Sunset's human world origin

Katon family home
Date: July 12th, time: 10:00 pm

*Bigid’s perspective*

“Sunset, are ya ready?”

“Almost!”

“Be ready ta leave soon. We need ta be at da airport in an hour.” Bigid went back upstairs and to Emi’s room. Brigid knocked on Emi’s door. “Emi, thirty minutes!”

“Okay”

Brigid went back into her room. “Ya almost done?”

“Just about.”, Anzhong said. “Just need to pack toiletries. Are the girls ready?”

“Jus’ about. Goin’ back home is goin’ ta be... interestin’.”

“Are you sure you are going to be okay? We are going to be staying in the house your family was murdered in.”

“Facin’ one's demons is apart a’ da healin’ process.”

“What about the girls? Given our experience with the doll, a potentially haunted house might not be the best thing for our spectrally sensitive daughters.”

“Dat is why Ah have a plan B. An old friend a’ mine is willin’ ta house if da old house proves to be much.”

Train to Cavan
Date: July 13th, time: 12:00 pm

*Sunset’s perspective*

Sunset, Emi, Brigid, and Anzhong sat in the dining car. Sunset was warned about the local delicacies. The British conquered the world to find a good meal. Probably not accurate, but a funny joke either way. Luckily, the train has a wide variety of food. After they ate, Sunset and Emi decided to walk around and explore. During their exploration, Sunset noticed many differences between Earth and Equestrian trains. What else is new? One of the more interesting differences is the defined seats instead of benches. Most likely a safety feature or a creature comfort feature. Would defined seating make train travel safer on Equestria, or would the different body shapes make that infeasible? Looking outside, all Sunset could see was bright green.

“That’s a lot of greenery.”, Sunset said.

“Too much green. It needs some rocks or some spruce trees. It’s like looking at a painted wall.”, Emi said.

“Yeah”

The sisters moved on from the observation car. The rest of the train was rather unremarkable, being almost identical to the train they took in Japan. Without anything interesting to see, the girls went back to their seats.

“Hey, Mom.”, Emi said. “Ireland is very green.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Why is it all the same shad a’ green?”

“Excuse me?”

“She’s saying that there is a lot more variety in the foliage back home, resulting in an array of colors. Here, it’s mostly the same color.”, Sunset elaborated.

“Evolution, although Ah c’n not say specifically why, as dat’s not me field a’ study.”

“How much longer will it be before we get to Cavan?”, Anzhong asked.

“Another couple a’ hours.”, Brigid responded.

“Will we be picking up a rental car?”, Sunset asked.

“Actually, an old friend a’ mine will be pickin’ us up. His name is Fergus O’Apple.”

“There’s a kid in my class named O’Apple. Are they related?”

“Most likely. Da O’Apple family is a big one, n’ there are branches a’ deir family all ove’ da US n’ Ireland.”

The O’Apple family sounds similar to the Apple family. Most likely their Earth counterparts.

The rest of the train ride was uneventful. Once they arrived at the station and hopped off the train, the family was greeted by an older man Sunset guessed was Fergus. He had gray hair, brown eyes, light skin, and wore your typical farmer’s getup. He was also almost as big as Brigid.

“Brigid, how’s it cuttin’?”, Fergus said.

“‘Hin’s are good.”, Brigid said.

“Oy now, sounds like y’r pickin’ up an American accent.”

“Hff, maybe.” Brigid punched Fergus in the arm. “Fergus, dis is me husband, Anzhong, n’ me girls, Sunset n’ Emi.”

“Hi”, Emi said.

“Hello, I’m Fergus. Ah’ve been friends with y’r mum since she was a wee lass.”

“So, you’re a farmer, like our Grandparents.”, Sunset said.

“Yeah, Ah am, sheep n’ potatoes mostly, but we got a lot a’ othe’ crops n’ critters too.”

“We c’n finish dis in da car. We’re jet lagged.”, Brigid said.

The five of them hopped into Fergus’s truck and drove to the closest supermarket.

“Okay girls, we are gonna be staying in da middle a’ nowhere. So, we gotta stock up.”, Bigid said. Brigid, Anzhong, Emi, and Sunset hopped out of the truck and entered the store. “So, we need ta get enough food ta last us two weeks. Da farm house has two large freezers. We can store a lot a’ food.”

“We would need ta buy out half the store ta feed Sunset for two weeks.”, Emi said. Sunset flicked Emi in the head in response. “Hey”, Emi hissed.

“Girls, behave y’rselves, or ya won't get y’r treats.”, Brigid said.

“Sorry, Mom.”, both girls said in unison.

By the time they were done, they had two shopping carts, or trolleys as they’re called here, filled to the brim.

“Wow, that’s a lot more than back home.”, Sunset said.

“It is. Da US produces twenty five percent of da world’s food but only has four percent of its population.”, Brigid explained.

“Wow”, Sunset said.

They finished up purchasing their food and loaded it up in the truck. Once all loaded up, they got on the road to Brigid’s old home. When Mom said she lived in the middle of nowhere, she was not kidding. It took them just under two hours to get to the house. The only things for miles around are fields and more farms. The house itself was surprisingly large. It makes sense, as it needed to house- Great Nana and Great Grandpappy; five kids, four made it to adulthood, but Pristine moved away; three spouses; Mom, her two sisters, her brother, three female cousins, and five male cousins; twenty people. That means at least nineteen people died that night. It was then Sunset realized that she never asked how many of the attackers died. “Hey, Mom.”

“What is it, sweetie?”

“I can’t imagine people related to you going down without a fight. How many of the attackers died that night?”

“All but four a’ ‘em. Dat makes t’irty six.”

“Fifty five people died that night?”, Sunset said in astonishment.

“Yes”

“Were the other three arrested?”

“Dey didn’t get a chance ta be arrested. An advantage ta bein’ a bunch a lovers is dat a lot a people love ya back, n’ when dat includes da bobbies, evidence as ta what happened tend ta mysteriously disappear from lock up.”

“Hmm, kill ‘em with kindness. I see.”

Brigid merely responded with a Cheshire grin.

Once they reached the house and got the truck unloaded, Fergus said goodbye and drove to his house. Sunset could see his house from theirs, but walking to it would take the better part of an hour. Brigid’s childhood home was two stories tall, had a porch in the front, and was long. The barn, that had once saved Brigid’s life, was the typical red and about 120 ft away from the house.

“Mac Carthaigh Farm”, Sunset read on the sign above the porch. “Mom, did you take Grandpappy’s name or Nana’s?”

“Back den, ya always took y’r old man’s name, no matter how shitty da rest a’ his family is. Me fathe’s name was O’Floinn, which means ‘of bright red’. Ah got me hair from me dad’s side.”

“What does ‘Mac Carthaigh’ mean?”

“It means ‘son of a loving person’. It was a very fitting name, especially f’r me mothe’. Dere’s a reason she was known as da queen a’ love.” Brigid turned to head inside.

Riona Mac Carthaigh and Nicholas O’Floinn, I wish I got to meet you.

Mac Carthaigh farmhouse
Date: same day, time: 4:15 pm

*Sunset’s perspective*

Soon, the food was stored away. Given the jet lag, the family decided to go straight to bed. Brigid showed everyone where they were going to sleep. Walking down the hallway, Sunset noticed two rooms with three sets of bunk beds in each. “Hey Mom, who used to sleep in those rooms.”, Sunset said while pointing to the rooms in question.

“Da one ta da left a’ ya was da girls’ room. Dat’s where meself, me sisters, n’ me female cousins slept. Da one ta y’r right was da boys’ room. Same deal but with da boys.”

“You didn’t get your own rooms?”, Emi asked.

“Nope, kids didn’t spend all day in our rooms back den. It was get up, eat breakfast, work until lunch, eat lunch, work till dinner, eat dinner, do school work, go to bed. You only got y’r own room when ya started makin’ da kids.”

“Did you go to school?”, Sunset asked.

“Nope, Ah was homeschooled most a’ me life. Me family made sure we got a proper education, but da nearest any‘hin’ is almost two hours away. Takin’ all twelve a’ us ta school wasn’t exactly feasible. Now Sunset, y’ll be sleeping in dis room.” Brigid gestured to the room on her right. “And Emi, y’ll be sleeping in dis room.” Brigid gestured to the room on her left.

There were seven rooms in total on the top floor, four “adult” rooms and three “kid” rooms. Three? “Hey Mom, what’s with the third kid room?”, Sunset asked.

“Dat was originally Pristine’s room, but since she skedaddled, it was reallocated to farmhand n’ lost traveler loggin’.”

“Hold up, I’m a bit confused on how your system worked. Why not give the kids some more room?”

“Well, back when me mum was y’r age, she n’ her siste’s shared a room n’ same with da boys. Me Nana n’ Grandpappy occupied da master bedroom, n’ da farmhands occupied da rest. As ‘hey got married, ‘hey were given deir own rooms n’ another house was built on da property f’r da farmhands. It was intended dat as da kids grew up n’ got married, dey would eithe’ move away or more houses would be built f’r ‘em. Trust me, it was an upgrade considering dat jus’ four hundred years ago everybody, includin’ da cow, all slept in da same room.”

“Fair enough”

“Good night, girls.”, Anzhong said.

“Good night, Daddy.”, Emi said.

Mac Carthaigh Farm
Date: July 13th, time: 7:00 am

*Sunset’s perspective*

“Mom, Emi’s taking forever in the bathroom, and I gotta pee.”, Sunset whined.

“Go outside.”

“Isn’t public urination a crime?”

“Yes, but dat’s more an urban n’ suburban ‘hin’. Out here, da only people close enough ta see ya are farmers who do da same ‘hin’. Jus’ don’t do y’r business in da fields or on da house, and if ya need ta wipe, use a leaf. Dat’s why we got ‘em bushes around da house.”

“Okay then.” Sunset quickly made her way to a suitable spot and took care of business. It took her a moment to find an angle that kept her balance and didn’t cause her to pee on her pants, but she managed. It was nice to know that at least some humans didn’t get their knickers in a twist by someone taking care of basic bodily functions. Sunset finished up and made her back to the front door. “Okay, ready for the day.”, Sunset said, walking back into the house. Emi and Brigid were sitting at the table. An odd thing that Sunset immediately noticed is that Brigid was wearing traditional farmer getup. Her plaid shirt, boots, and hat were red, so at least that was normal, but she was also wearing blue jeans. Brigid almost exclusively wore business smart, or whatever it’s called, and she never wore clothes with blue as a primary color. She said it makes her eyes stand out less, and in her normal get up, her eye color does truly pop, but Sunset would also say that her eye color still pops when she’s wearing blue jeans.

“Good, we’re gonna be helpin’ Fergus out for da next few days. We’re gonna ride ‘round da farm n’ make sure none a’ da animals got out, dere’s no damage ta da fencin’, n’ no thickers have damaged da property. Feedin’ n’ wate’in’ are handle by someone else.”

“Make sure the animals are all in their pens, there are no holes in the fence, that no one has trespassed and damaged the property, and someone else will do the feeding and watering, got it.”, Sunset said. Well, now the farm clothes make sense. I guess jeans don’t come in red, yellow, or brown.

“Oh, that’s what she said.”, Anzhong said in the background.

“Mom, I saw the fields around the house were being used. Who’s tendin' to ‘em?”, Sunset asked.

“Da O’Apple family is. When Ah moved ta America, Ah sold ‘em twenty percent share a’ da farm. Dat leaves us da majority shareholders a’ da farm, but Fergus n’ his family c’n use da land.”

“Does Pristine have any share in the farm?”

“No, she does not.”, Brigid stressed. “She was actually disowned n’ written out a’ da will. Me Grandpappy’s exact words were, “Pristine has failed ta demonstrate our core family principles a’ lovin’ n’ acceptance. She is no longe’ a membe’ a’ our family n’ dus has no right ta da farm.”, Brigid said, mimicking her grandfather’s voice. “Da’s why she pulled dose stunts durin’ Thanksgivin’ n’ Christmas. She was hopin’ ta get back in me good graces because da price a’ land has shot through da ceilin’ since den.”

“Wait, how much is the land worth?”

“It was some‘hin’ ‘round $3,500,000 last time Ah checked, n’ da farm makes an average a’ $100,000. We get eighty percent a’ dat.”

Sunset just stood there in stunned silence. She didn’t know a lot of this world’s finances, but she knew that was a lot. So, that’s why that bitch comes all the way up from Florida to bug us.

“Okay, the finance lesson is over. It’s time for breakfast.”, Anzhong said.

“Great, what are we having?”, Emi asked.

“I thought I’d try something traditional. We have boxty in the pan or potato pancakes, bacon, eggs, and black pudding.”

“Dis looks delicious, Anzhong, but if Ah find ya boiled da bacon, y’r on da couch.”

“That’s not going to be an issue. I’ve tried it once, and I’m not trying it again.”

“Who would boil bacon?”, Emi asked.

“People who had no other way a’ insuring da food was safe ta eat, but considering dat’s not da case taday, Ah have no idea why anybody would still do it. Me fathe’ would boil all da flavor out a’ da bacon n’ cabbage. When he was done, da wate’ would be more flavorful n’ nutritious.”

“Ick”, both girls said.

“He would den slathe’ every‘hin’ in butte n’ salt ta try ta pu da flavor back.”

“Stop, stop, you’re gonna male me lose my appetite.”, Sunset said. “And that’s really saying something, coming from you.”, Emi added. Sunset displayed her tongue to Emi, a gesture, Sunset had learned, was meant to show disrespect but in a more teasing way.

Once everybody was done, Sunset and Emi helped Anzhong with the dishes while Brigid got stuff for the day together.

“Dad, will you be coming with us?”, Emi asked.

“I’m afraid not. I’m allergic to horses.”

That caught Sunset off guard. Would this be considered ironic? I wonder if he’d have an allergic reaction if he went through the portal? Would going though take away his allergy, or are Equestrias and Earth horses different enough that he won’t have a reaction?

“I’ll be doing some repairs on the house. The O’Apples did a good job keeping the place from falling in on itself, but quite a few repairs need to be done still.”

Once the dishes were taken care of, Sunset and Emi met their mother on the front porch. In the distance, Sunset could see Fergus riding in on a horse and leading two other horses. “Mom, you said that we are going to patrol the property. Wouldn’t it be better to take a car?”, Sunset asked.

“Where we’re goin’ is completely inaccessible by car. Dere are a lot a’ areas where a car would get stuck in da dirt or where da paths are too narrow. Dat’s why we’re using horses.”

“Okay”, Sunset said with some trepidation. Sunset knew Earth horses were not sapient, but the idea of riding what was, essentially, her cousin still felt weird. As Fergus approached the porch, Sunset could see that all three horses were Irish Cobs. A docile breed and not easily spooked. Perfect for first time riders. Sunset had been doing extensive research into horses and ponies of this world. A lot of it, Sunset found disturbing, but it was also fascinating how similar these alien ponies were.

“Howya, Brigid!”, Fergus greeted.

“Howya, Fergus. Dose are some beauts ya got dere!”

“Well, dey should be. Dey are descendants a’ Caoimhe (kwee-va).”

“Aw, Ah’m glad ta know she had some foals.”

“Who’s Caoimhe?”, Sunset asked.

“Caoimhe was me horse. Ah raised her n’ even helped ‘er mum give birth ta ‘er. Trust me, ya don’t eve’ want ta have ta help a horse give birth. It’s not fun f’r any party.”

Fortunately for Sunset, she’d never had to before, but unfortunately for Sunset, she had to see it happen. “Yeah, I don’t need ta trust ya on that one.”

“Okay ladies, dese are Saoirse (ser-sha) n’ Niamh (neev). Dey will take good care a’ ya. Da barn’s fully stocked, so ya c’n jus’ hang onta ‘em while y’re here. I’ll see ya late’.” Fergus secured the horses and then rode off back to his house.

“See ya, Fergus.”, Brigid said then turned back to the girls. “Emi, y’ll be ridin’ with me.”

“Why can’t Ah ride on my own?”, Emi whined.

“Because not even Ah was ridin’ on me own at y’r age. Sunset, have ya eve’ ridden a horse before?”

Yes, and I recommend it. It took all of Sunset’s willpower to not lose her poker face. Brigid wasn’t dumb, and she’d likely ask how Sunset knew that euphemism. Sunset could add that to the linguistic similarities between the worlds. “No”

“Alrighty den, ridin’ a horse is fairly simple, but it c’n be very dangerous if ya fall off. Cobs don’t get spooked easily, but dey still c’n be spooked. If y’r horse does get spooked, hold onta da saddle as tight as ya c’n. - Emi, are ya listenin’?”

“Yes”

“Good, dis is very important f’r y’r safety. Cobs c’n weigh anywhere between 1,100 ta 1,700 pounds n’ c’n kick hard enough ta kill ya. If ya do fall off, first get y’rself ta safety. Da safest place ta be is ta da side n’ away from da horse. Second, call f’r help. Head, neck, n’ spine injuries are common, n’ falling off c’n leave ya paralyzed. Once y’r safe, limit movement as much as possible, especially of y’r neck. Me eldest uncle died because he fell off his horse. Da fall resulted in a neck fracture, n’ da moment he turned his head, he completely broke his neck. Best not ta move y’r neck at all after an accident.”

“Sweet Celestia”, Sunset said under her breath.

“Next, neve’ stand directly behind a horse. Horses c’n’t see ya back dere, n’ it makes ‘em nervous. Ya got all dat?”

“Yep”, both girls said.

“Good, now put these on.” Brigid handed each of the girls a riding helmet. “Sunset, Ah want ta have ya ride ‘round a little before we get goin’. Let’s get ya on a horse.”

“Are you sure they are okay with this?”, Sunset asked.

“Horses may not be da most intelligent creatures on da planet, but dey will let ya know if dey don’t like some‘hin’. Think a’ dis like deir job. Jus’ like Anzhong n’ Ah get paid ta do our work, horses are housed, fed, n’ given medical care in exchange f’r doin’ deir job. Admittedly, dey c’n’t choose deir job, but neither can a lot a’ humans. Plus, Ah know f’r a fact dat da O’Apples spoil deir horses.”

“Okay then” Brigid helped Sunset onto Saoirse and instructed her on the commands and how to give them. After having Sunset ride around a bit, Brigid grabbed the stuff she gathered, handed Sunset a couple of the things, and got herself and Emi on Niamh. One of the items she was carrying looked kind of like a gun but larger and longer. She had it slung across her back similarly to how pegasi would carry their crossbows. “Mom, what’s that?”

“Hm, dis?” Brigid pointed to the item in question. “Dis is me rifle. It’s a type a’ gun.”

“How many types a’ guns are there?”

“Dere are a few. Dere are pistols, which is what y’r familiar with, shotguns, rifles, mini guns, n’ machine guns, n’ dere are many more types a’ guns within those groups. Ah really do need ta teach ya how ta shoot soon.”

“Can we go already?”, Emi whined.

“Alright, alright, let’s get goin’.”, Brigid said.

With that, they were off. Even though the country was very beautiful, it looked mostly the same. There would be patches of trees here and there, but it was mostly fields and sprawling green hills. Once upon a time, Ireland was absolutely covered in woodlands and forests, but now, deforestation has left a mere 11% of the country forested. Fergus had provided them with a list of which animals should be in which pen and how many of them there should be. Brigid and Emi would count up the animals while Sunset would check for holes in the fencing. Thanks to this system, it didn’t take them long to reach the edge of the property. The entire property was “fenced” off, but it was more of a no trespassing sign and a way to keep cars out than a fence. Less than half of the “fence” was actually a fence, and it would be fairly simple for a human to climb around most of it. The rest of the “fence” was made up of natural barriers, rocks, and large logs. It was only as you got close to the houses that there was popper, high quality fencing. They had divided the “no car areas” into sections to keep track of where they had and had not checked. Even with how fast they were going, it would take a few days to check the whole area.

“Why is there so much of the property that can’t be accessed by cars?”, Sunset asked.

“Dese paths were carved before cars were considered any‘hin’ more dan a rich man’s luxury. As f’r da problems with da dirt, Ah don’t exactly know why. What Ah do know is dat da dirt is so loose dat if ya drive any‘hin’ other dan a monste’ truck or a tractor inta one a’ dose areas, ya ain’t drivin’ out.”

“Do you think we can fix those problems?”

“Theoretically, yes, but dat would cost a lot a money, make da property not look as nice and might even drop da value, doin’ so n’ drivin’ more would hurt da environment, n’ we wouldn’t be savin’ dat much money by gettin’ rid a’ da horses. In short, we could fix da problems, but we wouldn’t gain more dan we would lose.”

“Got it”

The three continued their work. When they were almost done with their current section, they found a section of the fence completely dismantled.

“Aw great, we’re gonna have ta repair that.”, Emi complained.

“Why da fuck did they even dismantle it? The thing’s like four feet tall and only meant ta keep livestock in.”, Sunset asked, aggravated.

“One ‘hin’ ya learn workin’ with da public, people are stupid. Can ya two put it back tagethe’? Ah’m gonna make sure whoeve’ did ‘his isn’t still on da property. Ah won’t be too far, so ya c’n shout if ya need me.”, Brigid said.

“Sure”, both girls said.

Sunset and Emi hopped off their horses, and Brigid rode off. Sunset secured Saoirse to the fence, and the girls got to work. The task was simple. All they would have to do is plug the horizontal pieces back into the posts while righting the posts. The most challenging part would be lifting the logs. The girls quickly got to work and were done fairly quickly. Just when they finished, they heard what sounded like a group of drunken hooligans approaching. It didn’t take long for the group to come into view. Sunset pulled Emi behind herself and placed a hand over the knife strapped to her hip. The group consisted of three teenage boys and one teenage girl.

“Hey, what are ya girls doin’ here?”, one of the boys drunkenly asked.

“This is our land. You’re trespassing.”, Sunset said in the sternest voice she could manage.

“No it’s not. Dis is O’Apple land, n’ we have promotion ta be here.”, one of the other boys said.

“This is also Mac Carthaigh land, and I’m a Mac Carthaigh. I’m rescinding your promotion. You can’t be drunk on my family’s land. Get out!”, Sunset ordered.

“Ya c’n’t tell us what ta do. Who do ya think ya are?”, the girl said.

“I just told you who I am, and if you won’t get lost now, my mom is gonna escort you out at rifle point.”

“Oh, really, n’ where’s y’r mum?”, boy number 3 asked.

“Ah’m right behind ya.”, Brigid bellowed. Brigid sat one top of Niamh, pointing the rifle at the group's feet. The four idiots seemed to have sobered up some after realizing that they were, in fact, going to be escorted out by rifle.

“W-we were jus’ leavin’.”, boy number one said. The four bolted for the fence and hopped over. Luckily, they were smart enough to not dismantle it this time.

“Is stuff like this gonna happen every time we go on vacation?”, Emi asked.

Not having a good answer for her, Sunset and Brigid said nothing, and Brigid motioned for Emi to get back on. Sunset and Emi remounted their steeds, both wanting to get this job over with.

Mac Carthaigh farmhouse
Date: same day, time: 6:00 pm

*Anzhong’s perspective*

“And you didn’t shoot them because?”, Anzhong asked Brigid.

“They never actually threatened us.”, Sunset said. Her father was, to say the least, not happy hearing about a bunch of drunk trespassers coming so close to his daughters. “They just acted stupid. Plus, I had a weapon.”

“Dere was also da problem a’ me bein’ on da opposite side a’ da drunkards ta da girls, but if dey had done any‘hin’ ta threaten ‘em, Ah c’n assure ya dat dey would’ve been catchin’ led.”

“Who were they anyway?”, Emi asked.

“No clue. Ah’ll asked Fergus ‘bout ‘em tamorrah.”, Brigid said.