The Blessing: A Second Chance

“Don't worry, sugarcube, if there's anypony who can set you up with a new set of duds, Rarity's the gal for it.”

John felt a pang of guilt for doubting Applejack's confidence in her friends abilities. From what he knew, Rarity was a master seamstress, and she could churn out some of the greatest pieces of attire in a day or so when the inspiration hit her. But what worried him was that pretty much all of her customers were ponies. He was afraid that his bipedal form was going to lead to complications.

That plus the fact that he knew Rarity was a bit easy to shock. Seeing a human in her shop was going to be a very delicate affair.

The mud on his boots and pants probably wasn't going to help either.

'You woulda thought that a dunk in that stream would've helped get some of that off. Oh well'

John remembered what had taken place that morning. The image of Applejack laying on the side of the stream made him smile. She was beautiful.

He glanced down to see if he could catch a glimpse of her when he noticed that she was looking up at his face.

“What?” He chuckled.

“Yer smiling again.”

“Yes, I tend to do that when I'm happy.” he said playfully.

She giggled a bit, and he felt his heart warm.

“What's makin' ya so happy then?” she asked.

John looked down at her, her ponytail bobbed up and down as she walked. His gaze wandered up until he was staring at a pair of emeralds, and his smile deepened.

“I'm happy for a lot of things.” He said. His voice carried something with it that he had neither heard nor felt in a long time.

Applejack blushed and shifted her gaze from him to something else off to the side that had captured her attention.

“What kinda things?” she persisted.

John's eyes softened.

“Well, I'm happy for- OOF!!”

John's vision skipped a few frames. One moment he was looking at AJ's face, the next he was taking in a view of the sky. That view was suddenly replaced by a face that was very familiar to him.

“HI! WHAT'S YOUR NAME? I'VE NEVER SEEN YOU BEFORE. DID YOU JUST MOVE TO PONYVILLE? ARE YOU VISITING? THIS IS SO EXCITING! SOMEONE NEW IN TOWN!!! WHAT ARE YOU, YOU LOOK SO STRANGE? WAIT! DON'T TELL ME!!! I WANT TO GUESS!!! ARE YOU A PARTY ANIMAL? *GASP* DO YOU LIKE PARTIES!?!?!? I LOVE PARTIES!!! I SHOULD TOTALLY THROW YOU A WELCOME TO PONYVILLE PARTY!!! IT'LL BE SOOO FUN! WE'LL HAVE GAMES, AND MUSIC, AND CAKE!!! OHMYGOSH! CAKE!! DO YOU-”

John's ears were mercifully spared by Applejack's hoof as she closed off Pinkie Pie's mouth.

“Hold on there a sec, Pinkie. Let John catch his breath, Ah think ya' knocked the wind outta him.”

Pinkie got off of John's chest and allowed him to take a breath.

“Well, *cough*, It's a pleasure to meet you Pinkie, My name is, *cough*, John.”

John got to his feet again.

“And, to answer a few of your questions...”

He took a deep breath.

“NO I DIDN'T JUST MOVE HERE, I KINDA' CRASHED HERE BY ACCIDENT AND I'M STAYING WITH APPLEJACK AT THE MOMENT. I'M GONNA BE HERE FOR A LONG WHILE IT SEEMS. I'M A HUMAN, AND YES I LOOK STRANGE. YES I LIKE PARTIES, AND YOU COULD KINDA CALL ME A BIT OF A PARTY ANIMAL. I'D LOVE IT IF YOU THREW ME A PARTY, BUT I DON'T REALLY KNOW ANYONE FROM HERE ACCEPT AJ. AND YES I LIKE CAKE!!!”

Pinkie and Applejack stood there looking at him. Both had an expression of shock on their face.

Pinkie turned toward AJ. Her face still held it's shocked look. Then, suddenly, she busted out with a fit of giggles.

“I like him, can we keep him?”

Applejack rolled her eyes.

“Pinkie, He's not some sorta pet. He's a guest of mine.”

Both turned when they heard John laughing.

“Don't worry Pinkie. I'm not going anywhere for the moment. I'll stay a guest at Applejack's as long as she let's me.” He looked at AJ when he said the last bit.

Applejack smiled and nodded.

“Don't worry sugarcube, you can stay with me as long as you like.”

Pinkie Pie Smiled and bounced in place.

“That's good enough for me.”

She gasped.

“INEEDTOGOGETTHATPARTYREADY!!!SEEYOUGUYSLATERBYE!”

And in a pink flash, she was gone.

John chuckled.

'Well, that was quite an introduction.'

He turned to Applejack to see her giving him an amused look.

“What?” he asked.

She chuckled and shook her head.

“So, ya speak Pinkie, do ya?”

They both laughed.

“Yeah,” John started. “It's actually something I used to do with my daughters. They liked Pinkie in the show, and they loved it when I imitated her.”

He smiled and laughed a bit.

“It's funny though, I originally acquired that skill when I trained Marines at Paris Island. The difference is, though, instead of just saying it in an excited or normal voice, I was shouting at the top of my lungs.”

Applejack looked at him quizzically.

“Why did ya do that?”

“It's a bit of a test, actually. It shows you how well a recruit will do under pressure, and how fast they can gather information when you're telling it to them. It teaches them to keep their cool.”

He chuckled a bit.

“It's also funny to see their reactions the first night of boot camp.”

Applejack rolled her eyes again.

“Ah guess it's a Marine thing then.”

John smiled at her.

“Maybe. Anyways, let's get to Rarity's before I get tackled again.”

AJ smiled.

“Allrighty then, this way.”

They arrived at Rarity's boutique with no other incidents. John looked at AJ.

“Ya' think I should take off my boots before I go in?”

Applejack looked down at his boots.

“Ummm...” she thought out loud. “Meh, sure. It wouldn't hurt to be cautious.”

John nodded and knelt down to start unlacing his boots. He got the left knot undone and started to loosen the strings. He moved over to the right when the breeze shifted. He suddenly smelled apples. He looked up to see Applejack's face very close to his.

'Wow... she's even prettier up close...'

Her eyes locked onto his. She blushed and backed away a bit.

“Sorry, Ah guess Ah got a bit too close, huh?” She said, suddenly looking rather unsure of herself.

He smiled.

“It's okay, I don't mind.” he said reassuringly.

She looked back up and smiled at him, her confidence returning. John nodded and went back to unlacing his boots.

“Ain't those uncomfortable?”

“The ones they issued me in basic were, but I've been wearing these types of boots ever since then. They haven't given me too much trouble. They're just a bit heavy, but it isn't much of a problem.”

He looked up to see her head cocked to the side.

“How heavy?”

John took his right boot off and handed it to her. She took it in her hooves and hefted it.

“How do your kind run in these?”

John laughed.

“Years of wearing them and having to run in them. Or else.”

She looked at him a bit worried.

“What do you mean, or else?”

He chuckled a bit.

“Or else the drill instructor starts yelling at you. A lot.”

They shared a laugh.

“Well then,” started AJ, “Ya ready to go in?”

John looked down at his pants. They weren't as bad as his boots, but they weren't gonna help with first impressions.

“Stop worryin' about them. They ain't that bad. It looks more like the dirt is ground into the fabric, or somethin'.”

John looked up and smiled.

“Allright then, let's do it.”

With a nod, Applejack knocked on the door. John heard a sophisticated voice come through the door.

“Come in!”

Applejack opened the door and walked into the boutique. John followed close behind. When he entered the room, the smell of fresh fabric, perfume, and a slight hint of sewing machine oil pervaded his senses. He looked around and found Rarity standing in the middle of the room. She seemed to be hard at work placing the final stitches in a dress she was making.

“I'll be right with you.”

“Don't worry bout' it Rarity, we can wait.”

Rarity's ears twitched a bit.

“Oh, Applejack. Nice to hear you darling. I'm sorry, did you say you have somepony with you?”

Applejack put her hoof behind her head.

“Well, not exactly some pony, heh.”

Rarity finished the last stitch in her dress just as AJ said that.

“I'm sorry dear, I don't understa...”

Her voice stopped dead as she turned around and saw John. She started to make an “uh, uh, uh” noise. John took this as his que to try and disarm the situation.

“Hello ma'am. My name's John. I apologize for the appearance, but there are some rather unusual circumstances for my being here.”

Rarity just stood still for a bit. She then shook her head as if clearing her mind.

“I, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude, but if I may. What are you?”

John smiled as reassuringly as he could.

“It's allright. I actually expected a few reactions like this. I'm a human. My kind hasn't been in this world for a while, it would appear, and I ended up here by accident.”

Rarity simply nodded. Her hoof up to her chin in contemplation.

“Well, I suppose stranger things have happened.”

John smiled.

“Yes, I suppose so. Anyways, the reason that I'm in your store now is simple. These are the only clothes that I landed with. I've been here for about three days and I'm afraid that I'm in need of some new ones. These are starting to get a bit worn out, as you can see.”

Rarity started to beam.

“Oh, lovely. I do always love a challenge. Let me see what I can do for you.”

Rarity's horn began to glow as she gathered up some of her trades tools.

“If you would be so kind as to step onto this platform, I'll just get your measurements and you can be on your way!”

John did as he was told. He stepped onto the platform and stood with his feet about shoulder width apart. He'd had this done once before, when he had his Marine Corps. dress blues fitted. Rarity's horn began to glow again as her magic's aura took hold of her measuring tape. She began to hold it up to his waist as she started up another conversation.

“I've noticed that your clothing is rather peculiar. What exactly is it?”

“It's a combat uniform. I'm a Marine, it's a type of soldier in my world.”

Rarity looked up at him wide eyed.

“My my, how long have you been a soldier?”

John thought. It was right around nineteen years. Almost twenty.

“Twenty years, just about. Almost all my life.”

Her eyes got a bit wider.

“Amazing. You'll have to forgive me. My father was in the Royal Guard for many years. We never got to go to Canterlot, but we did move around to his other duty stations quite a bit.”

John thought for a bit.

'Hmm, well, that definitely fills in the gaps'

“My father said that he really loved his years in the Guard. He also said he was glad that our country is mostly peaceful and that he didn't have to go to war. Not that he wouldn't fight for our country, it's just that he was glad he didn't have to be subjected to such madness.”

John nodded.

“Your father is a very wise man. I've been in combat, it is not something that any rational being wants to go to. It's a horrible thing. It's not glorious, it's not beautiful. It's simply doing what's right, and doing it again and again, until you either aren't alive to do it, or until the battle is over. One way or the other.”

Rarity looked up at John.

“You've been in war?”

John looked at her with grim eyes.

“Yes, I have. I've been in war for almost twenty years. Ever since I joined. None of it has been good. I've lost a lot of good friends, and I've seen many good men die.”

Rarity became quite. She kept on taking measurements, but she was very silent.

“But, I'd rather not talk about that. Let's change the subject.”

“Agreed.” Rarity started. “So, where are you staying while you are here?”

“Actually, Applejack was nice enough to let me stay on her farm.”

Rarity turned her head.

“Well, that was quite gracious of her.”

Applejack smiled.

“Well, there's another side of that story he ain't tellin' ya. Ya see Rarity, When John first got here, his er...” she said trying to think of the word.

“Helicopter.” John filled in.

“Thanks, his helicopter crashed and knocked down a few of mah trees. We're plannin' on fixin' that, but he needs some more clothes before we start. I don't want him smelling like the pig pen all day.” she joked.

“And I don't want that either. The least I can do for her kindness is not be a walking room clearer.” He joked back.

The two shared a laugh. Rarity just chuckled a bit. John realized that it wasn't her type of humor.

“Well, in any case. You have nothing to worry about. Once I'm done, you'll be quite prepared for your work. Now, do you want your new pants to have these pockets?”

John and Applejack walked out of Rarity's store.

“Goodbye for now. And don't worry, your new clothes will be smashing!” she called to them.

“Thanks again!” John called back.

“See ya later Rares!” Applejack said as she turned around.

“See, what'd I tell ya, nuthin' to worry about.”

John chuckled.

“Yes, you were right. Thank you again.”

“Yer welcome. Now, let's grab a bite to eat, I'm starving!”

The two made their way to a nearby kiosk that was selling fresh fruit. Applejack bought a banana for the two of them. They walked to a nearby bench and sat while they ate.

“So,” Applejack said in between bites. “How do you like it here so far?”

“It's great.” John began. “It's peaceful, and so far everyone has been pretty nice. I was expecting everyone to lock their doors and head for the hills when they saw me, but I guess I'm not quite as scary as I thought I would be. I'm glad for that.”

AJ smiled and finished her banana. She took the peel and threw it in the trash can next to the bench. Soon after, John did the same. The two sat in silence for a bit. Watching the ponies in the town walk by as they went about their business. Some were buying produce or groceries at the market. Some were walking in or out of shops. A few were doing what John and AJ were, simply sitting on a bench and enjoying the pleasant Summer day.

John had crossed his arms and closed his eyes, and was actually starting to doze.

'I could really get used to staying here, with her. If she'd let me. But I need to find a way to make up for all the kindness she's shown me. Maybe finding a job here in town would do the trick. I could earn a few dollars, er, bits, and maybe try and pay back the clothes I'm getting.'

John nodded internally. That was a good plan. He'd have to try and do that, after he helped clean up the orchard.

“John?” AJ interrupted him from his thoughts.

“Yes?” he said as he opened his eyes and turned toward her.

She was looking down and making circles in the bench with the point of her hoof.

“Did you really mean what you said in there? Have you really been fighting for almost twenty years?”

John sighed.

“Unfortunately, yes. Save for my rotations back home, I've been fighting a lot. It hasn't been twenty straight years of war for me, and it hasn't been the same war for twenty years. But I've been in this occupation for that amount of time, and it seems to me that there's almost always been a conflict going on. Some of them were just small skirmishes, and some of the were full blown retaliations. But they've all been bad, and I don't feel like repeating any of them any time soon.”

Applejack went silent for a bit.

“Have you ever been hurt?”

“A few times. Almost eight years ago I was shot two times.”

Applejack looked at him, a bit of shock in her eyes.

“If it was anything like what you did in the hospital when you first woke up, I don't want to know what that felt like.”

John snorted.

“It's odd, it didn't really hurt that much when it actually happened. Too much adrenaline pumping, you know. But what happened was an enemy popped up from behind a mud wall about twelve yards away from my squad. I was on point at that time so I was the first to get it. His first burst fired about seven shots, and five of em' ripped into me.”

He started to point out where the bullets hit.

“The first one hit me in my right thigh, then the second one hit me in the stomach. The third and fourth one hit me in the chest, and the last one hit my left shoulder.”

Applejack's eyes went wide.

“How'd you survive that?”

“The one that hit my stomach, and the two that hit my chest were stopped by my armor. Unfortunately, they don't make armored pants or sleeves for the dang vest, so my leg and my shoulder were feeling it later.”

He thought back.

“I got to go home after that. It didn't feel good, but after a few weeks of recovery and therapy, my body was back to normal. Those areas occasionally give me trouble, like when the weather changes or something. But other than that injury, the worst I've had was when I fell off of a ladder at home and twisted my ankle.”

He looked back to see Applejack with a worried expression.

“What?”

“It sounds awful.”

“It is, that's why I planned on retiring this year. This line of work wasn't agreeing with me anymore.” he laughed.

Applejack started to join in that laugh with him. Then the two went silent again.

“In a way though, it's all ended up in a blessing.”

“How so?”

“Well, I ended up meeting you.”

Applejack smiled.

“Ah'm glad for that blessing too, then.”

The two went quiet and simply smiled. Content in each others company. After a while though, John noticed that AJ was making circles with her hoof again.

“John,” she started nervously, “There's something I've been meaning to tell ya today, but Ah just haven't found the right time.”

John smiled at her.

“What's that?”

She bit her lip and her eyes started to shift from him to something else.

“Well, I've been trying to say that I-”

She was interrupted by a loud bang and a burst of confetti.

“COME ON YOU TWO, IT'S PARTY TIME!!!” Pinkie shouted as she wheeled her party cannon past them.

The two watched the pink party pony round the corner. John turned back to AJ.

“What were you saying?” He asked.

Applejack shook her head and looked back at him.

“Nuthin', it can wait.”

She got to her hooves.

“Come on, let's not keep Pinkie waiting.” she said as she smiled and walked in the same direction as the pink mare.

“Okay.”

John got up followed Applejack.