I wasn’t awakened the next morning by a filly but by a lightning strike. Looking at my phone, I noticed it was already past eight and that I only had fifteen percent battery left. The short visit at Vinyl's house had taken its toll. As I lifted myself from the bed, I looked outside. It was rainy and stormy, and from time to time, you could hear thunder. So much for working today, I said to myself. I put the book into my bag so when the next opportunity was there, I wouldn't forget to bring it back. I had finished it last evening before realizing that it hadn’t answered any of my questions. Instead, it only served to create new ones.

Transformation spells usually didn’t last longer than a few hours. No matter how much magic one used, the matter would attempt to return to its original form. Now I know that I wasn't just transformed, but something different must have happened. In order to distract myself from this setback, I tried to change an apple into a banana which, to my surprise, worked quite well. It was way easier than levitation. The transformation held on for a few minutes, and the apple still had a slight taste of banana afterwards, but it was a worthy dinner. I knew that without the help of Twilight, I wouldn't get any further, so I put that to the end of my list.

At the top of that list was the date with Applejack tomorrow. I still had no idea what I should do together with her. A restaurant or something similar wasn't really her style. Such stuff was rather good for Rarity or maybe Fluttershy. Same thing applied to the spa, with the addition that I wouldn't enjoy it either. My previous girlfriend had always done the planning for us. She came from the city, meaning we often went to the cinema. Besides the fact that there weren't any cinemas in Equestria, the theatre wasn't really her thing either, and I doubted that my seventy bits would get me a trip to Canterlot and the tickets for the theatre. I needed something which didn’t cost much money, not far away, comfortable, and with rather normal food. A picnic. It was simple but not too casual. As long as I considered the weather, I couldn't do much wrong or so I hoped. There had to be calendars of the weather around here somewhere.

I left my room and walked downstairs. While passing Apple Bloom’s room, I heard voices. Probably the Cutie Mark Crusaders having another sleepover. In the kitchen, I encountered the second surprise in the form of Rainbow Dash. She sat at the table with Applejack as they chatted. A glance in the living room revealed Big Mac sleeping on the couch, the whole couch.

“Morning. What´s up?” I greeted the two.

“Hey, morning, Tio,” Rainbow Dash replied as Applejack just smiled at me. Did she want to remain quiet until tomorrow evening?

“Got any work for me?” It didn’t hurt to ask.

“Not today, sugarcube. The storm's gonna be lastin' all day. Rest a bit, will ya?” I joined them.

“And Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here so early this morning?” If I had to guess, I´d say she was sleeping in a tree when the rain surprised her.

“Somepony’s gotta get the storm, and when the last cloud just arrived, I was right above the farm.” What a great job being a weatherpony had to be. Moving some clouds in the morning, and in case of planned rain, just get a few filled out from Cloudsdale. The rest of the day could be spent hanging out with friends or sleeping. When she stopped talking, they looked at each other, seemingly waiting for me to make a move. It took me a couple of seconds to realize that I had interrupted their little mare talk.

”Err, Applejack, do you have any calendars here?” I didn't want to reveal too much of my surprise.

“Yeah, hanging in the shed, sugarcube.” Without waiting anymore, I marched off. It was really blasting outside. The strong wind had even got some apples off their trees and rolling around on the ground. I could see some places where the leaves were missing from the branches in the trees, and the ground was sometimes just a giant mud pit. I sprinted from the veranda to the shed, but my fur still ended up soaking wet. No wonder nopony worked during such a storm that even Rainbow Dash stayed indoors. Fur filled with water was twice as heavy as normal, if not heavier. While showering, I hadn’t really noticed that, but while running, it had an impact.

Due the cloudy weather, there was hardly any light, so my eyes had to get used to it at first. As I couldn't see anything a few minutes later either, I used my magic to create a small light beam. Using it, I scanned the room and found what I was looking for next to the entrance I came through. It was one of the most accurate calendars I had ever seen because not only did it show the weather but also the temperature for day and night as well as the air moisture. The fact that I didn't know the date was no problem as there were notes of every past day along with what and how much got harvested of which field. Tomorrow, Saturday, would be the fourth of April. In my world, it had been in the middle of March when I left. The times were not running the same or were at least out of sync. The calendar showed that it would be a clear night with about twenty five degrees during the day and twelve degree in the night. Good pullover weather, and since fur was rather warm, it surely was bearable outside at night.

An apple, moved by the wind, rolled through the door into the barn until it collided with something in the dark. The thing, whatever it was, moved slightly, and the light of my horn created a giant shadow which scared me first. But then I went deeper into the shed and found an old rocking chair. Must have been Granny Smith’s, I said to myself. Suddenly, I realized that I hadn't seen her here since I had arrived. Maybe she was visiting relatives. The Apple family was quite large after all. On the chair was a collar, and beneath the dust was the name “Winona”. I hadn’t seen her either. A lot of thoughts went to my head as I stared at them.

A lightning strike brought me back to the present, and I now noticed a small door leading out of the back. In the series or even in the time I was here, I had never seen the back of the house. I also noticed that all the windows were facing the road or the fields but never in this direction. Sure, it made some sense to build a window facing north, but it was still sometimes good for illuminating rooms. The door was heavy and hard to open. Behind the door, there was a small gravel path which stretched from behind some small bushes. I ignored the storm and made my way up the path.

I couldn't see too far ahead as the rain mixed with the trees and bushes. After a few minutes, I reached a place similar to a clearing. It was separated carefully from the woods; the grass was well trimmed and some flowers bedecked the rim. In the middle of the small area, there were a couple large stones looking like a miracle of nature. They weren't formed yet; they were a beauty. I kept following the short path while the roar of the rain cut me off from the rest of the world. The walk led me around the stones, and I slowly realized where I was. My presumption was validated when I read the inscription.

Golden Seeds
Beloved father and founder of Ponyville

I shuddered. I stepped towards the second stone which leaned on the first.

Red Stich
Beloved mother, source of hope, and founder of Ponyville

The next stone was in the centre of the place and larger than the previous two.

Big Apple & Golden Orange
Heroes of Ponyville and never forgotten

I don´t know whether it was the rain or the tears. I myself had also lost relatives, and I knew it was hard. I wasn't an idiot; I know what a double grave meant. I felt memories coming up: the burial of my grandfather when I was six, my aunt when I was ten, and then I lost my grandmother two years ago. It was never easy losing loved ones, and it somehow always took me back to the hard reality. I don't know how long I stared at the grave, but I felt how the rain chilled me to the bone. I continued and read the words on the next stone. If I hadn’t been finished then, I was now.

Granny Smith

Her name was engraved in large letters; the stone, unlike the others, wasn't covered in moss. It couldn’t have been here for long. Although I never knew her personally, I had respect for the old mare. She lived in an uneasy time, raised her grandchildren after their parents died, and even when she was old, she helped wherever she could. I could only assume that if I had met here, she would have surprised me like the others. It was this moment which finally made me see this not as a fantasy world or just a series but a world like ours, with pain, sadness, but also happiness and passion. I felt like an utter asshole, thinking differently for just a second. These ponies were beings like every other, made out of flesh and blood and just as mortal. I had seen all this the entire time as a trip without realizing what it really was. This was life just as we knew it.

To whom the last stone belonged was no mystery anymore. I paid my deference to Winona and returned to the barn. When I closed the small door behind me, Big Mac stepped into my vision. Without emotion, he stood up to me, looking me over, then at the door. He seemed to understand where I had been as he looked right at me.

As if he could read minds, he said, “The Apple family is born on this land. For a lifetime, we work and care for it. When our time runs out, we become of this land. The family is the most important for us, and woe to him who dares to hurt a member of our family.” His voice was deep and superior yet not angry.

“Believe me, the last thing I want is to hurt any member of your family,” I said with all the strength I had remaining. He looked deep into my eyes and then nodded after a while. “I know you only want to protect your sister. I don't know what lies ahead, but like I said, the last thing I want is to hurt her.” He hauled his right hoof right into my ribcage at full force. The pain was immense, and I was instantly on the ground.

“Don't underestimate ma' sister. If she didn’t think you were worthy, she wouldn't have given you a second chance.” I heard him but didn't move due to the pain. “She doesn't need my help to keep unwanted colts away,” he added and reached to me with his hoof. I needed a while till I had enough force to pull myself up. After I stood, he looked me over once again and then for the first time since I was here, he gave me a look which could be interpreted as a smile before he went into the house again. I let myself fall onto a hay bale. I was still unsure of what just happened. But after some time, I realized that there was just one possible explanation. I was now one hundred percent Big Mac approved.

After my trip to the graveyard, some cheering up couldn't do any wrong, and I was happy that my humour hadn’t left me. The next hours, I spent preparing for the picnic. Some apples, of course, some sandwiches with flowers and jam. I didn't know any other foods for ponies, so I concentrated on the drinks. For a date, spritzer would be fitting, but where could I get some? The cellar beneath the barn was ideal to store cold drinks. I went outside in the rain which hadn't weakened at all and opened the trap door.

I was blind inside the cellar, so I used my magic once again to illuminate the room. I saw a lot of narrow corridors with shelves which were filled with barrels. Pretty much all of the corridors were empty, but at the end of the last corridor, there was an iron gate. Luckily for me, it wasn't locked. I pushed it open and revealed a small storeroom. A lot of old furniture was here: chests with photo albums, clothes, and rusty tools. I searched but couldn't find any apple wine or anything similar.

I was just about to leave when I found something: an old acoustic guitar. It was made of dark wood with apple-shaped brighter wood around the middle. I shrugged on the guitar belt and left the dark cellar. I sprinted through the rain so the guitar wouldn't get too wet. Back on the hay bale, I tried playing the guitar with my magic, but I couldn't even get one string to sound. I put one hoof up on the grip, and with a swing over the strings, it sounded. The guitar was completely out of tune though. But luckily, all the tools I'd need to tune it were on my phone, along with the tabs for the song I wanted to play as well. When I entered the kitchen, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were still sitting at the table, playing a game which reminded me of “Mensch ärgere dich nicht”, a German board game like pachisi, the difference being that this game had little ponies as figures.

“Wow, Tio, you look like you got struck by lightning.” Apple Bloom and her friends were standing in my path. I didn't even notice them.

“Are you all right?” Sweetie Bell asked with her sweet voice. Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked my way and grinned. I really had to look like funny if even those two giggled at my appearance.

“Yes, I´m fine, thanks. I just wanted to get something from the guest room.” I patted Sweetie Belle’s head with my hoof before I went upstairs. I placed my phone in my bag which I put on and went downstairs again. In order to learn everything till tomorrow, I had to practice for the rest of the day. But the three fillies blocked my way.

“Um, Tio,” Apple Bloom started

“Would you play with us...?” Sweetie Bell continued.

“Or can you help us get our cutie marks?” Scootaloo finished.

They had to be really bored by sitting in the house all day. As a kid, I always watched the thunder and with a little trick I spent my time.

“I know something you could do. Do you want to know how you easily find out how far away lightning is?” They nodded excitedly. ”After you see lighting, you start counting from twenty one until you hear the thunder. Then you take away twenty one from your number and then you multiply that by three hundred. Then you have the distance the lightning was in meters.” Their eyes brightened, and they ran off, jumping over the couch and leaning against the window in the living room.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders thunderstormexperts!” they yelled together

”How do you know so much about weather?” Rainbow Dash asked from the kitchen.

“Where I am from, clouds move by themselves. Humans use such tricks to know whether a thunderstorm is moving away or towards them”. She apparently couldn't believe what she had just heard. Without waiting for an answer from the still shocked Rainbow, I went back in the barn and hoped the rain wouldn't stop anytime soon because at least that way, no one would hear me practice.

Author's Notes:

Edited by JBL. Thank you!