After bidding farewell to Applejack and Derpy, I continue on my way to the schoolhouse. It isn't long before I get there, since I've pretty much memorized where it is in relation to the square.

There aren't any ponies outside, which means I probably missed recess. Lovely, so I'll be waiting longer to talk to Cheerilee. Unless I can convince her to let me sit in. I'm also not here on the clock, so I don't have to be so stiflingly polite.

I glance inside the building through a window, though I don't get too close. I can see Cheerilee standing at the front of the room, playing a slideshow of some sort through an old fashioned projector. Well, I say old fashioned, but it's probably top of the line for them.

I can also see all of the fillies with which I'm acquainted, sitting in the front row. Diamond Tiara is there with Silver Spoon. It seems they got most of their assorted items replaced, like the former's tiara and the latter's glasses. But fuck them, I didn't come to see them.

So...either I stand out here for hours, or I get over myself and knock on the damn door. Fuck it, who cares if I interrupt their school day? I'm not sitting on my ass out here for five hours.

Screw knocking. Just like before I throw open the door and walk into the middle of their lesson. As usual, all the little foals turn around and stare in awe at me. Apple Bloom and Sweetie both look at me and wave a hoof, which I return casually. As for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, they spare me one glance, and upon determining my identity, they wince and turn back around.

Cheerilee looks to have been in the middle of a science presentation. Well, one that's tailored for elementary students, if the bright colors and smiley faces are anything to go by. “Just one moment, everypony,” Cheerilee addresses her class, and then she pauses the slideshow or whatever and walks up to me, looking curious. “Hello again, Seth. What brings you to us today?”

“Several things, actually. I don't suppose you've covered spelling and grammar yet today?” I begin. I might be able to pick up a few things if I can sit through one of those lessons.

“Sadly, we have. That lesson is one of the first things we cover, earlier in the day,” Cheerilee tells me ruefully. I curse under my breath. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I can't fucking read. I was hoping to sit in or something,” I admit. Cheerilee winces at my language, but she seems to understand my reasoning.

“You're welcome to come in whenever you'd like, of course. But I'm afraid I can't help you with reading during the school day,” Cheerilee confesses.

“Why not?”

“I'm much too busy, and the students here have already learned the fundamentals of Equestrian. But I'm sure we could come to some sort of arrangement,” Cheerilee assures me. Like what? Private lessons? I doubt I'd have the bits to pay for that. Fuck, there goes that plan. “Of course, if you wouldn't mind waiting until the end of school. That way I can give you the attention you need.”

“Whatever. Do you care if I sit in here? I have nothing else to do, anyway,” I ask her, resigning myself to several hours sitting around, doing almost nothing. Hopefully the subjects in this class will be more interesting than back in my time. Probably not, since it's elementary school material.

“Of course! We'd be glad to have you here. We actually have history coming up shortly; would you mind talking to the students about your species?” Cheerilee acquiesces graciously with a nod of her head...and then gives me a condition. Fuck. Well, I'm probably going to have to leave, since if I say no she'll probably kick me out.

“I'd rather not. I'm not really one for talking in front of crowds.” Suddenly I realize I'm still being polite. Why am I doing that? Probably because she's done nothing but act level headed and treat me with respect. Yeah, that's it. That always goes a long way towards me not being an ass towards you.

“Ah, that's a shame, but I understand. Perhaps another time then,” Cheerilee says, nodding her head. Really? She's just going to let it go? Just like that? No questions asked? “You can take a seat in the back, if you'd like.”

Still wondering what the heck is up with this pony, I move to the back of the room and sit down at one of the desks...and then realize that the seat is way too small for me. Even so, I somehow manage to make it work, though it looks and feels incredibly awkward.

Sitting next to me are one filly I don't know, and then...hey, that's Derpy's daughter. Her name was Dinky, if I remember correctly.

“Hello, mister,” Dinky whispers to me after I sit down. I respond with a short nod. The room goes quiet once more as Cheerilee walks back to the front of it.

“Sorry about the interruption, everypony. This is Seth Rogers, the human that you may or may not have seen around town. He'll be sitting in on our lesson today,” Cheerilee announces, her voice taking on that motherly tone that most elementary teachers are supposed to use. “Say, 'nice to you meet you, Seth Rogers!'”

“Nice to meet you, Seth Rogers!” the class choruses obediently, even those that had already met me. Well, this feels a little odd. I've never actually been in a school environment like this in many years. I'm used to the college classrooms, where nobody gives a shit who you are.

“S'up?” is the eloquent response that comes out of my mouth.

With that, Cheerilee continues the lessons, educating the foals about the different scientist ponies that influenced their society in different ways. I actually recognize a few of the names, since Twilight mentioned a few of them at some point. I bet Twilight could teach this class just as easily as Cheerilee if she wanted to.

I also notice a few scientific facts that are wrong, but I'm not that guy who corrects the teacher. Especially since I'm not sure how much scientific progress ponies have made in comparison to humans. I think we're still ahead, since the ponies have magic.

Then Cheerilee moves on to teach Equestrian history, which I'm particularly interested in. To my shock, the events that she dictates are nothing like what I was expecting. I expected her to talk about the different wars that they've experienced, but it turns out that the ponies haven't really had any outright wars since something called the War of Night and Day, whatever that is. She didn't go into much detail about that, since the foals appeared to already know about it.

Instead, Cheerilee essentially tells us that the closest ponies get to war is the tension between species like the diamond dogs and the dragons. According to her, sometimes groups of them intrude upon Equestrian ground and cause trouble.

Then you've got the countries Equestria is allied with. Apparently Equestria is on good terms diplomatically with Griffons, Zebras, and Minotaurs. So if I ran into one of them on the streets, it would be odd, but not dangerous. Fascinating stuff.

So mostly, history consists of different treaties and land deals, as well as the occasional raid by bolder diamond dogs or dragons, which were almost always repulsed by the Canterlot Royal Guard.

Now, I'm not a history nut by any means, but at this point I'm just gathering in as much information as I can about how things have changed over the centuries. I'm still wondering how in the hell ponies and griffons and dragons evolved over time, if that's the theory I'm going with. It's still a little suspicious that the species that developed share striking resemblances to human myth and legend. That's not even accounting for the magic that somehow came out of nowhere.

The school day ends after a math lesson, which almost puts me to sleep, since she's teaching basic functions, like multiplication. Some of the students appear to be struggling with it, surprisingly.

“All right, students, that's all I have for you today. Have a good day, everypony! Dismissed,” Cheerilee declares, and the school bell rings for whatever reason. The students cheer and get to their hooves. Most of them filter their way out, though a few do say goodbye to me. Not that I responded. I could give less a shit about anypony in the room except for Apple Bloom. And maybe half a shit for Sweetie Belle.

When Apple Bloom reaches me, I note her increasing speed, so I kneel down in anticipation. Her smile widens and then nuzzles my cheek. “Howdy, Seth! Ah can't believe ya went to school with us today!” Apple Bloom says once she backs off.

“Yeah, your sister let me off work, in case you forgot. I don't really have a hobby, nor the money to get one, so I had nothing else to do,” I explain to her, standing back up. I hear a whine down from below. Oh for the...I have to kneel back down again to satisfy Sweetie Belle's need for physical affection as well, though I don't feel the need to reciprocate like I do with Apple Bloom. “Hey, Sweetie Belle.”

Scootaloo stands back from the rest, looking at me strangely. It's not pure hate like it was before, but I'd actually prefer that to this weird look she's giving me, like she's trying to look right through me.

“No hobby? Well, what do ya like ta do?” Apple Bloom inquires. What does she care? I just don't have the money to pursue anything.

“I'll answer that later. I need to speak with Cheerilee. It's why I came here,” I reply.

“Okay! We'll wait outside for ya,” Apple Bloom responds, and then she and her two friends scamper out of the schoolhouse. Soon, it's just Cheerilee and I alone in the room.

“Ah, Seth. Did you enjoy the lesson?” Cheerilee asks cheerfully as I approach her.

“Yeah, I totally loved being taught subjects that I learned when I was five,” I remark. Cheerilee frowns at that. “Don't get me wrong though, I enjoyed the history portion. I know next to nothing about Equestria, so that much was informative.”

“That's good. Now then, I believe you wanted to learn how to read our language?” Cheerilee continues. I don't think she knows how to handle me yet, if that expression of hers is anything to go by.

“Yup. I'm tired of having ponies read my own letters to me,” I grumble. Cheerilee chuckles understandingly.

“Well, if you like, I can tutor you after school, for only two bits an hour,” she offers. 2 bits an hour...so if each session is three hours...that means six bits a day. Add that all together, and my expenses total 12 bits a day.

“That would be great, but that puts me in the red as far as money is worth,” I grunt, feeling disappointed. “I guess I'm wasting your time. See ya.”

Just as I turn to leave, Cheerilee calls after me. “Wait! If you're hurting for money, we can discuss some other options.”

“Like what? I won't accept charity,” I tell her sternly. It's weird how many of these ponies keep trying to do stuff for me without receiving any payment.

“I don't intend to give you charity. I can see this is important to you, so if you can provide me with a service, I won't mind helping you out for free,” Cheerilee assures me. Hm...so basically another equal trade. I should see what she wants before I decide either way. I cross my arms and wait for her to continue. “Would you reconsider speaking for my class? I'm interested in what you have to say as well.”

“I already said no, and I meant it. I don't want to talk about my species, ever,” I snap, my voice cold. This is the third time she's asked, so it's high time I let her know that it's never going to happen. Cheerilee visibly flinches at my rebuttal.

“Oh, I'm very sorry. I didn't realize it was a painful subject for you,” she apologizes, looking at me sympathetically. “How about this: a few days a week, why don't you come in and help out the students in my class that are struggling more than others?”

“What, you mean teaching them math and shit?”

“That's correct. There's simply not enough time in the day for me to look after each and every student and still complete my curriculum for that day. I could use some help,” Cheerilee clarifies for me.

Huh, that's actually not a bad plan. I teach some dumb fuck how to multiply, and I get to learn how to read Equestrian. Seems like a deal to me. “Sounds good. When can I come in to see you?”

“Any day after school, I'll be available for at least two hours,” Cheerilee answers me. I think for a moment, and then I nod.

“Okay. I'll be in Canterlot for who knows how long come tomorrow morning, so I'll take you up on that when I get back,” I inform her. Cheerilee looks surprised, and then interested.

“Oh? Why are you going to Canterlot?”

“None of your damn business,” I snap, because it really isn't.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to pry.” The hell...this pony's ability to stay level headed is fucking impressive. No matter how much I snap at her...she never snaps back. It's like how Applejack is.

“Whatever. Anyway, I have ponies waiting on me. I'm gonna head out now.” I turn to leave once more. This pony makes me uncomfortable. I hear her call out a farewell behind me, just before I shut the door.

Just as expected, there's Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, sitting on their haunches waiting for me. Though Scootaloo is nowhere to be found. That's good, because I don't feel like dealing with her.

“Great, you're back! Let's go then!” Sweetie Belle exclaims upon seeing me, and then she and Apple Bloom cry out, “Yay!”

“Go? Go where? I just came to talk to Cheerilee,” I demand, though in all honesty I'm not really opposed to going with them. At the very least it'll be something to fill up the time.

“Ya still gotta see our clubhouse!” Apple Bloom reminds me. Shit, that's right. She did seem pretty insistent on that the last time I played with her, but then Scorpios happened, so I forgot about it.

“Too bad Scootaloo's not here. Then we could have made it a Cutie Mark Crusaders club meeting,” Sweetie Belle laments. The two of them both let out sighs of disappointment, and then start walking down the path. I follow them as well, easily keeping pace with them.

“And what exactly makes it a meeting, as opposed to like, you know, just hanging out?” I rejoin . There's one thing I just can't understand, and that's all the overhyping, so to speak, that kids do. Like the whole, “the floor is lava,” bullshit, and thinking that three of them is a secret club or something. According to my parents, I'd done shit like that too, but it's been so long, I can't remember anything about my early childhood. Just flashes...and faces.

“We're trying to find our cutie marks! We promised each other that we'd find them together,” Sweetie Belle replies, beaming happily.

“Still not seeing why that qualifies as a meeting,” I point out. At that, the two fillies exchanged confused glances, and then back at me.

“It just does,” Apple Bloom insists. And there it is. I knew there wouldn't be any logical reason. Cutie Mark Crusaders...could they have come up something less dumb? That name still makes me cringe.

“It...just does. Okay, seems legit,” is my deadpan response. I give a small shrug. I might as well drop the subject.

“What does 'legit' mean?” Apple Bloom inquires. Right, that's human slang.

“It's a human phrase. I doubt you ponies would kn...”

“It means genuine, or real. It's short for legitimate,” Sweetie Belle interrupts, though she's addressing Apple Bloom and not me.

“...and I stand corrected. Huh,” I remark.

The rest of the trip to Sweet Apple Acres passes by uneventfully, with the two fillies mostly discussing some of their previous attempts to get cutie marks, though honestly I just tuned them out.

Sweet Apple Acres looks different in the snow. Almost surreal. Most of the snow on the front lawn and path is undisturbed, save for a few sets of hoofprints leading between the main living area to the different outlying structures. Seems like the Apple family has been doing some work, even on a frigid day like this. Though without crops, what do farmers do?

“Oh! I know what we should do!” Sweetie Belle explains. You know, I never really paid attention, but that little squeak in her voice that pops up every now and then is really cute. “We should try to get our cutie marks in snow fort making!”

“Yeah, that's a great idea! We can do that after we show Seth the clubhouse,” Apple Bloom agrees, her eyes lighting up. As for me....

What even the fuck...I doubt anypony can get a damn cutie mark in something like that. I mean, A pony that gets a talent like that would be essentially useless, right? Nopony is going to buy a damn snow fort.

“I don't have any gloves,” I point out. They look at me oddly.

“What are gloves?” Apple Bloom asks, tilting her head to one side. Wait really? Right...they don't have hands, and I doubt hooves can get cold. That's totally unfair...you two don't even know how many humans have lost their hands or feet because of the fucking cold.

“I have hands. See these things?” I waggle my fingers before their bewildered eyes. They look amazed, like they'd never seen a hand before. Which they probably haven't. “They're not all hard like your hooves are. They get cold. Fast.”

“Does that mean ya can't make a snow fort with us?” Apple Bloom asks piteously. Uh oh, is she going to pull that stupid bullshit with the puppy dog eyes and shit...and there it is. Dammit, does she do that purposefully, or is it just a passive ability she has?

“Sorry, filly, frostbite is still frostbite. Unless you have something to keep my hands warm, I'mma have to sit this one out,” I tell her matter of factly. Instead of getting discouraged, the two fillies instead start thinking hard. I hope they're not scheming anything stupid.

“I have an idea! Why don't we use oven mitts?” Sweetie Belle suggests suddenly as we near the main barn.

“Oven mitts?” I repeat listlessly, but I'm ignored.

“That's a great idea! Ah think there's a pair in the kitchen. Ah'll be raht back!” With that, Apple Bloom dashes into the barn, knocking the door open with a hoof and disappearing inside. I can already hear Applejack and Granny Smith making surprised noises.

“Fillies,” I groan, facepalming. Just like kids in my world, the moment they get their mind set on something, they're gone. I hear Apple Bloom coming back before I see her.

“Apple Bloom, what in tarnation are ya...” I hear Applejack's voice say.

“NotimetotalkgonnabuildsnowfortswithSethgottagobye!” Apple Bloom answers hurriedly before she zooms back out into the snow in front of us. She slides to a stop, scattering snow over us, so I have to cover my face with my arm.

“Fillies,” Applejack remarks from inside, much to my amusement.

Apple Bloom hoofs me the oven mitts she was talking about. Feeling them, I can tell they're made of something like nylon. They're not the kind of mitts I'm used to though, since they're made for hooves, but I can use them. I slip them on over the cuffs of my jacket. That stretches the material such that it will stay firmly on my hands.

“Let's see,” I muse, reaching down. It's easy to scoop up some snow from the ground. I crush it against my fingers from within the mitt, and thankfully, I barely feel the cold. “Good enough. Now let's go, since you seem to be dead set on showing me this clubhouse of yours.”

“Yay! Follow us, Seth,” Apple Bloom cheers, and then she and Sweetie Belle scamper away from the barn, and towards the apple orchard. Their clubhouse is in the orchard? How come I never saw it when I was working out here before?

Probably because I never cared to look back here. It's very close to the barn, so all of the apple trees were stripped bare, so there was never any need for my work with Applejack to take me back this way.

“Ta-da! There it is. Are you impressed?” Apple Bloom proclaimed, indicating the tiny ass house in the tree with a hoof.

Not really. It doesn't really look like much. I mean, it's fancy that these kids actually have a clubhouse, but it's practically a glorified box. It seems like some effort was put into making it, as the building is suspended halfway up the tree by a wooden platform that's held up by wooden support beams. The platform is larger than the base of the house, so it's got it's own little porch, complete with wooden railings and everything.

There's a set of stairs leading up to the front door...and by stairs I'm being generous. I mean a ramp with lumps on it. It wishes it was a staircase. There's two windows, one on the right wall of the house, and another just above the door, though why it's up there I have no clue. I doubt this place has a second floor.

“Whatever. At least you have one,” is the best response I can come up with. The two of them look at me oddly.

“What do you mean?” Sweetie Belle questions. Yeah, I don't feel like explaining how spoiled you two are to actually have this. Well...I guess 'spoiled' is a little to strong of a word, because Apple Bloom is in a farming family, so I bet she works her little ass off. Even so, you don't see many kids in my time having fucking treehouses.

“Nevermind. Aren't you going to show me the inside?” I state, attempting to divert their attention. Which of course, works, since they're fillies.

“Yeah! Come on Seth, you'll love it!” Apple Bloom cheers, and she and Sweetie Belle dash up the stairs to the clubhouse. I hope they don't expect me to run that fast. There's no force in the world that'll make me do anything other than take my time right now.

The inside of the clubhouse isn't anything special either. It's devoid of any kind of furniture except for a small table and a box. There's a small oil lantern there as well that looks to be lit by a string mechanism, hanging above the table. There are some posters and drawings on the wall, and some brightly colored drapes. And that's it. They don't really have much.

“There's not really much here,” I state, being brutally honest. When they look at me for clarification, I continue. “Where the hell do you sit? Or like, where do you keep the supplies needed to draw those pictures you have up there? Better yet, there's no place for any kind of storage here. How can you be satisfied with this?”

“Because it's ours!” Apple Bloom answers proudly, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. I give them a deadpan stare. Really? The logic these fillies use continues to astound me. It's so...simple. They call themselves a club because they feel like it, and live in a dingy little house like this, and they love it because it's theirs. Is their life really that simple to enjoy? “Sweetie Belle, if ya would?”

I hide a smirk, both at Apple Bloom's attempt to sound fancy, and when Sweetie Belle starts strutting around self importantly, giving me a “tour of the premises,” in her own words.

“This is our cutie mark planning spot, where we think of our daily crusades! See, this little lamp is what we use when we indicate we have an idea!” Sweetie begins, while my disbelief continues. Sweetie Belle continues to detail the “super important” roles each single piece of decoration does. This is just dumb. I feel like I'm losing neurons just listening to this.

“But...we don't need any of this right now, because we already know our crusade for today,” Sweetie Belle finishes, and then she looks at Apple Bloom expectantly.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SNOW FORT MAKERS YAY!” the two of them cheer at the top of their damn lungs. Ow...my eardrums. Fucking fillies and their damn energy. Also...what the fuck did they just say? I think I just felt myself die a little inside. I don't want to write that again, because it was so fucking stupid.

“Do it with us, Seth?” Apple Bloom offers.

“No,” is my immediately response. They both approach me, smiling.

“Come on, it'll be fun!”

“No.”

“Please?”

“Hold on, let me think about this for a second...no!”

“But...”

“Oh my God...no.” Finally, the two fillies give up, sighing in disappointment. You've got another thing coming if you think I'd ever say something so unbelievably stupid. I don't think I've ever cheered for something in my life, and I'm not about to start now, especially not for making fucking snow forts.

“Oh well. Next time, then,” Sweetie Belle says nonchalantly. Right, like you'll convince me that easily.

“Fergit that, let's make snow forts!” Apple Bloom declares. Sweetie Belle agrees with another loud cheer, and the two of them dash out of the clubhouse. Which means I'm once again following them back out at my own pace.

Yeah, this practically takes up the rest of my damn day. The storm doesn't get here until sundown, and by then, we've had enough time to exhaust ourselves making useless snow forts.

Even though I say that, I did have some degree of fun. To the point where I feel like writing down what happened.

So it starts simple. I stand there with my back against the tree watching them attempt to build their own snow fort. By attempt, I mean fail miserably. It's almost painful watching them throw together a pile of snow and attempt to make it into a building. That's not how you....ugh, and now a pile of snow fell on Sweetie's face. What did you think was going to happen if you tried making a roof without support?!

Come to think of it, is this even good snow for molding? Reaching down and scooping up a wad of snow for myself answers that question well enough. The snow here is thick and sticks together. Hell, this is perfect. Any kid in my time would kill for snow like this back where I lived.

“Ack!” I look to see that the whole construct had collapsed on Apple Bloom after she'd attempted to make a wall taller. She stuck her little head out of the snow pile, snuffling adorably. It kills me how cute this filly is.

“No, maybe we should make the roof last? Just build the exterior first?” Sweetie suggests, making me facepalm.

“The what now?” Apple Bloom asks.

“The outside,” Sweetie clarifies. Apple Bloom nods in understanding as if it's a smart thing to do. I can't take it anymore. As they go to try again, I get involved.

“No no no no, and no. You're doing it so wrong, I don't even know where to start,” I interrupt them, joining them at the felled pile of snow. They look at me with a mixture of happiness and curiosity on their face. I guess they're glad I'm finally joining them. “First, you don't 'build the exterior first.' Without support, the walls are just going to fall over every time. Second, what the hell were you thinking, building the roof so early? And third, why...oh god why, are you trying to build your next attempt on the failed remains of your last one?!”

“Why don't you give it a try then? You seem ta know an awful lot about fort makin',” Apple Bloom suggests, indicating the pile with her front hooves.

“Are you nuts? I'm not doing this on my own. This was your idea, so you're going to help me. Get your scrawny little tails over here,” I snap at them irritably. I expect them to recoil, but instead I get another cheer.

“Aye aye, forepony!” Forepony? Do they mean...foreman? This world is so dumb in so many different ways.

I'd like to say I made a badass fort that looks like fucking Camelot or something...oh, pardon me, I mean Canterlot...but that's not how things turn out at all. These little fillies are fucking destructomites.

So the first fort I attempt to make with them, I misjudge the amount of support I need to make the first level, and so it crumbles back into the drift.

The second time, I get that part right, but then Apple Bloom trips into the wall, the fort tips over from the wind of the approaching storm, and then it crumbles back into the drift.

But the third one stays up! Pfah, I'm lying. Of course it doesn't. This time, Sweetie Belle decides to blame the failure of the last fort on Apple Bloom, so the two of them scuffle so hard they destabilize the thing. And this time, I'd gotten so far, we already have a roof. So what do you think happens when they hit the wall?

It all fucking collapses on us. So I end up getting trapped under at least a pound of freezing cold snow, courtesy of those two fuckers.

“Goddamn it, Sweetie Belle!” I curse loudly, poking my head up from the snow drift. I spit snow out of my mouth. I'm shivering now, because I'm pretty sure there's snow in every single article of clothing I'm wearing.

Sweetie Belle pops her head out of the drift next, laughing nervously. “Sorry forepony,” she says sheepishly. Apple Bloom pops out next, and proceeds to stare at Sweetie Belle accusingly.

“I give the fuck up. Making snow forts is impossible,” I admit, hoisting myself out of the snow and shaking myself free of all the snow. Of course, I can't get rid of all of it, considering some of it is in my clothes.

“My sis says never ta give up. We jus' gotta keep tryin!” Apple Bloom attempts to assure me, but I'm past caring. The sun is going down, I'm freezing, and I swear to god I'm going to throw Sweetie Belle at a tree.

“Apple Bloom! You out here?” That's not Sweetie Belle. We all look over to see that Applejack has entered the clearing. And there's nowhere to hide from her. She spots us easily, smiling, but when she sees me, she stops and looks at me oddly. “Seth? Yer with ma sister again?”

“So? Quit fucking looking at me like that,” I growl, not appreciating her question. I can already tell what's going to happen. She's gonna start making assumptions, and then challenge my character, and other such bullshit that people (or ponies) do when they see me acting even a little bit nice. Pisses me the fuck off.

“Are ya sure ya ain't friends with ma sister?” Applejack remarks, stepping forward with a smile. As I rub my forehead in annoyance, she helps Apple Bloom out of the snow drift.

“Clearly you ponies have a hard time minding your own goddamn business. It's no concern of yours who I choose to spend my time with,” I snap, my anger rising. Applejack's smile drops immediately.

“Let's get somethin' straight here, pal,” Applejack says calmly, but her voice is more intense than I've ever heard it before. Her expression changes to match that, and I instinctively take a step away from her when she approaches me. When she's close enough to look me directly in the eyes, she continues. “Yer right, it don't matter to me who ya hang with. But when it's ma sister we're talkin' about, it's always ma business.”

“Sheesh, all right,” I relent, and Applejack backs off, her smile returning. That wasn't terrifying or anything.

“Good. Glad we got that straightened out,” she affirms, nodding. I shiver a little bit. Couldn't you have at least yelled at me a bit? I don't think I've ever been called out like that before. I can't help but respect her for it...especially since I realize now that she's right. Adam was always protective of me. I guess I can't fault her for doing the same for Apple Bloom.

Applejack turns to the two fillies. “Apple Bloom, why don't ya run back to the house. Granny Smith says dinner's on the table. Sweetie Belle, you can come too.”

“Okay! Bye Seth!” Apple Bloom says, and then she and a happy Sweetie Belle run back towards the barn, leaving Applejack alone with me.

“Want to join us?” Applejack offers. Seriously? Again? Even after I snapped at you like that? What is with this pony?

“My answers still the same, Applejack. No.” Once again, Applejack is still not phased, despite this being like the hundredth time I've denied her.

“Okay. I'll see ya when ya git back from Canterlot then.” she acknowledges, and she turns her back and moves back towards the farm. I watch her go, and then for some reason, I call after her.

“Applejack?” She stops and looks back at me curiously. “Your sister's pretty cool.”

Applejack appears stunned for a few seconds, and then she grins and tips her hat. “That she is, Seth. You have a good naht now.”

I'm just about to walk onto the street where Vinyl's place is when a gust of wind lets me know somepony is paying me a visit. And since I only know three winged ponies that would go out of their way to see me it's likely Flitter or R

“S'up, Seth?” It's Rainbow Dash. She hits the ground gracefully and proceeds to walk next to me, since I don't stop.

“Hey Rainbow. Nothing much, unless you count Sweetie Belle being a walking disaster,” I remark. I don't know what my mood is supposed to be right now, so I'm actually rather glad she's here. She is like, the only pony I'll actually go out of my way to talk to.

“Oh no, tell me she didn't try to cook for you,” Rainbow says with a knowing grin. I raise an eyebrow at that.

“No, but I'm making a mental note to never let that happen,” I assert. I can't even imagine what kinds of disasters she'd cause in the kitchen if she can't even keep from wrecking a damn snow fort. “We were making snow forts, and she practically wrecked every one.”

“Hah, I can totally see that happening. I'm glad you and the girls are getting along so well,” Rainbow says with a smile.

“Whatever.”

“By the way, I heard you're going to Canterlot,” Rainbow divulges, no doubt wanting me to give her more information.

“Probably from Derpy or Vinyl. What does it matter? I'm just going there to transport her shit around,” I reply bitterly. Then suddenly I remember Applejack telling me Rainbow has been wanting to go to Canterlot. I feel like I'd hate the trip less if I had a friend with me. “What, did you want to go too?”

“What? Heck yeah, dude, I'd love to go. But I don't really want to go by myself, you know?” Rainbow answers as if it were obvious. I now see a chance to poke fun at her. Because I'm an asshole, I take it.

“What, is this the Rainbow Dash, being too scared to go to the big city all on her own?” I tease her. Rainbow nudges me good-naturedly.

“Yeah right! I could do it no problem! It's just less fun without something to share the experience with,” Rainbow explains with a grin.

“So are you wanting to go too?” Rainbow leans in towards me with a sly look on her face.

“Are you offering?” She asks, looking somewhat shifty. What the hell, Rainbow? Just accept already.

“Well, duh. I wouldn't ask if I didn't mean it.”

“All right! It's a date!” Rainbow declares, causing me to pause and look at her in shock. Oh hell no...

“No it isn't,” I tell her plainly. Rainbow just laughs.

“Figure of speech, Seth. Don't take it seriously. Like I'd date you anyway.” she explains, somehow managing to toss a sarcastic insult in there too. Even despite that, I feel relieved. That would just get really awkward, really fast if she'd been serious. “This is going to be great though!”

“Why? We're just going to the city...”

“Why? Because the Wonderbolts are having a show there that I think we should go see. It'll be totally awesome, I swear. Oh, and there's a Wonderbolts gift shop there that I have to go to every time I'm in Canterlot.” Rainbow's momentum just doesn't seem to be stopping. “We should go there together. They sell some awesome stuff that you really...”

Oh god, what have I started?

Author's Notes:

So I had planned for him to be in Canterlot this chapter. That didn't happen. I keep telling my readers that this story writes itself, but it's weird when you're writing, you know it's happening, but you can't really control it. It's fucking surreal, I tell you.

But, I did get what I wanted out of the way. Rainbow, he, and Vinyl are going to Canterlot, and it's going to be great. I have a lot planned for it. Stay tuned for a lot more character introductions.