Look Who Came Trotting Backby AceOfSpades1309ChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 1Look Who Came Trotting Back Chapter 1 Sweet Apple Acres… “Ho doggy, that was one hard day of apple bucking, wouldn’t ya say, Big Macintosh?” said Applejack as she finished bucking the last apple tree for the day. Her big brother simply put the apple-filled barrel in the cart with the other barrels before replying, “Eeyup.” “After all that apple bucking, I can’t wait to eat whatever Granny Smith is cooking up,” exclaimed Applejack as she wiped the sweat from her brow. As if on cue, her little sister Apple Bloom came trotting from the farmhouse, a big smile across her face, hollering, “Dinner’s ready!!!” Smiling just as big as her little sister, Applejack looked over to her big brother, saying, “Wanna race, Big Macintosh?” The stallion simply looked at his younger sister, before turning back to the barrel-filled cart he was attached to. He turned back to his sister and simply replied, “Nnnope.” “Aw, ya ain’t never wanna race,” said Applejack, nudging her brother with her hoof. “What about you, Apple Bloo…,” continued Applejack, but as she turned back, she found her little sister was gone. “I’m already half way there!” cried Apple Bloom from a distance. Applejack simply laughed before trotting after her sister, leaving her big brother to pull the cart back to the farm. Course, he didn’t mind watching his two younger sisters have fun while he did the heavy lifting. He enjoyed the quiet and the gentle breeze that blew in the air. As he pulled the cart down the road towards the farmhouse, however, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a grey dot in the sky growing bigger… Even though Apple Bloom had started early, her sister quickly gained speed and passed her little sis with ease. “Ha ha, sorry Apple Bloom,” laughed Applejack, looking back at her little sister, “Maybe when ya get older, ya’ll be able to keep with me.” Suddenly, a loud crash came out of nowhere, as an apple tree began to tip over, right in front of Applejack’s path. And just as quickly as the tree had fallen, Applejack crashed right into it. “Applejack!” cried Apple Bloom as she ran up to her sister, “are you alright?” Applejack pulled her face off the trunk of the tree, seeing stars circling her head, before she answered, “Yeah, I’m alright.” Shaking her head to get rid of the stars, she looked at the tree trunk on the path in front of them and asked out loud, “What the hay just happened?” And her answer came in the form of a grey, wall-eyed Pegasus. “Oh, hi Ditzy,” sighed Applejack, knowing exactly what had happened. “Hiya, Applejack,” smiled Ditzy Doo, as if she hadn’t just crashed into a tree so hard that she knocked it over, “hey, what happened to your tree?” Applejack just sighed and said, “It ain’t important, what brings yourself here, sugar cube?” “Uhhh…,” thought Ditzy, putting one hoof to her chin and the other to the top of her head. It took her a second to remember, before exclaiming, “Oh yeah, I got a letter for you, AJ.” She grabbed her mail bag and pulled out a scroll with Applejack’s name on it. Applejack took the scroll in her mouth as Ditzy gave her a little salute, lifting off the ground, and proclaimed, “I hope you were satisfied with our mailing service, Derpy Air Mail, and hope to see you again!” After which, Ditzy flew off back to Ponyville, only to crash into Big Macintosh, who had finally caught up with his sisters. Applejack simply sighed, opened up the scroll, and began to read its content… Dear Appleblank (Appleblank? Why, she hadn’t heard that nickname since her school days, before she got her cutie mark. In fact, only one pony ever called her that…) How have you been? I’ve been great, traveling all over Equestria, seeing so much this world has to offer. I hear that you’ve been working at that farm of yours with your big brother and granny. Dang, she still alive? How old is she now? 80? 90? 100? Ah, it doesn’t matter, I guess. Heck, you probably don’t even remember who I am, it’s been too long. After all, last time we saw each other, you still had a blank flank. Hey, are you still a blank flank? Just kidding. Anyway, I can’t wait to meet up with you when I come back to Ponyville in a couple days. Don’t I have stories to share with you. From your old friend, Trotting Guardsmen Applejack’s mouth hung open as she read the name on the bottom of the scroll. No, it couldn’t be, not him. Not the one pony she couldn’t stand in school, the one pony she never thought she would ever see again. Ditzy had finally left as Big Mac had finished cleaning the mess she made. He walked over to his middle sister and peered over her shoulder at what she was looking at. But before he could read any of it, Applejack rolled up the scroll, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it. Apple Bloom asked her older sister, “Who’s Trotting Guardsmen?” Applejack looked at her little sister, took a deep breath, and answered, "My old school bully." Ponyville Train Station, Three Days Later… Applejack was at the Ponyville Train Station, waiting for the train to come in. It had been three days since she received the letter, three days that gave her plenty of words to come up with when he finally showed up. Unbeknownst to either of her, Apple Bloom had followed her. She had been very curious as to who Trotting Guardsmen was, but all she had found was an old picture of him as a young colt. It was old and the color had faded a bit, obviously the picture had not been taken care of, but she was able to tell that his coat was black, and his mane and tail were white. He was also wearing a little red outfit and a little vest that matched his mane and tail. The only thing Apple Bloom couldn’t figure out was the color of his eyes, that area of the picture too faded out to make an accurate conclusion. She put the picture away and returned to her hiding spot, when she heard the sound of a whistle, signaling the arrival of the train. The train rolled into the station, coming to a complete stop at the end of the station. The car doors opened as a few dozen pony folk walked out, filling out of the station, and off into Ponyville. From the caboose of the train, walked out a black stallion with a long white, messy mane, a tail to match, and bright green eyes. His eyes were so bright and green; it almost drew attention away from the red shorts the stallion was wearing, covering his flank. “Ah Ponyville,” said the young stallion out loud, taking a deep breath of the Ponyville air, “I missed this place. I forgot how beautiful this place was.” The stallion suddenly caught the site of an orange mare, and his smile got bigger. “Applejack, is that you?” “It is you, oh how have you been?” asked the stallion as he walked over to the young mare. "This is Applejack's old bully?" thought Apple Bloom, watching from her hiding spot as the friendly stallion walked over to her older sister. "He doesn't seem like a bully to me." Applejack simply stared daggers into the direction of Trotter, whose smile began to fade. “Uh...Applejack, whats wrong?” asked Trotter, who was starting to feel rather uncomfortable, "Is there a problem?" “You’re darn tooting, there’s a problem,” exclaimed Applejack, not taking her eyes off the stallion, “ya think ya can come back and expect a welcome back party? After what ya did, I’m surprised you’d be stupid enough to show your face around here again.” “Applejack, what are you talking about?” ask the confused stallion, reaching out to touch her. That was a huge mistake. One second later, Applejack slammed the stallion into the wall of the train station and held him there by the throat. “Don'tcha dare touch me,” threatened Applejack. "Applejack!" yelled Apple Bloom, who jumped out of her hiding spot, horrified at seeing her sister act this way. Applejack turned and saw Apple Bloom, quickly letting go of Trotter, before walking over to her little sister. She didn't say a word. As far as Apple Bloom was concerned, she didn't need to. Her eyes seemed to scream "What are ya doing here?!" Trotter was breathing hard, trying to recover his breath. But before he could completely recover, Applejack walked back to him, put a hoof to his chest, and proclaimed, “Now I can’t stop ya from staying in Ponyville for however long it takes for you to leave, but know this, if ya set one hoof on Sweet Apple Acres, I’ll buck you back to the stone pony age.” Trotter could only continue breathing hard as Applejack turned and walked away, picking up her younger sister to prevent her from being left alone with the black stallion. Just outside of the station, Applejack let Apple Bloom go, quickly turning to face the little filly. “Listen Apple Bloom, ya must promise me not to go speaking to that stallion, no matter what.” Apple Bloom looked at her big sister. Looking into the eyes of her older sister, she knew she wasn’t gonna win this argument. She simply nodded her head, and the Apple Sisters turned and headed straight for Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom looked back to see the stallion had come outside, and was staring at them with the most confused face she had ever seen. CMC Headquarters, One Hour Later… Apple Bloom had gone to her clubhouse by herself to try and figure out just what had happened between her sister and this new pony in town. It was then that she heard a screeching sound, followed by the clip clopping sound of hoofsteps. The door opened to reveal Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom’s best friends and fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Hey Apple Bloom,” cried the two young fillies, as they entered the club house. “Did you hear there’s a new pony in Ponyville?” asked Sweetie Belle as she walked over to Apple Bloom. “Yeah, I’ve meet him,” sighed Apple Bloom, wishing she could have gotten a chance to talk to him. “You did? Well, what did his Cutie Mark look like?” asked Scootaloo, her eyes widening with anticipation. “Huh,” said Apple Bloom, confused by the sudden question, “Well, he was wearing something that covered his flank, so I didn’t get to really see it. Why do you ask?” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle smiled at each other before smiling back at Apple Bloom. “Well, I just thought that since we’ve already heard everypony in Ponyville tell us how they got their cutie marks,” said Scootaloo with a matter-of-fact attitude, “that maybe we could get advice from this new pony or hear how he got his Cutie Mark.” Sweetie Belle nodded and added, “Yeah, this might help us get closer to finding our own Cutie Marks.” Apple Bloom thought about this for a second, and then remembered reading the scroll that was sent to Applejack from Trotter. “Ya know,” she said, a smile growing on her face, “He said something about traveling all over Equestria, seeing all the sights.” With this new found knowledge, the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders couldn’t help but get bigger smiles. “Then he’s got to have some awesome explorer Cutie Mark or something,” exclaimed Scootaloo, nearly jumping for joy. Apple Bloom couldn’t help but feel excited too. Applejack said she couldn’t talk to Trotter, but she never said Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle couldn’t. “Alright,” proclaimed Apple Bloom, “Let go Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Trotter’s New House, Ten Minutes Later… It didn’t take the Cutie Mark Crusaders long to find the new pony’s house, even though it was on the edge of the town, near the road to the Everfree Forest. The three little fillies walked up to the door, and Apple Bloom went to knock on the door with her hoof… …Only for it to slide open with the slightest touch. “I guess he forgot to close his door completely,” said Scootaloo, walking inside as if this were her house. When she noticed the two other fillies hadn’t followed her in, she turned around and said, “Come on, fellow Crusaders, we’re on a mission to get our Cutie Marks.” With this proclamation, the two other ponies nodded in agreement and followed their friend inside. The house still had boxes yet to be unpacked as they looked around for the stallion who owned this place. It was when they headed into the bedroom that Apple Bloom found the red shorts Trotter had been wearing were tossed onto the floor. It was also when they had entered the bedroom that they heard the water running. Trotter must have been taking a shower. But just as the CMC had come to the conclusion, the water was suddenly silenced, and the door to the bedroom bathroom opened. Out walked Trotter, a towel covering his face, not even noticing the three little intruders in his house. Apple Bloom was the first to notice that something was amiss. For where there should have been a Cutie Mark, there was only the black coat of Trotter’s fur. There was no Cutie Mark on this stallion’s flank. He was, in fact…. “A BLANK FLANK?!” cried Apple Bloom, causing Trotter to jump up, throw off towel off his face, and stare at the three little fillies who had snuck into his house. “What in the whole wide world of Celestia is going on?!” Chapter 2Chapter 2 On the train to Ponyville, one hour ago… “I’m trotting on sunshine, woooah, and don’t it feel good!” Trotter couldn’t be in a better mood. He was finally coming home, after ten long years. He couldn’t wait to see all of his old friends again, and how they had changed throughout the years. He couldn’t help but sing out loud as the train came into the station. As the train came to a full and complete stop, he hopped out of his seat and headed for the exit. He waited in line as other ponies walked out of the caboose, his thoughts drifting to the one pony he was most anticipated in seeing again. “I wonder how Applejack is doing? I hope she remembers me. I wonder if she has a special somepony in her life? I hope not, maybe she and I could…whoa, hold up there partner. Where did that thought come from? You gotta act cool, see how things turn out.” Trotter walked out of the caboose, and as he walked towards the exit, he took a deep breath of the Ponyville air, ““Ah Ponyville, I missed this place. I forgot how beautiful this place was.” One last thought came into his mind as he breathed in the nice clean air. “I wonder what she looks like now? I mean, she was cute back when she was a filly, but who knows what ten years could do to…” His thoughts were immediately interrupted when he caught the sight of an orange mare standing off in the distance, looking directly at him. “Applejack, is that you?” asked Trotter as he began to walk over to the young mare. “Alright, I was wrong,” thought Trotter, “She’s not cute, she is bucking gorgeous.” “It is you, oh how have you been?” Three Minutes Later… Trotter was breathing heavily as he walked through the exit of the train station. “What the buck just happened?” Trotter thought as he watched the Apple Sisters walk off, leaving him alone. “Well, that was not the welcome I was expecting.” When he finally recovered enough air, Trotter began to think of what exactly happened. “Applejack was never this aggressive as a filly. And what was that about something I did to her?” Trotter thought hard, trying to remember his childhood memories from so long ago, but couldn’t think of anything that could have warranted the attack from the orange mare. “Ugh, I’ll figure this out later,” thought Trotter as he shook his head and walked in the direction of the town hall, “I need to purchase a new house.” After talking to the mayor and acquiring both the deed and the key to his new place, Trotter walked back to the train station to collect his stuff. It was when got there, he saw somepony that looked very familiar. “Rarity?” Trotter called out, which the white-coated, purple-mane unicorn turned around in response. “Hello there,” Rarity said elegantly, “have we met before?” Trotter nodded, “Yeah, we went to school together.” “Well, things maybe weird with Applejack, but hopefully things will go much smoother with Rarity.” “You’re going to have to tell me your name,” said Rarity, using her magic to hold what looked like a small cage, “I haven’t the foggiest idea of who you are.” Trotter nodded and replied, “Yeah, I guess I do look a little different from my school days. My name is Trotting Guardsmen, but I would always go by the nickname Trotter.” Rarity’s eyes widened for a split second when she heard the name before returning to normal. “Oh Trotter, how could I possibly forget you,” laughed Rarity, although her laughter seemed rather forced, “Can you do me a favor, Trotter?” “Uh, sure, I guess,” shrugged Trotter, walking closer to young mare. Rarity used her magic and gave Trotter a small stuffed mouse and said, “Just hold on to that for me real quick, if you please?” “Ooook,” replied Trotter, holding the toy in his hooves. Rarity then used her magic again and opened the cage door. “Opal, come on out, my pretty,” said Rarity with an evil looking smile on her face. And before Trotter could even ask who Opal was, the white cat was scratching all over his face. “GETHEROFF!GETHEROFF!GETHEROFF!GETHEROFF!GETHEROFF!GETHEROFF!” Trotter ran back and forth in a small circle as he continued to try and shake Opal off his face. He didn’t know how long he had been running when Rarity finally said, “Alright, that’s enough Opal. You have an appointment with Fluttershy today.” Opal finally jumped off the young stallion’s face, gave him a good hiss, grabbed her toy in her mouth, and walked back to her cage, Rarity closing it with her magic. “Have a good day, Mr. Guardsmen,” said Rarity mockingly before practically skipping away. “Ow…ow…….ow,” said Trotter out loud, praying to Celestia that there was no permanent damage. “What else could…ow…go wrong?” Trotter said out loud. “Hiya!” Trotter jumped up at the sudden appearance of one pink pony, with a puffy, messy mane. “Are you a new here to Ponyville? Oh my gosh, I love meeting new ponies. I also love throwing new ponies ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ parties. Do you love parties? Oh who am I kidding, what pony doesn’t like parties. Oh silly me, I haven’t even introduced myself. My name is Pinkie Pie, what’s your name?” It took a couple seconds before Trotter could process all the information that had suddenly came at him. But it was the name that caught his full attention. “Pinkie? Hey, I remember you,” stated Trotter, “You used to have a straight mane and tail. And you also seemed down all the time.” “Oh that must have been before I got my Cutie Mark,” proclaimed Pinkie, never seeming to take a breath, “and that must mean you lived here before. That’s ok, we can have a ‘Welcome Back to Ponyville’ party. That’s just as cool as a ‘Welcome to Ponyville.’ So anyway, you never did…” Pinkie suddenly paused, as Trotter just stared at the young mare, whose tail was twitching. All of a sudden, Pinkie pushed Trotter forward. Before he could ask what the deal was, a washing machine crashed right where they had been standing just a second ago. “Sorry,” Trotter heard above him, and looked up to see a walled-eyed Pegasus floating them, “That thing is heavier than it looks.” “No problem Ditzy!” smiled Pinkie, who waved at the Pegasus before turning back to Trotter and continuing exactly where she had left off, “…tell me your name.” It took almost a minute before Trotter could find his words. “Uh…it’s Trotting Guardsmen,” finally said Trotter, finally regaining his composure, “but you might remember me by Trotter. And thanks for saving me just now.” “Oh it’s no problem at all, I would help anypony…..wait, did you say Trotting Guardsmen,” asked Pinkie, to which Trotter nodded in response. Suddenly, Trotter heard a popping sound and her mane and tail suddenly deflated, giving the pink pony straight hair. Pinkie Pie simply stared into the eyes of Trotter, as if she was staring into his very soul. Trotter could swear he could hear demonic music as he became more and more frightened by Pinkie’s stare. “Uhh…well what do you know,” panicked Trotter, trying to avoid the cold stare of the pink pony, “I really need to get going…gotta…um…unpack.” Trotter finally broke off the stare, ran back to the train station, thanking Celestia that the train staff had put all his things into a cart, quickly hooked himself to said cart, and ran past Pinkie. “Nice seeing you again, bye!” yelled Trotter, not daring to look back at Pinkie. Pinkie continued to stare at Trotter until he disappeared from view, which she then took a deep breath and smiled, her mane and tail poofing back to normal. She then looked at the screen and asked, “Um, excuse me, Mr. AceOfSpades1309?” Wait…what? “I have a question, why am I giving Trotter ‘The Stare?’ Shouldn’t it have been Fluttershy who gave it to him?” Pinkie asked the fanfic writer. Wait…what…when…where…who…how are you doing that? How are you talking to me? Pinkie giggled and replied, “Because I’m Pinkie Pie, remember?” I…I guess that makes sense…I think. Pinkie giggled again and asked, “You’re so silly. Anyway, did you forget my question about me giving Trotter ‘The Stare?’” Oh yeah, sorry. To answer your question, Trotter left Ponyville before you guys, the Mane 6, got your Cutie Marks. So that means Fluttershy, and for that matter, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight never met Trotter. Besides, I don’t think Fluttershy would ever give somepony ‘The Stare,’ even if she knew what Trotter did to Applejack. She might not talk to him, but she wouldn’t give him ‘The Stare.’ “Oh, ok. That makes sense,” replied Pinkie, after which she smiled and continued, “Well, have a good time writing your fanfic. I need to go prepare for Trotter’s Welcome Back party.” Pinkie began to bounce away. Wait, why are you going to prepare him a party now? You’re not suppose to like him yet. “Oh, I know, but I’ve already read the part where I forgive him and I like to be prepared for his party when that chapter comes out,” replied Pinkie, who continued to bounce towards Sugar Cube Corner. You already read…I haven’t even written out that part yet… But it was too late, Pinkie was already gone. Sorry about that folks…..that has never happened to me before. Anyway, I guess we should get back to Trotter. Trotter’s New House… Five Minutes Before The CMC Arrive… “Are all the mares in this town crazy?” Trotter asked aloud as he finished bringing in the last of the boxes into his house. He placed the last box onto the floor before looking around his new home. He took a deep breath, deciding to unpack later. He headed for the shower, taking off his shorts on the way, thinking about what Applejack had said earlier. “After what ya did, I’m surprised you’d be stupid enough to show your face around here again.” “After what I did? What did I do?” Trotter thought to himself as he washed his mane. “Think Trotter, think! What could you have done that could’ve ticked her off so much?” The stallion continued to wash himself as he tried to figure out this question in his head. The stallion turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, and thought, “Was it because I said Appleblank in the letter? I was just kidding around.” Trotter grabbed a towel and began to dry his mane as he continued thinking about Applejack. “Heck, I thought she would’ve laughed at the old memories. Nice job, Trotter!” “A BLANK FLANK?!” Trotter suddenly jumped up, startled when he heard a voice. He threw the towel off his head and looked around to find three little fillies, inside his home. “What in the whole wide world of Celestia is going on?!” exclaimed Trotter, still in shock. The three little fillies just looked at each other, before the pegasus filly stepped forward, cleared her throat, and said, “Hello there, mister. My name is Scootaloo, that’s Sweetie Belle, and I’ve heard you already met Applebloom right there. And we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Trotter looked to each filly as their names were revealed, before realizing that Applejack’s little sister was among the group of fillies that had invaded his home. He was actually surprised to see her, after what had just happened an hour ago. Before he could ask her anything, however, the unicorn named Sweetie Belle asked, “Um mister, why don’t you have a Cutie Mark?” Trotter never thought it would be this soon before somepony found out his secret, and he felt unprepared at the little filly’s question. “Uh…uh…,” stuttered Trotter, trying to find a way out of explaining why he had no Cutie Mark, until he finally realized something. “Wait, how did you three get in here?” Scootaloo didn’t miss a beat and answered, “You left the door opened, which in this town, pretty much means ‘Come on in!” Scootaloo was lying, of course, but she hoped he would buy it. She was wrong. “Yeah, right,” said Trotter, glad he found a way to get out of telling why he didn’t have a Cutie Mark, “you three little fillies are in trouble. I suggest you leave before I tell the authorities.” Trotter couldn’t help but smile inside, feeling victorious. The unicorn and pegasus both looked defeated, until Applebloom quickly jumped up and proclaimed, “Now hold on there, mister. I see what ya trying to do. But guess what? There are no a-torities in Ponyville. Maybe the mayor, but not any police ponies.” “And also, ya might not want to send us away, we might accidently tell somepony that the new pony in town doesn’t have a Cutie Mark.” Applebloom would, of course, never do something like that, but right now, she’s was trying to get Trotter to talk. “Now, if ya don’t mind, ya’ll be telling us why ya don’t have a Cutie Mark.” “This little filly was devious,” Trotter thought to himself as he looked at the youngest Apple sibling. He tried to think of some way to get out of this situation, but he failed. He took a deep breath, looked to the ground, and told them the honest truth. “I don’t know.” “Apple sauce!” was Applebloom’s quick response, “In the letter ya sent my sister, ya said ya’ve been all over Equestria. How could somepony do that and still not have a Cutie Mark?” Trotter didn’t look up, but replied, “The reason I explored Equestria was to find somepony who could tell me why I hadn’t earn my Cutie Mark. And trust me, I’ve done things that most ponies would never even dream of doing.” Trotter picked up his head and looked at the young fillies, a smile growing on his face. “I’ve taken done a group of Diamond Dogs that was attacking a town of jewel miners, I’ve wrestled a Manticore and came out on top, I’ve even knocked out a tooth from a full grown dragon who was picking on a family of Phoenixes.” His smile then faded, a frown replacing it, as he finished, “but none of those adventures earned me my Cutie Mark.” Scootaloo couldn’t help but laugh at that last proclamation. “You knocked out a dragon’s tooth? Really? You expect us to believe you took on a dragon?” Trotter smiled at the young pegasus, before walking over to his largest box, opening it up, and lifting out a razor sharp tooth the same size as him. The three little fillies gasped at the sight of large dragon tooth. Trotter laughed at their reaction, before his frown returned, and he placed the dragon tooth back inside the box. “As I said, I have no idea why I haven’t earned my Cutie Mark,” said Trotter, walking back to the three fillies, and laying down on his bed. “I gave up adventuring and decided to return to my home town, but I guess the one place I called home doesn’t want me back.” The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at each other and then looked back at Trotter. “Hey, it’s ok,” Sweetie Belle said, putting a hoof on Trotter’s mane, “we’ll be your friends, won’t we girls?” Scootaloo quickly nodded, although Applebloom hesitated, thinking of what her sister would think, but then she nodded too, knowing that this stallion wasn’t the bully he used to be. At least, from what she could tell. Trotter chuckled. “Thanks girls. What I really need right now is friends.” Chapter 3A/N: Sorry for the long wait and short chapter, but I've been real busy. Hopefully, the next chapter will be much longer. Chapter 3 Ponyville Elementary School… RINGGGGGG! School had just ended as the Cutie Mark Crusaders gathered up their homework, put it in their saddlebags, and headed for the exit, as their teacher called out, “Have a great weekend everypony!” The CMC turned around, waved their hooves at Cheerilee, cried out in unison, “Thank you, Ms. Cheerilee,” turned back around, and galloped out the door. They were in a rush to get to Trotter’s house, having promised to help him unpack the day before. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle jumped into the red wagon tied to Scootaloo’s scooter, quickly put on their helmets, and held on tight as Scootaloo took off, pulling them towards the stallion’s house. “I wonder what other cool stuff he has,” said Scootaloo as she took a sharp right turn, gravity almost sending the two other fillies flying out of the wagon. “What do you mean?” asked Sweetie Belle as she and Applebloom regained their balance. “You guys remember that Dragon Tooth he had?” stated Scootaloo, her friends nodding in response. “Well, I got to thinking; he must have other cool things from his adventures.” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Scootaloo was right, and they couldn’t wait to see what else Trotter had collected from his adventures. Trotter’s House… As the house came into view, Scootaloo was going at full speed, and she knew she had to put on the brakes before they all crash into the stallion’s front window. The pegasus skidded to a halt, mere inches away from the window. Scootaloo pulled off her helmet, as did the other CMC members, and they all jumped off their mode of transportation. They walked towards the front door and Applebloom knocked three times. Trotter quickly came to the door and opened it, smiling at the sight of the three little fillies. “Thanks for coming by, girls, you really didn’t have to.” “O’course we had to,” exclaimed Applebloom as her friends and her entered the Stallion’s home, “that’s what friends are for.” Trotter’s smile got bigger as he closed the door behind him and walked over to the three fillies. He began to explain to each filly what had to be done and which one of them should do what. After he was finished, he let Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo go off to complete their tasks. But he stopped Applebloom before she could run off too. “Applebloom,” Trotter whispered, “are you sure you’re ok with being here? I mean after what happened at the train station the other day…I…I just don’t want you to get in trouble with your sister.” Applebloom nodded in response, grateful for Trotter’s concern, and replied, “Yeah, I’m ok. I got permission from Big Mac to be here. Granted, I told him that ‘here’ was Zecora’s hut, but it was easier telling him that then it would be if I asked Applejack. She can tell always tell when someone is lying.” As they began to work on unpacking his things, Trotter couldn’t help but laugh at what Applebloom just said. When he saw the confused look on little filly’s face, he explained. “Back when we were in school, I had gotten my Uncle Paint Brush to make me a fake cutie mark, which I showed off at school. Applejack was the only one who didn’t believe me.” “Of course, I couldn’t get my uncle to keep making me the fake cutie mark, so I started wearing this red jumpsuit, along with this little white vest, so that nopony could see my blank flank. She used to try and undress me so she could prove I was lying.” "Hmm…,” thought Trotter, “Applejack undressing me…I wouldn’t mind if she tried to do that now…whoa! Get those thoughts out of your head, Trotter! Remember, there’s a little filly right next to you, not to mention she’s Applejack’s little sister too.” “Actually, she got real close to exposing my blank flank once. She had just learned how to make a lasso from a rope and had hogtied me real good. But before she could take off my jumpsuit, Big Mac came and stopped her. Told her that even if I was lying, it wasn’t right of her to do that to me. That was back before he hated me too. In fact…” He looked over to Applebloom, and before he could stop himself, asked, “Applebloom, do you know why your sister and brother seem to hate me?” “Damnit,” thought Trotter, he didn’t mean to ask the young filly this question. He didn’t want to get her involved in whatever drama between her sister Applejack and himself. Applebloom didn’t seem to mind, as she shook her head and replied, “Nnope, all I know is that it was something ya said to Applejack. Whatever ya said, it was supposed to be really horrible, and that it did something, but I just don’t know what.” Trotter felt bad, especially because he couldn’t remember what he did to Applejack. He then thought of something, and asked the young filly, “If you know I did something horrible to Applejack, how come you’re being so nice to me?” Applebloom looked at the stallion and replied, “I don’t know. I mean, Big Mac said ya were a big bully to Applejack, but when ya got off the train, ya were nothin but friendly to her.” Applebloom smiled and continued, “I’ve seen what bullies are like, and ya’re nothin like them.” Trotter smiled back and replied, “Thanks Applebloom. You know, I never thought I was a bully. I always thought I was the class clown. It seemed like everyone was always laughing at my jokes.” Trotter’s smile faded as he finished, “I guess they were just laughing at the ponies I made fun of.” Trotter hung his head down, feeling bad that he never thought about anypony’s feelings. Applebloom patted him on the back and said, “It’s ok. I’m sure if ya apologize to everypony ya’ve ever made fun of, they’ll forgive ya.” Trotter brought his head back up, a smile replacing the frown from earlier, and replied, “I hope you’re right.” Two Hours Later… The sun was low in the sky when they had finished unpacking everything. Granted, some of Trotter’s items were still unorganized, but the point was that everything was unpacked. It was getting late, so the fillies had to start heading home. “See ya later, Trotter,” said the CMC in sync, waving goodbye to their stallion friend as they headed home. Trotter waved back, saying the same thing to them, before closing the door and walking to his room. “The girls did a pretty good job unpacking everything,” Trotter thought to himself. “Maybe they should have unpacking cutie marks.” The stallion chuckled to himself as he walked over to his bed and slumped over onto it. “I think Applebloom is right,” thought Trotter as he closed his eyes. “Maybe the best thing I can do right now is apologize to all the ponies I used to pick on.” The stallion yawned and had one last thought before falling asleep. “Looks like tomorrow, I’ll be starting a brand new adventure.” Sweet Apple Acres… Applebloom had already goodbye to her best friends as she walked towards the farmhouse she called home. She was half-way there, when suddenly… “I ran into Zecora in Ponyville today.” Applebloom nearly jumped out of her coat as she turned around to see her big sister leaning against an apple tree. “A…Applejack?! Ya scared the holy hay out of me,” said Applebloom, breathing quickly. “I asked her if ya were at her hut,” continued Applejack, ignoring her little sister’s comment, “and she said ‘she had been in town since noon, and had not seen one hair of Applebloom.’” “Oh crud,” thought Applebloom. Why didn’t she think of that possibility when she lied to Big Mac. She knew she was in trouble now. “So I went around town, looking for my little sis,” continued Applejack, walking over to Applebloom, “and where did I find her? Why, at the one pony’s house who I had told her specifically not to ever go talk to.” Applebloom hung her head, looking at the ground, as Applejack continued to scold her. “Applebloom, ya might be too young to understand, but Trotter is not a good guy. He is mean, self-centered…” “Was.” Applejack was surprised by the little filly’s interruption. “What did ya just say?” Applejack asked her little sister. Applebloom lifted her head to look at her sister, determination in her face. “I said he was mean,” said Applebloom, “but he ain’t mean no more. Heck, I don’t think he was ever as mean as ya say. He’s one of the friendliest ponies I’ve ever met. And ya know what, I’m pretty sure ya would think he’s friendly too if you actually tried talking to him.” Applejack was astonished at the little filly standing up to her, let alone standing up for her old bully. “Well, if you don’t want to talk to him, that’s fine, but I consider him a friend. And I will continue to visit him.” Before Applejack could protest, her little sister turned around and ran off to the farmhouse. Applejack was totally shocked at her little sister’s words. “Is she right?” thought Applejack as she began to walk through the apple trees that surrounded her home. “No, she just doesn’t know what he did. Why he doesn’t deserve to be forgiven.” Applejack only half-heartily believed her thoughts. She couldn’t help but think maybe she was being too harsh on Trotter. If he really had changed his ways, was it right for her to be so mean to him, even though he had hurt her so long ago? Applejack was almost home when she came to a decision. She would go talk to Trotter tomorrow. And maybe, just maybe, her little sister was right.
Chapter 1Look Who Came Trotting Back Chapter 1 Sweet Apple Acres… “Ho doggy, that was one hard day of apple bucking, wouldn’t ya say, Big Macintosh?” said Applejack as she finished bucking the last apple tree for the day. Her big brother simply put the apple-filled barrel in the cart with the other barrels before replying, “Eeyup.” “After all that apple bucking, I can’t wait to eat whatever Granny Smith is cooking up,” exclaimed Applejack as she wiped the sweat from her brow. As if on cue, her little sister Apple Bloom came trotting from the farmhouse, a big smile across her face, hollering, “Dinner’s ready!!!” Smiling just as big as her little sister, Applejack looked over to her big brother, saying, “Wanna race, Big Macintosh?” The stallion simply looked at his younger sister, before turning back to the barrel-filled cart he was attached to. He turned back to his sister and simply replied, “Nnnope.” “Aw, ya ain’t never wanna race,” said Applejack, nudging her brother with her hoof. “What about you, Apple Bloo…,” continued Applejack, but as she turned back, she found her little sister was gone. “I’m already half way there!” cried Apple Bloom from a distance. Applejack simply laughed before trotting after her sister, leaving her big brother to pull the cart back to the farm. Course, he didn’t mind watching his two younger sisters have fun while he did the heavy lifting. He enjoyed the quiet and the gentle breeze that blew in the air. As he pulled the cart down the road towards the farmhouse, however, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a grey dot in the sky growing bigger… Even though Apple Bloom had started early, her sister quickly gained speed and passed her little sis with ease. “Ha ha, sorry Apple Bloom,” laughed Applejack, looking back at her little sister, “Maybe when ya get older, ya’ll be able to keep with me.” Suddenly, a loud crash came out of nowhere, as an apple tree began to tip over, right in front of Applejack’s path. And just as quickly as the tree had fallen, Applejack crashed right into it. “Applejack!” cried Apple Bloom as she ran up to her sister, “are you alright?” Applejack pulled her face off the trunk of the tree, seeing stars circling her head, before she answered, “Yeah, I’m alright.” Shaking her head to get rid of the stars, she looked at the tree trunk on the path in front of them and asked out loud, “What the hay just happened?” And her answer came in the form of a grey, wall-eyed Pegasus. “Oh, hi Ditzy,” sighed Applejack, knowing exactly what had happened. “Hiya, Applejack,” smiled Ditzy Doo, as if she hadn’t just crashed into a tree so hard that she knocked it over, “hey, what happened to your tree?” Applejack just sighed and said, “It ain’t important, what brings yourself here, sugar cube?” “Uhhh…,” thought Ditzy, putting one hoof to her chin and the other to the top of her head. It took her a second to remember, before exclaiming, “Oh yeah, I got a letter for you, AJ.” She grabbed her mail bag and pulled out a scroll with Applejack’s name on it. Applejack took the scroll in her mouth as Ditzy gave her a little salute, lifting off the ground, and proclaimed, “I hope you were satisfied with our mailing service, Derpy Air Mail, and hope to see you again!” After which, Ditzy flew off back to Ponyville, only to crash into Big Macintosh, who had finally caught up with his sisters. Applejack simply sighed, opened up the scroll, and began to read its content… Dear Appleblank (Appleblank? Why, she hadn’t heard that nickname since her school days, before she got her cutie mark. In fact, only one pony ever called her that…) How have you been? I’ve been great, traveling all over Equestria, seeing so much this world has to offer. I hear that you’ve been working at that farm of yours with your big brother and granny. Dang, she still alive? How old is she now? 80? 90? 100? Ah, it doesn’t matter, I guess. Heck, you probably don’t even remember who I am, it’s been too long. After all, last time we saw each other, you still had a blank flank. Hey, are you still a blank flank? Just kidding. Anyway, I can’t wait to meet up with you when I come back to Ponyville in a couple days. Don’t I have stories to share with you. From your old friend, Trotting Guardsmen Applejack’s mouth hung open as she read the name on the bottom of the scroll. No, it couldn’t be, not him. Not the one pony she couldn’t stand in school, the one pony she never thought she would ever see again. Ditzy had finally left as Big Mac had finished cleaning the mess she made. He walked over to his middle sister and peered over her shoulder at what she was looking at. But before he could read any of it, Applejack rolled up the scroll, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it. Apple Bloom asked her older sister, “Who’s Trotting Guardsmen?” Applejack looked at her little sister, took a deep breath, and answered, "My old school bully." Ponyville Train Station, Three Days Later… Applejack was at the Ponyville Train Station, waiting for the train to come in. It had been three days since she received the letter, three days that gave her plenty of words to come up with when he finally showed up. Unbeknownst to either of her, Apple Bloom had followed her. She had been very curious as to who Trotting Guardsmen was, but all she had found was an old picture of him as a young colt. It was old and the color had faded a bit, obviously the picture had not been taken care of, but she was able to tell that his coat was black, and his mane and tail were white. He was also wearing a little red outfit and a little vest that matched his mane and tail. The only thing Apple Bloom couldn’t figure out was the color of his eyes, that area of the picture too faded out to make an accurate conclusion. She put the picture away and returned to her hiding spot, when she heard the sound of a whistle, signaling the arrival of the train. The train rolled into the station, coming to a complete stop at the end of the station. The car doors opened as a few dozen pony folk walked out, filling out of the station, and off into Ponyville. From the caboose of the train, walked out a black stallion with a long white, messy mane, a tail to match, and bright green eyes. His eyes were so bright and green; it almost drew attention away from the red shorts the stallion was wearing, covering his flank. “Ah Ponyville,” said the young stallion out loud, taking a deep breath of the Ponyville air, “I missed this place. I forgot how beautiful this place was.” The stallion suddenly caught the site of an orange mare, and his smile got bigger. “Applejack, is that you?” “It is you, oh how have you been?” asked the stallion as he walked over to the young mare. "This is Applejack's old bully?" thought Apple Bloom, watching from her hiding spot as the friendly stallion walked over to her older sister. "He doesn't seem like a bully to me." Applejack simply stared daggers into the direction of Trotter, whose smile began to fade. “Uh...Applejack, whats wrong?” asked Trotter, who was starting to feel rather uncomfortable, "Is there a problem?" “You’re darn tooting, there’s a problem,” exclaimed Applejack, not taking her eyes off the stallion, “ya think ya can come back and expect a welcome back party? After what ya did, I’m surprised you’d be stupid enough to show your face around here again.” “Applejack, what are you talking about?” ask the confused stallion, reaching out to touch her. That was a huge mistake. One second later, Applejack slammed the stallion into the wall of the train station and held him there by the throat. “Don'tcha dare touch me,” threatened Applejack. "Applejack!" yelled Apple Bloom, who jumped out of her hiding spot, horrified at seeing her sister act this way. Applejack turned and saw Apple Bloom, quickly letting go of Trotter, before walking over to her little sister. She didn't say a word. As far as Apple Bloom was concerned, she didn't need to. Her eyes seemed to scream "What are ya doing here?!" Trotter was breathing hard, trying to recover his breath. But before he could completely recover, Applejack walked back to him, put a hoof to his chest, and proclaimed, “Now I can’t stop ya from staying in Ponyville for however long it takes for you to leave, but know this, if ya set one hoof on Sweet Apple Acres, I’ll buck you back to the stone pony age.” Trotter could only continue breathing hard as Applejack turned and walked away, picking up her younger sister to prevent her from being left alone with the black stallion. Just outside of the station, Applejack let Apple Bloom go, quickly turning to face the little filly. “Listen Apple Bloom, ya must promise me not to go speaking to that stallion, no matter what.” Apple Bloom looked at her big sister. Looking into the eyes of her older sister, she knew she wasn’t gonna win this argument. She simply nodded her head, and the Apple Sisters turned and headed straight for Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom looked back to see the stallion had come outside, and was staring at them with the most confused face she had ever seen. CMC Headquarters, One Hour Later… Apple Bloom had gone to her clubhouse by herself to try and figure out just what had happened between her sister and this new pony in town. It was then that she heard a screeching sound, followed by the clip clopping sound of hoofsteps. The door opened to reveal Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom’s best friends and fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Hey Apple Bloom,” cried the two young fillies, as they entered the club house. “Did you hear there’s a new pony in Ponyville?” asked Sweetie Belle as she walked over to Apple Bloom. “Yeah, I’ve meet him,” sighed Apple Bloom, wishing she could have gotten a chance to talk to him. “You did? Well, what did his Cutie Mark look like?” asked Scootaloo, her eyes widening with anticipation. “Huh,” said Apple Bloom, confused by the sudden question, “Well, he was wearing something that covered his flank, so I didn’t get to really see it. Why do you ask?” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle smiled at each other before smiling back at Apple Bloom. “Well, I just thought that since we’ve already heard everypony in Ponyville tell us how they got their cutie marks,” said Scootaloo with a matter-of-fact attitude, “that maybe we could get advice from this new pony or hear how he got his Cutie Mark.” Sweetie Belle nodded and added, “Yeah, this might help us get closer to finding our own Cutie Marks.” Apple Bloom thought about this for a second, and then remembered reading the scroll that was sent to Applejack from Trotter. “Ya know,” she said, a smile growing on her face, “He said something about traveling all over Equestria, seeing all the sights.” With this new found knowledge, the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders couldn’t help but get bigger smiles. “Then he’s got to have some awesome explorer Cutie Mark or something,” exclaimed Scootaloo, nearly jumping for joy. Apple Bloom couldn’t help but feel excited too. Applejack said she couldn’t talk to Trotter, but she never said Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle couldn’t. “Alright,” proclaimed Apple Bloom, “Let go Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Trotter’s New House, Ten Minutes Later… It didn’t take the Cutie Mark Crusaders long to find the new pony’s house, even though it was on the edge of the town, near the road to the Everfree Forest. The three little fillies walked up to the door, and Apple Bloom went to knock on the door with her hoof… …Only for it to slide open with the slightest touch. “I guess he forgot to close his door completely,” said Scootaloo, walking inside as if this were her house. When she noticed the two other fillies hadn’t followed her in, she turned around and said, “Come on, fellow Crusaders, we’re on a mission to get our Cutie Marks.” With this proclamation, the two other ponies nodded in agreement and followed their friend inside. The house still had boxes yet to be unpacked as they looked around for the stallion who owned this place. It was when they headed into the bedroom that Apple Bloom found the red shorts Trotter had been wearing were tossed onto the floor. It was also when they had entered the bedroom that they heard the water running. Trotter must have been taking a shower. But just as the CMC had come to the conclusion, the water was suddenly silenced, and the door to the bedroom bathroom opened. Out walked Trotter, a towel covering his face, not even noticing the three little intruders in his house. Apple Bloom was the first to notice that something was amiss. For where there should have been a Cutie Mark, there was only the black coat of Trotter’s fur. There was no Cutie Mark on this stallion’s flank. He was, in fact…. “A BLANK FLANK?!” cried Apple Bloom, causing Trotter to jump up, throw off towel off his face, and stare at the three little fillies who had snuck into his house. “What in the whole wide world of Celestia is going on?!”
Chapter 2Chapter 2 On the train to Ponyville, one hour ago… “I’m trotting on sunshine, woooah, and don’t it feel good!” Trotter couldn’t be in a better mood. He was finally coming home, after ten long years. He couldn’t wait to see all of his old friends again, and how they had changed throughout the years. He couldn’t help but sing out loud as the train came into the station. As the train came to a full and complete stop, he hopped out of his seat and headed for the exit. He waited in line as other ponies walked out of the caboose, his thoughts drifting to the one pony he was most anticipated in seeing again. “I wonder how Applejack is doing? I hope she remembers me. I wonder if she has a special somepony in her life? I hope not, maybe she and I could…whoa, hold up there partner. Where did that thought come from? You gotta act cool, see how things turn out.” Trotter walked out of the caboose, and as he walked towards the exit, he took a deep breath of the Ponyville air, ““Ah Ponyville, I missed this place. I forgot how beautiful this place was.” One last thought came into his mind as he breathed in the nice clean air. “I wonder what she looks like now? I mean, she was cute back when she was a filly, but who knows what ten years could do to…” His thoughts were immediately interrupted when he caught the sight of an orange mare standing off in the distance, looking directly at him. “Applejack, is that you?” asked Trotter as he began to walk over to the young mare. “Alright, I was wrong,” thought Trotter, “She’s not cute, she is bucking gorgeous.” “It is you, oh how have you been?” Three Minutes Later… Trotter was breathing heavily as he walked through the exit of the train station. “What the buck just happened?” Trotter thought as he watched the Apple Sisters walk off, leaving him alone. “Well, that was not the welcome I was expecting.” When he finally recovered enough air, Trotter began to think of what exactly happened. “Applejack was never this aggressive as a filly. And what was that about something I did to her?” Trotter thought hard, trying to remember his childhood memories from so long ago, but couldn’t think of anything that could have warranted the attack from the orange mare. “Ugh, I’ll figure this out later,” thought Trotter as he shook his head and walked in the direction of the town hall, “I need to purchase a new house.” After talking to the mayor and acquiring both the deed and the key to his new place, Trotter walked back to the train station to collect his stuff. It was when got there, he saw somepony that looked very familiar. “Rarity?” Trotter called out, which the white-coated, purple-mane unicorn turned around in response. “Hello there,” Rarity said elegantly, “have we met before?” Trotter nodded, “Yeah, we went to school together.” “Well, things maybe weird with Applejack, but hopefully things will go much smoother with Rarity.” “You’re going to have to tell me your name,” said Rarity, using her magic to hold what looked like a small cage, “I haven’t the foggiest idea of who you are.” Trotter nodded and replied, “Yeah, I guess I do look a little different from my school days. My name is Trotting Guardsmen, but I would always go by the nickname Trotter.” Rarity’s eyes widened for a split second when she heard the name before returning to normal. “Oh Trotter, how could I possibly forget you,” laughed Rarity, although her laughter seemed rather forced, “Can you do me a favor, Trotter?” “Uh, sure, I guess,” shrugged Trotter, walking closer to young mare. Rarity used her magic and gave Trotter a small stuffed mouse and said, “Just hold on to that for me real quick, if you please?” “Ooook,” replied Trotter, holding the toy in his hooves. Rarity then used her magic again and opened the cage door. “Opal, come on out, my pretty,” said Rarity with an evil looking smile on her face. And before Trotter could even ask who Opal was, the white cat was scratching all over his face. “GETHEROFF!GETHEROFF!GETHEROFF!GETHEROFF!GETHEROFF!GETHEROFF!” Trotter ran back and forth in a small circle as he continued to try and shake Opal off his face. He didn’t know how long he had been running when Rarity finally said, “Alright, that’s enough Opal. You have an appointment with Fluttershy today.” Opal finally jumped off the young stallion’s face, gave him a good hiss, grabbed her toy in her mouth, and walked back to her cage, Rarity closing it with her magic. “Have a good day, Mr. Guardsmen,” said Rarity mockingly before practically skipping away. “Ow…ow…….ow,” said Trotter out loud, praying to Celestia that there was no permanent damage. “What else could…ow…go wrong?” Trotter said out loud. “Hiya!” Trotter jumped up at the sudden appearance of one pink pony, with a puffy, messy mane. “Are you a new here to Ponyville? Oh my gosh, I love meeting new ponies. I also love throwing new ponies ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ parties. Do you love parties? Oh who am I kidding, what pony doesn’t like parties. Oh silly me, I haven’t even introduced myself. My name is Pinkie Pie, what’s your name?” It took a couple seconds before Trotter could process all the information that had suddenly came at him. But it was the name that caught his full attention. “Pinkie? Hey, I remember you,” stated Trotter, “You used to have a straight mane and tail. And you also seemed down all the time.” “Oh that must have been before I got my Cutie Mark,” proclaimed Pinkie, never seeming to take a breath, “and that must mean you lived here before. That’s ok, we can have a ‘Welcome Back to Ponyville’ party. That’s just as cool as a ‘Welcome to Ponyville.’ So anyway, you never did…” Pinkie suddenly paused, as Trotter just stared at the young mare, whose tail was twitching. All of a sudden, Pinkie pushed Trotter forward. Before he could ask what the deal was, a washing machine crashed right where they had been standing just a second ago. “Sorry,” Trotter heard above him, and looked up to see a walled-eyed Pegasus floating them, “That thing is heavier than it looks.” “No problem Ditzy!” smiled Pinkie, who waved at the Pegasus before turning back to Trotter and continuing exactly where she had left off, “…tell me your name.” It took almost a minute before Trotter could find his words. “Uh…it’s Trotting Guardsmen,” finally said Trotter, finally regaining his composure, “but you might remember me by Trotter. And thanks for saving me just now.” “Oh it’s no problem at all, I would help anypony…..wait, did you say Trotting Guardsmen,” asked Pinkie, to which Trotter nodded in response. Suddenly, Trotter heard a popping sound and her mane and tail suddenly deflated, giving the pink pony straight hair. Pinkie Pie simply stared into the eyes of Trotter, as if she was staring into his very soul. Trotter could swear he could hear demonic music as he became more and more frightened by Pinkie’s stare. “Uhh…well what do you know,” panicked Trotter, trying to avoid the cold stare of the pink pony, “I really need to get going…gotta…um…unpack.” Trotter finally broke off the stare, ran back to the train station, thanking Celestia that the train staff had put all his things into a cart, quickly hooked himself to said cart, and ran past Pinkie. “Nice seeing you again, bye!” yelled Trotter, not daring to look back at Pinkie. Pinkie continued to stare at Trotter until he disappeared from view, which she then took a deep breath and smiled, her mane and tail poofing back to normal. She then looked at the screen and asked, “Um, excuse me, Mr. AceOfSpades1309?” Wait…what? “I have a question, why am I giving Trotter ‘The Stare?’ Shouldn’t it have been Fluttershy who gave it to him?” Pinkie asked the fanfic writer. Wait…what…when…where…who…how are you doing that? How are you talking to me? Pinkie giggled and replied, “Because I’m Pinkie Pie, remember?” I…I guess that makes sense…I think. Pinkie giggled again and asked, “You’re so silly. Anyway, did you forget my question about me giving Trotter ‘The Stare?’” Oh yeah, sorry. To answer your question, Trotter left Ponyville before you guys, the Mane 6, got your Cutie Marks. So that means Fluttershy, and for that matter, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight never met Trotter. Besides, I don’t think Fluttershy would ever give somepony ‘The Stare,’ even if she knew what Trotter did to Applejack. She might not talk to him, but she wouldn’t give him ‘The Stare.’ “Oh, ok. That makes sense,” replied Pinkie, after which she smiled and continued, “Well, have a good time writing your fanfic. I need to go prepare for Trotter’s Welcome Back party.” Pinkie began to bounce away. Wait, why are you going to prepare him a party now? You’re not suppose to like him yet. “Oh, I know, but I’ve already read the part where I forgive him and I like to be prepared for his party when that chapter comes out,” replied Pinkie, who continued to bounce towards Sugar Cube Corner. You already read…I haven’t even written out that part yet… But it was too late, Pinkie was already gone. Sorry about that folks…..that has never happened to me before. Anyway, I guess we should get back to Trotter. Trotter’s New House… Five Minutes Before The CMC Arrive… “Are all the mares in this town crazy?” Trotter asked aloud as he finished bringing in the last of the boxes into his house. He placed the last box onto the floor before looking around his new home. He took a deep breath, deciding to unpack later. He headed for the shower, taking off his shorts on the way, thinking about what Applejack had said earlier. “After what ya did, I’m surprised you’d be stupid enough to show your face around here again.” “After what I did? What did I do?” Trotter thought to himself as he washed his mane. “Think Trotter, think! What could you have done that could’ve ticked her off so much?” The stallion continued to wash himself as he tried to figure out this question in his head. The stallion turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, and thought, “Was it because I said Appleblank in the letter? I was just kidding around.” Trotter grabbed a towel and began to dry his mane as he continued thinking about Applejack. “Heck, I thought she would’ve laughed at the old memories. Nice job, Trotter!” “A BLANK FLANK?!” Trotter suddenly jumped up, startled when he heard a voice. He threw the towel off his head and looked around to find three little fillies, inside his home. “What in the whole wide world of Celestia is going on?!” exclaimed Trotter, still in shock. The three little fillies just looked at each other, before the pegasus filly stepped forward, cleared her throat, and said, “Hello there, mister. My name is Scootaloo, that’s Sweetie Belle, and I’ve heard you already met Applebloom right there. And we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Trotter looked to each filly as their names were revealed, before realizing that Applejack’s little sister was among the group of fillies that had invaded his home. He was actually surprised to see her, after what had just happened an hour ago. Before he could ask her anything, however, the unicorn named Sweetie Belle asked, “Um mister, why don’t you have a Cutie Mark?” Trotter never thought it would be this soon before somepony found out his secret, and he felt unprepared at the little filly’s question. “Uh…uh…,” stuttered Trotter, trying to find a way out of explaining why he had no Cutie Mark, until he finally realized something. “Wait, how did you three get in here?” Scootaloo didn’t miss a beat and answered, “You left the door opened, which in this town, pretty much means ‘Come on in!” Scootaloo was lying, of course, but she hoped he would buy it. She was wrong. “Yeah, right,” said Trotter, glad he found a way to get out of telling why he didn’t have a Cutie Mark, “you three little fillies are in trouble. I suggest you leave before I tell the authorities.” Trotter couldn’t help but smile inside, feeling victorious. The unicorn and pegasus both looked defeated, until Applebloom quickly jumped up and proclaimed, “Now hold on there, mister. I see what ya trying to do. But guess what? There are no a-torities in Ponyville. Maybe the mayor, but not any police ponies.” “And also, ya might not want to send us away, we might accidently tell somepony that the new pony in town doesn’t have a Cutie Mark.” Applebloom would, of course, never do something like that, but right now, she’s was trying to get Trotter to talk. “Now, if ya don’t mind, ya’ll be telling us why ya don’t have a Cutie Mark.” “This little filly was devious,” Trotter thought to himself as he looked at the youngest Apple sibling. He tried to think of some way to get out of this situation, but he failed. He took a deep breath, looked to the ground, and told them the honest truth. “I don’t know.” “Apple sauce!” was Applebloom’s quick response, “In the letter ya sent my sister, ya said ya’ve been all over Equestria. How could somepony do that and still not have a Cutie Mark?” Trotter didn’t look up, but replied, “The reason I explored Equestria was to find somepony who could tell me why I hadn’t earn my Cutie Mark. And trust me, I’ve done things that most ponies would never even dream of doing.” Trotter picked up his head and looked at the young fillies, a smile growing on his face. “I’ve taken done a group of Diamond Dogs that was attacking a town of jewel miners, I’ve wrestled a Manticore and came out on top, I’ve even knocked out a tooth from a full grown dragon who was picking on a family of Phoenixes.” His smile then faded, a frown replacing it, as he finished, “but none of those adventures earned me my Cutie Mark.” Scootaloo couldn’t help but laugh at that last proclamation. “You knocked out a dragon’s tooth? Really? You expect us to believe you took on a dragon?” Trotter smiled at the young pegasus, before walking over to his largest box, opening it up, and lifting out a razor sharp tooth the same size as him. The three little fillies gasped at the sight of large dragon tooth. Trotter laughed at their reaction, before his frown returned, and he placed the dragon tooth back inside the box. “As I said, I have no idea why I haven’t earned my Cutie Mark,” said Trotter, walking back to the three fillies, and laying down on his bed. “I gave up adventuring and decided to return to my home town, but I guess the one place I called home doesn’t want me back.” The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at each other and then looked back at Trotter. “Hey, it’s ok,” Sweetie Belle said, putting a hoof on Trotter’s mane, “we’ll be your friends, won’t we girls?” Scootaloo quickly nodded, although Applebloom hesitated, thinking of what her sister would think, but then she nodded too, knowing that this stallion wasn’t the bully he used to be. At least, from what she could tell. Trotter chuckled. “Thanks girls. What I really need right now is friends.”
Chapter 3A/N: Sorry for the long wait and short chapter, but I've been real busy. Hopefully, the next chapter will be much longer. Chapter 3 Ponyville Elementary School… RINGGGGGG! School had just ended as the Cutie Mark Crusaders gathered up their homework, put it in their saddlebags, and headed for the exit, as their teacher called out, “Have a great weekend everypony!” The CMC turned around, waved their hooves at Cheerilee, cried out in unison, “Thank you, Ms. Cheerilee,” turned back around, and galloped out the door. They were in a rush to get to Trotter’s house, having promised to help him unpack the day before. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle jumped into the red wagon tied to Scootaloo’s scooter, quickly put on their helmets, and held on tight as Scootaloo took off, pulling them towards the stallion’s house. “I wonder what other cool stuff he has,” said Scootaloo as she took a sharp right turn, gravity almost sending the two other fillies flying out of the wagon. “What do you mean?” asked Sweetie Belle as she and Applebloom regained their balance. “You guys remember that Dragon Tooth he had?” stated Scootaloo, her friends nodding in response. “Well, I got to thinking; he must have other cool things from his adventures.” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Scootaloo was right, and they couldn’t wait to see what else Trotter had collected from his adventures. Trotter’s House… As the house came into view, Scootaloo was going at full speed, and she knew she had to put on the brakes before they all crash into the stallion’s front window. The pegasus skidded to a halt, mere inches away from the window. Scootaloo pulled off her helmet, as did the other CMC members, and they all jumped off their mode of transportation. They walked towards the front door and Applebloom knocked three times. Trotter quickly came to the door and opened it, smiling at the sight of the three little fillies. “Thanks for coming by, girls, you really didn’t have to.” “O’course we had to,” exclaimed Applebloom as her friends and her entered the Stallion’s home, “that’s what friends are for.” Trotter’s smile got bigger as he closed the door behind him and walked over to the three fillies. He began to explain to each filly what had to be done and which one of them should do what. After he was finished, he let Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo go off to complete their tasks. But he stopped Applebloom before she could run off too. “Applebloom,” Trotter whispered, “are you sure you’re ok with being here? I mean after what happened at the train station the other day…I…I just don’t want you to get in trouble with your sister.” Applebloom nodded in response, grateful for Trotter’s concern, and replied, “Yeah, I’m ok. I got permission from Big Mac to be here. Granted, I told him that ‘here’ was Zecora’s hut, but it was easier telling him that then it would be if I asked Applejack. She can tell always tell when someone is lying.” As they began to work on unpacking his things, Trotter couldn’t help but laugh at what Applebloom just said. When he saw the confused look on little filly’s face, he explained. “Back when we were in school, I had gotten my Uncle Paint Brush to make me a fake cutie mark, which I showed off at school. Applejack was the only one who didn’t believe me.” “Of course, I couldn’t get my uncle to keep making me the fake cutie mark, so I started wearing this red jumpsuit, along with this little white vest, so that nopony could see my blank flank. She used to try and undress me so she could prove I was lying.” "Hmm…,” thought Trotter, “Applejack undressing me…I wouldn’t mind if she tried to do that now…whoa! Get those thoughts out of your head, Trotter! Remember, there’s a little filly right next to you, not to mention she’s Applejack’s little sister too.” “Actually, she got real close to exposing my blank flank once. She had just learned how to make a lasso from a rope and had hogtied me real good. But before she could take off my jumpsuit, Big Mac came and stopped her. Told her that even if I was lying, it wasn’t right of her to do that to me. That was back before he hated me too. In fact…” He looked over to Applebloom, and before he could stop himself, asked, “Applebloom, do you know why your sister and brother seem to hate me?” “Damnit,” thought Trotter, he didn’t mean to ask the young filly this question. He didn’t want to get her involved in whatever drama between her sister Applejack and himself. Applebloom didn’t seem to mind, as she shook her head and replied, “Nnope, all I know is that it was something ya said to Applejack. Whatever ya said, it was supposed to be really horrible, and that it did something, but I just don’t know what.” Trotter felt bad, especially because he couldn’t remember what he did to Applejack. He then thought of something, and asked the young filly, “If you know I did something horrible to Applejack, how come you’re being so nice to me?” Applebloom looked at the stallion and replied, “I don’t know. I mean, Big Mac said ya were a big bully to Applejack, but when ya got off the train, ya were nothin but friendly to her.” Applebloom smiled and continued, “I’ve seen what bullies are like, and ya’re nothin like them.” Trotter smiled back and replied, “Thanks Applebloom. You know, I never thought I was a bully. I always thought I was the class clown. It seemed like everyone was always laughing at my jokes.” Trotter’s smile faded as he finished, “I guess they were just laughing at the ponies I made fun of.” Trotter hung his head down, feeling bad that he never thought about anypony’s feelings. Applebloom patted him on the back and said, “It’s ok. I’m sure if ya apologize to everypony ya’ve ever made fun of, they’ll forgive ya.” Trotter brought his head back up, a smile replacing the frown from earlier, and replied, “I hope you’re right.” Two Hours Later… The sun was low in the sky when they had finished unpacking everything. Granted, some of Trotter’s items were still unorganized, but the point was that everything was unpacked. It was getting late, so the fillies had to start heading home. “See ya later, Trotter,” said the CMC in sync, waving goodbye to their stallion friend as they headed home. Trotter waved back, saying the same thing to them, before closing the door and walking to his room. “The girls did a pretty good job unpacking everything,” Trotter thought to himself. “Maybe they should have unpacking cutie marks.” The stallion chuckled to himself as he walked over to his bed and slumped over onto it. “I think Applebloom is right,” thought Trotter as he closed his eyes. “Maybe the best thing I can do right now is apologize to all the ponies I used to pick on.” The stallion yawned and had one last thought before falling asleep. “Looks like tomorrow, I’ll be starting a brand new adventure.” Sweet Apple Acres… Applebloom had already goodbye to her best friends as she walked towards the farmhouse she called home. She was half-way there, when suddenly… “I ran into Zecora in Ponyville today.” Applebloom nearly jumped out of her coat as she turned around to see her big sister leaning against an apple tree. “A…Applejack?! Ya scared the holy hay out of me,” said Applebloom, breathing quickly. “I asked her if ya were at her hut,” continued Applejack, ignoring her little sister’s comment, “and she said ‘she had been in town since noon, and had not seen one hair of Applebloom.’” “Oh crud,” thought Applebloom. Why didn’t she think of that possibility when she lied to Big Mac. She knew she was in trouble now. “So I went around town, looking for my little sis,” continued Applejack, walking over to Applebloom, “and where did I find her? Why, at the one pony’s house who I had told her specifically not to ever go talk to.” Applebloom hung her head, looking at the ground, as Applejack continued to scold her. “Applebloom, ya might be too young to understand, but Trotter is not a good guy. He is mean, self-centered…” “Was.” Applejack was surprised by the little filly’s interruption. “What did ya just say?” Applejack asked her little sister. Applebloom lifted her head to look at her sister, determination in her face. “I said he was mean,” said Applebloom, “but he ain’t mean no more. Heck, I don’t think he was ever as mean as ya say. He’s one of the friendliest ponies I’ve ever met. And ya know what, I’m pretty sure ya would think he’s friendly too if you actually tried talking to him.” Applejack was astonished at the little filly standing up to her, let alone standing up for her old bully. “Well, if you don’t want to talk to him, that’s fine, but I consider him a friend. And I will continue to visit him.” Before Applejack could protest, her little sister turned around and ran off to the farmhouse. Applejack was totally shocked at her little sister’s words. “Is she right?” thought Applejack as she began to walk through the apple trees that surrounded her home. “No, she just doesn’t know what he did. Why he doesn’t deserve to be forgiven.” Applejack only half-heartily believed her thoughts. She couldn’t help but think maybe she was being too harsh on Trotter. If he really had changed his ways, was it right for her to be so mean to him, even though he had hurt her so long ago? Applejack was almost home when she came to a decision. She would go talk to Trotter tomorrow. And maybe, just maybe, her little sister was right.
