Sunny Daysby RedDawn3707ChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 1The sunlight persisted to shine through the curtains of Four Leaf Clover’s once dark bedroom. He opened his eyes slowly and looked to his curtains. They had been closed the night before, but were pulled open now. Leaf pulled the covers over his head and groaned. Getting up now would mean going out of the house later, which was something the green haired, eighteen year old did not want to do. Especially if it meant making…friends. It’s not that he didn’t want them; he just hated the idea of going out almost every single day. He liked to keep to himself and stay home all day playing Halo and Call of Duty and watching late night TV shows. The cycle he lived was rarely different: wake up, eat “breakfast”, sit on the couch and play video games for about 8 hours, go back up to his room and watch TV until he fell asleep. Except for the odd jobs he does working around town whether it be walking dogs or mowing lawns he would rarely ever break the regular course of his day. But today, he had to break his daily routine on account of his younger sister, Emerald, constantly nagging at him to go outside and get some air. “Go out and get a tan or something,” she would whine. Leaf wondered where his sister went each and every day; the lake? Maybe. To help the little girls that made her the leader of their group, the Cutie Mark Crusaders? Most likely. She had stumbled upon them one day as she was walking home from the store. They bumped into her on the street and caused her to drop her groceries on the ground. That was before she had her mark. They gladly welcomed her into their club with open arms to repay her. As soon as she got her cutie mark, three small emeralds on her left shoulder, she was instantly made their go to person for ideas on what they could do to get their marks. Leaf had to have them over at least once a week to have a Cutie Mark Crusaders slumber party, something that was surely going to be the death of the 18 year old seeing as he liked his peace and quiet. Leaf sat up and scratched the back of his neck, as he wondered what the hell he was supposed to do all day outside the house. Throwing the blankets off of him, he rose to his feet and walked into the clean and tidy bathroom. The mirror was able to open, a medicine cabinet inside. There was only one thing inside the cabinet and it was something only Leaf could get to. That is until the Crusaders “accidentally” found it. He opened one mirror door and just looked at the shelved wall on the inside or a moment. Pressing his palm to the wall, a small panel of wood popped from its place and went inside the wall. He grabbed the slab and placed it on the counter next to the sink. Reaching his hand inside, only about wrist deep, Leaf pulled out a worn wooden box with a flip open lid. He opened it slowly and saw the small rubber banded stack of ones, and fives along with a few coins. As he sifted through the money, he noticed with a jolt of annoyance that he was now missing three ten dollar bills from the stack. Leaf growled angrily as he threw on some pants and a grey t-shirt. He shoved his money inside his pocket along with the coins. With a grumble he walked down the stairs and saw his sister making him a proper breakfast. He sat at the table and slouched in it, “Did you take some of my money?” Emerald turned to him with a spatula in hand. “How much you missing?” He rose an eyebrow at her. “Like 30 bucks…” “Ya I took it.” She turned back to the stove and placed a slice of cheese on the uncooked eggs in the pan and flipped one half closed, forming a perfect omelet, “I needed it.” “What for? You have your own money.” Leaf crossed his arms in front of him and sank even further into the chair. Emerald lifted an omelet off the pan and set it on a plate along with a few strips of bacon and brought it to the table, setting it down in front of Leaf. “It was for the girls.” She sat down in front of him and linked her fingers together. She rested her elbows on the table and put her chin on the back of her hands, “They needed a little contribution from each member to help pay for a broken roof at the clubhouse.” “And you couldn’t use your own money for that?” Leaf chewed on a piece of bacon angrily. She giggled. “I already put the rest of the money I had towards the payment. I only had ten dollars after the Summer Sun Celebration. I blew it all on snacks and food for me and the girls and you.” She glared at him. “And besides, the only reason I took the money instead of just telling the girls I couldn’t contribute was because of how much money I spent on food for you when you could have bought some with YOUR own money.” “Touché…” Leaf mumbled as he picked up another piece of bacon. She looked at him and scrunched her nose at the sight of his shirt. “That shirt is filthy, Leaf. It’s got stains all over it.” She got up from the table and disappeared into the door to the right of the kitchen stove. She came back moments later with a black t-shirt, fresh out of the drier and threw it at him. “Change into that one.” Leaf sighed, stood from his chair and peeled off the grey t-shirt. Emerald shrieked. “What’s your problem?” he said indignantly. Emerald threw a pillow at him from the couch. “Don’t change right in front of me you weirdo!” The pillow hit him in the chest and fell to the floor. Leaf picked it up and tossed it back on the couch, “You’re my sister. You’ve seen me shirtless a bunch of times before. And you could be a little more mature about it. You are 16 years old after all…” He started to turn the shirt right side out. Emerald stared at his shoulder where his cutie mark was stamped, three four leaf clovers. “I’ve been meaning to ask, would you want to tell your cutie mark story to the girls tonight? They need some inspiration.” Leaf scratched his cheek, thinking a moment. “After I get home from my glorious day out,” he said with sarcasm, “then I’ll want to relax and not really do anything. Maybe some other time?” Emerald scowled. “Fine, mister lazy pants.” She pointed her finger to the door. “Now if you don’t start heading for that door, I’m going to start pushing you.” Leaf hung his head low, turned on the heel of his foot, and walked to the door. He pulled on some black and white worn out converse and opened the door. Shutting it behind him, he looked up at the sky with his hand over his face, palm up, to block the sun from his eyes. He saw many winged girls and boys flying through the sky, probably finishing up their job clearing the sky. He sighed and looked around at the scenery outside of his lightly painted house. What the hell am I supposed to do all day? He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets and jingled the coins around. Guess I could look around a bit. With a toss of his hair, he started down the street to see if anyone had a map. Even though he’d lived here all his life, he had no idea where anything was. He spent most of his time inside, so he never had “time” to learn the town. Most of the people that roamed the streets were girls chatting about their hair, or girls taking baskets of flowers to and from their gardens into their shops. Deciding to shy away from flowers, Leaf made his way down the street and stopped in front of a tall building that looked as if it were made entirely out of desserts; at the base of the building grew pink flowers along each side of the pink steps with what seemed to be gingerbread railings. It had pink shingles with white snowflake shapes stamped to them and crisscrossed paned windows. Two long, thick poles that were painted to look like candy canes held up a gingerbread awning with an entire gingerbread roof attached to it. To top the whole thing off was two cupcakes stacked one on top of the other; the bottom had four windows going around the side if it, and the top one had three candles that seemed to be lit. Leaf’s eye twitched a bit at the sight of the fairytale looking building. He approached the building intently. Next to the door, was a hanging sign with a single cupcake on it. He stopped in front of the door and his fingers just brushed the door knob, hesitated before turning the knob and pulling it open. Leaf closed the door behind him with the sound of a bell overhead. To his left was an archway stamped with colorful pictures on a pink background held up with long pillars of decoratively carved wood with candy cane designs running down the length of them. In front of each pole stood a table, one that had fruits and veggies lying on blue platters, the other with cupcakes, also on blue platters. A long counter was set beyond the archway, and underneath sat many assortments of cupcakes, cakes, muffins, donuts, and cookies behind sliding glass, locked with a key. To his right was a tall vase with candy canes popping out of it. In front of him was another similar counter, pastries and baked goods underneath behind sliding glass and locked with a key. Behind that was a staircase, which he assumed leaded up to an upper living area. On top of the counter sat a bell. Leaf hesitated for a moment and then rang it. A pair of double doors to his left swung open and revealed an odd looking girl. She had curly pink hair atop her head and light blue eyes. She was wearing a pink tank top that showed her belly button a bit. Her bottoms consisted of pink shorts, and pink and white stockings reaching up to just under the shorts. Leaf could see the three party balloons that adorned her right shoulder as she bent over the counter to shake his hand and spoke very quickly in a high pitched voice, “Hi there! I’m Pinkie Pie! What’s your name?” She shook his hand vigorously. After a moment she stopped and Leaf regained himself. “Leaf…” Pinkie Pie tilted her head a bit. “Is that your full name?” She poked her cheek, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she did. “No it’s not my full name. Four Leaf Clover.” He looked at her fitting the pieces together. She must live here. This place is perfect for her. Leaf put his hand on his forehead. “That was quite a handshake…” “I know right! Mrs. Cake says I give the best handshakes in the whole wide world! She says I have a firm grip.” Pinkie put her hands on the counter, snapping back to reality. “Now what can I get for you,” she poked his nose, “Mister? Got a sweet tooth today?” Leaf rubbed that the back of his neck slightly. “Sort of, I’m kind of sightseeing a bit today.” Pinkie Pie gasped in excitement. “Are you from Canterlot?!” she asked with a squee. “Uh…no, I live here.” “Huh, that’s strange. I’ve never seen you at Sugar Cube Corner before.” She tilted her head slightly. Sugar Cube Corner. What a perfect name for this place. The building looked like it was made entirely out of candy and treats, he thought to himself. “I don’t get out much.” He examined the pastries with awe. The cupcakes and cakes were perfectly iced and decorated with “Happy Birthday’s” and “Happy Graduation’s.” The donuts looked tantalizing, some spread perfectly with chocolate frosting and others glazed to glossiness. All, except one row, were covered in multicolored sprinkles, “Did YOU make all of these?” Leaf asked, gazing at her. Pinkie giggled. “Not ALL of them. I have help in the kitchen.” She tilted her head, gesturing to the two double doors she came out of. “Come on. I’ll show ya.” Her voice was less high pitched with excitement, but still spoke more quickly than seemed usual. Behind the doors was a light blue painted kitchen. Pinkie Pie bounced over to the stainless steel sink. “This is where the cooks of Sugar Cube Corner bake all the tasty treats for the shop.” Pinkie smiled proudly. “I live here.” “It’s nice.” Leaf looked around the room at the drawers that he assumed held cooking supplies. Above the oven was a pink shelf with hooks pans. Pinkie waved her hand a bit. “Pfft, I know that.” She grabbed Leaf’s arm. “Well, let’s get you your treats. I have to go to a friend's house soon.” She dragged him back into the main room. When she released his arm, he went back in front of the counter and crouched down to examine the delicacies. There was one baked treat that looked especially appealing to him: a chocolate cupcake with what looked like cream cheese frosting and red sprinkles. In the center of the frosting was a sun smiling up at him. “This one looks tasty.” Pinkie punched in some keys on the cash register and numbers appeared on a small black rectangular screen behind the register, facing him. The total read 3.00$. Leaf pulled out three ones and handed them to Pinkie, who hummed as she placed them neatly into the small drawer that popped out. She fastened them with a clip and closed the register. “Now, I must be on my way. Don’t want to disappoint my friend by being late.” She ran to the front door, grabbing a pink backpack with her cutie mark stamped to the flap that held it closed. She flung one strap over her shoulder and smiled at Leaf. “See ya around!” She giggled and walked out of the shop. Chapter 2Leaf looked from the pink-haired girl who was running off down the street to the perfect cupcake in his hand. He admired the evenly spread frosting and the red sprinkles that accented its perfection. The 18 year old, who was usually not social and wasn’t good at talking to people, had made a friend. He couldn’t help but smile down at the sun, which smiled back. Sniffing the cupcake a bit, he smelled the heavy scent of the cream cheese frosting and brought it up to his lips. He licked the frosting, picking up some of the sprinkles along with it. His mouth exploded with flavor. He held his cheek, enjoying the taste. The baked treat was delicious. He didn’t usually eat sweets unless Emerald served a dessert after dinners. She usually didn’t serve any at all. Leaf peeled back the cupcake paper gently and bit into the chocolate. Sweet and delicious. Pinkie Pie had a gift. The cupcake was exquisite in every way, from its small smiling sun to the chocolaty inside. After finishing the cupcake, he discarded the paper in a nearby trash can and made his way down the street. He looked around a bit, trying to figure out where to go next on his day out. Not facing the door to Sugar Cube Corner anymore, he looked to the left and saw a clearing that led to two bridges next to each other. Both were made of white wood and hung over a small creek. He decided to take a closer look. As he approached the two white bridges, he saw two paths extending from each of them. One path led into the Everfree Forest beyond Ponyville and the other led to a tall pink, white, and purple building. He decided to take the bridge that didn’t lead to the dreadful forest. The entrance was a single purple door, with two diamond shaped windows, one on top of the other. On either side of the door were two more windows, and hanging above them where yellow shades. The roof of the first tier of the building was purple with large white diamond shape painted on it. Above the door stood a sign stamped with a pony. It had a pole running down the middle of the sign and into the pony making it look like apart of a carousel. Leaf sighed. Anyplace is better than just wandering around. He opened the door to the building which also had a bell ringing overhead. At either side of Leaf there were wheeled racks with clothes hanging on them. To his left were what looked like counters for someone to cut your hair. He only assumed that’s what they were anyway. In front of him stood two manikins along with another rack of clothes on wheels. Two his right was a small circular stage with three mirrors surrounding it. Behind it and to the left was a staircase. Next to that was another counter like the ones he assumed you got your hair cut at. A singsong voice came from up the stairs, “I’ll be a moment!” Leaf decided to roam around the place a bit. After a girl came down the stairs with blue glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She held a length of red ribbon in her mouth and dresses hung from her arms. Behind her floated a clip board along with a pen. Atop her head was a white horn. It wasn’t anything new to Leaf; he had seen it many times before. Some of the people that lived around him were gifted enough to have a horn, with which they could expel magic to cast spells. Some people had their own wings to glide around on in the sky. Leaf was unlucky, for he had none of these features. The girl had purple locks, nothing like Pinkie Pie’s messy mop, but curled in elegant loops down her neck and stopped just past her shoulders. She wore a short white skirt along with a pale blue halter top. Around her neck hung a necklace of glistening white pearls. She passed Leaf, not seeming to notice him, and hung the dresses on the wheeled rack freeing her hands. Leaf could clearly see her cutie mark: three blue diamonds on her right shoulder. She stopped using her magic and held the clipboard in her hand as she checked off a few things on a check list. She took it over to one of the counters and set it down along with her glasses. She turned to Leaf with a flick of her hair. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique.” She looked at Leaf and gasped. “What on earth are you wearing, darling?!” she shrieked as she walked to Leaf, lifting his arms. “Your shirt has holes in many places, and your pants have a gaping rip down the knee. And…those shoes!” She scowled and scrunching her nose a bit. “They will have to go.” The girl grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. “We need to fix your outfit!” The purple-haired girl drug Leaf into a changing room where she sifted through racks upon racks of dresses and suits. “I don’t think it’s necessary to do all this…” Leaf said as he scratched the back of his head. The girl gawked at him. “Of course it is!” She pulled a suit out and brought it over to him. “try this on.” She smiled widely. He took a step back a bit and rubbed his neck. “Really I don’t feel it’s necessary for all this...” The horned girl glared at him through slitted eyes and took a step closer to him, “Of course it is.” She put her fingertips to her chest. “As a girl of fashion, I insist that you put this suit on.” She held the suit out to him. He didn’t take it. She growled a bit. “Fine, no suit.” She tossed the suit on one of the chairs in the changing room and went back to sifting through the clothes. “I’m Leaf, by the way…Four Leaf Clover.” The girl turned and held out a hand. “Rarity.” Leaf took Rarity’s hand and shook it. Thankfully, she didn’t give handshakes quite as animalistic as Pinkie Pie’s. Rarity snapped her fingers, “I’ve got just the thing! Wait here.” She ran out of the changing room before Leaf could protest. He sat on the chair, moving the suit Rarity picked out for him and laying it on the table. He slouched in the chair and put his elbow on the table. He rested his chin on his open palm and sighed. How did I get mixed up in all this…? he wondered to himself, unaware that Rarity had returned with folded clothes in her arms. She held them out to Leaf, who stood and looked at them. “This should suit your style.” Leaf took them and looked at the shirt; it was pure white with no pictures or stains. The pants were black like the ones he had on but it seemed they were newly stitched, “Do you make the clothes here?” He asked looking at Rarity. Rarity giggled, “Of course I do.” She clapped her hands together, “I almost forgot…” she bent down outside the curtain of the changing room and grabbed a pair of white, not black, converse and gave them to him. “I’ll let you change. Come out and show me when you’re done.” She walked out of the room and walked up the stairs, vanishing to the second floor of the boutique. Leaf laid the clothes over the suit and took his shirt off. He looked at the front of it and noticed he had somehow sloppily gotten cupcake frosting on it. He sighed and folded it to where the front wasn’t showing. She then took off his shoes and set them on the floor next to the pristine white ones. He examined the new pants; they came with a belt, studded with silver pieces of metal. He unbuttoned his pants and proceeded to take them off. He first put on the plain white shirt and tight black pants. he then fed the belt through the loops of his jeans and tightened it. He put the final piece of attire on, his white shoes, and folded his old clothes neatly on top of each other. He topped the stack off with his shoes and opened the curtain. “Rarity?” He found her at the small stage, a manikin perched on top of it. She was examining the pieces of cloth neatly laid out on a table she set up in front of the stage and used her magic to use a tape measure with the fabric. She turned to him, linked her fingers in front of her chin. “You look simply dashing!” She walked over to him and circled him making mental notes to herself in murmurs. “My best work for this style if I do say so myself.” Leaf blew his hair from his face and smiled. “I like it. I think the shoes are my favorite.” He looked down at his toes. Rarity nodded. “It was a bit difficult to make the pants. Black isn’t one of my favorite colors.” She shuddered a bit. “But I pulled through and I’m very pleased with their new owners.” “How much do I owe you?” Leaf had transferred his money from his old pants to his new ones. He dug into the pocket for a moment before Rarity stopped him. “Not a single dime, dear.” She smiled at him. “Oh, no, no, no. I need to pay for this. It would be wrong of me not to.” Rarity waved her hands in front of her and shook her head. “No Leaf, you don’t need to pay me a single coin. This is simply a motion of generosity.” Leaf pulled out fifteen dollars and put it into her hand. She looked at the money, confuse. “A tip.” Leaf smiled at her and she blushed a bit. Leaf shoved his hands in his pockets, “I better be going then.” “Oh, let me get you a bag for your clothes.” Rarity grabbed a bag and gave it to him. “Have a good day, and I hope to see you again.” She tossed her hair and waved at him as he left the boutique. Chapter 3Leaf let out a sigh as he shut the door of the Carousel Boutique behind him. He looked around at the people hustling around on the streets. Where was there to go? He obviously didn’t know that answer, since he barely ever went out of the house to begin with. He scanned the roads in search for one of the Crusaders maybe to ask them if there was a place to get lunch around town. It was about 11 o’clock or noonish by the position of the sun. With a sigh of disappointment Leaf made his way to the bridge he crossed to get to the boutique. The air, he noticed, smelled of blossoming flowers and apples. The flowers he assumed were from the flower shops that were scattered around town. The apple smell, on the other hand, he hadn’t the faintest clue about the source of. Leaf stuffed his hands in his pockets and let the bag that contained his old clothes hang in the crook of his right arm. Leaf smiled when he saw the pointed and flagged roof of the town hall. Finally, now I can get a map of some sort. He made his way to the building that was the center of town square with a fast walk. As he maneuvered past people with trays of food and baskets of flowers, Leaf saw many heads of brightly colored hair. But one head stuck out of the crowd. He recognized the familiar bright red hair with a bow that tied back a ponytail. He started a slow jog toward it, but his heart sank as it disappeared into the crowd of people in the square. “Damn...” He cursed to himself. Leaf felt a small tug on his pants and he turned to see a little girl with pale pink and purple curly hair. A white horn sat atop her small head. “Sweetie Belle.” Leaf smiled and knelt down in front of the girl. “I was looking for you.” Sweetie Belle looked up at him, smiling.She spoke in a small little girl voice “You were? Well so was Apple Bloom. We stopped by the house and saw Emerald. We asked her where you were and she told us you were out of the house today. That’s strange for you, Leaf.” She giggled sweetly and linked her hands behind her back. She was wearing a light blue dress and pink sandals, a very plain outfit. “So what do you need?” Leaf flipped his green striped hair and smiled at her. “I was wondering if you guys could help me out. I have no idea where to go. I have already visited Sugar Cube Corner and the Carousel Bou…” He never finished his sentence, for Sweetie Belle had grabbed his face with both of her hands. “You went to the Carousel Boutique!!!???” She squished his cheeks inward in a way that it caused his lips to pucker together. “Ya…why? Was it wrong that I did?” He asked through scrunched lips. Sweetie Belle started to hop up and down after she released Leaf’s face. “No, it’s a good thing. Did you meet Rarity?” Leaf nodded and she squeed. “What did you think of her?” Leaf rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully, “she was…pushy. She gave me new clothes. Why does it matter what I think of her?” Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow at Leaf in confusion, “Because she is my sister. She’s only dropped me off at your and Emerald’s house only a dozen times.” She rolled her eyes. “But we have someone else for you to meet. Just let me find Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.” She ran off towards the town hall before Leaf could protest. He sighed and sat on a bench waiting for the three Crusaders to get back. He rested his elbows on his knees and laid his chin on top of his closed fists. Why had Sweetie wanted to know if Leaf liked Rarity or not? She was acting as if she had just had a soda, and then cake, and then tons of candy. All of the three he imagined were cause by Pinkie Pie, for some odd reason. The pink haired girl had seemed very hyper when Leaf had met her. She spoke in such a high-pitched and fast-talking voice that Leaf had almost strained himself trying to keep up with her words. Rarity, on the other hand, spoke slowly in a somewhat ladylike manner. Leaf looked down at the new white converse the dark purple haired girl had given him. After a moment, his two white converses were joined by a pair of pink sandals, a pair of laced track shoes, and a pair of cow boy boots. Leaf looked up at the three smiling faces. Sweetie Belle was now accompanied by two other girls. The one on Sweetie’s right had bright red hair that was tied back with a pink bow. She wore blue overalls that weren’t quite complete; the legs were cut off to appear as shorts about knee length. Underneath the overalls was a plain red shirt. One of the buttons meant to hold up the pants was undone and the corner of the denim was hanging in a dog ear fashion. The Crusader to Sweetie Belle’s left was a tan girl with flat purple hair. She wore simple red track shorts and a tank top with a symbol on it that was a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt coming out of it. On her back was a pair of orange wings. Scootaloo wasn’t able to fly yet, but she used the feathery appendages to propel herself on her purple scooter. The three girls smiled at Leaf. He looked from Scootaloo to Sweetie Belle and then to Apple Bloom. The smiles on their faces looked as if they were concocting an evil plan to slit his throat while he slept. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom took each of his hands and hauled him up. With his bag in his hand,he stood as they started to drag him to the left. Sweetie Belle stood in front of the three with an evil grin on her face as she led the Crusaders and Leaf to the exit. The two girls were half dragging Leaf as he walked behind them with a slouched back. After they exited town square, they lead Leaf to a dirt path. The path, he found led to a big red barn. At the end of the path was a white fenced archway covered in leaves with apples dotting them. In the center of the arch was a hanging sign with a single apple carved into it. Apple Bloom was first to speak with her southern accent, “Welcome ta’ Sweet Apple Acres!” She released Leaf’s hand and gestured to the farm. In front of the four was a large barn painted a bright red. The two large double doors of the building were propped open. Above the doors was a window with a planter box filled with flowers outside of it. Two similar windows stood open on the other sides of the barn, also with planter boxes. On the roof of the barn was a weathervane with an apple on the top of it. To the right was a single chicken coop with a sign that had three eggs in a nest stamped on it. To the left was a wishing well, along with a few barrels standing next to it. Bales of hay were strewn around the farm in stacks. Beyond the barn and the farm were hills further than the eye could see filled with apple trees. Leaf stared at the trees in amazement, his eyes growing wide. “Who picks all of those apples…?” He asked in puzzlement. Apple Bloom looked up at him with wide orange eyes. “Meh sister and brother, AppleJack and Big Macintosh. They do it all by themselves.” Leaf stared out at the trees. All those apples…by themselves!? he thought to himself. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo took his hands again and dragged him to the barn. When they were at the door, Apple Bloom broke away. “Sis! Big Mac!?” she yelled, cupping her hands around the edges of her mouth. A boy came from inside an empty stall with bales of hay in his arms. He looked to be about 19 or 20 to Leaf. He had thick muscles running up his arms and had visible abs under his red flannel shirt. His light green eyes looked at the girls and then at Leaf. “Eyup?” He looked at Apple Bloom with a raised eyebrow. Apple Bloom shook her head. “I’m lookin’ fer AppleJack, Big Mac. Where is she?” Big Macintosh looked at Apple Bloom and then pointed a finger towards the gate that lead out to the apple trees. Apple Bloom smiled. “Thanks, big brother.” She ran by him, Scootaloo at her side, and the two started dragging Leaf once again. Sweetie Belle pushed the gate open and hustled Leaf and the girls through it, closing it behind them. In front of the girls, Leaf saw a girl with long blonde hair that was tied off at the end with a red hair tie. She was wearing grey shorts and a yellow spaghetti strap tank top. She was bending over to pick up a large wooden bin of apples, and Leaf could visibly see thethree red apples that were stamped on her right shoulder. Apple Bloom went to her as she picked up the bin by the handles. The little girl tapped her on the leg and the bin went crashing to the ground. The blonde scowled at the spilled apples and then bent to retrieve her tan hat that had fallen off her head. “Darn it Apple Bloom! Ya snuck up on me.” She put her hat back on her head and faced her sister. “Now ya’ll are gonna pick up these here apples or I’m gonna…” She looked behind her at Leaf and the other girls. She stood up straight and put her fists on her hips with a smile. “Well, well, well, If it ain’t the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Got a new member?” She raised a blonde eyebrow at Leaf. He raised his palms and shook them, “No, they brought me here…” The girl crossed her arms in front of her chest now, “Why? Apple Bloom doesn’t take interest in any ol’ guy off the street.” She spoke with a thick southern accent as she scoffed at him a bit. Leaf shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “I don’t know if you know my sister, but she is the leader of their little club. They come over to my house every week.” The farmer went wide eyed, “Ah! So yer the feller these youngins have been tellin’ me about. But why’d they bring ya here?” He shrugged again. “They didn’t tell me.” Apple Bloom finished picking up the apples and looked at the blonde girl, “AppleJack, this is Leaf.” She gestured to Leaf and smiled. AppleJack smiled as well. “Why’d ya’ll bring him here?” she asked, looking at the crusaders. Sweetie Belle spoke up. “We wanted you to meet him. He already met Rarity.” “Oh really? And what’cha think of miss snooty pants?” Leaf shrugged. “She wasn’t really snooty just persistent. She gave me new clothes and insisted I don’t pay.” AppleJack laughed out loud. “Well, she does have an eye for pretty things.” She gave him an up down look and picked the bin back up, “Why don’t ya help me with these here bins of apples? Big Mac is off somewhere else and I need a strong pair of arms.” She heaved the bin up and rested it partially on her shoulder. Leaf nodded. “Sure, why not.” Apple Bloom looked at the three girls and smiled, “Ya’ll can go help yerselves to some apple pie in the kitchen.” Apple Jack rolled her eyes and looked at Leaf as the girls ran off. “It must be agein’ to have all them girls in one house.” She laughed and hauled up another bin with one hand and rested it against her hip. Leaf bent over and picked up a bin and let it lean against his stomach, “Ya a little. They are sweet girls, but you can only take so much, you know?” “Oh trust me SugarCube, I know.” She giggled and gestured with her head to the barn, “Follow me to the barn to drop these here apples off.” She headed through the gate and held it open with her rear so Leaf could get through. After he was she pushed a boulder with her leather booted foot in front of it to hold it open. Leaf followed her to the barn where he set the basket down among others. AppleJack set her down next to his. She wiped beads of sweat off her forehead. “Dang, I’ve been at this all day. I know we just started, but how ‘bout we go on inside have somethin’ to drink?” She smiled at Leaf, who nodded. She led him out of the barn and outside to a door on the side of a smaller section of the building. She opened it and held it for Leaf, who went in with his hands in his pockets. Apple Jack pulled out a chair and gestured to it. “Why don’t ya’ll sit down.” Leaf took the seat silently as Apple Jack opened the fridge and pulled out a glass pitcher of fresh squeezed lemonade. She set it on the table and went to a cabinet to retrieve two glasses. She grabbed a lemon and a knife on her way to the table and set the items down. She took the knife and cut the lemon into slices. After cutting the lemon she poured the juice into the two cups. She took two lemon slices and put them on the edges of the glasses. She pushed a glass towards Leaf, who took it. She put the pitcher back and wiped the table where she sliced the lemon. She sat down and took her glass as she leaned back in her chair. “So, I’m guessin you already met Big Mac?” Leaf shrugged with one shoulder as he took another sip. “I didn’t really meet him.” “Ah. Well he’s my brother and Apple Bloom is my sister, if you haven’t already guessed.” She gave Leaf another look over while taking another sip. She set her glass down, “you know what I think?” Leaf looked at her curiously, “What’s that?” “I think the Crusaders might be trying to hitch me with ya.” “Hitch?” Leaf asked in confusion. Apple Jack laughed, “Pardon, I mean they want us to hook up. Like in a boyfriend girlfriend way, ya know?” “Why me, though?” He rubs the back of his head awkwardly. “Who Knows? Those girls are strange.” She stood and stretched upwards, her tank top lifting to show some of her stomach. Leaf looked down at his hands on the table, “Well, I might just take the rest of the day off. I’m beat. I’m mighty sorry if the girls cause ya any trouble.” “Nah, they were just trying to do something nice.” He stood. “What day is it?” “Wednesday. Why?” Leaf sighed and rubbed his neck. “I might just take the girls with me. its Emerald’s night to host the sleepover.” He scratched his chin. AppleJack laughed and slapped Leaf on the back. “Good luck SugarCube.” “Thanks.” Leaf said with a laugh. AppleJack went to a door that lead to the living room and saw the girls playing, “Girls, ya’ll are gonna go with Leaf. Its Emerald’s night to host the slumber party.” The girls ran into the kitchen with capes attached to their necks that hung down their backs. There was a symbol on the capes that looked like a pony on its hind legs. “Now ya’ll be good fer Leaf or I’ma have to come down on ya’ll.” She spoke with a stern voice that told the girls that she meant business. The three girls held their hands to their foreheads in a solute, “Yes ma’am AppleJack ma’am.” AppleJack laughed and looked at Leaf. She took her gloves off her hands and held one out. “It was mighty good to meet ya, Leaf. Ya’ll take care.” Leaf took her hand and shook it, “Nice meeting you too.” The girls were already out the door before Leaf finished. He sighed and walked out after them with a smile at Apple Jack. Leaf closed the door behind him and AppleJack let out a sigh and smiled.
Chapter 1The sunlight persisted to shine through the curtains of Four Leaf Clover’s once dark bedroom. He opened his eyes slowly and looked to his curtains. They had been closed the night before, but were pulled open now. Leaf pulled the covers over his head and groaned. Getting up now would mean going out of the house later, which was something the green haired, eighteen year old did not want to do. Especially if it meant making…friends. It’s not that he didn’t want them; he just hated the idea of going out almost every single day. He liked to keep to himself and stay home all day playing Halo and Call of Duty and watching late night TV shows. The cycle he lived was rarely different: wake up, eat “breakfast”, sit on the couch and play video games for about 8 hours, go back up to his room and watch TV until he fell asleep. Except for the odd jobs he does working around town whether it be walking dogs or mowing lawns he would rarely ever break the regular course of his day. But today, he had to break his daily routine on account of his younger sister, Emerald, constantly nagging at him to go outside and get some air. “Go out and get a tan or something,” she would whine. Leaf wondered where his sister went each and every day; the lake? Maybe. To help the little girls that made her the leader of their group, the Cutie Mark Crusaders? Most likely. She had stumbled upon them one day as she was walking home from the store. They bumped into her on the street and caused her to drop her groceries on the ground. That was before she had her mark. They gladly welcomed her into their club with open arms to repay her. As soon as she got her cutie mark, three small emeralds on her left shoulder, she was instantly made their go to person for ideas on what they could do to get their marks. Leaf had to have them over at least once a week to have a Cutie Mark Crusaders slumber party, something that was surely going to be the death of the 18 year old seeing as he liked his peace and quiet. Leaf sat up and scratched the back of his neck, as he wondered what the hell he was supposed to do all day outside the house. Throwing the blankets off of him, he rose to his feet and walked into the clean and tidy bathroom. The mirror was able to open, a medicine cabinet inside. There was only one thing inside the cabinet and it was something only Leaf could get to. That is until the Crusaders “accidentally” found it. He opened one mirror door and just looked at the shelved wall on the inside or a moment. Pressing his palm to the wall, a small panel of wood popped from its place and went inside the wall. He grabbed the slab and placed it on the counter next to the sink. Reaching his hand inside, only about wrist deep, Leaf pulled out a worn wooden box with a flip open lid. He opened it slowly and saw the small rubber banded stack of ones, and fives along with a few coins. As he sifted through the money, he noticed with a jolt of annoyance that he was now missing three ten dollar bills from the stack. Leaf growled angrily as he threw on some pants and a grey t-shirt. He shoved his money inside his pocket along with the coins. With a grumble he walked down the stairs and saw his sister making him a proper breakfast. He sat at the table and slouched in it, “Did you take some of my money?” Emerald turned to him with a spatula in hand. “How much you missing?” He rose an eyebrow at her. “Like 30 bucks…” “Ya I took it.” She turned back to the stove and placed a slice of cheese on the uncooked eggs in the pan and flipped one half closed, forming a perfect omelet, “I needed it.” “What for? You have your own money.” Leaf crossed his arms in front of him and sank even further into the chair. Emerald lifted an omelet off the pan and set it on a plate along with a few strips of bacon and brought it to the table, setting it down in front of Leaf. “It was for the girls.” She sat down in front of him and linked her fingers together. She rested her elbows on the table and put her chin on the back of her hands, “They needed a little contribution from each member to help pay for a broken roof at the clubhouse.” “And you couldn’t use your own money for that?” Leaf chewed on a piece of bacon angrily. She giggled. “I already put the rest of the money I had towards the payment. I only had ten dollars after the Summer Sun Celebration. I blew it all on snacks and food for me and the girls and you.” She glared at him. “And besides, the only reason I took the money instead of just telling the girls I couldn’t contribute was because of how much money I spent on food for you when you could have bought some with YOUR own money.” “Touché…” Leaf mumbled as he picked up another piece of bacon. She looked at him and scrunched her nose at the sight of his shirt. “That shirt is filthy, Leaf. It’s got stains all over it.” She got up from the table and disappeared into the door to the right of the kitchen stove. She came back moments later with a black t-shirt, fresh out of the drier and threw it at him. “Change into that one.” Leaf sighed, stood from his chair and peeled off the grey t-shirt. Emerald shrieked. “What’s your problem?” he said indignantly. Emerald threw a pillow at him from the couch. “Don’t change right in front of me you weirdo!” The pillow hit him in the chest and fell to the floor. Leaf picked it up and tossed it back on the couch, “You’re my sister. You’ve seen me shirtless a bunch of times before. And you could be a little more mature about it. You are 16 years old after all…” He started to turn the shirt right side out. Emerald stared at his shoulder where his cutie mark was stamped, three four leaf clovers. “I’ve been meaning to ask, would you want to tell your cutie mark story to the girls tonight? They need some inspiration.” Leaf scratched his cheek, thinking a moment. “After I get home from my glorious day out,” he said with sarcasm, “then I’ll want to relax and not really do anything. Maybe some other time?” Emerald scowled. “Fine, mister lazy pants.” She pointed her finger to the door. “Now if you don’t start heading for that door, I’m going to start pushing you.” Leaf hung his head low, turned on the heel of his foot, and walked to the door. He pulled on some black and white worn out converse and opened the door. Shutting it behind him, he looked up at the sky with his hand over his face, palm up, to block the sun from his eyes. He saw many winged girls and boys flying through the sky, probably finishing up their job clearing the sky. He sighed and looked around at the scenery outside of his lightly painted house. What the hell am I supposed to do all day? He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets and jingled the coins around. Guess I could look around a bit. With a toss of his hair, he started down the street to see if anyone had a map. Even though he’d lived here all his life, he had no idea where anything was. He spent most of his time inside, so he never had “time” to learn the town. Most of the people that roamed the streets were girls chatting about their hair, or girls taking baskets of flowers to and from their gardens into their shops. Deciding to shy away from flowers, Leaf made his way down the street and stopped in front of a tall building that looked as if it were made entirely out of desserts; at the base of the building grew pink flowers along each side of the pink steps with what seemed to be gingerbread railings. It had pink shingles with white snowflake shapes stamped to them and crisscrossed paned windows. Two long, thick poles that were painted to look like candy canes held up a gingerbread awning with an entire gingerbread roof attached to it. To top the whole thing off was two cupcakes stacked one on top of the other; the bottom had four windows going around the side if it, and the top one had three candles that seemed to be lit. Leaf’s eye twitched a bit at the sight of the fairytale looking building. He approached the building intently. Next to the door, was a hanging sign with a single cupcake on it. He stopped in front of the door and his fingers just brushed the door knob, hesitated before turning the knob and pulling it open. Leaf closed the door behind him with the sound of a bell overhead. To his left was an archway stamped with colorful pictures on a pink background held up with long pillars of decoratively carved wood with candy cane designs running down the length of them. In front of each pole stood a table, one that had fruits and veggies lying on blue platters, the other with cupcakes, also on blue platters. A long counter was set beyond the archway, and underneath sat many assortments of cupcakes, cakes, muffins, donuts, and cookies behind sliding glass, locked with a key. To his right was a tall vase with candy canes popping out of it. In front of him was another similar counter, pastries and baked goods underneath behind sliding glass and locked with a key. Behind that was a staircase, which he assumed leaded up to an upper living area. On top of the counter sat a bell. Leaf hesitated for a moment and then rang it. A pair of double doors to his left swung open and revealed an odd looking girl. She had curly pink hair atop her head and light blue eyes. She was wearing a pink tank top that showed her belly button a bit. Her bottoms consisted of pink shorts, and pink and white stockings reaching up to just under the shorts. Leaf could see the three party balloons that adorned her right shoulder as she bent over the counter to shake his hand and spoke very quickly in a high pitched voice, “Hi there! I’m Pinkie Pie! What’s your name?” She shook his hand vigorously. After a moment she stopped and Leaf regained himself. “Leaf…” Pinkie Pie tilted her head a bit. “Is that your full name?” She poked her cheek, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she did. “No it’s not my full name. Four Leaf Clover.” He looked at her fitting the pieces together. She must live here. This place is perfect for her. Leaf put his hand on his forehead. “That was quite a handshake…” “I know right! Mrs. Cake says I give the best handshakes in the whole wide world! She says I have a firm grip.” Pinkie put her hands on the counter, snapping back to reality. “Now what can I get for you,” she poked his nose, “Mister? Got a sweet tooth today?” Leaf rubbed that the back of his neck slightly. “Sort of, I’m kind of sightseeing a bit today.” Pinkie Pie gasped in excitement. “Are you from Canterlot?!” she asked with a squee. “Uh…no, I live here.” “Huh, that’s strange. I’ve never seen you at Sugar Cube Corner before.” She tilted her head slightly. Sugar Cube Corner. What a perfect name for this place. The building looked like it was made entirely out of candy and treats, he thought to himself. “I don’t get out much.” He examined the pastries with awe. The cupcakes and cakes were perfectly iced and decorated with “Happy Birthday’s” and “Happy Graduation’s.” The donuts looked tantalizing, some spread perfectly with chocolate frosting and others glazed to glossiness. All, except one row, were covered in multicolored sprinkles, “Did YOU make all of these?” Leaf asked, gazing at her. Pinkie giggled. “Not ALL of them. I have help in the kitchen.” She tilted her head, gesturing to the two double doors she came out of. “Come on. I’ll show ya.” Her voice was less high pitched with excitement, but still spoke more quickly than seemed usual. Behind the doors was a light blue painted kitchen. Pinkie Pie bounced over to the stainless steel sink. “This is where the cooks of Sugar Cube Corner bake all the tasty treats for the shop.” Pinkie smiled proudly. “I live here.” “It’s nice.” Leaf looked around the room at the drawers that he assumed held cooking supplies. Above the oven was a pink shelf with hooks pans. Pinkie waved her hand a bit. “Pfft, I know that.” She grabbed Leaf’s arm. “Well, let’s get you your treats. I have to go to a friend's house soon.” She dragged him back into the main room. When she released his arm, he went back in front of the counter and crouched down to examine the delicacies. There was one baked treat that looked especially appealing to him: a chocolate cupcake with what looked like cream cheese frosting and red sprinkles. In the center of the frosting was a sun smiling up at him. “This one looks tasty.” Pinkie punched in some keys on the cash register and numbers appeared on a small black rectangular screen behind the register, facing him. The total read 3.00$. Leaf pulled out three ones and handed them to Pinkie, who hummed as she placed them neatly into the small drawer that popped out. She fastened them with a clip and closed the register. “Now, I must be on my way. Don’t want to disappoint my friend by being late.” She ran to the front door, grabbing a pink backpack with her cutie mark stamped to the flap that held it closed. She flung one strap over her shoulder and smiled at Leaf. “See ya around!” She giggled and walked out of the shop.
Chapter 2Leaf looked from the pink-haired girl who was running off down the street to the perfect cupcake in his hand. He admired the evenly spread frosting and the red sprinkles that accented its perfection. The 18 year old, who was usually not social and wasn’t good at talking to people, had made a friend. He couldn’t help but smile down at the sun, which smiled back. Sniffing the cupcake a bit, he smelled the heavy scent of the cream cheese frosting and brought it up to his lips. He licked the frosting, picking up some of the sprinkles along with it. His mouth exploded with flavor. He held his cheek, enjoying the taste. The baked treat was delicious. He didn’t usually eat sweets unless Emerald served a dessert after dinners. She usually didn’t serve any at all. Leaf peeled back the cupcake paper gently and bit into the chocolate. Sweet and delicious. Pinkie Pie had a gift. The cupcake was exquisite in every way, from its small smiling sun to the chocolaty inside. After finishing the cupcake, he discarded the paper in a nearby trash can and made his way down the street. He looked around a bit, trying to figure out where to go next on his day out. Not facing the door to Sugar Cube Corner anymore, he looked to the left and saw a clearing that led to two bridges next to each other. Both were made of white wood and hung over a small creek. He decided to take a closer look. As he approached the two white bridges, he saw two paths extending from each of them. One path led into the Everfree Forest beyond Ponyville and the other led to a tall pink, white, and purple building. He decided to take the bridge that didn’t lead to the dreadful forest. The entrance was a single purple door, with two diamond shaped windows, one on top of the other. On either side of the door were two more windows, and hanging above them where yellow shades. The roof of the first tier of the building was purple with large white diamond shape painted on it. Above the door stood a sign stamped with a pony. It had a pole running down the middle of the sign and into the pony making it look like apart of a carousel. Leaf sighed. Anyplace is better than just wandering around. He opened the door to the building which also had a bell ringing overhead. At either side of Leaf there were wheeled racks with clothes hanging on them. To his left were what looked like counters for someone to cut your hair. He only assumed that’s what they were anyway. In front of him stood two manikins along with another rack of clothes on wheels. Two his right was a small circular stage with three mirrors surrounding it. Behind it and to the left was a staircase. Next to that was another counter like the ones he assumed you got your hair cut at. A singsong voice came from up the stairs, “I’ll be a moment!” Leaf decided to roam around the place a bit. After a girl came down the stairs with blue glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She held a length of red ribbon in her mouth and dresses hung from her arms. Behind her floated a clip board along with a pen. Atop her head was a white horn. It wasn’t anything new to Leaf; he had seen it many times before. Some of the people that lived around him were gifted enough to have a horn, with which they could expel magic to cast spells. Some people had their own wings to glide around on in the sky. Leaf was unlucky, for he had none of these features. The girl had purple locks, nothing like Pinkie Pie’s messy mop, but curled in elegant loops down her neck and stopped just past her shoulders. She wore a short white skirt along with a pale blue halter top. Around her neck hung a necklace of glistening white pearls. She passed Leaf, not seeming to notice him, and hung the dresses on the wheeled rack freeing her hands. Leaf could clearly see her cutie mark: three blue diamonds on her right shoulder. She stopped using her magic and held the clipboard in her hand as she checked off a few things on a check list. She took it over to one of the counters and set it down along with her glasses. She turned to Leaf with a flick of her hair. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique.” She looked at Leaf and gasped. “What on earth are you wearing, darling?!” she shrieked as she walked to Leaf, lifting his arms. “Your shirt has holes in many places, and your pants have a gaping rip down the knee. And…those shoes!” She scowled and scrunching her nose a bit. “They will have to go.” The girl grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. “We need to fix your outfit!” The purple-haired girl drug Leaf into a changing room where she sifted through racks upon racks of dresses and suits. “I don’t think it’s necessary to do all this…” Leaf said as he scratched the back of his head. The girl gawked at him. “Of course it is!” She pulled a suit out and brought it over to him. “try this on.” She smiled widely. He took a step back a bit and rubbed his neck. “Really I don’t feel it’s necessary for all this...” The horned girl glared at him through slitted eyes and took a step closer to him, “Of course it is.” She put her fingertips to her chest. “As a girl of fashion, I insist that you put this suit on.” She held the suit out to him. He didn’t take it. She growled a bit. “Fine, no suit.” She tossed the suit on one of the chairs in the changing room and went back to sifting through the clothes. “I’m Leaf, by the way…Four Leaf Clover.” The girl turned and held out a hand. “Rarity.” Leaf took Rarity’s hand and shook it. Thankfully, she didn’t give handshakes quite as animalistic as Pinkie Pie’s. Rarity snapped her fingers, “I’ve got just the thing! Wait here.” She ran out of the changing room before Leaf could protest. He sat on the chair, moving the suit Rarity picked out for him and laying it on the table. He slouched in the chair and put his elbow on the table. He rested his chin on his open palm and sighed. How did I get mixed up in all this…? he wondered to himself, unaware that Rarity had returned with folded clothes in her arms. She held them out to Leaf, who stood and looked at them. “This should suit your style.” Leaf took them and looked at the shirt; it was pure white with no pictures or stains. The pants were black like the ones he had on but it seemed they were newly stitched, “Do you make the clothes here?” He asked looking at Rarity. Rarity giggled, “Of course I do.” She clapped her hands together, “I almost forgot…” she bent down outside the curtain of the changing room and grabbed a pair of white, not black, converse and gave them to him. “I’ll let you change. Come out and show me when you’re done.” She walked out of the room and walked up the stairs, vanishing to the second floor of the boutique. Leaf laid the clothes over the suit and took his shirt off. He looked at the front of it and noticed he had somehow sloppily gotten cupcake frosting on it. He sighed and folded it to where the front wasn’t showing. She then took off his shoes and set them on the floor next to the pristine white ones. He examined the new pants; they came with a belt, studded with silver pieces of metal. He unbuttoned his pants and proceeded to take them off. He first put on the plain white shirt and tight black pants. he then fed the belt through the loops of his jeans and tightened it. He put the final piece of attire on, his white shoes, and folded his old clothes neatly on top of each other. He topped the stack off with his shoes and opened the curtain. “Rarity?” He found her at the small stage, a manikin perched on top of it. She was examining the pieces of cloth neatly laid out on a table she set up in front of the stage and used her magic to use a tape measure with the fabric. She turned to him, linked her fingers in front of her chin. “You look simply dashing!” She walked over to him and circled him making mental notes to herself in murmurs. “My best work for this style if I do say so myself.” Leaf blew his hair from his face and smiled. “I like it. I think the shoes are my favorite.” He looked down at his toes. Rarity nodded. “It was a bit difficult to make the pants. Black isn’t one of my favorite colors.” She shuddered a bit. “But I pulled through and I’m very pleased with their new owners.” “How much do I owe you?” Leaf had transferred his money from his old pants to his new ones. He dug into the pocket for a moment before Rarity stopped him. “Not a single dime, dear.” She smiled at him. “Oh, no, no, no. I need to pay for this. It would be wrong of me not to.” Rarity waved her hands in front of her and shook her head. “No Leaf, you don’t need to pay me a single coin. This is simply a motion of generosity.” Leaf pulled out fifteen dollars and put it into her hand. She looked at the money, confuse. “A tip.” Leaf smiled at her and she blushed a bit. Leaf shoved his hands in his pockets, “I better be going then.” “Oh, let me get you a bag for your clothes.” Rarity grabbed a bag and gave it to him. “Have a good day, and I hope to see you again.” She tossed her hair and waved at him as he left the boutique.
Chapter 3Leaf let out a sigh as he shut the door of the Carousel Boutique behind him. He looked around at the people hustling around on the streets. Where was there to go? He obviously didn’t know that answer, since he barely ever went out of the house to begin with. He scanned the roads in search for one of the Crusaders maybe to ask them if there was a place to get lunch around town. It was about 11 o’clock or noonish by the position of the sun. With a sigh of disappointment Leaf made his way to the bridge he crossed to get to the boutique. The air, he noticed, smelled of blossoming flowers and apples. The flowers he assumed were from the flower shops that were scattered around town. The apple smell, on the other hand, he hadn’t the faintest clue about the source of. Leaf stuffed his hands in his pockets and let the bag that contained his old clothes hang in the crook of his right arm. Leaf smiled when he saw the pointed and flagged roof of the town hall. Finally, now I can get a map of some sort. He made his way to the building that was the center of town square with a fast walk. As he maneuvered past people with trays of food and baskets of flowers, Leaf saw many heads of brightly colored hair. But one head stuck out of the crowd. He recognized the familiar bright red hair with a bow that tied back a ponytail. He started a slow jog toward it, but his heart sank as it disappeared into the crowd of people in the square. “Damn...” He cursed to himself. Leaf felt a small tug on his pants and he turned to see a little girl with pale pink and purple curly hair. A white horn sat atop her small head. “Sweetie Belle.” Leaf smiled and knelt down in front of the girl. “I was looking for you.” Sweetie Belle looked up at him, smiling.She spoke in a small little girl voice “You were? Well so was Apple Bloom. We stopped by the house and saw Emerald. We asked her where you were and she told us you were out of the house today. That’s strange for you, Leaf.” She giggled sweetly and linked her hands behind her back. She was wearing a light blue dress and pink sandals, a very plain outfit. “So what do you need?” Leaf flipped his green striped hair and smiled at her. “I was wondering if you guys could help me out. I have no idea where to go. I have already visited Sugar Cube Corner and the Carousel Bou…” He never finished his sentence, for Sweetie Belle had grabbed his face with both of her hands. “You went to the Carousel Boutique!!!???” She squished his cheeks inward in a way that it caused his lips to pucker together. “Ya…why? Was it wrong that I did?” He asked through scrunched lips. Sweetie Belle started to hop up and down after she released Leaf’s face. “No, it’s a good thing. Did you meet Rarity?” Leaf nodded and she squeed. “What did you think of her?” Leaf rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully, “she was…pushy. She gave me new clothes. Why does it matter what I think of her?” Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow at Leaf in confusion, “Because she is my sister. She’s only dropped me off at your and Emerald’s house only a dozen times.” She rolled her eyes. “But we have someone else for you to meet. Just let me find Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.” She ran off towards the town hall before Leaf could protest. He sighed and sat on a bench waiting for the three Crusaders to get back. He rested his elbows on his knees and laid his chin on top of his closed fists. Why had Sweetie wanted to know if Leaf liked Rarity or not? She was acting as if she had just had a soda, and then cake, and then tons of candy. All of the three he imagined were cause by Pinkie Pie, for some odd reason. The pink haired girl had seemed very hyper when Leaf had met her. She spoke in such a high-pitched and fast-talking voice that Leaf had almost strained himself trying to keep up with her words. Rarity, on the other hand, spoke slowly in a somewhat ladylike manner. Leaf looked down at the new white converse the dark purple haired girl had given him. After a moment, his two white converses were joined by a pair of pink sandals, a pair of laced track shoes, and a pair of cow boy boots. Leaf looked up at the three smiling faces. Sweetie Belle was now accompanied by two other girls. The one on Sweetie’s right had bright red hair that was tied back with a pink bow. She wore blue overalls that weren’t quite complete; the legs were cut off to appear as shorts about knee length. Underneath the overalls was a plain red shirt. One of the buttons meant to hold up the pants was undone and the corner of the denim was hanging in a dog ear fashion. The Crusader to Sweetie Belle’s left was a tan girl with flat purple hair. She wore simple red track shorts and a tank top with a symbol on it that was a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt coming out of it. On her back was a pair of orange wings. Scootaloo wasn’t able to fly yet, but she used the feathery appendages to propel herself on her purple scooter. The three girls smiled at Leaf. He looked from Scootaloo to Sweetie Belle and then to Apple Bloom. The smiles on their faces looked as if they were concocting an evil plan to slit his throat while he slept. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom took each of his hands and hauled him up. With his bag in his hand,he stood as they started to drag him to the left. Sweetie Belle stood in front of the three with an evil grin on her face as she led the Crusaders and Leaf to the exit. The two girls were half dragging Leaf as he walked behind them with a slouched back. After they exited town square, they lead Leaf to a dirt path. The path, he found led to a big red barn. At the end of the path was a white fenced archway covered in leaves with apples dotting them. In the center of the arch was a hanging sign with a single apple carved into it. Apple Bloom was first to speak with her southern accent, “Welcome ta’ Sweet Apple Acres!” She released Leaf’s hand and gestured to the farm. In front of the four was a large barn painted a bright red. The two large double doors of the building were propped open. Above the doors was a window with a planter box filled with flowers outside of it. Two similar windows stood open on the other sides of the barn, also with planter boxes. On the roof of the barn was a weathervane with an apple on the top of it. To the right was a single chicken coop with a sign that had three eggs in a nest stamped on it. To the left was a wishing well, along with a few barrels standing next to it. Bales of hay were strewn around the farm in stacks. Beyond the barn and the farm were hills further than the eye could see filled with apple trees. Leaf stared at the trees in amazement, his eyes growing wide. “Who picks all of those apples…?” He asked in puzzlement. Apple Bloom looked up at him with wide orange eyes. “Meh sister and brother, AppleJack and Big Macintosh. They do it all by themselves.” Leaf stared out at the trees. All those apples…by themselves!? he thought to himself. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo took his hands again and dragged him to the barn. When they were at the door, Apple Bloom broke away. “Sis! Big Mac!?” she yelled, cupping her hands around the edges of her mouth. A boy came from inside an empty stall with bales of hay in his arms. He looked to be about 19 or 20 to Leaf. He had thick muscles running up his arms and had visible abs under his red flannel shirt. His light green eyes looked at the girls and then at Leaf. “Eyup?” He looked at Apple Bloom with a raised eyebrow. Apple Bloom shook her head. “I’m lookin’ fer AppleJack, Big Mac. Where is she?” Big Macintosh looked at Apple Bloom and then pointed a finger towards the gate that lead out to the apple trees. Apple Bloom smiled. “Thanks, big brother.” She ran by him, Scootaloo at her side, and the two started dragging Leaf once again. Sweetie Belle pushed the gate open and hustled Leaf and the girls through it, closing it behind them. In front of the girls, Leaf saw a girl with long blonde hair that was tied off at the end with a red hair tie. She was wearing grey shorts and a yellow spaghetti strap tank top. She was bending over to pick up a large wooden bin of apples, and Leaf could visibly see thethree red apples that were stamped on her right shoulder. Apple Bloom went to her as she picked up the bin by the handles. The little girl tapped her on the leg and the bin went crashing to the ground. The blonde scowled at the spilled apples and then bent to retrieve her tan hat that had fallen off her head. “Darn it Apple Bloom! Ya snuck up on me.” She put her hat back on her head and faced her sister. “Now ya’ll are gonna pick up these here apples or I’m gonna…” She looked behind her at Leaf and the other girls. She stood up straight and put her fists on her hips with a smile. “Well, well, well, If it ain’t the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Got a new member?” She raised a blonde eyebrow at Leaf. He raised his palms and shook them, “No, they brought me here…” The girl crossed her arms in front of her chest now, “Why? Apple Bloom doesn’t take interest in any ol’ guy off the street.” She spoke with a thick southern accent as she scoffed at him a bit. Leaf shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “I don’t know if you know my sister, but she is the leader of their little club. They come over to my house every week.” The farmer went wide eyed, “Ah! So yer the feller these youngins have been tellin’ me about. But why’d they bring ya here?” He shrugged again. “They didn’t tell me.” Apple Bloom finished picking up the apples and looked at the blonde girl, “AppleJack, this is Leaf.” She gestured to Leaf and smiled. AppleJack smiled as well. “Why’d ya’ll bring him here?” she asked, looking at the crusaders. Sweetie Belle spoke up. “We wanted you to meet him. He already met Rarity.” “Oh really? And what’cha think of miss snooty pants?” Leaf shrugged. “She wasn’t really snooty just persistent. She gave me new clothes and insisted I don’t pay.” AppleJack laughed out loud. “Well, she does have an eye for pretty things.” She gave him an up down look and picked the bin back up, “Why don’t ya help me with these here bins of apples? Big Mac is off somewhere else and I need a strong pair of arms.” She heaved the bin up and rested it partially on her shoulder. Leaf nodded. “Sure, why not.” Apple Bloom looked at the three girls and smiled, “Ya’ll can go help yerselves to some apple pie in the kitchen.” Apple Jack rolled her eyes and looked at Leaf as the girls ran off. “It must be agein’ to have all them girls in one house.” She laughed and hauled up another bin with one hand and rested it against her hip. Leaf bent over and picked up a bin and let it lean against his stomach, “Ya a little. They are sweet girls, but you can only take so much, you know?” “Oh trust me SugarCube, I know.” She giggled and gestured with her head to the barn, “Follow me to the barn to drop these here apples off.” She headed through the gate and held it open with her rear so Leaf could get through. After he was she pushed a boulder with her leather booted foot in front of it to hold it open. Leaf followed her to the barn where he set the basket down among others. AppleJack set her down next to his. She wiped beads of sweat off her forehead. “Dang, I’ve been at this all day. I know we just started, but how ‘bout we go on inside have somethin’ to drink?” She smiled at Leaf, who nodded. She led him out of the barn and outside to a door on the side of a smaller section of the building. She opened it and held it for Leaf, who went in with his hands in his pockets. Apple Jack pulled out a chair and gestured to it. “Why don’t ya’ll sit down.” Leaf took the seat silently as Apple Jack opened the fridge and pulled out a glass pitcher of fresh squeezed lemonade. She set it on the table and went to a cabinet to retrieve two glasses. She grabbed a lemon and a knife on her way to the table and set the items down. She took the knife and cut the lemon into slices. After cutting the lemon she poured the juice into the two cups. She took two lemon slices and put them on the edges of the glasses. She pushed a glass towards Leaf, who took it. She put the pitcher back and wiped the table where she sliced the lemon. She sat down and took her glass as she leaned back in her chair. “So, I’m guessin you already met Big Mac?” Leaf shrugged with one shoulder as he took another sip. “I didn’t really meet him.” “Ah. Well he’s my brother and Apple Bloom is my sister, if you haven’t already guessed.” She gave Leaf another look over while taking another sip. She set her glass down, “you know what I think?” Leaf looked at her curiously, “What’s that?” “I think the Crusaders might be trying to hitch me with ya.” “Hitch?” Leaf asked in confusion. Apple Jack laughed, “Pardon, I mean they want us to hook up. Like in a boyfriend girlfriend way, ya know?” “Why me, though?” He rubs the back of his head awkwardly. “Who Knows? Those girls are strange.” She stood and stretched upwards, her tank top lifting to show some of her stomach. Leaf looked down at his hands on the table, “Well, I might just take the rest of the day off. I’m beat. I’m mighty sorry if the girls cause ya any trouble.” “Nah, they were just trying to do something nice.” He stood. “What day is it?” “Wednesday. Why?” Leaf sighed and rubbed his neck. “I might just take the girls with me. its Emerald’s night to host the sleepover.” He scratched his chin. AppleJack laughed and slapped Leaf on the back. “Good luck SugarCube.” “Thanks.” Leaf said with a laugh. AppleJack went to a door that lead to the living room and saw the girls playing, “Girls, ya’ll are gonna go with Leaf. Its Emerald’s night to host the slumber party.” The girls ran into the kitchen with capes attached to their necks that hung down their backs. There was a symbol on the capes that looked like a pony on its hind legs. “Now ya’ll be good fer Leaf or I’ma have to come down on ya’ll.” She spoke with a stern voice that told the girls that she meant business. The three girls held their hands to their foreheads in a solute, “Yes ma’am AppleJack ma’am.” AppleJack laughed and looked at Leaf. She took her gloves off her hands and held one out. “It was mighty good to meet ya, Leaf. Ya’ll take care.” Leaf took her hand and shook it, “Nice meeting you too.” The girls were already out the door before Leaf finished. He sighed and walked out after them with a smile at Apple Jack. Leaf closed the door behind him and AppleJack let out a sigh and smiled.
