Waking up in Equestria

I woke up the next day slowly and peacefully. Swimming up from the black, into a grey haze and then finally to full consciousness. I had not noticed the window in my room last night so if it was open then or if someone... somepony... had opened it while I was asleep, I don't know. Either way, it now was the source of the gentle breeze that blew against my face and urged me awake. Opening my eyes, I saw the brilliant morning light streaming in from behind the curtains as they gently billowed out with the puffs of fresh air from that side of the room. Rolling over to my left side to avoid the light, I now faced the door and noticed it was open. Someone had been in this morning to check on me.

I was never a morning person to begin with, preferring to lounge about with my morning wood that I might or might not take care of. Regardless of being in a land of talking ponies, magic lights and grass that wiped your butt for you I wasn't about to change that easily. I lay, looking at the door and let my mind wander in the post sleep daze it was in. Predictably, my mind first thought of Scootaloo and wondered what she was up to. Was she still asleep? Or out running around with Apple Bloom already? I actually grew a bit nervous thinking about seeing her again. How should I act? Would she still feel the same way about me today? I mean.. why wouldn't she but still, it's not like I had much experience in this.

Then I thought about the lights last night. I could do magic! Sure it was just turning lights on and off again, but it was something no one could do at home! For the second time I wondered what other things like that existed in this world. I had failed at using the force... so moving things with my mind didn't seem to be an option. But there was a whole world of things to try out! For a while I just zoned out, imagining what other strange things awaited me here.

After a while, movement at the door caught my eye. Scootaloo's purple mane and orange face came into view around the door jamb, looking in at me. When our eyes met and she saw I was awake, she gave a quick look back before giving a devious grin. She quickly moved into the room and I barely had enough time to react and roll on my back before she jumped up on the bed and landed on me, giggling softly.

"You're awake! You're awake! You're awake!" she said in a soft but enthusiastic voice as she bounced on top of me with each set of words for emphasis, her four legs split two on either side. Then she dropped her head down and pressed her lips against mine in an eager kiss. Her lips already were parted and her tongue pressing out. I kissed her back, opening my own lips and letting our tongues greet each other. I brought one hand up to her face and the other up under her body to stroke the area just in front of her rear hip while we kissed. I found the hair there was soft and smooth. She didn't protest, just gave a slight noise in her throat so I decided to move my hand up under her and explore what was there. It was morning after all... I was always a bit randy in the mornings.

Keeping my palm flat against her, I slid it down through the crease formed by her rear right hip just in front of her leg and onto her underside. I really didn't know what to expect in that area, hell I didn't even know if this was a good place to touch or not but it felt right. As my hand slid under, she sucked in a deep breath through her nose and her eyes opened wide. My fingers felt the hair change in quality from short and straight to longer and more matted just before I felt a clear spot and hard bump. It felt like my nipples did when I was cold, but larger. Scootaloo gave a muffled "Mmmphh!" into our kiss and then jumped up and off of me to the other side of the bed. She was breathing heavy and her face looked flushed while she regarded me with wide purple rimmed eyes. I felt like maybe I had pushed my luck to far.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have..." I said quietly, sitting up.

"No. It just... it surprised me, that's all... really, heh heh." she answered, trying to inject that tough and unflappable personality into it. She arranged her face to normal as best she should before saying "Come on, I made Granny Smith save you breakfast!" She leaned in and gave me another quick kiss before hopping off the bed and trotting out the door. I sat for a moment, letting my body calm down before getting out of bed. As I stood up, I noticed that my right ankle felt much better today. The pain that had been there whenever I put weight on it was diminished greatly however now my left foot was singing a different note of pain. I sat back down and inspected the bottom to see several raw patches where the skin had been scrapped away by the repeated pushing against the dirt last night. Hopefully some shoes will arrive soon.

I found I was able to walk reasonably normal after putting my shirt on, however. I really didn't have to use the bathroom urgently yet but I was driven there anyways to experiment with the light trick again. After playing with the light for a few moments like a toddler who just discovered he can reach a light switch, I peed, watching the stream hit the grass and then disappear into a rainbow colored shimmer that rippled out in concentric waves wherever the stream hit. I then washed my hands and then moved down stairs.

The great room at the bottom was empty but I could hear Scootaloo talking in the kitchen. As I entered, I saw she was standing on a bench at the table talking to Apple Bloom who was seated across the table from her. Between them was a large pile of dark seeds, each about the size of my pinky nail gathered on a sheet. They appeared to be sorting through them, pulling out discolored ones from the pile and placing them in a pan. Watching over all this was Granny Smith, however her eyes appeared to be closed at the moment and her mouth was slack as if she had dozed off. The door to the outside was open wide, letting the fresh and warm air in along with the sounds of birds chattering away in the trees.

"Mason!" Apple Bloom squeaked. "Bout time ya lazy bones got outta bed! There's some food in the skillet on the stove Granny saved for ya!"

"Cool, thanks." I said appreciatively. Scootaloo's eyes kept darting to mine and then away, like she didn't want to get caught looking too much... or was it she was scared to look at me? I walked to the stove and lifted the lid on the skillet. 3 large potato pancakes were stacked in the skillet that looked delicious. I was relieved to see that whatever passed for breakfast around here, it consisted of familiar things. An empty clean plate was nearby so I transferred the cakes to that and looked around for a fork or something. I didn't see one. Behind me the two girls continued to chat away while sorting seeds and Granny continued to snooze. There was a pile of clean dishes set to dry on towels. Nothing resembling silverware here either. Plates, what looked like spatulas, a few pots, cups... I guess they don't use them. As a matter of fact, I don't remember any of the pony's using silverware last night either. I did take advantage of the cup however, and got some water from the tap.

I sat on the bench next to Scootaloo, putting the plate in a clear spot where the seeds had not covered yet. "What are you guys doing?" I asked as I picked up a cake and bit into the cool, soft texture. Up close, I recognized the seeds looked like apple seeds. Also up close, I could hear that Granny Smith was snoring lightly.

"Sortin' seeds!" Apple Bloom said happily. "Ya see, there are these lighter colored ones in here that wont grow so we halfta pull em out before we plant." she gestured to a shallow pan nearby that contained a number of tan and misshapen seeds. "Apple Jack thought it'd be a good chore for us cuz of yer foot and all. We can sit here all day!"

I nodded and gave a "that makes sense" expression while I chewed on my breakfast. All day was right, the pile of seeds was huge.

"Snappers and blash!" Granny Smith suddenly blurted out, causing both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to howl with laughter. Her whole body twitched as her eyes opened, mouth smacking as if peanut butter were on the roof of it. She surveyed the room before saying "If'n it aitn't the human fella. Good morn', human fella." she said pleasantly enough. "There be grub in the skillet for ya" she said.

"Yes, Granny... and it's delicious thank you."

"I said THERE BE GRUB ON THE STOVE!" she said loudly.

I looked at Apple Bloom, wondering what to do now. She shrugged back at me and simply said "Ok Granny" without looking at the old pony.

"Well alright, I guess I be headin to mah chair now..." she trailed off. Granny Smith dismounted the bench she was on and walked on not so solid legs into the great room. I heard a creak, and then a slow and steady rocking sound on the hard wood floor.

"Granny sometimes forgets how ta hear" Apple Bloom said with a grin.

"Remember that time she was arguing with the tea kettle?!" Scootaloo asked, already giggling.

"Oh my word yes! She dun thought it was talkin sass to her and she bout knocked it off the stove with her mixin spoon!" Apple Bloom was now laughing freely.

"And then when your sister tried to tell Granny it was a kettle, Granny bonked Applejack on the head for arguing with her!"

Both girls were now laughing hard. I had to admit it was infectious and I found myself laughing with them. The situation did seem rather hilarious, if a bit alarming that Granny Smith was that far gone she was arguing with inanimate objects. I finished up my breakfast and gulped down the water. It was cold and fresh.

For the next couple of hours, the three of us sat, talked and sorted seeds. I found I was faster than the two girls were and I think it came down to the fingers. In the short time I had been here, I had already noticed that the ponies were amazingly dexterous with their hooves, beyond anything I could ever imagine a hoof could do. But there was no match for opposable thumbs when it came to fine delicate work like sorting small things, well maybe magic... but there was none going on here. Scootaloo had gone from a standing position to a sitting one early on and her tail would occasionally flip up and bush against my back secretively. More than once, I moved my knee over and bumped her hoof that was hanging over the edge of the bench under the table and out of sight of Apple Bloom. It became a hidden little game between us while we worked.

I had quickly grown a much larger pile of bad seeds than both the girls had combined. Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo noticed and then tried to keep up. We soon were locked into a friendly game, racing to see who had more when the pile was gone, me or the two fillies. Working at a frantic pace, we chewed through the pile on the table quickly, much quicker than Apple Bloom thought it should take and by the end... The fingers won.

"Woah!" Apple Bloom remarked. "I ain't never seen anyone sort em that quick before! Even Aunt Apple Turnover prolly couldn't beat ya an she wins this every year at the Apple Family Gatherin'!"

"No kidding! What did you call them? Fingers?" Scootaloo said, taking my hand in her hooves and inspecting them. "What other cool things can they do?" She asked with a peculiar and sly smile on her face. I felt her tail bump my lower back again and my face got warm at her suggestiveness.

"I dunno.. I guess we'll have to see." I mumbled, feeling awkward.

"I'm gonna go get Applejack and tell er we're dun!" Apple Bloom said, moving to get off the bench.

"Tell me what now, surgar cube?" Applejack's voice came from the exterior door of the kitchen. She entered wearing the same hat as I saw last night, only now her mane was also tied up with red strips of cloth to keep it out of her face. She had a shine of sweat on her coat and a few small twigs and bits of leaves stuck to her in various places. Behind her was a larger red pony. It's look was much different than any pony I had seen before with a strong jaw line, larger mouth and a different build. It was stockier with a much wider build. It's mane and tail were the same light orange color of Applejack's coat and it also had the same distinctive light circular patches on it's cheeks as the mare did. Around it's neck was a massive yoke, intended to be hooked up to various carts and farm equipment to be pulled along behind.

"Oh, Mason... Ya haven't met Big Mac yet. Big Mac, this is Mason, the human I was tellin ya about." Applejack gestured to me. "This here's mah big brother, Mason. He don't say much, but he's as nice as can be."

"Eeeyyuup" Big Mac said in a deep voice and smiled. So that was it, I thought. Big Mac is the first male pony I've met. That's why he looks so different. He wasn't much taller than Applejack, but he was much more muscular. I noticed out of the right corner of my eye that Scootaloo had dropped her head and was intently studying the seeds in front of her. I gave her a little jab with my elbow, but she didn't look up. I also noticed her face was flushed again.

"Well we're ahlready dun with the seeds, Applejack! Ya won't believe how fast Mason was at it!" She reached over the table and slid my large pan full of the discolored seeds over so her sister could see. "He did this many and we're dun with tha pile!"

"Well, Gol-ly! Lookie there, Big Mac! Mason here might be able to give Aunt Apple Turnover a run fer her money!"

"Yeeuup!" he said.

"Well... I'm gonna run home now." Scootaloo said quickly and suddenly, standing up.

"Huh?" Apple Bloom said confused. "I thought you said you was gonna stay here again tonight?"

"Yeah... I was... and still might... I just... I need to go for a bit, I think I left a light on in my room."

"What in tarnation, girl. You feelin ahlright?" Applejack asked, noticing the strange way Scootaloo was acting. I was getting a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Was she being this way because of me? Because of what I did this morning upstairs? It didn't make sense because she had been playing around with me and seemed alright. But why else would she suddenly not want to be here? I was so confused, and I was confusing myself even more.

"Yeah, you alright?" I asked her.

She looked at me and said, "Yah! I'm fine.. really. I Just... I'll get my scooter later, Mason. See ya!" With that, she zoomed out the door.

"Now that was weird." Apple Bloom said.

"Yeeuup!"

_____________________________________________________________

The rest of the day passed with me hanging around Apple Bloom after Applejack showed us what needed to be done in the corn field. I had seen this field on the way in last night, but couldn't be sure then that it was, in fact, corn. Now I was chest deep in growing corn stalks, searching for dead or eaten leaves. The wrap that Fluttershy had given my right foot had become soiled instantly after walking in the soft, rock free dirt under the stalks and I knew I would have to abandon it after this. My other foot, raw and hurting from last night was actually enjoying this soft surface so I worked happily on it, inspecting the stalks and removing the leaves as I found them, placing them in a sack around my neck.

"I sure hope Scooaloo's alright. She's been actin funny the last few days." Apple Bloom said out of the blue, standing up on her hind legs to grasp a leaf in her muzzle, yanking it free. We were working in rows next to each other, moving down them at the same time.

"I guess I wouldn't know the difference..." I said. Trying to act as if I knew nothing about her orange friend and inspecting a leaf closely.

"Nah, I guess ya wouldn't. But she's been kinda quiet lately. Like she has a head full-a thoughts that she can't quite think through."

"No clue what about?"

"It's kinda hard ta tell, sometimes. She... She ain't had a good home, ya know? That's gotta make a pony think a lot and she can get funny sometimes bout it"

"Yeah, she told me about her brother... and her parents."

"She told ya about all that?!" Apple Bloom asked, her face coming around the stalk between us with a surprised look on her face.

"Yeah"

"That's like the one thing she don't ever like to tell nopony unless she likes em a lot! She'd rather talk about her wings!" she said, shaking her head and fixing me with a now impressed look.

"You musta dun something to make her like you bunches. I'm jealous! It took ages for me n Sweetie to get it out of her an we're like her best friends!" Her eyes then squinted and her brow came together in an angry but cute expression. "Oooo! I just get so darn mad when I think about it. How kin ya just forget ya got a filly to take care of!" she gestured.

"Why doesn't she just move in with you?"

"Ya don't think we offered! She don't wanna be a burden, she says, and besides... she don't like doin the chores"

"Oh"

"We always tell her that she just needs ta not worry bout it. She's got us'n that's all she'll ever need!"

"But she's never taken you up on it?"

"Naw, she's a stubborn filly..."

"Really?"

"Scootaloo won't ever say, but she's sure lonely in that house all by herself. It makes me sad sometimes when I get to thinkin bout it" Apple Bloom shook her head sadly, then resumed picking at the leaves. I followed suit and we moved together down the rows. A few stalks later, Apple Bloom said "Mason, you can't be tellin her I told ya that. She gets mighty worked up when she thinks people are treating her special."

"Sure, Apple Bloom. I won't say anything... I promise." I meant it.

I was lost in thought for a while after that. Scootaloo was a pony with some sad circumstances around her and my affection for her only made it more painful for me. She started out different than her peers and had to over come that. But then this business with her brother and her parents added more difficulty to her life. There were girls like her back home, girls that had troubled lives that caused them act up and act out. They always seemed to be the ones who got in trouble, and I always heard that it was because no one understands them. Did Scootaloo just want somepony to understand her?

This also made me think that I really didn't know a whole lot about her. I mean... She and I had talked quite a bit, and both shared stuff about us that was personal. But it's not like I knew her for a long time. It's like her and I just attracted each other like magnets and now I've got to figure out what to do about it so I don't make a wrong move with her. This thought process also made me think that Scootaloo might be feeling the same about me.

We finished up the row and began down the next set. We only made it about a quarter of the way down when close by and hidden in the rows we heard a loud but high pitched voice yell "APPLE BLOOM!" then I heard an "OOF!" and a crash next to me. When I looked around a stalk into Apple Bloom's row, I saw Sweetie Belle had tackled her friend and was now standing proudly above her looking down. "Gotcha!" she cried happily.

______________________________________________________

Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle and Sweetie Belle had all arrived at Sweet Apple Acres that afternoon to check up on me and Rarity also had brought me more clothes as well. Among them was finally some shoes! They were made of tough leather straps and a thick, cork-like bottom. All in all they resembled what I saw in history class about roman boots and what they looked like back in the old days. The pair was expertly crafted and looked amazing. We gathered in the barn's kitchen and I let Fluttershy remove the now soiled bandage. She scolded me the whole time, making me feel guilty while the other ponies looked on. Then I washed my feet before trying the shoes on.

"Rarity! I don't know how to thank you!" I said genuinely grateful. "They're amazing!" The really were. They fit perfectly and were more comfortable than any pair of shoes I had owned before. The bottoms were tough but gave with my weight.

"Oh, it was nothing, really... Just a few scraps I had laying around the shop." She said in a matter of fact tone.

"I even helped!" Sweetie Belle hopped up and down next to her big sister. "See? Look at the ends of the straps!"

I did. On close inspection, I saw that the end of each of the two straps that tightened the shoes were 3 letters stamped into the leather. "CMC"

"CMC?" I asked her?

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom said in loud unison.

I smiled at them and thanked Sweetie for her addition.

"How are you doing today, Mason?" Twilight asked me. "Anything strange happen that I should know about?"

"Well..." I thought for a moment about how the whole grass box worked, but decided that was a little personal. "Lights" I said plainly.

"Lights?" she asked.

"I can turn lights on and off with my mind." I said it flatly, realizing how weird it was to say out loud.

All the ponies gathered looked at each other with a puzzled expression. I felt sick to my stomach. Would they believe me?

"Uh... sugar cube.... how else ya supposed to turn em off and on?" Applejack said with a now amused and humoring look on her face. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom snickered.

"Aww, Mason... don't listen to them" Twilight gave the two fillies a dark look. "I'm sure there's plenty things that don't work the same way here. It wasn't your mind, Mason it must be the magic that is now a part of you letting you interact with things the same way we do."

"Ahh... " I said dumbly. At this point I figured the gloves were off so I went for it. "Same with the box of grass in the bathroom?"

Everypony looked at each other again, this time with embarrassment.

"Well... you learn about that when you get out of diapers..." Twilight said, not meeting my eyes.

"I learned it last night, thank you very much. Quite the eye opener...."

"Sorry. I... Guess teaching you things like that slipped my mind." The purple mare looked uncomfortable.

"What do the humans... um... use?" Apple Bloom asked in pure innocent curiosity.

I explained to them all the concept of a toilet. And toilet paper. They listened with rapt wonder as I described how the mechanics of the seat, water and flushing did their thing. The idea of plumbing wasn't new, they had sinks and facets after all. It was the idea that you had to manually clean up that was the kicker for them.

"Eeewww!" Sweetie Belle said. "That's gross!"

"Thank goodness we live in a civilized society here" Rarity said with pride. "And speaking of civilized, I've brought you more clothing so when those get dirty you can wash them. Wouldn't want you to wander around smelling like a dirty cape now, would we?"

She had fashioned three more pairs of pants and shirts. All colorful (and complimentary, according to her) and looked to be made with equal skill as the shoes. I took these and stowed them upstairs in my room while the ponies talked. I passed Granny Smith on the way through the great room. She was out cold with her front hooves on the floor in front of the chair.

When I returned, the group that had visited as well as Applejack and Apple Bloom were now seated around the large table, leaving a space for me. After sitting down, Twilight turned to me and said "Mason, I've told Princess Celestia about you and she wants to meet you tomorrow. She wants to come here to Sweet Apple Acres."

"Say WHAT?" Applejack looked shocked.

"Relax, Applejack." Twilight soothed. "You don't have to make a big deal out of it, remember?"

"Twilight... You know I get uncomfortable 'round royalty."

"You don't get uncomfortable around me..." Twilight said to her friend.

"Ah.. come on sugar cube... ya know that's different..."

"I'm sorry... I don't know any of this. Who's Celestia? And you're royalty, Twilight? Does that mean the same thing as it does in my world?" I asked.

____________________________________________________________

It was late afternoon by the time Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity and Sweetie Belle left the farm. The last few hours had been filled with Twilight and her friends telling me about Canterlot, Alicorns, Twilight becoming an Alicorn and also of some psychotic pony named Princess Luna who was Celestia's sister but also had been called Nightmare Moon. I hadn't noticed Twilight's wings until now. Perhaps it was because she kept them partially hidden by her mane, or she kept them tucked tightly to her, but when she stretched them out to show me... they were an impressive sight.

Princess Celestia wanted to meet me in person tomorrow, according to Twilight. She was, after all, Twilight's mentor and by all accounts a very wise and powerful Alicorn. Hell, she even made the sun rise here so that had to count for something, I guess. I was told to not be nervous or scared. Celestia was incredibly nice.

Applejack then took me on a tour of the farm in the late afternoon's light. She said she needed to get up and move about after all that sitting and I didn't mind. The shoes Rarity had brought allowed me to walk almost normally again because they were so comfortable. As we walked, she took great pride in showing me the trees and explaining how apple bucking worked. I watched in amazement at how she reared up her back legs and kicked a large tree so hard it shook violently. Nothing much fell out except a very surprised squirrel because the apples weren't ready to let go yet, Applejack pointed out, but they will soon.

"Jeeze... I don't think I can kick a tree that hard, Applejack." I said. "We have machines that get the apples out of the trees back home."

"Ha!" She cried "Don't you think for a second you're gettin out the apple harvest that easy! There's all kinds a work to be done sortin after me n Big Mac get em all down."

"I'll take your word for it" I replied with a smile. I was beginning to like Applejack a lot. She had a personality that was trustworthy and honest.

We came to the eastern edge of the farm where the white, three board fence marked the end of the property and looked out. Nearby, a small river flowed south and on the other side I could see a few scattered dwellings dotting the landscape. Beyond them and in the far distance, the edge of a thick forest could be seen.

"What's that over there?" I asked, pointing to the distant treeline.

"Well that's the Everfree forest. Fluttershy lives a way out over yonder too... and I think Apple Bloom's friend Scootaloo does also in them houses just on the other side of the river. Never seems to take that filly very long to get here, anyways." I wondered if I could tell what house was hers if I went over there.

"Well, lets head on back. I'm sure Granny Smith'l have supper bout ready and it's gonna be a big day tomorra with Celestia and all."

"What do you think Celestia will say when she sees me?" I asked her, admittedly a bit scared of meeting someone who has been describes as so important.

"Don't you fret about it, now. Celestia is a wise and powerful one. Heck! She might even have an idea of how to go about gettin ya home!"