Apples and Games

As soon as my alarm goes off, I turn it off. 6:30. Saturday. I had a friend coming over, so I wanted to wake up early to prepare. I stare up at the ceiling for a few minutes before getting out of bed. I quickly get dressed before I shower. Some people might think that odd, but I like to eat breakfast first before showering. I grabbed my iPhone and put the earbuds in. As soon as I come out of the bedroom, I immediately see the woman laying on the floor. She was laying on her side with her back to me.

Her clothes seemed familiar. Really familiar. On her head she had a stetson. She had a green and white shirt. Her denim blue skirt was secured with a belt. She had cowboy boots on her abnormally long legs. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was Applejack in her Equestrian Girls form. I believed it. After all, why else would a weirdly proportioned cartoony girl be in my living room?

I pursed my lips and slowly approached her. Careful not to wake her( really didn't want to startle something that was clearly in better shape than me) I went around to her front. Yep. Definitely Applejack. No other human had a face like that. I chewed the first layer of the skin on my bottom lip, a bad habit. Might as well wake her.

I knelt down and gently shook her, "Hey. Wake up."

Applejack groaned and slowly opened her eyes. They stared blankly at my face for a few seconds before widening in horror, "Whaagh!"

She scrambled clumsily away. I wasn't entirely surprised. There goes my theory for her being from the Equestria Girls universe. She wouldn't have freaked out so bad otherwise. That's when she noticed her arms. I didn't think her eyes could get any larger, but they did. She started to breathe in and out rapidly. I probably should calm her.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," She looked at me with her green eyes, "Everything's fine. I'm not going to hurt you."

She looked down at herself, "Wh-whut am I?"

"You're a human," Kinda. She'd probably draw a few stares.

She inspected her hands, wiggling her fingers, "A-a human?"

"Yep. Like me," Again, kinda.

She looked at me again, "Wh-where am Ah?"

"You're in my apartment, on Earth."

I think she must've knew her geography well enough that Earth wasn't her planet. She looked down and sniffled, "Ah-Ah wanna go home..."

I'll the be first to admit that I know nothing about comforting people, "Everything's going to be alright. I promise, Applejack."

Shit, I fucked up. She must have noticed my slip too as she looked up and scooted away from me. I tried my best to ignore that her legs were spread apart, "H-how do ya know mah name?"

I grimaced, thinking what to do. Since she was the Element of Honesty, she'd probably see through any lie. I sighed as I realized what I need to do. This was going to be awkward, "Do...do you have TV's where you're from?"

"Y-yeah," Thank God, "Wh-whut does that hafta do wit' anythin'?"

I chewed by upper lip, "You're on TV here."

~AJ~

"Wh-what?" I asked. The thing in front of me, a human he called himself, looked like he was thinking. What did he mean by I'm on TV. That's assuming we were talking about the same kind of TV. He meant those boxes that showed movies, right? I don't have one.

I really wanted to leave. I struggled to my feet before he could react and took a step back. I slipped and fell on my plot( do I still have one?). Next thing I knew he was towering over me. I felt a bit of fear wash over me as he stood there. He extended one of his appendages to me. I didn't know what he wanted.

"Let me help you up," Oh. I didn't do anything for a few moments before slowly sticking out my new foreleg and grasped his weird hoof. He wasn't very gentle in pulling me up, though I think he didn't mean to be that rough. I shakily stood on my new hindlegs. It was...different.

I stumbled and he caught me, "Fuck," he said that bad word quietly but I still winced when I heard it. He clumsily helped me back upright, "You okay?"

I shakily nodded. He gently let me go. He slowly walked backwards, ready to catch me if I fell again. I think now I know how Granny Smith feels like, "I'll be right back," he said. I nodded. He quickly went out of the room. I waited for a few moments before the human returned. He was carrying what looked like a thin metal book. He opened it up. It wasn't a book. I don't know what it was.

He put it on a table and went over to me, "Do you need any help?"

I furrowed my brows at him. Was he implying I couldn't learn to walk? "I'll be fine," I said in a bit of a cold tone. I regretted that as the human winced. He went to the table and sat down. I swallowed and shakily put a hindleg out. Then another. Then another. I smirked. I told him I didn't need any help.

That's when I lost my hoofing. My eyes went wide as I tumbled forward. My face smashed into the hardwood floors and pain exploded across it, "Shit!" I heard the human yell. I rolled over on my back, clutching my new nose. I withdrew one of my weird hoof to see it had blood on it. I grimaced.

Suddenly I was pulled up to a sitting position, "Stay there. I'll get some Kleenexes," I didn't know what a 'Kleenex' was but I assumed it had something to do with my bloody nose. He returned to reveal he had a box of tissues. Why didn't he just say 'tissues'? I took a few and pressed them up against my nose. After a while, the bleeding stopped and I was helped up to my hindlegs. He was gentler this time. And this time I didn't refuse his help walking.

I sat down and stared at the weird device. It had buttons on the bottom. He pressed one. The top part, previously black, lit up. I stared at it in interest. It showed what I guessed was a logo. Maybe it was the planet's insignia? It read 'Vigilo Confido'. I didn't know what that meant. He moved one of his forehooves to the square on the bottom.

He pressed down on it and the image changed. There was...fire and something running through said fire. It stood on two legs like we do, and carried a weird looking stick. I guessed it was big, and it was white. It didn't a face which weirded me out. There were...things on what I now guessed was the screen.

He glanced at me, "This will probably shock you. Please don't kill me."

I reared back in shock. How could he say that? I would never kill something. He moved his hoof appendages on the square and a little arrow moved as well. It trailed to the bottom of the screen and he pressed down on the square again. The screen suddenly turned white and the words 'Google' appeared. I didn't know what that meant either. I looked down at the buttons. They had letters on them. Equis letters. He pressed a few, and letters appeared in a box under the word Google. They read 'Netflix'. He pressed another button and the screen changed.

The screen had more words on it. The first line I read said 'Netflix - Watch TV Shows Online, Watch Movies Online'. He moved the pointer thing to those words and pressed down on the square again. It changed and he pressed down on another button. The screen that showed different pictures moved down and I froze at what I saw.

It was Fluttershy. I opened and closed my mouth. How did they know about her? His voice came back to me. You're on TV here. I looked at him in shock. He had a grimace on his face as he moved the pointer to Fluttershy. It hovered over her and the screen then showed the title 'My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'.

It showed Discord hugging Twilight and Princess Cadance. He was blue, just like I remembered him to be when Cadance came to Ponyville. This wasn't possible. He moved the pointer down to the word 'Episodes'. My breath hitched when the screen changed and I saw myself. I shook my head. This wasn't possible. I was wearing the dress I once borrowed from Rarity to prove my point to her.

He moved the pointer to the words 'Season 4'. What did that mean? It changed to show seasons 1 through 6. He selected season 1. I felt my stomach grow upset as I saw myself over the words 'Applebuck Season'. How did they know about Applebuck season? How did they know so much about us? He moved the pointer to the picture showing Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie. He pressed down.

The screen changed and I couldn't believe my eyes. It showed Twilight as a unicorn. It showed her finding about Nightmare Moon. Then it showed her coming to Ponyville. When she met me and I heard myself speak, I decided I couldn't take anymore, "S-stop," I croaked out.

Immediately he made it go away. I felt tears well up in my eyes and I couldn't stop them from coming out. This wasn't real. This was just a bad dream. I...I couldn't be a...cartoon, could I? Was I even real? Was my adventures real? My friends? My family? Similar thoughts ran through my mind as I started to cry.

I felt something wrap around me and saw that the human was hugging me, "You're real. I know you might not think that, but you are."

"H-how do you know?"

"I'm hugging you, aren't I?"

"B-but my-"

"Your friends are real too. I'm sure of it. They all are probably looking for you right now."

"B-but they'll never find me-"

"Do you really think your friends will give up? Rainbow Dash is probably half-way across the world looking for you. The Princesses are probably scanning the stars right now. You have friends, Applejack. And they are real and will never give up. You'll get back home, I promise."

I sniffled, feeling a bit better. My stomach suddenly growled.

~John~

Applejack blushed as her stomach went off. I drew back, "You're probably hungry, are you?"

Applejack shyly nodded. Adorable, "Waffles okay?"

She nodded again and I went to my freezer. I pulled out some Eggos and stuck them in the microwave. In the corner of my eye I noticed her looking at me with interest. I started the microwave and waited for a minute. I took it out and set in on a plate in front of her. She poked it, finding it hot, "How?"

"The device I used back there uses microwaves to heat up food."

"'Microwaves'?"

"It's a type of radiation. Radiation is essentially the energy some objects emit. It's invisible, so you can't see it."

"Is...is it dangerous?"

"...yes and no," she looked up from her waffle to look at me. I continued, "In large does radiation can cause cancer, an uncontrolled growth of certain cells in the body, or even death," Applejack started to pale as I continued, "The device, called a microwave oven, produces so little radiation that it's perfectly safe to eat. Humans have been using them for more than fifty years now."

I gave her utensils and some syrup. She started to eat. She looked up at me, "Yer not eating anythin'?"

"I'm nervous as fu- heck right now, so I'm not very hungry."

"Why are ya nervous?"

"I just learned that a cartoon show is actually real. Kinda brings other things to mind."

"Like whut?"

"Like what else is real."

Applejack stayed quite, eating. She suddenly spoke, "Ya know a lot 'bout meh. 'bout us...Whut's yer name?"

"John."

"It's, uh, nice ta meet ya, John."

"Thanks," I said. I stood up from the table, "I'm gonna take a shower. You gonna be alright by yourself?"

She nodded and I quickly went to the bathroom. Taking a quicker than usual I got dressed and brushed my teeth. I realized something. If Applejack's gonna stay on Earth for a while, she's gonna have to learn more about her new body. I went out of the bathroom to see Applejack standing on shaking legs, using the table for support. She looked up, "H-hi John."

"You okay?"

She gave a shaky nod, "Ah-Ah'm fine," she let go of the table, standing without support.

I took a breath, "We need to talk."

She tilted her head, "'bout whut?"

"About your body. You need to learn more about it."

"O-okay."

"Good," crash-course anatomy lesson he we come. I put up a hand, "This whole thing is called a hand," I wiggled my fingers, "These are fingers," I gave her a thumbs up, "This is called a thumb."

She inspected her hand, clenching and unclenching, "Alright."

I lifted my bare foot up and pointed at it, "This is a foot," I wiggled my toes like I did with my fingers, "These are toes."

She nodded. I pointed to my legs, "Legs," My arms were next, "Arms."

She poked at her chest, specifically her breasts, "Whut're these things? Why don't ya have 'em?"

Shit. I blushed as she continued to poke at her boobs, "Th-those are breasts."

She stopped poking at them and looked up, "Whut're 'breasts'?"

"Mammary glands," She stared blankly at me, clearly not understanding. I had hoped she would've so I wouldn't have to say the next word, "Teats."

She looked back down at her chest, "Why're they up here?"

"We usually stand or sit upright. I-it makes it easier for women to breast feed."

She, to my surprise and embarrassment, started to clumsily unbutton her shirt. I was too stunned to do anything as she took off her shirt. Thank God she was wearing a bra, "Uhh..."

Applejack's brows furrowed as she tugged at her bra, "Whut's this thang?"

"A-a bra."

She looked back up, "A whut now?"

"It helps support your, um, breasts."

To my horror she withdrew an arm from her bra, "Wh-what are you doing?!"

"Takin' it off," she simply said as she got the other arm out. She pushed it down, revealing her breasts to the open air, "It's kinda uncomfortable."

I adverted my eyes, "C-could you put it back on?"

"Why?" I heard her say. I also heard her undo her belt. Dear God, why?

"I-it's indecent."

I heard her skirt drop to the floor. Why is this happening? "It's whut now?"

"H-humans only get naked in front of each other if they're going to have...s-sex."

I heard her stop stripping down, "..so yer sayin that..."

"If someone were to walk in, they would assume we were starting to have sex, yes."

"O-oh..." I heard her say before hearing her put back on her skirt. The rustle of clothing filled the air for a few moments before she spoke again, "A-alright. Y-ya can look at meh now."

I looked back at to a fully clothed Applejack. She was looking down at the floor, her face red, "S-sorry."

"It's fine," I only had my favorite pony strip down in front of me, "You didn't know."

We stayed standing there silently for what seemed like minutes. She cleared her throat, "Um, how...how much do ya know 'bout us?"

"The...show doesn't cover everything about you girls."

"So ya didn't see anythin'...private?"

"The show sometimes shows you interacting with your family, if that's what you meant," Please let it be what you meant.

"Ah meant private private...like us goin' ta th' bathroom an' stuff."

"It's a kids show. Doesn't cover stuff like that."

"Ifin it's a kids show, why do ya know 'bout it?"

I shrug, "Don't really know. I just...like it."

"Oh. Okay."

I hesitated. I wanted to tell her she's my favorite pony, but should I? Fuck it, let's go, "You're...kinda my favorite character."

She blinked and looked up, "Wh-whut?"

"Y-you're my favorite out of all the characters in the show."

Applejack blushed cutely, "Th-thanks?"

The doorbell rang, saving me from any further awkwardness. I rushed to the door. I open to see my friend Seth standing there. Shit, I forgot, "H-hey Seth..."

"Who's 'Seth'?" I heard Applejack call out. I wince.

Seth blinked, "Was that a girl?"

I heard Applejack get closer, "Is he onena yer friends?

Seth looked over my shoulder, "You have a girlfriend?"

"N-no!" I said. I glanced at Applejack, who had her eyes wide and was blushing, "Sh-she just is living me for the time being."

That's when I realized something. Seth wasn't freaking out about how Applejack's appearance. I looked back at Applejack, "Hey Seth, do you notice anything odd about her?"

Applejack gave me a look. Seth shook his head, "No."

"She doesn't have any...weird proportions?"

"Nooo...John, who is she?"

Applejack would probably won't like me lying, but it's better than telling my best friend I have the actual Applejack in my house and having him think I'm crazy, "Her name's...Annabelle Jacqueline. She's...Amish."

Seth stared at me, "You have an Amish women living with you?"

"She...doesn't want to be Amish?"

Seth thankfully dropped the subject. I reluctantly let him in. I guided Applejack away to my room. She looked around, "Why are we in yer room," She froze and blushed, "W-we're not gonna..."

I blushed as well, "Nope!" I go out my DS and handed it to her, "Here."

She took it, blinking, "Whut is it?"

"It's called a DS. It plays games."

"Why're ya givin' meh this?"

"So you won't get bored while me and Seth play our own game."

"Why can't Ah play wit' you guys?"

"You wouldn't like it," I saw Applejack put her hands to her hips, "Just...trust me."

Applejack pursed her lips but eventually nodded. I turned the DS on and started the game that was in it: Pokemon Moon. I deleted the file; I didn't get very far. I showed her the basics. I turned to leave before she called out to me, "Wait! Why'd ya asked yer friend if Ah looked funny?"

"Don't know if you noticed but you're different than me or Seth. I guess he sees you as a normal human."

I closed my door and went to play XCOM 2 with Seth.

~AJ~

I pursed my lips as the door closed. Kinda didn't like him brushing me off like that. I'm sure I could handle the game. I sighed and turned to the game. Apparently there were these creatures called Pokemon that you can befriend. I didn't get very far before I heard John scream, "OH NO!"

I threw the DS thingy on the bed and got up all wobbly like. I opened the door and shakily walked to the room where I head sounds coming from.

"Well, there goes 'Scepter'." I heard John's friend say.

"Fuckin' Muton-grenade combos," John said. I winced at the harsh language. What was a Muton-grenade combo? I only knew one word of that phrase.

I peaked my head around the corner. They were obviously playing a game, and I didn't see what was bad about it. Seth held something in his hands that had buttons on it. He pressed one and the screen changed. It showed a human ducking behind something, "37% chance to hit. Should we take it?"

John's voice went funny, "Do it."

Seth pressed a button and the human on the screen stood up. It pointed a weird looking stick at something and something shot out from it. The screen quickly changed to show another human dressed in black fall backwards with orange stuff flying everywhere. I felt my stomach grow queasy. They'd just killed something.

My stomach grew more upset at their reaction. John shot his arms up, "Whoo!"

Seth clenched his hand and pulled his arm back, "Yesss!"

They were happy. Happy to have killed something. I felt like I was going to vomit. I felt my legs grow weak and stumbled. I grabbed the wall to prevent me from falling down. I looked up to see them both stare at me. Run. I need to get away. I got back up and quickly looked around. I saw his kitchen. He probably had knives. Knives I could use to protect me from these sadists.

I ran into the kitchen, hearing John say something but I ignored him. I quickly spotted a knife and grabbed it. I turned around and waited. I heard John's voice, "Seth, go home. I'll call you later. I need to calm her."

I heard footsteps and the door opening and closing. Footsteps drew nearer and I gulped, trying to stop from shaking. He was going to kill me, wasn't he?

John turned around the corner. I stuck the knife in front of me. His eyes flicked down to the knife, "Can you drop the knife, Applejack?"

"Wh-why?" I asked. I tried to ignore my quivering voice, "S-so you can kill me?"

John's eyes widened in shock. Crocodile tears. He took a step towards me, "I just want to talk."

That was a lie, I'm sure of it, "B-back off! I'm warning you!"

"...what exactly did you see?"

I stayed silent for a moment, contemplating if I should even speak to him, "I-I saw you kill something. A-and I saw you enjoy it."

He took a few more steps, "Can you please put the knife down, AJ-"

"D-don't call me that! Only my friends call me that!" He just wanted my guard down.

I saw a look of hurt flash across his face before taking more steps. He was really close now. Closer than I wanted him to be, "Applejack, I-"

"I-I SAID BACK OFF!"

John flinched and took a few steps back, "What you saw wasn't real."

"Th-that doesn't matter-"

"I would never intentionally kill another human being."

"Th-then why were you so happy to kill one?"

"It wasn't human."

I lowered the knife a bit, "What?"

"It was an alien."

"Then why do they look like one?"

"They're trying to pass off as one."

"S-so you like to kill aliens for fun," I raised the knife back up, "I-I'm an alien. A-are you gonna kill me too?"

"No. I only kill bad aliens."

"Th-that doesn't excuse-"

"They're ten times worse than any villain you ever faced,"

I lowered the knife again, "What?"

"They were going to kill off the human race by turning them into DNA goo. You know what DNA is?"

Kill off an entire species? What kind of aliens would do that? And the DNA part. I heard Twilight talking about it being something they just discovered, but I didn't know what DNA actually is. I shook my head. He continued, "DNA is what gives you your hair and eye color, among other stuff. They were going melt down the entire human race, every last man, woman, and child."

I couldn't believe my ears. The knife dropped further. John took a step forward, "I won't play that game anymore, or any other that has death in it if you want."

I swallowed and lowered the knife to my sides, "Y-you won't kill me? A-and you won't play th-that game anymore?"

"Until your friends find you."

"A-and Pokemon? D-does that have death in it?"

John shook his head, "There are battles in it, but it's non-fatal. The worst thing that happens is fainting."

"Wh-why do I have to fight?"

"You know what sparring is?" I nodded, "It's like that. You battle to become stronger."

I slowly put the knife down on the counter. John took a few steps back and allowed me to go out of the kitchen. I took care not to get too close. He pulled out a rectangle from his pocket, "I gotta call Seth,"

I nodded and he left the room. I know I shouldn't eavesdrop, but I was curious about what he meant by call. I silently followed him. I heard his voice, "Hi Seth. Sorry for kicking you out all of a sudden. You mean Annabelle? She really doesn't like violence, so the game scared her. Unfortunately that means we can't play any violent game around her,"

I know I probably shouldn't feel bad, but I did. I grimaced as I realized why. I basically forced John to kick his friend out because of my reaction. Maybe I could've handled it better...

"Thanks for understanding. See ya later, Seth."

He ended the conversation with his friend through the magic box. He went over to the device with buttons on it and pressed a few. The game disappeared. He gave a small sigh before turning. I didn't react fast enough and he saw me, "Were you listening to me?"

I looked away in shame, "Y-yeah. Sorry."

"It's fine. Let's get you some lunch, okay?"

"..alright."

~John~

As I walked back into the kitchen I realized something important. A lot of my meals weren't vegetarian. Fuck. Screw it. She probably already dislikes me, might as well make it worse. I turned around, "I need to tell you something."

Applejack eyed me suspiciously, "Whut?"

"Humans are...omnivores."

"Omni-whut now?"

"Humans can eat fruits and vegetables as well as...meat."

It took her a few moments for her to process what I just said. As soon as she did, she turned around and dashed away. I went out after her after hearing her fumble for the door. Thank God I locked it.

~AJ~

Predator. I was with a predator. I knew in the back of my mind he wouldn't kill me, but the thought of eating meat set off my flight or fight instincts. Why wouldn't this door open??

I felt a hand on my shoulder, "Applejack-"

I reacted without thinking. I twirled around and hit him in the face as hard as I could. He was knocked on his back, hitting his head with a thud. I winced. I looked down at him. He wasn't moving.

Oh no. Dear Celestia, no, "J-John?"

No answer. I started to hyperventilate. I just killed the only human I knew. It was an accident, I swear. I didn't mean to kill him. My vision blurred with tears, "J-John?" I asked in a timid voice.

I don't think he was breathing. I started to panic. What would Twilight do? Not kill someone. I shoved that dark thought out of my mind. She'd...she'd check if he was still alive. I knelt down next to him. He really didn't look like he was breathing. I put my ear to his chest. His heart thudded strongly. I heard him take a shallow breath.

I gave a sigh of relief. I didn't kill him. I sat back, thinking what to do next. I had to get him somewhere more comfortable. I grabbed him under his arms and dragged him to his bedroom. I grunted as I lifted him up and set him down on the bed. Then I had to wait.

I looked at what must have been an alarm clock. Two hours passed before John started to stir. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. They wandered to me. Immediately they widened and John scrambled backwards. Fear was clear on his face. Fear of me. I noticed his pillow had blood on it.

"John?"

He didn't say anything, just stared at me with fearful eyes. Why did I hit him? I should've known he wouldn't hurt me. Stupid stupid stupid. I...I don't think I'm wanted any more. Probably not his favorite pony anymore either. I sighed and got up. I started to leave the room when John spoke, "Wh-where are you going?"

I sighed again, "Someplace where I can't hurt you."

"D-don't leave," I blinked. What did he say? "You'll die out there. I...I don't want you to die."

I turned and stared at him, "H-how could you forgive me?"

He smiled. Smiled! "I'm just that kinda guy. It probably helps that you're my favorite pony, too."

"I-I'm still your favorite?"

"Of course. A little knock to the head won't change my opinion about you."

I wouldn't call it a little knock to the head, "A-are you sure?"

He nodded, "Let's get you something to eat."

"I'm not very hungry anymore..." That's when my stupid brain reminded me why all this happened, "S-so you're a meat-eater, then?"

He nodded and I instinctively took a step back. I felt like dirt afterwards from the hurt look on his face, "If it makes you feel any better, there isn't another sapient species on this planet besides us."

~John~

"Whut do you mean by that?" she asked.

I ignored how badly my head hurt and answered, "Our cows, pigs, and other livestock don't feel the same as humans do. They can't grasp abstract ideas, like love or hate."

"That d-doesn't give ya an excuse to eat other living things."

"Applejack," I calmly said. This was much better when she just ran off, "Humans are omnivores for a reason. We need a lot of protein for our brains to function properly. Same with our bodies. They'll start to die if they don't receive enough protein. Eating meat is the quickest way to gain enough protein."

Applejack still looked uncomfortable. So it's going to be like that, then? I sighed quietly, hoping she didn't hear it, "I won't eat meat in front of you. You'll eat first and can go into another room while I eat. Or I could just eat in my bedroom with the door shut."

She looked better, "O-okay."

"Which one?"

"Whut?"

"Bedroom or other room?"

She thought for a moment, "B-bedroom," She looked like she regretted saying that. I won't hold her against that. This means, however, we're going to have to go to the store tomorrow. Welp, nothing to do but watch Netflix. I hissed in pain as I got up but ignored it as best I could. I got up from bed, and immediately got a head rush. I stumbled but Applejack caught me.

I went over to my computer, which was hooked up to a TV. I saved and closed XCOM 2. I winced as it showed my desktop. Applejack stood protectively over Applebloom. I glanced at the real Applejack, who stared at it with wide eyes. I opened a folder and changed the background to Master Chief charging forward as fast as I could.

I opened up Google Chrome and hit the Netflix favorite. I browsed the shows and grimaced. They were all either cringey, too violent, or didn't look interesting. I noticed Saving Private Ryan. God no. Johnny Test. Nnnnope. Equestria Girls. Didn't know how she'd react and didn't want to test our strained relationship further. I sighed, and browsed fruitlessly for a few minutes. We could watch Stranger Things, but again I didn't know how she react.

"Y-ya can play whutever game ya want...A-Ah won't mind," I looked at her to see her stare down at her hands, "Ya deserve it after whut Ah did."

I bit my lip, thinking. Almost all my games had death in one form or another. There was one, actually, that I could play that could 'ease her in'. Actually two, now that I think about it. I stood up and Applejack looked up at me. I went to my console game shelf and picked out the game I wanted. Terminator Salvation. It wasn't the best game( XCOM took that title) but it was still fun. Plus, you didn't kill another living being.

I went over and literally dusted off my Xbox 360. I switched the TV to another channel and turned on the Xbox. I grabbed two controllers and sat down next to her. I started the game and turned to her, handing her a controller, "You wanna play?"

Applejack hesitantly took the controller, "Whut is it?"

"Terminator Salvation. You fight machines."

"Is there any...death?"

"Only on your side, which is why you need to avenge them."

She looked uncertain but nodded. I started the co-op and started a new campaign.

~AJ~

A man spoke, "I try to remember the world the way it used to be. But it gets harder everyday," What did he mean by that? "So many different stories of defeat. So many faces of death."

I gulped as red eyes suddenly appeared. It revealed something that walked forward with heavy footsteps. Something whined and the stick it held began to spin. Light shot out of it and a man fell. I cringed. Another man fell, then another. I was starting to feel sick when something arced across the air and hit it. It hit the thing and exploded. Another thing joined, firing its weapon.

It changed and showed what looked like spiders crawling over rubble, firing their weapons too. I realized that these were the machines John was talking about. The camera moved back to show humans hiding behind a wall. They put something on a stick and one of them peeked around the corner, the stick on its shoulder. Something shot out and hit the spider with a small explosion. The dust cleared and showed the spider machine still stood. Suddenly a spotlight shined on the humans to show something, probably another machine, flying over head. I didn't see how it could; it had no wings. Blue light shot out from the underside and the humans screamed.

Next it showed a man leaping over rubble. How did the world get that way? He took cover behind something. Another machine flew, this time much smaller. The man fired its magic stick and the thing fell smoking, "One thing remains constant," the man moved up inside of the thing he took cover in, "Whatever we try to do to stop the machines, it's never enough."

The man jumped out and sprinted across the open ground to a ledge. He looked down at a burning city, "We loose more often than we win, and people keep dying," It showed robot after robot pouring out of a gate, "Remembering the way the things were used to give me hope. But the truth is, I'm starting to loose faith."

Another giant flying machine rose up, and the man played dead. It flew over him and shot at another flying thing, which came crashing down at the man. Then the game started. It quickly taught me how to play. I was supposed to use cover a lot. I tried to...shoot? the little flying things. I wasn't very good at it. John did most of the work. I later learned they were called Aerostats.

We progressed, and I found myself getting the hang of the controls. Suddenly a wall broke and one of the taller robots came through. I winced at the screams as some of the humans died. I kinda felt sorry. John didn't seem too upset. I guess he was just used to death. It made me uneasy.

We passed by a broken large flying machine. I asked John what that and the two legged robot was called.

"The flying one is called an HK Arial," he said while he paused the game.

"'HK'?"

"Hunter-Killer," I didn't like that name, "The two-legged one is a T-600," that one sounded better.

There was a loud sound and one of the humans said "that HK must have rebooted." I guess that means it came back. Now we had to shoot it down. I didn't know how we could, it was so big.

John looked at me, "Can you take care of the Aerostats? I'll take care of the HK."

I gulped but nodded. More Aerostats came and I did my best to fend them off. John had his character disregard cover, instead he constantly moved around and shot the HK with a weapon that sent out something that exploded against it. Each time he would hit it, the HK would shift to another side. He eventually made it ram the building, destroying itself. I don't think I felt sad. They weren't alive, right?

We crossed a make-shift bridge and a T-600 arrived. It showed its point of view, which was red and filled with numbers and letters. I don't think I have anymore doubts about it not being alive. One of the humans attacked it but died from the machine. The humans ran as the robot shot at them.

My stomach growled. John pulled out a rectangle from his pocket. It lit up, "6:40. Huh. Time for dinner, I guess."

He stood up. I could see pain flash across his face. I really don't deserve his hospitality.  John opened his freezer and refrigerator and grimaced. Uh oh. He sighed, "All of my meals have meat in them," I looked down. So much for eating, "But," I looked up, "I can do this."

He pulled out a box from the freezer. Humans freeze their meals? I thought freezers were only for ice and ice cream. He opened the top a bit. He put it in that device that heats up food. He said it was a microwave, right? He pressed a button and I saw numbers start to tick down. The machine beeped once the timer hit zero and he pulled it out. He grabbed a fork and dug things out and put them in the trash. He put the meal back in for a minute and pulled it back out.

He tore the top off and handed it to me, "There. Meat-free mac and cheese."

I didn't like the idea that meat had touched the dinner, but I was really hungry. I took it, "Careful, it's hot."

He went back the fridge poured himself a glass of milk. He went to another part of the counter and pulled out weird looking bottles. He opened one and dug out a pill. He laid it on the counter and did the same to another bottle. He caught me staring, "Sleep medicine and vitamins."

He swallowed them individually and I took a bite of my dinner. It wasn't what I was used to, but I ate it nonetheless. John downed his glass of milk and pulled out the rectangle again. He fiddled with it while I ate. I quickly finished and put the container in the trash. John looked up from the rectangle and put it away. He pursed his lips, "I'm gonna eat now. You might want to go in the other room while I prepare it."

I swallowed and nodded. I quickly went out of the room. I heard movement from the room I just left and decided I needed to distract myself. I spotted what looked like books. On closer inspection, I realized they weren't books. I picked up one. It showed one of the metal things in the game we just played. I turned it over and read the back. A human was holding a torn off head of a robot.

"THE END BEGINS

The Resistance needs your help.You are John Connor (they both have the same name), a soldier in this post apocalyptic world and it's up to you to lead your squad of loyal fighters in a desperate battle for survival against the superior forces of Skynet( That's what the robots were called?) and its deadly Terminators."

Beneath those words were boxes that had words under them. "Take cover using the destructible environment to shield you during land-based warfare with Terminators like the T-600 or an aerial assault from the lethal Aerostat.

Feel the rush of intensive action as you are pursued by the most relentless of enemies using a huge arsenal of the most advanced and devastating weaponry.

Battle iconic Terminators from the movie( there was a movie?) and new machines unique to the game, in this prequel to the blockbuster movie."

I set it down as I smelled something. Something good. It made my mouth water. I didn't know what it was. It came from...the kitchen. Oh. Oh Celestia, did I just think that meat smelled good. I clamped my hands over my nose in a desperate attempt to not smell any more of that smell. I heard John close his bedroom door. I let go of my nose. There was a slight tinge of the smell in the air.

I looked at the other game book things. I picked one up. Halo Reach. Reach for what? I turn it over.

"EVERY LEGEND HAS A BEGINNING

Welcome to Reach( Oh. It was a place), heart of the UNSC's (What's 'UNSC'?) military power and home to the iconic Spartan super soldiers( did all of his games have violence in them? Who was I living with?). For decades, humanity has fled from the relentless Covenant threat, but now the largest Covenant fleet ever witnessed looms in the darkened skies over Reach. (So the 'Covenant' had airships?) Noble Team, equipped with a deadly arsenal of high tech weaponry and abilities, and bolstered by the full might of the UNSC, must stand and face a full scale planetary invasion( Oh. The 'Covenant' had space ships, not air ships) with humanity's fate hanging desperately in the balance. If Reach falls, little will stand between the Covenant and the complete and total annihilation of the human race."

I set the case down. I was a bit nervous about the final case. Curiosity won out, and I grabbed the last case. On it I saw a group of shadowy humans standing on the insignia I saw on the weird book thing. I turned it over and saw a thin human, a spider crap, and a dwarf human. I squinted my eyes. I couldn't see a mouth or nose on the dwarf maybe-not-so human. I'm pretty sure these were aliens.

"FROM THE MAKERS OF CIVILIZATION COMES A GAME ABOUT CIVILIZATION'S LAST STAND.

YOU ARE OUR LAST HOPE. As the commander of an elite paramilitary organization( another violent game) known as XCOM, you control Earth's defenses against a terrifying alien invasion.

GLOBAL THREAT. Lead your squad in fierce battles against the alien threat and rescue civilians in crowded cities and desolate outlands around the world.

STRATEGIC BASE. Build and expand your XCOM headquarters, recruit and develop unique soldiers to take into battle, and research alien technology to expand your weapons and capabilities.

TACTICAL MULTIPLAYER (What's that?). Mix and math aliens and soldiers, and combine abilities to outsmart and overpower your opponent."

I started to see a theme in the game John plays( besides the violence). It seemed to enjoy games that have humanity on their last legs. I sat down on the couch and yawned. I felt tired. My eyes started to close when the bedroom door opened. I looked to see John carry his plate to the kitchen. I saw something on it. Bones. That woke me up. Just seeing them made me realize what I was living with, a omnivore. Something that ate meat.

I shook my head. Fluttershy has plenty of carnivorous friends. Then again, none of them played violent games.

"Applejack?" I blinked and looked to see John standing there, "You okay?"

I nodded and yawned. I probably looked as tired as I felt. John looked tired too, "Let's go to bed. You can use mine."

I blinked and blushed, "A-are you saying were gonna s-sleep together?"

John's eyes grew wide and shook his head, "No no. I'm gonna sleep on the couch," That didn't seem right. I opened my mouth to speak when he talked first, "I insist. You're a guest in an unknown world you know nothing about. You deserve a real bed. I'll be fine. Just let me grab my stuff."

I wanted to argue. I really did. But my body rebelled and I nodded. He grabbed his stuff and moved the couch to the wall. He stuck something in the wall. He glanced at me, "You, uh, can take of your shirt and skirt off when you sleep."

I nodded and entered his room. I took off my boots, shirt, and skirt. I was left with my bra and the clothing on my lower body. I didn't really know why I had them on. At least they have apples on them. Somepony doesn't make their bed. I ignored it and pulled the covers over me. The bed smelled different than mine. I blushed as I realized I was smelling John's scent.

Today was tiring and I found myself quickly going to sleep.