Unexpected Guest by Nightshy101Chapters1 Unexpected guestWolfWhat could possibly go wrongrun!Sorry Cutie Mark Crusader1 Unexpected guestApplebloom was sitting on a hill above Sweet Apple Acres, watching the moon. She had tears in her eyes. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't help Applejack and Big Macintosh in apple bucking. She was too small . Any time she tried to buck an apple tree not a single leaf would move. She felt so weak and helpless around her family. "Everypony in my family is special. Applejack is the strongest mare in all Ponyville. Big Mac can buck the tree even by touching it. I can't. I'm just a little filly and I can't help in anything!" she thought aloud, tears rolling down her cheek. "What should I do?" "I ask myself this question every day" She heard a manly voice coming from nearly bushes. "Who is there? Are you spying me?" She asked a little worried and angry. "No, It just happened that I was here when you came" "Uh... Ok. Why don't you come out now?" Applebloom asked curiously. Why is he hiding when she know he is there. "I... I'm... Well, listen, I don't look normal and I don't want to scare you" The voice was nervous now. She could sense that this creature is very shy. "Aww c'mon. It can't be that bad" She said with a smile. After the event with Zecora she learned that she shouldn't judge the book by its cover. At first she was scared of her, but later everypony saw that she is very nice zebra. This pony could be in the same situation. She heard that shy manly voice again "I'm not sure about this..." "If you don't come out I will come for you" Applebloom said in a playful tone. She started walking towards the bushes where the mysterious pony was hiding. "WAIT!" The creature suddenly shouted. She stepped back with wide eyes. This time the voice sounded different. It was like growling. "Um... Sorry for yelling at you but... you really shouldn't see me" Now it was shy again. She sat and smiled. "Don't worry I won't run away, I promise! I'm sure it's not that bad" The pony in the bushes stayed silent. Applebloom continued: "I don't care how you look like. The most important thing is personality. And I think you are very nice" She said looking on the bushes. "You do? Well... Okay. But please don't scream" Said the voice. Applebloom could hear that he's very nervous about that. After a few seconds she saw a movement in the direction she was looking. Slowly from the bushes some creature started walking towards her. A creature she thought she'll never see in her live. Her eyes was widened. "Wow..." WolfApplebloom couldn't believe her eyes. Right in front of her was standing a real, living wolf. He was looking pretty much like Winona but bigger and more dangerous. He had black fur with white stripe from muzzle to chest and no mane. He also had big claws on his paws. Applebloom noticed that he was about her height. Zecora had told her a lot about his race. Wolves are very dangerous. They have sharp claws, huge teeth and strong legs. This one must be very young. Zecora also told her that wolves eat meat. That was the most scary thing about him. She didn't know if he want to kill and eat her. Anyway she wanted to talk with him. If he attacks her she will run away. She was very fast. He looked like he wouldn't attack. He was just sitting there, his head hanging low, his eyes closed. Applebloom looked at him. She decided to break the silence. "Um... My name's Applebloom. What's yours?" She asked in the most calm and friendly tone she could muster. The wolf opened his eyes and looked at her. His eyes were dark brown, almost black. He blinked few times and smiled, showing his teeth. they weren't like Zecora described. They were big, but not as sharp as she expected. They were almost like her own. Moment later the wolf spoke "I'm Gabriel" Applebloom smiled. Not because she was happy. This name was funny for her. Very unusual and weird. Gabriel didn't seem to notice this. "You are not afraid of me?" He asked. His voice as very happy now. It remind her of Scootaloo's voice when she talked about Rainbow Dash. "Of course not. There's no reason why I should be afraid of you." She said smiling kindly. His smile disappeared with a blink of an eye. "So you don't know what I am?" He asked sadly. He thought that if she knew what a wolf was, she would run away. He didn't want her to go. Finally he could talk with somepony. She seemed very nice. He hadn't had any company in a few weeks and he didn't want to scare her. Finally she said something that surprised him. "I know". She started walking towards him, what surprised him even more. If she knew what he was, why is she not scared? 'Maybe she thinks that I'm some weird-looking pony?' He thought. Applebloom came closer and sat next to him. "You are a wolf" Now he was fully surprised. She continued. "But I know you won't hurt me. I can see now that you are not bad" It was something new to him. They have known each other for a few minutes and she already trusted him. He smiled again and looked on the night sky. It was a really beautiful night with a full moon. The stars were shining brightly. They were sitting for a while in silence, watching Luna's masterpiece. Finally Applebloom spoke "You seem very young. How old are you?" Gabriel wanted to lie about his age. If she knows how old is he she probably would tell her family and he would have to go back to home. He really didn't want to. At least not now. But she trusted him. He couldn't just lie to her. He decided to tell the truth. "I'm 8 years old" He told her. When he saw how she looked at him he quickly added "But please, don't tell anypony" Applebloom turned her head to the moon again. "Don't worry I won't" She said smiling. "I'm 8 too" She added. Gabriel smiled even more. "Thank you Applebloom." She smiled at him. They were looking at each other for a moment. Applebloom then looked on the horizon. Sun was about to rise. "I have to go home now. Will you be here in the evening?" She asked him with hope in her voice "I want to know you better" . Gabriel looked at her surprised. She was the first pony he talked to for so long, and she wanted to meet him again. He felt very nice. It was the feeling he hadn't experienced in years. It was acceptance. He quickly answered her "Yes, of course" She smiled at him. "See you in the evening" Applebloom started trotting away. Applejack will wake up in a few minutes to start working. She had to hurry up. On her way home she started to think about Gabriel. He was very nice. Zecora had told her that they are very aggressive, rude and bloodthirsty. He was different. He was shy, kind and friendly. What was he was doing here in Sweet Apple Acres? She decided not to think about that until evening. Gabriel was sitting on the hill watching Applebloom go. He really hoped she will be back. What could possibly go wrongThe next evening after supper Applebloom had to go to bed. She was laying about half an hour when her sister came to check her. When Applejack saw that she is sleeping she closed the door and walked to her own room. As soon as Applebloom heard the door close she opened her eyes and got up. She carefully walked to the door. She opened it and started walking slowly through the corridor, trying to not wake up anypony. When she got outside her home she started galloping to the hill. It was on the other side of apple orchard. When she finally got to the place she saw that nopony was there. She sat in the same place as yesterday. After few minutes of waiting she saw some move in bushes. "Gabriel?" She asked curiously. The wolf poked his head out of the bush. "Oh... Hi Applebloom. Sorry for this but I heard somepony is coming so I decided to... hide here for a moment" He told her quietly, not looking into her eyes. "Really?" She asked him sarcastically. "Yeah. I was just hiding and... stuff" He told still not looking at Applebloom. "Don't lie to me. Ah can see when somepony's lyin' " Gabriel looked at her. He expected to see a look of disappointment, maybe even anger. But he saw that she was smiling kindly. It caused him to smile too. His smile disappeared as soon as he remembered why he was in this bushes. "Come closer, I'll show you" He told her and turned to the bushes. He walked inside and Applebloom behind him. When they were in the bushes Applebloom saw a little camp. There was a hammock, a little log near the tree, which was used as a chair and a small fireplace in the middle. She gave Gabriel a puzzled look. When he saw this he quickly explained "I've been living here since last week". When he said that Applebloom saw that he was almost crying. She came close and sat in front of him. "Why? What happened?" She asked him curiously. She could guess what happened: he escaped from home. Now she wanted to know why he was here and not deep inside the Everfree Forest. Gabriel sighed. "It's a long story..." "We have all night to talk" She replied smiling. He sighed again. "Okay, let's sit near the fireplace. It will keep us warm" He walked near the fireplace. Inside there were some still glowing pieces. He put some branches on it, poured some weird liquid and blow a few times. Suddenly all the branches started to burn. Applebloom was amazed, and looked at Gabriel curiously. He ignored her stare and started talking. "Back in my village, in the Everfree Forest I had many problems. Other wolves laughed at me because I was a bookworm and I was very weak. I didn't like talking with them. They were very rude. They talked to me only when they wanted there homework done or money. In my home it wasn't any better. My father always told me that I was useless. You see, I haven't got sharp teeth or claws like the others. I couldn't eat meat and go hunting with him. I also didn't like the idea of killing animals. I really like them, and blood is disgusting for me. You can guess that my father wasn't happy with this. He tried to 'Make a man out of me' and he took me on every hunting trip. I couldn't do anything but watch. It was awful when everyone attacked some animal. Blood was everywhere. Sometimes I just ran away, but later my father shouted at me. It wasn't very nice." He started sobbing "Once I found a little ferret near my house and I decided to take care of it. It was a boy and I called him Lucas... When my father found him he... he k-killed him in front of me... And it was just too much!" He started crying now. He was sitting there for a moment, crying quietly. Suddenly he felt something weird. He opened his eyes and saw what it was. He was very surprised when he saw that it was Applebloom. She was hugging him. He stared at her for a moment. Then he returned the hug. "It's okay now. You're here now. Nopony will judge you" She was comforting him. Her voice was full of compassion. "Th-thank you" He said hugging her tighter. "But you can't stay here" Gabriel broke the hug. "What? Why..?" . He couldn't believe in what he just heard. He trusted her, he told her everything and now she wanted him to go away. Something was wrong here. When Applebloom saw his expression she quickly added "Ah mean not here in this bushes. Somepony will found you soon if you stay here. Ah think ah know better place. Nopony is usin' it anyway. Do you want to see it?" She asked with excitement. Gabriel had very wide smile. She didn't want him to go. She even wanted him to stay. She cared about him. It was a very nice feeling. He hugged her again. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He shouted in joy. Applebloom laughed. "Okay enough of this, let's go" She said turning around, ready to walk back to her house. Gabriel poured some water on the fire. He untied his hammock and hid it in the bush. Then he stayed and looked at it. It looked like he has never been here before. He then turned to Applebloom. She nodded and they came out of bushes. They looked at the sky. There was still few hours of night. "Sooo... Where are we going now?" "To my home" She said with a smile. He stopped suddenly and stared at her. She looked at him and giggled. "Don't worry ah have plan" She said proudly. They started walking through apple orchard. Gabriel was worried but he trusted Applebloom. What could possibly go wrong? Author's Note just finished correcting the grammar in this run!They walked through apple orchard in silence. When they were half way to Applebloom's home the filly heard growling. She jumped and asked in worried tone "Did ya hear that?" Gabriel laughed quietly "Heh, yeah... It was my stomach. I'm hungry" "So why won't ya take some apples?" She asked curiously. They were walking through orchard. Apples was everywhere. Gabriel just shook his head "No, it would be stealing. Somepony worked hard taking care of this trees and get apples. I couldn't just take them" Applebloom facehoofed. "Yeah we haven't time to talk. This orchard belongs to mah family. This means that it belongs to me too. So ya can take as much apples as you want" She said proudly. The wolf looked at her surprised. "Really? It's huge. You have to have big family" She placed her hoof under her chin like she was thinking. "Nah, just me, Granny Smith, mah sister Applejack and mah brother Big Mac. Granny Smith cannot work cuz she has problems with her hip. And ah cannot work yet cuz ah am too small" After the last sentence she become very sad. Gabriel tried to comfort her "Don't worry, you won't be filly forever" He said smiling. Applebloom looked on him and returned the smile. They were talking and eating apples all the way to house. When they walked to the end of the orchard they stopped. Applebloom turned to Gabriel and told him in serious tone: "Listen, other ponies may be afraid of ya, so we have to be careful". The wolf just nodded and they started walking to the barn. When they walked inside Applebloom told Gabriel to follow her. On the other side of the barn was laying a pile of hay. She took it away and opened the hidden trapdoor. She looked inside the darkness of the room and sighed. Then she turned around and took old petroleum lamp. She lighted it and walked inside the hidden room, Gabriel following her. They reached the floor of hidden room and Applebloom placed the lamp on the nearest table. When Gabriel looked around the room he saw photos of some ponies. On some of them he could saw Applebloom. He turned around and walked to the table. He sat near Applebloom. She looked around and sighed "This is mah hidden room. Ah used to came here whenever ah get sad or angry to calm down. Ah don't use it now so ya can stay here as long as you want" she said with a smile "When ya are hungry just go up and take some apples from the barn". Gabriel looked on the ground and said shyly "I haven't any money to pay for this" Applebloom giggled "Don't be silly. Ya're mah friend you don't have to" He looked up at her and smiled. "Thank you" He said as he hugged her. She returned the hug and giggled again. After a few moments she walked to the ladder. She turned around again and informed "Ah'll came here in the mornin' 'kay?" "Sure" He responded quickly. He was looking everywhere when he could. She giggled at his curiosity but he was too busy to notice. She turned to the ladder and go up. After closing the trapdoor she started walking home. When she came out of the barn she froze. She was looking directly in her sister's eyes. "Whatcha doin' here in the middle of the night?" Aplebloom gulped "Ah was... checking... the apples. Yeah checking apples. And ah checked 'em and they are alright" She said with a nervous grin. Applejack shoot her one of her infamous stares. "They are really alright and they are apples, red and green and..." "Applebloom" Applejack told with a anger in her voice. Applebloom gulped again. "Don' lie. Ah wield the Element of Honesty, remember?" She knew it was true. She couldn't lie to her. But she couldn't tell her about Gabriel. Finally she spoke "Ah can't tell ya" She said quietly, looking on the ground "sorry". Applejack was surprised with that answer. What could her little sister hiding? Why she didn't want to tell her? They were standing there for a moment, Applejack looking at her sister, Applebloom looking at the ground. Suddenly they heard a voice from the barn "Applebloom, are you still there?". The voice was very quiet but loud enough to be heard by both sisters. Applebloom looked at Applejack with guilt in her eyes. The older pony asked "Who is there?". The little filly stayed quiet. She walked past her and asked again louder "Who is there?". Still no answer. She decided to check this. When she took a look inside the barn she gasped in horror. This reaction was quickly replaced by anger. "What ya doin' here ya wild animal! If ya want to hurt mah family you have no luck cuz ah won't let ya do this!" She shouted with anger. Gabriel was too scared to run. He just stared at her with wide eyes. Applejack growled and prepared to attack. When she was about to charge Applebloom jumped on her and hold her on the ground. She know she couldn't hold her for much time. "Gabriel run!" She shouted to wolf. He was scared to death because of this sudden attack. He quickly get up and ran out of the barn. Applebloom looked at her sister. Applejack was looking at her, stunned. The filly got off from her and sat on the ground. Her sister sat in front of her. She looked up at the orange pony and met her very serious stare. She looked at the ground again. After few moments Applejack said in very serious tone "I expect some explanations" Author's Note and done editing Sorry Sorry Applebloom was walking through Everfree Forest with her sister. She was looking around, searching for Gabriel. Applejack had a guilty expression on her face. Her head was hanging low. She felt awful about how she judged the wolf. "Ah'm sorry" She told quietly. Applebloom sighed. "You apologized 100 times. Ah told ya nothing happened. Ah understand that ya was afraid cuz he's a wolf, but ya shouldn't attack him" Applejack felt even worse when she remembered how she tried to attack Gabriel. "Ah'm sorry... again" Little filly sighed again "Just keep goin'. We have to find him before something bad happen to him" Applejack looked at her little sister. She saw that she as worried about her friend. After a moment she started looking around. They were walking almost an hour when they saw a black creature under the tree. "Gabriel!" Applebloom shouted and galloped to the wolf. Half way to him she realized that he was sleeping. She smiled and walked slowly to him. She poked his head with her hoof. He just frowned. She poked his head again. He frowned again and muttered "5 more minutes" Applebloom's smile grew wider. "Ah think ya should get up now". She said and giggled. "Applebloom?" He muttered. He opened his eys and blinked a few times. When he saw that it was she he shouted "Applebloom!". He quickly got up and hugged her. After a few seconds Gabriel broke the hug and started talking "What happened? Who was that mare? She was scary…" Applebloom giggled and said "She is mah big sis Applejack. Ah told ya 'bout her. She was afraid that ya will attack somepony" The wolf lowered his head and said quietly "So... I'm afraid I can't stay here anymore" Applebloom placed her hoof on his shoulder "Don't worry. Ya can stay" Gabriel looked at her surprised "I can?" When he told this Applejack came closer. He jumped in surprise and fear. When he saw expression on mare's face he calmed down a little. He sat on the grass. "H-hello" he said quietly. Applejack sat in front of him, still few meters away. Applejack broke the silence. "Um… Ah came here to apologize. Ah know ah shouldn't judge ya. Will you forgive me?" She said looking at the ground. When she got no response she looked at Gabriel. He was smiling. When she smiled back at him he told "Of course". They were all sitting for a few minutes. Applebloom looked at her sister and Gabriel. Finally she spoke. "Sooo… If ya buried the hatchet, can we go home? I'm hungry". They all laughed and got up. On their way to Sweet Apple Acres Gabriel told Applejack his story. He told her how he was treated by family and friends, and why he escaped home. She was listening to him with wide eyes. Now she wanted kick herself for treating him like wild animal. He had hard past. They walked all the distance in an hour. When they walked out of Everfree Forest they started walking to the Sweet Apple Acres through peripheries of Ponyville. It was morning so they had to be careful. If somepony notice Gabriel all town would started to chase him and it would be a huge problem. Fortunately, they haven't meet anypony. Applejack thought the rest of ponies are in the marketplace in the centrum. When they finally arrived to the Sweet Apple Acres they headed straight to home for breakfast. Applebloom and Gabriel sat in the dining room and started talking. Applejack walked to the kitchen. Her older brother already was there, preparing some sandwiches. AJ walked to him and told "Come here, Ah need to show ya somethin' ". Big Macintosh turned around and nodded. They walked to the door. Applejack opened the door quietly and pointed to the dining room. Big Mac saw the wolf and started getting ready to attack, but then he saw that he was talking with his little sister. He was watching them for a moment. Then he turned to Applejack and gave her a puzzled look. She closed the door and walked to the table, her brother following her. She started preparing eggs for breakfast. Big Mac walked to the other side of the table and looked at his sister. She stopped preparing breakfast and sighed. "Ah know what ya think. Ah felt the same when Ah saw him for the first time. Ah wanted to attack him". She looked up at her brother. He had a concerned expression on his face. AJ looked at the floor. She sighed and started talking again "Ah know somethin' 'bout him. We talked today a lot and Ah know he had a hard live. Gabriel and Applebloom are good friends. Ah think we should really help him" She said looking at the ground. Big Macintosh sighed. They were sitting in silence a few minutes. Suddenly Big Mac spoke "We need to tell somepony". Applejack looked at him and nodded. She knew they can't keep it a secret forever. Somepony will finally find out. "Ah'll tell somepony, but tomorrow" She told and got back to preparing food. In the evening everypony was exhausted. Applebloom gone to her room and Applejack told Gabriel to follow her. They walked downstairs to the ground floor. AJ opened the door on the end of the corridor and let Gabriel inside. "This is our guest room. Ya can sleep here as long as ya want. If ya are hungry just go to the kitchen and make something." Gabriel smiled. "Thank you" he said as he hugged her. She smiled back and turned away. When she was about to close the door she turned around and looked at the wolf. She closed the door and sighed. "Tomorrow will be a long day…" Cutie Mark CrusaderApplejack was laying in her bed. Her eyes were wide opened. Sun was rising, shining on her face. Normally she would wake up now but not today. She was awake till 2 AM because of her nightmare... She was standing in front of a huge crowd. There were all ponies from Ponyville. She was standing and looking at them. They were doing nothing. Everypony was silent. She tried to talk but she couldn't. Her mouth wouldn't even move. Same thing with her legs. She didn't have control of her body. She closed her eyes for a moment trying to concentrate. When she opened them she couldn't believe what she saw. Everypony was dead. Organs and blood was everywhere. In front of her were laying her friends. She started to cry. Suddenly she heard a maniacal laugh. From the dark on the other side of the crowd Gabriel walked out. He was all covered in blood. He started to walk towards her. She tried to run away but she couldn't move. When he was a few meters from her he stopped. They were looking at each other for some time. He was smiling like maniac all the time. He got up and took a step forward. Finally he said darkly "Your turn". Applejack didn't have time to even think about this. He jumped to her with his sharp like razor blades claws... In that moment she woke up. It was time to go downstairs and start work. She knew that it was just a nightmare, but she was scared. She knew him a little, she talked with him. He seemed calm and shy, but he was a wolf. All of his race are extremely aggressive. But he met Applebloom earlier, when she was alone and defenseless. If he wanted to attack, he would do it then. She calmed a little and decided to go eat breakfast. She got up, put her hat on and opened the door. As soon as she did it she felt delicious smell of apples feeling her nostrils. She came downstairs and headed to the dining room. When she came in she saw that all table was covered in apple goodies. Apple frites, caramel apples, fried apples... Apple everything. Applejack walked to the table to examine this meal. In that moment Gabriel came out of the kitchen, carrying apple pie on his head. He was mumbling some song. He placet the pie on the table. When he noticed Applejack he jumped in surprise. "Oh... Hello miss Applejack" He said shyly. "I thought that I should make a breakfast to thank you for letting me stay". "Wow, you made THIS?" She said pointing at the table. He just nodded. "Thank ya" She smiled and stroked his head. He smiled back and they both sat. Applejack decided to try caramel apples at first. They smelled really nice. When she took a bite her eyes widened. She had never ate that good apples. She swallowed and looked at Gabriel. "These are GREAT! Where did ya learn how to cook?" "Well..." He started blushing slightly "I was experimenting back at home. You see, I couldn't eat meat like others because of my teeth. They are not as sharp as other wolves. So I started cooking different meals from fruits and vegetables and.. This is it" He ended smiling. 'He can't eat meat' Applejack thought 'How could Ah forgot'. She looked at Gabriel. He was now eating some apple pie. She decided to take some more caramel apples and fried apples. They were eating in silence. After a few minutes Applebloom walked inside the dining room. "Hi everypony! Wow Applejack. Ya made these?" She asked looking at the table. AJ smiled and answered "Nope, It was Gabriel" She said pointing at him. He just waved to her, smiling shyly. She trotted to the table. "Ah bet it tastes even better than it looks" she said and grabbed some apple fritters. Her reaction was the same as Applejack's. "Wow! How did ya learned cooking?" When he was about to answer they heard a loud hit on the door and shouting 'I was first!-No, I was!'. Applebloom swallowed and said in a worried tone "Oh shoot. Ah forgot we are goin' crusadin' today" Gabriel got up from his chair and asked curiously " You are going what?". When Applebloom was going to tell him the door shut open and the two crusaders galloped inside the dining room. Gabriel was standing on the other side of the room, watching the two fillies. "Hi Applejack" They said in unison. Then the white unicorn with two-colored mane spoke "Hi Applebloom! Ready for today's crusading?". Applebloom didn't have time to answer Sweetie Belle's question. The 2nd filly, pegasus with orange fur and short purple mane said "Yeah! I have a few ideas! We could be Cutie Mark Crusaders Lumberjacks or..." she stopped and looked at Gabriel. The wolf blinked and gulped. The white unicorn looked in the same direction and shouted happily "Applebloom! You didn't told us you have new dog. He's huge! What's his name?" Applebloom looked at Sweetie Belle, then Scootaloo and finally at the wolf. He had a worried expression on his face. She wasn't sure what to say, so she decided to tell the truth. "Well, actually he's not a dog and..." "I'm Gabriel, nice to meet you two" he said with a weak smile. He wasn't sure how they will react. Nopony was. The two fillies looked ad Applebloom with puzzled look. She smiled nervously and finished "...and he's a wolf". Two friends turned to Gabriel again. Scootaloo was first to speak, "Awesome!". Sweetie Belle was thinking for a moment with her hoof under her chin. Then she threw her hoof in the air and shouted "I know! You can go crusading with us!" "I'm Scootaloo" The orange pony said. "And I'm Sweetie Belle" The unicorn added. Applebloom sighed in relief. Probably they didn't know what is wolf. She thought she shouldn't tell them now. Firstly they should know him better. Gabriel smiled at them "Oh, you are Applebloom friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders! She told me about you much. You must be very cool." Scootaloo raised her head proudly and Sweetie Belle blushed slightly. Applebloom walked to her three friends. "So if ya know each other now, let's go crusadin'!" She proposed. The fillies raised their hooves shouting 'YAY!' and ran out of home. Gabriel ran behind them. Applejack was watching all scene smiling. She finished breakfast and got up from her chair. "I can let them play free for one day. Nothin' will go wrong" She said a little worried and walked out of her home. She decided to tell Twilight first. She is smart and she surely will tell them what to do. She didn't know yet, that leaving Crusaders And Gabriel without looking after them wasn't such a good idea...
1 Unexpected guestApplebloom was sitting on a hill above Sweet Apple Acres, watching the moon. She had tears in her eyes. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't help Applejack and Big Macintosh in apple bucking. She was too small . Any time she tried to buck an apple tree not a single leaf would move. She felt so weak and helpless around her family. "Everypony in my family is special. Applejack is the strongest mare in all Ponyville. Big Mac can buck the tree even by touching it. I can't. I'm just a little filly and I can't help in anything!" she thought aloud, tears rolling down her cheek. "What should I do?" "I ask myself this question every day" She heard a manly voice coming from nearly bushes. "Who is there? Are you spying me?" She asked a little worried and angry. "No, It just happened that I was here when you came" "Uh... Ok. Why don't you come out now?" Applebloom asked curiously. Why is he hiding when she know he is there. "I... I'm... Well, listen, I don't look normal and I don't want to scare you" The voice was nervous now. She could sense that this creature is very shy. "Aww c'mon. It can't be that bad" She said with a smile. After the event with Zecora she learned that she shouldn't judge the book by its cover. At first she was scared of her, but later everypony saw that she is very nice zebra. This pony could be in the same situation. She heard that shy manly voice again "I'm not sure about this..." "If you don't come out I will come for you" Applebloom said in a playful tone. She started walking towards the bushes where the mysterious pony was hiding. "WAIT!" The creature suddenly shouted. She stepped back with wide eyes. This time the voice sounded different. It was like growling. "Um... Sorry for yelling at you but... you really shouldn't see me" Now it was shy again. She sat and smiled. "Don't worry I won't run away, I promise! I'm sure it's not that bad" The pony in the bushes stayed silent. Applebloom continued: "I don't care how you look like. The most important thing is personality. And I think you are very nice" She said looking on the bushes. "You do? Well... Okay. But please don't scream" Said the voice. Applebloom could hear that he's very nervous about that. After a few seconds she saw a movement in the direction she was looking. Slowly from the bushes some creature started walking towards her. A creature she thought she'll never see in her live. Her eyes was widened. "Wow..."
WolfApplebloom couldn't believe her eyes. Right in front of her was standing a real, living wolf. He was looking pretty much like Winona but bigger and more dangerous. He had black fur with white stripe from muzzle to chest and no mane. He also had big claws on his paws. Applebloom noticed that he was about her height. Zecora had told her a lot about his race. Wolves are very dangerous. They have sharp claws, huge teeth and strong legs. This one must be very young. Zecora also told her that wolves eat meat. That was the most scary thing about him. She didn't know if he want to kill and eat her. Anyway she wanted to talk with him. If he attacks her she will run away. She was very fast. He looked like he wouldn't attack. He was just sitting there, his head hanging low, his eyes closed. Applebloom looked at him. She decided to break the silence. "Um... My name's Applebloom. What's yours?" She asked in the most calm and friendly tone she could muster. The wolf opened his eyes and looked at her. His eyes were dark brown, almost black. He blinked few times and smiled, showing his teeth. they weren't like Zecora described. They were big, but not as sharp as she expected. They were almost like her own. Moment later the wolf spoke "I'm Gabriel" Applebloom smiled. Not because she was happy. This name was funny for her. Very unusual and weird. Gabriel didn't seem to notice this. "You are not afraid of me?" He asked. His voice as very happy now. It remind her of Scootaloo's voice when she talked about Rainbow Dash. "Of course not. There's no reason why I should be afraid of you." She said smiling kindly. His smile disappeared with a blink of an eye. "So you don't know what I am?" He asked sadly. He thought that if she knew what a wolf was, she would run away. He didn't want her to go. Finally he could talk with somepony. She seemed very nice. He hadn't had any company in a few weeks and he didn't want to scare her. Finally she said something that surprised him. "I know". She started walking towards him, what surprised him even more. If she knew what he was, why is she not scared? 'Maybe she thinks that I'm some weird-looking pony?' He thought. Applebloom came closer and sat next to him. "You are a wolf" Now he was fully surprised. She continued. "But I know you won't hurt me. I can see now that you are not bad" It was something new to him. They have known each other for a few minutes and she already trusted him. He smiled again and looked on the night sky. It was a really beautiful night with a full moon. The stars were shining brightly. They were sitting for a while in silence, watching Luna's masterpiece. Finally Applebloom spoke "You seem very young. How old are you?" Gabriel wanted to lie about his age. If she knows how old is he she probably would tell her family and he would have to go back to home. He really didn't want to. At least not now. But she trusted him. He couldn't just lie to her. He decided to tell the truth. "I'm 8 years old" He told her. When he saw how she looked at him he quickly added "But please, don't tell anypony" Applebloom turned her head to the moon again. "Don't worry I won't" She said smiling. "I'm 8 too" She added. Gabriel smiled even more. "Thank you Applebloom." She smiled at him. They were looking at each other for a moment. Applebloom then looked on the horizon. Sun was about to rise. "I have to go home now. Will you be here in the evening?" She asked him with hope in her voice "I want to know you better" . Gabriel looked at her surprised. She was the first pony he talked to for so long, and she wanted to meet him again. He felt very nice. It was the feeling he hadn't experienced in years. It was acceptance. He quickly answered her "Yes, of course" She smiled at him. "See you in the evening" Applebloom started trotting away. Applejack will wake up in a few minutes to start working. She had to hurry up. On her way home she started to think about Gabriel. He was very nice. Zecora had told her that they are very aggressive, rude and bloodthirsty. He was different. He was shy, kind and friendly. What was he was doing here in Sweet Apple Acres? She decided not to think about that until evening. Gabriel was sitting on the hill watching Applebloom go. He really hoped she will be back.
What could possibly go wrongThe next evening after supper Applebloom had to go to bed. She was laying about half an hour when her sister came to check her. When Applejack saw that she is sleeping she closed the door and walked to her own room. As soon as Applebloom heard the door close she opened her eyes and got up. She carefully walked to the door. She opened it and started walking slowly through the corridor, trying to not wake up anypony. When she got outside her home she started galloping to the hill. It was on the other side of apple orchard. When she finally got to the place she saw that nopony was there. She sat in the same place as yesterday. After few minutes of waiting she saw some move in bushes. "Gabriel?" She asked curiously. The wolf poked his head out of the bush. "Oh... Hi Applebloom. Sorry for this but I heard somepony is coming so I decided to... hide here for a moment" He told her quietly, not looking into her eyes. "Really?" She asked him sarcastically. "Yeah. I was just hiding and... stuff" He told still not looking at Applebloom. "Don't lie to me. Ah can see when somepony's lyin' " Gabriel looked at her. He expected to see a look of disappointment, maybe even anger. But he saw that she was smiling kindly. It caused him to smile too. His smile disappeared as soon as he remembered why he was in this bushes. "Come closer, I'll show you" He told her and turned to the bushes. He walked inside and Applebloom behind him. When they were in the bushes Applebloom saw a little camp. There was a hammock, a little log near the tree, which was used as a chair and a small fireplace in the middle. She gave Gabriel a puzzled look. When he saw this he quickly explained "I've been living here since last week". When he said that Applebloom saw that he was almost crying. She came close and sat in front of him. "Why? What happened?" She asked him curiously. She could guess what happened: he escaped from home. Now she wanted to know why he was here and not deep inside the Everfree Forest. Gabriel sighed. "It's a long story..." "We have all night to talk" She replied smiling. He sighed again. "Okay, let's sit near the fireplace. It will keep us warm" He walked near the fireplace. Inside there were some still glowing pieces. He put some branches on it, poured some weird liquid and blow a few times. Suddenly all the branches started to burn. Applebloom was amazed, and looked at Gabriel curiously. He ignored her stare and started talking. "Back in my village, in the Everfree Forest I had many problems. Other wolves laughed at me because I was a bookworm and I was very weak. I didn't like talking with them. They were very rude. They talked to me only when they wanted there homework done or money. In my home it wasn't any better. My father always told me that I was useless. You see, I haven't got sharp teeth or claws like the others. I couldn't eat meat and go hunting with him. I also didn't like the idea of killing animals. I really like them, and blood is disgusting for me. You can guess that my father wasn't happy with this. He tried to 'Make a man out of me' and he took me on every hunting trip. I couldn't do anything but watch. It was awful when everyone attacked some animal. Blood was everywhere. Sometimes I just ran away, but later my father shouted at me. It wasn't very nice." He started sobbing "Once I found a little ferret near my house and I decided to take care of it. It was a boy and I called him Lucas... When my father found him he... he k-killed him in front of me... And it was just too much!" He started crying now. He was sitting there for a moment, crying quietly. Suddenly he felt something weird. He opened his eyes and saw what it was. He was very surprised when he saw that it was Applebloom. She was hugging him. He stared at her for a moment. Then he returned the hug. "It's okay now. You're here now. Nopony will judge you" She was comforting him. Her voice was full of compassion. "Th-thank you" He said hugging her tighter. "But you can't stay here" Gabriel broke the hug. "What? Why..?" . He couldn't believe in what he just heard. He trusted her, he told her everything and now she wanted him to go away. Something was wrong here. When Applebloom saw his expression she quickly added "Ah mean not here in this bushes. Somepony will found you soon if you stay here. Ah think ah know better place. Nopony is usin' it anyway. Do you want to see it?" She asked with excitement. Gabriel had very wide smile. She didn't want him to go. She even wanted him to stay. She cared about him. It was a very nice feeling. He hugged her again. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He shouted in joy. Applebloom laughed. "Okay enough of this, let's go" She said turning around, ready to walk back to her house. Gabriel poured some water on the fire. He untied his hammock and hid it in the bush. Then he stayed and looked at it. It looked like he has never been here before. He then turned to Applebloom. She nodded and they came out of bushes. They looked at the sky. There was still few hours of night. "Sooo... Where are we going now?" "To my home" She said with a smile. He stopped suddenly and stared at her. She looked at him and giggled. "Don't worry ah have plan" She said proudly. They started walking through apple orchard. Gabriel was worried but he trusted Applebloom. What could possibly go wrong? Author's Note just finished correcting the grammar in this
run!They walked through apple orchard in silence. When they were half way to Applebloom's home the filly heard growling. She jumped and asked in worried tone "Did ya hear that?" Gabriel laughed quietly "Heh, yeah... It was my stomach. I'm hungry" "So why won't ya take some apples?" She asked curiously. They were walking through orchard. Apples was everywhere. Gabriel just shook his head "No, it would be stealing. Somepony worked hard taking care of this trees and get apples. I couldn't just take them" Applebloom facehoofed. "Yeah we haven't time to talk. This orchard belongs to mah family. This means that it belongs to me too. So ya can take as much apples as you want" She said proudly. The wolf looked at her surprised. "Really? It's huge. You have to have big family" She placed her hoof under her chin like she was thinking. "Nah, just me, Granny Smith, mah sister Applejack and mah brother Big Mac. Granny Smith cannot work cuz she has problems with her hip. And ah cannot work yet cuz ah am too small" After the last sentence she become very sad. Gabriel tried to comfort her "Don't worry, you won't be filly forever" He said smiling. Applebloom looked on him and returned the smile. They were talking and eating apples all the way to house. When they walked to the end of the orchard they stopped. Applebloom turned to Gabriel and told him in serious tone: "Listen, other ponies may be afraid of ya, so we have to be careful". The wolf just nodded and they started walking to the barn. When they walked inside Applebloom told Gabriel to follow her. On the other side of the barn was laying a pile of hay. She took it away and opened the hidden trapdoor. She looked inside the darkness of the room and sighed. Then she turned around and took old petroleum lamp. She lighted it and walked inside the hidden room, Gabriel following her. They reached the floor of hidden room and Applebloom placed the lamp on the nearest table. When Gabriel looked around the room he saw photos of some ponies. On some of them he could saw Applebloom. He turned around and walked to the table. He sat near Applebloom. She looked around and sighed "This is mah hidden room. Ah used to came here whenever ah get sad or angry to calm down. Ah don't use it now so ya can stay here as long as you want" she said with a smile "When ya are hungry just go up and take some apples from the barn". Gabriel looked on the ground and said shyly "I haven't any money to pay for this" Applebloom giggled "Don't be silly. Ya're mah friend you don't have to" He looked up at her and smiled. "Thank you" He said as he hugged her. She returned the hug and giggled again. After a few moments she walked to the ladder. She turned around again and informed "Ah'll came here in the mornin' 'kay?" "Sure" He responded quickly. He was looking everywhere when he could. She giggled at his curiosity but he was too busy to notice. She turned to the ladder and go up. After closing the trapdoor she started walking home. When she came out of the barn she froze. She was looking directly in her sister's eyes. "Whatcha doin' here in the middle of the night?" Aplebloom gulped "Ah was... checking... the apples. Yeah checking apples. And ah checked 'em and they are alright" She said with a nervous grin. Applejack shoot her one of her infamous stares. "They are really alright and they are apples, red and green and..." "Applebloom" Applejack told with a anger in her voice. Applebloom gulped again. "Don' lie. Ah wield the Element of Honesty, remember?" She knew it was true. She couldn't lie to her. But she couldn't tell her about Gabriel. Finally she spoke "Ah can't tell ya" She said quietly, looking on the ground "sorry". Applejack was surprised with that answer. What could her little sister hiding? Why she didn't want to tell her? They were standing there for a moment, Applejack looking at her sister, Applebloom looking at the ground. Suddenly they heard a voice from the barn "Applebloom, are you still there?". The voice was very quiet but loud enough to be heard by both sisters. Applebloom looked at Applejack with guilt in her eyes. The older pony asked "Who is there?". The little filly stayed quiet. She walked past her and asked again louder "Who is there?". Still no answer. She decided to check this. When she took a look inside the barn she gasped in horror. This reaction was quickly replaced by anger. "What ya doin' here ya wild animal! If ya want to hurt mah family you have no luck cuz ah won't let ya do this!" She shouted with anger. Gabriel was too scared to run. He just stared at her with wide eyes. Applejack growled and prepared to attack. When she was about to charge Applebloom jumped on her and hold her on the ground. She know she couldn't hold her for much time. "Gabriel run!" She shouted to wolf. He was scared to death because of this sudden attack. He quickly get up and ran out of the barn. Applebloom looked at her sister. Applejack was looking at her, stunned. The filly got off from her and sat on the ground. Her sister sat in front of her. She looked up at the orange pony and met her very serious stare. She looked at the ground again. After few moments Applejack said in very serious tone "I expect some explanations" Author's Note and done editing
Sorry Sorry Applebloom was walking through Everfree Forest with her sister. She was looking around, searching for Gabriel. Applejack had a guilty expression on her face. Her head was hanging low. She felt awful about how she judged the wolf. "Ah'm sorry" She told quietly. Applebloom sighed. "You apologized 100 times. Ah told ya nothing happened. Ah understand that ya was afraid cuz he's a wolf, but ya shouldn't attack him" Applejack felt even worse when she remembered how she tried to attack Gabriel. "Ah'm sorry... again" Little filly sighed again "Just keep goin'. We have to find him before something bad happen to him" Applejack looked at her little sister. She saw that she as worried about her friend. After a moment she started looking around. They were walking almost an hour when they saw a black creature under the tree. "Gabriel!" Applebloom shouted and galloped to the wolf. Half way to him she realized that he was sleeping. She smiled and walked slowly to him. She poked his head with her hoof. He just frowned. She poked his head again. He frowned again and muttered "5 more minutes" Applebloom's smile grew wider. "Ah think ya should get up now". She said and giggled. "Applebloom?" He muttered. He opened his eys and blinked a few times. When he saw that it was she he shouted "Applebloom!". He quickly got up and hugged her. After a few seconds Gabriel broke the hug and started talking "What happened? Who was that mare? She was scary…" Applebloom giggled and said "She is mah big sis Applejack. Ah told ya 'bout her. She was afraid that ya will attack somepony" The wolf lowered his head and said quietly "So... I'm afraid I can't stay here anymore" Applebloom placed her hoof on his shoulder "Don't worry. Ya can stay" Gabriel looked at her surprised "I can?" When he told this Applejack came closer. He jumped in surprise and fear. When he saw expression on mare's face he calmed down a little. He sat on the grass. "H-hello" he said quietly. Applejack sat in front of him, still few meters away. Applejack broke the silence. "Um… Ah came here to apologize. Ah know ah shouldn't judge ya. Will you forgive me?" She said looking at the ground. When she got no response she looked at Gabriel. He was smiling. When she smiled back at him he told "Of course". They were all sitting for a few minutes. Applebloom looked at her sister and Gabriel. Finally she spoke. "Sooo… If ya buried the hatchet, can we go home? I'm hungry". They all laughed and got up. On their way to Sweet Apple Acres Gabriel told Applejack his story. He told her how he was treated by family and friends, and why he escaped home. She was listening to him with wide eyes. Now she wanted kick herself for treating him like wild animal. He had hard past. They walked all the distance in an hour. When they walked out of Everfree Forest they started walking to the Sweet Apple Acres through peripheries of Ponyville. It was morning so they had to be careful. If somepony notice Gabriel all town would started to chase him and it would be a huge problem. Fortunately, they haven't meet anypony. Applejack thought the rest of ponies are in the marketplace in the centrum. When they finally arrived to the Sweet Apple Acres they headed straight to home for breakfast. Applebloom and Gabriel sat in the dining room and started talking. Applejack walked to the kitchen. Her older brother already was there, preparing some sandwiches. AJ walked to him and told "Come here, Ah need to show ya somethin' ". Big Macintosh turned around and nodded. They walked to the door. Applejack opened the door quietly and pointed to the dining room. Big Mac saw the wolf and started getting ready to attack, but then he saw that he was talking with his little sister. He was watching them for a moment. Then he turned to Applejack and gave her a puzzled look. She closed the door and walked to the table, her brother following her. She started preparing eggs for breakfast. Big Mac walked to the other side of the table and looked at his sister. She stopped preparing breakfast and sighed. "Ah know what ya think. Ah felt the same when Ah saw him for the first time. Ah wanted to attack him". She looked up at her brother. He had a concerned expression on his face. AJ looked at the floor. She sighed and started talking again "Ah know somethin' 'bout him. We talked today a lot and Ah know he had a hard live. Gabriel and Applebloom are good friends. Ah think we should really help him" She said looking at the ground. Big Macintosh sighed. They were sitting in silence a few minutes. Suddenly Big Mac spoke "We need to tell somepony". Applejack looked at him and nodded. She knew they can't keep it a secret forever. Somepony will finally find out. "Ah'll tell somepony, but tomorrow" She told and got back to preparing food. In the evening everypony was exhausted. Applebloom gone to her room and Applejack told Gabriel to follow her. They walked downstairs to the ground floor. AJ opened the door on the end of the corridor and let Gabriel inside. "This is our guest room. Ya can sleep here as long as ya want. If ya are hungry just go to the kitchen and make something." Gabriel smiled. "Thank you" he said as he hugged her. She smiled back and turned away. When she was about to close the door she turned around and looked at the wolf. She closed the door and sighed. "Tomorrow will be a long day…"
Cutie Mark CrusaderApplejack was laying in her bed. Her eyes were wide opened. Sun was rising, shining on her face. Normally she would wake up now but not today. She was awake till 2 AM because of her nightmare... She was standing in front of a huge crowd. There were all ponies from Ponyville. She was standing and looking at them. They were doing nothing. Everypony was silent. She tried to talk but she couldn't. Her mouth wouldn't even move. Same thing with her legs. She didn't have control of her body. She closed her eyes for a moment trying to concentrate. When she opened them she couldn't believe what she saw. Everypony was dead. Organs and blood was everywhere. In front of her were laying her friends. She started to cry. Suddenly she heard a maniacal laugh. From the dark on the other side of the crowd Gabriel walked out. He was all covered in blood. He started to walk towards her. She tried to run away but she couldn't move. When he was a few meters from her he stopped. They were looking at each other for some time. He was smiling like maniac all the time. He got up and took a step forward. Finally he said darkly "Your turn". Applejack didn't have time to even think about this. He jumped to her with his sharp like razor blades claws... In that moment she woke up. It was time to go downstairs and start work. She knew that it was just a nightmare, but she was scared. She knew him a little, she talked with him. He seemed calm and shy, but he was a wolf. All of his race are extremely aggressive. But he met Applebloom earlier, when she was alone and defenseless. If he wanted to attack, he would do it then. She calmed a little and decided to go eat breakfast. She got up, put her hat on and opened the door. As soon as she did it she felt delicious smell of apples feeling her nostrils. She came downstairs and headed to the dining room. When she came in she saw that all table was covered in apple goodies. Apple frites, caramel apples, fried apples... Apple everything. Applejack walked to the table to examine this meal. In that moment Gabriel came out of the kitchen, carrying apple pie on his head. He was mumbling some song. He placet the pie on the table. When he noticed Applejack he jumped in surprise. "Oh... Hello miss Applejack" He said shyly. "I thought that I should make a breakfast to thank you for letting me stay". "Wow, you made THIS?" She said pointing at the table. He just nodded. "Thank ya" She smiled and stroked his head. He smiled back and they both sat. Applejack decided to try caramel apples at first. They smelled really nice. When she took a bite her eyes widened. She had never ate that good apples. She swallowed and looked at Gabriel. "These are GREAT! Where did ya learn how to cook?" "Well..." He started blushing slightly "I was experimenting back at home. You see, I couldn't eat meat like others because of my teeth. They are not as sharp as other wolves. So I started cooking different meals from fruits and vegetables and.. This is it" He ended smiling. 'He can't eat meat' Applejack thought 'How could Ah forgot'. She looked at Gabriel. He was now eating some apple pie. She decided to take some more caramel apples and fried apples. They were eating in silence. After a few minutes Applebloom walked inside the dining room. "Hi everypony! Wow Applejack. Ya made these?" She asked looking at the table. AJ smiled and answered "Nope, It was Gabriel" She said pointing at him. He just waved to her, smiling shyly. She trotted to the table. "Ah bet it tastes even better than it looks" she said and grabbed some apple fritters. Her reaction was the same as Applejack's. "Wow! How did ya learned cooking?" When he was about to answer they heard a loud hit on the door and shouting 'I was first!-No, I was!'. Applebloom swallowed and said in a worried tone "Oh shoot. Ah forgot we are goin' crusadin' today" Gabriel got up from his chair and asked curiously " You are going what?". When Applebloom was going to tell him the door shut open and the two crusaders galloped inside the dining room. Gabriel was standing on the other side of the room, watching the two fillies. "Hi Applejack" They said in unison. Then the white unicorn with two-colored mane spoke "Hi Applebloom! Ready for today's crusading?". Applebloom didn't have time to answer Sweetie Belle's question. The 2nd filly, pegasus with orange fur and short purple mane said "Yeah! I have a few ideas! We could be Cutie Mark Crusaders Lumberjacks or..." she stopped and looked at Gabriel. The wolf blinked and gulped. The white unicorn looked in the same direction and shouted happily "Applebloom! You didn't told us you have new dog. He's huge! What's his name?" Applebloom looked at Sweetie Belle, then Scootaloo and finally at the wolf. He had a worried expression on his face. She wasn't sure what to say, so she decided to tell the truth. "Well, actually he's not a dog and..." "I'm Gabriel, nice to meet you two" he said with a weak smile. He wasn't sure how they will react. Nopony was. The two fillies looked ad Applebloom with puzzled look. She smiled nervously and finished "...and he's a wolf". Two friends turned to Gabriel again. Scootaloo was first to speak, "Awesome!". Sweetie Belle was thinking for a moment with her hoof under her chin. Then she threw her hoof in the air and shouted "I know! You can go crusading with us!" "I'm Scootaloo" The orange pony said. "And I'm Sweetie Belle" The unicorn added. Applebloom sighed in relief. Probably they didn't know what is wolf. She thought she shouldn't tell them now. Firstly they should know him better. Gabriel smiled at them "Oh, you are Applebloom friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders! She told me about you much. You must be very cool." Scootaloo raised her head proudly and Sweetie Belle blushed slightly. Applebloom walked to her three friends. "So if ya know each other now, let's go crusadin'!" She proposed. The fillies raised their hooves shouting 'YAY!' and ran out of home. Gabriel ran behind them. Applejack was watching all scene smiling. She finished breakfast and got up from her chair. "I can let them play free for one day. Nothin' will go wrong" She said a little worried and walked out of her home. She decided to tell Twilight first. She is smart and she surely will tell them what to do. She didn't know yet, that leaving Crusaders And Gabriel without looking after them wasn't such a good idea...
