New Surroundings, New Hostilities
The ground flattened beneath my hooves as I trot up to the gate of my new home. Ponyville, a small town just on the outskirts of Canterlot City. Mostly an agricultural town, the citizens here earn their keep by growing and selling produce to the cities that can't grow their own. A farmers paradise. I look up to the archway with the name of the town and the number of ponies living here. I just hope the number is accurate.
Looks like it's almost sundown, I should probably get to my new home before it gets dark. I just want to hurry and get everything unpacked, I don't have much in ways when it comes to possessions, but the stuff that I do have, they're very dear to me. I swallow some saliva and quicken my pace. The place I got, it's a cozy little home, single floor, and a couple of rooms with a fireplace in one of them.
My new home comes into view and I quicken my pace even further into a gallop. So close, I can almost hear the doorknob turning. Just before I come within five paces to my door I over hear a loud gasp and turn to look at the source of the noise. I look to my left and I see and overly pink pony looking straight at me. I really hope I'm not the one she's looking at because this is getting really weird. After about a whole minute of standing and staring she dashes off to Luna knows where. I let out a sigh of relief and turn back to my cart and sift through my stuff.
"That was weird." I think as I pull the key from one of my bags and slide it into the lock and twist. "I hope she doesn't do that again." I know that I'm... odd looking for a pony, but staring really doesn't help anything. I shake my head dispelling the pink one from my head. I open the door to my home and take a few paces into it and look around. It's too dark to see anything so I locate the light switch and I flip it. I regret doing so because the moment I did, ponies popped from every corner of my home and yelled out.
"Surprise!"
I looked between them all as they yelled out the word and I noticed the pink one. I really didn't understand how she got into here when I saw her run the other way. Most of the ponies who were had said something stopped right in there verbal tracks as they saw me. Once again I looked between them all, most of them had looks of shock on their faces. The next thing I knew was the sweet embrace of unconsciousness after my body hit the floor.
"Is he okay?" Fluttershy asked as she looked down at the sleeping pony.
"I don't know, all we did was surprise him and he dropped like a rock. What a wuss." Rainbow Dash says as she chuckle at the stallions expense.
"Oh please wake up mister, you still haven't met anypony." Pinkie Pie says as she grabs a hold of the stallions hoof and begins to shake, uncertain of what to do in this kind of situation.
The rest of the ponies in the house just looked on with worry in their eyes, uncertain if they did something bad or not.
"Well, while he's out, how about we look at the stuff in his cart until he wakes up?" Rainbow Dash asks as she lifts a bag out of the cart. Twilight sees this and says.
"Rainbow Dash! Why in Equestria would you do that? That's wrong on so many levels."
"Whoa! Check it out, he has a pair of spiked iron hooves!" Rainbow Dash said as she slipped the pair of shoes on and gave a kick with her hind legs.
"But those were only available to the Equestrian Special Forces, and not to be rude but, he doesn't look like Special Forces material." Twilight said as she eyed the hooves and then turned towards the bag.
"What else, does he have in there?" She said as she levitated the bag off the cart and settle the bag down to the ground. She pulled a tome out of the bag and unraveled it and began to read.
"This... this is a lost scroll from Star Swirls the Bearded!" Twilight said as she almost choked on the air she was breathing.
Rarity saw what Twilight had found and she got curious as well, while she thought that looking through someponies belongings was wrong, the pull she was feeling from the bag as to strong to resist. She poked her head into the bag and used her magic to pull out what seemed to be an article of clothing. What she pulled out was an old style dress that had the Steam Punk fashion written all over it. Gears, gyros, springs and coils made the dress stand out but what really made it stand out was the fabric used in it.
"Oh my! This an old Equestrian Dress, back when steam power became the main source of power for ponies they designed articles like this. It's amazing that the fabric even survived let alone the state of the metal."
Everypony was finding stuff from all times of the past, the other ponies in the room just looked on with curiosity and wonderment as exotic pieces of history were pulled and shown from the bag.
The only thing left was what Twilight held in her magic at the moment.
"A rock? He has all this stuff in here..." Rainbow Dash said as she waggled a signed picture from the first Wonderbolt Captain in her hooves. "And he has some dumb rock in there too?" The stallion in question was still passed out cold on the floor.
"This isn't just some rock Rainbow Dash, the stuff that makes it up is weird feeling. Let me just cast a spell and see where it's from." Twilight said as her horn lit up with magic and dimmed just as it lit.
"Well what is it sugar cube?" Apple Jack asks as she leans in with suspense.
"But that's impossible! There is no way he should have this!" Twilight said waving the rock around.
"What's the dumb rock!?" Rainbow Dash yelled, trying to get an answer.
"The rock... it's from the moon..." Twilight said facing the crowd of ponies. As soon as the word left her mouth, the crowd gasped and looked at the area behind Twilight.
They break into my home, and start messing with my stuff. Not really the best welcome to Ponyville, but I've had worst.
"Ahem" I cough into a hoof trying to get the purple ones attention. She turns with the rock in her magic towards me and I bring my hoof to the tip of her horn and cut the spell and let the rock drop the floor. She yelps in surprise and shock of the feeling, it's not easy for any unicorn to have a spell cut off like that, but that's not my problem.
"Excuse me, everypony, if I could just kindly ask you all to leave, that would be most appreciated if you left without making me result to force." Nopony moves, they just sit there and stare at me, the only one not staring is the purple one who just sits there and rubs her horn, probably trying to get feeling back into it.
"What the hay was that? Why did you do that to Twilight?" The sky blue Pegasus asks at me as she rears up like she's going to pounce.
"I did that because I wanted her to drop the rock, or as you call it, 'the dumb rock', you feather brained, air head." I say looking down at her. These ponies, they come into my home, insult my stuff, and ask why I do the things that I did?
"What did you call me?" She asks, a hint of anger in her voice. I never got along with Pegasi, only a few of them were ones I ever called friend.
"Are you hard of hearing too cloud pounder?" I see a couple of Pegasi in the crowd of ponies show signs of anger at the remark.
"That's it!" Not a moment later, she's in the air leaping towards me.
Something inside of me pushes me and I leap into the air, the pegasus lands where I left the ground. I bring a hoof down with a drop kick to the cluster of nerves between the wings. Her whole body stiffens outwards and locks into place.
"What did you do to me?!" She says from her position on the floor. Pain most likely flaring up in every joint in her body.
"Listen here buster, you mess with one of my friends, and you mess with me." The cow pony says as she charges to save her friend. She turns her hind hooves towards me for a good solid kick to connect to my face.
I feel blood pouring from my snout but push it out of my mind. The last thing I need to do now is worry about a nose bleed.
"Why don't you come and do that again earth eater?" I say wiping blood from my snout. Again I see looks of anger flare up in the crowd at the remark, along with looks of confusion.
The cow pony charges at me again, but this time I slide under her as she leaps to turn, she doesn't turn fast enough and I hit the area where her hind legs bend. The only thing that's going support her now is her two front legs. As soon as her legs hit the ground, they turn to jelly under her and she collapses.
"And again, could you all leave my home before I am forced to use force?" I ask with my usual tone as I look at the ground. One of the ponies in the crowd yells out.
"If that wasn't force, than what the hay was that?"
"I was merely protecting myself. Again and for the last time, could you all just leave?" I hear ponies grumble from the crowd but most of them make their way out the door. The only ones left were the six mares that apparently led the mob into my home. They all just looked at me with slight anger, but slight might be an understatement.
The pink one looked saddened for a reason unknown to me. The white one shoved her nose up into the air when I made eye contact."Uppity up." I mumble to myself as I look away from the white one. The yellow pegasus with the pink hair hid behind her mane, probably out of either fright or just the same reasons of the white one. The purple one looked at me dead in the eyes and asked.
"Why did you do all of that? We were only trying to welcome you to Ponyville with a party." I look at her and her friends and ask.
"What if somepony were to trot into your home, and insult all of your friends, not only that but to go as far as try to assault you when you try to get rid of them?"
"But we didn't insult anypony, I'm sorry if we spoke out of term with your stuff but-"
"These items that you all decided to ogle and then insult? Those are what remains of my friends that I might be able to hang onto." I say without breaking eye contact with the purple one. She hears this and her ears splay back onto her head. And then, a confused look crosses her face.
"What about the moon rock? Who's that supposed to be?" I feel a twinge of sadness inside as the question make its way through my head.
"Get your friends and go. I'm not having guests over."
"But wha-"
"Out." Is all I say before the message is relayed. The two on the ground are picked up by the unicorns and levitated out. The purple one looks back at me before I close the door before she could persist with her questions.
From the door I look at all my stuff strewn across the floor, all of them bringing faces back to the front of my mind. All of them I called friend. I feel hot tears stream down my cheeks as my vision get blurry. Why can't I just be left alone? I wonder as I look at the cracked frame case for a special photo.
"Did you see him? Dude was freaky, even when AJ kicked him in the face he didn't even cringe." Rainbow Dash said from her position in Twilight's magic.
"He certainly was a brute." Rarity said nodding her head.
"But what about all the stuff he had, he said they were all that he had left of his friends and I think some of that stuff was as old as Celestia." Twilight said continuing to make her way home.
Everypony frowned at the comment, the thought of being alone and then going so far as to push anypony and everypony away. Not many ponies were like this.
"Ah don't like him." Stated Apple Jack before asking. "What about you Fluttershy?" When she was greeted with no answer everypony turned around to find out that Fluttershy was no where to be seen.
"She probably just went home, this all has been a bit tense. And I don't blame her." Rarity said. Everypony agreed with this and continued to make their way to their respective homes.
Fluttershy was anywhere but at her home. She was hovering at the window of the stallions home watching as the stallion went around picking the items up with tears streaking down his face. When he got to the dress he just sat there and cried, looking down at the article of clothing. Before he just bent over and laid down next to the dress, he brought it close to him as if he were hugging it, crying into its fabric. Fluttershy couldn't stand to watch this any longer so, she flew to the front of the stallions house and trotted up to the door before she knocked.
The stallion opened the door with clear signs of crying written all over his features. But the tears that had been there were wiped away and his expression went back to the one he had before.
"Yes?" He asked as he drew a short breath in through his nose and sniffled.
Fluttershy didn't respond but quickly flew in for a neck crushing hug and bouts of tears as she heard him below her begin to cry again.
"I'm going to be your friend okay?" She asked as she continued the hug. No matter what he would say, she would be his friend.
Fluttershy was definitely the nicest out of the bunch. We talked about what happened yesterday and I apologized for the racist remarks towards her friends. We talked for what seemed like hours until we noticed how dark it was outside. We said goodbye as she made her way to the door but the moment she opened it, she was greeted with the darkness. I looked at the discomfort on her face and offered her to stay here for her to stay here for the night.
"Oh no, I couldn't possibly do that to you, I wouldn't want to impose." She said meekly lowering her head to the ground.
"Nonsense! You wouldn't be hurting me, after what are fri-frien-friends for?" I ask with some shame on the last part.
"You really don't mind?"
"No, just give me a minute to get your bed." I say moving towards my other bags. I pull out the shrunken bed in my hoof and a water bottle in my mouth and make my way to the other room. I motion for her to follow me. When she enters the room I place the bed into the corner and spill some of the special brewed water onto it and jump back before the bed expands to its original size.
She looks at the bed with shock in her eyes as if she hasn't seen that before.
"Again, you really don't mind me staying here?" She persisted as if she was trying to make me change my mind about her staying.
"And again, no I don't mind, now go to sleep." I say with a little annoyance to my tone, but she doesn't notice and moves towards the bed. I leave the room and make my way towards my bags and pull the couch out. I sprinkle some water on it after setting it down and watch as it expands. I jump on it and quickly get comfortable in my position. A thought enters my head before I fall asleep, I had made a friend.
"Well this is familiar." I say with a sarcastic tone as I look at my surroundings. The grey landscape filled with hills, rocks, and the occasional crater or two. I begin to trot towards the view of Equus, the trot becomes a gallop. And when I reach the fastest speed I could go, I leaped into the air. I watched as the ground below me moved farther and farther away before coming back to me. A smile written across my face.
Only one pony I know that could make a dream like this. "Princess Luna, I know you are there." The next thing I notice was a mass of shadows begin to move out from the corner of my eye and it takes the form of Luna.
"How are you?" She asks in a motherly tone of voice.
"I'm fine Princess, I just moved to Ponyville so everything's going okay."
"I heard about what happened." She says with a look of disappointment in her eyes. Word must travel fast.
"I made a friend today..." I say trying to push the conversation else where.
"But you made more enemies than friends." Still with the disappointment in her eyes. "You of all ponies should know that you need help." That hurt, it's not easy for me to admit those kind of things when I see nothing wrong.
"How is Celestia?" I ask, again trying to push the conversation else where.
"Our sister is fine, thank you. But she is not the one we are talking about. You have a problem, let ponies help you. We can't see why you just won't let them...?"
"Don't you dare say that... You of all ponies should know, why! All of those years on the moon with you...? Do those ring a bell?" I yell, in all honestly, I really didn't want to.
She cringes and says. "Don't be mad at us for a mistake you made, it was your choice and yours alone."
"Princess, with all due respect, could I ask you to leave my dream?" I ask, Luna being the last pony I wished to see. Her face changes to one of question.
"Fine, but what I said was true. Those were your choices and yours alone, you can't blame anypony else for them." Luna says before disappearing from my mind. I feel the pull of waking up drag me out of my dream. I open my eyes and I see the sunlight stream through my windows. I look over to a clock on the ground and find that it's already the middle of the day. Makes sense, when I got here I already hadn't slept for a whole night.
I drag myself off the couch and place some furniture from my bag down. "It's probably time to wake her up." I say and make my way towards the room Fluttershy would be sleeping in. I see her sleeping with a content look on her face. I find myself staring for a moment and I shake my head.
"I better wake her up, it's already mid-morning." I say to myself as I put my hoof up to her and gently shake her.
"Fluttershy, wake up, you can go home now." She wakes up as she slowly opens her eyes. And when her eyes land on me, they shoot right open and she falls out of bed. I chuckle as I watch her fumble around, she really is cute. I shake my head to dispel the thought and offer my hoof for her. She takes it and I pull her up off the ground.
"Sorry about that, I probably shouldn't have done that, but it's the middle of the day. And I thought that you would have somewhere better to be than just hanging around here." I say as we begin to exit the room.
"Would you like some tea to wake up?" I ask, she nods at this and I move towards the kitchen. "How did you sleep?" I ask her.
"Fine." Is all she replies with as she sits down at the newly placed table.
"Am I going to be the only one talking or are you going to say something?" I chuckle again as she tries to hide behind her hair.
"Uhm, I've been wanting to ask something..." She finally speaks.
"What did you want to ask?" I say with a pot of tea in my mouth as I poured cups it into two cups.
"What does your cutie mark mean?" I freeze at the question.
"Do you make music or does it mean something else."
"I uh, don't remember." I say, whispering that last part.
"What?"
"I don't remember." I say louder. There was a deathly silence that filled the room before.
"Oh, I'm sorry for asking." She says hiding behind her hair again.
"No no, it's fine, your were curious so you asked, nothing wrong with that." I say hoofing her a cup.
We just sit there awkwardly as we drink our tea. She finishes and is about to excuse herself before knocking comes from the door. I get up to answer it, and when I do open the door, I was met only by open air as nopony was there. I look around to see if anypony was around, but there was nopony anywhere. I look down and I'm greeted with a small pink box. There as a note on it. I pick up the note in a hoof and read it.
I'm so sorry about yesterday, have a cupcake to cheer you up. -Pinkie Pie
There was a smile drawn on the corner of the paper. I look down at the box and open it, just like the note said, there was a cupcake. I look around again and see that there was nopony to be seen anywhere. I look back down to the cup cake and smile, sweets were my bane when it comes to weaknesses. I take the cupcake in a hoof and bite down on it. Flavor instantly makes its presence known in my mouth as the smooth sugary treat melts in my mouth.
"Who was it?" Fluttershy asks as she trots up next to me.
"Just a cupcake." I say with a mouthful of the sweet tooth destroyer. Fluttershy looks down at the box and sees the note. She looks around to see if Pinkie was here, but she was nowhere to be seen. All of a sudden she hears restrained laughter coming from a bush across the dirt road.
I start to feel weird as I munch on the cupcake. My whole body just drops to the floor as I lose feeling in everything but my neck and up. Is this some kind of sick form of karma? The cupcake rolls away from my hoof as it hits the ground below it. I hear laughter roar from across the road as the rainbow pegasus pops up from the bushes and yells as she laughs.
"Yeah, how do you like that?!" She continues to laugh as she struggles to stay in the air. The next thing that I see is the pink one named Pinkie Pie pop up from the bushes with a pout on her face as she looks up at the rainbow one.
"Rainbow Dash! What did you do?" Fluttershy yells out.
The laughter dies in her throat as she opens her eyes and sees her friend next to the stallion glaring at her. "Fluttershy? What are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash asks in shock to see her shy friend looking up at her with anger in her eyes.
"I was spending time with my friend here until this happened." Fluttershy said as she looked down at the stallion on the ground as he strained his neck trying to reach the cupcake on the ground with him. Silence permeated the four ponies as they all looked at each other, save for the one on the ground neck thrusting his way closer to the half eaten cupcake.
"Almost got it." He says as he makes one last try for the sweet treat. Fluttershy grabs the stallion by his back hoof and says.
"Come on, let's get you inside." As she begins to drag him back into his home.
"What about the cupcake?!" Is all that is heard before the door shuts behind them.
The stallion giggles as he sways his head back and forth as he lays on the couch.
"What did they put in that cupcake?" Fluttershy asked herself as she watched the scene in front of her. The usually calm and collected stallion that he once was, was gone and replaced with a giddy, giggling colt.
"Psst, hey, Fluttershy." He whispered as he beckoned her over with a movement of his head.
"Yes?"
"You can't tell anyone I told you this okay? Like not even me." He said as he giggled away.
"Okay?"
"I like you, a lot."
"..." Silence was all that was heard as everypony in the room stopped what ever they were doing.
"I mean, I've only known you for less than a day, but you're funny, cute, smart, kind, ..." He started listing off reasons off why he had said what he said. And with every compliment Fluttershy's face grew redder and redder. Until he stopped talking and looked over to her.
"What do you say?"
"I'm just going to go... okay?"
"Oh, okay... have a nice day!" He said with a large smile on his face.
"Yeah, you too." Fluttershy said as she opened the door and stepped outside
"I'll just be here." He said as he watched the door close. "Alone."
I put my head to the couch cushion in sadness.
"I wonder if she hates me now...?" I say as I look at all of the pretty colors whizzing past my face. What did they put in that cupcake? I think as I fall asleep.
I wake up and I notice that I'm starting to get feeling back into my body and I try to move, still a little numb, but I can manage. I'm not one to take revenge so I'll just let karma do its thing with the one named Rainbow Dash. My thoughts go back to Fluttershy and I wonder again if she thinks me as a friend... I'm so out of touch with these things. I don't remember much after the cupcake, all I remember is that Rainbow Dash drugged a cupcake made from Pinkie and it numbed my body. I pick up my supplies bag and trot towards the door.
I open the door to my house and take a couple of paces outside. I look to my right and I see the half eaten cupcake being swarmed by ants as they carry bits and pieces back to their home. I begin to make my trip to the market square so I could buy some food. Along the way I'm met with hostile glares and rude comments, they are mostly about my eyes but I don't mind. I walk up to an apple stand and I'm greeted by a red earth pony with a blonde mane. He looks me over before asking.
"You the new pony everypony's talking about?" He asks with a baritone voice. I slowly nod at this.
"The same one who beat my sister and Rainbow Dash in a fight?" He asks squinting his eyes at me.
"I wouldn't say fight, I would probably say it was more like self defense." I say as I look at the produce he was selling.
"You don't look like much... How did you win?" He asks as he inspects me.
"Everypony has a weak spot, all the races have them, just takes someone to use them to their advantage." I say as I pull out a couple of bits from my bag.
"Since your new in town, you need somewhere to work?" He asks as he hoofs be a bag of apples.
"Sure, what would I be doing?"
"Just bucking some apple trees, helping around the farm. Manual labor kind of stuff." He says shrugging.
"When should I meet you?"
"Just meet back here after an hour, I'll take ya to the farm."
"Okay, see you then." I say before I turn to walk away.
Ever since I forgot what my cutie mark meant I became a freelancer of sorts, taking any type of work that comes my way. The three musical notes sitting there on my flank had to mean something, but I don't know what. I even tried to take up multiple jobs involving music, nothing stuck. So now, I just take what ever is offered to me. It's hard to make bits to spend on myself but it keeps food in my stomach. I notice a building that looks oddly like a gingerbread house, and I trot towards it.
I notice the inside of it, it's a bakery. My mind goes back to the cupcake I didn't finish and I open the front door, a bell rings making my entrance noticed by the whole shop. A few faces I recognize from the party last night, others I don't know at all, all of them staring. While most ponies were born with colors that seem to compliment each other, the colors I was born with were, they stood out, clashing against each other as if they couldn't decide what color I was going to be. I take a window seat by myself in the corner of the shop and look out at the scenery.
.
"Nice day isn't it?" Somepony says and I turn my head towards him and get a look before he jumps back in surprise.
"Gah!" It was a yellow stallion with an orange mane and tail.
"It's the eyes isn't it?" I ask, of course it's the eyes. It's always the eyes. He composes himself as he answers my question.
"Would it be rude if I said yes?" He asks me.
"Yes, but it would be the truth."
"Okay, um, can I take your order so we can find out what we can bake for you?" He asks s he puts a notepad down and grabs a pen and looks to me.
"Could I just get two bakers dozen of cupcakes?"
"Alright, will there be anything else?"
"No that's about it, thank you."
Time passes while I look out the window, I see ponies that look familiar but I dismiss the thought. I don't know anypony in this town besides Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. And both of them, I have only known for at least two days.
"Here you are sir." The stallion says as he places the cupcakes down in front of me on the table.
"I hope no one sees me with all of these cupcakes." The last thing I want is for ponies to be asking me about the cupcakes. Or asking me about anything at all.
I grab the bag of cupcakes in my mouth and get up from my seat, making my way to the front door I notice the dirty looks I'm getting from the ponies in the shop with me. I begin to trot a little faster towards the door. Can't wait to get back home.
I set the cupcakes down on the table in my home and open the packaging and my eyes behold what I've been waiting for ever since I got back. Sweet, sweet deliciousness, oh you heavenly treats need to get in my belly. I wonder how much time left until I need to meet the red farm pony. I look towards the clock on the wall and I notice that I have about thirty minutes before I have to meet him. Better to be early than to be late. I look towards the box of cupcakes and I put my hoof on them.
"Shush shush shush, don't cry, I'll be back later." And with that I leave the house.
As I make my way to the market square for the second time, I wonder if the orange one is going to have a problem with me working with her brother... oh well. The red stallion comes into view as I round a corner.
"Lead the way, I guess." I say.
Silently, he begins trotting in the direction of the farm, and I follow him. He breaks the silence with a question.
"Since you're new in Ponyville, what brings you here?"
"Settling down, finished some stuff that needed finishing, and decided to live the rest of my life quietly."
"Well, you moved the wrong town, with everything that goes on in this place, it's anything but quiet."
"Yeah, I noticed. Is everypony here actually this crazy?" He looks back at me with a stern look after I finish.
"Well they might be a little crazy, but they're good ponies."
"Never said they weren't."
"So, what does your cutie mark mean? I know you ain't talented with apples or managing a farm."
Wow, straight away. I was kind of hoping to avoid this.
"I don't want to talk about it." I say with a hint of distaste.
The rest of the trot was a silent one as the farm came up into view. Something tells me I'm not going to like this.
"Well, I need the Bits and this was offered, so, how could I refuse? Let's get this over with." This is going to be a long day.
Author's Note
Longest chapter I've ever written in any of my stories, there's bound to be mistakes so, if you see any, point them out please. And if you don't like where the story is going so far as of right now, don't worry, "Silence is the true friend that never betrays." ~Confucius
The silence of the eye, is the only exception.
Author's Note
Sorry for the chapter, let me know if anything is wrong. It was fun writing this, and I hope all of you beautiful people like it too.
Pondering Possibilities
The farm was in clear view after only twenty minutes of walking from town square, the trip itself was a quiet one. Neither of us had a reason to talk. That is, until Big Macintosh decided to speak up and break the silence.
"So, what happened when everyone threw you that party? I heard that you acted crazy..."
"What would you do if a bunch of ponies snuck into your home and while you were knocked out and messed with your possessions?"
"Sure but whats so important about that stuff that ya got to be assaulting ponies?"
"I had a life once, friends, loved ones. And that "stuff" is all I have left that reminds me of them!" We were now stopped and staring at each other as they talked.
"I'm not sorry about what I did and I won't be sorry about what ever I'll do, if it happens, it happens for a reason, and I can't change that."
"... Let's get to work, then you can be on your way."
"Let's see if you can actually buck a tree, can't hurt to try." Big Mac said as he gestured towards a tree. We were on the orchard, surrounded by apple trees.
"What about that one?" I say as I lift a hoof towards a tree that had caught my eye. Its bark was as brown as the dirt below it, and the leaves were green almost to the point that they had been like my eyes. But the thing about it that caught my eyes were the plump red apples hanging from the branches as if they weighed them down. I hear a voice from behind me that wasn't Big Macs, so I turn to see the orange mare from the party named Apple Jack.
"That there is 'The Big Un'. Only I can buck his apples, so we just wait for them to drop to harvest em'."
"Mind if I?" I suggested with a hoof towards the tree.
"You can try all ya want. But ain't no apples falling from him." Applejack said with a smirk.
I trot up to the tree and lay a hoof down it's overgrown and unearthed roots. Taking in its magnificence, I take in a deep breath and exhale. I hear a chuckle from behind me. I ignore it and continue with my moment. I take my hoof the roots and begin to trot away.
"What happened, did ya give up?" Applejack said with a laugh. "Did ya talk with the tree?" She said in a mocking tone.
"That was uncalled for." I say as I trot away.
"So attacking us wasn't? You can buck ponies but ya can't buck a tree?"
"Again, uncalled for, I just think I need to get this day over with. Can we just go?" I turn to her.
"So that's it, you want to buck a tree, ya have a moment with it, and ya just give up? and ah thought Rainbow Dash was a chicken." Applejack said as she continued to look at me with a smarmy smile on her face.
"...Did you just call me a chicken...?" I ask, in genuine confusion.
"Yeah, ya chicken." She replied. Her brother looking over to her with a look of confusion and worry.
"So, you think I'm chicken? Just because I beat both you and your cocky friend with just my back hoof. And don't feel like bucking a single tree?" I said as I trotted closer to her.
"Pretty much..." She said keeping her smile.
"You want a rematch? Or do want me to just buck the tree?" I said as I stopped on a patchwork of stones that laid between us.
"I want a rematch, and ya can't hold back, because I won't."
I knew that this what she had wanted, big headed, just as much as her friend. Can't just forget somethings. "What goes on here, doesn't leave this plantation. Got it? No bragging, nothing."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She said before she got into a crouched stance, as if she was about to leap.
"One thing first though, do you know what happens when you spend one thousand years on the moon? Unprotected from all of that sun light?"
"..."
"You mutate, you become something else, buck, that's why my eyes are the way they are. I'm not even sure I'm even pony anymore."
I thrust my hoof into the stone beneath me, grinding my hoof into it. "My eyes are only a small part of what has changed. It also changes how I use my magic."
I feel the stone under my hoof become hotter and hotter, until the point where it practically glows.
"Instead of just of just influencing it in small ways, making dirt better for crops, making stone easier to crush, and making the trees bend to my will. My magic allows me switch what types of magic I use."
I feel the molten stone crawl up my foreleg and towards my head. It gathers, just outside of my view, and I feel it attach itself to me, and sharpen to a point. I begin to focus on the makeshift horn that is now attached to my forehead.
"Moon rock, is one of the best magic amplifiers beside crystals. Did you know that?" Applejack stared at me with horror on her face, but that didn't last long, as now a look of determination made its way across it.
"You're a unicorn now, big deal."
"The moon was my home, my salvation, and my prison."
I feel magic condense into the focal point that is my horn, and I see a bolt of white energy arc off of it, hitting the ground. I point my horn at the hard head earth pony and focus.
"Are you ready for this?"
