The Equestrian Event

“So… Is it actually a gingerbread house, or is that just an aesthetic choice?”

Jay took a step back to fully appreciate the view of the bakery that was known locally as Sugarcube Corner. It was a structure that looked as though someone had taken a normal building and covered the roof with layers of frosting. At the top of the second floor was a dome in the shape of a giant cupcake. Three candles extended from it, each of them tipped with an electric light to simulate a flame.

“It’s just decoration,” Twilight said as she trotted up to the door of the bakery. “The building probably wouldn’t be left standing if it were edible. Not with Pinkie around anyway.”

Jay followed Twilight up the steps of the bakery’s front entrance and removed his sunglasses. As he stepped inside, the smell of pastries washed over him, so sweet that it was almost palpable. The interior design was surprisingly tame, something Jay wouldn’t have expected after seeing the outside. Glass displays highlighted a vast assortment of pastries and treats, while small tables were scattered around the room for customers to enjoy their purchases.

In the far left corner of the room, at a table directly across from the checkout counter, sat two ponies. One was a bright pink earth pony, with three balloons for a mark on her flank. She was talking so fast that Jay could hardly make out what she was saying.

The pony opposite of her was exactly that: opposite. She was a pale yellow pegasus with a curled, light pink mane. She sat quietly, listening as the other pony ranted on about… whatever the subject was. Jay thought he heard something about a tingly feeling, some sort of creature, and... a party?

Twilight held up a hoof, signaling for Jay to wait where he was, while she walked over to the two ponies at the table.

“Hi, girls!” Twilight said, greeting the two ponies.

“Oh, hiya, Twilight!” the pink horse replied, jumping off of her stool.

“Hi, Twilight,” the yellow pegasus said in a soft voice.

“We were just talking about you!” the pink horse said. “You know how I've got my Pinkie Sense? Well, it's been going off like crazy lately and I can’t figure out why! We also heard some other ponies, not us, talking about how they saw you with some kind of monster yesterday morning. By the way, who’s your friend over there?”

Without waiting for an answer, the pink pony darted directly in front of Jay. It happened so fast that the human thought she had teleported from where she originally was.

“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie!” the pony said exuberantly. “Who are you? What are you? Where did you come from? Are you the monster Twilight was hanging out with? Are you an alien? You look sick. Are you sick? Have you eaten anything today?”

The questions kept pouring from Pinkie’s mouth at such a rate, that Jay could only stand there, helpless to do anything but endure the interrogation.

“Twilight?” Jay called out for assistance. “Make it stop, please. I think I can feel the seizure stabbing me in the back of my brain.”

“Uh, Pinkie?” Twilight interjected. “Maybe you should wait for him to answer a question before you ask another?”

“Oh, right,” Pinkie said, backing off from the human.

Jay breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to the table that Twilight was standing by.

“Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, meet Jay,” Twilight said, presenting the human to the two ponies.

“H-hello,” Fluttershy said, somewhat bashful. “It’s nice to meet you, Mister Jay.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Jay said. He smiled and raised a hand in greeting.

“How do you two know each other?” Pinkie asked, bouncing back onto her seat. “I’ve never heard Twilight mention you before.”

“Jay and I… well, we met-” Twilight began, fumbling.

“I came here on business and was looking for a place to stay,” Jay said, picking up the pieces of Twilight’s fractured sentence. “I met Twilight one way or another and asked her if she new of any places that would be… accommodating, to someone such as myself. She offered to let me stay at the library and I agreed. So, today she thought it would be a good idea to introduce me to some of her friends.”

“That was awfully nice of you, Twilight,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah…” Twilight said, glaring at Jay. “I guess it was.”

“Now, Twilight mentioned to me that this is the best bakery in all of Ponyville,” Jay said. “So, you can imagine that I have high hopes, Miss Pie. What do you have?”

“We’ve got just about whatever you could want!” Pinkie said. She bounded off of her stool and over to the counter. “Cupcakes, regular cakes, fritters, pies, candies, more cupcakes, and anything you could think of!”

“Just what my empty stomach needs,” Jay thought. “Pure sugar.”

“Well, fritters sound good,” Jay said. “How much for two?”

“Oh, it’s on the house!” Pinkie said, diving behind the display case. “Consider it an ‘I’m sorry I haven’t thrown you a Welcome-to-Ponyville party yet’ apology gift!”

“Don’t ask you idiot,” Jay thought. “Just don’t ask and you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Um, excuse me for being so forward,” Fluttershy said in a low voice, while avoiding direct eye contact with Jay. “But, I was curious where you’re from. If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Oh, I’m from a long ways off,” Jay said, waving his hand through the air, as if to signify the distance. He sat down at the table next to Fluttershy’s. Pinkie quickly zipped by and dropped off a plate of apple fritters in front of him.

“Thank you,” Jay said as he picked up one of the fritters and took a bite. It was indeed sweet, but at least it was something edible.

“You’ve probably never heard of where I come from. I actually had to travel to Equestria by ship.”

“How much longer are you staying?” Pinkie asked.

“I’m not sure,” Jay said, finishing off the first pastry. “It all depends on how smoothly this job I’m doing goes.”

“What is it that you do?” Fluttershy asked.

“Are you some sort of secret agent super spy?” Pinkie asked, placing her hooves on the table. “Did you come here on a mission?”

“Er- Not quite,” Jay said. “I guess you could say that I’m a consultant, of sorts. But enough about me. What is it that you two do?”

“Well, I’m the baker here, obviously!” Pinkie said. “I’m also Equestria’s premiere party planner. It’s a passion.” She leaned back, grinning proudly.

“And I work with animals,” Fluttershy said, tapping her hooves together and shooting a glance at Pinkie. “It’s… also a passion.”

“Interesting,” Jay said. “Are you some kind vet?”

“Only when I need to be,” Fluttershy explained. “Though, I don’t have much formal training. I mostly just help take care of the animals.”

“Some is better than none,” Jay said. By now he had finished off the pastries, satisfying his hunger.

“Speaking of animals, I actually have to get going now,” Fluttershy said, standing up to leave. “Angel bunny gets pretty grumpy if he doesn’t get fed on time. It was nice meeting you, Jay.”

With that said, Fluttershy trotted over to the door and bid the group farewell.

“Hey, Jay,” Pinkie addressed the human. “I have a ton of questions to ask you, but right now I have to finish filling an order. Do you think we could chat some other time? Please?”

“I guess that’s alright,” Jay said, thankful for an escape from the the pink horse's ramblings. “Some other time then.”

“Great!” Pinkie said, racing to the kitchen door. “See you later! Bye, Twilight!”

“That was… interesting,” Jay said when he and Twilight were alone. “And surprisingly brief. Who’s next on the list?”

“I sent word ahead to Spike that we were coming back earlier this morning,” Twilight said, walking to the front door. “Knowing him, he’s probably still at Rarity’s, so we can pick him up later when we do visit the boutique. For now, let’s head over to Sweet Apple Acres. I’m sure we can find Applejack around there somewhere.”

“Visiting a farm sounds nice,” Jay said as he stood up to follow Twilight.

“Lead the way.”

******

Sweet Apple Acres was a good distance from where they had started, but Jay was used to the long walks by now. A lengthy white fence sectioned off the dirt road they walked on, cutting a path through the orchard.

Jay had never seen so many apple trees in all his life. They were planted in rows that stretched over the rolling hills, disappearing behind the green mounds in the distance. Being the middle of the summer, many of the trees were lacking in their production of the fruit, though, it was apparent that they would be ready for harvest when the time came.

Passing under a white wooden archway covered in green shrubbery, Jay saw a rising red barn, along with whatever else would pop into mind when thinking of a farm. To the left: a tilled field full of sprouting corn stalks and a distant carrot patch. To the right: chicken coops, bales of hay, and a pig pen.

Nearby, hard at work bucking a dead tree, was a rather large red stallion with an orange mane and a brown harness around his neck. If he noticed the pair as they walked by, he didn’t say anything.

As Twilight and Jay stopped outside of the entrance of the barn, out came an orange pony wearing a brown stetson. Accompanying her was a blue pegasus with a rainbow colored mane. It sounded like they were debating over which one of them could drink the most cider in one sitting. They stopped talking when they noticed Twilight and Jay approaching them.

“Well, hey there, Twilight!” the orange pony said. “How y’all doin today? Who’s your friend there?”

“I’ve never seen you hanging out with this… guy, before,” the blue pegasus said.

“Hi, Applejack. Hi, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “This is Jay. He’s visiting Ponyville on a… business trip. I’ve been letting him stay at the library while he’s in town.”

“Well howdy there,” Applejack said. She extended her hoof out toward Jay, who grasped it and gave it a firm shake. They both maintained eye contact until the greeting was complete.

“Nice to meet you,” Jay said, lowering his hand. “This is one of the warmer welcomes I’ve received so far.”

“Well, you’ve got a good grip there,” Applejack replied. “You can always tell a lot about somepony by the way they shake hooves. You seem nice enough to me, even if you are a strange lookin fella.”

“You flatter me,” Jay said with a grin.

“Uh huh,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes at the exchange. “Twilight, could I talk to you for a moment?” She looked at Jay suspiciously.

“In private.”

“Um, sure thing,” Twilight said. “Applejack, why don’t you show Jay around the farm? I’m sure he’d love to see it.”

“Sure thing, Twilight,” Applejack said. “Come on, Jay. I’ll give you the lay of the land round these parts.”

As Applejack led Jay over toward the chicken coops, Twilight and Rainbow Dash entered the barn.

“What’s up, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked.

“What’s up?” Dash repeated. “What’s up? Why don't we start with why you’re walking around with that thing? Who is that guy?”

“He’s just… an acquaintance,” Twilight said, nervously.

“An acquaintance?” Dash raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think you were one to let ‘acquaintances’ stay in your guest room. You said he’s here on business. What does he do?”

“He’s… a consultant,” Twilight said. “Why are you so suspicious of him?”

“Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he just appeared out of nowhere and you didn’t mention it until now,” Dash said, raising her voice. “I mean, look at him! What if he’s some sort of monster that gains ponies’ trust, only to eat them when their guard is down?”

Dash flew above Twilight and raised her hooves in a menacing manner, growling as she did. Twilight thought about the idea for a moment before bursting out laughing.

“Dash, that’s ridiculous,” Twilight said through broken laughter. “Trust me, it’s nothing like that.”

“Well, Applejack may trust him after shaking his… whatever that part of him is called, but I’m not convinced,” Dash said, crossing her forelegs.

“Why don’t you go talk to him yourself?” Twilight suggested as she trotted out of the barn.

“Fine,” Dash said, flying after Twilight. “Maybe I will! But don’t blame me when you get eaten!”

******

“So, I take it apples are your specialization?” Jay asked, walking next to Applejack.

“Sure as the sun shines!” Applejack said, proudly. “This here is the largest apple farm in all of Equestria.”

“Where are all the workers?” Jay asked, looking around.

“Why, you’re lookin at ‘em,” Applejack said. “My brother Big Macintosh and I are all this farm needs. Of course, Granny Smith has been running the show before either of us were born.”

“That's your brother?” Jay asked, as they walked up to the red stallion who had been bucking the tree when Jay had arrived.

“Yes sirree,” Applejack said. “Jay, Big Mac. Big Mac, Jay.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jay said, raising a hand in greeting.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac responded, nodding his head.

Applejack leaned over to Jay, raising a hoof to her mouth.

“He ain’t much of a talker,” Applejack whispered.

“Nope,” Big Mac said in agreement.

“Any luck getting that tree down?” Applejack asked.

"Nope,” Big Mac said, wiping his brow.

“Are you trying to uproot them?” Jay asked, walking over to the tree that Big Mac had been bucking earlier. The wood around the trunk was raw and splintered, but it still held sturdy.

“We just need it out of the way,” Applejack explained. “It’s blocking the sunlight from the live ones. I’d settle for it just being knocked over.”

“Do you have an axe?” Jay asked, turning to face Applejack.

“Sure do,” Applejack scoffed. “Can’t use the thing though. Rattles your teeth every time you hit something with it.”

“You hold it in your mouth?” Jay asked.

“Some slick salespony tricked Granny into buying it awhile back,” Applejack recalled. “Guess she didn’t think of how we were going to use it.”

“Mind if I took a swing with it?” Jay asked. “I could probably get the tree down for you. Might be easier than kicking it all day.”

“Looking to do a little labor, are ya?” Applejack grinned. “Well, if you can get that tree down, I’ll get you some cider. How does that sound?”

“I’m game,” Jay said, setting his bag on a nearby hay bale.

“Big Mac, go get that axe from the shed,” Applejack ordered.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said as he left to retrieve the tool.

While he waited, Jay raised his arms above his head, performing various stretches in an attempt to limber up.

“You ever use one of them things before?” Applejack asked. “Honestly, you don’t look like much of a worker to me.”

“Under different circumstances,” Jay said, rolling his head in a circle, his neck cracking as he did. “But the technique is relatively the same.”

Big Mac came trotting back from the shed, carrying the axe in his mouth. Jay took it from him with a grateful nod. Weighing the axe in his hands, he began to examine it in great detail.

The handle was long and wooden, with no splintering to be seen. The head was that of a traditional woodcutter’s. It was heavy and gleamed in the sun light. A few spots of rust had begun to form on its face, but they were merely cosmetic in nature.

“Whenever you’re ready, cityboy,” Applejack said, as if to challenge Jay.

Jay smiled and walked up to the tree. He loosely gripped the neck of the axe with his right hand and the tail of it firmly in his left. He raised it over his shoulder, lining up his swing with the base of the tree.

“Who ever said anything about me being a cityboy?”

Jay swung the axe with great speed, burying its head deep within the trunk. Bits of wood from the tree splintered, flying in all directions. Jay wiggled the axe free and swung it again, repeating the process.

Applejack watched in awe as the head of the axe was driven deeper and deeper with each blow, the glinting steel a blur every time it was swung.

“What’s going on?”

Twilight and Rainbow Dash trotted up behind Applejack and watched Jay take swing after swing at the tree.

“Oh, there y’all are,” Applejack said. “Jay here was just helping out with some trouble we’ve been havin.”

By this point, Jay had already carved through almost more than half of the trunk, leaving a little less than a foot of wood bridging the gap that had been formed in the tree. He took a few more swings, examined his progress, and then rested the neck of the axe on his shoulder. Walking around to the opposite side that he hadn’t been cutting, Jay placed his foot against the trunk of the tree.

“Everyone stand clear,” he said. He then pushed against the trunk with his boot.

The tree began to tilt, followed by a loud cracking sound as the last bit of wood connecting the trunk to the stump gave way. The limbs of the tree shuddered and snapped as they crashed against the ground.

Jay spun the axe handle in his hand and began to whistle his tune.

He walked over to Big Mac and handed him the axe with a nod. He then turned to face the mares. He stopped whistling when he noticed that Twilight and Applejack were both staring at him with a shared look of concern on their faces.

“What?” he asked.

“Umm… Jay?”

Twilight pointed a hoof at her face, as if to signal something.

Jay raised a hand to his nose and pulled it back, feeling something wet. Looking down at his palm, he saw drops of red forming a small pool. Every time a drop hit the pool, it splattered, leaving specks of red on the black thread of his shirt.

“Huh,” Jay remarked.

“Maybe we should go inside now.”

******

“Here ya go,” Applejack said as she set a mug of frothy yellow liquid in front of Jay. “Drink up. It’ll make you feel better.”

The group had retreated to the dining room of the farmhouse, leaving Big Mac to haul the dead tree off on his own. Jay sat next to Twilight on one side of the dining table, a rag held to his nose. Rainbow Dash sat on the other side, glaring at Jay from behind her tilted mug.

“Thanks,” Jay said, removing the rag from his nose.

The bleeding seemed to have stopped. He picked up the mug and drank from it. A smile formed on his face. The cider was refreshing. Delicious even.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Twilight asked as she sipped from her own mug. “You haven’t been looking too well this morning.”

“I’ll be fine,” Jay said. “It’s probably just allergies. Nothing to worry about.”

“So,” Dash said, hijacking the conversation. “Twilight mentioned that you’re a consultant of some kind.”

“I suppose you could say that,” Jay said, taking another sip of his drink. “Though, I’m not quite sure what the official title is.”

“Who do you consult for?” Dash asked.

“I’m not sure I can tell you…” Jay said.

“Sounds like you’re not sure about a lot of things,” Dash pressed.

“Come on, Dash,” Applejack said, setting her hat on the table. “There’s no need to interrogate the fella like that. If Twilight says he’s okay, then he’s okay.”

“It’s alright,” Jay said. “I’m used to the suspicion by now. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to tell you what I’m actually doing.”

“Let’s hear it then,” Dash said, her eyes narrowing.

“Alright,” Jay said. “Currently, I’m working as an informant and, as previously mentioned, a consultant... for Princess Luna.”

Twilight choked on her drink upon hearing this, sending her into a fit of coughing.

“Yeah right!” Dash snorted, laughing at what Jay had said.

“Since when?” Twilight asked when she was able to breathe again.

“Since last night,” Jay said, rifling through his bag.

“Ha!” Dash blurted out. “As if you’d expect us to believe that you would be working fo-”

Jay presented the box containing the medallion that Luna had given him the night before, causing Dash’s mouth to hang open on her last words.

“Cool, right?” Jay asked, taking the medallion out of the box. “Supposedly it gives me unrestricted access to Canterlot Palace.”

“Where did you get that?” Twilight asked. She snatched the medallion out of Jay’s hands with her magic and held it up to the light.

“Oh, Luna gave it to me last night when I was talking to her,” Jay said, lifting his mug to his lips.

“What is it that you’re, ah… consulting on?” Applejack asked, perturbed by Dash’s still frozen jaw.

“There was something stolen from Canterlot,” Jay explained. “If I find anything out about it, I’m supposed to tell Luna. Simple as that.”

“Wait,” Dash said, recovering from her dumbfounded state. “If you’re consulting for Princess Luna, then why are you here in Ponyville?”

“I had to stop by the library to pick up a few things,” Jay said. It was a rather vague answer, but it would have to suffice.

“Speaking of which, the sooner I get what I need, the sooner I can help find what was stolen and whoever stole it,” Jay said as he set his now empty mug on the table.

“I thank you for your hospitality, Miss Jack,” he said, getting up from the table. He held out a hand and shook Applejack’s hoof.

“Anytime,” Applejack said. “And call me ‘AJ.’ No need for all the formality and what not.”

“Miss Dash,” Jay said, holding out a hand. Dash only stared at it until Jay lowered it back to his side. Applejack glared at her with a hint of disapproval.

“Well, thank you for your… inquisitiveness,” Jay said. He plucked the medallion from Twilight’s magical aura, put it back in his bag, and turned to leave.

“I’ll… see you girls later,” Twilight said, getting up from her own seat. “Thanks for the cider, Applejack.”

Leaving the farmhouse, Jay could hear an argument spurring up between Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“So, what now?” Jay asked Twilight as they walked down the dirt road leading back to town.

“I guess we should just go pick up Spike and head back to the library,” Twilight said, sounding somewhat defeated.

“Something wrong?” Jay asked, attempting to rub out the red specks on his shirt.

“This whole, ‘introducing you to friendship’ plan… It’s not going how I hoped,” Twilight said, looking down at the road.

“Don’t sweat it,” Jay said. “Even from what little they’ve seen of me, three out of four of your friends seem pretty accepting of my existence.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that Luna put you on the investigation?” Twilight asked. “We could have gone straight to the library.”

“I thought that going along with your ill conceived plan to keep me busy might, I don’t know, make you feel better,” Jay said, scratching at the back of his head. “You’ve seemed kind of down. And annoyed. Besides, I thought it might be fun to meet your friends. For the most part, I was right.”

“If you say so,” Twilight said, dismissively. “Let’s just stop by Rarity’s place and get Spike. Then, we can go back to the library.”

“Swell,” Jay said. He looked up at the afternoon sun and gritted his teeth, doing his best to ignore the horrid pounding he was beginning to feel in his head.

“Just swell.”