Rune Factory: Shades of Everfree
Prologue: Introduction (Part one) *edited version*
The young earth pony struggled to put one hoof in front of the other. His caramelish mane, matted and unruly, and his light brown coat had seen better days. Ordinarily, he thought such a beautiful spring morning would be perfect for a nice long walk in the countryside but right now he was too hungry and tired to enjoy it. He had been following a wooden fence for a while now nearing collapse. he almost jumped for joy when a large farm house finally came in to view. Picking up the pace as best he could, he struggled towards the creaky old gate. Hopefully some pony would be home and he could ask where the hay he was or maybe even who he was.
Shaking his head he pushed that thought aside for now, it was just a few more feet and he'd be at the front steps. Slowly the steps struggled to get into view, just up those steps and with a quick knock. He’d be saved. Maybe he’d even beg if he had to. “I’m almost there!” he thought triumphantly as reached the first step before finally collapsing on the front porch. in the distance he heard cries for help. He tried to call out but darkness started to overtake him…
~ . ~
The next thing the young pony knew he was surrounded by the most delicious smells, including apple pies, fritters and pancakes! He focused on that last bit breathing in its sweet scent. "That's it, this must be heaven," he thought and kept his eyes closed taking in another deep breath of the pancakes."I died of starvation and now I'm in food heaven."
Next he tried to open his eyes but everything was a blur
"Ah think that did the trick Granny. He's comin ‘round!" Somepony next to him said. She sounded like a good honest pony and her southern tones helped him relax a bit.
"'Course it did! Ain't nothing better for an empty stomach than Apple family home cooking!" said a much older-sounding mare. She seemed to have the same down-to-earth ring to her voice.
"Eeyup!" a deep voice agreed heartily. If the other ponies’ voices were earthy, his was almost like a quiet mountain. The young earth pony rubbed his eyes. Slowly colored shapes came into view.
“Hi mister!” said a small yellow and red blob as she poked him in the stomach.”Helloooooo!”, she poked him again.
“Applebloom! Stop that,” an orange and blonde mare admonished the small red-haired filly.
“Uggh” was all he could manage in response. He tried again after clearing his throat.
“H-hello” he finally managed to croak out and carefully sat up on the couch he was laying on. With his vision more or less cleared, he saw the owners of the three voices now. On the right was an elderly mare with a light green coat and a mane that was whitened with age; she definitely looked like she could be a granny. The giant red stallion stood next to the old mare; he had a large yoke around his neck, And he seemed big enough to drag a house to the next county. Next to him was the blond mare, the one with the warm honest voice. Finally, still poking him in the side, was a little red-haired filly with a big pink bow on her head. Something behind them grabbed his attention; a small table laden heavily with all sorts of apple goodies. The old green mare smiled and grabbed a heaping helping of pie and placed it in front of him. Drooling, he forced himself to look away from the pie and looked back to the other ponies.
“For me?!” he asked and all four nodded in reply.
“Compliments of the Apple family Dearie. I'm Granny Smith Apple, but you can call me Granny” The old white-haired pony smiled as she pointed from herself to the very large red stallion next to her “This here’s my grandson, Big Macintosh.”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac said proudly.
“My lovely granddaughter Applejack, she’s single you know.” Granny pointed to the orange mare next to her grandson.
“Granny!” Applejack shouted and hid behind her hat before muttering, “Uh, Howdy.”
Their guest just smiled goofily and waved his hoof in return and turned a shade redder than Big Mac.
“Just sayin’ dear,” Granny said with a wink.” And this is…”
“Hi! I’m Applebloom! What’s your name?” The tiny filly Applebloom chirped.
“I-I don't know. I can’t remember anything from before this morning,” The young earth pony replied somberly.
“Oh…” the little filly’s eyes dropped to the floor.
AJ put a reassuring hoof around the both of them. "Now you two, Ah'm sure we'll figure it out, but not on an empty stomach! Let's eat!" Their guest's stomach heartily agreed. After he ate his pie the young earth pony joined the family for the rest of the meal. it mostly consisted of leftovers from breakfast.
” Granny always makes too much for each meal just in case any apple family member drops by for a visit” Applebloom said while she looked at him in amazement, in between his third helping of pancakes, ''He eats almost as much as you Big Mac!" .
"Eeyuup!" Big Mac chuckled and took another bite of his fourth helping of pie causing everypony else to join in. When the chuckling died down, Applejack stared thoughtfully at her family's table guest.
"What's the matter Granny?" The young earth pony asked, scrunching his nose up in confusion. Granny took a moment to consider her answer.
"I was just wondering but what about your cutie mark? it might give you a hint to who you might be."
"My cutie mark!" The young earth pony’s eyes went wide as he sprang to his hooves. He turned his head to his flank with the rest of the family excitedly looking as well. He half expected it to be a blank like his mind but…
"It's a turnip...with a sword in it?" Applebloom muttered as she looked at it again. "What does it mean?"
"I-I don't know. How does one get a sword turnip cutie mark anyway?" He shrugged. "Well, it was a good idea anyway, thanks Granny.”
"So... what can we call you? If y'all can't remember your name." Applejack wondered aloud.
"Turnip Guard?" He replied half-jokingly.
"Nah, how 'bout Sword Sharp?" Applejack suggested but the look on his face told her that wasn't the one for him.
"Harvest Cutter?" Big Mac tried.
"Or Steve!" Applebloom piped in.
"That’s a good one dearie...but how about Swift Fields?" Granny mused.
"Oh, hey! That sounds pretty good!" The young earth pony nodded happily.
"Ah like it!" Applejack agreed.
"Me too! How 'bout you Big Mac?" Applebloom joined in and then turned to her big brother. Big Mac thought for a moment.
"Meh," he replied with a joking wink.
"Well, I guess that settles it, call me Swift Fields!" The newly named Swift beamed. He bowed graciously to his hosts. "How'd you know it would suit me, Granny?"
"I knew a Swift Fields once. He ate like a horse too!" Granny Smith guffawed and slapped Swift enthusiastically on the back leaving him surprised and winded. As Swift tried to catch his breath, Applejack sighed into her hoof and shooed Granny away.
“Come on sugarcube, let’s get the nurse in town to have a look at you.” Applejack began walking towards the door. Turning around when she reached the oak door, she called back with a huge grin. "And after Ah'll even give you a tour of the town!"
