My Little Pony: Friendship is a Miracle

Applejack lead Bromley back to her home, neither of them breaking the slightly uncomfortable silence that had settled over them. Sweet Apple Acres came into sight, and still Bromley didn’t offer a single word.

“So... Uh... Y’all mentioned that your line of work isn’t... Needed here?” Bromley’s gaze shifted to her as she looked back at him while still trotting towards her home. He offered a nod, but no clarification.  “... What did yah do?” Bromley stayed silent, and she was about to give him a piece of her mind about his annoying attitude, when he spoke up in his formal monotonous drawl.

“I was a mercenary.” Applejack’s eyes widened at the words and she looked away to hide her shock. She had heard all the manner of strange terminology from listening to Twilight rant about the latest books she was reading. Mercenaries were folks that were hired out to do work that most people weren’t exactly willing to do. Why? Because they were nasty, criminally tainted jobs. Silence once again dropped over the pair, but this time it was tense, and Applejack was growing angry at the man walking next to her; just because of the implications of the work he did.

“... So y’all kill folks?” It was more of an accusation then a question. The gates to her farm were only a few feet away.

“Sometimes. I do many things.” He replied, his tone apathetic. They left it at that as she pushed open the gates with a hoof and called out in a much cheerier tone to her family.

“Ah’m home!” Bromley watched as the small filly he had rescued earlier hurried out of the house, the door closing behind her before reopening and a wrinkled green pony following suit.

“Mister! Applejack where did yah find him?” Applejack looked in between the two, looking confused.

“Yall know this critter Applebloom?” Bromley sighed softly at the title, though said nothing as Applebloom began to explain that he had saved her.

“Yeah! All these wolves were chasin’ me! And he came outta nowhere and made sure they didn’ get me!” Applejack turned back after hearing her story, her eyes giving away how thankful she was to the man.

“Thank yah... For savin’ ‘mah sister.” She smiled then, realizing she had misjudged the strange human. For a moment it seemed as if Bromley’s eyes held a glint of happiness, as if appreciation was much too rare for him, but it disappeared in an instant. Applebloom looked back behind her sister to grin at the man, showing no signs of nervousness. Bromley raised an eyebrow, but his attention was redirected to Granny Smith.

“Who’s this?!” The green pony who had finally reached the group suddenly called out.

“He’s an odd lookin’ one.” She scrutinized him between wrinkly, half-closed eyes. She seemed content after a few seconds though and went to limp back inside with no further comments. Bromley blinked a few times, before a much deeper, masculine voice greeted his ears.

“Eeeyup... He is an odd lookin’ one sis.” Bromley turned his red eyes to stare at the new comer. Big Macintosh rolled the stick of hay between his lips thoughtfully, looking the human up and down. “Yall are might different from them other lanky hooligans in the town. I’m Big Macintosh.” The large horse extended his hoof, a welcoming smile drifting across his face. Bromley, struck by the kindness (and probably the fact that Big Mac was indeed Male) shook the hoof firmly, his lips twitching upward into a smile of his own for a brief second.

“Bromley. Miss Applejack offered me a place to work here.” Big Mac grunted at that and nodded thoughtfully, while Applejack gaped at how many words the man had said to her brother.

“Well... Lets get im’ settled in sis.” Big Mac slowly meandered his way to the door, relaxed as ever. The rest of the family and the new comer human followed after him, and Bromley began to observe his surroundings. It was obviously an apple plantation, and it was thriving with beautiful apples, ripe for the picking. The house was very simplistic, the inside cozy and inviting. Bromley was drawn out of his musings as Big Mac began speaking again.

“Well... We can put you in Applebloom’s room, seeing as we aint got any more spare rooms, or we—” He was cut off as Bromley took a seat on the couch and threw his feet onto the cushion.

“This will do.” Big Mac just shrugged, happy with whatever the newcomer was content with. Bromley closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment's rest. After all, he hadn’t slept in the last 38 hours. Darkness closed in, but the soft hoof falls (foot falls?) of someone else woke him up a short time later.

“Can I get yah some water Mister?” Applebloom was hoping she had gotten the jump on him. From what she could tell, he was peacefully asleep, hands tucked behind his head, his eyes closed. Apparently not though, as he didn’t even twitch.

“No, but thank you.” He replied politely, his eyes not opening.

“Alright... Well, sleep well Mister Bromley.” Bromley sighed softly to himself. His thoughts took  a strange turn as he drifted off into slumber.

“Mission... Terminated. Failure. New Objective.... Unknown.”