Bonds Between Worlds ch 2

By

(May 5th, 1988, Nico’s Log

Today marks the second month since my arrival in this world simply called Earth. My injuries upon my arrival from my home Equestria have healed, my previously thought broken ribs turning out to be merely bruised, but still very painful and slow to recover. I’ve begun to repay my debts to my employers, the Apple Family of Earth. My first job is to inspect the many apple trees on the farm for disease and apply the proper cure so that in the summer the produce is healthy.

So far the Apples have not questioned my origins, though Mr. Crab Apple remains hostile for reasons unknown. Mr. Bailey Apple, the owner of the farm, seems to think I am one of this world’s soldiers, recently returned from a current conflict. He himself a former soldier of an event dubbed the Korean War, seems he also participated in another conflict not long before, called World War 2. There are many who revere him for his service and I feel shame for not setting the record straight about my status. On the one hand, I am a soldier, but I am not a soldier of this nation’s army. However my feels are all but mute at this point, as this is a problem I should have squared away right away, but until recently I did not know what my assumed status meant to the people of this world. I fear revealing the truth may not be in my best interest, though it weighs heavy on my conscious to keep silent.

Moving on to other matters, I have begun to grasp this world’s vocabulary. Mare and Stallions, are woman and man and ponies are people and hands are the best evolution nature ever made. As my knowledge of this world grows it makes my heart long for home, though. Magic seems nonexistent in this world as such I have no means of figuring out a way home, my only consultation is Madhoof is dead.

(End of Log)

Nico held the hand sprayer in his hands while pointing the wand at the tree. He walked around the tree spraying the entire base of the tree. Seems some disease was making its way through this breed of tree and it was his job to put a stop to it.

He started his work early in the morning, when the sun barely showed over the horizon, it was now half past noon and he had already eaten his prepared lunch. He was far away from the farmyard; basically, he was in the middle of nowhere. He could easily hop up in a tree and nap for an hour and no one would be the wiser. Not that he would, he could imagine the scolding Commander Sixes would give him if he did, the only pony worse would be Commander Fury, he was always to calm and then boom! He was mad as hell.

On the other hand, Luna was probably the worse one to be scolded by, not that she was harsh, just the opposite. She made you feel bad because she made you know you disappointed her and no pony in Night Patrol would ever want to disappoint their Princess.

Working his way along the trees Nico heard the sound of water splashing. There was a pond just over yonder, probably just a fish or some animal, none the less it was next on his map of trees to work, so he headed that way. Walking out into the clearing he took a moment to appreciate the view.

A speck of red by the shore caught his attention and he walked closer for a better look. The red turned out to be a flannel shirt with a pair of jeans folded beneath it. Setting his sprayer down he picked up the clothes, a white pair of panties and bra fell from between the shirt and pants. Hastily he set them back down and stepped away. Someone was here, naked, and they were female.

This world was very strict when it came to clothes and when or where a man or woman could be without them. He didn’t know if this was the entire world or just the Apples, but he was living with the Apples so their rules mattered more than the worlds. He did wonder why Applejane didn’t out him during their first… no second meeting, but she was probably too embarrassed to say anything and it only happened once… and Applejane just popped out of the water.

She looked at him like deer in headlights, clearly surprised by his presence and he just looked at her with mild interest and her naked chest she seemed to be in too great of shock to cover. Humans were certainly different then ponies was his conclusion after looking at what he assumed were her teats.

Applejane shrieked, covered her chest and sank down to her neck in the water. Another thing about humans, they were rather shy about their bodies.

“What are you doing here?” She demanded from her position in the water, her face redder than a red apple.

“I’m working, what are you doing?” Applejane didn’t seem to like his reply as she humphed and turned her away. He shrugged it off, walking closer to the pond and kneeling at the water’s edge. He poked the surface with his finger sending ripples throughout the entire pond. “Water’s cold, is it that hot today?”

The temperature was around sixty-five, not really skinny dipping weather, but what did he know. “You’re pretty tough for a creature without fur to swim in this.”

“I was about to get out before you came,” growled Applejane, seems he made her angry. She was gone to school most of the day so Nico didn’t really see her often, except at supper, so he hasn’t really gotten to know her as well as the other Apples.

“Well get out then, I’m not stopping you.”

“Not with you around! I told you before… never mind, if you’re just gonna be a perv, then I’m just gonna sit here and freeze and when I catch a cold it’ll be your fault.”

Nico rolled his eyes, “I’m not perverted I just don’t care. From what I am able to gather you are considered attractive, why have you ashamed your body? Also, I recall you seeing me naked before, I don’t see how this is any different.”

Applejane’s jaw dropped, “This is different! This is very different! We were at the house, my family was downstairs, here were out in the middle of nowhere! You could…”

“I could what?”

If was possible Applejane seemed became even redder as she poked her fingers together and she averted her gaze, “You could… well… you know… you and me on the grass and all that…”

Mating, she was talking about mating, again he wasn’t really feeling a heat coming on like back home, but that might not be a valid comparison anymore now that he thought about it. Still, it was interesting at least. He usually wasn’t much for studying, mainly because he never had time back home in Equestria, too many monsters to fight to study, but he didn’t have a choice in his current situation, maybe he could finally get her to come clean about human mating habits.

“Are you saying you want to mate with me?” He asked her frankly. Sometimes that was just the best way to go, though judging her shock and horror filled eyes, a little tact might have been better.

“I… um…a…I mean I just turned nineteen this year so legally I could without needing my folk’s permission, but I was… I was… um maybe waiting for marriage like my ma did, but I… I don’t know…” Applejane’s brow creased into a frown. “This may sound like a strange question, but how old are you again?

Nico chuckled, “No idea, as far as my memories go back I’m probably only two. Look, why don’t we finish this on dry land and you fully clothed and not freezing your flank off. I’ll even turn around if it helps.”

He did just that and the sound of water splashing, followed by footsteps came from behind. The sound of clothing ruffling indicated Applejane was dressing. He waited a full minute and a half before turning around. She stood with her hair still wet and her parts of her clothes damp from where she failed to dry. She was looking embarrassed and strangely… cute if there was a word to describe what he was seeing properly. She wore her buttons down, revealing more of her cleavage than normal. She crossed her arms over her chest when she noticed his stare.

“They’ll dry faster is all,” she huffed.

“If you say so,” he chuckled leaning back against a tree. Applejane sat against the tree across from him and stared at him for several minutes. He waited for her to ask the first question.

“So according to you… your two?”

“Maybe not physically or mentally, but yes, I only have two years of memories, everything else is blank.”

“Is that why you talk to so strange? You’ve been doing it less and less, but when we first found you, you acted like you didn’t know what hands or certain words and tools were.”

(Golden goose of an accuse, I’ll have to remember that next time I screw up my language.)

“Perhaps, can’t say for sure,” Nico replied, now it was his turn. “So why were you out swimming? It isn’t that hot.”

Applejane poked the ground with a blush across her cheeks; she was going turn red permanently at this rate. “I was… I was just living out a fantasy. I have these two friends, their sisters, they always talk about how they do these crazy things like go skinny dipping and I… I guess I wanted to try it. I didn’t think I would get spotted on my first try, please don’t tell my folks.”

“Can’t see how that would benefit me, so I guess I won’t, but I’m really not seeing what the big deal is. You went swimming naked, is that so strange?”

“Usually you wear a swimsuit when you swim; it covers your privates, so you can swim publicly. You know what I’m wearing in that picture on the wall when I won my school swim rally? There’s also this one of me and friends at the beach and I’m wearing a bikini.”

Nico blinked picturing the imagines in his head, he’s seen both. The swim competition one had Applejane wearing a leotard like thing that was skintight and the second one he saw when he accidently picked off the ground one day. The second one looked like she was wearing only underwear, yet it was proper to been in public? Why?

He shook his head, “I don’t understand your customs. You cover your bodies out of shame and a need for warmth, and it’s improper for me to see you in only your underwear, yet if you wear this… bikini, which seems to have the same shape as underwear, it's ok?”

“Well...” Applejane frowned, “Huh, I never thought of it like that…”

The shadows moved and Nico looked up towards the sun and back down, judging that they’ve been talking for almost an hour. He better get back to work.

“Good talk Miss Applejane, we’ll have to do it again sometime. Made when you’re not skinny dipping.” He chuckled just to tease her one more time.

Blushing Applejane hugged her knees and rested her head on her knees and sighed, “Yeah, we’ll have to do this again.”

-

Finishing his work Nico made his way to the water hydrant and cleaned his sprayer. As he rinsed the sprayer with water he heard a commotion over by the barn. The sprayer cleaned well enough he left it where it laid and walked over to investigate. He heard the voices of Crab Apple and Washington from around back by the corral and headed towards them. When the two came into view he spotted another farm hand on the back of a horse, getting sent on the ride of his life as the stallion bucked for all it was worth.

“Come on! Get that stallion under control!” Demanded Crab Apple angrily as the farmhand was bucked off the horse, it would be the third on to be today. “Damn
Peaches selling us this god forsaken horse. I told Pa that price was too good!”

“Calm yourself Crab, we’ll get him broke, it’s just going to take some time.”

“Time is something we don’t got. We need a horse to ride, and we got an eight hundred dollar pain in the ass!

As the two argued about the horse, Nico stood aside and looked the creature over. He supposed he should feel a sort of kinship with the horse as they were both equines and he could understand not wanting to be ridden. Back in Equestria, it was an insult to just get on some pony’s back without permission. The horse whinnied and Nico frowned, the sound familiar, almost like he could understand it. He’s seen an earth horse from afar for a while now, but this the first time he really got close like this. Determined to find out if he could really understand the horse, he climbed the fence and hopped in the pen.

“Hey, Nico get back! That thing could kill you!” Washington warned.

Nico waved him off, “It’s alright. I’m just going to talk to him.”

Washington and Crab shared a look, what did he mean talk?

The horse warily eyed Nico as he approached, whinnying a warning, (Stay back human! I will not be ridden!)

“That’s fine by me; I don’t like people riding on my back either.”

The horse looked at him in surprise, (You… you can understand me?)

“I guess I can, I was a pony myself, but I’m genuinely surprised that I can still talk equine.” Nico glanced towards the fence, he was talking softly so Washington and Crab wouldn’t hear him, and if they could they would hear the whinnies coming out of his mouth. “Listen, I know you don’t like it, but these folk really need to be able to ride you. Think you could settle down and behave for them?”

(Why should I? The last humans that owned me didn’t treat me with respect!)

“Sorry to hear that, but I promise these humans won’t and if they do you tell me and I’ll make your case.” Nico placed his hand on the horse’s neck and rubbed it, “How about we start with a proper introduction. I’m Nico Vega, what’s your name?”

The horse leaned into his hand, “I’m Booster.”

“Nice to meet you Booster, welcome to Sweet Apple Acres, now what can I do to get you to behave? Some extra oats at night maybe?”

Booster snorted, (That would be agreeable, but…)

“But…”

(There is this mare in the next stall over, the human mare, the young one with the long hair and dots on her face, she always give that mare a hug around the face. The mare is always spouting about how soft her… um… I’m not sure what they're called, but they are below her face. She says their softer then straw. Anyways, I want to see if this is true, for that and the extra oats, I will let them ride me.)

Looking back to fence Nico noticed a crowd as gathered and in that crowd as Applejane. He waved her over and she gave him a confused look as she pointed to herself. He nodded and urged her over and she broke from the crowd and crawled over the fence.

“What is it?” She whispered still embarrassed about earlier.

“Hug Booster here for me,” Nico said pulling the reins so the horse’s face was right in front of her.

“What? Why?”

“He says he’ll behave if you hug him like you do for the mare next to him, also for extra oats.”

Applejane scoffed, “What are you some kind of horse whisperer? This guy has been causing us trouble for weeks!”

“If you do this I promise he’ll be as gentle as nag for now on.”

She puffed her cheeks, but opened her arms wide and wrapped them around Booster’s neck and laid his muzzle on her chest. He trotted happily and whinnied as she let go, trotting around them.

(She was right, they are softer then straw! Alright, I will I let you and her ride me, but no one else!) He raised a front leg and pointed at Nico and Applejane and then stomped the ground and made another circle around them before presenting himself to the two of them.

“He says he’ll let you and me ride him, but that’s it.”

“You can’t be serious,” scoffed Applejane as Nico climbed into the saddle, which was the weirdest feeling he’s ever experienced yet in this world, riding atop his own breed, that and ponies of this world sure were tall.

“See?” Said Nico, as he took Booster around the pen, the stallion trotting calmly and not making any attempts to buck him off, he rode back to Applejane and hopped down presenting her with the reins as the crowd clapped and cheered. “Wanna give him a try?”

Applejane took the reins but didn’t get on, “Some other day, it’s almost suppertime. For us and them.”

“Don’t forget to give him extra oats! That’s was his second condition to let us ride him!”

“I got it, I got it,” She said dismissively.

As Applejane disappeared into the barn a set of hurried footsteps ran up behind Nico. He turned around to Washington who grabbed his hand and shook it.

“While I’ll be, you got that horse tamed faster than anybody I’d ever seen before! How’d you do it?”

Nico grinned, “You just got to know the language.”

Washington blinked and then laughed, “If you say so, we’ll have to make you our official horse breaker after this. Come on to the house, Granny’s got supper cooking for us. You deserve a good meal after that.”

“Was that really such a big deal?” He asked as they walked towards the fence. Crab Apple grunted, looking his usual self, but with a smile playing on his lips.

“Pa bought that horse from the Peaches, it was too wild for them and I said it was too wild for us too, but he did it anyway. He said he was sure someone here was tough enough to break it in. Though you were the last one I would’ve bet on. My loss I guess.”

“You bet on me Mr. Washington?” The taller man shook his head and pointed up towards the hill were Bailey Apple stood smoking a pipe.

“I didn’t, he did,” Washington said slapping Nico on the back, “I think the old man was right about you. Now come on, I’m starved.”

At the house, the Apple’s dining table was completely full with the entire Apple family, plus Nico there, who was feeling a bit out of place among the family as he awkwardly sat across from Applejane with Bailey just beside him at the head of the table. On his plate was bovine, aka cow, he found out humans were omnivores, meaning they eat pretty much everything, including meat. He stared at the roasted cow and mashed potatoes covered in gravy and placed atop a slice of bread, roast beef commercials is what they were called. He’s mostly been eating by himself, so he’s stuck to the normal pony diet of vegetables and fruits and grains, this would be his first attempt to eat meat.

“Don’t be so nervous Nico, dig in!” Bailey encouraged him as the elderly man dug into his own food with gusto, bits of juicy dripping from his mouth as he devoured the meat.

“Grandpa you’re so messy!” Cried Applejane as she passed the old man a napkin, he just chuckled as he wiped his mouth.

“When you live through the thirties and forties, you don’t have time for table manners.”

“It’s almost the nineties; you had over fifty years to develop table manners.”

“Your grandmother said the same thing when it was the sixties.” Bailey teased flicking a speck of potatoes onto Applejane’s shirt; she gasped and quickly wiped it off, giving her grandfather a glare that could kill which only made him laugh harder.

While they were being a distraction Nico dug out the potatoes around the meat and ate them. Really he was only buying time. He would have to eat the meat; it would rude and a waste of food not too.

“So,” said Bailey finally stopping his teasing. “I heard you got Booster to settle down Nico, nice work. I made fifty bucks off Crab and Washington here thanks to you.”

“Congrats sir, glad I was of assistance,” replied Nico as he stared at his plate with only the meat left. Where was their dog at? He’s seen Applejane feed the dog the scraps before; maybe he could sneak his portion of roast to it.

“So how’d you get so good with horses Nico? It was almost like you could understand it,” said Washington, “I couldn’t really tell from the fence, but it looked like you were talking to it like you would a person.”

Nico laughed humorlessly, “Oh, I’ve been around them almost my whole life, so I guess I have a knack for them.”

“So you were with horses for two years?” Applejane said suddenly drawing stares. Whether this was on purpose or accident didn’t matter, he was about to be in some hot water.

“Two years, what are you talking about Applejane?” Asked Granny Looking confused with the others. Applejane seemed to realize what she did and looked to Nico wondering what to do. He didn’t tell her to keep his only two years old a secret, but it was still a personal thing that she probably shouldn’t have brought up.

“Well um… I asked Nico how old he was and he said he was only two because he only remembers two years of his life.” She mouthed a ‘sorry’ to him as all eyes went from her to Nico.

“You have amnesia?” Granny gasped with sympathy in her voice.

“Does explain some of your kooky speech,” mumbled Crab Apple.

“It’s not a big deal,” Nico said quickly before anyone else could speak. Mindlessly he picked at his plate with his fork and speared some of the meat and raised it to his lips and ate it. His body froze as the juicy meat went down his throat for the first time as his eyes widened. It was delicious.

Immediately Nico dug in savagely, attacking the meat like a hungry wolf, which earned a chuckle from Bailey as he scooped more meat and potatoes onto Nico’s plate.

“I was wondering why such a young man was avoiding Granny’s roast, I guess you haven’t eaten meat in your two years.” Nico nodded mindlessly as he continued to stuff his face. “I glad; I was worried you might have been one of those vegan types.”

“Dad!”

“What?”

“You know what!”

“If you’re talking about that hippy you dated before Washington, Butterhoof…”

“Tenderhoof!”

“Whatever, I’m not apologizing!” Bailey stated firmly as he scooped the rest of the meat and potatoes onto Nico’s plate. “See this young man get it.”

Granny just crossed her arms, lamenting her small fling with Tenderhoof before she met Washington. She had mainly gone out with the blonde hippy as a way get back to her dad during her rebel phase, something he never let die, even twenty years later.

Bailey smiled as he remembered fondly the memory of breaking Tenderhoof’s arm, the first and last time the skinny hippie tried to get in bed with his daughter. He didn’t get far. Call him old fashioned, call him overbearing, which he was, but he had standards for his son in laws. Thankfully Granny found Washington after that.

“As fun as this has been, we do have some more serious matters at hand pa,” said Crab as he picked his empty plate on the counter and began filling the sink with soap and water.

Bailey turned serious, “More wolf attacks right?”

“Yeah, a neighbor was complaining about a calf being torn apart at the café today. Funny thing is there was a lot of meat left behind. Kind of like last time. You remember?”

Bailey’s fist tightened, “Yeah, I remember.”

“What happened last time,” asked Nico finally recovering from his food high. Bailey’s eyes drifted to Applejane, something that only Nico noticed before they snapped back and the old man’s usual smile returned.

“Nothing you need to worry about. Come on, let’s get the dishes cleaned.”

Everyone helped with dishes after supper, as long as it wasn't harvested, then it was up to Granny, but for now it was a family effort, which made the task get done quickly. Once it was done Crab and Washington went into the living room and turned on the baseball game. TV was another fascinating thing to Nico, it was the closest thing to magic he’s seen in this world so far. Still, this world's sports didn’t interest him, so as the family settled down for the game, he snuck out. He only got as far as the porch when Bailey called out to him.

“Here,” he said tossing Nico two objects that he’s seen Washington and Crab carry occasionally, guns. A pistol and what looked like a shortened rifle. “Wolves around here are dangerous, that colt and mare’s leg are both .45 caliber and should spook or kill anything you find out that way. The wolves like to roam around your shack in the west orchard. I assume you know how to use them?”

Nico checked the chambers like he’s seen Washington do when he shoots, both weapons were loaded, Bailey also handed him a holster and belt of bullets. “Thanks.”

“You just be careful, wolves around here… they aren’t afraid to attack humans.” With that Bailey went back inside.

Holstering the guns to his hip Nico walked for his shack, the sun setting fast in the west. A chill in his spine told him he would want to back before sundown. Hopping on the path to the shack he walked at a quick jog, eating up distance as fast as he could. He was maybe three-quarters of the way back when he came to the clearing just a quarter mile from the shack. He stopped in the middle of the clearing, feeling a presence from the tree line.

Bright yellow eyes lined the darkness of the trees, his hand reached for the butt of the pistol, he didn’t know how to shoot, but a weapon was a weapon if nothing else he could use it as a club.

The sun vanished below the trees, covering the clearing in shadows. The eyes moved closers, a symphony of growls played through the trees as familiar stone clawed paws stepped out of the tree line.

“Timber Wolves never thought I’d see monsters like you again,” Nico said with a wicked grin on his face. He was probably screwed, his body not fit to fight such monsters barehanded unlike his pony form, but at the same time, he was excited. Timber Wolves were creatures of magic, and that meant magic existed in this world, and if there was magic, then there was a way home! “Well come on!”

The wolves answered his challenge by charging at him, he pointed the pistol and fired, the noise loud and deafening. The bullet whizzed past the wolf he aimed at, so he bashed the butt of the gun into its head as it jumped. The wolf broke into splinters and he jammed his arm into another mouth and fired, this time he didn’t miss. The wolf exploded in a shower of green glowing wood. A sphere of magic floated in midair, calling the sticks and stones back together. Nico jammed his arm into the reforming timber wolf and pulled the magic core violently of the half-formed chest. The wolves backed warily away as he held the core in his hand. He looked at them and then the core, and then raised it to his mouth and bit into it, devouring the green sphere.

His body shook as electric shocks ran throughout his body, green mist rising off his skin almost like he was being cooked alive. The timber wolves seemed to regain their courage and approached again, thinking him weak. He looked at them with green magic flowing out from his eyes. Madly he dashed at a wolf and jammed his arm into the wolf’s body and ripped out the core and ate it like the one before. More mist rose, but it was no longer green, but blue, he turned panting harshly as he raises his clawed hands, blue scales traveling up to his shoulders. His ears twitched, they were in a different place, a familiar place. They were on top of his head.

“You're mine,” he said letting loose a roaring whinny. He charged at the pack of timber wolves, eager to devour their cores, they charged back out of instinct to survive and prove they were the bigger predator.

They weren’t.

“Nico! Nico are you here?” Applejane called, shotgun tucked in her arms. They heard the gunshots earlier and then the howls. Everyone was out searching the west orchard for Nico, fearing he’s been attacked by wolves and was possibly hurt. Shining her flashlight Applejane spotted a trail of blood on the ground. “Grandpa! Grandpa, I found blood!”

Bailey emerged from the trees and knelt down next to the blood, it was nearly dry, it’s probably been here for about thirty minutes. The trail headed straight for the shack. He assumed Nico was alive and probably ok. He would have come to the house if he was seriously injured.

“Go back to the yard and ring the bell, I’ll go check on Nico and make sure he’s ok, but it looks like he made it back to the shack. No need for everyone to be wondering around at night with guns if we don’t need to be.”

Applejane nodded, looking a little green at the sight of blood, there was a lot of it, “Ok. I’ll go tell the others.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Bailey rose and walked to the shack along the way he found broken bits of wolf shaped trees and limbs and empty bullet shells. Walking up the door he knocked, receiving a husky, ‘come in’. Inside Nico sat on a stool, his arms covered in bite marks and blood, there were several slash marks across his chest seeping blood.

“You have some… strange wolves around here.” Said Nico, wanting to keep the fact the wolves were actually timber wolves from Equestria, but he had a feeling Bailey already knew that. He would wait for the old man to play his hand.

“You could say that,” Bailey said pulling up the other stool. “Here let me help you bandage up.”

The two men sat in silence while Bailey carefully wrapped Nico’s wounds. Neither one spoke till every wound was looked after and treated. Then they sat apart and stared at each other, waiting for the other to cave first.

“You don’t seem shaken up.”

“I’ve seen wolves before,” answered Nico, earning a raised eyebrow from Bailey.

“Really,” he chuckled, “You’ve seen monsters before then?” Nico just stared at him, but his expression gave away the answer. “I suppose you want to know what’s going huh?”

“I am curious I guess.”

Bailey snorted, “Very stoic of you, I like that, I’m ashamed to admit it, but even I wasn’t that blank face when I first saw them sixty years ago. Funny, I come back from overseas, my beautiful wife in tow and I find there are monsters in my own backyard. I’ve been fighting those things off and on, they seem to come and go in waves, but they always come back. The last time they came was ten years ago, they… they got my wife then. She was out late picking apples one evening with Applejane. What they did to her… well… she protected Applejane in the end.” Bailey’s fist tightened. “It made me realize I couldn’t leave my farm to my children, but I was old then and even older now.”

“You needed a replacement, someone who wasn’t family.”

Bailey looked ashamed as he sighed, “Yes, Crab is looking at his own place after I told him I wouldn’t sell to him and I’ve been looking for a place for Granny and Washington to go to, but times have been tough. I had considered showing Washington and having him take my place, but he’s too… soft is the best word for it. He’s a hard worker and a tough man, but he’s not a fighter, not like me and not like you. I knew the moment I saw your jacket you were the one.”

Nico frowned in confusion, “My jacket?”

Fishing into his satchel bag Bailey pulled out a midnight blue jacket with a yellow patch emblazoned on the shoulder with a unicorn skull and wings. The number 088 stitched below it.

“This coat… I’ve seen it before. A long time ago I found a young man with a similar coat dead in the orchard, an incredible number of wolves were dead around him. I don’t know who he was or where he came from, but I gave him a proper burial.”

“What were his numbers?” Nico asked anxiously.

“I… I don’t remember, sorry. Was he a friend?”

Nico stared at the emblem on the jacket; it was the same as the Night Patroller emblem back home. Did another Patroller fall through? Were Madhoof’s teleports the cause of this?

“He was a brother,” Nico answered remorsefully.

“I see, sorry for your loss.”

Nico let out a deep sigh, tired from the battle with the wolves and emotionally drained. He discovered magic in this world and found out another like him had arrived but was already dead. He really just wanted to go to sleep.

“I don’t have the right to ask this of you, but I want you to stick around and protect my family. Let me rephrase that, I want to hire you to protect my family.” Bailey produced a stack of bills from his satchel. “Paying you money to fight monsters doesn’t seem fair to me, but it’s all I can offer you besides a home here. To be honest, if you and Applejane ever hit it off, I wouldn’t mind, can’t speak for Washington and Granny, but you’re a strong dependable young man. Applejane has the mind to inherit this farm and she’ll need a guardian to watch over her.”

Nico took the bills. This was the first time he’s ever been paid for fighting. Nothing against Princess Luna who didn’t pay them. She provided them with food and shelter and a purpose and that had been enough for them. In this world, he would need to be more independent and with that the need for money. Still, he didn’t this much.

Cutting the stack in half Nico handed half back to Bailey, “I don’t need that much for something I did for free before. I don’t know about this business you want to happen between Applejane and me, but I’ll protect your family. I promise you I will, even after you’re gone.”

Bailey chuckled as he rose to his feet, “Well, I don’t plan on dying that soon.” He smiled down at Nico and offered his hand to the young man and pulled him to his feet and helped him to the bed. “You rest up now; I need my soldier in good health. Don’t worry about your shift tomorrow either. I’ll get one of the other hands to take your place for the day.”

The door closed leaving Nico in darkness. Slowly he raised his hand over his blanket and spread his fingers as a blue light engulfed them, changing them into claws. It wasn’t much, but it gave him hope that someday he might find a way home. In the meantime, he had some patrolling to do.

Author's Notes:

I really like writing Bailey, he was a created on the spot character, but he just kind of writes himself.