Heart of the Orchard

The Second Day: In Town, Afternoon

I make my way from Carousel Boutique back to the school building. The sun has almost reached the point where Twilight said would be 3:30, but I believe I will make it there in time. Seeing several fillies and male young ponies - logic and the magazine tell me the term for them is colts - rushing by me, I fear I may be a little late, so I speed up as much as I can without stepping on anyone. I fear Applejack would be unhappy if I hurt someone, especially as she told me to try to avoid trouble.

As I approach the school, I see the three fillies standing around a purple mare with a pink mane, wearing a plain jumper and skirt. Her green eyes stare down hard at the fillies, who are hanging their heads. She looks up as I approach. "Oh, hello," she says in a friendly voice. "I don't believe I've seen you around before. I'm Cheerilee, the school teacher. Is there something I can help you with?"

I smile back. "I am Giant George," I say happily. As she offers her hand, I take it and shake it around. "Applejack asked me to look after these three today."

Cheerilee blinks at me. "Giant George? Are you the one these three were talking about? The new stallion on the farm?"

I nod. "Yes. I am new on the farm."

Cheerilee frowns. "I hate to tell you this, but they're in a bit of trouble for telling tales about you. It caused problems in class, and started a fight."

I tilt my head. "What sort of tales?" I ask.

"They said you fought and killed a chimera with your bare hands, if you can believe that," she explained. She sounded quite amused.

I shake my head. "You are right. They should not be telling such falsehoods and causing trouble. I am sorry about that."

She nods. "Yes, such tales cause trouble in class-"

"They know very well that the chimera fled back to the Everfree," I explain. "I would have torn it in half, but pulling its jaws apart like that was scaring Applejack, so I told it to go away and it listened."

She stares at me in shock for a time. "You...you really fought a chimera...bare handed?" she gasps out.

I shrug. "The toxin of its scaled head could not harm me, and I knocked out the head with the hungry spit with my first blow before it knew what hit it. Without the hungry spit, it could do me no real harm."

Her stare begins to become infused with an emotion other than shock, and I smell flowering in her. "M-my goodness," she says in surprise.

"Are the fillies free to go?" I ask her. "Rarity asked me to get them something from Sugar Cube Corner before dropping them off. She gave me some bits to buy them."

"So that's where you got the new threads," Apple Bloom says in understanding. "I was wondering, since you had to borrow some of Big Mac's overalls after fighting the chimera, since you didn't have any."

I notice Cheerilee's scent of flowering growing stronger. "Yes, you three are free to go," she says quickly. "If you'll excuse me, Giant George." With that, she rushes off somewhere.

"What got into her?" Scootaloo asks in confusion.

"You're really going to take us to Sugar Cube Corner?" Sweetie asks.

I nod. "Yes. Rarity said I was to take you to the building that looks like a ginger bread house." All three hang their heads.

"George...sorry about trying to trick you earlier," Apple Bloom speaks up. "We didn't mean nothing by it."

"What is a ginger bread house?" I ask, still at a loss as to their meaning.

All three blink up at me. Then they smile, a very different expression from when we left the farm. "We'll show you," Apple Bloom says, taking my hand. Sweetie Belle takes the other. Scootaloo gets out some form of wheeled conveyance I don't recognize.

"What is that?" I ask her.

She smiles. "It's my Scooter," she says happily. "I can get around on it a lot faster than on hoof, since I can't fly yet."

I tilt my head. "Why can't you fly yet?" I ask. Seeing her pained expression, I fear I have said the wrong thing.

She shakes her head, then looks up at me. "My body just isn't ready to fly," she says before buzzing her wings rapidly. As both her hooves are on the scooter and she holds the bar with both hands, this causes her to speed off.

"We'd better hurry if we want to keep up with her!" Apple Bloom points out.

Nodding, I wrap my arms around Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Lifting them up, I begin loping after Scootaloo, my long stride easily eating up the distance and keeping up with her rapid acceleration. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shriek in delight. Other ponies quickly step aside to avoid our rapid progress through town.

Before long, we have reached a rather colorful building that does not appear to be made of the same materials as other houses I've seen. "Is this Sugar Cube Corner?" I ask.

"Yup," Apple Bloom affirms as I set her and Sweetie Belle down.

"See how it looks like a gingerbread house?" Sweetie points out.

I blink for a bit. "...what is a gingerbread house?"

The three girls giggle, then pull me inside. They point to a miniature house-like creation behind glass. "That's a gingerbread house," Sweetie explains. "It's called that because it looks like a house and is made of gingerbread."

I nod. "What is gingerbread?" I ask.

"A bread like pastry made with ginger," a hyper sounding voice says from behind me.

I turn, and see a very bouncy pink mare with a bouncy pink mane grinning widely at me. Everything but her bright blue eyes seems to be pink and bouncy, and everything including her eyes are open, friendly, and welcoming. "I am Giant George," I say happily. "I am not a tree."

She giggles loudly. "Pleased to meetcha, George! I'm Pinkie Pie!"

Staring into her smiling eyes, I see something I didn't expect to see. With a grin, I say, "And you are not a rock-"

Her hands fly forward to cover my mouth. "Shh!" she hisses out. "That's a secret!" She then giggles as she pulls back. "Besides, that was my daddy!" She bounces behind the counter. "So what can I get you four?"

"I'd like a cupcake!" Sweetie Belle says.

"Smoothie for me," Scootaloo adds.

"I'll take two chocolate chip cookies," Apple Bloom speaks up.

I think for a bit. "Can I have a gingerbread house?" I ask.

Pinkie giggles. "Got it all coming right up!" She bounces away behind the counter for a few moments before bouncing back in front with everything mentioned. "That'll be 15 bits total," Pinkie says happily. "Your gingerbread house would be free as your first purchase, but I'm not allowed to give freebies that cost more than ten bits, so it's half off instead."

Smiling, I open the bag of bits Rarity gave me. "How much is 15 bits?" I ask.

Pinkie glances into the pouch and pulls out the coins. "Looks like exactly this much," she says happily. "Enjoy your treat!"

"I think we will," I say as I follow the fillies to a table. Setting my gingerbread house down, I look over it. "What do I do with this?" I ask Apple Bloom.

"You eat it!" she says from around a mouthful of cookie.

Nodding, I attempt to open my mouth wide enough to fit the gingerbread house inside. My jaw starts to hurt well before I open it wide enough.

Scootaloo laughs as she sets down her smoothie. "Not all at once!" she says. "Not unless you're Pinkie. Just break a piece off in your hand and take bites out of it."

Nodding, I break a piece off the gingerbread house and take a bite. It has a spicy flavor I wasn't expecting, but it is pleasant. I continue to eat the whole thing, feeling the magic inside me break it all down into magic my body can absorb. Before long, we are finished with our sweets. "That was enjoyable," I say.

"Glad you liked it," Pinkie says from over my shoulder. "Listen, I have a bit of a problem. See, I really want to throw you a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party, but you've been in Ponyville for a while, so it isn't exactly welcome since you aren't exactly new, but you are new, so..." She shrugs her shoulders. "So what do I do?"

I think for a bit. "Always before, I was amongst trees," I say. "Today is my first day walking amongst ponies and buildings and all these new things."

Pinkie gasped happily. "I can throw you a 'Welcome to Being a Pony in Ponyville Party'!" she says happily. "Thanks, George! I was really worried about keeping up my party record. I didn't want to leave you out. And if anyone asks about the 'Being a Pony' part, I'll say it's because you aren't a tree!" With that, she flounced happily back towards the kitchen.

I glance at the fillies under my care. "What is a party?" I ask them.

They giggle. "You'll see," Scootaloo says with a wide grin.

I nod. "I suppose I will." I stand up. "I am to walk you to Rarity's," I tell Sweetie Belle.

She sighs and smiles. "Yeah, I'm staying with her for a week."

I tilt my head, confused. "Why do you seem both happy and not-happy?" I ask.

Sweetie shakes her head. "I love spending time with my sister...but we don't always have time to spend together when I am staying with her. She's often rather busy with her work."

I nod. I don't really understand, but I am certain it will make sense eventually. As the fillies stand up, I turn to walk them to their homes.