The Music Guides Me

Remember to open the links to the songs in a new tab so you don't lose your place in the chapter.

Ethereal - Nosaj Thing x Pretty Lights

The day had entered early afternoon hours, turning the lighting from a soft grayish to a warm orange. My mind seemed to wander as much as I did through the forest. I had almost forgotten that I was on my way to see... Fluttershy, I believe it was? Because the word "shy" was in her name, I had a feeling she was going to be a little bit of handful to deal with. I didn't have any of the other girls with me to explain things, so I had to improvise my words carefully. Plans and I don't mix too well, but whenever I wing it, things always seem to work out better that way. Most of the time anyways. Before long, I reached a small bridge that arched over a stream. Just on the other side was the small cottage that Rainbow had mentioned to me. It was a cozy little place that seemed to be made mostly out of shrubbery, and was covered in assorted flowers.

Seems like a nice place. I thought as I crossed over the bridge.

The closer I got, the more nervous I became. I've never dealt with girls before, let alone shy ones. All of my encounters have been short and awkward. Thinking about dealing with a girl as socially awkward as I was gave me a headache. As I approached the door I pulled my earbuds from my head and gave a sigh. Was everything in slow motion, or was I just raising my hand that slowly? Before I knew it, I was knocking on the door. Moment of truth. My hand lowered, and I heard an soft voice call from the other side. The voice was so soft that I'm sure all the damage done to my eardrums was healed.

"Just a moment!"

I noticed the reoccurring theme of calling out to visitors. Minus Rainbow and Pinks. Not a moment later, the door opened just a crack. I instinctively looked upwards to see the mare tower over me, only to be left utterly confused. My eyes trailed down the opening before my eyes met with the inhabitant of the house. The moment our eyes met she gave a squeak and quickly shut the door, surprising the hell out of me.

That was weird. Did I finally meet someone shorter than me?

Feeling as though she wouldn't open the door again, I gently knocked a few more times.

"Hey, Fluttershy? You can open the door, I'm not going to do anything to you. My name's Caleb and I'm a friend of Rainbow Dash's."

I stood there at the door, listening to the stream gently flow behind me. After a minute of standing in awkward silence I hung my head back and sighed.

"Please?"

A few seconds passed before the door opened again, but a little more so than last time, giving me a good view of the woman behind it. The first thing I noticed about her was her bright, crystal blue eyes. One of them was hidden behind her soft pink mane that cascaded over her shoulders and just past her chest. She was wearing a plain, baggy white sweater and pajama pants over her gentle yellow coat. In her arms she tightly clutched a tiny white bunny that seemed a little annoyed.

Was it even possible for a bunny to look annoyed?

"U-um, hello." she spoke.

Please, continue talking.

I couldn't help but stare. What do I say next? Rainbow, Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, and Celestia usually did most of the talking. With her, it was just silence where neither of us really knew what to do. She noticed my staring, and her gaze fluttered from mine. A light blush formed over her cheeks as she fidgeted ever so slightly. I'm sure my heart would implode from cuteness overload.

"Please, come in." again she broke the silence and stepped aside.

"Right. Thank you." I said.

Still holding the bunny to her chest, Fluttershy closed the door behind me. The interior was exactly what you'd expect from a cottage; mostly wooden carved furniture and a lot of tablecloth. There was a singular bookshelf, a couch with an end table that had a green lamp on top. In front of the couch was a small fireplace with a chair to the side, perfect for leisurely reading time. Fluttershy took a seat on the couch, her eyes glued to the floor. Without being too awkward, I sat on the opposite end and threw a foot over my knee. Tired of the awkward silence, I decided to lead as best as I could.

"So I heard that you've got a soft spot for animals." I said.

"O-oh. Yes, I can't help but fawn over them." Fluttershy replied, the ends of her lips curving upwards slightly.

"I can relate. I was training to become a veterinarian back home."

"Really? That sounds great!"

I smiled at the progress I had made before continuing. "Unfortunately I didn't get to complete my training before I ended up here."

"Oh... You're not from here are you?" she asked.

"What gave it away?" I chuckled.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure you would have been a great caretaker."

"Thanks Fluttershy. At least I got a good chunk of knowledge before hand."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

Shit. I had just ended the conversation in the worst possible way. I looked over at her to see her eyes had never left the floor. Only for a moment did she glance over at me, only to shy away behind her hair.

"Cute." I thought out loud. Fluttershy looked at me with a deep blush on her face. She seemed just as shocked as I was that I just said that. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment before quickly looking away.

"S-sorry, I just--"

"No, no, it's okay. I appreciate it."

"That's good."

Our legs began to bounce in almost perfect synchronization.

"I'm sorry for being so awkward." said Fluttershy.

"It's fine really. I'm just as bad, if not worse." I assured her.

"You're not that bad. You seem to be better than I am at talking."

"I could honestly say the same for you."

The two of us went back and forth for a few minutes. Eventually we laughed it off. I noticed that Fluttershy was looking at me rather than the ground and decided to respectfully give her my attention. We talked about the little things, like our favorite animal, our experiences with them, and a about our little awkward tendencies. After a while, I finally decided to ask her about staying with her.

"So, I don't mean to seem to imposing but... Since I'm not really from around here, is it okay if I stay here for a while, at least until I find my own place?"

"O-oh! I'm not sure, I only have one room which is mine, and I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable on the couch."

"It's not that bad." I lied.

"Still, I could never do that!" she said assertively.

"Trust me Fluttershy, I've slept on much worse. The couch is fine."

Fluttershy's gaze fell to the floor once again. Her face looked as if she was uncertain about what she was about to say. She gently nodded her head and looked back to me.

"I'm sorry, but I honestly don't feel too comfortable letting you stay with me."

Her face seemed pained as she said those words. As much as she wanted to let me stay, her gut feeling wouldn't allow it. While it did hurt a little bit, I understood, and respected her wishes. I looked outside to see that the evening hours were slowly taking over.

"That's quite alright. Thank you for at least considering." I said as I stood up.

"I'm sorry Caleb."

I hated hearing those words. Not because I was annoyed with them, but because there was nothing to be sorry about. I turned to Fluttershy and gave her a gentle smile.

"It's fine Flutters."

It seemed like she didn't quite accept my words. Then she smiled.

"I'm sure that Applejack would surely have a place for you to stay! She lives at Sweet Apples Acres, it's a nice big place so I'm positive she'll have room for you."

"Thank you Fluttershy." I said.

"You're welcome Caleb." Fluttershy replied.

She then walked me out and said her goodbyes. Before I started my trek to Sweet Apple Acres, I plugged my ears and lazily hit random playlist on my phone. Soon after, the music started.

Evenings - Idealism

Perfectly ironic.

All of the lanterns around Ponyville flickered to life as the sun vanished beneath the horizon. My feet started to feel swollen with all this walking I've been doing today. Hopefully I could find a place to stay soon, or else I'd be sleeping on a bench in the cold. My current attire consisted of my work shirt, joggers and a pair of sneakers. Not suitable for sleeping outdoors. It was also at this point that I started feeling hungry. Thankfully I had my music to keep me distracted from all the problems that life throws at me. If only I had been so lucky as to have my glasses with me as well. Nighttime and darkness aren't a very good mix.

At least the lanterns provided a decent amount of lighting for me to see where I was going. For the most part at least. There weren't too many ponies still on the streets, giving me more clarity to stroll by my lonesome. This was the most leisure time I got to myself since going to see Fluttershy, so I was soaking it up as much as I could. I glanced at my phone and cringed when I saw that I only had 18% battery left. It was like watching my own lifeline slowly drain away.

I need to have Twilight zap my phone or something. I thought hopelessly.

Before I knew it, I was at the outer fence of Sweet Apple Acres. I could just barely see a large barn in the shadows, along with a few other buildings that I couldn't make out. The only other thing I could see was the dimly lit farmhouse. Feeling tired, and a little bit lazy, I hopped over the fence and made my way to the home. As I grew closer, I could hear voices from the inside, letting me know that thankfully someone was still awake. I walked up the porch steps and pulled out my earbuds before knocking on the screen door.

"Now who in the world could that be?"

Again...

The voice was indeed southern. Coming from Texas, I'm pretty sure I could tell a country accent when I heard one. Country as in, "hardworking, no bullshit, and respectful farmer". I could see a silhouette on the opposite side of the door, whoever it was matched me in height.

"Who in tarnation are you? More specifically, what?"

Choose your words carefully Caleb.

"Good evening ma'am, my name is Caleb Johansen, and I mean no harm. I'm a friend of Fluttershy's." I answered.

This seemed to earn myself a bit of her trust. She slowly opened the screen door and stepped outside, leaning against the doorway.

"What made ya come here?"

"Fluttershy told me you might have a place for me to stay, since I'm not really from around here."

"Which brings me back to my first question: what are you? Definitely aren't a pony from the looks o' ya."

"Well you're definitely right about that." I chuckled. "I'm a human, from a world called Earth. Specifically Texas."

"You seem like an honest folk Mr. Caleb."

"I'm from the south after all." I took this opportunity to relate to her. If it's anything I've learned from my mother about making friends, it's to relate to someone.

"No kidding? Come on inside, we'll talk with Gramma about gettin' you a place to stay."

The mare walked back inside, holding the door for me. I stepped through and shut the door behind me promptly. As I followed behind who I assumed was Applejack, I get a good look at her figure. Her coat was a mix of orange with a slight hint of caramel. Her blonde mane was braided with a red ribbon, and rested over her left shoulder. I noticed while talking to her that she had emerald green eyes as bright and pristine as the gemstone itself. She didn't have wings or a horn, but she did have an incredibly toned body hidden underneath her white apple-patterned pajamas. Her hips had a distinct sway that I couldn't help but find myself a little bit mesmerized by them.

"It ain't polite to stare sugar." Applejack chuckled, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Sorry..."

She gave another short laugh before pulling a chair out from under the dining room table. As she took a seat, she prompted me to take one as well. I pulled out a chair and sat down, sinking deep into the wooden chair.

"I'm guessin' Fluttershy told you who I was?" she asked.

"Applejack, right?" I replied.

"One and only. So what brings you around these parts? To Equestria I mean."

"No clue, I was brought here against my will, and in my sleep."

"Well that doesn't sound too pleasant."

"It really wasn't." I laughed.

"This whole situation must be pretty hard on ya, huh?"

"Not the weirdest one I've been in, but it has its moments."

"Like?"

"The fact that everyone is a pony for one."

Applejack gave another soft laugh and quickly hid her smile. I couldn't help but give a smile of my own. For some reason it felt refreshing to talk to someone like her. It was like I was back home, if only for a little bit. AJ's laughter finally stopped, and she stood from her seat.

"You hungry? If you want me to whip something up quick we've got oatmeal." she offered.

"That sounds fantastic." I replied.

The fire sparked under the stove. Applejack and I made conversation, talking about home.

"Tell me about Texas, sounds like the kinda place I'd like to visit." she said.

"I'm sure someone like you would love it. To be honest with you, I don't think I've ever seen a place with people so proud to live there like the people of Texas."

"Now why wouldn't people be proud of where they live?"

"A lot of reasons really. Weather, law, even the people that live there. It changes wherever you go."

"Makes sense, I guess."

"What about you AJ, I'm guess you've lived in Ponyville all your life."

"And you'd be right. Sweet Apple Acres has been my home since I was a filly. Wouldn't trade it for nothin'."

"That's the same kind of pride us Texans have."

The topic of home continued as Applejack slid a bowl of oatmeal in front of me. I quickly scarfed it all down like a rabid animal, drawing some shock out of the mare beside me. I looked at her and shrugged before continuing. My body was hungry, and I was going to show it. I don't think I've ever eaten something that fast in my life, because before I knew it, the bowl was empty.

"Long time since your last meal?" asked AJ.

"Longer than you think." I replied with a heavy sigh.

"Then it must be a long time since you've slept huh?"

"Been awake almost all day as far as I know."

AJ nodded her head slowly and smile.

"Well, we don't have anywhere in the house for you to sleep, but you can camp out in the barn. It's pretty cozy in there."

"At least it's not outside right?"

Afterwards, AJ pointed me towards the barn, handing me a lantern. I stepped through the large door and held the lantern high. If anything, it was a lot warmer in here than it was outside. I jumped a little when Applejack crept up behind me with a few blankets, earning myself a laugh from the mare.

"Here ya go sugar, fresh blankets. Now make yerself and home, and get some sleep ya'hear?" she said.

"Thank you very much ma'am."

"'Ma'am'?" Applejack looked around before turning back to me, "You must be thinkin' of someone else." she joked.

We both laughed at the little joke. Then she gave me the sweetest smile. I felt something in my chest, something I couldn't describe. We caught ourselves staring and turned away from each other quickly.

"You have a nice night Caleb." she said.

"And you as well, Applejack." I replied.

She gave me another smile before walking back to the farmhouse. After she was out of earshot, I gave an exhausted sigh before entering the barn. Walking past all the stables, I climbed the ladder to where all the hay was stored. Once I found a good enough spot, I tossed a blanket over a pile of hay before flopping down with another on top of me. I've never slept in barn until today, but it wasn't all that bad. Before I succumbed to my exhaustion, I scrolled through my phone. I didn't look too long before I settled on a calming song to help me sleep.

The Mighty Rio Grande - This Will Destroy You