My Little Pony: Equestrian Life In another World

From within the barn, Buck was still fast asleep, with one hand gripping on his blanket, whilst his other hand instinctively held onto the locket over his neck. From outside, the sun was slowly rising. And from outside at one of the perches, a rooster saw the sun rising and began to cry aloud.

Buck yelped in shock from the rooster and fell off of the hay bail. He groaned whilst he was on the ground and rubbed his head.

He slowly got up and dusted his clothes, whilst at the same time, he said “Good thing nobody was around to see me make a fool of myself after waking up.”

He stretched a bit and said “Well, better get inside and see if anyone else is awake.”

Buck made his makeshift bed and got dressed. He got out of the barn and walked towards the house. The moment he was inside, he saw Apple Bloom walking downstairs, stretching her arms out and yawning adorably, which he admitted, looked really adorable. She almost looked like someone he knew once long ago.

“Morning Apple Bloom,” said Buck, gaining the young Apple’s attention, “Did you sleep well?”

Apple Bloom nodded, and said “Ah slept well. And ah can tell ya slept pretty well, too. Ya woke up at the right time, breakfast will be ready, soon.”

The way Apple Bloom smiled…it was almost too cute for him to handle. And seeing her…reminded him of the girl he knew a while back. One that he knew all too well.

He then looked at the trees from the farm, and judging from the number of trees, the Apple family must really be hard workers. He knew that if he was going to work on the farm, then a good breakfast would definitely be in order. And as tough as it was to do hard labor, Buck was willing to work to repay the family for giving him a place to stay.

The moment when Buck entered the kitchen, he was suddenly struck with a delicious aroma of French toast with slices of apple pie and some milk to wash it all down. Of course, you saw that Granny Smith was the one who was preparing it all. He had to admit, for an elderly pony, she really is the toughest mare he ever met.

“Mornin’ deary.” Said Granny Smith, “Did ya wash yer hands?”

“Just about Granny.” Said Buck as he went up the stairs and headed to the nearest bathroom to wash his hands.

By the time he was done, he went back to the kitchen and saw Applejack coming down as well.

“Howdy Sugarcube,” said Applejack as she sweetly greeted him and took a seat next to one another. “Y’all better get yer fill, cause the work we’re gonna do is gonna keep us busy for a while.”

“So, what should we start off first?” asked Buck whilst they were eating and talked on what tasks to do.

“Well for starters, Big Mac and Apple Bloom are gonna be busy, tryin’ to water the newly planted trees at the southern fields, we’ll be tryin’ to get as many apples as we can get for the baskets and place them at the cellar and barn, as well as takin’ them to the market. Afterwards, we’ll inspect the farm to see if there’s anythin’ that needs fixin’.”

“I’m all for it.” Said Buck as he began to focus on his breakfast.

“Take yer time there, Sugarcube.” Said Applejack with a chuckle, “We still got about an hour before getting’ to work. Jus’ a fair warnin’, don’ eat so fast or you’ll make yer stomach burst.”

Suddenly, Buck couldn’t help himself but ask with a smirk and said “Speaking from experience?”

Applejack suddenly froze and blush in embarrassment, which made her chuckle sheepishly, but the rest of her family laughed. For it is true, she was speaking from experience.

After he finished his breakfast and helped Granny wash the dishes, he left the house with the Apple siblings. He turned to Granny and said “Thanks for the meal, Granny.”

“No problem, Sugarcube.” Said Granny Smith, “Now y’all take it easy whilst on the job, ya hear?”

“Will do my best, Granny.” Said Buck as he walked with Applejack.

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As Big Mac and Apple Bloom had left for the Southern fields, Applejack took Buck to the other trees and showed him around.

“Whoa,” said Buck as he looked around, “I still can’t get enough of looking at them. I can see the love and care these trees are given.”

Applejack chuckled and said “Thanks Sugarcube. We do our best to manage the farm.”

“Just the four of you?” asked Buck.

“Sometimes mah friends help me out.” Said Applejack, then she rubbed the back of her head and said “Although…there was a time that ah tried to harvest them mahself. It…didn’t work out so well.”

“Of course, it wouldn’t.” said Buck.

“Excuse me?” said Applejack as she looked at him with a flexed eyebrow.

“Sorry, didn’t mean as an insult,” said Buck, “What I’m trying to say, even if you are strong, even if you are hardworking, even the most dependent and independent of farmers need help when it comes to harvesting the fields. Not to mention they have their limits. They can’t go beyond the physical attributes that they already do. You need to work to the best of your abilities, and sometimes that’s all that matters. And from what I can tell, you work your hardest to help others.”

He then held onto her shoulder as the two of them stood there for a moment, “You’ve got nothing to prove, Applejack. You’re already the strongest and hardest working pony in town. And everypony is lucky to have you here. I can tell.”

Applejack couldn’t help but be surprised by his words, with Buck smiling and said “Now then, let’s get to work.”

As he left to the closest tree, Applejack kept staring at him, and she couldn’t help but smile by his words, and she could tell that he was really honest. She walked on further and walked alongside him.

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Soon enough, the two of them arrived at their first tree.

“Alright now, Sugarcube, watch and learn.” Said Applejack. She then delivered a strong kick to the tree, causing the apples to fall off and fall right into their respective baskets.

“Whoa, that’s amazing.” Said Buck, but then he showed concern and asked “But…aren’t you worried that you might damage the trees? Or bruise the apples and have their qualities ruined?”

Applejack suddenly looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, which he sheepishly smiled. Applejack couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at the same time.

“The way y’all are talkin’ about it, sounds like you respect the trees and the fruits that they bear.”

“Well, it’s just…” said Buck, “I always loved nature, especially the beauty of the trees. Not to mention the idea of a fruit being bruised would ruin a lot of hard work that all of you had put in.”

Applejack chuckled and walked over to him with her hand on his shoulder and said “And ah greatly appreciate y’all sayin’ that. But answer yer question, nah, the trees don’t get hurt none, they’re plenty strong to handle our kicks. And we make twice as sure that the apples are alright and aren’t bruised or damaged or any other way.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Said Buck. Then he looked at the tree and was concerned, ‘I just hope I don’t let them down.’ Thought Buck.

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Buck tried many attempts to harvest them.

He tried to kick the tree like Applejack, but it only made his leg hurt in the process, and only caused one apple to fall on his head. Although it didn’t hurt, he had a deadpanned expression on his face.

Next up, he tried to tackle the trees, but it only hurt his shoulder. Though the apple was able to fall in the basket, it still wasn’t enough.

Buck had a deadpanned expression, and said “This is going to be harder than I thought.”

He then had a determined look on his face and said “But there’s no way in, whatever underworld that they have here, that I’m gonna give up.”

He then looked at the trees and had an idea. “I wonder.” Said Buck as he thought about it.

He walked over to the trees and climbed onto them. He handpicked the apples whilst he was on the branches, whilst trying to shake them at the same time. After about two hours or so, he was able to fill twelve baskets, which he was proud of. At the same time, Applejack walked by and noticed what he was doing.

“Well ah’ll be.” Said Applejack whilst she was holding a basket, “Ah see that y’all were able to find a way to pick them apples.”

“Yeah, I had a little trouble at first,” said Buck, “But I think I’m getting the hang of…”

However, he failed to notice that the branch he was standing on began to break, causing him to fall down the moment he did. There was a loud grunt afterwards, but also groaned from the partial pain at the same time, which startled Applejack as she immediately went over to see if he was alright.

“Are y’all alright?” asked Applejack when she stood on her one knee and helped him up.

“Yeah, just fell down is all.” Said Buck as he rubbed his back a bit, “Though I think it’d probably be safer if I picked apples from a thicker branch.”

“Hold on now, Sugarcube.” Said Applejack whilst she stopped Buck at the same time. “How about we grab y’all a ladder or a stool to help ya pick the apples by hand. If ya ain’t careful, y’all could fall on yer head.”

“Uh, good point.” Said Buck, “Better to be safe than sorry.”

Applejack soon took Buck to the barn and showed him where the ladder was.

“Well, here it is.” Said Applejack as she brough out the ladder. “Just be glad that mah sister and her friends didn’t break it.”

“Oh, come on, it was one time!!”

They looked behind and saw Apple Bloom peeking through, who then had a surprised look on her face whilst she was blushing, then instantly retreated to where she was.

Buck looked at Applejack with a flexed eyebrow whilst they were walking out of the barn. Before he could say anything.

“Whoa, hold up.” Said Buck as he went to one direction, gaining her attention. To her surprise, she saw him bringing a smaller wagon, “Never might know.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle at his creativity, before the two of them started walking.

“So, what did she do?” asked Buck.

“Well,” said an embarrassed Applejack whilst she said “Mah sister and her friends tried to get their cutie marks in ladder climbing, only for it to backfire on them completely many times, especially broke it on one occasion.”

“Yikes.” Said Buck, “But uh, two things. One, what’s a Cutie Mark? And two, why is it so important?”

“Well for one,” said Applejack, “A Cutie Mark is when a pony discovers a unique characteristic that sets themselves apart from others as well as tell them their unique special talent, it’s also a part of our identity.”

“Are all ponies born with one?” asked Buck.

“Not really,” said Applejack, “They’re born without them. Only when they reach about near Apple Bloom’s age can they gain it. Ah was the youngest in mah class to get one.”

“But how are they able to get their names if they don’t get their marks?” asked Buck. This caused her to blush bright red, to which he noticed. “Something wrong?”

“Er…well…” said Applejack, “It’s a…personal private mare matter. But…if y’all must know…when a mare is expecting, they have a series of dreams that inspires the name for the foal as it tends to have some tie to their special talent.”

“Really? Huh.” said a surprised Buck. “Where was that when expecting mothers needed to name their child.”

“What do y’all mean?” asked Applejack.

“It’s like this,” said Buck, “Before a human mother’s child is born, they try to pick over thousands of names like Tony, Malissa, Myron, Thalia and so on. Sometimes they might even have the same name as the other. And sometimes they’re named after their parent or grandparent.”

“Really?” said Applejack, with Buck nodding. “That sure sounds weird.”

“Trust me, we’d say the same thing.” Said Buck with a slight chuckle, with Applejack following suit.

After bringing the ladder to a nearby tree, he was able to get up and pick the apples carefully, with a smaller basket that he tied around his belt, which he learned from watching a documentary, which surprised Applejack.

“Well ah’ll be.” Said a surprised Applejack when she saw him, “How did y’all come up with that?”

“I used to tour at an apple farm when I was little.” Said Buck, “I watched a ton of farmers work hard on their trees and pick them in order for them to sell them. And in a strange way, I always wanted to work at one. Cause in a place like this, nothing shows more hard work than an apple farmer.”

Applejack felt really moved by his words, which caused her to feel touched by how he describes apple farmers. She even had a slight blush but shook it off and headed down to the next group of trees.

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Buck spent most of the day harvesting as much of the trees as he could, and once he filled the wagon, he pulled them straight to the barn, and unpacked them. Then he tried the same routine again. By the time he was able to deliver his haul, he saw Applejack walking up to him.

“Alright hun,” said Applejack as she stood near him with her hands on her hips, “Y’all can take a break now, it’s time for lunch.”

“Wow, never realized how fast time was flying.” Said Buck.

“It happens,” said Applejack, “At least y’all don’t have to worry about going on, on an empty stomach.”

The two of them walked back to the house. By the time you got there, Big Macintosh was already waiting at the house, with Apple Bloom running along before she was late.

“Come n get it youngins!!” said Granny Smith as she came out, “Lunch is served!!”

Everyone walked inside and Buck was surprised to see that on the table, were plates of apples, apple fritters and a salad to boost up energy.

“The food looks great, Granny. Thank you.” Said Buck when he and the others went to the table.

“Mah pleasure, deary.” Said Granny, “Now go on up an’ git yerselves cleaned up. Y’all can eat after ya wash up.”

“Thanks Granny.” Said Buck as he left to get washed up.

After washing his hands and his face and to dry himself up. Once he was done, he left in order for the rest of the Apple family to do so. After all the dirt and sweat, Buck made his way towards the dining table and sat down. But remembering his manners, Buck chose to wait for the others, who eventually turned up after they were done with washing their hands too.

“Well, it seems we’re all ready to eat.” Said Applejack as she rubbed her stomach, “Ah’ve got a hankerin’ fer a nice big meal!!”

Everyone soon sat down, and once they were given permission, they all grabbed a plate each and served themselves some lunch. Though Buck was surprised to see how fast Big Mac and Applejack finished theirs.

“Mighty thanks fer the lunch, Granny.” Said Applejack whilst she patted her stomach, which Buck nearly chuckled because of how cute she looked whilst she did that.

“So, now that we harvested more apples,” said Buck, “Is there any more work around the farm I could do?”

Applejack chuckled and playfully nudged him whilst she said “Somepony is eager, ain’t he?”

“Well, you got me there,” said Buck when he was also drawn into the laughter, “Plus, to be honest, all of you treated me a whole lot better than how I was treated at the last place I worked at. Nor have I ever experienced how great a homemade meal felt in such a long time.”

He looked at the others and said with honesty, “To me, that’s more rewarding than all the money in the world.”

Applejack couldn’t help but smile and patted on his shoulder.

“That’s mighty kind of ya to tell us, Sugarcube. They say anypony who pours their heart ‘n soul into their hard work, they’re rewarded with somethin’ more valuable than all the bits in the world. It does me an’ mah family good to know yer enjoin’ yer first stay workin’ at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Or a place to call home.” Said Buck from out of nowhere, which surprised the Apples a little, but they couldn’t help but smile too.

“An we may not be the richest ponies in all o Ponyville,” said Granny Smith, “But we’re all still proud o’ how we can provide apples to all o’ the hungry ponies.”

“Eeyup.” Said Big Mac, whilst they continued with the last of their meal.

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Meanwhile, from within the castle of Friendship, both Beau and Twilight were working on the wedding invitations for her family and friends, even for the royalties so that they wouldn’t miss anything out. Twilight used her magic to write down the possible ways of how to write down an invite.

She then groaned and crumbled the parchment and tossed it away with her magic, which landed in a parge pile of crumbled papers.

Beau was busy writing his, and looked at the pile, then looked at Twilight with a flexed eyebrow.

“Still couldn’t find anything?” asked Beau as he sat next to her.

“I’ve gone over a hundred of possible invitations and none of them seem to…” said Twilight before she was cut off.

“Meet up to your standards in a bookworm level?” teased Beau, which caused Twilight to glare at him.

“Don’t you go there.” Said Twilight, before she yelped the moment Beau grabbed her, making her sit on his lap.

“Oh?” said Beau playfully as he held her close, “How are you planning to stop me?”

Twilight couldn’t help but smirk as she pecked on his lips whilst she held him close.

“I may have worked on something.” Said Beau before he showed her, “Check it out.”

Twilight looked it over and was surprised to see how well it looked. For the invitation looked like a six-pointed star origami.

“Oh Beau, this is perfect.” Said Twilight.

“You can thank Pinkie Pie.” Said Beau, “If there’s one thing she knows, it’s how to make an invitation look great.”

“I can agree to that.” Said Twilight before she giggled.

“Although…” said Beau, “How are we going to copy these invitations?”

“Oh, we could…” said Twilight before being cut off.

“No, we’re not going to Derpy.” Said Beau.

“Huh?” said Twilight with a flexed eyebrow.

“Remember what happened during Cranky Doodle’s wedding?” said Beau, “He went to Derpy when he heard she could do it, but then she ended up botching it and ended up getting the wedding date wrong. Their wedding was supposed to be in over a month, but she ended up printing it on the current date.”

“Really?” said Twilight in surprise, “When was that?”

“I believe it was the same day you and the girls fought that Bugbear.” Said Beau.

“Oh, right.” Said Twilight as she slapped her forehead, “Now I remember.”

“Hmm,” pondered Beau, “You know, we can maybe ask Pinkie Pie to help make more of these. I mean she has a habit of making new birthday cards every time on someone’s birthday, so maybe she can do the same for our wedding invitations.”

“Great idea.” Said Twilight. “Pinkie Pie always knows how to send invitations.”

“Someone call my name?”

The two of them yelped when they saw Pinkie Pie next to them.

“You know what, I’m not gonna even ask.” Said Beau.

“Smart choice.” Said Twilight, before turning to Pinkie. “Pinkie, we sort of have a favor to ask.”

“Oooh, what is it?” said Pinkie Pie eagerly.

“Well, we know how good you are at making invitations when it comes to parties and anniversaries and celebrations, correct?” asked Twilight.

“Yup a Rooney!!” said Pinkie Pie whilst she was nodding eagerly.

“Well…” began Twilight, “Seeing that this is mine and Beau’s wedding, we were hoping that you’d…”

Pinkie let out a gasp and said in excitement, “You want me to make more wedding invitations for you two?!”

“That’s right.” Said Beau as he gave her two things, “Here’s the card what I made, and on the other is a list of those who we’d like to invite to the wedding. Think you can do it?”

Pinkie then saluted and shouted “Your wish is my command!!”

She then squealed in excitement, grabbed the invitations, and darted straight out of the castle.

Beau blinked at this and slowly look at Twilight. “I’ve been here for a month and a few weeks and I still haven’t gotten used to that.”

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at this and walked over to him and held him close. “Trust me, it was overwhelming for me too.”

Beau was then worried and said “From what you told, I know Cadance would be ecstatic into meeting us, but…what about your brother?”

Twilight was also worried and hugged Beau tighter, with her head against his chest. “I really hope things will go well. I don’t want to do the same thing he did at…”

“I know Twilight.” Said Beau, “I know.”

The two of them continued to hold one another, for now that the wedding invites would soon be sent, they were worried about another who they fear won’t accept the two of them being together…

Twilight’s brother.

*****************************************************************************************

After Buck helped Granny wash the dishes after they were done with lunch, Applejack had asked him to follow her. Maybe she has more work for him that she needed help with. And to be fair, he did ask him if he could do more around the farm.

“So, whilst we were workin’, we thought about what y’all said when ya made an offer to help out more often around the farm.” Said Applejack.

“Glad you took my offer.” Said Buck. “So, what’s first on the list?”

She brought him over to the Pig Pen as the two were standing bear the pen.

“Alright then, this here will be the first odd job fer the day.” Said Applejack.

Buck couldn’t help but chuckle and said “Odd job? That’s pretty clever, actually.”

Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle too, then said “Think ya got what it takes to feed them there Piggies?”

“That I can do.” Said Buck.

“Good,” said Applejack as she grabbed a nearby bucket and gave it to him, “Take this here bucket o’ scraps and pour it in that there bin. After that, y’all can help Big Mac plant some seeds an’ plow the fields. We gotta be ready fer the next cider season. Ah promised mah friend Rainbow Dash she’d get a special pass to be first in line to have some of our apple cider.”

“Who’s Rainbow Dash?” asked Buck, “And Apple Cider?”

Applejack looked at him oddly, blinked, and then chuckled.

“Oh, right, ah didn’t get the chance to tell ya.” Said Applejack. “Rainbow’s a friend o’ mine. She’s actually a Pegasus, in other words a pony with wings. She’s training to be one day be part of the Wonderbolts, Equestria’s best flyers. Right now, she’s in the reserves, so she ain’t a full member, yet. She also loves her apple cider. Plus, if yer ever in a tight jam, she’s there fer her friends through thick an’ thin. It ain’t no surprise since she’s the Element o’ Loyalty. She’s one of mah ver’ closest friends…an’ best rival.”

“Really?” said Buck whilst flexing an eyebrow and resting on the fence, “How long have you two been friends and rivals?”

“Let’s just say…” said Applejack whilst she was rubbing the back of her head, “We’ve competed against each other fer a long time now. Ah’ll tell ya more later after work. But fer now, them, pigs aren’t gonna feed themselves.”

“You got it.” Said Buck as he began to do his work.

Buck went over to the pigs and fed them the bucket of scraps Applejack was talking about, whilst she went back to work at the orchard. The pigs snorted and sniffed at the bucket in Buck’s hands, taking in the scent of their grub. Buck poured the scraps in the food, then watched them eat to their snort in excitement.

“You know, sometimes it’s adorable watching them like this.” Said Buck, but then he wondered something. “But what the heck do they use the pigs for? The cows and chickens I understand, but the pigs…uh, you know what, maybe I don’t wanna know.”

Buck soon left the pig pen and closed the gate behind him whilst walking around, trying to find Big Mac, seeing that you also want to help him out. As he looked around, he finally saw Big Mac, and saw he had a couple of bags of seed in his arms. Even though he’s strong, Buck couldn’t help but feel concerned and ran on over to give him a hand.

“Yo, Big Mac!!”

Hearing Buck’s voice, Big Mac turned around and saw Buck running towards him. He stopped near him and panted a bit from the running.

“Sorry I’m late,” said Buck as he tried to collect his breath, “I was busy helping out by feeding the pigs in the pig pen. Need any help?”

“Eeyup.” Said Big Mac as he handed a bag to Buck, allowing him to accept it. Big Mac motioned him to follow him, allowing the two of them to walk together.

Buck walked with Big Mac up and down the fields where there were empty spots, allowing them to plant the seeds in a straight vertical line. Big Mac plowed parts of the field, which Buck is quite impressed with his strength. ‘Wish I had the strength to do the things he does.’ Thought Buck to himself whilst he watched Big Mac worked.

After the seeds were planted, they used their watering cans to water every seed that had been planted in order for the tree to grow to full strength and bear its fruit overtime. Thankfully, the planting of the seeds and watering them wasn’t all that hard. Though Buck wasn’t use to farming yet, he’d still be willing to work hard to repay the Apple family for the hospitality they gave him.

It took a few hours, but the work had been done and the day was nearly over. Big Mac motioned that it was now time to regroup with the others and head back inside for some…

However, Buck noticed Applejack had a really worried look. He nudged Big Mac, gaining his attention and pointed at his sister, which caused him to notice the worried look he had on her face. Feeling concerned and worried, they quickly went over to figure out what was going on.

“Applejack, what’s wrong?” said Buck concerned whilst Applejack was focused on something else entirely.

“Look!!” shouted Applejack in panic.

When Buck and Big Mac looked, they were shocked to see what was going on. For what happened, was smoke and fire coming from out of the doors and windows. Buck’s heart felt like it was going to stop from what he saw.

“What the hell…how did this happen?!” exclaimed Buck.

“Ah have no idea!!” said Applejack in panic.

“What about Granny?!” said Big Mac.

“Ah was able to get her out!!” said Applejack, “We gotta find a way to put out the fire!!”

However, Buck then noticed someone else wasn’t with them. Causing him to look in concern and said “Hey, where’s Apple Bloom?!”

The two siblings were shocked to hear this, until…

“Somepony!! Anypony!! Help!!!”

They all looked up and realized in shock of who else was in there.

“Apple Bloom!!!” exclaimed Applejack in shock.

However, Buck suddenly saw someone else in Apple Bloom’s stead, a human girl, who looked like the girl in his locket. He slowly shook his head and gripped his fists.

‘No…not again.’ Thought Buck, then he clenched his teeth, and shouted “Not again!!”

Not waiting for anyone, with swift motion, Buck instantly ran towards the house, which shocked Applejack and Big Mac.

“Buck, wait!!” shouted Applejack, but it fell in deaf ears, for he ran straight in, desperately trying to find Apple Bloom.

He went past some parts of the fire, and was able to make it to the stairs. Once he was there, he instantly ran up, but slightly coughed as the smoke from the fire was affecting his lungs. He went from door to door, trying to figure out where Apple Bloom was. He spotted her room and was about to open it, but because of the fire, the door handle was hot, making him grunt in pain. Having an idea, he pulled his shirt off and held it ready.

“Like the old saying goes…no pain no gain.” Said Buck as he got ready.

He used his shirt to grab the handle, but bit his lip as he still felt some of the pain. Buck was able to get the door opened and saw Apple Bloom on the floor, coughing and on her knees, not being able to see anything because of the smoke. However, he looked to his right and saw a picture frame. He saw a happy family on it and instantly grabbed it whilst putting his shirt back on at the same time.

“Apple Bloom!!” shouted Buck, gaining the young pony’s attention.

She instantly got up and ran over to him whilst hugging him tightly.

“Get me outta here, please!!” cried Apple Bloom as she was greatly frightened, which caused him to hug her and patted her head for comfort, whilst looking around, realizing that they won’t be able to make it out if they stayed longer.

Buck suddenly heard a lough crash, making him look outside of Apple Bloom’s room, and saw that their exit had been blocked, making the young Apple family member scared out of her mind. He looked around and saw the window. There was that one, but realized how high they were. It was going to be painful, but he knew what he had to do…for her.

“I have an idea!!” said Buck loudly to gain her attention, “On the count of three, I’m gonna break through the window and you’ll use my body as a cushion!! It’s risky, but you’ll be safe, okay?!”

“O-okay…” said Apple Bloom, which frightened Buck as he could tell she was having trouble breathing. “But please hurry. Ah can’t breathe!!”

“Alright then, here we go!!” said Buck as he held her in position, and prepared for a painful drop. “One…two…THREE!!!”

Buck ran towards the window whilst holding onto Apple Bloom at the same time as they made their way to the window. At the last minute, Buck used his shoulder blade to break through the window before turning around and wrapped Apple Bloom in his arms tightly whilst she left a muffled scream in his chest.

At the same time, Applejack and Big Mac heard the window shattering, causing them to look at the other direction and were shocked to see Buck jumping out of the window…with Apple Bloom in tow. The two of them watched as Buck landed on the ground back first, hard, whilst letting out a pained grunt. Applejack and Big Mac immediately went over to see if they were okay.

Buck slightly lifted his head and saw Apple Bloom, with a surprised and scared expression, looking right back at him.

“Are you…are you alright, Apple Bloom?” asked Buck.

Still in shock, she could manage a slow nod. Buck was relieved to see she was alright. However, she instantly wrapped her arms around him, thanking whoever was watching from the heavens was watching over them. Buck slowly hugged her back, to make sure that she was okay.

“Apple Bloom!!”

Buck slowly looked and saw Applejack and Big Mac running towards them. He was able to let Apple Bloom go whilst she struggled to stand up. Applejack instantly kneeled down and gave her little sister a big hug.

“Ah thought Ah lost ya, Apple Bloom.” Muttered Applejack as she held onto him tightly.

Apple Bloom was able to speak through her shocked voice, “He…he saved me sis…He saved mah life.”

Applejack looked at Apple Bloom with a surprised expression, then to Buck. However, the moment she did, she saw Buck had begun to cough, and not in a good way. The smoke must’ve done a little bit more damage than he thought.

“Hey, are ya alright?!” said Applejack as she kneeled down close to him and held the side of his shoulder, with him still coughing. Looking really worried, Applejack called out, “Big Mac!! Get him to the hospital!! An’ hurry!!”

“E-Eeyup!!” said Big Mac frantically.

Big Mac not only began to carry Buck, but Apple Bloom as well, causing him to quickly make his way towards the hospital. However, just as they ran, something dropped from Buck, catching Applejack’s attention. She walked over and picked it up. But when she looked, she widened her eyes in shock, and slowly looked up where Buck was taken. She looked at the picture and shed a few tears, clearly this meant a lot to them, causing her to hug it.

“Applejack!!”

Applejack widened her eyes in shock and looked up, causing her to look back and saw Twilight and the rest of her friends running or flying towards her, along with Ponyville’s fire department as they quickly worked to stop the fire, with Rainbow helping as she brought in a few rain clouds.

“We saw smoke coming from Ponyville and we got here as fast as we could!!” said Twilight as she was worried for her friend’s safety.

“Darling, what happened?!” said Rarity in worry.

Applejack looked at the picture, then looked at the direction where Big Mac took Apple Bloom and Buck.

“Applejack?” said Twilight in worry when they showed more concern for Applejack.

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From within what appeared to be a dark void, Buck was suddenly floating what appeared to be a great void. He slowly looks up and looks around, wondering where he was. It didn’t make any sense for him, as he didn’t know what was going on.

That was, until he saw what appeared to be a light of sorts. He slowly moved over towards it until he was engulfed to it.

When the light faded, he found himself back in what appeared to be a graveyard.

“Wait, I know this place.” Said Buck as he was suddenly dreading.

He saw many people had gathered at a different location, all of them wearing darker clothing, making him realizing that there was a funeral going on. Soon enough, they were all walking away, all but two people, people he thought he’d never see.

His parents.

He walked closer to them, wondering what was going through their heads. But when he arrived, he saw them staring at two graveyards. One belonging to his sister. And the other…belonging to him.

He was taken aback by what he was seeing. He then looked at them, wondering what they were thinking. But then he got his wish.

“Oh Buck.” Said his mother, “This is all my fault. I should’ve been there to help you. I should’ve been there for you when you were alone. I should’ve been there…when you needed me the most.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” said Buck’s father, “I’m just as responsible for what happened. I ended up turning to alcohol when I should’ve focused on Buck. After Daisy…I felt so lost…broken. We promised to look after each other and be happy. And…we both broke that promise. He was my only boy and…I wasn’t there for him when he needed me the most. Just like…we were never there for each other.”

Buck’s father went over to his mother, and said “I’m so sorry Daisy. I’m sorry that I couldn’t keep that promise. That we…could never keep that promise.”

Both of Buck’s parents hugged one another. Buck couldn’t help but shed a tear at this scene.

“Oh…mom…dad.” Said Buck as he walked towards them, speaking to them as if they were still standing in front of him. “I wish things have been different between us. I wished that stupid cancer hadn’t taken Daisy away. I miss her just as much. I tried my best to keep her promise…I’m just as sorry for not being able to keep it. But fate…has a way of taking everything from us. Maybe it was her time but…it just wasn’t fair. She was just a little girl…she was…everything to us…everything to…me too. I know that we can’t do anything to change what happened, wishing that we could’ve had a second chance. I just don’t know why I was given another chance…in another world for that matter. But…I felt like it should’ve been me instead of her. But I just wanted to let you know that…even though things were different between us. I never did try to stop loving you. But from what happened…I guess we all were bitter from her passing.”

He went over and hugged the both of them. He could still feel their touch, and said with tears falling. “I love you two. I just hope that one day you’ll find forgiveness in each other. I just wish I could tell you in person that I forgive you for everything that happened.”

He didn’t see it, but the moment when he said those words, the two of them smiled, as if they felt their son had been talking to them. He was soon able to let them go, before everything slowly faded into darkness, as if he was in a realm filled with stars.

“Huh?” said Buck as he looked around. “Where am I?”

“You are in a realm between realms.”

Buck turned around and was surprised to see another pony, but she looked different, for she has both a horn and a pair of wings.

“Whoa…” said Buck as he somewhat felt nervous. “Who…are you?”

“Apologies.” Said the pony, “I am Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria and ruler of the dream realms.”

“Whoa, ruler of dreams?” said Buck whilst feeling impressed. “That must be a huge responsibility.”

“Oh, it is.” Said Princess Luna.

“Though…why am I here?” asked Buck in confusion.

“I have felt another presence in Equestria.” Said Princess Luna. “Though I was surprised to see another human here. I did not think such a thing was possible. Whilst you were in Ponyville, I had looked in your dreams and your heart, of how you suffered from your realm.”

Luna held his hands and said “I am truly sorry of what happened to your sister, and the hardships that you have. Whilst I was exploring, I took it upon myself to see of how your parents would react to the news. I brought you here so that you could finally be at peace.”

She released his hands and said “And it may come as a surprise to you, but the first human, Beau, had too gone through hardships of his own. Though he did not have any siblings, he felt like an outsider, and did not feel the love he needed from his parents. So, I was able have him temporarily speak to his mother, to be at rest.”

“At least we were both lucky enough to say goodbye.” Said Buck. He then looks to her and said “So what happens now?”

Luna giggled and said “Now that all is said and done, it is time for you to wake up.”

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Buck slowly opened his eyes, but felt something bright shine on them at the same time too. When he was able to focus, he saw the bright light shining on the ceiling. Buck slowly looked to his left and saw a beeping monitor. Then to his right and saw he was strapped to an I.V. Buck then groaned and held onto his head.

“Ugh, what happened?” said Buck as he was able to sit up straight.

“You lost conscious before you reached the hospital.”

Buck looked to his right and saw a pure white mare with baby blue eyes and a pink mane that was made into a bun.

“Oh, hello there.” Groaned Buck whilst trying to be polite, considering how uncomfortable he is. “Who might you be?”

“Oh, my name is Nurse Redheart.” Said the said pony mare, “I’m the one who has been assigned to take care of you for the time being until you are discharged. I heard about how you rescued a little filly from the farmhouse. That was really brave of you. Most Ponies wouldn’t have done what you just did.”

“I…I did what I could to help.” Said Buck weakly. But then he was frantic and said “W-Where’s Apple Bloom? Is she alright?”

He then heard a chuckle, causing both Buck and Nurse Redheart to look at the door, revealing to be Applejack as she stood at the doorway.

“Ya don’t have to worry ‘bout it Sugarcube. The lil filly’s in the other room next to yours, restin’ up. Earlier, she couldn’t stop askin’ if you were alright. She’s mighty grateful bout’ how ya saved her from the fire.”

Buck sighed in relief as he relaxed. “Oh, thank goodness. I was worried she might have inhaled too much smoke. I wouldn’t be able to live or forgive myself is she didn’t make it.”

“Nice to see you again, Applejack.” Said Nurse Redheart, before turning back to Buck, “I’ll give you two some privacy.”

After she left, Applejack walked over and sat on the bed near his legs.

“If anythin’, Sugarcube,” said Applejack as she looked at Buck with a grateful smile, “Mah family and Ah are in yer debt. Ah’m very grateful fer what ya did to save Apple Bloom.”

“Still,” said Buck as he wondered something, “How did the fire start in the first place? Everything was fine this morning, but until recently.”

“Oh, Ah can explain that.” Said Applejack, “Turns out that Granny Smith left her cookin’ apron on the stove whilst she left to go freshen up. It must’ve gotten burnt by the stove flames and spreaded all over the house. It’s all burnt to a crisp, so it’s gonna take a while to before we get it repaired. Thankfully, we were able to save most of our things and stuff before things got out of hand.”

“I’m…sorry to hear that.” Said Buck, looking down as if he felt he failed her.

Applejack couldn’t help but smile and placed her hand on his shoulder and rubbed it, even stroked his hair.

“Hey, no worries there, Sugarcube,” said Applejack as she kept her hand on his head, “At least we all made it out alive an’ that’s all that matters.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Said Buck.

However, Buck reached for the inside of his shirt and pulled out his locket and opened it, revealing a picture of a little girl inside. Buck then sighed, knowing that there was something he needed to get off of his chest.

“Applejack,” said Buck. Though hesitant, felt she needed to know the truth, considering she’s always honest. “I think maybe it’s high time that I told you about who this girl is in my locket.”

He showed her the picture, allowing her to take a good look at it.

“Aw, she’s cute.” Said Applejack, but then felt somewhat worried. “Are y’all sure yer comfortable with this, Sugarcube?”

“Eeyup.” Said Buck whilst nodding, mimicking Big Mac, causing her to laugh a bit. He sighed and said “The picture you see here…she’s my little sister, Daisy.”

Applejack shared sympathy with Buck’s love for his sister, which she couldn’t help but smile warmly at that.

“She was a walking ray of sunshine that I couldn’t stop loving.” Said Buck after he placed his locket away. “We both stuck together through thick and thin, even my parents couldn’t help but spoil her. But…tragedy couldn’t keep its filthy hands off of my sister. She…ended up being diagnosed with cancer when she was six years old.”

Applejack gasped slightly as she put a hand over her mouth. “Ya mean she’s…?” asked Applejack, unable to finish her question.

Buck nodded, answering her question as he continued. “She died at the ripe young age of eight. But even after she left us, she still had that angelic smile on her adorable face. But…after she died, my parents changed and blamed me for everything I did wrong, whether minor or an accident. But no matter how much good I tried to do; it was never enough for them.”

Buck sighed whilst looking at the ceiling. “I felt like I didn’t know my own parents anymore. I couldn’t stand being near them, so I left after I graduated.”

He felt Applejack’s hand on his right shoulder, making him look at her and noticed she shed a tear. "Ah’m…mighty sorry to hear that, Sugarcube."

Buck couldn’t help but smile and wiped it away.

“It’s true…I still miss her every day.” Said Buck, “But I know she wanted me to be happy and keep going, not just for her sake, but my own as well. So, I did.”

He looked at her whilst smiling and said “But I had a lot of help from you and your family after you took me in, gave me a chance when nobody else did. For that I can never repay you, except thank you…for everything.”

Applejack couldn’t help but blush and hid her face whilst lowering her Stetson hat a bit. Buck was worried that he might’ve said something wrong if he made her blush like that. But then Applejack did something that caught him completely off guard…

She pressed her lips against his.

Buck couldn’t help but blush too, for Applejack locked her hand with his and continued to kiss him. Buck ended up closing his eyes and decided to savor the kiss. Despite being a hard worker on the farm, Applejack’s lips were quite soft. He was so getting used to it, he wanted to last a while, until she needed up breaking it for air. The two of them stared at one another, with Applejack blushing and vice versa.

“A-Applejack…what…?” said Buck as he tried to ask, but Applejack stopped him.

“Ah felt Ah needed to thank ya properly fer savin’ mah sister. Ya probably already know this, but yer like a hero to her. And she feels like yer the second big brother she’s always wanted.”

Buck was a little surprised, but also happy at the same time. To think, that after all this time, Buck has been given a second chance at having another little sister. Even though she’s a pony, Apple Bloom reminds him a lot of Daisy. As for Applejack, well, maybe one of these days he might actually bond with her in ways he never even considered at first…like as a couple.

Besides, after that tender kiss she shared with him, how could he not like her.

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Later that day, Pinkie Pie had made the invitations and stuffed them all in a party cannon, then walked into position.

“Sending out invitations in three…two…one!!!”

With one big pull, she fired the invitations into the sky, causing every single invitation to go to their destination, with Pinkie Pie humming and skipping away, knowing that her work is done, whilst the invitations went to the guests.

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At the same time, at what appeared to be the Crystal Empire, two ponies, aka, Shining Armor, and Princess Cadance, were watching over the kingdom whilst Cadance held onto Flurry Heart.

“I have to admit, things have been really quiet lately.” Said Shining Armor.

“I agree,” said Cadance, “I mean after everything that happened at the Crystalling for Flurry, things haven’t been that exciting lately. Though I have a feeling excitement is due to come right around the corner.”

Suddenly, an invitation was slowly being lowered, gaining their attention.

“Wait, what’s that?” asked Shining Armor.

“It must be from Pinkie Pie.” Said Cadance as she used her magic to bring it to her.

“How can you tell?” asked Shining Armor, making Cadance look at him with a flexed eyebrow, with him blushing and said “Oh, right. It’s Pinkie Pie, don’t question it.”

“Good boy.” Said Cadance with a smile.

She then opened it and looked through it. The moment she was done, she had an extremely surprised reaction to this, causing her to slowly smile widely and squealed like a schoolgirl, making Shining Armor look at her with a flexed eyebrow.

“What?”

Cadance handed him the invitation and presented it to Shining Armor. He looked through it and skimmed through it. When he was done, his jaw dropped and saw something that caught him greatly off guard.

“Twilight is getting married?!!”