A Strange Place for a Strange Man

“Ok. She’ll help you with what your heart desires. No worries. She doesn’t bite. Just follow her to the nurses room. “

He follows the woman to the nurses room, where he’s told to lay down on the little bed.

“Now then. This might hurt for just a second, but once that’s over, you should feel at peace.”

She picks up a needle, which is quite long actually. She stabs it into his arm, and presses the the little top of it down, so it spits the liquid inside his veins.

He gets pretty nauseous and dizzy. The room starts spinning as the light fades away slightly.

He wakes up with a gigantic gasp.

“What happened? Those images just won’t go away. But maybe that’s how I got here? Am I starting to remember?”

He stands up, and walks around in a circle, just thinking about what could’ve happened, and trying to remember why he decided to come here. He doesn’t remember a thing.

All his trotting around is quite noisy, because he’s not used to the hooves, so he wakes up Fluttershy.

“What are you doing down there?”

Fluttershy asked in slight concern.

“Oh, sorry Flutters. I’m just trying to remember what happened before I got here. I’m somewhat scared, and I want it to make sense. But it just doesn’t.”

James told her.

Fluttershy walks to him, and hugs him. Typical Fluttershy. But it was probably a good idea. He was pretty hyper, and really scared, so he needed it. He relaxed a bit.

“So, there. I think you should get some more rest. We have some friends you should meet.”

Fluttershy said.

“Yeah. I will. Thank you, Fluttershy.”

She just winks at him, and goes upstairs again.

He lay down on the bed, and closes his.

My Little Pony - My Little Pony… Aaaaaaa…. My Little Pony - I used to wonder what friendship could be…

He looks at the computer screen right in front of him. He’s obviously watching My Little Pony. He’s not exactly smiling, though. He looks rather depressed. But there’s still this spark of happiness inside of him. He watches the full epsiode, and goes on Facebook. He just goes onto a pony-page, so he can watch even more ponies.

He covers his eyes with his hands, and cries. You can see the tears dripping from his eyes and onto his hands, where the drops just roll down from, and down upon the floor. He starts moaning loudly.

He’s woken up by Fluttershy’s kind voice.

“Hey, James. You need to get up. It’s morning, and breakfast is ready.”

He stands up, and dried off his eyes with his hoof. Apparently he had actually cried in the real world, as well.

“Yes. I’m coming. Just give me a second.”

He said.

“Of course.”

She trots into the kitchen, where she sits down on a chair.

He thinks about the dream he just had. It’s depressing him a bit. Was this his life?

He breaks his own trance, by shaking his head. He walks into the kitchen, to sit with Fluttershy.

“Do you want some food?”

She asked him.

“No, thanks, Fluttershy. I don’t really have any appetite. Sorry.”

He said, with a basically whispering voice. He was depressed, which to Fluttershy, was pretty obvious.

“What’s wrong? You seem down.”

She asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing just-”

“That’s not true. What’s wrong?”

“Fine. I had a dream. I think I remember a bit of what happened, but…”

He sighed.

“It’s hard to explain.”

He didn’t want to say it. What would she think of him, if he told her that she’s just some cartoon character, from a show meant for little girls. That wouldn’t exactly bring them closer to eachother.

“Oh, come on. You can tell me.”

Fluttershy said assuringly.

“I was watching a cartoon show on my computer-”

“A what on your… what?”

She asked. How was she supposed to know what any of those things were.

“A computer is a electronic device, which has a screen, that shows living images, and so on. A cartoon is a set of images put together, so that it looks alive.”

He explained to her.

She looked like a big question mark.

“I think I understand, but that’s kinda weird.”

“Yeah, you’d probably have to see it, to fully understand it. Anyway, as I was saying. I was watching this cartoon on my computer. I watched one episode of the cartoon, and after that I started crying. I just sat there, crying loudly.”

She looked very concerned.

“Are you ok?”

Fluttershy asked.

“Yes, don’t worry about it. It was hopefully just a dream.”

James said.

They stand up from the tables and walk outside.

…

They are by the Sweet Apple Acres farm, where they see Applejack, bucking trees of course.

She looks in our direction.

“Howdy ya’ll? What are you up-”

Like everypony else, she stops for a little while, and stares at James.

“Who in tarnation are you?!”

She asked with a loud country voice.

“Oh, hello, Applejack. I’m James.”

He felt confident around her, because it felt like he knew her, and not like he just met a stranger on the street.

“How do ya’ll know ma’ name?!”

She exclaimed.

Fluttershy seemed surprised, as well. But she quickly changed the topic.

“Applejack, this is James, we found him yesterday, almost being killed by the manticore in the Everfree Forest.”

Fluttershy said.

“Oh, well then. I guess you’re a cool guy, after all.”

Applejack said.

James wasn’t sure how to react to that, so he just smiled at her, and nodded.

Applejack spoke up.

“So how did ya’ll get here?”

“To be totally honest with you, AJ. I don’t know. I have no clue, whatsoever. I just woke up in the Everfree Forest. I don’t remember much else.”

James said.

Applejack looked at Fluttershy, for an approval from her. And she just nodded. She probably knew what AJ was up to.

“Anyhow. Do any of you two wanna help me buck some apples?”

James just straightened up to look more tough, and said.

“Yeah, I might be up for that.”

“Oh sorry, Applejack. But I kinda have to go back to my animals.”

Fluttershy said, in a sad, insecure voice.

“Oh, that’s alright, Sugarcube. You might be able to help me some other day.”

Fluttershy smiled, and flew onwards home.

Applejack and James just went to some trees, where Applejack tried to show James how to buck the trees.

“You just have to turn your backside towards the tree, lift yourself up a bit, like this.”

She lifts up her legs, and starts loading them for, what seemed like, a powerful kick.

“And then you just push your legs as hard as… possible!”

She smashed the tree with her hind legs, and the tree was totally emptied, as all the apples fell down into the buckets.

“Now, why don’t you give it a try?”

He went to a tree, not too far from their current position. He turned his backside towards it, lifted up his hind legs, and smashed the tree. At least it felt like that. But the apples didn’t fall like rain, as when Applejack did it. The apples fell, but not as many at a time.

Applejack burst out in laughter, like she didn’t even try to keep it in a bit. She just laughed.

“Oh, come on, AJ. I’m new at this.”

James said.

“I know, it was just pretty funny. I thought you could do better than this.”

James looked at Applejack, kind of annoyed.

“I can! I’ll prove it to you!”

He goes to another tree, which hasn’t already been bucked.

He lifts up his hind legs, and loaded his kick, and smashed the tree. And as when AJ did it, the apples just fell into the buckets.

James looked at Applejack, who’s laughter suddenly disappeared.

“So… what do you have to say to that?”

He said as a joke.

“That's pretty good. I’ll give ya’ that. Now, do you think you can keep like that for most of the day? This is a really big harvest, and we could really need your help. This is what we call Applebuck season. And like last year, Big Mac hurt his back. It’s like he’s just trying to hurt himself, so that he doesn’t have to help.”

Applejack said, seemingly mad.

“Yes. I’ll try my best, don’t you worry.”

James said.

Applejack started smiling again, and told James to go to a specefic part of the farm, and go buck there. So that they split the work a bit. So he did, and started bucking.

…

It was starting to get pretty late, like 7.00pm, and a lot of the trees were bucked.

James went to Applejack, and asked her.

“Hey, AJ. Is it ok if I go home now? I’m really tired and I need some rest.”

“Yeah, of course. I was going to tell you to stop, after finishing this tree. So you just go on home. I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

James nodded, and went to her, and grabbed her with his right foreleg, and hugged her. She started blushing slightly. She hugged back, and kissed him on the cheek. After that, he went a bit backwards again, and winked at her, and ran away. As he ran, he also looked back at her, and waved to her, and she waved back.

…

“Hey, Fluttershy! I’m home!”

He yelled, as he went inside.

“Oh, hello again. How’s it been?”

Fluttershy asked curiously.

“It’s been really fun. But I think I’ll go sleep now. It’s been very hard on me. I’m not used to such work.”

James said.

“Ok. Goodnight, then.”

“Goodnight!”

He went to the couch and covered himself in the blanket. He fell asleep.