Different

The walk to Sweet Apple Acres was a peaceful one. It was long enough of a walk for me to get back into a normal state of mind. The long dirt path surrounded by what seemed like miles of apple trees. The red barn in the distance seemed like a beacon of sorts. This farm, after all, was their main source of history. Not many knew this but Ponyville started when a group of travelers decided to settle down. Their main source of money was collecting new seeds and selling old ones. After being given the land by Princess Celestia, the Apple family, back then called the Smith family, used the area to start planting some of the seeds they had. When it was found that this was not going to be enough, one of them decided to go into the surrounding Everfree Forest and look around. That was when those ponies had discovered Zap Apples. This new type of apple tree had created a small trading business for the new settlers. After enough trading, it was found that the town had started bustling with all kinds of unique characters. This group of unique characters had decided on calling this place Ponyville.

The white fence acted as a sure sign that I was almost there. I saw the entry way hop up above the horizon as I made it over the last hill. The white picket fences meeting at one point to make an archway covered in vines and decorative apples. A wooden sign at the top showing another apple. It was high enough that no one would hit their head walking under the arch. I walked up the pathway to the front door, pausing for a second before knocking.

The door had been opened by the huge red stallion with orange hair. He seemed to have on a yoke despite clearly not needing it at the moment. He looked me up and down before yelling for Apple Jack.

"Apple Jack! That guy you were talking about was here." As he said this, Apple Jack came around the corner.

"Howdy there, Blue! Glad you could make it! Dinner is almost ready. While we wait, this is the perfect chance for you ta' meet the family. This big feller here is Big Macintosh. He can be a little quiet most times, but he means well. You already met Apple Bloom at the park yesterday. Granny Smith is currently the one making dinner. Tonight we are having fully loaded baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and salad on the side. We will then be having apple pie for dessert." As she said this, she sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to her. "Come relax for a bit sugar cube."

I sat down on the couch next to her. Apple Bloom then came running down the stairs after hearing some commotion. Upon seeing me, she stopped a waved. "Hello again sir! We are glad to have you here for dinner! I heard you killed a changeling, is this true?"

Apple Jack looked sternly at her. "Apple Bloom! Don't be so rude to our guest. We are tryin' ta make him feel welcomed here."

Apple Bloom looked down for a second, then back up at me. "Ah'm sorry mister, was just curious n' all. In a change of subject, do you wanna see my clubhouse? It is where we hold our Cutie Mark Crusader group meetings and such."

"Sure." I responded with a tiny smile. "I do love exploring after all. Maybe I would be able to meet your friends too."

With this, Apple Bloom did a small excited dance before running into the kitchen. I looked back up to Apple Jack. "I am guessing that she is always on the move, aint' she?"

Apple Jack laughed a little bit before responding. "You bet your left leg and a barrel of apples. That filly runs around so much, you'd almost bet she was an all star runner. She does have her moments of calm every once n' a while. She's still young, ya' know? We like to let her do her thing. We fear she only has so much time to be a kid. That is, before this war kicks off and prevents her from having any more fun. When the war finally does kick off, the Sweet Apple Acres will start prepping food rations for any soldiers on their way to battle. Everyone will be working long hours to ensure we play our part the best way we can. Hopefully that doesn't happen for a while. Anyways, what will you be doing tomorrow?"

I looked back after thinking. "I do not know actually. I do not yet have many ponies to hang around with, my house is empty, and I do not go back into work until Monday. Why, do you need help around the barn or something?"

"We don't need help, but if'n yall wanna help we can find somethin'. In exchange, we can let ya' sleep in the barn for the night. We can easily set up a cot for you to sleep on. Don't worry though, these cots are actually very comfy to sleep on. The barn will be secured and you will not be bothered by any animals or anypony. It is my understanding that your house came empty, correct? Izzy had told me so when I last spoke with her." Apple Jack said this with a nod.

I thought for a moment. The barn was separated from the house so sleeping there in my true form would've fine. Keeping in mind that I keep myself covered with a blanket in case anyone does come check up on me. You see, changelings can not sleep in pony form because the magic we use to transform is concentration based. That means that due to a changeling being asleep, they can no longer concentrate on their disguise.

I finally answered after a few second of thought. "That seems like a fair deal. A little bit of honest work to give me something so do in exchange for a nice night of sleep. I am ok with this."

After I had said this, Granny Smith could be heard yelling for everyone to get into the kitchen. We all walked over to the table and took our seats. They did not have any chairs, but rather sat on the floor. They were still able to reach the food on the table due to how short it was. The food almost fully covered the table. Seemed as though these ponies did not know what the words 'small portions' meant. The food smelt so good and the layout was remarkable.

"Granny Smith, this is Blue. He's the one that saved Apple Bloom at the park. He is new to town so I invited him over. He said he would help out with the farm tomorrow so we are letting him stay the night in the barn. I do hope that will not be an issue." Apple Jack said, awaiting Granny Smiths approval.

Granny Smith lifted her head, looking me. After looking for a few seconds, she looked back up to Apple Jack. "Sure sweetie, I do not see anything wrong with this. Now quick yer yappering and dig in everypony."

As soon as she had said that, everyone started eating. Now, when I tell you that this food was the best food I had ever eaten, it's the honest truth. The food was so filled with flavor that it sent me into a shock wave. This was way better then the food from Manehattan by a long shot. Country food is by far my favorite type of food. That, combined with the atmosphere of a loving family made it taste that much better. Everything from the way the potatoes melted in your mouth, to the way the apple pie created a fireworks display of flavor.

The room was filled with small conversation, laughter, heart, and lovely emotion. Made me wish that ponies and changelings could get along. All this good stuff that the hive is missing out on due to how ignorant they are. Knowing the hive however, they would rather die then try anything made by a pony.

The rest of the night wasn't filled with all that much activity. After the big dinner, everyone played their part in cleaning up. A brief conversation every once in a while. I have never seen such family bond in my life. These Apple folks seemed to have everything figured out in life.

Once the kitchen had been cleaned up, they took me out to the barn. The barn was this single huge open room. On each side of the room appeared to be stalls for various animals and such. Lots of hay piles for them to eat. The barn was empty of all animals though. It had a real rustic feel and home style smell. I linked with such a sensation on a slightly deeper then average standing.

The cot was laid out for me in what appeared to be a box of hay. This meant that during my sleep, I would be surrounded on three sides by a wall of hay. This was for the better as it gave them a smaller chance of seeing me in my true form as I slept. They figured that I would want more privacy. The barn had a nice cool temperature that was perfect for sleeping. The blanket was very warm. It almost felt as thought it had been hoof stitched. This feeling that the Apple family was providing me was nothing like I was used to.

Once I heard the barn door finally close I knew that everyone was off to bed. I waited for thirty minutes of silence before going under the blanket and dropping my disguise. The walls of hay, combined with the thickness of the blanket, completely covered the flash. I then laid down on the cot. Turns out that cots are actually very comfortable in the sense that they almost cradle you.

That night had gone very relaxed. I had laid there for a little while longer, thinking of all the things that would change in life. For now though, I decided to think about all the good things happening now. If I only thought about the bad things in life, I would never be able to truly enjoy all the little things. Once I had gone to sleep, the night seemed to pass quickly. I was in such deep sleep that it seemed as though the second I closed my eyes to fall asleep the night had already passed.

I woke up as I heard some roosters in the background. Remembering where I was, I shifted back into pony form and got up. I had the decency to fold the blanket and place it on the cot. Once I was ready, I made my way back towards the home. To my surprise, the Apple family was already outside working. I had seen Apple Jack kicking trees. I did not know what she was doing so I went up to ask is she needed any help.

"Good Morning Apple Jack, what did that tree do to deserve you kicking it?" I said in confusion.

Apple Jack chucked, "No sugar cube, I'm just collecting Apples. Ya' see, I kick these here trees n' catch the apples in these baskets. Once we are done collectin' all the apples, we later sort through them to determine if they can get sold. If'n we can't sell em', then they are to be replanted to make more trees. I do have a few trees that I need to go through today. If you want, you can give the tree next to you a kick so I can see how powerful your kicks are."

After she said that, I turned to look at the tree. Now, as a changeling, I am naturally stronger then a pony despite my size. Though, I haven't seen my kicking strength in a while. I turned to face away from the tree, rounded up onto my front hooves, and bucked back as hard as I could. The kick was powerful enough to sling the top of the tree fast enough to not only drop all the apples, but also all of the leaves.

Apple Jack looked up in disbelief. "Woah Nelly, I ain't ever seen a unicorn with that kind of bucking power. Then again, I aint seen an earth pony with that kind of power also. That kicking is Apple family strength, and we have been doing this all our lives. How are you so strong for a unicorn?"

I looked at the tree, then back to Apple Jack. "I have no idea to be honest. I have always been stronger then the average unicorn. I'll go lighter on my next kicks so that you do not have to add raking to your chores list."

Apple Jack stood there for a moment, looking at the now completely empty tree. She was not sure what to say at the moment as she was barely expecting me to even get an apple off the tree. After a long pause, she came back to reality. "I am very impressed with your kicks. They also seen non-pony in nature. With your legs, this day will go much faster then originally planned. Our goal for now is to buck all the apples from the trees in this section." After saying that, she pulled out a map from her saddle bag. This map had been color coded by what needed to be done for the day.

"Now, before we do that we need to go back to the house. Breakfast should be done soon. Wanna help me take these baskets back?" Apple Jack said, lifting some baskets onto her back. I agreed and placed some baskets on my back. That made Apple Jack question me again. "Ya' know, I ain't ever seen a unicorn that doesn't use their magic. What's the story behind that?"

"Oh, it's more of a personal thing. I was a musician up in Manehattan and learned to mostly use my hooves for everything. It is not that I can't use magic, but the fact that I got used to not using it." I said this while walking beside her.

"That actually makes sense. It is nice to see a unicorn who respects doing things the old fashioned way. It is actually mostly a Ponyville tradition to do things without magic as Ponyville was founded by earth ponies." Apple Jack paused for a second before continuing. "Once we get to the farm, we will place these Apples by the barn where you slept. That'll give me a chance to pick up the cot before we head in for breakfast."

We continued on to the barn. As we were walking, I was taking in the sight of the miles of apple trees. Looking around, I had also noticed a few other types of foods growing around the place. There were fields of corn and carrots. I pondered a bit on this. "Hey Apple Jack, are those other crops yours also, or do you have a neighbor?"

"Oh, that part of the field belongs to Carrot Top. She mostly farms carrots but also has a liking to corn. She is very to her self most times, but is a nice enough character regardless." As she said this, we entered the barn. Upon entering the barn we placed the baskets by one of the empty stalls. I then helped Apple Jack fix the place up before we took the cot and blanket back into the main building. "How has the sleep by the way? I hope it wasn't too uncomfy for ya'."

I looked at her with a smile, "Quite the opposite actually. That was one the best nights of sleep I have ever gotten. Everything from the way the cold night air felt, to the way the cot cradled me. The blanket felt like I was falling asleep to a warm hug."

Apple Jack smiled back in response. "You really are nothing like a unicorn ya' know? I would almost say you are an honorary earth pony. Strong, comfy in places most ponies wouldn't be, not afraid to get your hooves dirty, and well mannered. You even folded the blanket after getting up. Something tells me that we are going to get along nicely."

After putting away the cot, we made our way back into the kitchen just in time for breakfast. The table was set with pancakes. A small yet very enjoyable meal. We sat down to enjoy breakfast and have small talk.

Apple Jack spoke out, "So ya'll wanna hear something interesting? Blue here helped me this morning with bucking a tree. I had him do it so that I could see how strong he is. This here unicorn is so strong that he didn't just buck all the apples from the tree, but kicked it so hard that the tree swung and caused all the leaves to fall off as well. Blue here has a kick that is comparable to you Big Mac."

Big Mac started looking at me. "Now, that is hard to believe. I'll have too see it for myself." After saying that, he got back into eating his pancakes. I guess he really did not believe that. Though, with Apple Jacks' honesty you could tell he was holding back how impressed he was.

The pancakes were also very delicious. Nothing compared to the sour apple sweet tarts from the day before, but still up there. The breakfast did not last too long as we needed to start the day. Upon finishing the meal, I had gotten back up to help Apple Jack for the start of the day.

Upon leaving the kitchen, we made our way out to the area with the animals. Apple Jack had shown me how she goes about feeding them. These animals had a bit of a strange feeding routine, but she was the farmer so I figured not to question it. Learning about how ponies do things was very fascinating to say the least. This entire family was very creative with how they did things. Feeding the animals also did not take that long.

Once we were finished we made our way back out towards the orchard. It was time for us to get back into kicking. I made sure to kick only as hard as I needed to. I did not want to risk the chance of having leaves everywhere. I also had to keep the kicking limited as too many powerful kicks would start to make them question more then they needed to.

After a few minutes or so, Big Mac walked out of the house and into the field to help us clear the apple trees. While walking up to us he had come across the now empty tree that I first kicked. He had a face that looked as though he really could not believe someone my size could do this much damage. I could tell he was confused. Instead of doing or saying anything about it he just started his daily chores. I had just hoped that he didn't question too far into the subject and get suspicious about it.

As we were kicking, Apple Jack had started asking some more questions. "So, what did you say you did up in Manehattan again?"

"I was a musician. More specifically, I played piano for small groups and plays. I would like to think that I was very good at it. The only downside was that I was not good enough to make real money doing it. It was either that, or the fact that they did not like my type of music." I respond, keeping the conversation.

"Ya' know, there are a few musicians here who play on the weekends. They are very popular around the country, though they mostly stay here in town and perform for us. It helps lighten the moods at times during uneventful weekends. You should totally meet them one day! One of them is a celloist by the name of Octavia Melody. The other is a new age musician who uses a fancy table and records that goes by the names of D.J Pon3. Though their real name is Vinyl Scratch. You might not believe it but even though they play vastly different music, they are actually girl friends with each other." Apple Jack smiled when she finished talking.

"I know the name Octavia Melody actually. I never met them in person but I always wanted to meet them. They seemed like a nice enough character. Not so uptight in the social class that she can't see others below her. She was actually one of the artists that caused me to want to learn piano."

Apple Jack grinned, "Well, maybe when you see her walkin' the streets of Ponyville then you will be able to tell her that. Who knows, maybe ya'll would actually sound nice playin' together. I have always just been a fan of country music, if'n ya' couldn't tell."

"I could've imagined." I said, kicking another tree. "I tried learning how to play the fiddle, but could never get the hang of it. I'm sure one day I'll have the chance to learn another instrument."

"Ain't no pain in tryin' sugar cube." Apple Jack said with a glint in her eye. "You never know if you can do something or not if ya' don't just give it yer all. I'm sure that you would be more then capable."

The morning continued mostly like this. Small conversations here and there, accompanied by a lot of falling apples. It seemed like a fun yet hard job at the same time. Things like this really make you enjoy the simple things that life throws your way. They way that this family bonds over hard work as a family business is truly something to behold. That was, until I was nudged on the leg while I was walking. When I looked down I could see Apple Bloom trying to get my attention.

I looked down and gave her a bright smile. "Well, hello again Apple Bloom. Did you need something?"

Apple Bloom looked back up to me. "I just wanted to let you know that my friends and I wanted to see if you wanted to hang with us for a while. We have a tree house n' everything." Upon saying this, she looked up to Apple Jack. "Would that be ok sis? I'm sure you can continue work without him."

Apple Jack chuckled a bit before responding, "I don't see any reason why not. Just don't be takin' him on any of your adventures."

Apple Bloom twirled around a bit before looking up at me again. "Well mister, you wanna come meet my friends?"

I gave a tiny laugh myself as I was thrown off by this. "I would love to make more friends."

Apple Bloom started jumping in joy a bit before guiding me further into the orchard. "My friends are already waitin' for you in the tree house. That, and I'm sure you didn't really want to come to the farm just to work. My friends and I created a group called the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Our job is to go around and help ponies with cutie mark problems. Though, we also do regular pony thing like going on adventures, creating new things to do, relaxing, and just trying new things." As she finished saying this, we had walked into a small clearing. In the middle of this clearing was a two story tree house. It actually looked like a nifty place to hang out at. It was this small light brown wooden house with one front door and two side windows. From the looks of it, it would seem the window covers were canted. I'm guessing they never really close them. There was this green ramp that led up to the front door. Both the door and the window covers had hearts carved out of them. There was also a rope hanging from the tree next to it for some reason.

I was lead up the ramp and practically pushed through the door. There were two other fillies waiting for me. One of them was this white unicorn with two-tones pink and light purple hair. She also had this strange green tinted eye color that was eerily close to the color of changeling magic. There was also a orange pagasus with purple hair. She had a normal purple eye color that matched her hair. There seemed to be something off about this one though. It had appeared that her wings were too small and underdeveloped. Seems as though this pony also had a birth defect that has made living a normal life difficult for her. She was still young though. Maybe one day she would be able to get them fixed and be able to fly.

Another thing that I had found interesting was the fact that their cutie marks were also very similar to each other. It was this pastel red, pink, and purple shield with each one of them having their own unique picture on top. There was a wing with a lightning bolt, an apple with a heart, and a star with a music note in it respectfully. Seemed as though these fillies were destined to be together. Funny thing how destiny works, always working in way that are never expected to actually happen.

Apple Bloom grabbed my attention again. "Welcome to the home of the Cutie Mark Crusaders! You already know my name. The pegasus is named Scootaloo and the unicorn is named Sweetie Belle. We have been best friends for as long as we can remember. We started out as a group of blank flanks who just wanted to try everything. Once we finally got our cutie marks, we had discovered that our job was to help others understand who they are.

Scootaloo broke the conversation suddenly. "It has been a little while since we last had someone move to Ponyville. We were wondering if we could interview you."

I was slightly taken back from her sudden outburst. "Uh... Sure. I guess I don't mind being asked a few questions. What all did you want to know?"

The three of them took out note writing material and each took turns asking me questions. Sweetie Belle asked the first question. "Ok, so out of all the places in Equestria to move to what made you decide on Ponyville?"

"Oh, mostly due to how cheap it is to live here. That and the fact that this place seems to be the go to place for a new start. I figured it would be a nice quiet place for me to settle down at. Get a nice comfy job and enjoy my days exploring life." I said, taking a seat in a chair they had set aside for me.

Apple Bloom was the next to speak up. "Ok, Mr. Blue Shadow, what is something interestin' about you that most ponies don't know?"

"Huh... that is a very interesting question." I thought a bit before answering, "I guess one of the things that is interesting about me that most ponies wouldn't know is that I am extremely flexible. I am what most ponies consider to be a contortionist. That basically means that I have extra stretchy ligaments and such."

All three of them seemed amazed by this fact. Almost all in unison the three of them looked at me and said, "Can we see?"

"Sure." As I said this, I got up into the middle of the room. I laid down flat on the floor, with my stomach facing the ground. I then lifted my back legs over my head in a way that caused my horn to poke my flank. Essentially, my neck and upper torso were the only things touching the floor as my back hooves touched the ground in front of my face. After being in this position for a few seconds, I got back up and sat back down. I could tell that I had left them in awe as they were speechless.

After what felt like a few minutes of them looking at each other, they finally came back to their senses. "How is that even possible? I'm pretty sure you just don't have a spine." Scootaloo said this with a look on her face that was both amazement and disgust. "Last pony that we ever saw that was close to being that flexible was Blossomforth."

After they had written this information down, Scootaloo was next to ask a question. "So, Mr. Blue, what would you say is your biggest downfall in life?"

I was a bit perplexed as to how these young ponies were asking such big questions. "Oh, I'm not entirely sure. If anything, my biggest downfall might be the fact that I can be a bit too ambitious at times. Trying things that will either change the world, or kill me. I am a go getter in a sense that if I have something that I want to do I just go out and do it."

They wrote this down as well, cycling through each other again. Sweetie Belle asked the next question. "Ok, next question is... What is your talent. Like, what did you get your cutie mark in?"

I looked down at my lone grey lightning bolt cutie mark. I actually did have a reason as to why I selected that as my cutie mark. "Well... my cutie mark represent boldness. It means that I am not afraid to go out and get something done, despite how dangerous it may or may not be. I got this mark when I was in a music competition in Manehattan. I got it when I had finally over come my stage fright. After that point, I had come to the realization that the world is only scary if you make it seem that way. With boldness, I got up on that stage and played the meanest piano I had ever played. All that emotion from realizing that life gives you what you want, but only if you are willing to search for it. Even though I was talented at playing the piano, I had seen boldness in myself in other places. Such as when I first left home to live alone in this big world, when I decided to trench my may through Everfree Forest at night just to see what it was actually like, and many other times after that."

They all wrote that down and continued. "That is really cool actually." Scootaloo turned to show her cuie mark as she spoke. "Usually we see ponies getting their cutie marks for specific tasks such as skating or singing. We found that ponies who get cutie marks for bigger things in life are the most adventurous and take the most risks. Take our cutie marks for example. We are the only ponies to ever share the same cutie mark. Sure, the center of our marks show our specific skills, but the shield is special. It represents our ever lasting bong of friendship and shared goal to help other ponies in life."

As she said this, the others also showed their cutie marks. Apple Bloom then continued the next question. "Alright, what is the thing you want most out of life?"

I was amazed how many deep questions they had for me. "Honestly, the only thing I want out of life is peace. I want this world to change for the better. I want to be the reason the world lives forever on in peace and kindness. I know it is a big task, so honestly I'd just be happy in life knowing I made enough of a change for all creatures that the world would no longer need wars. I understand the purpose behind wars, but most can be resolved if there were other ways around it. It is just a matter of figuring out what those ways are. Everyone has a reason for fighting, but if everyone can come to accept big differences in life then I feel the world would be happier over all."

Scootaloo then speaks up after waiting enough time to ensure I didn't have anything else to add. "Ok, last question for now. What are your thoughts on good versus evil?"

I had to really think about this question. "You know, to be honest I do not really think those things really exist in life. I do not think there is a good or bad, but rather just the result of someone's actions and how others interpret them. There are always two sides of a story. Take a look at Discord for example. He was a creature of pure chaos and disharmony. Everyone thought he was evil in the beginning. However, after making friends and seeing what his actions were doing, he saw that the ponies on the other side of his shenanigans were being hurt. After being guided to see what the results of their actions were, and seeing what the result would be if they had done something different, showed him that there is more in life then chaos. He now has friendship and uses his magic to protect those around him. This tells me that evil only exists in those who do not yet see what they can truly accomplish in life. Evil is just misunderstood imagination and thought. At the same time, someone who lived their entire life in good can mess up and do something horrible that they regretted. Simply put, there is no good or evil, just misunderstanding in life."

Sweetie Belle then spoke up. "That actually makes a lot of sense. Two sides of every story combined with ponies misinterpreting parts of both. Well, thank you for answering these questions for us. These questions tell us a lot about who you really are. You seem like someone who really cares for others and will die protecting what you feel is right. The world could use more ponies like you in my opinion. Now that we are done with the question and we got to know you better, do you want to do something?"

I smiled, "Sure, what were you guys thinking about doing? Just keep in mind that it can't be anything that takes too long as I do have work tomorrow."

Apple Bloom spoke out, "We were thinkin' something like a small game. We just got this new thing called -"

Before she could finish her sentence, a knock was heard at the door. Apple Bloom went to open the door. Standing outside was Apple Jack. "Sorry to interrupt whatever is going on, but ya'll are gunna have ta' cut this short. There was an accident at the farm. We are going ta' need some help. Sorry girls, but ya'll two must go home now. You can hang out a different time." She said this, looking to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They both looked at Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom sighed, "Don't worry, we can always hang another time. We always have later that we can play our new game." With that, the other two girls nodded in agreement and headed out.

Apple Jack continued, "Blue, we could really use your help. We do have to go fast though." As soon as Apple Jack had appeared, she had started running away. We started running towards to barn to figure out what had happened. The run did take quite a while as the tree house wasn't exactly right next to the farm house.

As we made our way up to the house, Apple Jack had led us into the barn where I was sleeping at. Turns out that a few large wooden beams that had not been properly looked over had broken off from the roof. They had fallen, trapping Big Mac underneath.

I ran up to try to help, using every bit of strength I had. It took a combination of Apple Jack, Apple Bloom, and myself to lift these beams off of him. That, and the fact that Big Mac was pushing from underneath. I was not ready for what I had seen next.

After we had lifted off the last beam, we had all seen that there were a few large nails sticking out of the wood. Turns out that when the first piece landed on him, it had landed nails facing down. The nails had pierced into his skin. When the other beams had fallen down on him, the other beams must have fallen in a way that caused the nails to slice several large holes into his left leg. I quickly looked around to see if there was anything in the barn I could use to stop the massive amount of bleeding that was occurring at the time.

Looking around the room I had seen there were towels hanging over the edge of one of the stall gates. I ran up and took a look at them. They seemed clean so I quickly picked one up and ran back to Big Mac. Using quick judgement, I had quickly tied this around the upper part of his leg tightly essentially creating a tourniquet. This was enough to slow down his bleeding. Once I had done that, Apple Jack ran to go get something.

Apple Jack had ran back with this large wooden cart. Big Mac had enough energy to quickly hop on to the back of the cart, with help from both Apple Jack and myself hoisting him up. I do not know how, but he didn't seem to be in any pain at the time. I believe it was because his body was in shock to what had happened. Granny Smith was also there, but she was too old to be able to help. She had stood by his side as Apple Jack had run to get us.

Granny Smith looked at Apple Jack before they left. "Make sure you go fast, but not so fast that he falls off at tight curves. I'll go inside n' call the hospital to let em' know ya'll are coming. That way they will be ready for ya' when you arrive." Granny Smith then turned to go inside the main house. They had a rotary phone inside the living room.

Apple Jack looked back at me quickly, "Sorry to cut off the day like this. Accidents happen when you least expect them to. We can hang out more later though. You might wanna just head home or something. There won't be much for you to do here anymore." She then hooked herself up to this cart and started running to the hospital. I was left standing next to Apple Bloom.

I looked down at Apple Bloom. "Well, I suppose this is my time to leave. Do not worry though, we can play your games next time we meet. Now, I have no idea when that might be but it'll have to be soon. I'm just going to go for today though. It was fun hanging out with you and your family."

Apple Bloom looked up at me, "Do you think he is going to be ok?"

"Well..." I stopped for thought before continuing, "He's going to be just fine. Granted this will make working the farm harder as he won't be able to walk, let alone buck trees with his leg like that. Your brother will be fine after getting those cuts looked at and getting stiches. Why don't you go inside with Granny Smith and help her with whatever she may need." Apple Bloom nodded in acceptance and ran inside.

I trotted along back down the dirt path back into town. There was still plenty of daylight left so I decided to go for a bit of a walk. I knew deep down that they had it taken care of. Apple Jack was more then capable to take care of her brother. Not really sure how this would've affected the barn in the future, but they seem more then capable. Surely this wasn't the first time one of them sustained an injury causing a delay in work at the farm.

Walking around town, I had noticed ponies had no longer been giving me any strange looks. It would appear that they had mostly accepted me. Oh, if only they knew the secrets I was hiding. This was good for me though, it gave me the most time to think of a way to help the ponies and changelings find peace with each other. It was either that or finding a way to help the ponies defeat the hive in a way that they would back down and just stay to themselves. One of these options were going to be a lot harder then the other, though it would lead to a better outcome in the long run.

As I was walking around, I could notice there was an increase in the number of guards walking the streets. Seemed that after the previous incident they had heightened security protocols. They were constantly scanning around, looking to see if anypony was acting strange or out of place. I decided that walking the streets right now now probably not the best idea as I did not know if the guards were taught to ask random ponies questions that would throw them off. Smart method if you think about it.

Before I headed home I figured I would use my bits to get me something to eat later. Sure, my saddle bags did already have rations and such but they were to be used in times of emergency. I was looking for something cheap yet filling. I headed over to look through the shopping district.

In the district, I had noticed that there was a generalized fruits and vegetable cart. The pony behind cart was this earth pony with a light blue coat, dark blue hair, amber colored eyes, and a cutie mark consisting of two quavers. I walk up to the cart, greeting this pony. "Good afternoon Sir."

"Hello, welcome to the Noteworthy food cart, my name is Noteworthy. What can I get you?" Noteworthy said, posing a nice bright smile.

I looked to see the options before looking back up to him. "I'll just take some oranges, potatoes, strawberries, carrots, bananas, blueberries, and tomatoes. Just a couple of each please."

"Ok sir, that'll be 30 bits. I'll start bagging your things after you pay." Noteworthy said this as he waited for me to pay. I placed the coins on the counter. After he had counted and made sure it was the correct amount, he started bagging the food. This was just so that I can start filling the fridge and have small snacks when I was at home.

I grabbed the bag after thanking him and headed back home. I was carrying the bags, some in my mouth and some slung over my back. The sky was already getting noticeably darker as I had started walking back to the cottage. This time I did not have company with me. The walk was very quiet and uneventful. The walk back to my home did not take too long, but was still long enough to let me think.

I opened my cottage and walked into the kitchen. I had placed most of the food in the fridge. I then grabbed an orange to eat for dinner. I did not have lunch, though I was still very full from breakfast. I got used to not eating a lot as it was expensive in Manehattan. Usually, I only had one meal a day.

After taking a few minutes to eat this orange, which was very fresh, I had gone outside to check to see if any guards were roaming around. I then threw out the orange rind, the outside part, and locked all the doors. The night seemed very empty, which had me relaxed. I walked back up to my room, my legs still slightly sore from kicking trees and walking all day. When I had plopped myself onto my bed of blankets, I had relaxed in a way that felt right. Today, outside of Big Mac's accident, actually went very smooth. I made friends, did some honest work, was interviewed by a group of fillies for some reason, and noticed that ponies were no longer giving me weird looks. I felt as though this small town life was going to work out. I got back up, remembering that I had to cover my flash, and went into the closet. Once done, I went back to my bed and laid down for the night after turning the lights off. Funny, this day almost actually made me feel like I was a normal pony. This thought had made me feel a new sense of happiness and belonging. I then went to sleep, thinking of what new things life had set to come my way.