A Whole New World

I'm going to be doing time jumps here and there to keep the story going, I don't want it getting too slow. If there are any important time jumps, I'll put in the new date at the beginning of the chapter.

21st Spring's Apex, 2012

It's been about a week since that party, and I'm starting to settle into Ponyville quite nicely. Everpony's been friendly to me since the speech, and I was surprised at how confident they were around me; humans would never be able to accept a new species this quickly. Me and Lyra have been talking a lot too. She seems more interested about my species than any other pony in town, and I've been more than happy to tell her about my history and culture. I decided to leave out the wars; I didn't want to damage a healthy friendship.

The slouched sitting position I was in when we met seems to have rubbed off on her, and she's sitting like me every time she gets a chance. She even tried to convince her friend, Bon-Bon, to try it, but she wasn't having any of it. Every time Lyra tried it she would reassuringly say, "It does look comfortable, but I don't think it's for me."

Working on the farm has been quite enjoyable too. The pay is more than enough to cover the rent at the Bannered Mare, and I'm managing to keep a little extra on the side. I've found that the stamina thing I had when I went running is a massive help. My strength is still limited to what I could carry before, but I just don't seem to tire. I've found it especially useful when I let the pigs into the barn. I have to lift up a gate to let them eat from the trough, then start running before they trample me.

As well as feeding the animals, I've been picking crops too. I haven't been bucking apples yet though; it was the most important job on the farm, and Applejack wanted to make sure I was up to it. Today, however, she approached me as I was woking in the corn fields.

"Hey Dutch, wanna try yer hand at apple buckin'."

She was blunt about it, but she didn't need to be elaborate, and I liked that, "Sure AJ. I'll just finish this patch of corn and I'll join you." I threw a few more corn cobs into a cart, and pulled it over to the barn. I entered the orchard, and saw Applejack standing next to one of the smaller apple trees.

"Ah thought Ah should start ya off with somethin' simple."

"Thanks," I looked at the tree, "So I just... kick it?"

"Yup."

I got into a combat pose, and launched my leg at the tree, impacting it with my sole about mid-way up. I felt the vibrations tear through my leg, and the tree shuddered. I was rewarded when I saw a bunch of apples fall out into the buckets around the trunk. It didn't look like much, so I counted them up. There were...

"...seven?" I was devastated.

Applejack chuckled. I had no idea why, "Not too bad Dutch. First time too."

"Not too bad?! I've seen you get every single apple after one kick. How is this..." I gestured at my measly collection, "...not too bad?"

"Because Ah haven't shown ya the Apple family secret yet."

That part shut me up. She pointed to a particular section of the trunk. Upon closer inspection, I saw the bark went down the tree at an angle, rather than being vertical. It was only a few square inches wide, but it was still visible.

"This here's the sweet spot," Applejack explained, "Very few ponies know about it. Kick here, and see what happens."

I readied myself again, and gave another kick. I felt all my force enter the tree this time, and apples fell from the branches like rain. The buckets were filled to the brim, and when I walked under the tree, I saw that every apple had fallen off, along with a few loose branches. I pumped my fist in the air, letting off a cry of victory.

Applejack laughed at this, "That's one heck of a kick ya got there Dutch. Ya might even rival me."

"Ha, I'll hold you to it!" I replied.

I moved onto another tree, and searched for the mark on the trunk. Upon finding it, I gave the tree a kick, and every apple fell out again. I felt my spirits soar, and I continued to buck apples for another hour before Applejack said we were needed back at the house.

Big Mac was waiting for us, and Applejack asked what we needed to help with.

"We got a message from Red Gala's farm. A herd of rabbits just hit them, and they're headin' our way."

"What?" Applejack sounded worried, "Ah thought they wouldn't arrive for another month."

"Nope," Big Mac replied, "Their migration came early, they'll be here within the afternoon."

Applejack turned to me, "Dutch, get that map of the orchard now!" I wasn't going to argue, this really had AJ on edge. I grabbed the map from a shelf in the living room and spread it out on the table for the others to see, "What's going on guys?"

Big Mac replied, "Every year, rabbits come through here on their migration path. We usually hear about it in advance, and it takes us a few days to create a path where they can get through without damaging the orchard. But now, we've got nothing, and they'll be hear in a few hours. They could do some serious damage to our sales if they get onto the farm."

They gave me all the details, saying the herd would come from the northwest, and that it would be about 75 rabbits. I studied the map for any way to prevent the rabbits getting to the farm. It was then that I noticed there was a brown line on the map that went around the farm.

"What's this mark here?"

"That's an old riverbed," Big Mac replied, "It dried up a long time ago, and it's more of a trench now."

"What's the ground like in there?"

Big Mac shrugged, "Pretty solid. Flat too."

I thought for a second, "Is there any chance we could funnel the rabbits in there and around the farm?"

"Ah don't know," said Applejack, "It'll be a hard time keepin' them in there, but it's the only chance we got."

"Eeyup."

"Alright. We're probably going to have to dig an entrance and exit, then herd the rabbits in there. Applejack, can you do that with Winona?"

"Sure thing." Applejack seemed more confident now.

We headed outside and grabbed the shovels from the shed. We managed to find the riverbed fairly quickly, and wasted no time digging a large ramp into the trench. We spent about an hour digging, but I just kept going, I wasn't feeling any fatigue. When the ramp was nearly finished, I told the ponies that I was going to start on an exit, and they could join me when they finished. After finding a suitable part of the river on the other side of the farm, I set to work. Ten minutes later, Applejack and Big Mac arrived. I could see the sweat pouring off their coats, but they managed to work just as hard as me. This farm really meant a lot to them.

As we got close to finishing the exit ramp, we heard Winona barking in the distance. The herd of rabbits was approaching. I told Big Mac and Applejack to go over there and get them in the riverbed, whilst I finished the ramp.

"Just stay on the edges of the trench, don't let any get out!" I called as they ran through the orchard.

I need to get a move on now. I started digging again, but I could hear the thundering of paws heading down the riverbed. I forced myself to dig faster, and just as I was finishing, I saw Big Mac coming through the trees, with Applejack on the other side of the trench.

"Ya better have that ramp ready Dutch," I heard them calling.

I jumped down into the trench as stood past the exit, banging my shovel on a rock to try and stop them running past me. Applejack and Big Mac did the same, stomping their hooves on the ground. We were creating as much noise as we could to deter the hoarde approaching us.

I saw a few rabbits at the front start to divert into the exit, and the other rabbits started playing Follow the Leader, as they all merged into the new path. We all cheered as the herd left the trench, and continued on their migration path towards a forest.

After celebrating for about ten minutes, I said, "Right then. I'll go to the entrance to the riverbed and see if they did any damage to the orchard. If you two do the same here, we'll meet halfway." They agreed, and I set off back towards the beginning.

I scanned every tree, but it quickly became apparent that the rabbits weren't even given a chance. The trunks were intact, and the apples on the ground had no bite marks in them. It followed the riverbed around the orchard, and saw Big Mac and Applejack coming the other way, both with a look of amazement on their faces.

When we got closer, Applejack jumped into my arms and gave me the tightest hug I'd ever had, "Let me guess, there was no damage."

Both of them started laughing, so I took their answer as a 'yes'. Applejack eventually replied, "Ah don't know how we did it Dutch, but we owe ya big time. We woulda lost hundreds of bits worth of apples if they got through here."

She reached up and pecked me on the cheek. I was taken aback by this, and she released her hug, blushing profusely. I laughed, and replied, "I'm just glad I could help. And after that kiss, I think we can call it even." Applejack went an even deeper shade of crimson, and we all laughed harder. Even Big Mac was rolling around in stitches.

The day's shift was coming to an end, and the Apple ponies started to head back to the house to celebrate. They asked me if I wanted to come along, but I had to decline.

"I've arranged to meet up with Rainbow Dash this afternoon, but I should be free tomorrow," they nodded, and walked back to the house. I waved goodbye, and headed in my own direction towards Ponyville. I had planned to meet Dash in the town centre at 5:30.

As I entered town, I got waved at and greeted by passing ponies. Some even walked up and congratulated me for managing to save the farm. Credit where it's due, news travels fast in Ponyville.

I walked into the town centre and sat on the edge of a bridge near the town hall. Rainbow was going to meet me here, so while I waited for her, I thought I would just relax and listen to the birds singing. It was always a calming tune, and I closed my eyes as I listened.

Big mistake.

If my eyes were open, I would have noticed the large cloud moving overhead. There was a deafening crack of thunder and I shot up like a rocket. Luckily, my legs were on the bridge and not the other side, otherwise I would have been climbing out of the river.

My ears were still ringing as I looked round to see a cyan head poke over the cloud. Rainbow Dash floated down from her mobile pranking device, clutching her sides as she landed.

"Haha, you should've seen the look on your face," she said, gasping for air, "Priceless!"

"WHAT?!" I asked, sticking my finger in my ear. All I could hear was bells.

This only made her laugh harder, so I pinned her wings to her side as I picked her up and held her over the river upside down. Realising she couldn't move her wings, she started flailing her legs, saying, "Ok, ok, I'm sorry! But in all honesty, the opportunity was just too good to pass up!"

I set her down on the bridge, and when my hearing returned I asked, "So, you ready?"

"Sure. I know this empty field where we can do some fighting," she jumped in the air and started swinging her forelegs.

I laughed as we set off, "I'm glad you're so eager for this Dashie, but rule number one: Don't fight if you don't have to. Always try and talk your way out of situations. Using your fists should be a last resort, otherwise you're just looking for a fight."

She nodded, and we left the town towards the field. As we walked through a patch of trees to get to the field, a branch on the ground snagged my bootlaces and they came undone. I groaned with annoyance. Now? The field's right over there.

"Let me sort out my boot Dash. You go on ahead, I'll catch up."

"Alright. Just don't take too long, I hate waiting," she flew to the centre of the field and started practicing some flying.

As I sorted out my boot, I heard a male voice call out from above the trees, "Hey, Rainbow Crash!"

I looked up to see three pegasi - one brown, one tan, one grey - flying down towards Dash. They didn't look like the sort to be friendly, and I could see Dash rolling her eyes. They landed next to her, but I couldn't hear what they were saying, not from the trees.

I got up and quietly walked out onto the field. The pegasi's backs were to me, so I decided I would surprise them. As I got closer, I managed to make out what they were saying.

Rainbow Dash sighed, "So what are you guys doing here? Did you get suspended for cloud misuse again?"

The tan one laughed, "Yeah, we were--"

He was immediately punched in ribs by his brown friend, who spoke next, "It doesn't matter what we're doing here Rainbow Crash. What are you doing here? Still trying to get the Wonderbolts to notice you?" They all laughed.

"No, I was actually waiting for a friend of mine. He--" Dash saw me walking up behind them, and I raised my finger to my lips, indicating that I needed her to stay quiet. She changed her sentence, "He was going to teach me a few new flying tricks."

The three stallions laughed again, "Oh, I never thought I'd see the day. Rainbow Crash, hanging out with a colt. It's strange, I always thought you were a filly-fooler." Ok, that does it.

I was right behind them now, and I took the opportunity to lift the brown one in the air by his tail. He could only say, "What the hay?" before his eyes went wide and his mouth sealed itself shut.

"Oh, here he is now. Guys, I'd like you to meet Dutch." Rainbow said proudly.

I simply stared into their eyes, "Is there a problem here?" I made myself sound as scary as possible.

The bullies simply walked backwards, while the one dangling from my grip said, "Um, n-n-no. No p-problem."

"Good," I dropped the colt, and he quickly got to his feet and ran to his colleagues, "Now why don't you run along and play?"

They didn't reply, they just nodded, and took off back into the clouds. Once they were gone, Rainbow and I looked at each other, and just burst out laughing.

"That was awesome!" Rainbow said, and she gave me a high-hoof.

"That was a live demonstration of using words over fists," I replied, "Not only do you not get hurt, it can be pretty funny sometimes. Anyway, who were those guys?"

Dash waved her hoof in front of her face, "Just some guys from school who teased me and Fluttershy. Rainbow Crash was their nickname for me whenever they saw me."

"Ha, talk about unoriginal."

"Tell me about it. Now, how about some sparring."

I let her hover in line with my head as I instructed her to throw a few swings so that I could assess how much she already knew. She threw some jabs, as well as some hooks, but her punches were exaggerated, so after five minutes, I paused for some advice.

"You're certainly putting strength behind your hits," I started, "But you're telegraphing your moves."

"What does that mean?"

I brought my fist back past my head and held it, "When you bring your hoof back here, you're letting your opponent know what you're about to do. Keep your forelegs in, and move quickly." I stood up and gave her a demonstration, keeping my arms into my chest as I performed some jabs and a cross, "Now, try that."

We started again, and her moves were much faster and sudden. At one point, she even managed to glance my jaw, and I said, "Nice! I wasn't expecting that."

After some more offensive moves, I started showing her some blocking. I told her I would start an attack, and I would walk her through how to block and counter it.

I raised my right arm, as if to bring it down onto Dash's head, "What you do here is bring your left foreleg up and block it," she did so, "Then you use your other foreleg to push it out the way across your body, and use your left leg again to hold it down," she pushed my arm across, smiling as she did so. When she had brought her left hoof over and had my arm pinned, I said, "Now, I'm being blocked by my own arm. This gives you an opportunity to attack," she acknowledged this by putting a cross into my chest.

"Ow! I didn't mean literally Dashie."

She giggled, "I know, but I just wanted to do that."

We practiced the punches and blocks again, taking turns to be offensive and defensive. After half an hour of sparring, we both sat down to relax. I noticed Rainbow kept looking at the space where my left ring finger should have been, "Why don't you have one of those things there?"

I looked down at my missing digit, "It happened a couple of days before I met you. I had a brush in with a manticore in the Everfree Forest, and he cut it off with his tail. Considering my odds, I think I got off lightly."

Rainbow Dash was shocked, "Doesn't it hurt?" her tone was becoming more sympathetic.

"At first it did, but I don't really notice it much now. Seems a bit selfish to get worked up over losing a finger. I got nine others when I was born."

"You're acting like it doesn't bother you."

"That's because it doesn't. Humans only used this finger for wedding rings," I looked at Rainbow, "And let's face it, I'm not going to be getting married anytime soon." We shared a small laugh.

I continued, "Besides," I held my hand out in front of me, clenching and unclenching it, watching how the stump moved with the rest of the hand, "It looks kinda cool once you get used to it."

She took my hand in her hooves and started bending the fingers, examining how they functioned, "I guess, but I think the whole thing looks cool."

I noticed the sun was starting to set, and I stood up to leave, "I think that's going to be it for today Rainbow, but you've learned fast. We're going to have to do this again sometime."

She rose into the air above me, "Sure, that would be really cool. I'll see you around Dutch."

I waved to her as she flew home, and left the field back to my apartment.