An unlikely tale

                                                 When we last left our ponified hero, Ralph Orlando (or Awesome Read), he was staring at the massive expanse of apple trees, his stomach making audible demands.

                                                              "Wow. I was right. Sweet Apple Acres." He takes a careful look around. "Well....there's no one here....No one'll know..." He finds a close to the fence tree, loaded with fruit. He extends a hoof.....

"HEY!"

                             He jerks back guiltily. An orange, strong-looking mare trots into view. "What the hay do you think y'all are doin'?"

                                                His mind races. He thinks, 'Oh no, Applejack found me.....Applejack! Can't let her know that I know her name! I need an excuse! "I'm, uh...I was....," he stutters, until his stomach growls. "Hungry! Yes, hungry! I haven't eaten in a week, I haven't. I'm just a starving, dirt-poor wanderer." He tries his best to give her puppy-dog eyes, and is infinitely better at it as a pony.

                                           Applejack's hard look softens a bit. "Well....ah suppose..."

                                                              He grins, and in a split-second, leaps the fence and hugs her. e quickly releases her, embarrassed and blushing slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm just...." His stomach rumbles, more or less finishing for him.

                       "Ah understand. Y'all are hungry," she responds knowingly. "Have a few an' git!" she orders.

                  "Y-yes ma'am." He quickly eats three and keeps two for later.  "Um, I never caught your name," he says, keeping his knowledge hidden.

                                                         "Name's Applejack, pardner."

                                "Thank you, miss Applejack. Can you point me towards the nearest town?"

                       She points her hoof in an easterly direction. "Ponyville's over that way. I'll show ya there," she offers.

                                       "Thank you, but I.....prefer solitude."

                                                                    Applejack looks at him strangely. "Are ya sure?"

                      "I am sure. Thank you." He trots in the vague direction of Ponyville.

      "Hmmmm.....He sure is a strange one. Somethin's off about him." She shakes her head and gets back to work.

                                      "That was odd. At least I'm not hungry anymore.....Those apples were delicious! And I still have two more, hee! Da ladies, mare or human, just can't resist my swag." He laughs to himself. "Wait a moment. I'm a pony." He feels his face with his forehooves, stopping suddenly. "MY BEARD!!!!" he yells suddenly, startling Applejack. He curls into a ball for a moment, crying softly to himself, then he gets up and trots off like nothing ever happened.

                                   "What in tarnation?" Applejack's face is a mask of confusion. "Discord has nuthin' on that fellah..."

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                                          Ralph slowly trots along, mourning for his lost beard. A ten-minute walks turns into fifteen. Along the way. he thinks up a backstory for himself. "Okay, I've got it. Not technically lying in any of it, just misleading. "You can call me Awesome Read. I'm from a small town you've probably never heard of. I'm sixteen. I had a falling-out with my parents, and here I am. Short. Sweet. To the point.  If they press for details, say 'I don't want to talk about it...' and look sad. Got it."

                                       He feels a deep welling-up of excitement within him. "Oh my God...or should I say Celestia? Heh... This is Ponyville. PONYVILLE!"

                        His gait increases from a trot to a canter. He sees it up close. He enters the town, and sees all the colors of ponies.  He wished at that point that he had extra eyes. He spots a certain, extremely pink mare bouncing around. Spotting him, she quickly bounces over.  He braces himself.

                                  "OMIGOSH!ANEWPONY!I'MPINKIEPIEANDI'MSUREWE'REGOINGTOBEBESTFRIENDSANDANDICAN'T WAITTOTHROWYOUA'WELCOMETOPONYVILLEPARTYAND-"

                        Ralph looks at her in amazement. "How are you breathing!?" he queries.

                                      "I don't know!" she blurts, grinning.

          His jaw hangs open a bit as he digests what just happened. Pinkie Pie looks at him, smiling. "So......you want to be best friends and throw me a party. Correct?"

                                                                              "Yep!"

                 He thinks for a moment, in mock deep thought, a stern, hard look on his face. Pinkie Pie looks at him with wide, begging eyes. His mind is already made up, and inside he's going 'D'aaaaw!' He nods judiciously and says, "Alright, a party. That ought to be fun." She jumps into the air in excitement. "Yay!"