My Little Pony: The New Pony in Town

1-8: Settling In, And A Good Night's Sleep.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders? What does that even mean? And why are the only members fillies? I asked myself as Applebloom and Scootaloo declared my membership in their club. I am completely and totally mystified by everything they have told me, which hasn't been much.

I had just finished my delicious apple pie Granny made, and I was bringing my plate to the metal sink when I looked out the curtained window above. It was already dark. My first day in Ponyville was quickly ending.

"Thank you for the pie, Granny. It was delish." Applejack complimented Granny as she walked over next to me and placed her own plate in the sink.

"Why, your welcome. Do y'all want some to take over to Artea's place?" Granny chirped at us, her face glowing with happiness.

"Yes! And thank you Granny!" I squealed.

She gave me the rest of her pie, which was about half of it, and she covered it with foil. I took it from her gratefully and said my goodbyes to her, Applebloom, and Scootaloo.

Applejack came back to my barnhouse with me, and on the walk over, I felt I needed to ask her a question.

"Applejack? Why are you so okay with Fluttershy and your brother?" I asked her as I looked at my hooves as we walked through the maze of apple trees. I felt like I needed to know her opinion.

"Why not?" She answered, one eyebrow raised. THAT was unexpected.

"Well, I'd think most people wouldn't be very happy if one of their friends got with one of their relatives. Especially close friends, and close relatives such as your brother." I was still staring at my hooves. The fallen leaves crunched beneath each of our steps, and the sky had grown dark. The moon rose, and it shined brightly in the night sky.

"There's no reason for me to be mad about it. Since they're both so close, I know I can trust them with anything." She said as she nodded at her last word. I felt a bit hurt.

"Why would you need to trust them?" I asked as I stopped and gazed at her. Her blond locks were swaying with her head, and her green eyes looked brave and independent.

She froze at THAT question. Her eyes no longer looked brave.

"What? What would they do?" I cocked my head sideways and was confused. Was she afraid of something? I suddenly felt hopeful that they would mess up somehow.

She looked at me with an unimpressed smirk, "You're an innocent little pony."

I didn't understand what she meant, but she kept walking so I just followed. We didn't really talk about much else. The trees thinned as we approached my new yet old barnhouse. Applejack opened the doors, and they squeaked as my home was revealed to the moonlight.

"Do you want me to sleep with you tonight sugarcube?"

"Um... no its okay. I've got Jose here anyway." I smiled to her.

"Well in case you change your mind, I suppose you can just holler and somepony is probably going to hear you." She said as she gazed at my new home.

"See you tomorrow morning! Oh yeah, we start bucking apples tomorrow, instead of next week!" She was closing the old barn doors.

"Okay! See you!" I told Applejack as I waved goodbye. Applejack closed the barn doors with a squeak, and I could hear her steps as she walked back to the Apple house.

I walked over to my hay bed, and I fell right into it stomach down with a swish. Hay makes really weird sounds.

I was about to drift off to sleep from the comforting hay, and when I felt something crawling up my back.

"GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" I freaked as I frantically jumped off my hay bed and ran to the opposite side of my barn. My breathing and heart rate had increased dramatically. I looked back to see a small brown furball looking at me in the moonlight. He had hay tangled in his fur, and his little furry paws were combing through it.

"DON'T DO THAT, JOSE! YOU PRETTY MUCH GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK. OHMYCELESTIA HOW DID I NOT HEAR YOU?!?!" I was totally freaking out.

Jose made his otter noise and just fell into my bed and started to snooze. How rude of him. He isn't satisfied with his own bed?

I rolled my seagreen eyes and walked back over to my bed. I picked up his unconscious furry little body and lied back down in bed with him in my arms. He squirmed a little, and he was holding one of my pink hooves. It was the cutest thing on earth.

By this time, and my breathing and heartbeat had calmed, so I was slowly slipping into unconsciousness with Jose. The smell of the hay was calming, and the soft light of the moon was coming through the window. I squeezed Jose closer to my chest and nuzzeled my face into the hay. I fell asleep and thought of Sandy, and how it must feel like to like someone the way he does. But I had the bad feeling that I already knew.