and greed, that abounds in this world is sometimes enough to drive people to end their lives before their time.” I figured that this explanation would be the easiest one for her to understand. It’s hard to describe what’s going on in this world to someone who has never known such evil.

With an almost stunned look on her face, she asked, “If the evil of your world is so great, how could looking at my world be of help to you?”

Looking up at her, I explained, “Equestria, by serving as an example for us, can offer hope for the hopeless. And, maybe, just maybe, some day our world can be more like yours.”

With a puzzled look, she asked, “What do you mean when you say ‘hope for the hopeless’?”

I replied, “Well, I believe that ending one’s life before one’s time is up is wrong, although I can understand why so many people choose to do so. But, when dreaming of your wonderful world, I am able to think that there may be hope for my world after all, even if Equestria is only an illusion. But, the sad truth is, that with so much evil taking it over, how can this world be anything but doomed?”

Princess Celestia then looked at me, and asked me something that will forever be etched into the cells of my brain: “What would you do if you could ever come to Equestria?”

With my face lighting up like a 1,000-watt halogen light bulb, I replied, “Well, I am a simple guy who has always loved nature. If given the chance, I would love to work with Big Mac, and Apple Jack at Sweet Apple Acres. I have dreamed of doing this for such a long time.”

She smiled at me, and then said, “I don’t think that being the only human in Equestria would go over well with all of the other ponies. Coming to Equestria in a human form, might make you even more of an outcast than Luna had been.” I laughed a bit. I understood her all too well, and then I had a funny thought. I told her that I once had a dream about me being a Clydesdale.

Princess Celestia asked, “What’s a Clydesdale?”

I told her that in our world there are many different kinds of ponies and horses, and that a Clydesdale was, like Big Macintosh, a large, strong, horse, that was widely used for farming.

I was totally unprepared for the next question the Princess asked me. She said, “If I could change you into a pony, and that were the only way you could come and live in Equestria, would you still want me to do it?”

I took a deep breath, and thought to myself, “Am I still dreaming?” As great and as wonderful as this all sounded, I still wasn’t sure if I was dreaming, or just what was happening. I had certainly never had this kind of consciousness in any dream I had ever had before.

But, as I really had nothing to live for here, I thought, “Why not have a little faith?” So, I said, “Yes, it would be a dream-come-true for me to leave this evil world.”
She asked what I would like to do when I got to Equestria. I replied, with a big smile on my face, that I would love to work at Sweet Apple Acres. But, I also added that I was open to doing whatever she would like me to do, that I would be glad just to be in Equestria, doing anything that needed to be done. It was then that Princess Celestia looked at me and said, “So be it!”

Her horn then began to glow. Then, a few moments later, I began to glow, as well. I started to feel something that hurt a little bit. What I next saw made me begin to freak out. As I watched, my hands were turning into hooves. Then, a flash of bright light exploded out of her horn that was so bright I had to close my eyes. I could feel the power of the magic she possessed. How I could feel all this, if it weren’t a dream, utterly confused me. Could this REALLY be happening to me? My mind simply could not comprehend the scope of the transformation that was taking place.
When, at last, I opened my eyes, nothing felt quite the same. It was still dark outside. I was really groggy, and felt as though I had spent the last evening in a bar, where I had had about 35 too many shots of whiskey. I tried to get out of bed, but the bed felt different. The bed felt very plush, and it just seemed to hug me. I was tired, and every part of my body was sore. On top of that I had an intense headache. I knew I needed to get up and start the day, but I just didn’t want to leave my bed. When I finally forced myself to arise, I was shocked to find out that, when I rolled out of bed, I landed on all fours. I somehow knew I was standing, but it didn’t feel right. It was a weird sensation. As I crawled over to the door, I knew something had drastically changed. Opening the door, I felt like I had been hit in the face with a large, cast-iron frying pan of the most brilliant colors imaginable. Everything I saw was colorful and bright, and, being totally dazed and confused by my almost cartoonish surroundings, I went to rub my eyes again. That was when I noticed it: I HAD HOOVES!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I was stunned! I was freaking out!! I wanted to shout it out over and over again, loud enough for the whole world to hear: “I HAVE HOOVES!!!!!!!!!” But, before I could make a sound, a beautiful light purple pony wearing a nurse’s cap come over and asked me, “Sir, are you okay?”

I was still too shocked to reply. Again she asked me, “Sir, are you okay?” When I finally had calmed down enough to speak to her, she told me that I had a guest. Another purple pony entered my room, and introduced herself as “Twilight.” She then informed me that she had brought a message for me from Princess Celestia.

I whispered to myself, “How can any of this be real?”

Not wanting to appear impolite, I greeted Twilight with an almost inaudible, and very tentative, “Hello.”

“As you are new to Ponyville, Princess Celestia has asked me to look after you, and help you get established here,” Twilight informed me. “The Princess has also given me a letter for you. I am to leave you by yourself while you read it. Then, ONLY after you have finished reading Princess Celestia’s message, will I be available to answer any of your questions that may remain.”

Twilight’s horn then lit up, and, at the same time, a paper floated up out of the bag she was carrying, and floated up through the air, right to me. As I touched it with my hoof, the paper unrolled, and I began to read:
Dear and most kind sir:

The fact that I can bring humans to Equestria is not well known to the inhabitants of our world, and, I would like for the fact that I have this ability to remain unknown for many reasons.

First of all, you are quite correct that the evil of the world from which you have come is indescribable. Very few Ponies know, or would even suspect, that a world such as yours exists. Please know that I truly believed you when you said you trusted me. So, in the spirit of that trust, I must ask you not to question why there are many things about which you must remain silent. When my sister, Luna, noticed how often you were dreaming into our world, she asked me if I thought you might not like to come here and live in Equestria, especially after all of the sadness and heartache your former world had caused you. But, before we would agree to bring you here to Equestria, we had to be sure that you would not bring the evil or your old world into ours. After meeting you, I saw that you are a true and sincere person, and so, I offered you a chance to come and live with us.

Second, your wish to assume the form of a “Clydesdale,” a strong Earth pony, has been granted. And, even though it is unusual for a stallion colt, the “cutie mark” you have been given is a single blooming flower. This should serve to remind you that hope can carry you through anything, and that hope, like this flower, is a simple and beautiful thing. NEVER LOSE YOUR HOPE!

Third, my student Twilight will help you learn all you need to know to be successful here in Ponyville, and will introduce you to the other Ponies here. But remember, my Ponies are my whole world, and I intend to do everything I can to protect them. So, even though the home theater program you had in you former world has already allowed you to become familiar with us, you must tell no one about it, nor anything else about the world you have left behind.

Finally, I never did get your human name. When you arrived in Equestria, you were checked into our hospital under the name of “Clyde Strong.” That would be a fine name for you to go by in your new life, and we hope you will adopt it. If you should ever need to talk about anything, please send a letter to either Luna, or to myself, as we both are acquainted with you, and know how you arrived here. I have spoken to the Apple family at Sweet Apple Acres. After you have had time to become familiar with life in Ponyville, they will have a job for you. Although the pay may not be very much, I do believe you will enjoy the work. May you enjoy your time in Equestria!
Your new friend,
Princess Celestia

After reading the Princess’ letter, I called for Twilight to come back into the room. When our eyes met, she smiled, and then told me I would be staying at the library with her for a few months to give me time to adjust to my new home. As Princess Celestia wanted to make the transition into my new life as smooth as possible, she instructed Twilight to ask me if, after reading her letter, I was confused about anything, and asked me if I had any questions that I would like for Twilight to answer.

One thing was for certain: I found it very confusing, as well as more than a little hard to believe that, here I was, living right smack-dab in the middle of a children’s cartoon. So many questions whirled through my mind. Where would I start? For a couple of minutes my mind simply reeled, but then I started to collect myself. So, I decided to start with the most basic question I could think of. I asked Twilight, “What exactly did Princess Celestia tell you about me?”

Twilight replied, “The Princess told me that you had been attacked by an evil monster, and that when she found you, you were almost dead. She told me you had a really good and kind heart, and that while you had indeed fought valiantly against the monster, the battle was just too much for you, and that she thought you deserved better. After she had witnessed how bravely you struggled, she thought you might like to live in Ponyville, and decided to invite you to come and make your home here with us.”

With a deep sigh of relief, I smiled and said, “True, true, so true, indeed! How very true it is!”
I found this all both exhilarating and exhausting. I fell into a deep sleep, and didn’t wake up until the next day.

When I awoke, I had to confront one of my first practical matters, now that I was a full-time resident of Ponyville. I had to get used to walking on four legs, which is a whole lot harder than one might imagine. As I experimented with getting my legs all coordinated, I stumbled a lot. After that, I stumbled some more. And then, I stumbled even more!!! “Oh yeah,” I panted. “This is REALLY fun!!! Twilight just looked at me with a totally dumbfounded expression.
She gently commented, “You seem to be having a bit of trouble getting around. Would you like to rest a bit?”

I felt like telling her to try and walk around on her two back legs for awhile, if she really wanted to know what I was dealing with. But, I bit my tongue and said nothing, of course, as Twilight was, after all, only trying to ease the transition to “quadruped-ism” that I was experiencing.

At last, with the biggest and cheesiest smile I could muster, I told her, “Twilight, please know that I really am beginning to feel better, and, believe it or not, I am beginning to feel a little bit more coordinated. What I would really like to do now, is to go outside, and walk around a little.”

“Well,” Twilight said with a long sigh, “I’ll have to check with your doctor,” as she stepped out of the room. “Just stay right here until I get back.”

While waiting for Twilight to return, my mind raced. If everything that was happening to me was only a dream, then I prayed I would never wake up. But, if this was a dream, it was way too real. I could feel everything. I had complete awareness of my surroundings.

Yet, I asked myself, “Could this REALLY be happening to me?” It was all almost beyond my comprehension. Still, a million thoughts raced through my head. I couldn’t stand to think about all of this not being real. How would I ever accept waking up from being here, only to be back in my old world? Yet, amidst all of these nagging doubts, I was overjoyed with it all. The funny little thoughts I had started to have about actually getting to try some “Zapp Apple Jam,” and about really getting to meet all of the other Ponies were fast becoming overwhelming.

Twilight was coming back into the room with the doctor just as I was beginning to get teary-eyed at the idea of not only being in Equestria, but being in Ponyville.

The doctor examined me and said that although I was healthy enough to leave the hospital, I still might want to stay there and rest for a while longer, especially after the ordeal I had been through in my battle against the monster. I told the doctor that I had never been very fond of hospitals, and even though this was a very nice hospital, in fact, the nicest hospital I had ever been in, I would still rather be out and about in Ponyville. The doctor said, “Well, even though Ponyville isn’t Canterlot, or Manehatten, we are definitely proud of it.”

Taking what I hoped would be one last look at my chart before releasing me from the hospital, the doctor asked, “Now, just where exactly was it that you said you came from?”

Twilight jumped in and added, “I was wondering about that, myself.”

I nervously laughed, hoping to hide the sheer PANIC that the doctor’s question had provoked. What could I say that would not raise too many questions? I knew I had to choose my words carefully.

I inhaled deeply, and with a deliberately thoughtful tone, told the doctor and Twilight, “Well, you see, my life has been quite different from most. The place where I used to live doesn’t really exist anymore. So, I have been a nomad in search of a good place where I can make a home for myself.” I figured that was surely a good diplomatic answer. Both the doctor and Twilight smiled.

Then, with a big smile on her face, Twilight, in a perky tone of voice, asked me, “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go and explore Ponyville! I know you will love it here. There are a lot of great ponies to meet, and we have the most awesome library!”

I felt a wave of relief sweep over me when the doctor nodded in agreement with her, and then told me, “Twilight is right! You will love it here Ponyville! Just put your hoof-print on this release-form, and you are free to leave.”
As we were walking out of the hospital, Twilight hesitantly, no, almost timidly, said, “Would you mind if I’d ask you something?”

“No,” I told her, “ask me whatever you’d like,” (wondering just what her question would be).
“Well,” she said, “You’re not quite like any pony I’ve ever seen before. Are you a typical earth pony?”
“What do you mean?” I cautiously replied.

“It’s. . .” Twilight hesitated, “Well, it’s . . . it’s just that you are about the biggest pony I’ve ever seen next to Princess Celestia.”

Before answering her, I thought for a minute, and finally replied, “Twilight, I am a normal earth pony, but most ponies from my breed are big, like I am. You may never have met one of my kind of pony before.”

She looked somewhat puzzled at my answer. After all, she was the librarian, and, as such, was knowledgeable about all the different kinds of ponies there were in her world. Although Twilight asked me no more about it, a pony that had been modeled after a Clydesdale was bound to attract a certain amount of attention from the other ponies as we walked through town.

Never having been much of a bookworm myself, it didn’t occur to me that the first place Twilight would take me would be straight home to the library. But, it didn’t surprise me, either, especially when I consider how much I already knew of her from watching the TV show for so long.

As we walked through the library’s main door, a small purple and green dragon popped up said to me, “Hi! I’m Spike.”
I replied, “Hello, I’m Clyde Strong. It’s nice to meet you, Spike!”

The spunky little dragon stood back and said, “Clyde Strong, huh? Strong, you look like you could lift a house.”
I could only laugh because I never thought of myself as strong, and, besides, I have always tried to be modest. Spike then said that he wanted to show me all around town, and introduce me to all of the wonderful ponies that lived there. He rambled on and on about someone named “Rarity,” and all of her wonderful attributes. Before he could go any further, Twilight interrupted Spike and reminded him of his unfinished chores.

As Spike was walking away from us I whispered to Twilight, “Am I to understand that Spike is more than a little taken with this pony named “Rarity?”

Twilight smiled, and whispered back, “Quite so!!!” We both laughed.
Returning to more practical matters, I politely asked Twilight where I would be staying. She showed me a spare room that had been prepared for me. Twilight then asked me if I wanted anything to eat. Declining her offer of food, I thanked her, and then excused myself. The whole day’s experience had been both interesting and exciting but, as it was getting late in the day, I was beginning to get really tired. One thing, however, made me feel nervous. Although I really wanted to sleep, I was afraid that if I did, I might wake up back in my old world. As I refused to risk that happening, I decided I would just stay awake. My efforts to do so soon proved themselves futile, however, as I ended up falling asleep quickly, and then sleeping more deeply than I had ever slept before.

When I awoke I could hear birds chirping, even though it was still dark. I lay in bed for a long time, just looking around and thinking to myself, “Wow, I’m still in Ponyville. This must be real, after all. What other new and wonderful things await me today?”

My head was so filled with all kinds of random thoughts and questions about, well, everything. I was apparently so lost in thought that I didn’t realize that quite some time had passed. So, I was somewhat startled when I heard Twilight knocking on my door, asking if I was ready to get up, get out, and start exploring Ponyville. As I was climbing out of bed I told her I would be right out.

Outside, as we were walking, Twilight asked, “So, have you thought of any more questions you’d like answered?”
I looked her in the eye and asked, “Well, could you tell me a little more about the people around here?”
Twilight gave me funny look. Then, it hit me. I shouldn’t have used the word “people.” I abruptly corrected my mistake by saying, “I’d like to know about the different ponies in town.” (Thankfully, she didn’t ask me to explain what the word “people” meant.)

“Well, Clyde,” said Twilight, “There are different types of ponies here. And, believe me, my friends are quite a diverse bunch. So, I must warn you, first of all, to brace yourself when you meet Pinkie Pie. She can be quite intense, and she will probably want to have a party for you in the very near future. She absolutely loves parties, and will use any available excuse for having them. Fluttershy, on the other hand, is unbelievably shy. So, don’t be offended is she tries to hide from you, at first. Rainbow Dash is an extremely competitive and athletic Pegasus, but a bit of a prankster. My friend Rarity, (the one Spike likes), is very fashion-oriented, which, I guess comes from her being a seamstress. And, she is very generous. And then, there is Applejack, an extraordinarily honest and hard-working pony, who, however, can be quite stubborn. In fact, Princess Celestia has arranged for you to work on the farm with Applejack, her brother Big Macintosh, her little sister Apple Bloom, and her grandmother, Granny Smith. Would you like to visit Sweet Apple Acres, now?”

“Yes,” I replied. “That’s sounds wonderful. But, would you mind if we had something to eat, first?’
Twilight replied, “No problem! I was getting rather hungry, myself. We could go to our sweet shop, ‘Sugar Cube Corner,’ and get some Apple Danish. Then, we could go and introduce you to Pinkie Pie, and the Cake family.”
“That would be awesome,” I told her.

Twilight and I walked over to Sugar Cube Corner. Upon entering, Mrs. Cake greeted us and asked Twilight, “So, who’s your friend?”In a friendly, joking manner Twilight replied, “This is Clyde Strong. He was sent to me by Princess Celestia.”

At the mention of the Princess, Mrs. Cake seemed to pay a lot more attention to me. With a quizzical look on her face, she asked, “So, how is it that you know the Princess?”
I simply replied, “At one time, we fought a very unique adversary together.”
Before this conversation could go any further, Twilight jumped in, and said, “Clyde, we don’t have a lot of time right now.” Turning to Mrs. Cake, she said, “We just came by to have some of your wonderful Apple Danish for breakfast. And, we also were hoping to introduce Clyde to Pinkie, Mr. Cake, and the twins.”

“Oh,” said Mrs. Cake, “I am sorry, but, Mr. Cake and the twins have gone out for the morning. But, Pinkie is in the back making some sugar icing for the apple spice cupcakes that just came out of the oven.”
“OOOOOOH! Apple spice cupcakes!!! I really, I mean really, and truly, and seriously love apple spice cupcakes,” I shouted for joy. Almost before I had finished saying this, there was a pink explosion bursting forth from the kitchen by the name of Pinkie Pie.

“Oh,” she shouted enthusiastically, “a new pony! I am Pinkie Pie! I heard you say how much you like cupcakes, so I brought you one. Here,” she said, as she shoved the entire cupcake into my mouth.
Well, let me tell you, trying to swallow an entire cupcake in one gulp is an interesting experience, to say the least. The only reason I even attempted it was because I remembered, (from seeing the TV show), that she could swallow an entire two-tiered cake in one bite. So, I thought that if I was now a for-real, fully-animated pony in Equestria, why see if I could do something similar myself, and maybe have some fun at the same time. Hey, you can’t blame me for trying it. If you were animated, wouldn’t you just maybe be tempted to try the same thing?

After eating enough sugary treats to send most people back on Earth into a diabetic coma, Twilight and I finally headed out to Sweet Apple Acres. As we made our way toward the edge of town, we walked over a quaint little bridge that spanned a babbling brook. Now, even though I was familiar with this bridge from watching the TV show, I had no idea that the view from there would be so beautiful. As it was still fairly early in the morning, and the sun was still rather low in the sky, the sunlight was shimmering delicately on the water. I stood motionless, in awe of this picture-perfect sight.

Twilight noticed that I had stopped at the top of the bridge, and that I seemed captivated by the view. Walking up beside me she said gently, “It’s beautiful!”

In a voice scarcely above a whisper, I managed to reply, “Twilight, this does my heart so much good! It’s like . . .” I couldn’t find the words I wanted. I stood there speechless.

Later, she told me that she was amazed that a large Earth pony like me could be made speechless by the simple sight of sunlight shimmering on the water. But to me, it represented oh so much more. For me, it represented my new life, and my new beginning. It was as though I had died and gone to Paradise! And, I was more convinced than ever that I never wanted to go back to Earth.

Twilight left me to enjoy my own thoughts for several minutes before interrupting my reverie with a reminder that we were on a schedule, and that we needed to be on our way to Sweet Apple Acres. As we approached the farm, I was surprised that the number of apple trees growing there was much greater than I had ever expected to find. While we were approaching the farm’s entrance, Twilight reminded me, “Just so you know, Apple Jack is always quite excited about getting to make new friends.”

And no sooner than she said that did Applejack and Big Mac emerge from the barn, with a bunch of bushel baskets and a cart. Shouting out, “Howdy,” Applejack walked over and shook my hoof quite vigorously.
I said, “Hello! I’m Clyde Strong. I believe Princess Celestia talked with you about me, didn’t she?”
“Yes, she did,” replied Applejack, with a chuckle. “But, she didn’t say you were BIGGER than Big Mac!”

Meanwhile, Big Mac simply stood there, giving me a puzzled look. I figured that he was just feeling shy, so I took the initiative, and walked up and introduced myself. “Hello,” I said to him. “My name is Clyde Strong, and I want to thank you for allowing me to work here with you.”

The big pony answered me with a single word, “Ee-yup.” I waited for a moment for him to say more, but he didn’t. I guess it’s just his way to not say any more than he thinks is necessary.
Applejack offered me a tour of the place, which I readily accepted. As we walked out into the orchard, she asked me, “Hey, have you ever done any apple bucking, Buckaroo?”
I smiled, and said, “No, but I would love to try.”

Applejack looked me in the eye, and said, “Apple bucking is a lot of hard work, and requires a LOT of leg strength. Just watch me,” she said as she turned and backed up to a tree full of apples. “Now, you just have to buck with all of your might!” She then kicked the tree so hard that she almost shook it to the ground, leaving her hoof prints in the tree’s bark.
She smiled confidently, as she told me, “See, that’s how you can clear a tree of apples in a single kick! But, I’ll admit, it does take a lot of practice to be able to do it in with just one kick; a lot of strength, and a lot of practice! You try it, Clyde!”
I saw a large tree that was overflowing with apples. As I backed up to it, I asked her, “Now, Applejack, you did tell me that I should kick it as hard as I can, right?”

“Yes,” she replied, “as hard you can.”

I liked the challenge she had given me, but, not yet being totally used to walking on four legs, I thought for a minute about how to create the kicking movement that she had just demonstrated. In anticipation of not doing it right, I apologized in advance to her, saying, “Applejack, I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to do this. You see, I just got out of the hospital, and I don’t know if I have the strength to do this right, or not.”

Applejack just smiled, and said, “Clyde, all you have to do, for now, is just try it. Do your best. You can always improve your kicking technique later.”

So, with that said, I took a deep breath, reared up, and kicked with everything I had, and landed flat on my stomach with my legs out from under me, as a result of my effort. As I was getting up, I thought I noticed Applejack staring at me with her eyes bugging out. As I clumsily made it to my feet, I noticed that she was really staring past me, at the tree I had just kicked. I turned and I looked. I was shocked at what I had just done. I groaned an anguished, “Oh, my!” as I realized that I must have aimed my kick too low, as I had knocked the tree over, and had broken the trunk off at the stump.

With great embarrassment, I sheepishly said, “I’m sorry, Applejack. I guess I’ll need to work on controlling my kicks.”
After shaking her head in amazement, she looked at me, and said, “That’s OK, Sugar Cube. I’ve just never seen a pony buck a tree out of the ground before.”

“Well,” I said, “I am still trying to recover from a battle I was in.”
Looking at me curiously, Applejack asked, “What kind of battle was that?”

I told her, “It was a battle with a beast of evil. I had been fighting it for a very long time, and was getting quite worn out. When I was about to lose the fight, Princess Celestia stepped in, and saved me. She said I had fought valiantly, and now, the Princess is helping me to build a new life for myself.”

At this point Twilight walked up, and seemed very confused by the sight of the tree I had kicked over, lying on the ground. Nevertheless, she reminded me that we had a schedule to keep. I then thanked Applejack for showing me how to buck apples before Twilight and I departed.

On our way back into town, Twilight and I passed by a charming school, with little ponies running everywhere around the schoolyard. One cute little lady came up to Twilight, saying, “Hello, Twilight! . . . Uhmmmm, hello?!?!?!?!?”
Twilight responded, “Hello, Apple Bloom.”

The little pony was looking at me in a bit of a funny way, when I introduced myself to her, saying, “Hello, Apple Bloom! I’m Clyde Strong. I just got to meet your big brother, and your sister Applejack.”
“Oh,” she responded with a very curious look on her face.

Twilight said to her, “Yes! I just took Clyde to see the farm, and to meet your family. He’s even going to help there in a few months.”

“Gee,” said Apple Bloom, “that would be great, what with all the extra apple trees this year. My brother and sister could definitely use the extra help with apple bucking season, and the zapp apple harvest.”

I told the sweet little pony, “I am looking forward to helping on the farm. I will be starting after I complete some studying with Twilight, here.”

“Well, shoot,” said Apple Bloom, “I am sure Miss Cheerilee would be glad to help you with your education. After all, she IS the greatest teacher in all of Equestria.”

I chuckled and said, “Apple Bloom, I’m sure that she is. But Princess Celestia has me studying under Twilight.”
“OK,” said the little pony. “Well, it sure was good to meet you. The Crusaders and I are going to try zip lining again today, with Rainbow Dash. Good-bye, Clyde!” And, with that Apple Bloom trotted away with a couple of her friends.

Twilight suggested that we go and meet Fluttershy next.
I responded, “That sounds great! I have always liked making new friends.” And, with that, we were off to Fluttershy’s house.

As we walked along, Twilight was giving me a complete history on everything that we saw on the way. I must admit that I was only half-heartedly listening, as my mind kept going back to the beautiful sight I had beheld earlier from the bridge. But, soon we were approaching Fluttershy’s place. It was a modest house with a lot of animals in the yard. We heard a lot of birds singing out back. Since Fluttershy is a bit shy in front of ponies she doesn’t know, Twilight asked me if I would wait out front while she went and knocked on Fluttershy’s door, and invited the timid pony to come out and meet me.

As Twilight walked around to the back of Fluttershy’s house, I began to admire the landscape. The beauty of it all was just inspiring. As I was becoming lost in the splendor of it all, I noticed Twilight walking up to me, with Fluttershy doing her best to try and hide behind her.

Twilight said, “Fluttershy, this is Clyde. Clyde, this is Fluttershy.”
I softly said, “Hello.”

Fluttershy barely managed to squeak a faint, “Hello,” back to me.

I looked at Fluttershy, and with a very gentle and loving voice said to her, “Thank you.”

Her curiosity managed to overcome a little of her shyness, as she asked, “Thank me for what?”
I smiled and softly replied, “Well, I’d like to thank you for caring for all of these little creatures. It’s a hard job, and you must be really good at it. Just look at how happy they all are!”

For a moment Fluttershy was speechless, but she did seem to blush. She then managed to say, “Yes, how could anyone not love them?”

I continued, “I used to have a pet dog, and, you know, she was like a member of the family.”
Fluttershy slowly perked up when I told her that. She then began to tell me about her animal friends, and began showing Twilight and me all around her place, introducing us to each of the little creatures that were in her care. The animals we met were all delightful, although I was surprised at how well Twilight managed to hide her fear when Fluttershy introduced us to the snakes.

After we had spent about four hours in Fluttershy’s company, Twilight said that she and I had to be going home to the library, as I had to hit the books. So, we said our farewells to her, and departed.
On our way home Twilight asked me, “How in the world did you get Fluttershy to open up so fast? When I first met her, I could barely get her to squeak, let alone speak.”

I just smiled and said, “Well, my cutie mark can be deceiving.”
She interrupted, and said, “You know, I have been wondering about your cutie mark for quite some time. Such a large, strong pony like you having a beautiful flower for a cutie mark is confusing. Were you a flower farmer, or . . . . ”
“No,” I replied, “I’ve never been a farmer. The cutie mark is all about my personality.”

She stopped for a second, as though she were in deep thought, and said, “Wow, that makes a lot of sense!”
On the way back to the library, Twilight and I stopped in town for some sandwiches. As I had always been quite a meat-eater when I was a human, I found these sandwiches quite bland and lackluster, but I suppose being a carnivore is not really practical for a pony.

Once we arrived at the library, Twilight gave me a book on the history of Ponyville. After spending a few hours reading about my new home, I looked out the window, and noticed that night was falling, and that the moon was rising. Twilight came in to check on me, as I had been very quiet for some time. She asked, “How are you doing?”
I answered, “I am doing OK! I think I’ll just read for another hour or so.” In fact, truth be told, while I had never been a very avid reader when I was a human being, I found it was easier to pay attention to what I was reading now that I was a pony. Maybe it was because I was beginning to get my enthusiasm for life back, and was really enjoying everything that was going on.

Twilight mentioned that she was going to bed soon, and that she planned to take me to meet Rarity tomorrow. At the mention of Rarity’s name, Spike popped up, and started rambling on and on about her. I just smiled and wished Spike an affectionate “goodnight.”

Everything was quiet. Not a single other pony seemed to be awake. All alone, I decided to go out and sit on the library balcony, and just look out at the vastness of the night sky. I hadn’t noticed how late it had become, as I was lost in contemplation, experiencing the greatest feeling of peace I had ever known.
As I sat admiring the night sky, I noticed a chariot flying overhead, and landing far off in the distance. Although this sparked my curiosity, I was quite tired, and decided to retire for the evening. As I lay in bed I wondered about what marvels the next day would bring me.

The next morning I awoke to that all too familiar feeling of not wanting to move a muscle. The bed seemed to have the kind of grip on me that a super-magnet would have on a big lump of iron. I really felt like I needed a giant cup of coffee, but I didn’t know whether or not anyone even drank it in Equestria. But, just as I was thinking that thought, Spike banged on the door and said, “Come on, sleepyhead! It’s time to go and meet Rarity. I’ve even worked to get ahead on my chores so I can come along, too!”
“OK, Spike,” I yawned, “I’ll be right there.”

I rolled out of bed, and came down the stairs, only to be greeted by Pinkie Pie, and an ungodly amount of baked goods. “There’s nothing like having cupcakes for breakfast!” she proclaimed.

Now if there’s one thing I am not, it’s a morning person! In fact, having as much energy as Pinkie Pie has in the morning should be illegal! And yes, while chocolate cake does make for a good breakfast, having her shove a complete chocolate cake in my face at 7:00 a.m. was, at the very least, something of a shock! But, I also realized that she was just trying to be sweet.

Then, Pinkie Pie, in a cheerfully singing, tone announced, in an extraordinarily loud and fast voice that would put a livestock auctioneer to shame, that there would be a welcome party for me that night.

Twilight looked at me, and said, “That would be a good way for you to meet a lot of ponies.” So, I agreed to go.
After breakfast I asked, “Twilight, is there a good place for me to get some dress clothes? If I’m going to a party, I’ll want to look nice. My parents taught me I should always look my best.”

Twilight replied, “You’re in luck! We are going to see Rarity today, and she is a fabulous seamstress!”
I said, “That sounds wonderful! Let’s go!” And, with that, Twilight, Spike, and I headed set off to meet Rarity.

We walked to Rarity’s shop, as it was only a few minutes’ distance from the library, greeting the other ponies we met as we walked along. As we entered, Rarity was pinning up a uniform for a brightly colored pony, when she greeted us.
Twilight greeted them both, “Hello Rarity! Hello Rainbow Dash! That uniform is looking quite interesting.”

Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash got quite startled looks on their faces when they spun around and saw me. (I have noticed that I have that effect on many ponies the first time they see me.)

Twilight spoke up, “Rarity, Rainbow Dash, meet Clyde. He is the pony that Princess Celestia sent to me so he can learn about Ponyville.”

Rarity popped up, and asked, “Princess Celestia sent you to Twilight?!?!?”
“Yes,” I answered. “Princess Celestia rescued me from a long, hard battle with a terrible monster, and is helping me to resettle my life.”

Rainbow Dash inquired, “What kind of battle was that, and how big was the monster? What kind of moves did you use when you fought it?”

Slowly, I lowered my head as the expression on my face became somber.
Twilight interrupted the inquisitive pony, saying, “Rainbow Dash, please! Give him some time. He was just released from the hospital only a few days ago.”

With a disappointed tone of voice, Rainbow Dash said, “Oh-kayyyyy!”
Rarity then said, “Well, Rainbow, I am done with fitting your new clothes for now. I should have everything ready in a day or two.”

Rainbow Dash then told us all good-bye, and flew out of the store in a flash.
Twilight came over to me, showing me a dazzlingly beautiful purple sequined gown. She told me, “Pinkie has invited me to your party tonight, and this is the new dress I plan to wear to it.”
I proceeded to say, “This dress is truly a work of art.” Turning to Rarity, I continued, “Do you make men’s fashions, as well?”

Her face lit up, as she asked me, “Something for you, sir?!?!”

I answered her, “Yes. I am going to a party that Pinkie Pie is giving in my honor, and I would like to look fashionable.”
Then, looking at me in complete amazement, she said, “Excuse me, sir! I misjudged you. You obviously have a much more cultured background than I imagined. Please forgive me for that! I would be honored to make you something very smart-looking for tonight’s party.”

I smiled at her, and said, “It is I who would be honored to wear something to the party that you have made for me, Rarity.”

She then started whipping around her studio. Fabric and sewing supplies were flying everywhere. Rarity hollered, “Spike, can you give me a hand with this?” The little dragon jumped up happily, and ran to help.

When I looked at Twilight, I noticed that she had a puzzled look on her face. She asked me, “How can you be this good with others?”

I laughed and told her, “It’s not that hard to understand. In fact, it’s a whole lot simpler than you might think! It just takes love!.”

Twilight looked at me with amazement, and said, “You know something, Clyde? It’s funny, but you are teaching me more than you can imagine. Your love of friendship is simply awesome.”

I just smiled and put my hoof on her shoulder.
As Rarity came by, she started to mention the battle, but before she could finish her sentence I interrupted her, saying, “I would like you to know that I prefer suits in an old-fashioned traditional style, as I have never liked to draw attention to myself because of my clothing.”

She stopped, looked, and thought to herself for a minute, and said, “I have just the thing for you. Please step over here so I can get a proper fitting.”

I stepped over to the place where she had indicated, and she started placing fabric of various sizes on me. The, Spike came out with all different kinds of pins stuck in his back. I was a bit taken back by the sight of our Spike serving as a pin cushion for Rarity. I asked him, “Doesn’t that hurt?!?!?!?!”

He replied, “Only a little. But, if it helps Rarity I don’t mind.”
Seeing Spike trying to be so extra tough was both touching and amusing.

After the fitting for my new suit was completed, Rarity said she could have it finished in time for the party, if Spike would help her get it done. Of course, since Spike would do anything Rarity asked of him, he was only too happy to volunteer to help with my new outfit. That being agreed upon, Rarity told us she would meet us at the party, and bring the suit to me there. With that arranged, Twilight and I told them goodbye, and departed.

Walking around Ponyville, Twilight told me more about the town’s rich history. We eventually came to the statue of Nightmare Moon. Twilight told me the amazing story of what she and her friends had done to defeat the evil that had transformed Princess Celestia’s sister, Princess Luna, into Nightmare Moon, and of what had happened to Princess Luna on Nightmare Night, and of how the two princess sisters were now reconciled to each other.

The story made me think of all that I had gone through in my life, and about the sadness that comes from always feeling like an outcast. My heart went out to Princess Luna. Even though Princess Luna was only trying to have fun that night, it was painful, even after all this time, for her to be treated by so many as if she were still Nightmare Moon, and had never been restored to her original self.

Twilight, after telling me about all of this, recommended that we get back to the library, so we could have time to get ready for the party. So, back to the library we went.

Twilight and I left for the party a bit early. I thought I would stop by Rarity’s shop, pick up the suit there, and put it on after I got to Pinkie Pie’s place. There was one thing that did concern me: how was I going to pay for my new suit? I wasn’t comfortable with the fact that Twilight had been paying for everything for me, ever since my arrival in Ponyville. But, so far I had nothing of my own, and wouldn’t be able to begin paying my own way until I started working at Sweet Apple Acres. Oh well, I would have to figure out how to handle this later. Right now, I had a suit to pick up, and a party to attend.

I knew Rarity was a great seamstress, but this suit was nicer than I ever could have expected. It was perfectly tailored, made of dark blue silk, with silver highlights, and included a silver bow tie and a matching top hat. The suit was wonderfully simple and elegant, and it was absolutely the nicest piece of clothing I had ever had. Rarity had attached a note telling me that the suit was her gift to a new friend, and that she hoped I would like Ponyville. I was almost overwhelmed with her generosity. (And, I was relieved to know that Twilight wouldn’t be shouldering the bill for such a nice suit!)

So, off we went to Pinkie Pie’s house, where I changed into my new outfit. Of course, it fit perfectly, and I thanked Rarity again and again for making it for me, especially on such short notice. I also told Twilight I wanted to help Spike with his chores for the next week as a way of thanking him for his part in helping Rarity finish the suit so quickly. After all, how could I properly thank someone who had volunteered to help me get my new suit in time for the party, by being willing to serve as a pin cushion?

In my younger years I had been to parties, and had gone out to clubs on occasion. And, while I had never doubted that Pinkie Pie knew how to throw a party, neither had I ever expected to experience anything to compare with what was going to happen that night. Had Pinkie Pie planned this party as a kind of initiation ceremony to welcome me to Ponyville? It seemed like the entire town had been invited just to welcome me to the community. I was surprised and thrilled by all of the love I was being shown from everyone. I knew I had truly come home.

After Pinkie Pie had served the food, she had one of her friends, a local DJ, start playing some music that rocked the place. After a number of high energy songs, everybody was ready for some slower, smoother tunes.

As a sweet, sentimental ballad was starting to play, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Applejack! She smiled and asked, “Hey there, muscles! Do you want to dance?”

Well, I hadn’t danced in years, and was honestly scared by the thought of getting coordinated for dancing. (After all, it hadn’t been that long ago that I was learning how to be coordinated walking on four legs!) But, I do like challenges! And, how could I not notice that Applejack had put on a very nice dress for the occasion? So, I got up from my chair, and started dancing with her.

It was a really pleasant surprise to find that I could dance so easily. Was it because I was using only my two back legs instead of all four hooves? Whatever the explanation, there was no doubt about it: I was having fun!

Applejack and I danced and danced, and danced some more. In fact, we ended up dancing the whole night away, with her smiling at me the whole time. By the end of the evening she was resting her head on my shoulder. It was truly a magical night, and before we knew it, it was 2:00 a.m. Very few ponies were still at the party, and Twilight had left and gone home over two hours earlier. Even though I wanted this night to go on and on, I was really getting tired. But I wasn’t ready to leave Applejack’s company just yet.

Then it occurred to me that I could spend a little more time with Applejack if I were to walk her home. She liked that idea, so, after wishing a goodnight to Pinkie Pie, we set off together for Sweet Apple Acres. When we arrived at Applejack’s door, we lingered for a hug, said goodnight to each other, and I started back to the library.

I was still basking in the glow of what a wonderful night I had just had, when I was stirred from my reverie by the sight of that chariot flying from just outside Ponyville toward Canterlot. Once again, I wondered about what this chariot could be, but only for a moment, as I was by now very tired, and way past ready to get some sleep.

Around 8:00 a.m Twilight awakened me from a deep sleep. She told me Applejack had come to the library, and wanted to see me. When I got up to meet her, she apologized profusely for having Twilight wake me up, especially after how late we had stayed out dancing.

I assured her that she had no reason to feel sorry for anything, and proceeded to tell her how I had had what must have been the greatest night of my life, and how for the first time that I could remember I was able to let loose and be myself, which was so remarkably easy for me to do in the company of such a great friend as she. I let her know that I couldn’t have imagined having a greater time than I had enjoyed last evening in her company.
Applejack looked at me, smiled, and asked, “By the way, do you happen to like apple pie?”

I enthusiastically replied, “Oh, yeah! Sure I do!”
She told me, “Well, I hoped you would, because I brought you five of them. Here they are. Enjoy!”

I thanked her, saying, “I’m sure I will love these pies.”

Twilight came in and diplomatically interrupted our conversation, in order to inform me that I had a lot of work to do, that we had a lot of information to cover, and that my day’s studies would be starting in exactly two minutes.

I wasted no time in telling Applejack, “Thanks so much for these pies. I could spend the whole day with you. But, Twilight is right. I do need to study, because the quicker I can learn what Princess Celestia wants Twilight to teach me, the sooner I can move out to Sweet Apple Acres, and begin working.”

Applejack replied, “I understand, Clyde! I can’t wait to have you with us on the farm. So, study hard, and I’ll see you later.” She then gave me a smile and a wink. Applejack and I shared another hug, and she left for Sweet Apple Acres, and I went back to the books.

When Twilight saw me coming in to start studying, she smiled, and even giggled, as she said, “You’d better watch out! It looks like Applejack has eyes for you, Clyde!”

I asked her, “How can you tell, Twilight?”

She answered, “How can I tell? Well, my friend, in case you don’t already know, Applejack never wears dresses. She never dolls herself up! And, she’s never, ever brought a stallion a gift of apple pies. That’s how I can tell!”
“Oh, my! Oh, my! Oh my!” I mumbled. It suddenly struck me that I had never before thought about love being a part of my life. I suppose I might have eventually figured that it was possible, but I was still getting used to the idea of simply being here in Equestria. On earth, I had had such a hard time believing in love that I had given up on it. But since so many things were possible for me in Ponyville that were never possible for me on earth, why shouldn’t falling in love with someone who would love me back be one of those possibilities?

Meanwhile, there were my studies waiting for me. I became busy reading all kinds of technical material about farming and other related things. Twilight was extremely helpful, freely sharing her advanced knowledge with me.

On days when I was hitting the books, Applejack would often pop in and bring me more pies, some jam, and other baked goods from her farm. I have to admit that I really liked the attention she was giving me, and, in fact, I was getting quite spoiled. The treats she always brought were delicious, and I always enjoyed sharing them with Spike. Twilight was also somewhat amused at the change in Applejack. When she stopped by the library to see me, she would usually show up decked out in fine clothes, or, as they used to say in old romance movies back on earth, she was “dressed to the nines.” The few leisure hours that my schedule permitted were always spent with Applejack.

For me, I must admit that having a lady pursue me was a new experience, and was one that I was thoroughly enjoying. If fact, it was a first-rate ego boost. Applejack was never pushy in any of this, which was good, because I always had to stay focused on my studies. And, Applejack understood this.

Things seemed to be going quite well for me in my new life, although I still had a bit of trouble sleeping. I didn’t think much about it, as a certain degree of insomnia was normal for me. Whenever I couldn’t fall asleep, I would go for a walk around town, or sit out on the library balcony, and look up at the sky. Most of these nights, usually around midnight, I would notice the flying chariot go by overhead. I couldn’t stop wondering who was in it, and what they were doing on their nightly flights from Ponyville to Canterlot.

On one such sleepless night, my curiosity got the best of me. The weather was quite nice that evening, so I went for a walk toward the outskirts of town. I left the library at about 11:45, in hope of getting a closer view of the chariot. As I walked along, I came to that special bridge, and stopped to look at the moonlight shimmering on the water. It was picture-perfect, to say the least.

After about a half-hour I saw the chariot in the distance, and dashed over by the statue of Nightmare Moon, so I could better observe where this chariot was going. To my astonishment, it landed not too far away, and I saw a pony get off that had wings and a horn, like Princess Celestia, only she was smaller. Also, this pony was blue in color. Once she had gotten off the chariot, she commanded the two ponies which were pulling it to go away, and leave her alone for an hour. After watching them depart, she hung her head, and walked toward the statue. When she got close enough to where I was standing, I noticed a moon on her flank.

WOW, I thought to myself. Could this really be Princess Luna?!?!?! As she got close to the statue, I could see that she seemed to be struggling to hold back her tears. Then, she began to speak in a sad, almost inaudible voice, saying, “Why can’t I just go back to the moon? Why don’t any of the other ponies like me? Why can’t I inspire love? All I want is to be normal, and I can’t seem to do it!” As these last words were spoken, she started to cry softly.

I was unsure if I should introduce myself, as she was baring her soul, but I figured I might never have another chance to do so. So, I slowly and softly said, “Hello, Princess Luna.”

My greeting startled her a bit. Her head popped up, and she said in a stern voice, “Hello!?!?!”
I slowly walked out into the open. She looked at me, and asked, “How long have you been here?”
I replied, “I’ve been standing in this spot since before you landed your chariot tonight.”

She then sunk her head, and said, “Royals aren’t supposed to cry.”

I knelt down to look in her eyes, and said, “We all have feelings, and we are all human.”

She popped up her head, and said, “Did you say human? So, you must be the one my sister brought here from that other world.”

I knew I had exposed my true identity when I wasn’t supposed to do so. I hung my head in shame for my thoughtlessness. I explained to her, “I am really sorry. I have been trying not to let it slip about who I really am, and where I’m really from, but sometimes it’s hard not to let my secret out.”

Princess Luna looked at me and said, “Your secret is safe with me, if mine is with you.”
I simply replied, “Deal!” We then each extended our forelegs, and bumped hooves.

I then proceeded to tell her, “Princess Luna, I do understand what it’s like to be an outcast. Even though I am not allowed to speak about my past to any pony, I know that you know about my real history, and that you know about the dreams I had about coming here to Equestria. Princess Celestia herself told me that you were the one who informed her about me in the first place.”

Princess Luna said, “That’s all true. You held such great interest in our world that you were, in your dream state, becoming part of it. As I have a sworn duty to protect our world, I knew we had to do something. After studying your dream habits, my sister decided to journey to your world, so as to be able to visit you, and find out your true intentions.”
I thought for a second and said, “Well, Princess Luna, the world I came from is so evil. I needed to dream of a beautiful place that could inspire me, and give hope to my soul.”

With a puzzled expression on her face, she looked at me and said, “I don’t understand. Please explain.”
I began to tell Princess Luna of my former home.

“In the world where I was born there are, in all fairness, some good people, but they seem to be few and far between.”

She interrupted and asked, “People? I don’t know this word.”

I replied, “We use the words person and people to refer to each other, just as those in this world would use the words pony and ponies. And, if there should be anything else I say that’s not clear, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Allright,” she said. “I understand. Now, please go on.”

“Well,” I continued, “the evil that abounds is like an invisible monster that can poison someone from the inside out. To give you an example of what I mean, let me tell you about my family’s life.”

I began to tell Princess Luna my story. “When I was a small child, or, as you would say, a small colt, my parents, my little sister, and I had a nice family. We were happy, and there was a lot of love between us. Although we didn’t have much money, I never thought of us as being poor.”

The Princess stopped me to ask, “What is money?”

I then told her, “Money is our equivalent of bits in Equestria.”

The Princess nodded in understanding.

I continued, “Even though I had heard about the unhappiness, grief and misery that jealousy and greed could cause people, these things never touched my life directly until I was fifteen years old. It was at that time that my mother was diagnosed with spinal cancer. That was hard enough for all of us to accept, but then everything got really complicated. When we took my mother to the hospital we found out that the treatment that the medical staff wanted to give her was extremely expensive. In fact, the cost of one week of the recommended treatment would have been more that many people would have earned in a year. Sadly, my mother had no medical insurance, and we didn’t have the money needed to pay for her treatment ourselves. Even though the doctors and nurses really wanted to help her, the only thing they could do for her was to give her a prescription to help reduce the continual pain associated with the final phase of her illness. And, sadly enough, we could barely afford that. And so, my mother was then sent home from the hospital to die.”

Princess Luna sighed, “Oh my!”

I went on, “Fortunately, my mother didn’t suffer long, as the disease that claimed her progressed very quickly. We considered her passing to be a blessing. My father, my sister and I each dealt with my mother’s death in our own way. My father sought distraction from his grief by burying himself in his work. My sister and I never doubted that our father loved us very much, but from that time on, he seemed much more distant.”

When I paused for a moment, I noticed that the great Princess Luna had tears in her eyes. She softly asked me, “There’s more, isn’t there?”

I just looked down, and said, “Yes.”

As she put her hoof on my shoulder, we were both really trying to hold back the tears.
I took a deep breath, let out a sigh, and continued. “My little sister was only eleven years old when our mother died, so, when she started going through what was probably a typical early adolescent rebellious stage, it was difficult for my father and me to know just how to handle it. Deep down, we all were really missing my mother. Since my father worked a lot, and was gone from home a great deal of the time, I got to deal with most of my sister’s adolescent stages alone.
“When I asked her if she would like for me to teach her how to cook and bake, she enthusiastically agreed. And, to my pleasant surprise, she really had a talent for it. Cooking seemed to be a good outlet for my sister’s pain, and like our mother, she really enjoyed cooking for my father and me. She was such a good cook that my father and I soon started gaining a lot of weight.

“On my eighteenth birthday my sister was baking me a special triple chocolate cake. Oh, I was so excited about my party, because it would be the first time since my mother died that the entire family would be together for my birthday. My dad even took the day off from work in honor of my special occasion. As I was now eighteen years of age, (and legally an adult) my dad even got me a job at the factory where he had worked for so many years.
“My sister, who was now fourteen years old, was busy in the kitchen baking my special cake when she realized she needed more eggs to finish it. She asked my father if they could go to the grocery store for the extra eggs. He just smiled and told her he would be happy to help.

“Meanwhile, I decided to stay home, take a shower, and get dressed for my big celebration. So my father and sister left. . . . .and. . .then. . . ”

At this point I started to get teary-eyed, and could no longer speak. Soon I was crying. When Princess Luna hugged me, I began to cry even harder.

After I began to calm down, Princess Luna said to me, “I come here almost every night. So, if you will come here at this same time tomorrow, I’ll be able to hear the rest of your story then. Will I see you at midnight tomorrow?”
I replied, “I’ll see you here at that time.”

As she was telling me good-bye, she added, “Please go before the Royal Guards return for me. I can see them leaving Canterlot now.”

I looked at her, and then trotted off quietly and quickly.

As I got to the library I noticed a candle was burning in Twilight’s window. She is naturally curious, and, as I had a knot in my gut, I was in no mood for any conversation with anybody. So, in order to avoid arousing anyone’s attention, I tried to be as quiet as I could be, and went straight to my room. I was quite tired, and it was very late. I fell asleep immediately.

In the morning, Spike banged on my door, and announced that it was time for me to get up, and that Twilight would be waiting for me in the library’s main room.

As I came down the stairs, Twilight looked at me, smiled, and said, “Look who’s up! I’m surprised! When I have a short night, I can barely move in the morning, and you, sir, were out quite late!”

Even though I had been out quite late, I was feeling pretty good, so I told her, “Well, Twilight, I was enjoying the moonlight, and must have lost track of the time. Please, pardon me!

She looked at me, gave me a big smile, and said, “Hey, that’s fine! But we really should get to work on your studies.”
It was just a normal routine day. We went out to lunch, and said hello to Rarity on our way back home. But, all day it seemed I could only think about meeting Princess Luna that night.

After getting done with everything a bit early, I sat out on the library balcony in the evening darkness until it was about 11:30. As I started to leave for my nightly walk, I heard Twilight call out, “Good night, Clyde! Have a nice stroll!”
I called back, “Thanks, Twilight! Will do! You have a good night’s sleep!”

And with that, I set out on my journey to meet Princess Luna. As I walked up to the bridge I noticed her chariot take flight. I wondered why the Princess might be making an early departure. I hurried to the statue, hoping that she hadn’t changed her mind about meeting me. But, there she was, waiting!
I said, “You’ve come early.”
She replied, “I didn’t want to risk missing you.”
After a bit of small talk, the Princess asked, “Would you mind continuing your story?”
I looked at her, and said, “I will, but I have to warn you, it’s sad”
She walked up close to me, and said, “Sad or not, I’d still like to hear it.”

I took a minute to remember where I had left off, took a deep breath, and trying my best not to start crying, continued, “Well, here it was: my eighteenth birthday! For the first time in a long time, the family would be together. So while my father and sister went to the grocery store for more eggs, I took a nice long, hot shower. Since my dad had told me I could wear one of his suits to my party, I went into his room, opened his closet, and picked out a really nice looking suit. It fit me fairly well, even though it was a little snug.

“But after a while, something seemed wrong. The grocery store was only a couple of blocks from our house, and my dad and sister had been gone for over an hour and a half. At first, I figured they were late because they had found something fun to do, which wouldn’t have surprised me, since we were all in such a good mood. But then, they were gone two hours, and then three. I was starting to get worried about where they might be, and if something might have happened to them. Then, after they had been gone for about three and a half hours, I saw a police vehicle pulling up in front of our house.”

I had to stop for a moment, as I was crying uncontrollably. Princess Luna looked at me, and then put her hoof on my shoulder.

I took a couple of deep breaths, and continued. “A police officer got out of his vehicle, came up our front walk, and rang the doorbell. After I opened the door, I greeted him in a worried tone of voice. As gently as he could, the officer then proceeded to tell me that there had been an armed robbery at the grocery store where my father and sister had gone.”

Princess Luna then asked me, “What’s a police officer, and what’s an armed robbery?”
I explained, “A police officer is like one of the Royal Guards here in Equestria. A robbery is when someone takes something that does not belong to him without the consent of the owner. The people who rob businesses often do so to take the business’ money. An armed robbery is when the robbers use a gun to commit the crime. A gun is a weapon that can throw a small piece of metal called a bullet with such great force that, if the bullet hits someone, it can actually penetrate, or even go through his body, seriously hurting, or even killing him.”
The look on Princess Luna’s face was one of horror.

Nevertheless, I continued. “The police officer then told me that the robbery had gone badly. When he informed me that a bullet had struck my father in the head, and that he had died instantly, I fell to my knees. When I asked if anything had happened to my sister, the police officer informed me that another bullet had hit her in the shoulder, and that she was being taken to the hospital. When I tried to stand back up, my legs just wouldn’t hold me, and I collapsed back to the floor.”

At this point in my story, I had begun to cry so hard that it was all Princess Luna could do to calm me down. Princess Luna, herself, was crying with me. She hugged me so tightly!

After some time, I was finally able to clear my throat. I wiped the tears from my eyes and then continued, “My sister survived her wound. Even though I was legally of age, and had a job, the government social workers didn’t feel I would be able to support my sister properly. So, she was placed in a foster home. The family that she lived with was a very loving group of people, and I visited her as often as I could. But, since I had to work so hard and so long just to survive, I never had time to see her as much as I wanted.

“Life for my sister was difficult. Losing her mother at the age of eleven, and then seeing our father murdered in such a heinous way at age fifteen was just about more than she could stand. To cope with all of this pain and loss, she took to using illegal drugs, the kind of drugs that only can hurt. Her foster parents tried to help her, but her pain was just too much in the way for them to reach her.

“About two and a half years later, my sister called me and said she wanted to see me. When we met, she gave me a big hug, and told me she was feeling better. And, considering what drug abuse can do to the body, she looked surprisingly well. We went for a walk in the park, then had a nice dinner in a fancy restaurant, and then went to see a movie. At the end of the evening, she had tears in her eyes as she told me how much she had always loved me, and what a great brother she thought I was. She asked me to forgive her for any pain she may have ever caused me, told me good-bye, and then ran away.

“The sense of dread I felt was overwhelming, so much so that I felt like I had a brick in my stomach. I wanted to run after her, and make sure she would be alright, but I had to work that night. Still, I couldn’t escape the feeling that something awful was about to happen.

“About half way through my shift, my supervisor came to me and told me he had to speak to me in his office. Since my supervisor was the kind of person who never did want to accept any responsibility for anything that went wrong, I wondered if he was going to blame me once again for something that was probably his own fault, as he had the habit of doing this to me and my co-workers. So, when I entered his office, and saw my sister’s foster father waiting there, I knew something was terribly wrong.

“My supervisor invited me to sit down. My sister’s foster father asked me how my visit with my sister had been, and if I had noticed anything unusual about her. I told him we had had a good time together, although it was a shorter visit than I would have liked. I asked him why he wanted to know about our reunion. He then informed me that she had obtained a large quantity of drugs, and after taking her leave of me, had taken all of them at once, attempting to commit suicide with an overdose.”

Princess Luna then said, “I am sorry to have to ask you this, but could you please explain the meaning of the words overdose and suicide?”

I told her, “An overdose is when someone takes something into the body in such an unsafe amount that it is dangerous, and possibly even life-threatening. A suicide is what happens when those who no longer want to continue living find a way make themselves die before the time when they would have passed on naturally. In my sister’s case she almost caused her own death because she took so many more dangerous drugs than her body could handle.”

The Princess looked at me with an indescribably sad, and at the same time, horrified expression on her face.
After a moment or two had passed, I began to speak again. “Unfortunately, the suicide attempt was unsuccessful.”
The Princess interrupted me, “What do you mean when you say that her unsuccessful attempt at suicide was unfortunate?!?!?!”

I replied, “It was unfortunate because, even though she did not die, the overdose injured her brain so badly that she will never be able to walk, speak, eat, or do anything else on her own ever again. She has had to be placed in a special government-sponsored program in a hospital just to keep her body alive, even though her brain is dead.

“With both of my parents and my sister gone, I no longer felt that I had anything left to live for. So, I sunk myself into my work, and tried to numb myself with the routine of it all. I’ve let myself stay stuck in that rut for the last couple of years, before I was invited to come here to Equestria. And that, Princess Luna, is my story.”

She stared at me with a look of awe, and as she was starting to cry, asked me, “How can one pony stand that much pain?”

I looked at her, smiled, and said, “It was because I never lost hope that there was a better place somewhere.”

After she had gained some control over her emotions, she then asked, “Still, how does one deal with all of that pain?”
I told her that while it wasn’t easy, I managed to learn to channel and focus my pain into hating the greed and the jealousy that was at the root of what had killed my loved ones.

Princess Luna then looked at me, and said, “I have a story to tell you, myself! However, my chariot has just left Canterlot, and I won’t be able to come back here for three days. Do you think you can you meet me here at midnight, three nights from now?”

I told her that, indeed, I could do so. We then hastily said our good-byes. As I was leaving, her chariot had almost arrived.

The next morning I awoke later than I usually would have. This was curious, since either Twilight or Spike would normally have awakened me without fail, to have me begin my studies promptly at the appointed hour. Since it appeared that my regular day’s studies might not happen as usual, I decided to do some research of my own. I wanted to investigate Nightmare Moon. So, I walked to the main room of the library, and pulled a book on general history down from the shelf. The book I was looking at was an older volume that had been printed before Nightmare Moon had been defeated by Twilight and her friends. The information I found was a bit vague, but I decided to learn as much about this part of Equestrian history as best I could.

It was around noon when Applejack and Twilight arrived. Twilight was carrying a bunch of papers in her bag. Both she and Applejack were smiling.
Twilight announced, “Clyde, this is your test to see if you have the knowledge needed to start work at Sweet Apple Acres.”
Applejack, with a huge grin on her face, said, “I can’t wait to have you working on the farm with us.”

I could only think, “Oh, boy!” At this point I was considering purposefully flunking the test, but I knew that that was not the right thing to do. Since I was still very busy healing and adjusting to my new world, I didn’t feel ready for any kind of relationship just yet, even though I really did enjoy Applejack’s attention.

I passed the test with a 93%. It was a bittersweet moment for me. I was happy knowing that I would be going to Sweet Apple Acres, but it was sad to be leaving such a wonderful place as the Ponyville library.

While Twilight was congratulating me for getting such a high score on the test, that familiar explosion named Pinkie Pie made her appearance. It seems she was in cahoots with Twilight about planning a special party for me that evening to celebrate my graduation.

Well, what could I do? I put on my beautiful suit, and went to Sweet Apple Acres, where the party was being held. I got there a bit early, and noticed that of the few ponies that had arrived, Rarity was among them. She looked at me, and proclaimed, “You, sir, along with the rest of the town, are in for the surprise of your life!”

I replied, “If the great Rarity is involved, I am sure that whatever the surprise is, it will be spectacular.”
Rarity smiled from ear to ear, and ran off saying that she had to help Applejack.

When the party was finally beginning to get underway, I noticed that Applejack and Rarity were nowhere to be seen. I thought that they would have already been there before I would have arrived. But, nevertheless, the party was turning out to be a great event.

Then, all of a sudden the music stopped, and up in front, near the DJ, a pony dressed in the most shiny, sparkling dress I had ever seen appeared. “Wow!” I thought, as this pony came up to me. I thought she looked familiar. I was shocked when it dawned on me who she was.

“Applejack?!?!?!” I exclaimed. “Is that you?”
She just smiled at me.

Rarity said, “May I present my latest fashion creation, prepared exclusively for Applejack, but made just for you, Clyde?”

I was a bit overwhelmed at just how stunning Applejack looked in her new dress. Rarity had really outdone herself this time, with the simple elegance of her design.

Applejack walked up to me, and asked if she could have this dance.
“Of course,” I replied.

As I looked around the room, I couldn’t help but notice that there were a lot of mouths hanging open in shock at just how beautiful Applejack looked. She was truly stunning, looking like an angel in her new dress and matching hat.
As we started to dance, I gently reminded her, “Umm, I know this is nice and all, but for us to dance, shouldn’t there be some music?”

She got a funny, red blush on her face, and then gracefully turned around and hollered to the DJ, “Come on! We need some music! I want to dance!”

It was all I could do not to laugh at how she had just called for the DJ to get the music going.
When a nice, slow tune started playing, she quickly turned around, stared into my eyes, and smiled, as we started to dance.
When the tune ended, I asked her if she would mind if I asked Twilight for a dance, too, as a thank you for all the learning she had helped me to achieve. When I asked her this, Applejack gave me a funny look, but she agreed to my request.
I walked over to where Twilight was sitting, took her by the hoof, and said, “This dance is on me, Twilight. It’s a thank-you for all the help you have given me since I first arrived here.”

And so, Twilight and I danced. I guessed that she didn’t dance very much, as she was stepping on my hooves quite a bit. In a half-embarrassed tone of voice, she told me that she had read quite a bit about dancing, but that it proved to be harder than the dance instruction book she had read had made it seem.

I softly mentioned to her that she should simply close her eyes and stop thinking about it, and move only when her heart told her to move. She responded wonderfully to my advice, leaning in toward me, and dancing quite nicely.
About that time, Applejack came up, tapped Twilight on the shoulder, and asked if she could cut in. Twilight smiled, and bowed out.

Applejack and I danced the night away. I would ask her questions about her life growing up with Big Mac and the others on Sweet Apple Acres. I also asked her about her trip to Manehatten when she was younger, and along with questions about her cutie mark. It was a thoroughly pleasant night.

As the party was beginning to wind down, Pinkie Pie seemed to appear out of nowhere, and giggling, slammed a chocolate cake in my face. I had to admit that it was fun. I even tried to do the cartoonish tongue swirl to clean my face. It was all so much fun! And, I was constantly discovering more and more perks to being animated.

After the party had ended, Applejack showed me to my new room. On the floor next to my bed was a gift-wrapped box. Applejack told me that it was another present from Rarity. I opened it and found a really nice set of work boots, and a brand new yoke. These were all made of the finest materials. I was really impressed with, and touched by, the generosity that Rarity had shown me.

I asked Applejack to wake me up early in the morning, telling her that I was not, by nature, and early riser. I wanted to make sure that I would be up bright and early to start to learn all the things that she and Big Mac would want me to know how to do on the farm. She tenderly replied that she would be happy to do so. I then lay down on my new bed, and went to sleep

The next morning Applejack woke me to begin my first day on the farm. As I was still very embarrassed about how I had kicked over a tree on my first visit there, I was quite pleased to start off having Applejack show me be how to apple buck properly, (without destroying any more trees in the process). I also learned where all of the equipment was kept, and how it was to be maintained, along with many other things, including the times when Granny Smith would serve us our meals. I was learning that the life of an apple farmer was both simple and honest.

While I was very happy on the farm, I still thought of Princess Luna quite often, and wondered what she would be telling me at our next meeting. Tonight was the night I promised her I would meet her, and I am someone who doesn’t break promises.

Later that evening, at about 11:00 pm, as I was leaving for my rendezvous with Princess Luna, I noticed Applejack chopping wood in the barn. I walked over to where she was working, poked my head in the barn door, and asked, “Hey Applejack! Are you okay?”

She jumped about three feet in the air, and shouted, “You startled me!”
I said, “I’m sorry for the shock, but I still want to know if you’re okay.”

She told me, “Yes, I’m alright. It’s just that when I can’t sleep I like to chop wood. By the way, what are you doing up at this hour?”

I told her, “I sometimes have the same problem. So, that’s when I go for walks. Well, I hope you enjoy your wood chopping.”

She then perked up and asked, “Would you like some company on your walk?”
I told her, “Oh, gosh. As nice as that would be, I would hate to keep you out later than you would normally stay up, and besides, when I take walks I have always taken them alone.”

She looked disappointed, but I think she understood, as she asked me, “How about some other night?”
I looked at her, smiled, saying, “That sounds great! I promise we’ll take a walk together some other night, just the two of us.”
That put a big smile on her face, as I left to meet Princess Luna.

I arrived at the bridge a little before midnight, and decided to stay there until I caught sight of the Princess’ chariot. It’s hard to describe just how beautiful and almost surreal this place is, especially at night. Everything is silent, except for the chirping of the crickets, and the sound of the brook passing under the bridge. I was there for about a half-hour when I started to hear the chariot approach.

As I didn’t want to risk being seen by the Royal Guards that were travelling with Princess Luna, I got out of sight quickly. Upon her arrival, she promptly sent the Royal Guards away. Then she looked around, and quietly called out, “Clyde! Clyde! Are you here?”

As I walked out from where I was waiting, I answered her, “Don’t worry! I’m here, Princess Luna.”
The Princess sat down, looked at me, and said, “Clyde, I know I already have your promise not to reveal anything I tell you, but I absolutely must have your word of honor that what I am about to tell you now, you will never tell any other pony, not even my sister.”

I was a bit shocked by her repeating her request for confidentiality, but nevertheless I assured her, saying, “I promise, Princess! You have my word on it.”

Pointing up at the moon, she said, “You know, I was trapped there for a thousand years by my sister. Even though my heart has softened, I sometimes still have trouble with what I did. Hardly anyone likes the night, so they all sleep. You, Clyde, are one of the first ponies I have ever talked to about this. I tried a bit to talk to Twilight, but it was hard, since she has never felt the pain that jealousy can cause. In fact, I was a bit scared the after the first night I met you, as I knew Twilight would have told you about my history. But, nevertheless, a royal is not allowed to be scared. However, as I heard more and more of your story, I learned more and more about you. I have come to see that my sister was correct. You do have a noble heart, and your cutie mark is perfect. That’s why I need to talk with you. You are the only one who would be able to understand the pain I bear inside of me.”

She sank her head, and began to cry.
I came over, put my hoof on her shoulder, and said, “Royal or not, you still have feelings. And, don’t worry! I was a bit scared of you, too!”

As I was wiping the tears from her eyes, Princess Luna looked up and smiled at me. She then began to tell me about all the good times that she and Princess Celestia had had when the two of them were growing up, how they played and frolicked, and how different things had been one thousand years earlier.

Then she asked if I could come back again the following evening, as the Royal Guards would soon be coming for her.
I told her, “It would be my honor, Princess.”

As we said our farewells, she hugged me tighter than I believe I have ever been hugged before. She then put her head on my shoulder, and whispered in my ear, “Thank you!”

And with that, I heard her chariot approaching. So, I quickly ran off out of sight. After I watched her chariot fly away, I went back home to Sweet Apple Acres, and went to sleep.

It was quite early the next morning when I was roused from my sleep by Applejack gently shaking me, as she said, “Good morning, Sugarcube! I have something for you.”

Quite frankly, I didn’t have a clue as to what to expect from her. I knew she liked me, but. . . who knows?
She took me down to the kitchen, and, handing me a large steaming mug, said, “Enjoy!”

I slowly took a sip, and thought, “Oh my gosh!” It was coffee.

I was stunned. I looked at her said, “I haven’t had this in a long time. I used to drink it every morning.”
She just looked at me with a big, cheesy grin, and said, “You’re welcome!”

What a splendid day we had! It was the start of both apple bucking season, as well as the time when apple cider production would begin. Applejack and I were working in the orchard, while Big Mac and Granny Smith were working on making the cider.

It was quite an interesting experience working all day with Applejack. I had to admit that she definitely is a work horse. She was doing the bucking, and I was pulling the big cart to Granny Smith, who was busy inspecting the apples, and, at the same time, was teaching Apple Bloom about making cider. Watching Granny Smith and Apple Bloom working together reminded me of how I used to be my father’s “little handy helper” around the house, when my father used to show me how to work on things.

After a hard day’s work, the sun was setting. It was quitting time, and I was very tired. Applejack came up to me with a couple of mugs of cold cider, which I was excited to finally be able to taste, as I remembered from the TV show just how good their cider was said to be.

I happily accepted the mug she was offering me, and thanked her for it. We then sat down on the ground, sipped our cider, and watched as the sun was setting in the distance over the orchard.

The sunset was truly a magical sight to behold! Although I had not been in
Equestria for very long, I always noticed how the beauty of the place radiated in everything, in the kindness of the ponies, in the landscape, and in the very air itself.

As we sat there beside each other, Applejack snuggled into me. I decided then and there that it was time to begin moving on with my life, and to try opening my heart to another.

These feelings were strange to me, not just because of what I was beginning to feel for Applejack, but because I was also beginning to feel them for a pony, and not a human girl.

So, I took a deep breath, and slowly put my hoof over her, while she was still snuggled into me. She then looked up at me, and her eyes got really wide, almost ready to cry tears of joy. She asked me in a small, shy voice, “Really?!?!”
I hesitantly replied, “Yes, but I have to warn you that there are some things that I just can’t talk about, and I need to move slowly, but I think I am ready to make a start.”

She jumped up, and just about tackled me with a hug. As the sun had set, and the darkness was falling quickly, she said, “Well, I suppose it’s time to be gettin’ home.”

I agreed, and we went back to the house.

The thought of being in love was both wonderful and frightening. I knew that it would be hard for me not to be able to tell Applejack a lot of things about myself, and my past, but I figured that that would be a burden I would just have to bear.
I went to my room, and got out a book I had borrowed from Twilight. It was a Derring-do book that kind of reminded me of the adventures that Indiana Jones had in the movies. There was no TV in Equestria, and, although I sometimes missed it, my new friends and new surroundings more than made up for the loss of the old boob tube.

As I was reading, I was starting to drift off to sleep. Suddenly, I remembered my promise to meet Princess Luna. I looked at the time, and saw that it was already 11:30. I left the house as quietly as I could, and then bolted through the countryside as fast as my legs would carry me. I was rather surprised that I had become coordinated enough to move so effortlessly at a full gallop!

As I came into town, I slowed down, so that I would not wake up anyone. It was about five minutes after midnight. I poked my head over by the statue, and saw Princess Luna waiting there for me.

I walked up to her, and apologized for arriving a bit late.
She smiled, and said, “You look tired.”

I told her that I had been pulling a cart for Applejack all day. I then proceeded to tell her how I was looking forward to hearing more about her and Princess Celestia growing up together.

She looked at me, and said, “Well, as I said, we had a great time growing up. But, as we grew older and got our cutie marks, things started to change. Celestia got the day, and I got the night. After that, I began to feel left out of everything and, as all but a few ponies slept at night, I began to get jealous of my sister’s popularity. The jealousy I felt began to grow like a small fire, and soon it was beginning to consume me.”

She hung her head, and looked at the ground. She continued, “Celestia started to suspect that something was wrong between us, and tried to talk to me about it. The truth was that I just wanted to be as popular as she was, and I really felt like I wanted nothing to do with her. I even felt like I hated her for being more popular than I was. I eventually started a war with her; with my very own sister!”

She knelt down and began to sob. I put my hoof around her, and said, “It’s OK! Look at how great you are now.”
She snapped back at me, and said, “How good I am now?!?!?!? I still. . .” As she began to sob again, I just hugged her tighter and tighter. After making a feeble attempt to push me away, she plopped her head on my shoulder, and just cried and cried.

A few minutes later Princess Luna began to regain her composure. She whispered to me, “I am ashamed.”
“Ashamed of what?” I asked.

“I am ashamed of the fact that I am still jealous of my sister. And, I hate myself for what I did to her,” the Princess admitted, as her eyes began to fill up with tears once again.

I knelt down, looked her in the eyes, and told her, “Princess, I know jealousy is a hard thing to fight, but fight it you must. You are a strong, vibrant, royal princess, but you are also a pony, too; a pony with strong feelings. And, you mustn’t ever forget that no pony is perfect. No pony is perfect!”

When I said that, Princess Luna perked up, and threw her hooves around me, asking, “After causing all of that pain to Celestia, how can she still truly love me?”

I told her, “We all make mistakes! But, forgiveness is the most liberating experience in the world; and not just forgiving others, but forgiving ourselves for our past. That is almost the hardest thing anyone can do. Moving on from our past is never easy. In fact, it can be just plain hard. Our past can haunt us, but we have to rise above it, and look to the future.
She looked at me, and said, “You have the greatest words of wisdom and compassion. Please meet me here again two nights from now.”

I promised her that I would. With that, we said our farewells, and departed.
The next morning Applejack woke me, saying, “How is a very special somepony doing today?”
I said, “I’m tired, and I’m sore.”

She replied, “Oh well, I’ve got the coffee on.”
So, I grabbed my work gear, and went downstairs to the kitchen.

Big Mac and Granny Smith were still asleep, and Apple Bloom had already left for school. I sleepily sat down to drink my coffee.

Then, Applejack sat down beside me, and asked, “Where did you go when you left late last night?”
Being sworn to royal secrecy about my visits with Princess Luna, I just said, “I went out for one of my nightly walks.”
“Walks!” she exclaimed. “You tore out of here like greased lightning.”

As calmly as I could, I replied, “I felt like stretching my legs a bit. But, I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”
Applejack just smiled, and said, “Ah, that’s OK. I understand.”

About that time, Big Mac came downstairs, entered the kitchen, and wished us both a good morning. A few minutes later, Granny Smith came in, and told us she would be going out to run some errands.

So, Applejack and I went to work apple bucking, while Big Mac got the wagons ready to move the harvested apples from the orchard to the silo for winter storage.

When I saw how Applejack seemed to be determined to try and show me just how fast she was at bucking apples, I made up my mind to keep up with her, and maybe even outdo her in the number of bushels of apples each of us would buck. Before too much more time had passed, it was becoming obvious that we were in an outright competition to see who would buck the most apples that day.

In the meantime, poor Big Mac had so many apples to move that he seemed to be moving a train of carts at a full gallop back and forth from the orchard to the barn, as Applejack and I continued to have fun with our “fierce competition.”
There’s no question about the fact that Applejack is fast when it comes to bucking apples, but I managed to keep up with her.

When it was getting toward evening, I noticed that Big Mac was slowing down. When I asked him if he was alright he just replied, in his consistently terse manner, “Eeyup.” But, he did let Applejack and me know that we needed to slow down because the silo was almost full. (He also admitted to us that he was tired, too.)

With that, Applejack and I started collecting the baskets to put them away for the night. All the time, she kept looking at me, and smiling.

After we had put all of the baskets away, I noticed that some clouds were coming together in the sky. I asked Applejack if she knew about any rain that was any rain coming that evening. She said that we were supposed to have a storm, as the normal rain had been cancelled for the last couple of weeks, and the Pegasi had to make up for it.
She then asked me, “Can I tell you a secret?”

I said, “Sure. Go ahead.”

“Well,” she said, “please don’t tell anyone, but I’m really quite afraid of storms. I know it’s silly, but. . . . .”
I looked at her and said, “Your secret is safe with me, Applejack.” I then drew nearer to her, and in a quiet voice, added, “We all have our own fears.”

She looked back and me, and smiled.

Big Mac had just gotten the barn door locked down for the storm, and told us we should probably be going inside soon. He then told Applejack that he needed to have a moment alone with me. When Big Mac said this, Applejack got a big smile on her face, and darted into the house.

As we stood together, Big Mac looked me straight in the eye, and asked, “I want to know what your intentions with my little sister are.”

I replied, “Well, Big Mac, I like her a lot, and some day, if everything works out, well. . . . Who knows?”
Looking off at the clouds, he said, “Clyde, my little sister is crazy for you, and she is not one to easily change her mind. In fact, she can be quite stubborn at times.”

I nervously chuckled a bit, and said, “Yes, I have noticed that she is a very strong willed person, and that she will work to get what she wants. And, that’s one of the things I like about her.”

Big Mac looked at me, and, in a most serious tone, said, “I know we all have our secrets, and we each have a past. I just don’t want to see Applejack get hurt.”

I looked him in the eyes, and told him in the most serious voice I had, that I would never want to hurt Applejack.
H tilted his head, and said, “Alright, then. I trust you.”

After saying that, Big Mac started walking toward the house.

I stood there alone for a while, and only started walking toward the house as the rain began to fall.

After entering the kitchen, I snacked on a few apples, and went to bed. I was tired. As I was stretching out, I couldn’t help thinking about what Big Mac had said about all of us having our own secrets. This started me wondering just what secrets Big Mac, himself, might have.

While all of these thoughts were whirling around in my brain, I heard a quiet knock at my bedroom door.
I said, “Hello?”

The door slowly opened, and Applejack came in. She was dressed in her pajamas, and asked if she could snuggle with me for a while, until the lightning part of the storm had passed.

I told her it would be fine, and she snuggled into me. It felt good having her by my side while the storm raged on. The lightning and the thunder were impressive, and with each thunderclap she squeezed me tighter. She was truly frightened of the storm. But, the more frightened she seemed, the closer I pulled her to me. And, the closer she got to me, the more the storm seemed farther away.

After a while, it seemed that the whole world had disappeared, as we slowly fell asleep in each other’s embrace.
The next morning Applejack awoke, and sprang from the bed, almost knocking me onto the floor as she did so. The thought of being caught spending the night in my bedroom made her start to panic. I told her to relax, as it was Saturday, and nobody would probably be up yet. This seemed to calm her down a little bit, as she hurried back to her own bedroom.

On Saturdays after a storm, there usually isn’t much to do on the farm, so I got up figuring I would go into town with my hard-earned bits, and do some shopping. Also, I had to return the book I had borrowed from the library.

So, I went downstairs to the kitchen, where Applejack was busy making my morning coffee for me.
She sighed, and whispered to me, “That was close! Luckily, everyone was still asleep.”

We both smiled at each other, and chuckled a little.
A few minutes later, Big Mac walked in, and asked, “That was quite a storm. How did everyone sleep last night?”
Applejack and I told him that we had slept very well, although I was afraid that the big smile she had on her face would make her look like the cat which had just eaten the canary.

Without saying anything except his usual “Eeyup,” Big Mac appeared to be giving Applejack a suspicious look. I honestly thought he knew something was up, but just figured he would mind his own business.

Applejack asked me, “What are you going to do today?”
I looked at her, and said, “Well, I have a book to return to the library, and a few other errands to run. And, maybe I’ll see about picking up some more coffee at the market.”

Applejack then told me, “You ain’t gonna find coffee there! I had to get that stuff from Zecora. In fact, she was the one who told me that you might like it.”

I said, “What kind of pony would know about coffee? This Zecora must be quite interesting. I’m surprised I’ve never heard of her before.”

Applejack said, “Well, if you feel like having some adventure today, I will take you to meet her.”
I told Applejack that that sounded great to me, and, after a good breakfast, we were off to town.

Later, as Applejack headed for Sugarcube Corner, I went to the library and traded in my Derring-do book for the next one in the series. Spike said “hello” to me, and Twilight asked how I was getting along on the farm.

My face broke out into a big grin, and I said, “Well, Twilight, the other day Applejack woke me up, and asked me how a certain special somepony was doing.” I then gave Twilight a wink.

She had a huge smile on her face, and asked, “How fast are you two going with that?”
I replied, “I still need to get some things in my life sorted out, so I am taking it slowly. But, I do get the feeling that if I were to ask a particular question, Applejack would probably knock me down with how fast she would say ‘yes.’ ”

Twilight just giggled, and said, “You’re probably right.”
Just about then, Spike came in with the next Derring-do book. As I put it book into my bag, I grabbed a fire ruby that I had found. As I knew how he loves to eat them, I gave the fire ruby to him.

Spike jumped with delight, and told me he wanted to let it age for a while to let it fully develop its flavor, and walked away a very happy little dragon.

Before leaving the library I thanked Twilight again for all she had taught me.

Applejack met me in front of Sugarcube Corner. She had just finished making a deal for a load of apples. As for myself, I just wanted to see if I could get any of those apple spice cupcakes.
Upon entering the bakery, Pinkie Pie, being her usual, extraordinarily perky and bouncy self, greeted me.

I asked her, “Do you have any of those apple spice cupcakes?”

“Nope,” she answered, “but, I do have a new creation for you to try! It’s my super-duper extra sugar cupcake, with lots of white icing.” As she shoved an entire one of them into my mouth, she asked, “What do you think?”

As I swallowed the cupcake, I not only could taste the sugar, I could feel it. I said to Pinkie Pie, “Wow! This is really a sugary cupcake!”

Pinkie Pie was overjoyed, and bouncing behind the counter, as she told me, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
I then asked her if I could get a half-dozen apple strudels, thanked her for them, and wished her a good day.
As I left the bakery, I saw Applejack and Rainbow Dash both laughing at Pinkie Pie and me.

Rainbow Dash asked, “So, how was the cupcake?”

Trying to keep a straight face, I simply replied, “It was a cupcake of champions! After eating a cupcake like that I could probably create a sonic rainboom all by myself.”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack both cracked up laughing when I said that.
After Rainbow Dash told us about a few pranks she had played on a few ponies that week, Applejack and I told her good-bye, and headed out to see Zecora.

As we walked out of town, Applejack began to tell me about the Everfree Forest, and the many dangers that were there. She especially warned me about a small blue flower called “Poison Joke,” and how I should stay away from it.
When we finally got to Zecora’s place, Applejack knocked on the door. I heard a voice say, “Please, enter.”

Inside the house, I was surprised to see a zebra. I had never seen a zebra here in Equestria before.
As I looked around her house, I noticed that Zecora had a lot of African art. While I was still on earth, I worked in the factory with an African gentleman. On the job, we would often have lunch together, and he would teach me how to say certain things in his native Swahili language. He and I became friends, and he even invited me to his home on a couple of occasions. He loved African art, and had the same type of items decorating his home, as I was now seeing in the home of Zecora. This made me wonder if Zecora was one of the other ponies in Equestria that Princess Celestia had brought from earth. I decided to try and find out, without giving away any secret anyone might be keeping.

When Applejack introduced me to Zecora, I said, “Hujambo.”
Upon hearing this word, Zecora turned away from what she had been doing, and gave me a surprised, almost panicked, look. Still, she managed to stay calm.

Applejack looked at me and said, “Now, just what in tarnation does that mean?”
Zecora calmly replied, “It is simply how we say ‘hello’ in my native tongue.”

Applejack, still confused, and still giving me an odd look, asked, “Just what all did Twilight teach you?”
I told Applejack, “Well, she didn’t teach me that.”

So, Applejack continued, “Then, why is it you can talk like that?”
Zecora said, “I was wondering about that, myself.”

As I didn’t want to expose anyone else who Princess Celestia had brought here from earth, I thought that it was wise for me to keep my answer as vague as possible. So, I said, “I saw that Zecora was a zebra, and knowing of the native land from which the zebras come, I figured that a native greeting would be a welcome gesture.”

Applejack just smiled, and said, “Wow! I heard it mentioned that you were a kind of nomad, but that was incredible.”
Zecora, on the other hand, viewed me with an understandably cautious attitude. She asked me, “How did you like the coffee drink I sent you?”

I told her, “I really enjoyed it. In fact, if you have any extra coffee, I will gladly buy it from you.”
Zecora looked at me, and asked, “So, just where is it that you are from?”

I only replied, “I am from a great and distant land.”

She proceeded carefully, saying, “It must be a land of many secrets.”
I continued, “It is. I come from a great and united land that is halfway around the world from your home.”
She then smiled, and said, “Ah! Then, let me give you some more coffee beans. I grow them here. If you want to plant them, you can grow them, too.”

I told her, “I think I will do that. It was good meeting you, Zecora.”
“Likewise,” she said.
“Una neno langu i kamwe kumwambia mtu mwingine,” I told her.
She looked relieved, and turned to me, and said, “Siri yako ni salama na mimi pia na asante.”

Applejack, looking totally confused, said, “Umm. . . .OK, well, you have yourself a swell time, Zecora. Bye!”
Now, for those of you who may be wondering what was said in Swahili, Zecora’s native language, here is a translation of what transpired:

Clyde: “You have my word that I will never tell anyone else.”
Zecora: “Your secret is safe with me, too. And, thank you.”

On our way back home, Applejack said, “That was amazing how you could speak Zecora’s language. Just how many languages do you speak?”

I replied, “I know a few more, but they are extremely rare these days.”

She then proceeded to say, “You must have had many adventures as a nomad. Can you tell me about any of them?”
I stopped and looked at her. With a gentle voice, I said, “Applejack, you’ll have to trust me when I tell you that there are some things that are better off forgotten, and left in the past.”

She had a sad and curious look on her face, but said she understood.
I looked at her, and told her, “Applejack, you’re the best, and I want to spend the rest of my days with you.”
When I said this, she lit up like a light bulb.

I continued, “However, there are just some things I . . . ., I . . ., I can’t speak about; things so terrible that they’re beyond imagination. And, sweetie, it’s a terribly heavy weight for me to bear. Someday, maybe, I’ll be able to tell you about all of this, but I don’t know when, or if, that day will ever come. So, this is just one of those situations where you’ll have to have faith that I know what I’m doing.”

With tears in her eyes, she gave me a smile, and said, I think I understand. If ever you want to talk about it, you know I’ll be here for you. I promise you that.”

I stopped walking, gave her a big hug, and began to cry in her embrace.
When we arrived back at Sweet Apple Acres, I could smell the aroma of the apples Granny Smith was baking, coming from the kitchen. When Big Mac saw us he asked us how our day was.

Applejack told him, “It was nothing less than amazing! We went to see Zecora, and, do you know what? Clyde was able to speak to her in her own native language.”

“Really?” asked Big Mac, as he shot me a curious look.
I just smiled back at him, and replied, “Yes, learning to communicate used to be a hobby of mine.”
Big Mac just said, “Eeyup! City folks do that sometimes,” and he walked off.
It struck me as kind of odd that he should say something like that.

Meanwhile, it was time for supper. So, we all sat down, and Granny Smith served us a great dinner. After we had eaten, we played some games, and had a great time. When it was about 11:00 p.m. everybody headed off to bed. Everybody, except me, that is. I waited up, and went out for my meeting with Princess Luna, as I had promised I would do.
I arrived at the bridge at about 11:30, and waited until I heard Princess Luna’s chariot approaching. Then, I darted behind the statue of Nightmare Moon.

When the Princess had disembarked from her chariot, she sent it off, just as she always had done.

I stepped out and greeted her.

She smiled and said, “Hello, Clyde! I don’t have as much time tonight, as I am going to be getting a report from the Pegasi on last night’s rain. So, I only have less than an hour for us to talk.”

I replied, “That’s fine! I’m all ears!”
She turned her head to one side, and asked, “What do you mean when you say you are ‘all ears?’ ”
I told her that that was an old expression meaning that someone was ready to listen.

She said, “Oh! I understand,” as she took a deep breath and started to tell me more about herself.
She began, “As I said, I am still struggling with being jealous of my sister, Princess Celestia. In fact, I often feel like a second-class pony, even though I know I am not! I am the co-ruler of Equestria! But whenever I try to see my subjects, they do nothing but turn away from me, and run in fear. And, with almost all of the ponies sleeping at night, I feel so alone. All I want is to have a fresh start.” Then, she hung her head, and began to cry.
I walked up to her, and hugged her, as she cried on my shoulder. My heart ached for her, as I tried to imagine the pain she was going through. After a little while, she began to calm down. Through her tears, I began speaking to her.
I said, “Princess Luna, back on earth my sister blamed herself for our father’s death.”

“Why?” asked the Princess. “That’s not right for her to do. Your sister had nothing to do with how your father died.”

“I know that,” I replied. “But, my sister started believing that it was true. She reasoned that if she hadn’t asked him to go to the store for the eggs, he wouldn’t have been killed. In the same way, Princess Luna, you blame yourself for what happened between you and your sister. You are no longer the same pony that you once were when all of that trouble happened. And, your sister loves you so very dearly!”

It was just then that we heard the Princess’ chariot in the distance. As we bid each other goodnight, I asked her when she wanted to see me again. She told me to meet her the next night. I rushed away before her Royal Guards would have a chance to see me.

As I was walking home, I began to think about everything that had happened that day, especially about what Big Mac had said when he referred to me as “city folk.” Being referred to in that way kind of bothered me a little. Big Mac had never really opened up to me, but I had figured that that was because he was shy. But, the more I thought about it, I began to wonder if maybe he suspected, or had possibly even figured out the secret of where I was from. And, then it occurred to me that just about the only way he could have figured my secret out was if he, too, had been brought here by Princess Celestia.

My initial reaction to these thoughts about Big Mac being brought to Equestria from my world, was that they were foolish and impossible. Yet, Big Mac did refer to me as “city folk,” and I was from Detroit. Could he have known that? Had he once been a human being, just as I had been? After all, Princess Celestia had said that there were a number of ponies who had been brought here from my former world. She never said how many of us were here. So, it just might be possible that Big Mac has a story similar to mine.

The problem was that the only ones with whom I could discuss this were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, as I had promised never to bring the subject of my past up with any of the regular ponies I would ever meet.

Once I got back home, I found that I couldn’t sleep worth anything. My mind wouldn’t stop racing with those thoughts about Big Mac. At about 4:00 a.m., I finally fell asleep. It was truly a short night, and I hoped that with so little sleep, I would still be able to keep my appointment with Princess Luna that night.

Around 8:00 a.m. Applejack decided to wake me with a flying leap and a big hug. She kissed me, and asked, “How is my very special somepony this morning?”

I gave her a big smile, and said, “I’m sure glad to start my day with the sight of a friendly face. And, how is my very special somepony today?

She hopped off the bed, and shouted, “Great!” And with that, she giggled and went downstairs to the kitchen.
As she was leaving, Big Mac poked his head into my room and said, “Eeyup.” Then, he walked off shaking his head and laughing.

When I got downstairs, I found that Applejack had made me a big mug of coffee, and had prepared me a fantastic breakfast. Even though my head was still hurting from lack of sleep, I really enjoyed my morning meal.
I then told Applejack, “What a great cook you are! You know, you are always so sweet to me.” And then I said it, “Applejack, I love you!”

When she heard this, she turned around so fast, and tears were forming in her wide eyes. “Clyde,” she said, “this is the first time you have ever told me you love me. I’m so happy to hear it, because I love you, too!” She then ran over to me, and just about tackled me with a big hug. Her eyes were full of tears of joy.

Meanwhile, Big Mac was watching all of this, and was looking at us as though he wasn’t sure just how comfortable he was with all of this.

It was Sunday. We didn’t have much to, except to take four cart loads of apples to Sugarcube Corner. So I asked Big Mac if he would like me to help him pull the carts of apples over to the bakery. As expected, he just said, “Eeyup!”
After hooking up the carts of apples to Big Mac and me, Applejack said she wanted to help Granny Smith with the housework today. So, Big Mac and I headed out on our way to Sugarcube Corner.

I had a funny feeling about the trip, but decided it would give Big Mac and me an opportunity to talk. So, I said to him, “Hey Big Mac, the other evening you described me as ‘city folk.’ Just how did you know I came from a city?”

Big Mac stopped, looked at me, and said, “Well, we all have secrets. And, some of them are harder to hide than others.”

I then asked him, “Are you OK with Applejack and me?”
He replied, “I’m OK with it, as long as she’s happy with things between the two of you.”
I told him, “Big Mac, your sister means the world to me. All I ever would want to do is make her happy. In fact, just think about what happened this morning in the kitchen.”

He started to laugh, and said, “Yes, Applejack is madly in love with you.”
I held out my hoof, and asked, “Friends?”

He smiled, bumped my hoof, and said, “Friends, no, . . . soon to be brothers.” Then he began to laugh once again. As he laughed, I just smiled.

After dropping off the apples at Sugarcube Corner, I told Big Mac that I wanted to walk around town for a while. He was OK with that, and took the empty carts back to the farm.

I went over to the jewelry shop to look at what an engagement bracelet for Applejack would cost. I wanted something simple, as I knew I could not afford anything that would cost too much. But, I found a diamond bracelet that was quite expensive which I really liked, and I knew Applejack would love it. Despite the high price, I bought it, thanked the jeweler, and started to walk home.

I arrived back home a little before 5:00 p.m., and I was really tired, especially since I hadn’t slept much the night before. So, I excused myself to take a nap. I asked Applejack to wake me up in a couple of hours, as I did not want to risk sleeping too late, and possibly missing my appointment with Princess Luna, nor did I want to throw my already messed up sleep patterns any farther off than they already were. So, I went up stairs for my nap, and fell asleep so quickly that I don’t even remember my head hitting the pillow.

When I awoke it was dark outside. I scrambled around a bit before I found my clock. It was 11:15! Oh, how I’d overslept! I got my boots on, and went out of the house. I was still somewhat groggy, but I ran as fast as I could. I got to the bridge at about 11:45, and thought to myself how good it was that I was able to just make it there in time. So I sat on the bridge, as usual, to wait for Princess Luna.

However, about five, or maybe ten, minutes later, I heard the sound of soft hoof steps coming from behind me. I turned, and, to my surprise, found Applejack had followed me. I didn’t know what to do! Applejack was standing there on the bridge with me, and Princess Luna was set to arrive soon and meet me! My meetings with the Princess were supposed to be secret. I was starting to panic!

Then, the worst possible thing happened. Princess Luna’s chariot flew by in the distance without stopping! I figured that because Applejack and I were clearly visible on the bridge, the Princess had decided not to stop. My heart sank, but I couldn’t let Applejack know about any of this.

I turned to Applejack, smiled, and asked, “What are you doing here so late?”
She smiled back at me, and said, “Well, I heard you leave, and . . . oh! I am so sorry I didn’t wake you. But, you just looked so peaceful, and you were so tired that I just didn’t have the heart to disturb you.”

My smile grew even bigger as I put my hoof over her, and said, “No problem! I just had to get out for a while. I’m having something of a restless spirit tonight.”

She looked out over the river, and said to me, “This is an amazing spot with the moonlight shimmering on the water!”
I gave Applejack a big hug. And, I was relieved she didn’t mention the chariot. She might have not even noticed it. Either way, Princess Luna and my secret was still safe.

I then asked Applejack if she would like to race back home. She quickly took me up on my offer, and we were off and running. We galloped through the countryside under the light of a beautiful moon. As we got to the farm, I stopped and asked her, “Applejack, what would you think about us someday getting hitched?” Then, I pulled out the engagement bracelet.

Her eyes got wide and started to tear up. She tried to speak, but she was so stunned that she kept getting her words twisted. Finally, she put her arms around me, and said, “Yes!”
Now, I have to admit, that I did have some questions on Equestrian marriage customs. Were there any traditions that I needed to observe? In order to find out the answers to these things, I told Applejack that I needed some time to prepare myself. She didn’t mind that at all. She was just so happy about being engaged.

As the next couple of weeks went by, we got a lot of apple cider made, so much so that we had extra left over. It was nice for us to be on top of the work. It even allowed time for Big Mac to get out. I had the impression that he might have had a thing for Cheerilee, the school teacher.

It was nice to see things shaping up around the farm, but I still wondered about what Princess Luna. I thought many times about writing her a letter, but I kept hoping she would show up again at the statue where we had met so often. For months I kept going there faithfully, with the only nights I didn’t go being the nights it rained.

Then, there was this problem with Applejack. She had prepared her list of friends that she wanted to invite to our wedding reception, and wanted to know who my friends were that I would be inviting. The only friend of my own that I had made on Equestria was Princess Luna. And, I couldn’t invite her, because my friendship with her was something that I had sworn to keep secret.

Also, Applejack was obviously becoming more and more curious about my past. She had even started to pry a little about it. As Princess Celestia had made me swear secrecy about this, I found myself in the difficult position of not being able to discuss my personal history with the one who was soon to be my wife. And this was something that was beginning to really bother Applejack, and to eat at me, as well. I was afraid that not being able to reveal the secrets I was sworn to keep was hurting Applejack. And hurting her was something I never wanted to do in any way. And, while I felt no sense that this issue was something that could break us up, it was really getting to be a strain on our relationship.

So, I did the most logical thing I could think to do. I asked Applejack for two blank invitations, and told her I would be back in a few days. She put up quite a fuss about not knowing where I was going, but I asked her to trust that I knew what I was doing. It was tough for her to let me leave with so many of her questions still unanswered, but she agreed to my request.

So, I took my pack, and set out for Canterlot to see Princess Celestia. I also hoped to see Princess Luna when I was there, as I had not seen her for a long time, and she was a very good friend, who I very much missed.

I did not have many bits to my name, so I set out on the journey to Canterlot on hoof. It took me two days of hard trotting to get there. I didn’t stop to sleep. I just pushed on to my destination. It was a hard journey, but at last I arrived at the gates of the Royal City.

At the gate, a Royal Guard asked me to state my business.
I told him that I had come to see Princess Celestia.

The Royal Guard then asked me in a smug tone, “And is Princess Celestia expecting you?”
With tired eyes, I looked at him and said, “Just tell the Princess that Clyde Strong is here to see her, and it is urgent.”
The Royal Guard told me he would check with the Palace, and that I should wait until he returned.

Upon returning, he very respectfully told me, “Please excuse me, sir! But, I had never seen you before, and didn’t know who you were.”

I interrupted him right there, smiled and said, “Sir, mistakes will happen. Just remember in the future that it’s not wise to judge a book by its cover.”

The Royal Guard seemed to be relieved that I had not taken serious offense at the attitude he had initially shown me, and said, “Princess Celestia is not available right now, but she will be back this evening. She said you were to be given a room so you may refresh yourself, and sleep if you like.”

The Royal Guard then showed me to a very elegant room. I thanked him, washed up, and, as I had not slept in over forty hours, fell right to sleep.

I awoke to the sound of someone knocking at my door. When I got up and opened it, I saw a Royal Guard standing there. He told me, “Princess Celestia sends her apologies for not being able to see you last night, but she will be able to receive you in about thirty minutes.”

Still not completely awake, I asked the Royal Guard, “Have I slept the whole night through?”
He told me, “Yes, sir. You have.”

I chuckled and grabbed my bag.

Then, the Royal Guard said, “Sir, if you would be so kind as to follow me?”
He led me through the Palace into a grand room, and said, “Now, sir, if you will please wait here, the Princess will be with you shortly.”

With that he turned, and left me alone to await the arrival of Princess Celestia.
The room where I was waiting was magnificent, oozing with opulence. The stained glass windows on the walls showed important moments in the history of Equestria.

Just then, Princess Celestia walked in, and without even greeting me, asked, “Clyde, what’s gone wrong?”
I replied, “It’s not what’s gone wrong, but what’s gone right that’s the problem. I have fallen in love, and it’s becoming harder and harder to dodge questions about my past.”

The great Princess Celestia stopped and thought for a minute before asking me, “How serious is it?”
I confessed, “Well, I know that I can’t imagine life without her. I’ve even gotten her a diamond engagement bracelet, and we’re planning our wedding.”

Princess Celestia then sank her head, and began pacing around the room before asking, “Who is she?”
I told her, “It’s Applejack.”

The Princess shook her head once again, and said, “I should’ve guessed as much. And, how serious is she about you?”

I replied, “At my graduation party from my studies with Twilight, she came in all dressed up in a frilly gown and matching hat that Rarity had made especially for her.”

Princess Celestia laughed, and remarked, “That must have been quite a sight.”
With a big smile on my face, I said, “Yes, she was absolutely stunning!”
Then Princess Celestia asked, “Your romance with Applejack isn’t the only reason you’ve come to see me, is it?
“No,” I replied. “I’ve lost contact with a great friend, and I was hoping you could help.”
She looked at me attentively, and asked, “Is this friend my sister Luna?”
“Yes!” I said. I was stunned that she knew.

Princess Celestia lowered her head, and told me, “Luna and two of her Royal Guards disappeared a few months ago, and I really miss her. I have a team of ponies that have been searching for her quietly, but we haven’t been able to find her.” A tear began to roll down her cheek.

Then, Princess Celestia perked up and said, “Wait a minute! How do you know my sister?”
“Just how I happen to know Princess Luna isn’t important right now,” I replied. “What’s important is that we find her. I’d like to help with the search.”

“Listen,” Princess Celestia said, “you can help find her, but don’t, please don’t, become actively involved in the search. I will take care of that part. And, please, Clyde, please, please, please don’t say anything about the search for Luna to anyone, especially not Applejack. What I need you to do is to look and to listen. If you see or hear anything that can help, send the information to me through our spunky little friend Spike. He is a very trustworthy and dedicated dragon, and he always keeps confidential information confidential. The only thing to remember is to be sure to keep any information you send through Spike as vague as possible.”

Princess Celestia continued, “As for Applejack’s curiosity about your past, don’t tell her anything. If she starts pressuring you too much about it, let me know via a message through Spike. As for now, I must continue looking for Luna.”
With that we bid each other farewell. The Royal Guard that had been assigned to escort me out of the Palace handed me a train ticket for my journey back to Ponyville, courtesy of Princess Celestia, for which I was most grateful.

Whenever I got home, Applejack asked me how my trip had been. I told her that it was not as I had hoped it would be. She could tell by the look on my face that I was worried, although she didn’t know just why that was. And, as much as I loved her, I couldn’t tell her I was worried about Princess Luna.

Not long after arriving back home, I excused myself to take a walk in the orchard. Applejack asked me if she could come along, and, as much as I hated to say no to her, I really wasn’t up to being battered with questions about my trip. So, I hung my head and told Applejack that I really needed some time alone. She was disappointed, but she told me, “That’s alright, Sugar Cube.”

As I was walking out to the orchard, I tried to think of everything that might help Princess Celestia find Luna. Then, after about an hour, I remembered how Princess Luna had told me that when they were growing up, she and her sister has spent time together in a castle in the Everfree Forest. When I thought of this, I trotted off immediately to the library to see Twilight. When I arrived there, Twilight was in the library’s main room.

Without even stopping to properly greet her, I said, “I need to see a map of the Everfree Forest.”
Twilight gave me a funny look, and asked, “Did you say the Everfree Forest?”
“Yes,” I replied, “and I’m in a hurry.”
Then I yelled out, “Spike, my friend, I need your help.”
Spike shot into the room like a bolt of lightning, and asked me what I needed him to do.
I whispered to him, “Spike, this is very confidential. I need you to take a letter to Princess Celestia right away.”
The little dragon pulled out a quill pen and a piece of paper, and said, “Alright Clyde, I am ready.”
I dictated the following letter to Spike:
Dear Princess Celestia,

I am exploring a place that might be of interest to you. It is the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.

Sincerely,

Clyde Strong

Spike then rolled the letter up, and sent it right away.

Just then, Twilight came in with the map I wanted to see. I studied it, and she helped me plan the route I would need to take to get there. I thanked Twilight for her help, and set out immediately, as it was starting to get dark outside.

As I made my way through the forest, it was not yet completely dark when I noticed the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters in the distance. I knew that if Princess Luna were there she would have at least two of the Royal Guards with her. So, I approached cautiously.

As I got closer I could see two ponies that I knew had to be Royal Guards, even though neither of them was in uniform. I could tell one of them was an officer by the tall, proud way he carried himself As I gently walked up to them, in a very non-threatening manner, they froze where they were for a moment, and then moved to block the door.
In a tone of voice that made it clear that I was not welcome at the castle, the officer asked me, “What business do you have here?”

I said, in a strong, authoritative voice, “I have come to see somepony here.”

The officer replied, “I don’t think you know what you’re talking about. What you should do is leave here, and do it now!”
I looked the officer straight in the eye, and said, “I have come in peace, but there is somepony I have come to see, and if you force me to do it, I’ll go through you both, if you make that necessary.”

The other guard then replied, “No one has ever gone through us before. And, there are two of us to one of you. What do you think of those odds?”

I calmly, and in a very measured tone of voice, said, “You two little colts have no idea of the pain I’ve gone through to get here. Neither of you have any idea just how motivated I am to see somepony that I know is in this castle. And the way I see it, I really rather doubt if either of you could fight your way out of a wet paper bag.”

Both of the Royal Guards looked at each other, and then looked back at me. In unison they stomped their feet as a symbolic was of letting me know they were going to hold their ground.

I shook my head and said, “Well, fellows, if that’s the way it’s going to be, then you can go ahead and make my day.” (Yes, back on earth I had been a big fan of Dirty Harry movies.)
My heart was racing, and I was experiencing an adrenalin rush like I had never felt before. I put my head down and yelled out, “LUNA,” as a battle cry. Then, I lowered my head and charged.

The collision was one of epic proportions, as all of the apple bucking I had done had prepared me to KO both of the Royal Guards, nailing them with a flip and a back kick.
I then ran into the castle and shouted, “Luna! Luna! Luna! . . . .”
I just kept shouting her name over and over again, as I searched for her.
It was only when I went into the upper tower that I found her. She had rolled herself into a ball.
She shouted at me, “Go away!”
I walked up to her and shouted back, “No!”

She rose up, and in a flash of light, was transformed into Nightmare Moon, shouting in her royal Canterlot voice, “How dare you disobey me?”

I puffed myself up, and, although I felt quite feeble compared to her transformed self, I nonetheless said, “You may be Nightmare Moon, the co-ruler of all of Equestria, but you are also my friend. And no pony, place, or thing will ever change that. And when a friend of mine just up and disappears, I get worried.”

When I said that, she changed back into Princess Luna, telling me, “But the last time I saw you, you were waiting for me on the bridge with another pony! I saw the both of you! I thought we had an agreement that our meetings would just be between the two of us!”

“We had that agreement, and we still do! The pony you saw me with that night was Applejack. She followed me to the bridge, uninvited. Every night since then, I have gone back to the bridge alone, and have waited for you, hoping to talk to you again.”

As her eyes started to get teary, she looked at me, and, with a quivering voice, asked, “You have?”
I told her, “Yes, I have! Don’t you know that you’re my best friend?”

She looked stunned, as she said, “You know, I’ve never had a friend who has been dedicated enough to do all you have done to find me. But, how did you manage to get past my Royal Guards?”

I laughed, as I told her, “Well, Princess, your Royal Guards may have a something of a headache when they regain consciousness.”
She gasped, “What did you do to them?”

I told her the whole story of how I had forced myself into the castle. She looked both shocked and surprised, as she asked, “You did all of that to find me?”
“Yes,” I said, “I did all that to find you!”
“But, why?” she asked.

I replied, “Luna, I wasn’t going to let you go. I told you how I lost my father and my sister. After my father’s death my sister, blaming herself for what happened to him, was overcome with guilt, and withdrew herself more and more from the world. Eventually, she ended up trying to kill herself. From then on, I felt like I had nothing to live for, until I found Equestria, and that gave me hope.

“Then, you became my friend, my best friend! And when I felt you starting to withdraw like my sister had done, I was determined not to let that happen. Also, I didn’t want Princess Celestia to ever have to suffer from losing a sister the way I suffered when I lost mine. Do you have any idea just how much your sister loves you, and how she’s been worried sick about you ever since you disappeared?

Princess Luna said, “I doubt that my sister could still love me after all of the grief I’ve caused her.”
At that very moment, Princess Celestia appeared in the room, surrounded by a bright light, saying, “My dear sister, I have been so worried about you, and have been searching for you for months now. As long as I saw the moon come out every night, I knew there was still hope of finding you.”

Princess Luna shook her head, and asked, “But, how was it that you were able to find me after all this time had passed?”

Princess Celestia smiled, looked over at me, and nodded.

Taking her nod as a cue, I spoke up, and said, “When you didn’t come back to the bridge for so long, I went to Canterlot in the hope of finding you there. I trotted for two solid days, without even sleeping. When I arrived at the Royal City, I talked to your sister to find out where you might be.”

Princess Luna interrupted me. “You mean you went to see my sister. I thought I had your word that you would not tell her anything about our meetings,” she said as she gave me a hug and started crying.
Just then, Applejack burst into the room. She glared at Luna and me embracing one another.

She shouted at me, “Clyde, what in tarnation are you doing having secret meetings with Princess Luna, especially after asking me to get hitched with you? All this time, I’ve been patient with you telling me there are things that you had to keep to yourself. I’ve held my tongue about all of your secrets, even though my curiosity has just about eaten me up alive! You know everything there is to know about me, and I know practically nothing about you. Well, I’m not willing to live like this. I won’t stand for it anymore. No, sir, I won’t!” And with that, she threw the diamond bracelet at me, and ran off.

Knowing that keeping my promise not to tell anyone about my life before coming to Equestria was threatening to break up my engagement to Applejack, I looked at Princess Celestia, and said, “I have to tell her about who I really am, and how I came here.”

Princess Celestia then told me, “Go to Applejack, and feel free to tell her everything. My sister and I will wait for you here.”

I ran out of the room like a bolt of lightning, and found Applejack in the lower room of the castle sobbing.
I tried to speak to her, but before I could get a word out, she screamed at me, “How could you treat me like that. I really believed that you loved me.” She tried to say more, but just started sobbing again.

I stepped forward, and began to speak to her in an uncharacteristically firm tone of voice, saying, “Applejack, I love you, and I always will! And however hard it’s been for you to have to live with the fact that there were secrets I couldn’t tell you, you should know that it’s been even harder for me to keep them from you. You told me that if I ever was ready to tell you any of those things, you would be there for me. Well, I’m ready now, and I’m holding you to your promise to listen to me.”

It surprised her that I would stand up to her and speak to her like that. The sobbing had stopped, and now she was giving me a dirty look. She took a deep breath, sighed, and said, “Alright, Clyde, I made that promise, and I’ll keep it! So, start talking!”

With a sigh of relief at her willingness to listen to me, I said, “I can’t tell you everything I want you to know about me by myself. There are some parts of my story that only Princess Celestia and Princess Luna can explain. So, I must ask you to go back with me to them, and then we will tell you everything you want to know. Will you do that for me?”
Applejack, with a scowl on her face, nodded her head in agreement.

We walked into the great ruins of the upper room. Princess Celestia then approached Applejack and said, “What we are about to tell you is something that you must not ever discuss with anyone, except us and Clyde.”
Applejack had a funny look on her face.

I looked at Luna, and asked her, “May I ask you to tell your portion, too?”
Princess Luna looked at me, and said, “Yes.” Then, turning to Applejack, she continued, “Dear, dear Applejack! You are so very lucky to have Clyde, you know. He is truly a friend, indeed. He has, in fact, been my best friend. Now, there is something that neither you, nor very few other ponies know, and it is this: there is another world besides Equestria. It is called “Earth.” It has beings on it called “people” who walk upright on two legs. And, there are some of these “people” beings, according to what Clyde tells me, that are extremely evil, jealous, and perverse. Isn’t that what you told me, Clyde?”
I looked at the Princess, and nodded in agreement.

Princess Luna continued, “Anyway, every once in a while, one of these beings finds a way to visit Equestria. In Clyde’s case, he would come here in a dream. I keep track of these dreaming visitors, as they mainly come here at night, when most ponies are asleep. I noticed Clyde was coming here quite often in his dreams. I reported this to my sister, as she is the only who is powerful enough to investigate him.”

Applejack listened in astonishment to all of this.

Then Princess Celestia continued the narrative. “The language we ponies speak is actually an Earth language that is called ‘English.’ Earth people who have come here brought this language to us. As my sister said, many of the people on
Earth, (or humans as they are called there), are extremely cruel and evil, and I try so hard to keep evil out of our world. So, I wanted to know why Clyde, a human, was able to come and visit Equestria so often when he would dream. So, I went to Earth to meet him. I was surprised to find that there was not a speck of hatred in him, and that he had a pure and loving heart. But, there was also great and profound sadness.

“When I asked Clyde why he was coming to visit our world so often, he told me that being in a place like Equestria gave him the hope he needed to keep on living. As I sensed that there was nothing but truth in his answer, I asked him if he would like to come and live with us here as a pony.

“On Earth, the humans have knowledge of other worlds, but many of these people think of this knowledge as nothing more than fantasy. When I asked Clyde if he would like to make his fantasy of living in Equestria a reality, he agreed. He added that he had always liked the idea of someday living and working at Sweet Apple Acres. So, I transformed him into what resembled an Earth pony that is large, and strong, and is used for farming, and brought him here.”

Applejack popped up, and asked, “Is that how he was able to speak to Zecora?”

Princess Celestia looked at me, and I told her, “When we went to see Zecora, I noticed that all of the art that decorated her home was from a place on Earth called Africa. So, I greeted her in Swahili, an African language.”

Princess Celestia continued, “It’s all true, Applejack! I brought Zecora here long ago from a place in Africa called Nigeria. In fact, Zecora was the first person I ever brought to Equestria. She loved the striped ponies that are found on her world so much, which the people there call ‘zebras,’ that I made her look like one of them.”

Applejack turned to me and asked, “What did you mean when you talked about battling a beast?”
I replied, “We tried to keep where I had come from, and how I got here, a secret. So, we referred to the evil of the world I came from as a ‘beast.’ We used the word as a metaphor, so we wouldn’t have to tell any lies. And, it was vague enough that no one would understand its true meaning. And, I had been sworn to secrecy about the truth of how I came to be here.”
Applejack got a somber look on her face and told me, “Clyde, I am sorry for pressuring you.”

I sighed, and said, “Well, Applejack, now you know the truth about me.”

But then she popped up, and asked, “But that still doesn’t explain the secret meetings with Princess Luna?”
I then looked to Luna, who turned to Applejack, telling her, “Well, when Clyde was studying with Twilight, he noticed me flying into town in my chariot. I would land, and then go and sit out by my old statue. I was still struggling with the old feelings of jealousy that I had felt for my sister. Not only that, I felt so lonely, as I didn’t know anyone who here who could understand my frustration and my anger. One night, Clyde found me sitting at the statue and crying. As I didn’t want to open up to him, and tell him that I knew where he was from, I let him tell me about himself in his own way. When I heard of his pain, I knew that I had finally found someone who would truly understand me. His words of wisdom helped me.

“But, Applejack, when I saw you on the bridge with Clyde that night, I was scared, and I ran away. I was afraid that someone would find out about my weaknesses. But Clyde’s heart is of pure gold, and like the true friend that he is, he came to my rescue today, and even battled my guards to get to me. He showed me the meaning of genuine friendship, and even still, he is helping me to overcome the jealousy I sometimes still feel for my sister.”

With a surprised look on her face, Princess Celestia turned to her sister, and asked, “What!?!?! You were jealous of me!?!?!?!”

Princess Luna hung her head, looked down, and said, “Yes, it’s true. I confessed this to Clyde only after he had sworn never to tell anyone about it, including you. When I found out that Clyde had visited you, I thought he had broken his vow of silence about my jealousy, and I became irate.”

Princess Celestia shook her head, and told her sister, “No, Luna, Clyde never broke his promise to you. I love you, and there should never be any room for jealousy between us. If anything, it’s me who should be jealous of you for having such a great friend as Clyde.”

I added, “But you both know how much I suffered when I lost my sister, and I would never want either of you to suffer that kind of loss. So, Princess Celestia, I really believed that I would find Princess Luna here in the castle where you both spent so much time together when you were growing up. The love the two of you had for each other then must have been purely amazing.”

Both of them smiled at me, and shed tears of joy, as they hugged each other.
Applejack put her hoof on my shoulder. As I turned to look at her, she said, “Clyde, I’m sorry. I never imagined anyone could ever have a burden that big. Can you forgive me for how I treated you?”
I just smiled at her, handed the diamond bracelet back to her, and said, “I have only two real friends of my own to invite to the wedding.”

Having said that, I opened my bag, and handed an invitation to Princess Celestia. I then walked over to Princess Luna, handed her an invitation, and said, “It won’t be a proper wedding without my best pony being there.”
Tears welled up in Princess Luna’s eyes, as she said, “Clyde, I wouldn’t miss it for all of Equestria.”

Applejack and Princess Celestia looked at Princess Luna and me in what seemed to be an almost stunned silence, as they both began to grasp that Luna and I had a friendship that was so strong that no pony could ever break it.
Princess Luna then turned to Applejack, and told her, “Take good care of my friend here. It looks like I’m going to be gone for a while, as I need to spend some time with my sister.”

When Princess Luna said that, her sister began to tear up again. They both looked at each other for a moment, and then hugged each other for what seemed like the longest time.

By now, it was getting quite late, and I asked Princess Celestia if she would use her magical powers to transport Applejack and me back to the farm. The Princess smiled, and before we knew what had happened, we were back at Sweet Apple Acres.

I told Applejack, “If you would like to hear about my past, we can talk about it now. But, I have to warn you, it’s sad.”
She replied, “Yes, Clyde, I would like to know about it.”

So, we went into the house, and sat down at the kitchen table. Applejack made me some coffee, and we started talking. I told her all about my mother, my father, and my sister. When I finished, she bawled her eyes out, and just hugged me. Then, I reminded her of our future together, and that put a smile back on her face.

Just then, Big Mac walked in, looked at me, smiled, and said, “I knew all along you were city folk. Me? I’m from Iowa.”
I just smiled back, as Big Mac told me this.

Applejack’s jaw hit the floor when she heard her brother’s announcement.
Big Mac looked at his sister, and said, “Well, Applejack, if Princess Celestia thinks you can be trusted you with Clyde’s secret, I suppose you can be trusted with mine. So, I guess it’s about time you knew a few things that I’ve never been able to tell you about myself before now. I was adopted by our parents. After my Earth parents were both killed in a car wreck, I was placed in a foster home. My foster father was a violent man, and Princess Celestia spotted me when I was in the hospital after he had beaten me up. I was only five years old. Over and over again, I kept dreaming of this magical place, where I would go, which was Equestria. When I arrived here, I was adopted by the Apple family, and they loved me as they would love one of their own. And, they never told my secret to a single pony.

“And, in order to not risk revealing my past, I never got really close to anyone else. I kept my secret, and resolved to do so for the rest of my life, until today. Clyde, I had my suspicions about you when you first got interested in Applejack. But, if you two can get this close to each other, then maybe I can have someone special in my life, too. Did either of you know that I like Miss Cheerilee?”

Applejack and I both smiled, and simultaneously said, “Go for it!” as we all broke out in laughter.
Applejack walked over to Big Mac, hugged him, and said, “You’ve always been my big brother, and you always will be.”
Big Mac smiled, and he looked like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders.

I asked him, “By the way, what year was it when you left Iowa?
He answered, “It was 1937. When was it for you?”
Stunned, I told him, “It was 2012!”

This seemed almost more than Big Mac could grasp, as he said, “I know that I haven’t been here for seventy-five years.”

“Well,” I said to him, “Maybe it’s magic.”

The three of us sat up the rest of the night, as Big Mac and I shared our stories with each other, and answered the seemingly endless questions that Applejack had for us.

As the winter passed, Applejack got very busy preparing for the wedding. I would often go visit Princess Luna, and we would talk about how our lives were working out. She and I had such a special time together.
Sometimes Applejack would come with me when I visited her. The Princess seemed so happy, that Applejack and I began to wonder if she might have fallen in love. When we asked her about it, she said she had met a very kind and loving colt in Manehatten, and that she had been seeing him on a regular basis. We were both overjoyed for her.

Princess Luna confessed that she sometimes would feel down about her job, as it was not as glamorous as her sister’s. However, I reminded her that her work was vitally important, because no one could function without sleep. This always seemed to cheer her up.

It was quite a wedding! True to her word, Princess Luna was my best pony. And seeing Rainbow Dash in a frilly bridesmaid dress was just awesome. Rarity truly outdid herself with the bridal gown. Applejack looked like an angel as she came down the aisle.

We held the wedding in Canterlot, at the castle. It was a superbly magical experience for us to be there with all of our friends.

The reception was nothing less than spectacular. The Royal Canterlot orchestra provided the music for the dinner, and Pinkie Pie made sure that the local DJ, Vinyl Scratch, was there to make sure the dance was a really smashing event.
When I think back on everything that has happened, and when I look at my two little fillies playing together, I can only begin to imagine the truly magical times that lie ahead for us all here at Sweet Apple Acres.

I still visit my friend Princess Luna, and her special some pony. And, it makes me happy to know that the other ponies are not as scared of her as they once were. It seems that having a special some pony has allowed here to have more fun in her life than she may ever have known was possible.

And, then there’s my brother-in-law, Big Mac. He and Miss Cheerilee have been keeping steady company for quite some time now. Applejack and I wonder what the future may have in store for those two. But, who knows?

THE END