If there ever was a time when I thought the worst way to be awakened was your mother banging the vacuum against your door, I now stood corrected. A foal massaging your ribs by using them as a trampoline was much worse. I was lying in bed and being awakened by Apple Bloom.

"C'mon, get up! The sun's rising!" she yelled with a voice as if she was about to uproot a tree barehoofed. I turned on my other side, which resulted in her not landing on me but on the floor. Not two seconds later, I felt her little hooves poking my back.

"Let's go! Breakfast's almost ready!" I didn't want to. It took only a few seconds before I felt a sudden chill. Apple Bloom had taken my blanket, and I was now uncovered in the cold room. Spring had just kicked in, so it was still pretty cold at night. I slowly got up and saw a proud Apple Bloom walking away in the corner of my eye. I didn't have to look into the mirror to know that my mane resembled Jackson Pollock. The book had fallen on the floor when I had gone to sleep, so I picked it up before I went downstairs. Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom were just putting the last dishes on the large dining table and were awaiting me. There were pancakes, oatmeal, bread with fried eggs, and of course, apple juice. I wasn't surprised by what was on the table but by how much there was. The table was generously filled for a dozen ponies. I joined them at the table.

"Morning," I said. Other than me, they already were up for a while and had also been in the bathroom.

"Good mornin', Tio. You helpin' at the farm today?" Apple Bloom asked and finished her first pancake in one bite. I would have preferred coffee, but apple juice was okay for now.

"I think so. Well, if your sister lets me. She said she had a job for me but not what kind of job." I summarized yesterday’s conversation. Big Macintosh didn't seem to be happy about it and made a face which almost made me say 'U mad bro?' Speaking of the devil, the door opened, and Applejack appeared. I had to admit, seeing her triggered something in my insides. Her mane was wet and hung down in long strands as her tail. Her fur was also wet and shining in the morning sun that was coming in through the window and made it almost gloomy. It was the first time, when thinking about ponies, that something crossed my mind which would have led to breaking over countless ethical and moral laws. To sum it up: rule thirty four. Unluckily, the big red stallion sitting next to me noticed my expression, and according to his face, might even know what I was thinking.

“Mornin', everypony. I'll take a quick shower and then I'll join ya. You look like it wouldn't hurt ya to take a shower too, Tio. Chop chop,” Applejack said and disappeared from my field of view. Oh how right she was. I choked down the pancakes and the apple juice in one gulp and went to the, thank you Celestia, lockable bathroom. Aside from the beat down I might expect from Big Mac later, I was worried about what I was thinking earlier. I had never looked at rule thirty four or anything furry in any way. I calmed myself down by holding my head under the shower and just letting the water flow over it.

What had changed since I became a pony? My asthma had practically disappeared. I got along without my glasses, and I had a different reaction to salt and alcohol. The last two were chemical reactions taking place in the brain, so my thinking machine had changed as well, and as far as I knew, the libido was also controlled by it despite what some women like to say. So I was sensitive to pony physiology. Man, was I happy not to be a pegasus right now. I decided to exchange the cold water from the rinse for a hot shower and got ready for the day. When I returned to the others, they had just finished their meal and cleaned the table. I looked at the clock just as it turned to six o'clock. Big Macintosh was the first to notice me and gave me a look that might have killed me. Applejack stood next him in her usual outfit. Then she followed his eyes.

“Ah, there you are, sugarcube. I'll just quickly finish up here and then we'll go.” I wondered what kind of task she had available for me.

“What are we doing?” She leaned to her brother.

“Big Mac here is gonna collect the apples we harvested yesterday, and we'll be workin' the stand at the marketplace today.” I gulped. Being alone with Applejack half the day wasn't the worst thought, but I could almost literally feel the energy radiating from her brother. My fear-o-meter went to over nine thousand.

“Okay, what should I do now?”

“You can put on the carriage in the barn, sugarcube.” I didn't wait any longer and made my way to the barn next to the house. All kinds of things were lying around. Some hay forks, smaller carriages with saddles in the front, and an unmounted winding tackle. In a corner, I found the small market wagon and took a closer look at it. It was slightly bigger than the others and had a frame in the front where a pony could hook himself in, just like with a saddlebag. I stepped into the frame, and with some stretching, I managed to close it. It reminded me of a trailer as I slowly took it outside.

I made a turn and waited for Applejack in front of the house. Sadly, the first one to show was Big Macintosh, but he didn't even so much as look at me. He disappeared into a small trapdoor next to the barn just to reappear again with about five barrels filled with apples. Not saying a word, he put them on the carriage, and I instantly felt the weight on the bars which connected me to the carriage. When he secured the load by closing a lock on the loading area, he got back to his work.

A few minutes later, Applejack came out of the house with two pieces of white cloth and threw them on the wagon before we made our way. The wagon was heavy, and the bumpy road didn't make it any easier to pull it. Most of the time, I thought of a way to clear the air with Big Macintosh. Although it was nice talking to the girls, I kinda missed hanging around with a dude, but as long as he thought I had a crush on his sister, he surely wouldn't talk to me. I would have talked with Applejack about this topic, but then I had to explain what put this idea in his head in the first place. Moreover, I had no idea how that conversation would go about. And lastly, it wasn't very gentleman to talk about someone behind his back.

“What's wrong, sugarcube?” All this time I had been accidentally staring at Applejack while thinking.

“Nothing, I just was thinking about something.” We slowly approached the town.

“About what? I know this world is new to you. Ask me anything.” Bad luck that it didn't have anything to do with this world; just two guys and one of the guys' sister.

“Cutie marks,” I quickly replied. Applejack seemed to ignore the obvious lie.

“What do you want to know?” I quickly needed a stupid question.

“What do they mean? I mean, culturally? I know that they symbolize a talent but that's about it.”

Applejack thought about it for a second before she replied, “First thing ya need to know is that they are unique, no two of the same kind, and we're very proud of 'em. Receiving one means yer grown up. Moreover, well... more than looking is reserved for married couples.” So look, don't touch. Good to know.

“What does your cutie mark mean? I never saw anything similar, sugarcube.” With that, she pointed at the encircled lightning bolt on my flank. I had never thought about it until now, and off the top of my head, I had no idea. My talents were more located in the field of computer and other IT stuff, nothing with ponies and their culture.

“To be honest, I have no idea. One day, it just was there.” She seemed a little appalled.

“I didn't know it was possible to get one without knowing your talent. You should talk to Twilight about that; maybe she knows something.” When she mentioned Twilight, I remembered that it might not be of any importance anyway.

“Will do.” We walked the rest of the way in silence until we reached the market. There were stands and small tents everywhere, not just selling food and drinks but also tools and all other kinds of goods. For example, I found out that you could purchase a hammer for fifteen bits or a small basket of blueberries for four bits. We walked along the market until we reached a small place where Applejack instructed me to put down the carriage. I freed myself from the frame, and she started to build the stand. When she was finished, she threw over one of the small pieces of clothing I now recognized as aprons. I put it on.

“What we have here are Boskoop. Those are winter apples that stay fresh pretty,” Applejack started explaining to me. “One goes for two bits and half a dozen goes for ten bits. Your break is from eleven to noon, and mine's from noon to one. We head back at three pm. Got it, sugarcube?” I nodded. We didn't have to wait long for the first customers. Either Applejack put the apples on her back when it was half a dozen or more, but for smaller sales, she grabbed them with her snout to pass them to the customers. Since nopony seemed to have a problem with it, I did the same, and in the first hours, the barrels almost emptied themselves. A bit later, Applejack came up to me and said that it was time for my break and handed me five bits. I asked where I could get something to eat and maybe some coffee, and to my surprise, she mentioned Sugarcube Corner. The thought of a strong coffee quickened me, and I even got there without getting lost. I opened the door and saw Pinkie behind the counter.

“Hey Pinkie, what's up?” I was in a good mood due to the expectation for coffee.

“Oh hey, Tio. Nice to see you again. What will it be for you?” She was completely different, not at all hyped up. Even Pinkie could be a professional at work. I really had to get the series out of my mind.

“I'll have a coffee and a muffin. What kind of muffin is up to you. I'm open for something new.” That got a smile on her face, and she quickly disappeared in the back room. While I was waiting for my lunch, a very familiar face entered the shop: Ditzy. Last time I saw her was in the party, but I didn't have the opportunity to talk to her.

“Hello, Ditzy! Can I invite you for a muffin?” She focused on me as much as possible and nodded heavily. Pinkie came out of the back room and placed the coffee and muffin on the counter.

“Hi Ditzy, a blueberry muffin, as usual?” she greeted her regular.

“Yep. Thanks, Pinkie,” she replied. I waited for Pinkie to bring the order.

“What do I owe you, Pinkie?”

“Four bits; the coffee is on the house.” Content with the price, I got the bits out of my mane and handed them to Pinkie. I often saw her doing this in the series, and surprisingly enough, they actually stayed there. I could have done a hoofstand and they would have stayed there until I needed them. I sat down with Ditzy at the small table in the corner of the shop. Lately, I had noticed a lot of things different to the series. Everything was much more detailed and closer to real life than they were in the series. Maybe the creators had lost their motivation halfway through drawing.

“So, Ditzy, tell me, what do you do?” Happily, she took a bite of her muffin and held her bag in front of my face. While doing so, she bumped my cup, which lost some of its contents. The bag itself said “POST”.

“So you're the mailpony. Does it pay well?” She had already finished her muffin.

“It's enough for me and my daughter.” She smiled. It reminded me that she had one. Dinky, if I'm correct.

“Can I ask you something in return?” I nodded. “Why do you call me Ditzy?” I didn't know what she meant.

“It's your name, isn't it?” Now she nodded.

“Yes, but everypony else calls me Derpy, because, you know.” She pointed at her eyes.

"Well, I prefer Ditzy; it's your real name." Derpy was also the name she was given by fans although she never chose that name. She seemed happy with my answer.

"Thanks Tio, that’s very nice of you. But I gotta go now." She stood up and flew away. As she tried to fly through the doorway, she bumped the door frame slightly. I winced and imagined the pain. She succeeded on the second try and disappeared. I finished my coffee and muffin. I couldn't say what was actually in this muffin, something like flowers or hay, but the coffee was good and strong. I put the cup on the counter and said good bye to Pinkie. My break was just halfway over, but I knew I would need time to find the way back to the stand. So I went on my way, and when the city hall rang for noon, I reached the stand. Applejack was already waiting with an impatient impression on her face. I didn't really care about little delays; everyone knew the problem of unwilling traffic lights. So I didn't mind letting people wait for a bit except for my girlfriend or my crush. Everypony wants to see his special girl as fast as possible, right? That's why I wondered why I felt uncomfortable seeing her angry because she had to wait for me. Backwash from this morning?

"Sorry, Applejack, I got a little lost." It was a lie, and I could see that she saw through it.

"See ya in an hour and don't screw up, pal." Just the simple fact that she didn't give me her usual 'sugarcube' indicated that she was pissed. Why did you notice that? I asked my brain. I spent the rest of the hour selling apples and following the coming and going of the market. I even heard some music which reminded me of the street musicians in the city. Until now, I only knew music from Vinyl. At the thought of her name, I remembered what I promised her at the party. This concluded my plan for the afternoon. Applejack arrived on the dot but still seemed a little angry.

"Hey AJ, how was your break?" I decided to defuse the situation by using her nickname.

"Ya really don't remember, do ya?" That was so unexpected, she might as well have answered with potato. I made a questioning face.

"During your break, I was talking to Rainbow an' she told me 'bout your encounter yesterday..." I reconstructed yesterday's events.

"Stallions..." she sighed. “Were you so salted that you even forgot that you asked me out?" I skimmed my memories of the party in high speed, but no matter where I looked in my brain, I couldn't find anything that matched her statement. The only thing I can remember was Applejack carrying me to the farm. Suddenly, everything Rainbow Dash said made actually sense. "Forget it, alright? If you need salt to find me pretty, then just leave it with that!" Again it clicked. I got a clear picture of how many stallions were brave enough to get past Big Macintosh. It must have made her feel nice to be asked out.

"Whoa, slow down! Of course I'd like to go out with you!" What the hay, Timo? "You're a beautiful..." I almost said woman, "mare, and it would be an honour for me to take you out." I was desperately looking for an exit in my brain. I began to understand Big Macintosh's behaviour. Siblings talk a lot to each other, and he was probably the first to know about it, and then the thing with this morning... I was dead. Doesn't matter if I could convince Applejack. If I break her heart, he'll break me, and if I go out with her, same thing.

"Really?" Oh, that word all the women say with that certain pitch in their voice, only this time with an accent.

"Yes, so Saturday night?" I couldn't think of a better time right now. Applejack spat in her hoof and reached out to me.

"Deal!" She took it more like a challenge. Don't know if this was an everyday gesture, but I took it. Maybe it was a sign that I'm the first guy to ask her out on a date. Satisfied, she nodded and started working again, yelling out her offer all over the marketplace. Until it was time to deconstruct the stand, we didn't say a word to each other, but every now and then, she threw a smile in my general direction. The silence went on during our way back and even as I put the wagon back into the barn. Before I could leave the barn, she threw a little package my way: my first payment. I thanked her with a nod and got into my room as quickly as I could.

I had done a lot of stupid things in my life, but this time I went nuclear. One: I wouldn't stay. Two: I wasn't even a pony. Three: I didn't like her THAT way, did I? Every episode she appeared in popped into my head, but that wasn't her. That wasn't the pony I asked out. My body told me that she was eye candy, but that shouldn't make a relationship. Oh, what was I thinking? Against all logic, I rather liked her. If alcohol had a comforting effect, salt did too, and I didn't have much pull against my subconscious. I fell on the bed and counted my payment. All in all, it was seventy bits for eight hours of work. Not bad for help if I compared it to the wages in my world. If I worked the same time tomorrow, I'd have a hundred and forty bits, probably enough to have a nice evening with her. I didn't need the money for anything else anyway.

My second plan for today was paying a visit to Vinyl, and I needed my cell phone for that. I got it out of the bag and looked at the display. The battery still had thirty percent left, which would be enough to keep it running until Sunday. Vinyl might also be an expert in social interaction, so she might have an idea for how to prepare for a date. I emptied my saddlebag and took only my cell and my money with me. I looked around every corner in case Big Macintosh was anyway near, but I got off the property without running into him. I knew I couldn't avoid him forever, but the question was still what would happen and when it would happen.

As I reached the town, it came to my mind that I could ask Pinkie for Vinyl's address. Luckily, Pinkie was home. Afterwards, I kept on the main street until I reached the gardener, turning right. The house at the end of the street didn't look like much from the outside. It was a simple farmhouse with a thatched roof and had seen better times. One difference from most of the other houses was that it wasn't painted or decorated in any way. I knocked on the door but didn't get an answer. I thought about what Pinkie said and was almost certain I was right. I followed a short path leading around the house and found a little stairway to the basement. Next to it was a sign saying "Studio". Now a hundred percent certain, I went down the stairs and knocked again. I heard some rumbling before the door opened.

"Sorry, no record possible today...oh hey newbie. What leads you to me?" Vinyl said with her head sticking out the door, glasses off today. Her eyes really had a dark red color.

"Well, I wanted to talk about music." Her face brightened as she seemed to remember.

"Oh right, now that you mention it. Come in, but watch your step." She opened the door, and I instantly felt like I had entered my brother's room. The little hallway was filled with cups that might have once held some sort of shake. Between that, there was either a piece of clothing or a vinyl record. As carefully as possible, I followed her through the chaos and passed a second door at the end of the hallway. The scenery changed in a snap from a garbage disposal to one of the most professionally equipped studios I had ever seen in my life, and I'd seen a lot. She sat down on a little wheeled stool and pushed one to me and then rolled to her console.

"Show me what you got." I got my cell of my bag, but before I could hand it to her, it levitated with a light blue aura out of my hoof as she inspected it. After a quick check, she got a cable from under her console and hooked it up. It was a simple 3.5mm input, but I was surprised something like that even existed here. The cell levitated back into my hooves again.

"Okay, start it up." I navigated my hoof over the display, which was quite complicated. I wondered how I had done this salted. I managed to start the music player and showed her some pieces:

Rise Against Satellite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nQCxwneUwA&ob=av2e

Disturbed – Stricken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3moLkjvhEu0&ob=av2n

Nickelback - Midnight Queen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EeIg1tAHek

Volbeat - Heaven or Hell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEN3mQ0ql30

ASP - Ich will brennen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYOabmPQdsI

After the last track, her eyes were literally shining. "That was awesome! I’ve never heard such music. Well, you're from another world." I wondered how she knew that. I thought Twilight only told her friends about it. "But I got a lot of new ideas from this. One last question. That last track was in Germane, right?"

"That's how Twilight called it as well. But you're right." I wondered whether she understood a word of the text and its ambiguity.

"My Germane isn't the best anymore, but it was about sex, right?" Now she earned my full respect. I had never met someone who got that from the first listen. I nodded. "What kind of device is this thing anyway" She pointed at my cell phone.

"It's a mobile phone or smartphone. It gives you the possibility to talk to people at other locations if they have one too. It also can play music, record videos, take pictures, and a whole lot more. The only problem is the battery. If it’s empty, it has to be recharged," I explained, Vinyl seemingly understanding.

"Charged with what? Magic?" I shook my head.

"Electricity." She tried to spell it out but failed.

"Come again?" Now I knew that it didn't exist in this world.

"Electricity. It’s what runs all the devices in my world." Again she nodded as if she understood.

"So this electrithingy is your kind of magic?" A good, though not perfect, comparison.

"You could say that. What do you run your machine with?" Now I was curious. She pulled something out that surprisingly looked like a car battery.

"With this. This little box saves magical energy and allows me to run all this without the constant use of magic. Patent in progress." She grinned.

"There's another thing I wanted to ask you, Vinyl." I changed the topic. “I have date on Saturday night and wanted to know whether you know a good place for that." She clicked her tongue.

"Not three days and already has a date. Who is the unlucky one?" she joked.

"Applejack." With that, she jumped from her stool, put her forehooves onto my shoulders, and looked me deep into the eyes. I wanted to step back but she held onto me tightly.

"How in the name of Celestia did you manage to get past Big Macintosh?" she asked with a voice indicating the apocalypse. But once again, my hunch was confirmed.

"Not yet..." She calmed down again and sat down on the floor.

"You're on your own there. As far as I know, she’s never been on a date, and I don't know her that well. Thus I have no answer." If she had never been on a date before, she had no reference. That meant I just had to be a little creative and think something that would fit to her.

"Still, thank you Vinyl. If I'm still alive on Sunday, I can tell you how it went." She just smiled while I stored away my cell and prepared to take off. I wished her a nice day, but she was already on her console again, mixing something. I let myself back out and headed back to the farm since there was a certain book waiting for me.

Author's Notes:

Translators Note:
For someone whose first language is NOT English, it is really hard to write a southern accent. I did the best I could, although I'm afraid that sometimes it's too much and sometimes it's not enough. The problem is, you can't always write "ya" and "ya'll" and "yo" and so on, since at some point it just sounds stupid. Still, I hope you can enjoy reading tio's aka. truekry's work.

Greetings
Beks

Edited by JBL. Thank you!