Lewis of Equestria

Chapters

The Outset of His Voyage
A Blonde Goddess and a Big Lizard
Awkward Silences
A Misunderstanding and a New Arrival
Bourbon's Flight and Fancy
Revelations of the Heart and Babysitting
Racing Death's River
We'll Be Back
New World, Same Old City
Sharing the Load

The Outset of His Voyage

Chapter 1: The Outset of His Voyage

The sound of a fence post being hammered into the ground echoed across the field in which two young men worked, sweating under the brims of their hats in the hot midday sun. The taller of them, a lanky fellow with sunburned skin and light brown hair, sat as the last post sank into place. "I tell ya what Joe, I'm bushed," he said to his companion before taking a pull of water from a canteen. Some of the water dribbled into his beard. It wasn't quite cool after so long in the heat, but it was still refreshing enough to elicit a satisfied sigh.

Joe, a short, thickly built man of German heritage, chuckled at his friend's apparent exhaustion. "You went and got yerself used to city life Lewis, fergot yerself how tah work." Lewis punched Joe playfully in the leg but didn't respond. After all, Joe might have had a point. Lewis had just returned to the small Texas town he called home after completing his college education. Two semesters off the ranch, and he lost some of his endurance. He tried, but could not recall a simple job like putting up fence posts ever tiring him out this quickly.

Still, he reflected, it had been worth it. His time at school had shown him exactly how ignorant he had truly been. He had known so little, and now in spite of all he had learned, he felt like he knew even less. The world had turned out to be much bigger than he had thought, for all the talk people made of it getting smaller. Yes, he had gone to the gym, tried to keep in shape, but exercise like that never quite made up for the lack of hard manual labor, and his physique had suffered for it.

At least I still remember how to ride, he thought, glancing at his horse. He had been given a colt by his grandfather six years before, a fine pale quarter horse named Bourbon. There wasn't a faster horse in the county, and everybody knew it. Joe had been kind enough to look after Bourbon during Lewis' absences, and he had returned each summer to find the horse in fine shape. Bourbon and Lewis understood each other perfectly, and the long periods apart had no effect on that. Bourbon seemed to know when Lewis was coming home, and was always waiting for him at the gate to Joe's pasture, eager to resume their partnership.

Lewis worked on his families' ranch every summer, and it was good to come back and recall once more the feeling of work gloves and the smell of fresh hay. His parents had been so proud when their son had gotten a scholarship to attend college. They had sent him off to get a proper education, and he hadn't disappointed them, graduating at the top of his class. He had chosen not to continue his studies, however. He knew that, while the knowledge he had gained was and would always be dear to him, he belonged on the ranch.

"I'm guessing we should check along the south line for any more gaps, then go fetch the wire and get this job finished," said Lewis at last, not wanting to appear lazy. Joe nodded, and the two mounted their horses without further discussion, Joe heading west and Lewis heading east, to check for any more gaps in the fence line. In the days to come, Lewis would regret not having said something more profound to Joe, as this would be the last time they saw each other. They had been friends since childhood, and he would miss the short man's raunchy jokes and off-key singing.

As Lewis guided Bourbon along the fence line, keeping his eye out for damage as they went, he couldn't help thinking about some of the people he had met while attending college. In general, he had learned that people in the city weren't mean, exactly. There were just so many of them going about their business all the time, that it was difficult to get any of them to hold still long enough to make friends. City folk weren't lazy, quite the opposite in fact. They just had the convenience of sitting down more often.

It was while he was lost in thought that Bourbon suddenly shied away from the fence line. Lewis didn't quite notice at first, and it was only when they passed several small shrubs that he realized they had veered off course. "Whoa boy," said Lewis, trying to direct his mount back, "where do ya think yer goin'?" Oddly, the horse refused to turn, but persisted in his course, stubbornly ignoring Lewis' orders. The rider soon ceased his efforts. If Bourbon thought going his way was a bad idea, Lewis knew there was a good reason. He had learned to trust the stallion's instincts. Several times in the past, doing so had saved both their lives.

Gradually, he became aware of an odd humming noise. It seemed to come from directly ahead, around the bend of a small hill with an old oak tree atop it. Lewis knew the spot; he had climbed the tree often in his childhood. As they rounded the bend, the humming intensified. What Lewis saw made him gasp. A strange ball of light hovered a few feet above the ground. Bourbon made straight for it. Lewis, certain that this was a mistake, hauled on the reigns. Rather than slow down, the horse increased its pace, stopping only when they were directly in front of the odd light. "Wha-?" was all that Lewis had time to say, before he Bourbon unceremoniously bucked him off, directly into the center of the light. There was a flash and a bump as he struck the ground. Then, there was only darkness as he lost consciousness.

"Oomph!" Applejack let out a grunt as she loaded the last barrel of apples for the day onto her cart. She was pleased with herself, having finished the southern corner early, earning some long-overdue time off. Sweet Apple Acres was a glorious sight to behold. Trees, as far as the eye could see, brimming with fruit, and glistening in the sun thanks to the brief rainfall the night before.

She looked back to the edge of the property and saw Twilight Sparkle, sprinting like a mad-mare along the dirt road that ran past the farm. "Hey Twilight," she called out, "Where yah headed in such a hurry?" Either the purple unicorn didn't hear her, or was in too much of a rush to respond. She tore past, and kept going, headed out of town. A panting, exhausted Spike came trailing after her, the baby dragon dragging his feet. "Heya Spike," said Applejack, "Where's Twilight goin' so fast?"

Spike plopped down on the side of the road, trying to catch his breath for a moment before responding, "She got a letter from Princess Celestia. She looked at it for a few minutes and then tore out of the library. No explanation, no nothing. Not even a word or two to me. I was worried so I went after her, but I just can't keep up."

"Well you just let Twilight worry about whatever it is," said Applejack, concerned about Spike’s welfare, "why don't you come on down to the farmhouse with me and I'll fix ya up some cider." Spike seemed to perk up a little at that, and offered no resistance when Applejack plucked him off the ground and placed him on her back. She glanced briefly in the direction Twilight had gone. "I hope she's okay," the blonde farm-pony muttered to herself.

Twilight's heart hammered in her chest. She had read the letter from Princess Celestia carefully, making sure that each word was carefully scrutinized and understood. The tone of the message made it clear that there was no room for error. "Something is coming," it had read, "and it is essential that we know what as quickly as possible." Afterward, it had explained quite clearly where Twilight needed to be, and when she needed to arrive. When Princess Celestia gave an order, disobedience was no option at all. Nevertheless, Twilight knew she would have to move fast to make it in time. Even at her best sprint, she wasn't sure she could get there in time.

The small field just past Sweet Apple Acres had been generally untouched by any sort of development. Some wealthy merchant in Canterlot had purchased it years before, and never even come to inspect it. Twilight could already see something, a dim glow, getting brighter in the middle of the field. She poured all her strength into moving her legs as fast as they would go. She would not let her mentor down.

The light had faded by the time Twilight made it there. She was terrified that she had missed whatever was supposed to happen, and despair began to fill her. Nevertheless, she ran the last short distance to the spot where the light had been. Rather suddenly, her hoof caught on something and she went sprawling snout over tail. Shaking herself, she got back up slowly, a hoof to the side of her head. She looked down and gasped at what she had tripped on. She hadn't missed it after all.

Applejack smiled fondly at Spike. The baby dragon had exhausted himself trying to keep up with Twilight. He was curled up on a small blanket that she had set out by the window. Applebloom sat beside him, watching him sleep. It was one of those peaceful moments that did Applejack's heart a world of good, marred only by her concern for Twilight Sparkle's unusual behavior. It sounded like her friend had received orders from the Princess. It would be best to avoid interfering. Princess Celestia was beloved by her subjects, but everypony knew that if she said jump . . . .

Applejack's quiet reverie was interrupted by a dull thump on the front porch. Spike twitched slightly in his sleep, and Applebloom looked up, worried. "Don't yall fret now," said Applejack, "I'll go an' see who it is." Applebloom nodded, comforted that her big sister would take care of whatever the problem was. Applejack quietly wished that Big Macintosh were there, but he still hadn't come in from the north fields, and Granny Smith was still in town, visiting some of her old friends.

Applejack opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Twilight, panting and soaked in sweat, while her horn glowed brightly. "Twilight, what happened to ya? Looks like you tangled with another Ursa Minor!"

Twilight's breath came in gasps. "Feels like it, but can we talk later? I'd like to get this thing inside." She pointed down toward the porch at Applejack's hooves. Applejack's followed downward and were met by one of the strangest sights she had ever seen in her life.

"What in tarnation is that thing?" It was a long creature with two legs and two arms, an oddly blunted face, dressed in clothing that Applejack found oddly familiar, like something she would see routinely at the rodeo. It even had a hat resting on its chest that looked distinctly like her own. A lasso and other implements hung from a belt around its waist. It had short light brown hair atop its head and running along its chin and around its mouth.

"I don't know," said Twilight, stressed to the point of irritation, "All I know is that Princess Celestia thinks it's important. Is Spike here? I need to send a message, quickly."

Applejack nodded. "He's here alright, got plum tuckered out tryin' tah keep up with ya. Ahm 'fraid you'll have to wait awhile while he gets some shuteye. Meantime, let's get it in out the sun." The creature proved to be rather heavy, but Applejack was toughened by long years working the farm, and quickly maneuvered it inside, depositing it on an old sofa in the living room.

"Whatingtha hay is that!" Applebloom squeaked as she hid behind Granny Smith's favorite lime-green armchair. Twilight was amused by the fearful response. Applejack moved to comfort her spooked sister and Spike continued to sleep, oblivious to the surrounding events.

"I don't know Applebloom," Twilight said, "but it doesn't look terribly dangerous. It seems to be completely unconscious." She and Applejack studied the creature more closely. The steady rise and fall of the chest indicated that the creature was not seriously hurt, although there was no way to know for sure.

"Well," said Applejack, "I ain't seen anythin' like it before. Sure ain't from 'round here." She gingerly poked the odd thing lying on her couch in its shoulder, eliciting a slight grumble that caused them all to flinch backward, but it made no further move to stir, and they relaxed at last. "What are you gonna do with it?" Applejack asked, looking at Twilight expectantly.

Twilight put her hoof to her temple and glared at the floor in deep thought. "I supposed we'll have to keep it nearby until it can move. In the meantime, I'll send Princess Celestia a letter asking for further instructions."

Applejack shook her head vigorously, "No way sugarcube, I ain't having something that might be dangerous to mah family staying here."

"What do you propose I do then?" Twilight snapped back, "I can't carry it all the way to the library, and I can't just leave it out to die. I need time to get a response from the princess, and until then, I don't know what to do with it."

Applejack opened her mouth to retort when a new voice entered the conversation. "Where in blue blazes am I? And who let the horses inside?" As one, they directed their attention to the creature, now quite suddenly sitting up and looking at them with a bemused expression.

"EEEEIIIK!" As one, all three ponies dove behind the nearest available cover, panicked. Applebloom did a terrible job of it, her tail sticking out from behind the same armchair.

Spike sat up, rubbing his eyes, yawning, "Hey everypony. What did I miss?"

Author's Note

This is the first chapter of the fic I've worked on for the last year or so. I cleaned it up and got it ready for FimFiction at the request of some of my readers. I hope you all enjoy!

A Blonde Goddess and a Big Lizard

Chapter 2: A Blonde Goddess and a Big Lizard

"Hey everypony. What did I miss?" So spoke the most bizarre-looking lizard that Lewis had ever seen. It was the size of a small child, with purple scales and a small green crest on its head. Its teeth and claws were small, but sharp. The way it tottered slightly made it clear that it hadn't fully regained consciousness. It also hadn't run for cover, so Lewis decided it hadn't noticed him yet, and the wisest thing to do was make for the nearest exit, which he did, grabbing his hat as he went. He hit the door at a run, flinging it open and lighting out with all speed. He was gone in a matter of seconds.

Once he was outside, he saw that he was in the midst of an apple orchard, with rows of trees stretching off in every direction, and a dirt path leading away from the strange farmhouse he had just left. Thinking that the path would be to obvious a choice in the event he was pursued, he ran toward a large red barn nearby, thinking to hide there and watch to see if he was followed. Reaching his destination, he heaved the door of the barn open just far enough to slip inside, closing it behind him.

He relaxed slightly in the dim interior of the barn, deciding he was safe for the moment after hearing no sounds of pursuit. Then a deep voice spoke behind him asking, "Who in tha hay are you?" Lewis spun, around, but saw nobody there, only a large, bright red horse with an even brighter orange mane, which would have worried him ordinarily, but given the circumstances he could forgive.

Lewis drew his buck-knife from his belt, and began to creep slowly down the length of the building. The horse followed his movements warily. He moved with all the stealth he could manage, but reached the other end of the barn without discovering the source of the voice. "Alright," he said at last, "I heard ya clear 'nough, but I don't see ya. I didn't come here to start trouble, heck I don't even know where 'here' is. I just wanna get out and head on home."

The horse walked over and looked at him in the face. "Well," the horse said, "that's all fine an' dandy, but I still wanna know why yer trespassin' in this 'ere barn. Come ta think of it, ya still didn't answer mah first question. Now I got anuther: what are ya?" Lewis looked the horse up and down. Its mouth had moved, the sound had come from it. It had spoken to him.

Lewis tore screaming out of the barn like a man possessed, his knife dropped and forgotten as he ran with everything he was worth for the tree line. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he shifted himself along. Sweat poured from his face as he dove past the first few trees and sprinted along the rows, putting the best amount of distance between himself and the little farm as he could. Then, something caught his boot and he tripped. His head hit something solid his vision grayed. "Twice in one day," he muttered as consciousness left him once more, "Now that's just embarassin' ain't it?"

Applejack was the first to recover from the sudden awakening of the strange creature. As soon as she heard the front door slam, she shook herself and peeked over the flipped table she had taken cover behind. Spike still sat in the same spot, rubbing his eyes trying to see what the commotion was about. Applebloom's hindquarters shivered where they were exposed, and Twilight's horn betrayed her position behind the sofa itself. "Girls, this ain't the time fer hidin'. That critter's gotta be jest as scared as us!"

Applebloom and Twilight slowly pulled themselves together, emerging from their respective hiding places. Applejack righted the table and dusted herself off. The three of them looked at each other, nodding to confirm that everypony was unharmed. Spike, now properly awake, looked around in confusion. "Seriously," Spike insisted, "What did I miss?" That elicited a giggle from Applebloom.

"I'll explain later," said Twilight, "Applejack! That creature is afraid, and I don't know how dangerous it might be to anypony it meets. We need to catch it before anything happens!" Applejack nodded, determination written on her features. She to her saddlebags and retrieved her lasso. She couldn't have that strange thing hurting somepony on her watch. Before she and Twilight had reached the door, the most unholy sound that either of them had ever heard reached them from outside, a howl of terror the likes of which had not been heard in the history of Equestria.

"Let's go Twilight!" Applejack shouted, bursting through the door. She couldn't see which way the creature had gone, but she charged off all the same. "Take the road," she yelled over her shoulder at her friend. Following instinct, she ran in the direction that seemed right. It just felt right.

It wasn't of course. Twilight searched up and down the road for hours, while Applejack went row by row, finding nothing. The creature must have been faster than it looked. Big Macintosh joined them, showing them the strange knife it had been carrying. "It didn't seem to know I was there 'til I spoke right tah its face." That added another concern. Was it able to see? When Applebloom and Spike tried to join in, they were promptly sent back indoors, with a scolding from Twilight chasing them.

As the light of day dimmed, Twilight returned to the farmhouse, talking about sending a letter to Celestia. Big Macintosh offered to escort her. Applejack chose to persist in her search. She still hadn't checked in a few places. Still, with the light fading, she wasn't able to keep going much longer. At last, she recognized defeat and turned back. "Ah just pray that nopony gets hurt by that thing," she muttered to herself. That was the moment her front hoof came down on something too squishy to be the ground, something that groaned in response.

It took Applejack a full three seconds to realize what she must be stepping on. When she did, she jumped a full four feet in the air, and came down ready to fight . . . only to find that there was nothing to fight. Puzzled, she looked down at the prone figure of the whatever-the-hay-it-was. It didn't stir. She took a closer look, and gasped when the final rays of the sun glinted off of a slowly dripping liquid that oozed from a sizeable gash on the things head. "Oh dang it," said Applejack. She grabbed the injured beast by the collar of its shirt and began to drag it back towards the house, hoping the injury would not prove lethal.

Lewis regained consciousness briefly. His mind seemed to produce strange images, to confuse him he was sure. He knew he'd taken a bad hit. Sometimes that was the body’s response to severe damage; producing a pleasant fiction to distract him. Still, he had to admit this wasn't a bad one.

He could see the stars as they came out, but it wasn't like what he was used to. He could see them so much more clearly, and the moon was bigger than he had ever seen it. He wanted to reach out and try to touch it, but his arm wouldn't respond. He was moving though, being dragged along the ground. Whoever was doing the dragging stopped, and he heard heavy breathing. "Moving me must be quite the task," he wanted to say, but all that came from his mouth was a gurgle. That must have gotten their attention because a face appeared, silhouetted against the moon.

There, in that moment, Lewis looked up at Applejack and saw something impossible. He saw a goddess in the moonlight, with gorgeous golden hair. She wore an old, well-worn hat that belied her divine nature. She looked down at him with so much compassion and concern that he wanted to cry. "You alright sugarcube?" Her voice was to him as a thousand birds singing in perfect harmony. As he slipped from the waking world again, his last thought was, “That's gotta be the most beautiful horse I've ever seen.”

He awoke an unknowable amount of time later. Lewis groaned, pain flooding through his skull. He was lying on something comfortable enough, but he couldn't see where he was, and his head was alternating between a sharp, burning pain and a dull throbbing ache. He lay there unmoving for a time, before a voice spoke to him out of the darkness. "Hey there. Are you feeling alright?"

He couldn't place the voice, but it sounded friendly enough. "My head . . . ." He heard a soft, small noise, and his head ceased to pound quite so hard. The sharp pain also dimmed and finally went away entirely. He could feel himself smile a little, as relief replaced discomfort.

"There, that should be more comfortable," the friendly-sounding voice said, "you took quite the nasty spill. It seems you hit your head on a root. Your head had a sizeable gash, and you've been unconscious for a few hours."

Lewis sighed in relief. The big lizard, the talking horse, they had all been dreams, a nightmare foisted on him in his unconsciousness by a mind addled with pain. He felt warm and cozy now, whatever medication they were giving him was pretty effective. Before he could get really comfortable, a terrifying thought occurred to him. "Wait, where's Bourbon?" he asked, concern for his prized animal overtaking his short-lived relief.

"I'm sorry, who?" the voice asked, confused.

"My horse, Bourbon! He's a pale American quarter horse, all muscle. He was with me when ah fell. He wouldn't 'ave left me there, he's too loyal fer that. I gotta know, is he okay?"

There were a few moments of quiet whispers. He distinctly heard the words, "What's he mean, his horse?" Finally, the kind voice returned. "When I found you, you were lying there alone. I'm sorry but I don't know where this 'Bourbon' of yours is, but I promise, we'll start looking for him at sunrise."

Lewis nodded. "Thank you, ummm . . . ?"

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Twilight Sparkle," the voice said, without the slightest hint of joking, or any indication that there was anything odd about the name.

Lewis, however, recalled his upbringing as a proper gentleman, and didn't comment on the oddity of it, but merely replied, "A pleasure Miss Sparkle, mah name is Lewis. Uh, pardon me, but is there a reason I can't see anything?"

Lewis could hear the embarrassment in Twilight's tone as she responded. "Well, Lewis, we didn't want you to panic when you woke up, we were worried you might hurt yourself worse, and you really aren't in any condition for that right now, so we put a blindfold on you. I'm afraid we also tied your hands and feet, though that really wasn't my idea. Oh, and please, just call me Twilight."

"Well, I appreciate the thought I suppose, but I ain't gonna panic right now, so you can take the blindfold off now Miss Twilight," Lewis said, a little peeved by the unusual treatment but resolved to be polite. After all, his mamma had always told him that politeness wouldn't ever hurt, and could get him a good ways if he was in trouble.

"Okay," said the voice, "if you're quite sure." The cloth came off and Lewis squinted as the light in the room blinded him briefly. He held a hand up to his face, trying to see who he was talking to. He couldn't tell yet, but something was vaguely wrong about the shape. . . ."

"Well, now I need to ask you a question, Mr. Lewis," Twilight said.

"Sure," said Lewis, as his eyes finally began to adjust to the light.

"Just what are you?" asked the purple pony finally revealed to him. Lewis' eyes went wide as he drew breath to holler for help, but before he could, Twilight covered his mouth with one surprisingly dexterous hoof. "None of that now, you just promised me you weren't going to panic." Lewis regarded her with wide, wary eyes. "I'm going to let go now," said Twilight, "Please don't be afraid." Lewis nodded. "Don't scream." Again, he nodded. "Okay."

Twilight removed the hoof from his mouth. "My apologies, Miss Twilight," said Lewis, as he tried to choke down his fear, "I had myself to thinking that this was all a dream." He looked around, and saw he was back on the sofa in the farmhouse from before. A small filly and the purple lizard stood in one corner watching, protected by the large red stallion from the barn. Lewis' head was still foggy, but there seemed to be something missing.

"Um, forgive me, I am positive that I must be hallucinating, but, are all of y’all a bunch a little horses?"

A flash of irritation crossed Twilights face before she took on an expression of understanding and patience. "We prefer the term pony, if you don't mind." Lewis looked up at her again.

"I was afraid you were gonna say that," he groaned.

"Why?" asked the filly in the corner, "Yall got a problem with ponies?" Lewis inspected the speaker. She was angry at him, sure, but her voice reminded him of home.

"Naw miss," he said with a soothing smile, "It’s just I ain't never heard of a talkin' pony before." That got confused looks from everyone in the room.

"How is it you've never heard a pony talk?" Twilight asked.

"Just never did. Never thought they was supposed tah. This is all kinda strange. Also, that is the biggest lizard I have ever seen in my life."

"Who are you calling a lizard?" the purple thing snarled. Twilight gestured for him to remain calm. "Spike is a baby dragon, but again, none of us know what you are, so it's reasonable to assume you've traveled a long, long way to get here," she said in a reasonable tone.

Lewis couldn't argue with that reasoning. The question, he thought, was exactly how far? "Well," he said, "I am a human being, scientific name Homo Sapiens. Native Texan, United States born and raised. Does that tell you anything?"

Twilight scribbled furiously on a piece of parchment as he spoke, recording his words in exacting detail. "It's a start," she said, "I'll send this to the princess, hopefully she can shed some light on this."

"Princess?" Lewis questioned, but Twilight didn't hear him, handing the note to Spike, whom promptly incinerated it with a fiery belch, leaving Lewis greatly confused.

Before he could ask for clarification, the thing he had thought was missing earlier joined them. "Hey everypony," said Applejack as she trotted down the stairs, "Ah'm guessin' it didn' try and run off again?"

"Hello again goddess," said Lewis before he could shut his mouth. The room was silent as everypony stared at Lewis, their own mouths hanging open.

Author's Note

Chapter two, and it only took me all day to get around to it. Comments are welcome, criticism more so.

Awkward Silences

Chapter 3: Awkward Silences

"Hello again goddess." Applejack stared at the thing on her sofa. A human, she had heard it say, by the name of Lewis had just called her a goddess. Of course, stallions in the past had tried to sweet talk Applejack. They had all kinds of cheesy, half-baked pick-up lines that invariably failed to impress her. She doubted they impressed anypony. Even if she weren't the living manifestation of the element of Honesty, she was raised slightly old fashioned, and responded to sincerity more than anything else. Besides that, her family, her friends, and her work were far more important to let some dumb male get in the way.

She'd heard every compliment under the sun, suffered every graceless innuendo, and bucked her fair share of stallions in the face for touching her without permission. She was used to the come-ons. But that human, Lewis, he looked her straight in the eye and called her 'goddess.' That was new.

There was a long silence. Lewis seemed blissfully unaware that he had said anything wrong. The ponies stared at him still, slack-jawed in the face of such an outlandish greeting. At last, the silence was broken when Applebloom had the temerity to giggle at somepony . . . well, something calling her sister a goddess.

Within moments, the whole room except for Lewis and Applejack broke into hopeless laughter. They didn't notice that Lewis and Applejack had locked eyes, and for a long moment, neither desired or was able to turn away. After some immeasurable period of time, the shared gaze was broken, although which of them looked away first, neither was sure.

"Err, mah name's Applejack. Nice tah meet ya . . . erm . . . Lewis, right?" Lewis nodded his head, as well as his bonds would permit. Applejack felt a surge of sympathy for him. She shouldn't have let Big Macintosh tie the unfortunate newcomer up like that. She stepped forward and with a quick jerk, released the knot holding the ropes on.

Lewis sat up, rubbing his wrists to ensure comfortable circulation. "That's correct miss, and the pleasure's all mine. Thanks for lettin' me up by the by," he responded, "And . . . ahm sorry ifn I said anythin' offensive er embarrassin' to ya. Didn't mean no 'arm."

Applejack, taken aback by his manners and the familiarity of his mode of speech, found herself blushing furiously. Lewis, thinking she was angry with him, took up his hat and held it over his heart. "I really am sorry, Miss Applejack, it's just that I still don't know where I am or how I got here, and this is all so strange it kinda went and threw me fer a loop."

Applejack didn't trust her voice enough to reply. Twilight stepped in. "You are in the farmhouse of Sweet Apple Acres, on the outskirts of Ponyville, which is in the land of Equestria," she explained in formal tones. Lewis favored her with a blank, uncomprehending look. Twilight cleared her throat and continued. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, as I mentioned. I am the pupil of Princess Celestia, our ruler, raiser of the sun and elder of the ruling sisters. I was told in a missive sent by the princess that something strange was coming. I believe that something was you. I found you shortly after your arrival, and brought you here. I would have taken you all the way back to my home, but it's quite a long walk while trying to levitate something your size."

Lewis remained mute. He was trying to absorb what Twilight was saying, but it just wasn't clicking in his brain. A nation that was completely unknown to him, with a name derived from the scientific name for the species that inhabited it, which were apparently talking ponies, all of it ruled by two princesses. Oh, and there was a dragon. And had Twilight just said "levitate?" It was at this point that his gaze was drawn to the small but clearly present horn on her forehead.

He didn't know how it had escaped his notice until then. He couldn't summon a proper response to this new information. His eyes widened like saucers, and he pointed at Twilight's forehead. "Unicorn," he said lamely.

Twilight's eyebrow rose slightly. "Um, yes, I am a unicorn. Is that surprising to you?"

"You're talking," said Lewis, as though somehow pointing out the fact would create a logical explanation, and present it to him so he could stop being confused.

Twilight, meanwhile, was becoming impatient. "Yes, I am talking, and you aren't being very helpful. We've established that, yes, we can talk, and yes, we are ponies. I realize that a pony talking is an unfamiliar concept to you, but you don't need to be insulting."

Lewis shook himself. "You're right, ah'm sorry Twilight, I'll try to do better. It’s just, did you say you were levitating me a minute ago?"

"Yes."

"How?"

Twilight sighed. "Magic is one of the benefits of being born a unicorn. Of course, magic is not unique to us, it also exists within the earth ponies and pegasi-"

"Pega-what now?"

"One of the three types of pony, given the gift of flight and weather manipulation," Twilight explained.

"They can do what?"

Twilight face-hoofed. "Applebloom, could you go get us some tea? I have a feeling this might take us awhile."

Princess Celestia peered over a small mountain of paperwork perched atop her desk in haphazard stacks. She felt utterly beleaguered by the sheer weight of it. Between her duties as a ruler and the Princess of the sun, she barely had time to rest any longer. The only real respite she ever got anymore was reading Twilight's friendship reports. It gave her great pleasure to know that her star pupil was doing so well and learning so much.

On this occasion, however, thinking of Twilight Sparkle only made her worry. The paperwork would have to wait, as she was scrambling to learn about the strange creature her pupil's last letter had described. No matter how she looked, however, she could find no record of such a thing's existence. It simply wasn't heard of in Equestrian history, and she had no personal experience with the species, which was shocking given her age and the time she had spent traveling across the world, meeting new and strange beings. At last, there was only one conclusion to come to.

Celestia checked her schedule. She was packed for the next two weeks, and there was no getting out of it. Luna, on the other hand, would be free in about three days . . . .

With the only solution she could think of in mind, she quickly wrote out instructions for Twilight, and sent the parchment scroll on its way. She hoped that all would be well, but there was little she could do about it given the looming crisis she was dealing with.

The tired alicorn turned to the stacks of reports, already knowing what they would say. Crops dying, rivers inexplicably polluted, unfamiliar diseases cropping up in the most unusual ways, and entire forests simply dying off, the trees rotted by some contagion. All accompanied by pleas for help. She sighed and picked up the next report. It was from Manehatten. An entire city block was under quarantine, after an outbreak of some horrifying infection that had swept through the area. "What could be causing this?" she hissed to herself in frustration.

Lewis sat very still. Twilight had spent the last hour trying to explain where he was, and who she and her kind were. Talking ponies, magic, dragons, all of it was laid bare before him and he still somehow couldn't grasp it all. Why was this happening? Was it all just a dream? Was he still lying on the ground on the ranch, blood and brain leaking out of his busted head? It just made no sense whatsoever.

His reverie was interrupted by a loud belch from Spike. He now understood that this was how letters were sent and received between Twilight and her mentor Princess Celestia. He was still astounded when a scroll burst unharmed from the fire, and was promptly enveloped in a purple glow that carried it to Twilight, whose horn glowed to match.

Twilight read the letter aloud, for all to hear.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

It is not often that I am forced to admit to ignorance. I have no idea what the creature you have found could be. I have never heard of any such being in Equestria. I am forced to conclude that he is NOT OF THIS WORLD. I am occupied at Canterlot with affairs of state, but Luna will be available in three days. At that juncture, I will send her to assess the creature, and ensure that its presence is not a threat. Until then: do not allow anypony else to see it. Keep it at Sweet Apple Acres until Luna arrives. Tell nopony about it. Do it no harm so long as it remains peaceful. I will reimburse the Apple family for any time, trouble, or resources needed for its upkeep.

-Princess Celestia

"Not of this world," Lewis muttered, "Now that makes a little more sense."

Applejack looked at him like he was insane. "How does that make more sense?" she demanded.

"Well," he said, "Since the advent of orbital space flight technology, the last blank spaces on the globe have been filled in. There are no unknown landmasses remaining. The only way this place can possibly exist, is that I am not on earth."

Applejack looked at Lewis strangely. "What happened to your accent?" she asked suspiciously.

"Ah," said Lewis, noticing he had slipped into his old habit again, "Well, when ah was attendin' college, I learnt tah speak more proper-like. When ah talk about things like math, science, and writing, I tend to slip into a more grammatically correct mode of speech, like this."

His sudden change in mannerisms made Applejack laugh. "You sure can speak good 'n proper, ah'll give ya that."

Twilight cleared her throat, getting the room's attention. "Alright, for now we will proceed assuming that Celestia is correct. Applejack, I'm sorry that it is asked of you, but is it alright if Lewis stays with you for now? I can't very well walk him into the middle of Ponyville."

Applejack looked at Lewis speculatively. "Well, as long as he continues to behave like a gentlecolt, I don't suppose we have a choice. It is a request from Celestia after all. You alright if he shares yer room Big Macintosh?"

"Eeyup," her older brother said, nodding in the affirmative.

"Excellent," said Twilight, "Well then, I think we all need some sleep. It's been a busy day." There was a general murmur of assent. Lewis couldn't see how he could object, and kept his peace. Strange as his circumstances were, he didn't fancy sleeping outside in the cold.

Twilight departed with a snoozing Spike on her back, and the Apple family prepared for bed. At some point, a venerable mare that Lewis took to be Granny Smith had come in and promptly fell asleep in an equally venerable lime-green armchair. She was apparently oblivious to the events of the evening. Evidently, this was not a surprise.

As it happened, Big Macintosh had a spare mattress handy, and laid it out on the floor for Lewis. "Thanks Mr. Macintosh," said Lewis as he lay down. It was surprisingly comfortable, but then Lewis was more than accustomed to sleeping in bedrolls over hard ground.

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh as he climbed into his own bed.

"You sure do say that a lot," Lewis couldn't help observing.

"Eeyup."

"Well Mr. Macintosh, I'll bid ya good night."

"Big Mac," responded his bunk mate. Lewis sat up to see the large red stallion looking at him.

"Beg pardon?" Lewis inquired.

"You can call me Big Mac," he said, "You were right nice to mah sister today. She don't get the right kinda compliments from the stallions 'round 'ere, they mostly treat 'er like a bumpkin, and they're always lookin' fer an easy lay. You called 'er a goddess, and that seemed to make 'er pretty happy. So, long as yer decent to me 'n mine, y’all call me Big Mac."

Lewis smiled. "Thanks Big Mac. Goodnight."

"That's what friends do Lewis. G'night."

Applejack slept fitfully. Dreams, half-formed and strange, drifted through her head. She woke at some unholy hour of the morning, drenched in sweat. She tried to remember the dream she had awoken from. It hadn't been a nightmare. It had actually been somewhat . . . pleasant. She could recall only that it had to do with Lewis. She sat up in bed, and noticed a dampness that a little sweat could not explain. Then she realized that one of her fore-hooves was between her legs, rubbing at her marehood furiously, producing a preposterous amount of juice from her nether regions. It took her several seconds to connect the dots, and realize that she had been masturbating while thinking about Lewis.

She buried her face in her pillow, ashamed. She was thinking such raunchy things about a stallion that wasn't even a member of her own species! What would Granny Smith think? Or Big Macintosh! Strangely, this shame did nothing to stop her hoof from going on doing just what it wanted to. In a way, it heightened her pleasure, the rush she got from the risk of discovery pushing her over the edge. As she pushed down hard on her clitoris, she felt a climax building. She had to suppress a squeal as her body took her mind away on a wave of pleasure.

As the orgasm subsided, leaving her drained yet completely relaxed, she looked down at herself, and the soaked sheets on her bed. She knew that it was this intense because of Lewis. She had masturbated before, but never with results like this. "But he called me a goddess," she murmured to herself, as though she needed to excuse her passionate self-pleasuring, "He called me a goddess . . . ." Applejack closed her eyes as sleep took her, and she had no more dreams that night.

Author's Note

Okay, so this was the first bit of the naughtiness I mentioned in the description. I will make this point clearly: any and all clop involved will remain unnecessary to the story itself. If you have no desire to read those parts, feel free to skip them. If you want to read them, then by all means, enjoy yourself. Within reason, of course.

A Misunderstanding and a New Arrival

Chapter 5: A Misunderstanding and a New Arrival

"What the heck d’ya mean, ya own the guy?" Lewis was praying silently for his life as an enraged Big Mac stood over him, hoof pressed to his chest just hard enough to make breathing difficult. After he and Applejack had returned, dinner had begun with gusto. The food was wonderful, if lacking in meat, and Lewis had begun to fulfill his promise to Big Mac about explaining his arrival in Equestria, at least as far as he understood. Unfortunately, he had run into a slight hitch.

"Please Big Mac, listen!" Lewis said, trying to calm his angry friend, "It ain't what ya think!"

Big Mac wasn't having it. "How am I 'sposed tah see this any other way? Yah kept one of our kind as a slave, made 'im work fer yah without pay, and rode on his back?"

Lewis twisted out from under the heavy hoof at last, dodging back away from a family full of angry ponies. "Now listen, ah'm tryin' tah explain to yah, I never thought o Bourbon like that, but he ain't like y’all!"

Applejack wasn't sure what to think. When Lewis had casually mentioned his ownership of this sad Bourbon character, he hadn't seemed to believe anything was wrong with it. She was sad and angry, that somepony, or rather, some human that she had liked so well, who held her tight under the stars, who she, (and it took effort to admit this to herself) hoped to share her bed with, could be involved in anything so despicable.

"Applejack please," said Lewis, "Just let me explain." He looked at her with mournful eyes, and she felt her heart melt.

"Wait y’all," she said, holding out a restraining hoof to forestall her brother, "He seems to have a different take on this, so let’s 'ear 'im out." Big Macintosh glanced down at her, then back up at Lewis. He still felt betrayed, but he held back. He knew that Applejack had a way with getting to the truth, and if anypony could figure this out, it was her.

"Thanks," Lewis said, massaging a light bruise on his chest, "Now, I know it sounds bad to yah, but a horse in my world and y’all are two very different things. Don't y’all keep pets here?"

Applejack nodded. "Yeah, my friend Fluttershy keeps a couple a dozen little critters around. But they aren't like ponies, mainly ain't as smart, though I wonder about some of 'em. They get treated better by us than they would in the wild."

"Well," said Lewis, "that there is the same difference ah'm talkin' 'bout. Our horses and ponies and such, they're just like those little critters your friend has. They ain't that bright, and life in the wild is much harsher than life with us. Besides, even putting that aside, Bourbon is my best friend. He and I understand each other, and he's never indicated to me that he felt like I was bein' mean to 'im. I'd never treat Bourbon badly. He's saved my life before, and not to brag but I've saved him back a few times too!"

Big Macintosh calmed, and Applejack let her foreleg drop. "Alright," she said, once she was sure her brother wouldn't try anything, "I gotta figure things work a little different where yer from. Yah don't strike me as cruel, so ah'll give ya the benefit of the doubt." Big Mac nodded his acceptance, although Lewis knew that the stallion was still confused and possibly a little hurt. Applebloom remained silent, watching the adults with wary eyes. The little filly wondered what exactly Lewis had done to anger her elder siblings, except that it involved somepony named Bourbon, a dear friend according to Lewis.

Before the argument could be reignited, Granny Smith interrupted the moment, "Alright everypony, that's 'nough right there. It’s time fer bed." Applebloom didn't hesitate, didn't try her usual last-minute plea bargain for a little extra time up. She ran to bed without a word. Applejack noticed her behavior, and quickly followed, worried about her sister.

Lewis and Big Mac stared each other down. Lewis spoke first. "I ain't the type to indulge somethin' as evil as slavery. If Bourbon had ever spoken up and indicated he wanted to leave, I woulda let him without a single complaint. He's my friend. And ah happen to miss him. In some ways, you remind me of him."

Big Mac lowered his head in shame at his violent reaction. He could tell that Lewis was sincere. "Ah'm sorry," he said, "I jumped tah conclusions and there ain't no excuse for it. And ah upset my baby sister. Can yah fergive me?"

Lewis put an arm around his big friend. "Course ah can forgive yah. If ah had heard about yall riding humans n such, I mighta reacted the same way." Granny Smith nodded in a satisfied manner and went off to bed without further comment. It was then that Lewis noticed something in his shirt pocket, something he had completely forgotten was there. "Hey Big Mac?"

"Yeah Lewis?"

"Mind if I have a cigarette?"

The light was blinding. It hurt, it hurt so much! And the noise, loud like a billion festering insects buzzing in one's ear! And the fear! Fear of everything, fear of not feeling the ground, not seeing anything but the light! Then falling, falling, falling down. A dull thud. The light out, the noise silenced. "Ouch! That fuckin' hurt!" Where did that sound come from? Why did it make sense? What the hell was going on?

These were the thoughts that ran through the mind of a pale American quarter horse that found himself tumbling through a strange stretch of time. It took him a moment to categorize the events in order. First the light, then the sound, then the fear, then the falling, and at last the thud. Then the dimness and silence. And the voice. His voice? His voice?

The confused creature tried to rise to his hooves. He was amazed, after so much blind terror and pain, to find himself unharmed. Of even greater importance, he now had the capacity to organize the thoughts and concepts needed for him to feel amazed. "I need to get up," he muttered. But who was this 'I' he kept thinking about? "I. Me. Bourbon."

The horse was struck for the first time with the concept of self. Of a name. He ceased to rise and let himself sink back to the ground. "Bourbon," he said, tasting the word, tasting the very concept of speech. He sounded like the other. His other. He knew there was a word-name for the other, he just had to recall it. Until then, Bourbon had identified him as sweat-smell-small-hair-weight-on-back-carrying-rope, along with a list of other traits.

Not in words, of course, that had been beyond him before and would take hours to recite that way. But somewhere in there was a sound he had heard some of the things like-the-other-but-not-his-other direct at his other. "Lewis," he murmured, "My other." Bourbon arrived at a conclusion. "I have to find Lewis." Once more, he struggled to rise, and at last found purchase with his hooves.

Looking around, Bourbon saw that he was not where he had been. Not at all. Gone were the familiar trails and smells of home. This was different. More trees. A forest? He thought about the word and it made sense to him. A forest. He was in a forest. "Lewis," he said again, trotting in a direction that he somehow knew would lead to Lewis. He didn't know how, but it would. He knew it. "Lewis."

Luna stretched, her balcony bathed in moonlight and her duties as the ruler of the night satisfied. "Another job well done," she said to herself, admiring the night sky she had just finished. The stars were in formation, and the moon shone brightly. For a long time after her return, she could barely look at the moon, the pain of her memories more than she could bear, but as it was her job to raise the thing every night; she couldn't really avoid it. After time, and healing, she had learned to love the silvery orb as she had before . . . everything.

As she retired back to her room, a knock at the door piqued her interest. She did not often have visitors so early in the evening, and even fewer came straight to her private quarters. Checking her appearance in a mirror, she donned her crown and turned to face the large oaken door. "Enter," she said simply, ready to deal with whomever was so foolish as to interrupt her.

Her pose became less haughty when the visitor proved to be her sister. Celestia trotted in, tall and proud. She was beautiful in a way that Luna sometimes envied. She tried not to indulge such emotions, as they had led to . . . problems in the past. However, when the doors swung shut behind her, Celestia let her proud stance to droop, allowing her fatigue to show as the façade of calm control fell away to reveal an over-worked, under-appreciated mare.

"Sister," Luna said, "Are you unwell?" She felt great concern then. She had rarely seen her sister in such a state before.

Celestia shook herself. "I will survive," she responded dryly, "I think." With a weary groan, she settled herself onto a couch against the north wall of the chamber. "I've been doing this a long time. You learn to handle the long days after a while."

Luna winced in guilt. During her banishment, Celestia had been forced to handle all affairs of state, as well as the sun and moon. It was frightening to think that Celestia might find her current workload comparatively light. "Tia," Luna said, worried, "Don't push yourself. I've done a lot of catching up on current events; I can take up some more of the slack. I can even speak modern Equestrian properly now."

Celestia regarded her sister gratefully. "I'm glad you feel ready for additional responsibilities. I have something I need you to do."

Luna nodded encouragingly. "Whatever you need Tia, I can help you. I need to help you, after everything . . . ."

"Please Luna," Celestia interrupted, "I forgive you, as long as you forgive me for sending you away for so long. You have suffered far beyond the scope of any crimes you might have committed. And I would still argue that you are not responsible for the actions of Nightmare Moon."

"All the same," Luna said, "Tell me what you need me to do. Any way I can help, I want to."

Celestia nodded her understanding. "Very well Luna, do you recall the strange energy fluctuations the night before last?"

Luna recalled the strange feeling, like a tingle in her horn. "Yes, I remember."

"Well, Twilight Sparkle found the source, a strange creature that I believe came from a place very far away from Equestria. I am made to understand that the thing is called a human. Currently, it is staying with the Apple family at Sweet Apple Acres. I want you to go the night after tomorrow and collect it for me, so I can determine whether it is a threat, and why, if it has a reason, it might be here."

Luna nodded, glad that her sister trusted her with such a sensitive matter. "I'd be happy to. Leave everything to me. Now why don't you lie down and get some sleep. I have to get ready for tonight's work."

Celestia nodded, her eyelids flickering. "Thank you Luna, I am a little sleepy . . . ." Before she could say anything more, the mighty ruler was sleeping like a foal. Luna favored her fellow monarch with a wry smile. Awake, she might be powerful and slightly intimidating, but at rest, Luna always thought her sister was just adorable.

Luna pulled a blanket over Celestia's sleeping form, and went to attend to business in the throne room.

Bourbon stopped to rest in a small clearing. He had wandered in the vague direction that his instincts labeled simply, 'towards Lewis.' The air was strange in the forest though, and smells confused themselves. He needed to stop, and try to think. He chuckled quite suddenly at the sheer oddity of the idea. He had never had to think before.

Nevertheless, he sat on his haunches, and tried to think. Something fundamental had changed, he couldn't deny that. Lewis had a name, and so did he. What was more, he existed, and was aware of it. However, when he thought back, he seemed to remember looking different. He had been taller, though not much. The pale color of his body were altered too, brighter and more of a pure white, except for his flank. When he looked at it, he noticed an odd mark on his skin; a lasso, which he vaguely recognized, though it was difficult as abstractions such as visual representations were still new to him.

Bourbon stretched, and in doing so, happened to glance up. He gasped, as for the first time he observed the heavens with the cognitive faculties to appreciate it. It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Bourbon felt something strange, a pressure in his face as his vision blurred. He choked on a sob, and at last broke down and cried at the sheer wonder of it all. He had been blind, and now he could see. That was all there was to it.

"I feel so happy," he said to no-one in particular.

"GRRRRRRRH," the universe responded. Bourbon thought that he recognized the smell. Like a cat, but bigger. That meant cougar. Bourbon turned to face the threat, only to realize he had misjudged. "That is definitely not a cougar," Bourbon said. Then he started running. The snarling manticore leapt after him in quick pursuit.

Author's Note

And here's Bourbon. Fair warning: there will be more naughtiness soon.

Bourbon's Flight and Fancy

Chapter 6: Bourbon's Flight and Fancy

Fair warning: this chapter contains some of the promised naughtiness, right there at the end.

Bourbon limped toward a stream running through the forest. Several gashes in his hide bled freely and his legs trembled with exhaustion. When he was finally able to feel the water rushing over his hooves, he plunged his face into the water and drank deeply. The cool water was soothing on the three horizontal claw-marks across his muzzle, and he thought back on drinking from the creek that ran through his home, back at the other place he had been before, the place where big cats weren't that big. Of course, he had never met a big cat before. He only knew of them from the inherited memories of his species. But he was definitely sure that they weren't bigger than him. At least, he hoped not.

"Lewis," he said. The name had become a mantra for him. Even during the headlong flight through the forest, he had maintained his heading, working his way toward his other, even as the thing that was not a cougar tried to kill him. Three times, the beast had gotten within striking distance. Its claws had raked his left flank, his rear-right thigh, and at one point, it had even managed to get ahead of him, and caught him across his snout. He had kicked at it once, and heard a yowl. After a while, he realized it wasn't chasing him anymore. That was when he found the stream. "Follow the stream," he muttered, "Find Lewis." The fatigue was affecting his mind, but he didn't care. He needed to find Lewis.

He followed the stream for what felt like hours, though his grasp of the passing of time had slipped away. However, after this undefined period of time, the trees parted, and the stream ran free out of the forest. Bourbon sniffed the open air appreciatively. Open ground was, to him, safety. He could run anywhere, as far as he wanted. No trees or fallen logs or pesky rocks to get in his way.

Ahead of him, he saw one of the big things that the others made, the things they lived in. There were lights on in the windows, and he could smell many animals, all of them small, none a source of fear. It was a safe place and he knew from experience that there must surely be others there. Not his other, he was disappointed to note, but surely these others could tell him where Lewis was, especially since he now spoke as they did. Surely, they would help him? He trotted towards the small cottage.

Fluttershy was up late again. Recently she had found sleep elusive. Her mind wandered and her body wouldn't hold still. Her animals were all deep in their own odd little dreams, noses and feet twitching occasionally. She smiled at them. They were so adorable, all of them. Finally, she forced herself to take a seat on the armchair by the fireplace. "Sleep," she commanded herself. Her eyes began to close, and she smiled, sensing her long-overdue rest was at hand.

Her eyes shot open at the sound of hooves on her front porch. "Somepony at the door? At this hour?" she mused, glancing at the old clock on her mantel that read several minutes past midnight (which for Fluttershy was very late indeed). She slowly got up out of her chair, expecting a knock on the door. But there was no knock, just more hoof-steps out on her front porch. "W-who's there?" she asked, becoming nervous.

"Hello?" a deep, resonant voice responded, "Are you one of the others?"

Fluttershy was confused by the strange question. "Um, I-I'm sorry, but, what others are you talking about?" There were a few moments of silence.

"You don't smell like the others. You smell like one of us. But you talk too?"

Fluttershy snorted a little. Whoever this fellow might be, he was funny, and that helped to allay some of her fears. She still wasn't going to open her door for somepony she didn't know. He continued before she could speak. His voice sounded weary, and she became concerned when she heard the pain behind it.

"I'm sorry, I think I have the wrong place. I'll just be going . . . ."

"Well that was certainly odd," she said to herself, ready to let the whole thing go at that. Then she heard a loud thump from outside, like something very large had fallen over. Then silence.

"Oh dear!" she exclaimed, leaping up and going to the door, her fear forgotten, replaced with worry that somepony might need her help. She was not the Element of Kindness without reason.

There before her was a rather handsome pure-white stallion, lying quite unconscious in a most awkward position, his legs tangled in the railing and his head resting on the bottom step. She gasped when she saw the extent of his injuries. The red stains that surrounded the cuts made a harsh contrast on his pale coat. The damage had been exacerbated by some terrible exertions, and the wounds had reopened. "Oh no! Oh you poor thing," she said, moving to cradle his head in her lap.

She noticed that his head, along with the rest of him, was quite large by pony standards. His stature was at least the equal of Big Macintosh, Applejack’s big brother, for whom Fluttershy had long harbored a secret crush. If anything, he was somewhat larger, and Fluttershy was quite certain she had never seen anypony with a more toned musculature.

Nevertheless, it was shocking to her that anypony in his condition could have been walking anywhere. She moved to wake her animal companions. Fluttershy directing the effort, they all worked together to move the unconscious behemoth inside, where they gently laid him down on a rough nest of blankets and pillows by the fireplace. Fluttershy then quickly moved to find her medical kit.

She doubted he would survive long enough for her to fetch help. Thankfully, this wasn't the first time she had performed emergency first aid. The sight of blood would ordinarily unnerve her, but his life was in her hands. Fluttershy stood over him at last with her implements readied. She took a deep breath to steady herself, then set to work.

Bourbon woke with a start. The pain of his injuries had dulled, and he felt warm and safe. Something was wrong, however. He looked around, not quite comprehending where he was. He had been walking, and made it out of the forest, and then . . . . At last, he connected the dots. He was inside. Not like inside the big barn where he had weathered cold winters in the past. This was a different inside, like the places where the others lived, except it didn't smell like the others.

"Oh hello," said a sweet little voice from behind him, "I'm soooo glad your awake, I was worried when you collapsed outside last night."

He twisted to look at the speaker. It was a cute little pony, but the color of her mane was wrong. Manes weren't supposed to be pink. But that wasn't what really got his attention. The shocker was the pair of small wings on her back. "Bird-horse," he said, staring.

"Hmm?" Fluttershy followed his gaze to her back, and the wings that she had been stretching after waking. "What's wrong? H-have you never met a Pegasus before?"

He shook his head. "We aren't supposed to have wings. Birds have wings, they're supposed to. But not us."

He regretted his words, instantly. The poor pony looked hurt, sniffling and holding back tears. "They're pretty though," he said quickly, hoping to correct the damage his rudeness had done, and finding that what he said was really true, they were quite pretty.

She perked up at this. "T-thank you," she murmured in the quiet voice she often resorted to when receiving compliments, and then blushed deeply.

Bourbon smiled, not really sure why he did so but feeling it was the appropriate response. "I'm Bourbon," he said, again feeling that telling her his name was the correct thing to do. "I'm afraid I've gotten lost, and I don't know where I am. Well, actually until last night, I didn't even know who I was. Or that I was. And I'd never really looked at the stars. The last day has been really strange, actually."

Fluttershy wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. He didn't know who he was? What did he mean by "that he was?" She was so confused. "Um. . . Okay, well, it's nice to meet you Mr. Bourbon. My name is Fluttershy. If you're hungry, I could get you something to eat . . . ."

"Thank you but I think I can move now," he said, slowly pushing himself up, "and there's plenty to eat outside."

"Okay," she said, even more confused than before as Bourbon walked through the door and outside. She followed him, curious as to what he meant. She watched as he moved slowly, favoring his injured leg, to stand amidst the grass in her front yard. Then, to her shock, he lowered his head and began to graze. She couldn't look away from the bizarre spectacle. She knew from her school days that in ancient history, primitive ponies had eaten in just this way, taking the grass straight from the ground. But they had evolved the culinary arts so far since then! It wasn't as though you couldn't eat the grass, of course, but unless you were starving . . . .

"Um, Bourbon, you don't have to do that," she said. He looked up, chewing.

"Hmm?"

"Why don't you come back inside and let me make you something?"

Bourbon had no idea what Fluttershy might be talking about, but he thought it best to avoid being rude any more. This might be her private grazing patch, after all, and he knew that some of his kind preferred to have their territory left undisturbed. So, rather than argue the point, he came inside, curious as to what his gracious host intended.

"What is it you called this?"

"A dandelion and clover sandwich," said Fluttershy as Bourbon devoured his lunch. Apparently, he had never heard of such a thing as food that required preparation.

"I've always simply eaten the grass, except when Lewis or Joe gave me oats," he told her, "But this is much better than that, even than the oats. Not quite as good as carrots or apples, but still wonderful." That gave him a dreamy, far-away look. Apples were a long-standing favorite of his. Even before his arrival in this new place, he could recall being very excited when someone offered him an apple. The taste was not at all forgotten to him.

"Bourbon, you said before that you don't know where you are, is that right?"

He nodded. "Everything here is so different since I fell out of that strange light that left me out in that forest. It isn't at all like home."

"A strange light? Oh my. Well, you’re at my home, which is on the outskirt of Ponyville."

"Ponyville?"

She pointed out her window towards a small collection of buildings in the distance. "It's a small town. We're almost smack-dab in the middle of Equestria. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else though."

"Equestria?"

"Oh goodness."

"I'm sorry," said Bourbon, "I know that I'm not making much sense but I really don't have any idea where I am."

"Maybe you should start from the beginning," said Fluttershy.

"Alright," said Bourbon as he consumed the last bite of his sandwich, "It all started sometime yesterday. Lewis and I were out because he and Joe had to fix the fence-line . . . ."

It was mid-afternoon before Bourbon finished explaining the events that had led to his arrival on Fluttershy's doorstep. For the most part, she listened quietly, occasionally asking for clarification on some point. Bourbon answered to the best of his abilities.

When he tried to explain who Lewis was, he told her, "He is my other. He takes care of me. He is good to me. He listens to me when I know something is wrong, and I listen to him, although I never really understand it all. I can't remember when he was not my other. Sometimes, like now, he goes away. Normally, I just wait with Joe, but this time was different somehow. So I followed him. I think it took me longer to get here. I don't know what else I can say about him."

But Fluttershy knew exactly what to say. "He's your friend."

"Friend?" Bourbon asked.

"Yes," said Fluttershy, nodding, "Your friend. You care about each other, help each other. I don't know what this 'others' business is about. I suppose you mean he's not a pony. Or horse, as you say." Bourbon nodded, confirming her suspicions. "Regardless," she continued, "A friend is somepony, er, somebody that talks to you, and takes care of you, and you take care of them. I know because I have some very special friends that live here in Ponyville."

"Yes," Bourbon said slowly, "Yes that word feels good. Friend. Yes, Lewis is my friend."

The look of pain and loneliness on his face was more than Fluttershy could bear. She moved so swiftly that Bourbon had no time to react other than a surprised grunt as she brought her lips to his. He sat there, frozen. When she gently withdrew, blushing furiously, he looked at her astounded. "What was that?" he asked.

"Oh, um," Fluttershy mumbled, "A kiss."

Bourbon inhaled, and caught the intoxicating scent of a mare in heat. He felt his anatomy begin to respond, but restrained it. "What does that mean?" he asked.

Fluttershy's blush darkened and her voice grew even quieter, rendering any response unintelligible. Bourbon didn't need to hear the words though. He could smell what she wanted. "Fluttershy," he murmured, using a foreleg to press her body against his. She was so small-looking, so fragile. It made him feel protective, but somehow also aggressive. She offered no resistance. "I would mate with you," Bourbon said, looking down into her eyes. Fluttershy saw the absolute and simple sincerity in Bourbon's expression.

"Not here," she said, suddenly noticing that her animal friends were staring. She pulled away from him, guiding him toward the stairs, and her bedroom. Bourbon followed without question.

Fluttershy and Bourbon kissed again. The bedroom was small and cozy, the bed itself large and soft. They continued to kiss as he pushed her down onto the mattress. He enjoyed that, the kissing. He had seen Joe and his female doing it sometimes, out by the barn. They had mated there too, but it was the kissing that had confused the stallion. If they wanted to mate, why did they spend so much time doing something that was not mating and not eating? Of course, he hadn't had the words at the time to express that confusion, and had taken to ignoring them.

Now, he thought he understood better. It was an intimate and comfortable experience. On her back, with the stallion looming over her, Fluttershy became bolder, parting her lips. To his credit, Bourbon didn't hesitate, his tongue pressing into her mouth. He tasted her, exploring her contours slowly.

Bourbon had mated often before. He had some preconceived notions of how it was supposed to go. That afternoon, Fluttershy shattered some of them. As he kissed her deeply, he became hard, and she quickly noticed his member pressing against her stomach. She looked down, then looked back up at him and grinned.

Rather than turn over so he could enter her from behind as he was accustomed, she remained on her back, and spread her legs. He looked down at her, confused. "Like this?" he asked.

Fluttershy nodded. "Please, gently. . . ."

Bourbon considered that statement. He had never had to consider how rough he was when he mated. It had never occurred to him what the mare might want, but he had no problem obliging.

Fluttershy noticed his hesitation. "It's just that I've never done this before."

Bourbon had no idea what that had to do with anything, but decided better than to object. If the mare wanted gentle, he could handle that. He lined himself up carefully, and slowly pressed the tip against her folds. She shivered, but didn't tell him to stop.

As Bourbon pushed his shaft inside her, he felt resistance. Fluttershy held him close and pressed her face into his shoulder to hold back a cry of pain. He pushed harder, and for the first time, was in a position to notice the blood leaking out around his cock. He was horrified that he might have hurt Fluttershy after she had been so kind to him. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It’s okay," she cooed to him softly, "Just don't move for a minute, 'kay?" He nodded and held his position, which was difficult because for all his worry that she was in pain, he had never felt better. She was just amazing! He had never taken such joy in a mare before!

Fluttershy was dealing with some intense feelings of her own. She had never done anything even remotely like this. It was so out of character for her! But when she had seen this big, tough stallion feeling alone and vulnerable, it was more than she could stand. Wanting him felt right. Some ponies were strict about relationships. One stallion, one mare, marriage and kids, but Ponyville was an example of a tolerant community where alternative lifestyles were concerned, so a simple fling was not likely to be a cause for scandal.

It wasn't as though Fluttershy was waiting for anypony in particular either, she was just so shy, and all the stallions tended show their attention to Applejack, Rarity, or Rainbow Dash. Even Pinkie Pie had her share of suitors. But not today. Today she had Bourbon all to herself. And what a catch! He was handsome, strong, yet gentle and so caring towards her!

Still, this was her first time, and she was giving herself to a pony she had just met. It hurt, but she had known it would hurt, and she could already feel the pain beginning to wane, replaced by something else, a tingling, and a voice in her head that said, "Keep going."

She only realized that she had actually spoken aloud when Bourbon pushed more of his considerable length and girth inside her. This time, there was less pain, and more of that tingling, which was beginning to feel especially good. She opened herself to accept him fully.

Bourbon caught the signal and began to pump slowly, out a little, in a little. He felt the warm wet depths of Fluttershy's body envelop him. She was breathing hard now, but it wasn't the harsh rasp of pained endurance. No, she was starting to get properly into the moment now. This excited Bourbon further, and he began to pump more, almost pushing his entire length inside. "Wait," she said, gasping hard suddenly. He was about two inches short of complete immersion. "I can't take any more in. It's too big."

Not wanting to quit, but utterly unwilling to hurt her, Bourbon nodded his assent. He continued pumping, careful to give her about an extra inch margin of safety. It was still the best thing he'd ever felt. Suddenly, he felt her inner walls compress around him. She cried out, but for a different reason.

Fluttershy felt her mind disappear on a wave of pleasure, a new feeling more intense than any she had ever known. It was beyond the small, insignificant little orgasms she had known in the past when she had masturbated. Even the time she had hidden in the trees of Sweet Apple Acres and watched Big Macintosh work as she pleasured herself could never compare. The vortex of impossible pleasure that emanated from her soaking, newly-stretched pussy swallowed her whole and spat her out on the other end of a brief oblivion, with a throat soar from screaming her happiness to the heavens. For a moment, she thought it was over.

Then she noticed that Bourbon was still going. Still pumping as if he had noticed nothing. She wanted to stop him, to tell him the wonderful thing that had happened. Then she looked him in the eye, and saw the recognition in his expression. She didn't have to tell him a thing. He knew. And in that moment, they loved each other for it. That was when she realized that the feeling was surging again, surging larger and harder than before, the last of the pain gone and forgotten. She felt the beginning of his climax as she built toward her own. The first orgasm was like being able to see after a lifetime of blindness. This was like her first time seeing in color. She opened her mouth in a soundless, choked scream, emptying her lungs in a gasp.

Bourbon felt his seed as it proceeded down his shaft in an inexorable advance. Nothing could stop it, and he didn't want to. He looked at Fluttershy. Sweat glistened on her face and her wings were spread wide, giving her a vaguely angelic appearance. Her eyes were wide as she tried to scream, and it was the final straw for him. With a shudder, he released everything he had.

Fluttershy was about halfway through her orgasm when she felt the hot sticky sensation fill her, pouring into the deepest reaches of her anatomy as Bourbon pumped his essence freely. It pushed her to new heights, and for some time, she could no longer tell if she was having a single long orgasm or many over and over. The two spent several long moments like that, both frozen in place as they enjoyed there completion.

Bourbon finally pulled his spent member from her, making a sticky sucking sound as she released him. He collapsed beside her, and she curled up to him, nuzzling his neck. "Thank you," she said, and the sound of her voice was sweet and sincere.

He held her close, and whispered in her ear, "No. Thank you." These words seemed to be sufficient, and they lay there on the bed in silence, until they fell asleep. Bourbon didn't even have the energy to marvel at his first time sleeping in a bed.

Author's Note

I have no idea if my ability to write clop is up to par or not. I add it because some of you like it. Some of you don't. I respect that. I ask that everyone respects everyone else's right to be as perverted or as chaste as they please in their preference of reading material.

Revelations of the Heart and Babysitting

Chapter 7: Revelations of the Heart and Babysitting

Big Macintosh watched fascinated as smoke curled upward from Lewis' mouth into the cool night air. The small stick he held between his lips flared at each breath, mesmerizing the stallion. A 'cigarette,' he had called it. What purpose it served, he couldn't guess. The smell was strange, salty. Lewis inhaled the smoke and smiled like he was eating a good meal. "So what does it do?" asked Big Macintosh.

"Well, it helps keep me calm," said Lewis, "It’s relaxin' and enjoyable, the flavor is to mah likin' and it's one of mah favorite ways tah end a day." He let the smoke drift from him, forming wreath around his face. He wasn't a heavy smoker by any means, but he figured that just meant he enjoyed them more. His hand absently massaged the bruise on his chest where Big Macintosh had pressed his hoof, and the gesture did not go unnoticed.

"Ah'm sorry 'bout that," Big Mac said, "I shoulda known better than tah think so badly of yah."

"'S’okay," said Lewis with a shrug, "To be honest, you have every right to be mad. Some humans treat their horses like shit. Hell, some humans treat the whole world like shit."

This statement got Big Macintosh's attention. What species would be stupid enough to abuse the very world in which they lived? Even the most foolish and hard-hearted races of Equestria respected it. "How do ya mean?"

Lewis looked at Big Mac for a long minute, puffing on his cigarette and thinking of an answer. Finally, he simply said, "Humans have the gift and curse of being drawn to extremes. It is within every one of us to be the very best and very worst versions of ourselves. Part of it is choice, another part is upbringing, and I suppose genetics play a part too, as some seem to be born ornery. But it seems to me that, at least recently, my people have been displaying the very worst parts of themselves, and our world has suffered for it."

Lewis looked at Big Mac, and the stallion saw in him a weariness, barely hidden behind a thin venire of optimism. Beneath his smile and manners, there was a part of Lewis that was cynical and jaded in a way that shook him to his core. Something about the place he came from, something about the things that he had seen, had hardened Lewis in a way that Lewis himself didn't realize. Big Macintosh thought hard on how to help his friend. Lewis needed a chance to embrace the beauty of life. It wasn't as though the concept was forgotten in him, the fact that he could laugh and smile was proof of that. He just needed it to mean something again.

Big Macintosh smiled. "Hey Lewis, do yah think y’all could do me a favor tomorrow?"

The next day, Lewis found himself volunteered for a job with which he had no experience whatsoever: babysitting. Apple Bloom had been frightened the night before by her elder brother's outburst, but she knew that Lewis didn't hold any grudge over it, and that was fine by her. She liked the strange new member of her family, as she had quickly begun to think of him. He was nice, and since today she was off of school, and the rest of her family was too preoccupied with the day-to-day running of Sweet Apple Acres, she got to spend the whole day getting to know her new funny-looking older brother.

They were walking through the trees toward a clubhouse that belonged to a special organization that Apple Bloom belonged to, and she was quite keen on telling him all about it.

"The Cutie Mark Crusaders, eh?" Lewis chuckled at the name. He had been mightily surprised that the ponies in Equestria had a mark on their flank to let them know when they had found their life's passion. When Apple Bloom had told him about her friends, and their plan to pursue their marks together, he had found the idea rather admirable; three friends working together to discover meaning in their lives. He liked that.

"Yeah," said Apple Bloom, "Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are the best friends ah could ask for. We'll get those cutie marks, sooner or later. After all, everypony gets one at some point. . . ." She trailed off, looking at Lewis, whom seemed to be thinking on something. "What's yer's look like Mr. Lewis?"

"My what?" Lewis looked at Apple Bloom, confused.

"You know," said Apple Bloom, pointing towards his rump, "Yer cutie mark. Yer always wearin' clothes so I haven't seen it yet. Ah try tah make a point a askin' everypony how they got their cutie marks, hopin' to get ideas."

"Well actually," said Lewis with a wry grin, "I don't have one."

Apple Bloom gasped. A grown-up with no cutie mark? Impossible! "You mean you don't know what yer 'sposed tah do with yourself, even at your age?"

"Nah," said Lewis, "I figured that out a little while back. I know fer a fact ah was born to work on a ranch, and there ain't no mistake 'bout that. Humans don't get cutie marks." Apple Bloom looked at him skeptically, suspicious that he was teasing her.

"Well, if'n yall don't get cutie marks, how do y’all know when you've found yer special gift?"

"We have to figure it out for ourselves," he said ruefully, "Some of us never figure it out at all. Ah'm one of the lucky ones."

This idea frightened Apple Bloom. Somepony with nothing special about them? That was just awful! She refused to believe it. Still, Lewis didn't strike her as the lying type. She could tell, in the way that children sometimes can, that he was sometimes sad on the inside even when he smiled, but he still spoke honestly. They were both quiet for a long moment, walking with their thoughts as the afternoon sun warmed them.

"Mr. Lewis?" Apple Bloom said, jarring him from his thoughts.

"Yeah Apple Bloom?"

"Are you gonna stay here with us from now on?" She asked this looking up at him with what he could only describe as puppy-dog/Jedi-mind-trick eyes, a love of Star Wars being one of the few popular culture interests he had acquired at college. He wasn't sure how to respond at first.

"Well Apple Bloom, I sure would like to, but tomorrow Princess Luna is coming, and then she'll probably decide what happens after that, so it's really not my choice. Besides, don't you think your family might get tired of having me hanging around after a while?"

"NO!" Apple Bloom cried, "Y’all got it backwards! Big Macintosh barely talks to anypony, but you and him get on real well and he likes havin' ya 'round! And Applejack REALLY likes you!"

Lewis did a double take at the latter part of that statement. "Um, Apple Bloom, how do ya mean, she REALLY likes me? When we're workin' together, she'll barely talk tah me."

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "She's the Element of Honesty, not real good at lyin' even when she ain't talkin' at all. She's probably worried what Granny Smith er Big Macintosh would think, which is kinda dumb 'cause I know they wouldn't mind none, but the fact is," and for a moment, she giggled into her hoof before continuing, "the fact is, she wants to be your MAREFRIEND!" Apple Bloom gave up suppressing her laughter, chuckling heartily, missing the thunderstruck expression on Lewis' face. He shook it off quickly, not wanting to offend.

"In any case," he told Apple Bloom, "we'll see what the Princess has to say. She probably knows more about what is happening than we do."

"There it is," Apple Bloom said excitedly several minutes of walking later, pointing toward the club house as it came into view, which Lewis marveled at as he had never seen anything quite like it. No gross compilation of scrap metal and two-by-fours was this, but a well built, cleverly designed structure made to in all particulars resemble nothing less than a small house that had settled in the limbs of a tree. A narrow ramp was the only indication that it actually belonged there. The details were neat and the windows even had glass in them.

The interior was equally impressive, tidy and well stocked with whatever three fillies would likely need in their pursuits. "So," said Lewis, "What would you like to do now?"

"Well," said Apple Bloom, opening a drawer and withdrawing a piece of parchment, "Cutie mark or not, you've already figured out what y’all wanna do with yer life." She opened the parchment and laid it flat before him. It was a list, entitled Cutie mark ideas #150-175. "Ah figure that means yah got the time tah help me find mine."

Lewis started reading the list, and felt his heart fall into his stomach.

Bourbon awoke as the mid-afternoon sun reached its highest point. He lifted his head from the soft pillow on which it had rested, and sniffed the air. It smelled of mating. At last, the memory of where he was returned to him, as Fluttershy shifted beside him, pressing her face against his chest with a contented sigh. He smiled down at her, happy in where he was. Happy, except that something was missing. Someone was missing. "Lewis," he murmured. He still had to find his other, his friend. And here he was, lying about.

He tried to leave the bed without waking Fluttershy, but to no avail. "Where are you going?" she asked, feeling hurt that he was sneaking out. He didn't seem to realize that he had offended.

"I still need to find Lewis, and the day will not last forever," he explained. He turned to go out.

"Wait." He stopped and turned to see Fluttershy following. "I'll go with you," she said.

"Why?" He wasn't trying to be mean, it was an honest question. He could tell by how she moved she was tired and sore, and he didn't know how far he would have to go. The journey could take a very long time, and he wasn't sure she was up to the task. So, when she burst into tears, he had no idea why.

Fluttershy, meanwhile, had completely misinterpreted his intentions. To her, the stallion to whom she had given herself had just rejected her without batting an eye. It was unbearable. She berated herself for allowing him to get so close, for letting herself feel anything for him. Stupid, stupid Fluttershy, the phrase repeated in her mind again and again. She tried to hold back the tears but they would not be held, and so the flood unleashed itself full force.

"Fluttershy," said Bourbons voice. She tried to look up at him through eyes still full of tears. "I don't know what happened to make you unhappy. If it hurts so much to stand, you should get back into bed. I just want to make sure you are well. I can tell you are tired."

Comprehension of the misunderstanding hit Fluttershy. "Oh-sniff- I thought that y-you were . . . I thought maybe you didn't care . . . ." Bourbon raised an eyebrow at this.

"Fluttershy," he said again, and this time his voice carried something that Fluttershy recognized, having heard it in her own voice before; love. "I have mated often before. I have enjoyed it. Never like with you. You are special; my first since I became whatever it is I am now. I am going to find Lewis . . . and then I'm coming straight back." She kissed him before he could say another word. She kissed him long and hard. He could feel himself becoming aroused again, but now was not the time. He pulled away. "I have to go."

"When will I see you again?" Fluttershy asked.

"I don't know," he said, "I only know which way to go, not how far. But I will come back."

Fluttershy looked thoughtful. "You're going to need to take food. Here," she said, putting some saddlebags on his back, "and I will come with you for a little of the way. I know a good place to get some food for your journey."

"Where?"

"A place where a friend of mine lives. It's called Sweet Apple Acres."

"Okay, what number was that?" asked Lewis once he was able to breathe again.

"That was a hundred sixty-two, extreme bubble-blowing stunts," said Apple Bloom as she heaved a disappointed sigh. "Ah guess that one ain't it."

"Guess not," said Lewis as he painfully coughed up a stream of bubbles, and gingerly checked several bruises on his legs. He prayed that she would try something simple next, like catching butterflies or something, but he refused to let on that he was anything but game for another round, "What else ya got?"

"Actually," said Apple Bloom, "most of the work on this next one is already done. A hundred sixty-three, raft building and sailing. Me and the girls already built the raft, but we didn't get a chance to sail it yet, 'cause we ain't strong enough to shove it off ourselves. But yer pretty strong, so this should be no problem. Ah kinda figured ya could use a break from the stunts."

Lewis offered quiet thanks to all things holy for the mercy in the hearts of young fillies. "Sure," he said, "A quiet ride on a raft sounds perfect. Where?"

"There's a creek that runs through this corner of the farm. It's not too deep and the current ain't strong, so we should be able to drift down it just a little ways without leaving the property, long enough to test it an' make sure it floats."

Lewis nodded his agreement. Here was something he was familiar with, having made a few rafts of his own to float on the creek back home. It was a relaxing way to spend an afternoon, and shoving off was never that difficult for him.

"Okay," he said, "let's go test a boat."

It took a while longer than he had anticipated getting the raft in position and ready. It had been built well away from the water, in case of flash flooding, and even using a few logs as rollers, it was slow going with just the two of them. Nevertheless, they had a good few hours left before sundown once they were set. "I'll get on alone first," said Apple Bloom, "We'll see if it will handle my weight. Then, if that works, we'll see if it'll take you too."

Lewis nodded his assent, too weary to refuse. He was having fun, but he was also finding that looking after a little tomboy-filly presented plenty of taxing challenges all on its own. Nevertheless, he was determined to finish what he started. Just as they were about to push off the raft, Applejack and Big Macintosh trotted into sight. "Hey there yall! Trying to float that raft today Apple Bloom?"

"Sure am!" she replied gleefully, "Lewis has been a great big help today! I got through more than half the new list!" Applejack chuckled at Lewis' bedraggled appearance.

"Ah can see that," she said, "Well, since Lewis is so dog-tired, why don't Big Mac and I give ya the final shove?"

Apple Bloom gladly agreed, and with both her elder siblings working together, the raft quickly found its way onto the water, the filly safely on board. The current was lazy, and the adults followed on shore as the raft began to drift downstream. While they walked, Lewis talked to them about his day with Apple Bloom. He was careful to watch Applejack, and saw that she frequently glanced at him, only to look away if she felt he was observing her, other times staring without shame. "Holy shit," he muttered quietly to himself.

"You say somethin'?" asked Big Mac.

"Naw, did you?"

"Naw," said Applejack.

"Then what's that sound?" They could feel it now, starting as a low rumble and building as the ground beneath them began to shake. Lewis looked around for the source, then spun at last to look upstream as the coin dropped. "Flash flood!" he yelled, but it was too late. A wall of white water surged down the stream bed, and within second, overtook the raft.

"HEEEEEELP!" Apple Bloom wailed as she was carried away rather suddenly. Lewis leapt into action, pelting down the bank after his little friend, Applejack and Big Macintosh in hot pursuit. They tried desperately to keep up with Applebloom, but she began to gain ground on them. As they burst through the tree line, they emerged onto the main road, and Big Macintosh ran face first into the pure-white flank of the very first pony he had ever seen that was bigger than him.

Bourbon and Lewis looked at each other.

"Bourbon?"

"Lewis?"

"Talking?"

"Yes!"

Lewis shook himself. "Explain later, time for work." Bourbon knew that phrase. If Lewis said "time for work," he really meant, "Start running really, really fast."

Lewis swung himself up, surprised to find it easier than usual. "Did you shrink?" Bourbon's ears flattened against his skull in irritation. "Right, later. Now RIDE!" Fluttershy, Big Macintosh, and Applejack watched in astonishment as Lewis rode downstream on an enormous pale pony's back at a pace that all three knew there was no way they could match.

Racing Death's River

Chapter 8: Racing Death's River

Ah'm gonna die! This was the thought that ran through Applebloom's mind in a rapid loop as the raging torrent swept her along on her little raft. She held tight to the small mast erected in the center, fighting just to stay on. The raft bucked and shook where it struck rocks or roots, and several times she was nearly thrown off. She shut her eyes tight and waited for the end.

Bourbon's hooves pounded against the earth as he poured on all the speed he could muster. His injuries hurt, and the stitching on his leg was coming loose, but he didn't care. He was exhilarated, and oddly enough, happy. He had found Lewis. Somehow that meant that everything would be fine. The only problem was that Lewis was clearly distraught. The flood expanding the stream that they ran beside seemed to have swept something of great value away. There was no time for explanations, and ultimately, none were needed. Something Lewis valued had been taken. Bourbon would help him get it back, whatever it was. Lewis was his friend.

Lewis tried desperately to keep his eyes on the raft. Bourbon was giving his all, and they were gaining, but Lewis knew that at any time, their luck might run out. A large rock midstream, or a waterfall, even a small one, and Applebloom would have very slim odds for survival.

It was then that Lewis recalled something his father had once said. "Lewis, if you're faced with an impossible task, and failure ain't an option, then even the dumbest, craziest idea you have will do just fine, 'cause whatever it may be, anything beats the tar outta givin' up." Lewis reached for the lasso on his belt.

Bourbon noticed the gesture, and saw what Lewis intended. He risked a great deal getting as close to the water as he could, to give his rider the clearest shot possible. Lewis swung Applebloom's final lifeline over his head, lining up to throw. Then, the unthinkable happened.

Applebloom opened her eyes again, shocked to still be alive. Her situation had not improved, but she was still breathing. However, the deck of the small raft was shuddering beneath her. "Oh-," was all she had time to say, before the flimsy craft that had never been designed for anything rougher than a quick paddle downstream, shattered beneath her, throwing her into the roiling stream. The shock of hitting the icy water stole the breath from her lungs, and the current forced her down. She tried to kick her way back up, but she could no longer tell which way that was.

After a brief eternity, she breached the surface, inhaling a mix of water and air. The water smelled foul, and what got in her mouth had a chemical taste that made her gag. She kicked with all her might, knowing the current could drag her under again at any second. By chance, she saw the most unlikely thing she had ever seen; Lewis, on the back of a giant pale pony, waving a lasso at her.

When Applebloom had gone under, Lewis almost despaired, but he still urged Bourbon on, hoping against hope. Moments later, when she surfaced, he barely took the time to aim before making the throw. The rope seemed to move in slow motion, hanging in the air as the world stopped around it. It reached the apex of its flight, and then dipped. Lewis pulled Bourbon up short and secured the lasso as best he could without a saddle horn, hoping that he had judged the throw well, and that it wouldn't wrap around Applebloom's neck. If he hadn't been straining against the sudden weight, he would have sighed in relief when the rope went taught, and Applebloom surfaced again, secured by her foreleg.

It took what felt like hours to drag Applebloom safely to shore. She coughed and sputtered as the filthy water left her lungs. Lewis picked up the shivering filly, and sat in the sun, trying to warm her up, as he wiped the odd-smelling water from her coat. He noted that something about the water was off. It seemed to be severely contaminated.

Of somewhat greater concern was Applebloom. He checked her and found several cuts, scrapes, and a nasty patch of developing bruises on her side. But she was alive.

Bourbon sat beside Lewis. He was getting more accustomed to sitting by now, and found it relaxing. His sides heaved as he recovered from his exertions, weary but cheerful, especially upon finding what it was they had worked so hard to rescue. The trio rested there for a good long time, watching the flood as it ran its course.

"Lewis," Bourbon said, looking down at his friend fondly. Lewis looked up at his horse.

"Bourbon," he responded, "Y’all got some 'splainin' to do."

Bourbon scuffed the dirt sheepishly. "I know," he said, "but it's good to see you again. I have a question to ask though."

"Yeah?"

"Did you always speak so strangely?"

Lewis chuckled dryly. "Ah'm surprised to hear you a-talkin' the way you do. Always figured you for a fellow country boy. Point of fact, I'm surprised to hear you talkin'. When did this happen?"

Bourbon shrugged. "As soon as I arrived. I just started thinking. Before, I just felt things, but now it’s so different. Is this what it’s like to be one of the others?"

"Others?" Lewis asked, curious.

"Whatever it is you and Joe are," Bourbon clarified.

"Human," said Lewis, "We call ourselves humans." Bourbon nodded. "And yes, to answer yer question, bein' able tah think is part of what makes us human. Welcome to the club, ah guess."

Bourbon smiled widely. "Who's this?" he gestured to the semi-conscious filly in Lewis' arms.

"That would be mah younger sister, big feller,' said Applejack as she Fluttershy, and Big Macintosh came trotting up, huffing and puffing. They each carefully inspected Applebloom, whom was just recovering the ability to speak.

"Applejack, Lewis saved me," she said, looking up at her savior with adoring eyes, "He's gonna stay with us, right?”

The adults exchanged glances. Princess Luna was due the next day. None of them knew what would happen then, or where she might take Lewis, and now Bourbon as well. Fluttershy sat beside Bourbon, eliciting a smile from the pale giant. He didn't know what had everypony else upset, he had Lewis, and he had Fluttershy. All would be well.

Fluttershy glanced at Big Macintosh, and was shocked to find that the butterflies that used to infest her stomach around him were gone. Bourbon really had become her very special somepony, and he had done it within the span of less than a day. What she would never know was how much of her initial attraction was due to the powerful stallion’s genetic inheritance, his scent signaling his fitness as a mate to the more primitive portions of her mind. Not that it would ultimately matter. Love is funny that way.

All that mattered then was how very glad she felt. She was very glad that Applebloom was well. But she acknowledged the concerns of her friends, though she didn't understand them yet, she would be sure to figure out what was going on. She looked at the little filly. And then her eyes properly focused on the creature holding her.

"Is that Lewis?" she whispered to Bourbon.

"Yes," he said back, "that is my friend. My human." Fluttershy would have been fearful ordinarily, but knowing that this new thing was so dear to Bourbon, and seeing him show such tenderness in caring for Applebloom . . . her customary "EEP!" went unuttered.

"Well Lewis," said Applejack, having determined that her little sister would survive, "Ah don't rightly know how to thank y’all fer this. All ah can say is that there'll be a place fer yah at Sweet Apple Acres, whenever yah need it." She blushed, the deep red of her skin showing through the orange of her coat, and her gaze didn't quite meet Lewis' eye. He recalled what Applebloom had said before.

"Marefriend . . . ?" he muttered quietly. Then he shook himself slightly, grateful that nopony appeared to have heard.

"Yeah," said a contented voice in his lap, so only he could hear, "marefriend." He looked down, and Applebloom smiled up at him. He couldn't help smiling back.

"Okay, here's the deal," Lewis announced suddenly, so that they could all hear him, "Ah don't know what Princess Luna is gonna have planned fer us. She might want us taken away, or gotten rid of. But I promise every one of yah, me 'n Bourbon will be back! No matter what!" Everypony smiled at that.

"Good," said Bourbon, placing a hoof around Fluttershy's shoulders, "Fluttershy is a fine mate. I'd hate to leave her alone for too long."

Every eye turned to the pair as Fluttershy's face turned red and she started to sputter. Bourbon looked at their shocked expressions, and then at Fluttershy, who seemed to be having some kind of fit. "Is it something I said?"

That evening, there were many congratulations and proper introductions going around. Twilight and Spike came to check on Lewis and were shocked to meet the mighty Bourbon, prompting another letter to Celestia, and many astonished questions. Granny Smith had outdone herself, creating a feast to put the previous night's repast to shame. All present ate and ate until they could hold no more, and were happy in one another's company.

Big Macintosh and Bourbon faced off with several feats of strength, and Big Mac was shocked to find that Bourbon defeated him at every turn, whether dead-lifting, hauling, or anything else. He was horrified to find himself looking up at somepony. Big Mac had always said that size didn't matter, deflecting comments on his physique with modesty, but now he realized how much confidence it had given him through the years to be the biggest pony around.

Applebloom regaled Spike with tales of Lewis' brave rescue, amazing him with wonderful theatrics and astonishingly realistic sound effects. Her antics were rewarded with laughter and applause at the conclusion of her performance, and she took a bow, to the delight of all.

Lastly, there were some carefully couched questions directed at Bourbon and Fluttershy. They recounted their experiences for the last day or so, and Lewis bowed to his friend before the assembled witnesses, and formally apologized.

"You are the best friend I've ever had. We've been through so much, and grown together. But the fact remains, in our home-world, you were legally speaking, my property, and therefore a slave. I hope you can forgive me. Know that you are free now to go your own way the moment you want to." There was a long tense moment of silence.

Then, Bourbon began to laugh. He laughed loud and hard, the vibrations of his voice carrying up into the night sky, disturbing several birds roosting on the roof of the barn for the night. "Lewis," he said, putting a hoof gently on his friend's shoulder, "There is nothing to forgive. I never felt I was a slave, and if you had left the gate to the pasture open every day, I would not have run away. Not far anyway, and I would have always come back. You were kind to me, you trusted me, and you cared for me. If I had possessed the ability to ask, and I wanted it, you would have granted me my freedom at any time, and we both know it. That is not the way a master treats a slave. It is how one friend treats another." And with that, Lewis found himself scooped up into the biggest rib-crushing bear hug he had ever received.

"Thanks buddy," he whispered, a single tear rolling down his face.

As the night wore on, Applebloom was put to bed, and Twilight left with a sleeping baby dragon on her back. Lewis noticed Applejack wandering outside several minutes later. He knew where to go. He said goodnight to Bourbon and Fluttershy, and secured a promise that they would return the next morning. Then he walked out into the night.

Sure enough, Applejack was out on the hill, looking at the sky. She didn't look down when he approached and sat beside her. They watched the stars together.

"Yah know," she finally began, "Tomorrow yer gonna have tah go with Luna. There ain't no way she'll just leave yah here. Ah mean ah understand why, it'd be irresponsible to just have yah hidden away here forever. At some point, somepony's bound to find yah here. And fer all them promises yah made earlier, none of us got any idea whether either of ya will ever get tah come back."

Lewis waited quietly for her to continue. His silence left her flustered. "It ain't as though ah'm angry at yah, ah'm sure you meant what yah said 'bout comin' back, but ah feel upset 'cause ah don't see it bein' that simple, and ah really . . . want yah to come back." This last part she said looking at Lewis at last. Her eyes seemed to hold the spark of some realization. She quickly glanced away. "So, uh, thing is . . . if this is gonna be the last time you're here, ah don't want to say somethin' stupid that's gonna leave us both upset, but ah also don't wanna spend the rest of mah life upset fer not sayin' anythin' so –MMMPH!"

Applejack's spiel was cut off when Lewis cupped her face, guiding her back to face him, and kissed her on the lips. "Applejack," he said as they parted, their faces bare inches apart, "Ah'm comin' back. For you." She looked into his eyes, and was astonished by what her senses as the element of Honesty revealed. This was more than just the truth. A pony could tell what they thought was the truth, and be wrong. They could make a promise, and by no fault of their own, be unable to fulfill it.

What she saw in Lewis was more than that. It was a solemn oath to return. It was the kind of truth that, once uttered, could alter reality in order to make itself so. Lewis would return, even if he had to dig straight through a mountain range and defeat both of the alicorn princesses in single combat to do it.

Applejack kissed him back, harder than she meant to. He overbalanced, and she fell on top of him, still kissing him passionately. They lay there like that until they were unable to continue, sharing a new love under the stars that twinkled as they bore witness to the beginning of something beautiful. Love is funny like that.

Celestia and Luna walked side by side as the elder sister went over Twilight Sparkle's most recent missive. Apparently there was a new arrival in town, a pale giant that outmatched even the largest pony for size, a native to the same place as the strange creature, Lewis. What was more, the two knew each other, and were dear friends apparently. Together, they had saved a filly from certain death, and the newcomer had also won the heart of the Element of Kindness, impressive feats for such a short span of time.

"What does it mean sister?" Luna asked, clearly troubled.

"I don't know," said Celestia, "The fact that either of them is present makes no sense to me. I have journeyed, on occasion, to the borders of our reality, and glimpsed some of what lies in the next world over. It is a place of great sorrow, and madness. That these two come from such a place worries me, but Twilight's letter describes these two as honest, kind, even heroic." The great alicorn sighed. "I just don't know what to make of it."

Luna nudged her sister's shoulder. "Try not to be so glum. Maybe they really are as Twilight describes. There may be no cause for alarm at all." Celestia looked at her younger sister and mussed her mane affectionately, which made Luna pout, although she was secretly happy that she and her sister had come to the point where such displays of sisterly love were comfortable again. She had missed Celestia very much.

"You may be right," said Celestia, all business once more, "but we can't take any chances. If you see any indication that they might be dangerous, then you must be ready to do anything that is necessary to protect our subjects." Celestia gave Luna a significant look. "And I do mean anything."

Luna was shocked. Was her sister saying that if the mysterious new arrivals were getting out of hand, she was to kill them? She could interpret it no other way. Celestia saw Luna's expression. "No no dear sister, please don't misunderstand. I don't expect it would ever get to that point, and neither of the creatures has shown an aptitude for magic, so a simple containment spell should be more than sufficient to control them."

Luna was relieved. Big sis Tia, as she sometimes still thought of Celestia, always seemed to know what to say to make her feel better. She strode down the corridor, ready to handle her duties for the night. The next day, she would deal with the problem of how to handle an alien and a giant.

Author's Note

I wrote this little author's note last year when I was starting out with this story on FanFiction, and it seems that many people responded strongly to what I said. I thought it might resonate with people here on FIM Fiction as well.

A Special Address to My Fellow Bronies

I want to talk. To you, my readers, reviewers, fellow bronies and most of all, my friends. My message is simple enough, but it comes from the heart: I love you all. Friendship is Magic, and we bronies, we pegasisters, we happy and accepting few, are living, breathing proof of that. I am forced, due to circumstances beyond my control, to conceal my nature as a Brony during my day to day life, even from some of the people closest to me. Watching the show on the sly, writing these fan fictions, and hearing from you all when you respond, are my only real outlets. Without you, I'd be slowly losing my mind.

Before I saw the show for the first time, I was angry. I was angry at everyone and everything, blamed the world for my problems and did little to solve them. I wrote stories that were dark and angry and nobody wanted to read them. I HATED people. I never want to feel hate or any of those other things again.

When I first became a brony, I was disgusted with myself. I thought I was a freak, a loser. I know you've heard all of this before and some of you have lived it. But that's why I can put this out there, because I know you understand. I was alone, for so long, confused and frightened. What would happen if my friends found out? My family? My boss, my teachers? Who could I tell? Nobody. I couldn't risk it. I didn't take much of an interest in the internet then, so it took longer for me to find the brony culture that was just sitting there, waiting for me. All of you, just waiting for me.

Even with things as bad as they were, I knew I was better off. I was a happier person, I wan't angry anymore. I could let go of so much that had haunted me. I was lucky enough to fall in love with a girl that turned out to like MLP when I worked up the courage to tell her about it, she's now catching up with the show. Fluttershy is her favorite. Then, a miracle happened. I stumbled across this website. I was doing research for a paper and somehow wound up reading fan fiction, right here. I barely recall which one I started with, but it was right here that I found the truth; I really wasn't alone. There was so much more than I had imagined, not just a few fringe lunatics with a fetish, but a thriving culture, all centered around this thing that had done so much to make me feel so much better about myself.

I never imagined that my writing would take off the way it has, that I would be surrounded by so much love. I'm happy now, and that isn't something I've often enjoyed in the past. But I'm also greedy. I love you all, but I want to see the faces of my comrades, to shake your hands, to talk about our lives and loves together.

So, I'm putting out this message: if anyone reading this is a brony or pegasister, and they feel alone too, feel like they have nobody to talk to, and lives somewhere near Houston Texas, send me a private message. Talk to me. Meet with me. We are a herd, brought together through our love of something beautiful and kind, in a world that has forgotten beauty and kindness. We can bring those concepts back. We can be strong, and caring. Friendship is Magic. Let's share it.

We'll Be Back

Chapter 9: We'll Be Back

Luna soared on a thermal, the warm air lifting her high over Equestria. She usually preferred the night, but she had to admit, you didn't get the same warm air pockets that the daylight produced, and it made flying so much easier and enjoyable. Her trip had reminded her of that, and she resolved to make time during a few days a week to enjoy her sister's sun. The land beneath her rolled by as she made her way towards Ponyville.

Her royal charioteers had offered to bring her, but she had declined. The last time she had come to Ponyville, the darkly decorated vehicle had made a less than sterling first impression. Of course, descending from a storm cloud as lightning struck about her probably hadn't helped. This would be different. She had learned to control her voice, and this time it would be broad daylight, with no chariot and no inclement weather. Besides, she wasn't even landing in town. She was headed straight for Sweet Apple Acres.

Bourbon and Fluttershy had arrived at the farm in the early morning, with Twilight trailing right behind. Applejack and Big Macintosh were taking the day off to stand by Lewis. Applebloom stood by Granny Smith at the door to the farmhouse, watching as they waited for Princess Luna to arrive. Applejack stood at Lewis' right hand and Bourbon at his left. He drew strength from their presence.

"There," said Lewis calmly as a dark shape appeared over the rise near the outer border of the property. Applejack gulped.

Princess Luna landed before the assembly without a sound, her wings whisper-quiet as they folded to her sides. She looked up at the gaggle of nervous looking ponies. Only one of them seemed happy to see her. "Princess!" said Twilight Sparkle, a grin on her face, "It’s so good to see you again!"

"Twilight Sparkle," Luna said with a matching smile, glad to see one of her few friends outside of Canterlot, "It has been far too long." To her surprise, the purple unicorn trotted over and gave her a hug.

"It has been too long, Princess Luna," she said warmly.

Applejack leaned into Lewis. She didn't have to say a word.

Luna and Twilight parted, and the princess approached Lewis. She looked him up and down. He didn't seem terribly dangerous, at least to her eyes. If anything, he looked vaguely cute . . . .

Luna shook her head. Where did that come from?

Lewis looked at the dark blue pony steadily. He refused to appear cowed by someone whose authority was bestowed by virtue of a fancy title. Princess or no, he would stand tall. Bourbon seemed to agree, standing at ready beside his friend. The fact that the pale stallion could speak now had not interfered with the silent understanding the two had developed over the course of many years. If Lewis would stand his ground, so would Bourbon.

"So," Luna said at last, "You two are what all the fuss was about." She turned her attention to Bourbon, and found herself facing a solid wall of white flesh. Tilting her head upward, she looked into a face that was all contained might. A fierce loyalty burned behind the giant's eyes, and she knew that if she moved to harm the alien, she would have to contend with this dark-eyed destroyer.

"You've both caused quite a fuss," she said, trying to mimic her sister's good-natured small talk tone. It didn't quite come out right. She sounded angry. Why did she always sound angry?

"Ah'm sorry if we've made any trouble fer yah," said Lewis, "We sure didn't mean nothin' by it."

Luna glanced back at the tall creature. She had to admit, he was polite. "Oh no," she said, "It isn't any fault of yours, and coming here isn't any trouble. For now I'm just glad to be out of the castle in the open air. It's a really glorious day. My sister had truly outdone herself."

"Oh right," said Lewis, slapping the side of his head, "yer one of those ponies, the sisters that control day and night!" Applejack facehoofed.

"OF COURSE she's one a them ponies Lewis. There ain’t exactly a whole lot of alicorns running around."

"Right right right, I know," said Lewis, "Ah just needed a second to make the connection. So these sisters control the sun and moon, and an entire country?"

"Right," said Applejack, "So mind yer manners." Lewis chuckled. As though he would dream of being anything other than a perfect gentleman.

"Well, Princess Luna, I owe yah mah thanks," Lewis said, meeting Luna's gaze.

Luna was taken aback. "For what?"

Lewis smiled down at Applejack. "Fer last night. The stars and moon were beautiful."

Luna's world dropped away, and there was nothing in it, except her and Lewis. Since her return, ponies had on occasion thanked her for one of her nights, even congratulated her for special occasions like an especially well-organized meteor shower. But it had meant nothing to her. She knew it was Celestia putting on pressure, trying to ensure she felt appreciated. But this thing, this human, he didn't know her sister: he was being utterly sincere. She was actually being thanked for what she did by somepony that wasn't under her sister’s influence. That hadn't happened in a very, very long time. She looked in his eyes and saw kindness, understanding, and courage. She spent an eternity looking into his eyes.

Then the moment passed and time resumed its natural course. "Ahem. You’re quite welcome, Lewis. Now, I'm told that yesterday your quick actions saved a young filly?"

"That's right!" Applebloom hollered from the porch, "He saved mah life!" Luna looked at over at the youngster.

"Come here child," she said beckoning. Applebloom trotted over before Granny Smith could restrain her.

"Hello Princess," the little filly said, favoring the monarch with a sunny smile, "Ah'm Applebloom."

"Hello Applebloom. Now, you say that Lewis here saved you? How?"

Applebloom immediately launched into her recollection of the events, trying her best not to exaggerate anything too much. While she enthusiastically told the tale, Luna felt her heart warm to the youngster. She was so lively. When the Applebloom had finished speaking, Luna turned to Lewis.

"Is all of this true?" she asked, impressed with the prowess described to her.

"The essence of it is close enough, although she makes it sound like ah swooped down outta the sky and plucked 'er from the jaws of some monster rather than drag her out of a flooding stream." Lewis scratched the back of his head, unsure what else to say.

"Show me," said Luna.

The streambed was surrounded by death. The plants on its banks were dying fast, and a strong chemical reek had settled on everything. Luna observed all of this with growing trepidation. It was disturbing to see.

"And there shouldn't be any melt water this time of year," she said quietly to herself. She looked closely at the dirt where the flood had stripped the grass away. The soil looked wrong, something was off about its coloration, never mind it smelled of burning metal. "Twilight," Luna said, turning to her sister's protégé, "I need you to take some samples of this silt. Be very, VERY careful not to touch it. Send it along to Celestia as soon as you can." Twilight nodded her understanding.

Luna looked at the ground beneath her hooves. The blight that started at the waterline was creeping outwards, claiming one plant after another. "Celestia has to be informed of this immediately," Luna said, gesturing at the devastation. Lewis nodded, still in awe of the swathe of destruction.

He looked up when the princess tapped his shoulder. "Lewis, I need to take you with me. You and Bourbon. I don't have time to properly evaluate you right now, not here. Say your goodbyes. You'll probably be in Canterlot for a long time."

Lewis looked into Applejacks eye, but held back, knowing that her family was watching. It was okay though. She knew. "Come back soon," she said. Big Macintosh put a supporting hoof on his shoulder.

Lewis looked at the two. "Can I get a hug?"

"Eeyup."

The three embraced, and Lewis felt the care and love in their hearts. When they parted, they merely exchanged a few glances, each laden with meaning. No words. All those emotions had been expressed perfectly.

Bourbon faced Fluttershy, who seemed to be completely distraught. "Don't worry Fluttershy," Bourbon said, "They cannot hold us forever. We will be back, trust me; Lewis already has a plan, I'm sure of it."

"It's not that," said Fluttershy sniffling, "It's just that . . . well Canterlot is full of beautiful rich mares . . . ." Her gaze dropped to the ground.

Bourbon stepped closer, concerned, when her face shot back up. Her eyes narrowed and her face hardened. Applejack noticed what was happening and winced. The Stare; Fluttershy's infamous ace in the hole.

"Bourbon, if you so much as look at another mare while you are gone, I will never speak to you again!"

The big pale horse was utterly overwhelmed by the force of the little pony's will. His eyes bulged and he felt his knees wanting to buckle. "No fair . . . ." he grumbled.

Fluttershy wore a small smile again. "Maybe not, but if you're good," her voice dropped to a quiet, seductive whisper, "then we'll do a lot more than talk when you return."

Bourbon trotted over to Luna with a big goofy grin. Lewis rolled his eyes as he joined them. "So, Princess, I guess we get walking huh?"

She snorted. "Nonsense! I only flied here because of the lovely flying weather, and we are in a hurry. Touch my mane."

Lewis and Bourbon exchanged a look, then extended a hand and hoof respectively to touch Luna's mane. As Lewis' digits caressed her mane, a thrill ran through Luna's body, a tingle that found its way to her nether regions and lit a spark. She felt her lust begin to rise, and quelled it. There would be plenty of time for that later.

As a bright light built around the princess, Lewis felt the distinct sensation of being plucked from the ground and thrust through a very small tube. He could have sworn he heard Luna whisper, "You're mine now," but then he was gone down that tube and the world was obliterated to his perception.

It was hours later when Lewis began to regain consciousness. He was laid out on something big and soft. He could hear Bourbon breathing nearby. That was good, they were alive. With effort, he forced his eyes open, to discover that he was on a bed in a large chamber decorated in the garb of night. Stars glittered on the roof, and moonlight streamed in through the windows.

"You're awake," Luna said as she stepped from the shadows, "I'm glad, I've never seen anypony react to a teleportation spell so strongly."

Lewis tried to rise but Luna put a hoof gingerly to his chest, pushing him back into the soft down of the bed. "No no," she said, "Lay still a moment longer, I need to ensure that no damage was done." He complied while her horn glowed and she swept it along the length of him. Satisfied that he was in good condition, she allowed him to sit up.

"Where are we?" he asked, looking around again.

"Do you like it?" Luna asked, "These are my private quarters. It took quite a bit of redecorating when I first came here, but it was worth the effort." She seemed to be quite proud of it, and Lewis agreed that it was beautiful.

"Ah gotta admit, it's awful nice," he said. He glanced at Bourbon. "Is he okay?"

Luna chuckled. "He's fine. He woke a few hours ago, saw that you were alright, then went straight back to sleep."

Lewis pushed himself to his feet. "Oh," said Luna, "Do you feel well enough to walk?"

Lewis nodded, his legs steady beneath him. He felt remarkably well rested.

"Good," Luna said, indicating that he should follow her, "I think it’s time that you met my sister."

Among the busy streets of Manehatten, a tired old stallion trotted down the back alley to his home in the late afternoon. He had been living in the small, low-rent apartment for several years now, and while he knew it wasn't exactly the nicest place, he liked it well enough. He stumbled suddenly, stalled by a coughing fit that shook his ribcage and hurt his throat. At his age, some health problems were usually a concern, and he knew that as such things went, he had been remarkable lucky.

But his luck had run out. He hacked and felt something wet and coppery in his mouth. His vision blurred, and pain wracked his body. He forced himself to his hooves, trying to keep moving toward his home, but he stumbled once more, and collapsed. He died several minutes later, afraid and alone. His name had been Fidgety Font, the caffeine-addict owner of the local printing shop.

Fidgety's corpse lay there for three hours before it was found. The kindly mare that found him touched him on the shoulder in an attempt to rouse him, and didn't notice the miniscule insects leaping away from the dead body, onto her foreleg. Neither did Font's landlord when he came to identify the body. Neither did the coroner when he came to collect the body. None of them noticed the tiny little bugs that now crawled under their coats. They each went home to their families. None of them would live to see the sunrise.

Author's Note

So my insurance pulled through and now I have a car again. My transportation assured for the foreseeable future, I now have time to work on this again. So here's another chapter. Enjoy.

New World, Same Old City

Chapter 10: New World, Same Old City

The bad news just kept coming. Celestia sighed, levitating yet another scroll before her, already knowing it would be one more problem cropping up in yet another unexpected corner of Equestria. She had to get to the bottom of it all! There was no way these were unrelated incidents. It was rapidly approaching the point where she just wouldn't have enough agents to handle all the developing situations.

There came a knock at the ancient, finely carved mahogany double doors to the throne room. "Who could that-?" she muttered to herself, and then louder said, "Please come in." What came through those doors made her drop the parchment in surprise. Luna entered, followed by the strangest creature that Princess Celestia had ever seen. It wore a large hat and boots of a matching black color, a plaid shirt and jeans. It was built in a vaguely similar manner to certain kinds of apes, but that was where the similarities ended. Just to complete the oddity of the situation, one of the most gargantuan ponies that Celestia had ever seen came following after. Taught muscles showed under his white coat. She recovered her composure, placing the message neatly back on the stack.

"So," she said with a welcoming smile, "You must be Lewis then?"

Lewis nodded in deference. He recognized by instinct one who was far older and wiser than himself, in spite of her youthful appearance. "Yes ma'am, and mah thanks fer yer hospitality."

That earned him a more sincere grin. Celestia liked his style. He was polite, but not without his rough edges. It wasn't enough to make a real judgment about the quality of his character, but he was making a good start. "And that would make you Bourbon then?"

The giant grunted in an affirmative-sounding way. She got the distinct impression that he was less than thrilled to be there, and decided not to push for further direct conversation.

She turned to Luna. "Since they have come here willingly, Lewis and Bourbon can explore Canterlot, on three conditions. First, Lewis must be disguised properly. To that end, I have this," she said as she produced a long cloak. "This cloak is enchanted, so don't lose it." She levitated the garment into Lewis' hands. "While you wear that, you will appear to any pony passing on the street to be nothing more than an ordinary earth pony. It will not change you in any real way, only how other ponies perceive you. It should be sufficient to allow you a degree of anonymity." Lewis bowed, grateful for the gift.

"Second," Celestia continued, looking at them both sternly, "under no circumstances are either of you allowed to reveal your nature or origins. We aren't ready to make that announcement just yet, although I promise you that, so long as you do no harm to my subjects, the day will come when you can walk undisguised among us. Until then, the truth of your existence is a matter of national security." Both Bourbon and Lewis nodded their understanding.

"Third," she said, and at this she softened, "You will need a guide. Luna, take the evening off and show them around town. Have fun."

Luna grinned. "Thank you Tia, I will." Celestia noticed how her sister glanced at Lewis. She suppressed a giggle.

"Alright then. If it would be alright, could you two excuse me and my sister for a moment? I would speak with her in private." The duo trotted out, leaving the co-rulers of Equestria alone.

"Tia? Have the samples revealed anything?" Luna asked in a worried tone. Celestia sighed and shook her head.

"It's the same as the others. The contaminants are powerful, and no flora or fauna that I've found has any resistance to them. Whatever it is, it’s like nothing we've ever seen before, and I don't know where it’s coming from!" She trotted over to the window and looked out over Canterlot. "I'm certain there is a connection to the recent outbreaks of new diseases, but I don't see what that could be. At least Canterlot hasn't been affected yet, although there's no telling how long that will last."

Luna hated to see her sister so distraught. "Sister," she said, "I keep telling you, let me help."

Celestia smiled back at Luna. "You are helping Luna. You’re taking care of the situation with our new guests." Her smile grew a teasing edge to it as she added, "and don't think I didn't see how you looked at Lewis. He's quite handsome, in an exotic way. Yes, go have fun tonight little sister." Luna bolted from the room, her cheeks hot as she blushed.

"Thank you Tia!"

Celestia chuckled and turned back to the missive she had been studying. It was moments like that which made being a ruler bearable.

Trusting in her elder sister to handle any crisis that arose, Luna was relaxed enough to feel ecstatic. She didn't dare study the reason for her good mood, deciding to simply accept that spending time with Lewis (and Bourbon she forced herself to think) was exactly the break she needed. Lewis and Bourbon were waiting for her outside the throne room. Lewis was examining the cloak he had been given. "Well," said Luna, "Let’s have you try it on."

Lewis shrugged and donned the cloak. Then, he was gone. In his place was a simple earth pony with a dull brown, easily forgettable coat, with the image of his boots and hat as his cutie mark. In every way, this pony was made to be another face in the crowd, anonymous and unremarkable. The pony looked at Luna. "Did it work?" Luna smiled.

"Of course! When my sister does enchantments, they always work. I don't think she's had a spell backfire on her yet."

Lewis looked down at himself, but could see no discernible change. He saw his hands, his body was its normal shape, and he didn't feel any different. He would have to take Luna's word that it was effective.

Bourbon looked him over and shrugged. "Looks and smells like Lewis to me."

Luna nodded. "Yes, well you've known him too long and have a familiarity with him that nopony else does. It isn't meant to fool anypony that really knows him, just random passerby, and convince him that he isn't worth much attention. It only works on me because I allow it." Her horn glowed, and once more, Lewis appeared to her as he was. "I can see you normally now."

Lewis grinned. "Well alrighty then. Time for a little exploring."

Luna couldn't remember ever having more fun. True, she and Bourbon attracted attention as a royal princess and a giant, but the high society ponies of Canterlot were too polite and snooty to actually make it obvious they were looking. Luna never much cared for the informal aristocracy of Equestria, captains of industry, movers and shakers, they might have had power but that didn't prevent them from being boring. The more beautified garden district near the palace was full of such ponies, but it was not the part of the city that she wanted to show them.

They passed through it quickly, and made for the merchant quarter. It was here that she had made previous forays from the castle, although before she had gone in disguise. Now, she entered in her natural form, well and safely escorted she could tell, as Bourbon took up a place at her right while Lewis walked at her left. "Before we begin a proper tour, I want to make a stop," she told them.

The crowds parted ways to let them pass, although Lewis tended to get jostled and bumped into, and few of the offenders bothered to respond. "Just like city folk back home," he said, nursing the bruise from a particularly nasty blow caused by somepony swinging a heavy shopping bag about too carelessly. She hadn't even glanced at him before continuing on her way.

The shops, however, were fascinating. Trinkets, treasures, food and art from every conceivable corner of Equestria were sold on the streets of Canterlot's merchant quarter. Naturally, the shop keepers put out their best wares, waved and called energetically as Luna passed, knowing a high-value customer when they saw one, but Luna passed over many of the major shops, and they soon gave up. They wended their way through several back-alleys to find a small antiques shop, well hidden and seldom frequented. It was here that Luna stopped.

As she led her companions inside, a kindly-looking old mare trotted out. Heavy around the middle and running gray to white in the mane, she was still perky and glad to have company. "Why hello dearies," she said, "Welcome to Boggy's Bottom-Price Antiques! How can I-I-I-I-I." She had begun to skip like a broken record when she took in her new visitors. The Princess of the Night, and the biggest stallion she had ever seen in her life! She didn't notice the small fellow that stepped in after them, for what pony could matter in the presence of such majesty and physical power?

Lewis was unsurprised at the effect on the poor shopkeeper by the appearance of a princess. What shocked him was when Luna chuckled and said, "Mrs. Boggy, don't you recognize me?" She didn't have to rub it in did she?

"Oh-oh-of course milady," said Mrs. Boggy, "Everypony knows of your return. I just don't see why you would come here to my humble shop. . . ."

"Hah! Humble? The best collection of old curios in Canterlot? Surely you jest! This is my favorite shop in town. I've been coming here for months," Luna said this in an intensely amused manner. This drew confused looks from both her companions and the shopkeeper.

"But milady, I never-?"

Luna forestalled her with a hoof. "I never came before as I am now. Always in the guise of a young filly." As she spoke, her body changed, shrinking down and sucking her wings into the flesh of her back. Within moments, a small unicorn stood where the princess had been.

Mrs. Boggy looked down at the filly. "Lil' Moontide? You mean I've been selling my antiques to a PRINCESS?" Her voice grew shrill as the shock became too much for her, and she seemed ready to faint. Lewis stepped forward and offered her a shoulder in support.

"Thank you young sir," she said when she had recovered, "That gave me a bit of a fright." The old mare turned back to Luna, whom was herself again. "Well now, I suppose I have to ask; if you were coming here in secret, why show yourself now?"

Luna stepped forward, and shocked them all by nuzzling Mrs. Boggy affectionately. "You've been so kind to me. I came here looking for some hint of a long-passed age, and instead I met you. You were kind to me and helped me to recover a sense of self out of the wreckage left by my time as Nightmare Moon. I want to give you something in return."

She stepped over to the front window, producing a small brass-handled rubber stamp. She used this to mark the window. Lewis recognized the design, having seen it in the palace several times.

Luna turned and addressed Mrs. Boggy. "This shop is hereby endorsed by the royal family. It has my formal approval as Princess and Co-Ruler of Equestria."

She smiled warmly. "You talked to me about your business, and I know times have been rough. If this doesn't help business to pick up, nothing will. And I so love coming here, I want to see you being successful. The upper-class sycophants seeking to follow the trends of royalty will come here in droves."

Her smile took on a surprised quality when Mrs. Boggy grabbed her in a big hug. "Thank you. You'll always be my little friend Moontide here though." Lewis nodded at her with a thoughtful smile. Luna returned the hug, glad she had made the decision to help Mrs. Boggy. She just wished she could work out whether she had done it to help Mrs. Boggy, who really had been a source of support during the early, emotionally distressing months of her return . . . or just so she could impress Lewis.

The tour took them through the various districts of Canterlot, and as the day drew to a close, they found their way to the entertainment district. It was like stepping into another world, which Lewis found somewhat ironic given the circumstances. The streets lit up like the Vegas strip, everywhere ponies trotted excitedly as the nightlife began to rev itself up. Plays, performances, clubs and even one heavily regulated casino, all were open for business, and as Lewis put it, "Boy howdy business sure is boomin'!"

Luna felt a surge of pride. After all, the night was her domain, and it was here that the ponies of Canterlot celebrated it. The music, the lights strung up to resemble her stars, and the wild abandon in the air that made it all so exciting, combined to make it the most vibrant part of Canterlot.

However, she had brought them there to have fun, and they couldn't do that if everypony they met was entreating her for her royal favor. She changed once more, not into the filly from before, but merely a more toned-down version of herself, without the wings, and a full moon cutie mark. "Shall we?" she said, gesturing.

Lewis and Bourbon got their first taste of Equestrian entertainment and couldn't get enough. The attended a performance by somepony named Elvis Prancley, an up-and-coming new rock-and-roll musician. Lewis found this hilarious for reasons that neither Luna nor Bourbon understood, and said nothing other than, "Every world needs one."

After this, they went and saw a play. It was entitled "Unbecoming Ponies," and while it was perhaps a bit on the lewd side, it certainly was worth seeing, centering around a trio of dear friends who, of all things, found themselves trapped in an world far from their own. Lewis found their leader, Max, to be an especially moving character. The action and drama were exciting. The romances were especially passionate, and had Luna blushing and stealing glances at Lewis, using her magic to observe him through his disguise.

As the night progressed, they were feeling exhilarated, but each of them needed to catch their breath. Luna suggested a nearby club. They had delicious and exotic drinks, and a pleasantly relaxing atmosphere. Lewis and Bourbon were delighted for a chance to take a break.

They went inside and secured a booth. After talking briefly, Luna handed a few bits to Lewis. "Go ahead and order three Happy Horseshoes. Trust me, you'll love them. If you excuse me, I need to use the little filly's room." Lewis eagerly accepted the invitation, and headed to the bar.

Bourbon was alone at the table for all of a few moments before he felt a hoof on his meaty shoulder. "Hey there big stuff. Thought your friends would never leave." Bourbon looked up and his lower jaw hit the floor with a thud as he beheld one of the most gorgeous mares he had ever seen.

Her light red coat and dark red mane followed the contours of a body designed for sex. He could feel the meat between his legs make a thump against the underside of the table as it stood erect. This caught the mare's notice. "Oh my, you are hot to trot tonight. Mind if I join you?" Bourbon offered no objection as she sat across form him at the table.

Meanwhile, Luna had finished powdering her horn, or whatever it is that mares claim their restrooms are for, and was about to head back to the booth, when she saw that Bourbon had gained some company. "Perfect," she said, "I'll have Lewis to myself for a while."

She turned to find Lewis when an obviously drunk unicorn stallion rather abruptly draped himself over her shoulders. "Hhhheeeeyyy thar' swee-hart," he slurred, "Howsabou you 'n me get outta here. Yer big boyfriend’s got other plans, and the lil guy ain't much of a pick." Luna sidestepped, leaving the unbalanced drunkard to fall to the floor.

"I'll pass," she said, disgusted. She looked across the bar and spotted Lewis. She was about to wave to him when she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and fell to the floor. She lost consciousness as somepony began to drag her to the back exit.

Lewis saw Luna at the same moment she spotted him. He also the small flash of metal as the unicorn behind her used his magic to strike her head with a tiny ball bearing. Nopony else noticed as he and several of his friends half-carried half-dragged her out through the back door into the alleyway behind.

Lewis tried to remain calm. He caught Bourbon's eye, who had once again sensed something was wrong, although he hadn't seen a thing. The unspoken communication told the loyal quarter horse everything he needed to know. He excused himself from the booth, leaving a confused and hurt-looking mare behind. They headed toward the door.

Luna regained consciousness in a filthy alley, lying on a pile of rubbish. Over her stood five stallions, all leering at her with evil intent. Her head vibrated with pain, centering on a small spot on the back of her skull. She looked up and recognized the drunkard that had been slobbering on her.

"Well well well," he said looking down at her, still quite drunk, "Lookee at who's awake now boys, he he he." He kicked Luna in the side, making her double up in pain. "Wha's wrong cutie? Not feelin' so hot nomore, are ya?" The unicorn’s friends laughed, pity and remorse utterly absent in their expressions.

The ringleader bent down and grabbed her by the mane. "Well guess what? I still think yer pretty. An' ahma gonna prove it." As he said this, he forced her over on her back, legs in the air, and pressed her down. She felt something hard and fleshy slap her thigh.

Luna cast a spell to hurl the abusive asshole into the nearest wall with almost lethal force. Nothing happened. He didn't even notice. That was when she felt it. Her magic was . . . gone. The injury to the head, she was sure, was somehow responsible. Without it, she had no chance of fighting off this many opponents, and if she tried, she had no doubt they would hurt her far worse. There was nothing she could do. As the leader lined himself up, she prepared herself for the unspeakable ordeal. "Lewis," she murmured as tears began to pour down her face. She shut her eyes.

Then, the weight of her would-be abuser was gone, and she heard a scream of pain. When she looked up, there was Lewis, his foot firmly planted on the testicles of the unicorn, from whom the painful screams were emanating. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking utterly unconcerned at being completely surrounded. Luna couldn't speak yet, so she simply nodded. "Good, then I don't have tah kill 'im."

"Kill this fucker!" the battered rapist squeaked to his companions.

"I wouldn't do that," said a voice like a furious thunder clap. From the end of the alley came the comparatively enormous figure of Bourbon, every inch the manifestation of barely-contained violence.

The unicorn finally wormed his way out from under Lewis and righted himself, facing off with his gang against Lewis and Bourbon. The alley was a dead end, and the only way they could escape was past the two. By this time, the patrons of the club had noticed something happening, and a crowd was forming to watch. None of the onlookers got involved, however, unaware of the circumstances behind the impending tussle.

"Hah!" one of them exclaimed, "You think just the two of you are enough to beat us?"

Another chimed in, "You don't have good odds. Two ponies against five is bad news for you, even if one of you is a giant."

That tore the last straw of Lewis' patience. "True," he said, grabbing the edge of his cloak, "But how about a giant and a cowboy?" With the word cowboy, he flung the cloak aside, revealing himself. A wave of shocked whispers ran through the gathered observers at the sight of the strange creature before them. Some were fascinated, other's fearful.

"Ya'll think any part of this is okay?" he asked, "Yah think yer tough, all five of ya pickin' on one mare? Do yah find that sexy? Er is it just that no mare'll touch yah unless they're unconscious? Are yah proud a yerselves?"

"Shut up!" howled the unicorn, levitating the ball bearing that he had used on Luna and firing it at Lewis magically. There was a loud "PING" and then a puff of brick dust, as Lewis deflected the ball off the flat of his knife's blade, and it embedded itself in the wall beside him.

He sheathed the knife again, and reached for another of the rancher's tools hanging from his belt. "Bourbon, occupy the others for a minute, ah want the cocky fucker tah myself." Bourbon nodded his assent eagerly. Lewis wanted him to fight. He would have no trouble doing so.

As Bourbon tore into the four accomplices, Lewis and the unicorn circled each other. "What's yer name?" Lewis asked.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Ah like tah know whose ass it is ahm whoopin'."

His opponent braced to attack. "When they ask who killed you, tell them it was Brisk Brightlowe!" With that, Brisk lunged. Lewis neatly sidestepped him. By now, he was holding something in his hands, an elongated stick with two metal prongs at the end, and a switch on the grip. Brisk, knowing nothing about a rancher's tools, merely laughed at the absurdly flimsy-looking device. "You want to fight me with a funny-looking twig? Fine, freak. You'll find I'm tougher than that!" He lunged again.

"Are yah now?" said Lewis, his eyebrow raised. This time, as he sidestepped the unicorn, he brought the device up, resting its end on Brisk's nose. He flipped the switch, activating the hot-shot cattle prod and delivering an extended jolt of nine-thousand volts of electricity straight down the unicorn's face and into his head.

Brisk stumbled a few feet further, then moaned as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, then collapsed, soiling himself in the process. Lewis shook his head. "Asshole."

A few more jolts and some powerful kicks from Bourbon were enough to dispatch the remainder of the gang. Lewis turned to the assembled crowd, who suddenly fell silent as the defeated ponies lay twitching, at least two more in puddles of their own filth. "These ponies were about to commit an unforgiveable crime. There can be no excusin' their actions. Ah know ah look a bit different, and ah understand if ah seem scary to yah, but these five here are the only monsters in this alley."

There was a long silence. Then, the entire crowd broke into thunderous applause, cheering for the heroic alien and his giant companion that had so bravely faced the gang, whom as it happened were already well known as scumbags, and wanted by the authorities on charges of several counts of sexual assault, battery and other crimes. Luna got to her feet, and walked over to Lewis. He faced her, and asked, "Are you alright Luna?"

As her disguise fell away, the spell finally wearing off, the crowd watched as one of the co-rulers of Equestria was held in the arms of an alien as she broke down and cried, sobbing her fear and relief into his chest.

Sharing the Load

Chapter 4: Sharing the Load

"CRACK!" The sound of Applejack's hooves connecting with an apple tree echoed out across Sweet Apple Acres, followed by the dull thuds of the fruit falling into the barrels she had carefully positioned in advance. Satisfied that the tree's branches were emptied, she moved to the next tree. "CRACK!"

Applejack was always a hard worker, but her pace frightened Big Macintosh. He had rarely seen her like this before, and it was usually when she was upset about something. She tried to distract herself with work. He hoped she would calm down soon, so he could try to get her to tell him what was wrong, but it didn't look like she was planning on slowing down. Whatever was going on, it clearly weighed heavily on her mind. He moved away, letting her have some space until she wore herself out a little.

"Darn it!" Applejack growled as another rain of apples fell around her. She was working as hard and fast as she could, but she couldn't get it off her mind. Why? Why would she be so attracted to an alien that she had only met yesterday? Why? No matter how she pushed herself, all she could see in her head was Lewis' face, and as she worked, she could also feel herself becoming aroused.

"You okay Applejack?" Lewis asked, standing behind her as she wound up for another charge.

"EEEP!" The sudden cry surprised Lewis and Applejack alike. To Applejack's eternal shame, the sound was identical to Fluttershy's trademark squeak. Lewis, on the other hand, found it utterly adorable. Of course, he would never say so out loud, at least not in Applejacks presence. He still thought of her as 'The Goddess' in the privacy of his own mind.

"Ah'm alright," said Applejack once she recovered, "Yer kinda sneaky, huh?" Lewis bowed in a self-mocking manner, getting Applejack to chuckle, which seemed to delight him.

"I gotta admit, I never thought to see fruit bein' gathered like yall do it," said Lewis.

Applejack was confused. "Whaddya mean, I'm just buckin' the trees. Apples been gathered this way since 'afore Granny Smith was born. How do humans get 'em outta the trees?"

Lewis walked over toward the tree she had targeted. At first, she thought he would strike it in some unexpected way. But then he hugged it. "What are y’all . . . oh." Even as she asked, he quickly shimmied up the trunk of the tree to one of the lower branches. He picked an apple and dropped it neatly into an empty barrel waiting below.

Lewis chuckled at Applejack's surprised expression. "A long time ago, before my species fully evolved, our ancient ancestors lived in trees. We still haven't completely forgotten how to climb, it seems." With a skillful leap he dropped to the ground, landing with bent knees to absorb impact. "I'll admit," he said as he stood up, "I'm probably better at it than most."

A thought struck Applejack. "Ain't you supposed to stay outta sight? What if somepony spots you?"

"Look around," Lewis said, gesturing to the surrounding trees, "They ain't gonna spot me from tha road, and I ain't living with you folks without earnin' mah keep." With that, he snatched up one of the barrels full of apples and hefted it with a grunt. "You keep these over by the barn, right?" he asked.

Applejack merely nodded mutely, not sure if she could carry on the conversation any more. He was too . . . perfect. They had been willing to let him rest that morning, getting up for work quietly so as not to disturb him. Yet here he was, waking himself on his own volition, and rather than asking for breakfast or lying low, he was risking exposure simply to help them, out of gratitude for their hospitality. The Apple family occasionally had guests, and the hard-working clan generally found them unhelpful, lazy, and constantly complaining. Even her friends only seemed to come by occasionally to visit when they needed something, and then they seldom offered to help out around the farm.

Yet here was this near-complete stranger, lugging a barrel full of apples for her without being asked. He was shirtless now, and she could see the contours of his upper torso. It was utterly strange to her, of course. Never had she seen a body that resembled his. And she liked it. "I want you . . . ." she whispered.

"Sorry Applejack, didn't catch that," said Lewis, turning back.

"Ah, um . . . ah want ya to, er, take that 'un down to the farmhouse, I think Granny Smith said somethin' 'bout making some pies this afternoon," she said, hoping her nature as the Element of Honesty wouldn't interfere with her dissembling. She wouldn't have been convinced. To her relief, Lewis nodded his understanding and marched down toward the farmhouse as instructed. She sighed, letting out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. "Close one," she muttered to herself more carefully, "Gotta watch that." The confused farm pony braced to buck another tree.

Lewis looked back at Applejack as she charged. "CRACK!" She was graceful, yet powerful, and he admired her form as she executed the kick perfectly. He thought about how she had looked away when she spoke, and what he had thought he had heard. "She wasn't . . . no way," he decided, continuing along toward the farmhouse. But the thought wouldn't leave his mind.

Lewis spent the day much in that manner. Applejack would buck the trees, and Lewis carried the barrels full down to the barn. The barrels were heavy, and his arms burned with the continuous effort. At last, around midday, Big Macintosh called a cease to their efforts for a brief lunch. Lewis declined an offer to split a dandelion sandwich, opting instead to try a couple of apples and some water.

"Hope ya like 'em," said Big Macintosh, handing Lewis the fruit, "The apples here are the best in Equestria, ya won't find nothin' else like 'em." Lewis accepted his lunch with a nod, and took his first bite of genuine Sweet Apple Acres produce.

Big Macintosh looked up to see that Lewis was crying. He wept, unashamed, yet wore the biggest grin she had ever seen. Big Mac looked on in concern as he tapped him on the shoulder. "Lewis, ah, are ya OK?" Lewis nodded.

"Well, is it bad?" he asked, fearful of the answer.

He shook his head no.

"Are ya chokin'?"

Again, he shook his head.

"Well then," said the worried stallion, "Why are you crying?"

Lewis looked up and in one fluid motion, brought Big Mac into the tightest bear-hug he could manage with such a large pony. "Thank you Big Mac. That has to be the best thing ah have ever eaten in my life."

He wasn't lying. The flavor of it exploded in his head, like every one of his favorite desserts all at once. It didn't hurt that he hadn't eaten in more than a day. It was without exception, the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. After releasing Big Mac, Lewis quickly devoured the remaining fruit, sticky juices running down his beard.

Big Mac chuckled as he watched Lewis eat. He had never seen such a passionate reaction to the apples his family grew before. As the last of the meal disappeared, he decided that the food from 'Earth' must be pretty terrible, for Lewis to take something as simple as an apple like that.

Lewis placed a hand on his stomach, suddenly feeling quite full. It was a satisfying feeling. Before he could enjoy it, Big Mac stood again. "Time for me tah get workin' again." Lewis forced himself to his feet with a groan. Big Mac noticed his fatigue. "Listen, ah appreciate all the work yer puttin' in, but ifn ya ain't used tah this kinda thing, forcin' yerself is just gonna get ya hurt."

Lewis nodded. "I know, I live on a ranch, and hard work ain't new to me. It's just that I kinda spent some time in the city recently, and it’s sorta made me soft. I just need tah find my second wind is all." He looked around and noticed something amiss. "Hey, Big Mac, where'd Applejack get to?"

A loud crack sounded off to the east, answering his question. "Seems she's gone and worked 'erself up again," said Big Mac, "I figure she'll calm down soon though. She's learnt better than to overdo it. If'n ya still feel like workin' ah could always use a hand." Lewis nodded his assent, slightly saddened that he couldn't work with Applejack any longer, but if she was upset, he figured she could use some time to herself. He knew people like that from home, the kind that had to immerse themselves in hard labor of some sort to work off their emotional problems. His father was exactly the same way.

As the day progressed, Lewis got to talking to Big Macintosh. Apparently, the large red pony wasn't worried about meeting an alien, for to him that was exactly what Lewis was. "Yall seem harmless 'nough," he said. The two had already become fast friends, and they cheerfully talked about themselves, their interests, and their homes. Big Macintosh was primarily interested in what one learned at "college." Lewis tried to dumb down some of the concepts. It wasn't that Big Mac was stupid, or slow. He was a farm pony, and had been all his life. Because of this, his education had been fairly limited. Still, Lewis soon learned that his new friend had a quick wit and an excellent sense of humor.

At one point, Lewis found himself chuckling. "What's funny," Big Mac asked.

"Well," said Lewis, chortling away, "yesterday I was workin' on a farm, got sent through some kinda wormhole, to a world inhabited by talking alien ponies and dragons, where I'm now back to workin' on a farm."

Big Mac chuckled, his deep voice booming out loudly. "You seem to have farm work in yer destiny," he commented. Then he grew quiet for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face as he loaded a cart with apple barrels. "Say Lewis, I don't wanna ask ya somethin' too personal like, and ifn ya don't wanna answer me, that's fine, it’s just that ya haven't volunteered the infermation . . . ."

"Big Mac," said Lewis with a mildly reproving look, "you and yours have shown me the kindest hospitality. There ain't nothin' you can't ask, and I've got nothin' in particular to hide."

"How did yah get here exactly?"

Lewis was thoughtful and quiet for a moment, while Big Mac waited expectantly. At last, he spoke. "Well, ah don't have a problem answerin'. Last night ah kept mah mouth shut fer fear of offendin' and such, but I'll tell all a yall tonight when all concerned parties are present, so ah don't have to go repeatin' mahself. Is that fair?"

Big Mac nodded. "That's right good thinkin' Lewis, that way ya just gotta tell it the one time. I shoulda thought a that."

They continued in this way for some time, and both managed to learn quite a bit about one another. The work was easier for having company, and the afternoon began to fade into evening, and the sun began to set. As they walked back toward the farmhouse, the smell of something delicious wafted toward them, just as the first few stars of the night came out. "That smells just heavenly," said Lewis, enticed by the scent.

"That'll be Granny Smith's apple pie, fresh baked it smells like," said Big Macintosh, a grin spreading on his face, "and that means dinner tonight is gonna be a grand ole feast!" With that, he picked up the pace, Lewis struggling to keep up behind him as he slipped his shirt back on, not wanting to go inside bare-chested, although he hadn't seen much indication by his new friends that clothing was required.

Big Mac was right, and the spread on the dinner table was considerable. Granny Smith looked up as they came in. She and Applebloom were busy setting the table. "Big Macintosh," she said, "You were out workin' kinda late today. And is this the young feller that yah mentioned was so kind to our little Applejack?"

"Sure is," said Big Mac, nudging Lewis.

"Mighty nice to meet you mam, yes ahm Lewis," he said, removing his hat, "I don't know about the rest though, seein' as what I said sounded mighty dumb at the time. . . ."

"Nonsense youngster!" Granny Smith said, waving a hoof dismissively at him, "A fine young mare like my granddaughter deserves a nice compliment once in a while, and yer a perfect gentlecolt fer sayin' nice things to 'er, whatever it was that yah said."

Big Mac and Lewis chuckled. Granny Smith's forgetfulness seemed to be a familiar part of life at Sweet Apple Acres, and Lewis found himself instantly endeared to the old mare, especially when he saw exactly what dinner that night would consist of; more of those magical apples. There were other things of course, other fruits and vegetables, some of them recognizable, but these were distractions from the main event: the biggest, best-smelling and Lewis was certain best-tasting apple pie he had ever beheld.

"Hang on dearie," said Granny Smith when she noticed Lewis' hungry stare, "We don't eat 'til everypony is at the table. Now Big Macintosh, where's yer sister? She was 'sposed to be in here already."

Big Mac and Lewis looked at each other. "Y’all don't think . . .?" Lewis began.

"That she's still out there, actin' a fool? Yeah, I 'spect she is," Big Mac answered. He knew his sister well after all.

"Well Big Macintosh," Granny Smith said, "I need yer help in here right now. Mr. Lewis? Would yall be so kind as to fetch her. She'll be out in the eastern fields now. Just follow the path toward the road, then turn when ya get to the old well. There's a smaller path off to one side, just foller it and you'll find 'er easy 'nough."

"Yes mam, I'll go and get her," Lewis said, shooting a longing glance at the heavily laden table as he left.

When he was gone, Big Mac looked at Granny Smith expectantly. "What is it?" she asked, noticing his glance.

"Ya said y’all needed my help . . . ." he began.

"Oh horsefeathers," Granny Smith snorted, "Ah just wanted you to let 'im go find 'er on his own."

"Why's that?" Big Macintosh asked, confused, "He might get lost without nopony to look after 'im!"

"Oh don't worry dear, the moon is bright and the path is easy to find," the wily old mare replied, amused by her grandson's slow grasp of the situation. "Besides," she added, as she turned toward the kitchen, speaking mainly to herself, "Ya have ta know the heart of a young mare to really understand . . . ."

Lewis found the path by the old well without any trouble. He hadn't thought to wonder how Granny Smith had known where Applejack would be. She seemed to speak with authority, and he knew there would be no point arguing. He just hoped that she was right. He followed the small foot-trail through the trees, the moonlight making it fairly easy going. "Safer than running blind," he thought. After a few minutes, the path sloped upward, and he saw an open space ahead.

As he emerged, the beauty of what he was seeing struck him like a hammer. A hill overlooking all of Sweet Apple Acres rose above him, with the full moon hanging overhead. There, atop the hill, sat a familiar silhouette. He moved closer, remaining silent as he approached, for fear that the beautiful sight would melt away or shatter if he disturbed the silence.
At last, he got close enough to hear that Applejack was whispering. Worse, she was crying.

"Ah just don't know," she said, looking into the sky, "ah don't know what tah think, what tah feel right now. I need help! Ma, pa, I don't know if y’all 'kin hear me, but ah need a sign! It's all too much right now! I feel so strange! Please . . . ." she broke off into sobs that rent Lewis' heart in half. He realized now that he had intruded on a private moment, and made to back away.

Sadly, his luck ran out, and he stepped on a small stick. The snap alerted Applejack, whom stood bolt upright. "Whose there! Come out where I can see ya!" Knowing that there was no point in hiding, Lewis stepped forward.

"Heya Applejack. Granny Smith sent me to tell ya supper's ready. I didn't mean tah intrude."

Applejack turned, sniffing and wiping her eyes to clear away the sign of tears. "Ya didn't have tah come, I'd 'ave been down soon. Just needed some time alone."

Lewis nodded. "I'll leave you alone then." He turned to leave.

"Wait." He looked back at Applejack. He could see confusion in her eyes, and pain, but something else as well, something deep and impossible to define. Something that shook him to his core, yet left him elated, every nerve in his body tingling in response to something he could not yet begin to understand. "Stay," she said at last, "Please stay. Ahm . . . done being alone for now."

"Okay," he said, taking a seat next to her. She smiled in thanks, but blushed and looked away when he returned the smile. She prayed that he would not guess what her reaction meant, or that if he did, he wouldn't find her disgusting. Disgusting for feeling so strongly about him. She hoped that they could be friends . . . no. No, she knew that his friendship would ultimately be insufficient for her. But, if she could only have him there beside her for a little while, just a little while . . . .

"You really miss them, don't you?" Lewis' statement confused Applejack. It wasn't what she had expected and she looked back at him. "Your folks," he clarified, "Big Macintosh mentioned they were . . . that they had passed. I'm sorry; I heard what you were saying before."

Applejack tried not to cry. She really tried. But she could feel the tears welling up inside, the pressure behind her eyes building. Partly because she did miss her parents, but also because a part of her, a small, treacherous part of her, had hoped Lewis would guess her feelings.

Before the fountain inside her could pour forth, she felt something on her shoulder. It was gentle, yet firm, not like a hoof, but supporting, and warm. She looked up and saw that Lewis had placed his strange "hand" appendage on her, in a universal gesture of support and comfort. "Yes," she said in a shaky voice, "Ah do miss them. Ah wish they were here. I feel so lost right now."

"Could be worse," said Lewis, putting his arm around Applejack, not noticing her blushing furiously in the moonlight, "Ah know about feelin' lost. Wish ah could talk tah my folks too." He squeezed her and looked up at the sky. "Least ah got a friend like you, Applejack. Least we can feel lost together."

Applejack looked at the alien that held her, and followed his gaze upward, to the stars. "Yeah," she said, "Yer right 'bout that."

She leaned into him, and the two sat there for a long time, watching the stars.

Author's Note

I probably should have noted this earlier but credit to JBL for some big help on checking for grammar and spelling errors.