Title:           Chapter 6: Apples come from Trees
Author:          CookieSfh
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/VeNU5khJ
First Edit:      Thursday 9th of June 2016 04:00:34 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Wednesday 15th of June 2016 05:08:48 PM CDT

>"Spike, you can come in now."
>Spike opens the door and walks into the new sight.
>"Oh man, are those the tentacles from yesterday? Did Anon cry again?"
>Twilight laughs it off. "Oh no, this time it was the other way around, but that's not the problem right now."
>Spike perks up. "It isn't?" He then looks at you. "...He isn't letting go is he?"
>Twilight gives the brightest smile she can muster and proudly announces her answer. "Nope!"
>Spike face palms and takes the seat across from the two of you.
>"So... what now? We gonna toss him to the curb or-" Twilight gives him an angry glare, shutting him up quite effectively.
>"Of course not, he is my son after all." Twilight pets your heads as you nuzzle more into her, letting out a squeak.
>"Oh brother." you could taste the annoyance in Spike, but it felt good.
>You couldn't help yourself, and it seemed that a certain someone couldn't either.
~Like I said earlier~
>Yeah, yeah. Fucker.
~HMMM? PLAYING FAVORITES AGAIN?~
>You don't know what he's referring to, bu-
~OF COURSE I KNOW, I JUST DON'T LIKE THE LIVING~
>Or anything organic in material...
~YOU CAN'T LIE TO US~
>Whatever.
>"Anon?" Twilight takes you away from the argument.
"Huh?"
>"Talking to them again?" Twilight didn't seem to mind, in fact, she was still giving her motherly smile bright as ever.
"Yes. Three have awoken. One sleeps."
>This catches Twilight's interest. "Wait a minute, so they can all sleep separately?"
"Not exactly, if I sleep, they sleep. Though some can push through with will of their own."
>This intrigues Twilight further. "Really? Er... does that mean that one was awake while you were holding me?"
"Only for protection, but yes."
>"Hmmm... they seem more affectionate than I thought they would be."
~I'll kill her~
"No you won't"
>"What?"
"Nothing important."
>"Ah." Twilight had a playful smirk on as she moved towards the kitchen, dragging you along with her. "Oh wow, they really do see me as a safe haven don't they?"
>Twilight then proceeds to kiss one of them, which causes it to shrivel and die.
"I wouldn't recommend doing that. My appendages cannot handle the amount of emotion in your kisses."
>"Well it's good to know anyways." Her smile hasn't changed. "So Anon, what do you want to do before school starts?"
>What you wanted to do?
>You didn't exactly want to do anythi-Oh yeah.
"Fluttershy is recommending a butcher from the griffons that makes this very delectable steak."
>Twilight perks up a bit. "Really? That's great! Though I don't fancy the idea of meat in the fridge, I'm sure Spike can think of something."
>Yes, this is good.
>A nice steady delivery of the best thing in the world right to your doorstep.
>Twilight could see the amounts of drool falling to the ground, but decides it to be another job for Spike.
>So the both of you make you way out the room as Spike begins to make himself some gems.
>Giving you the sight of busy streets and calm weather.
>Twilight stops by some of the shops that you past to talk to some of the shopkeepers while you take in more of your surroundings.
>Everywhere you look is bright colors and smiles all around.
>The more you look, the more you notice how lively it is.
>Really lively... too lively...
>"Like I said the first time, either you take it or you leave it!"
>A mixture of irritation and ignorance fills your being as you look at one of the passing stalls.
>The apple seller appears to be having some problems with one of the ponies.
>Twilight has also noticed and the both of you walk up to see what the commotion is about.
>"Well, I don't see the problem paying only 2 bits for these." A snobby pony with prepped up hair was arguing with.
>"Applejack!" Twilight lights up with excitement seeing her friend.
>Though the snobbish pony doesn't take it too kindly.
>"Can't you see we are walking over here?" But Applejack ignores her.
>"Twilight, oh thank goodness, can you do me a favor and get this varmint out of here so that I can sell my apples?"
>"Why I never! You are going to sell me that basket of apples for 4 bits and that is final."
>"And I will repeat myself, that's straight up highway robbery. I can't sell any random pony that low a price, I got a job to keep."
>The pony wasn't letting up on Applejack. "I'll have you know that apple baskets where I come from only go for 4 bits, and I expect nothing more."
"That was a lie."
>Applejack, Twilight, and the pony shoot varying looks at you, Twilight out of shock, Applejack out of curiosity, and the most prominent.
>The pony out of pure disgust. "Excuse me? To you take me for a fool? And you are just a foal, a pony your age wouldn't know any better."
"But you clearly lied. In front of everyone. It was as clear as the sky above. I'm saying that you did lie. There is no truth coming from you."
>The pony, clearly filled with disdain, refused to listen to you. "I've had enough of this, clearly ponyville does not need my services, so I will be leaving. Goodbye."
>And just like that, she left.
>And Applejack looks very happy. "Boy howdy! And I thought I was calling her bluff! Say, what's your name little fella?"
"Anonymous. But ponies call me Anon."
>"Mm weird name, not from here are you?" Twilight interjects.
>"Actually no, this is my new son." This causes Applejack to tense up.
>"Son!? Whatya mean you your new son? Don't tell me you finally found a certain some pony did you?" This causes Twilight to blush.
>"W-what? Of course not! hehe... I'm just taking care of him is all."
>Now Applejack is curious. "Ah, so he's adopted?"
>"Well, yeah, kind of... you see... mmm" Twilight didn't know how to explain the situation to Applejack. Of course she should tell Applejack what's going on, but even more so the whole predicament with what you had gone through.
>"Actually, I'll have to talk to you about that later Applejack. A whole lot has been going on, so talking to a friend like you would probably be the best I could do." Applejack gives a reassuring smile.
>"No worries Twilight, I'll always be there to help a friend in need."
>"Thank you, Applejack." And now Applejack faces you.
>"And this little fella knows sure does know his stuff don't he? I knew that varmint was lying under her teeth, but I just couldn't blurt it out like you did. So here." Applejack hands you the basket of apples that the pony was heckling her about. "Take it, as a thanks for the honesty."
"I was only telling the truth as I saw it."
>"That you did, little guy." Applejack rubs your head.
>She has a very strong rub.
>"Anon, this is Applejack, Applebloom's sister and the element of honesty." Applejack takes her hat off and bows.
>"Pleasure to meet'cha Anon." Putting her hat back on, she gives you a hearty smile.
"The pleasure is mine. Tell me, what is honesty?"
>This peaked Applejack's interest. "Well I'll be, you sound just like Twilight when she stumbled into here all them months ago." Twilight smiled, feeling more like a mother and her son. "Honesty is telling the truth to others, even when it don't feel right, and I'm as down to earth as it gets when it comes to honesty." and then she looks at you. "But I think we might be up for a competition soon." giving you a wink.
>You are puzzled, but understand what she means.
>It's what you've been trained to do.
>"Thanks for the explanation, Applejack. I knew you'd be the best pony to talk about honesty."
>"No worries Twilight, and thanks again Anon."
"Your welcome."
>And so the two of you carry on to school, leaving Applejack to her work.
 
 
>You've now made it to school.
>And all the colts and fillies have started to pile into the tiny building.
>Aside from a select few that are still trying to have their conversations.
>"I'll be stopping by at Fluttershy's to talk about that butcher, so in the meantime Spike should be able to take care of you once you get home."
"Ok."
>"Alright, I love you sweetie." Twilight gives you a kiss on the cheek, causing you to 'blush'.
"Nngh... I love you too Mom."
>Twilight nods and trots off back into town, leaving you alone.
>You decide to go inside, but before you do, your interrupted by... them again.
>"Hello~ sorry but I couldn't help but notice that a little 'some pony' got in trouble last night" Diamond sneers.
>Silver snickers behind her, trying to extract a reaction out of you.
>But are disappointing when you don't even flinch.
"School is about to start. You should head inside."
>"Hmph, and how is school more important than showing a pony his rightful place?"
"Because I already made an example of you. So move."
>You can see the fear in their faces, the events of yesterday clearly written in their minds.
>"W-well, your just lucky that you have a Princess as a mother. If you weren't so lucky, I would have your hooves all over you, got that?"
>And so they walk into the school.
>But inside, you could taste their defeat.
>Victory has always tasted sweet.
>But there's a bitterness that you could never get out of your mouth.
>Only good things come from victory, so why must the aftertaste always ruin it?
>You make your way through the doors and into the school leaving the two behind to contemplate how to deal with the dilemma before them.
>Taking your chair, you look around.
>The ones in front sit patiently, waiting for Ms. Cheerilee get up from her desk and start.
>Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo talk to one another across the room in hushed whispers.
>Diamond and Silver get a portion of the conversation sitting in the front with Applebloom, but don't hear the rest.
>As for you, you don't care to listen to them.
>You are trying to get something out of your mind.
~Kel oiches~
>What does?
~Sa'garoth elkelh~
>You fail to see his point, but class is starting it seems.
>So you sit up and listen to Ms. Cheerilee.
>But the two in front are making it very hard.
>Whenever Ms. Cheerilee turns around, Diamond will take a piece of paper, crumple it, and throw it at you, before returning her attention to the teacher.
>You easily catch them with your hooves and toss them into the trash.
>Then Silver takes a straw and shoots a wad of wet paper at you.
>So you use your hair to block it and throw it in the trash.
>Though it's lucky that she hasn't looked back up from the chalkboard.
>And no one in particular has been paying attention to this one sided assault.
>Except for Scootaloo.
>She seems to be watching very absent-minded of the teacher.
>And she is awed at how great your doing.
>She's probably witnessed something to this degree before.
>Maybe of nostalgia.
>Oh goodness... she's feeling envy...
>Please don't tell me...
~Her? ?mi?nd ?is? clea?r, your?s? ?i?s ?n?o?t,? fix? t?he wo?unds a?n?d? ?t?h?e ?be?a?st w?i?ll? ?c?ome~
>Ah, so it isn't you.
~Har?d?ly, ?m?y wo?r?k? i?s? ?a l?ot m?or?e th?o?r?oug?h? ?t?h?a?n? ?na?t?u?res? c?o?ur?se~
>You nod as another paper flies your way.
>And now the teacher has turned around.
>"Scootaloo, Anon! Passing papers are we?" Cheerilee looked agitated, and Scootaloo grew in fear.
"No. The two in front have been throwing papers at me."
>"And you expect me to believe that? You two will be staying after school today, and I'm sure both your parents wouldn't mind a bit of discipline for your lack of attention."
>You guess it isn't as easy as telling the truth.
>They have to believe you as well.
>Persuade.
>Damn it. Manipulation would be the best answer here.
>But a few minutes lost to more lecture won't hurt you.
>Though Scootaloo doesn't seem to agree. "We weren't doing anything, it was them!"
>"Scootaloo, no talking back to me or it's extra hours for the both of you!"
>Scootaloo quickly shuts up and lowers in her seat, defeated.
>And as Cheerilee turns back to the chalkboard, Diamond and Silver snicker.
>They will pay.
 
>The lesson goes on smoothly, and now class has ended.
>Today we learned about basic multiplication and division and tomorrow will be a test of the all the subjects.
>As the students leave, Diamond and Silver give an evil grin your way before leaving.
>Scootaloo is not happy to say the least. "Gosh darn it, I hate it when they do this stuff, somehow I'm always the one to get caught up in it."
"If you paid attention to the teacher, it would have only been my problem."
>"I well... it just looked crazy how you were deflecting all those papers, and whats with your hair?" Soon later the other two come over.
>"Anon, are you ok? I saw all the papers flying around, but I wasn't sure if you were ok or not." But Scootaloo reassures Sweetie Belle.
>"Nah, Anon had it in the bag, it was mostly my fault for being so distracted." She looks down at the ground, disappointing at herself when Applebloom nudges her.
>"Hey, we all make mistakes, don't let them get to you." Scootaloo looks up, wiping her eyes, even though nothing is there.
>"Thanks, I can always count you guys to be there for me." and the both of them smile.
>"Hey, it's what friends are for." they say in unison, snickering at their own innuendo.
>What friends are for...
>A very basic need, yet it takes so much to find what a true friend is...
>No matter how you hear it, it doesn't seem to match what the ponies around you share.
>As if something more is there.
>You can feel it.
>Sweetie Belle and Applebloom take exit out the door, leaving you, Scootaloo, and Ms. Cheerilee.
>"Hello Scootaloo and Anon. Now that everyone has left, we can get started."
>The both of you sit at attention, wondering what she might have in mind.
>Ms. Cheerilee pulls out two pieces of chalk, both twice as long as the one she was using in class. "Because were gonna have a very special lesson about what we've studied today." As she explains what's going to happen, she pulls out a paper with what appears to be the math test tomorrow. "You were going to take this test tomorrow, but... because you both look confident enough to take it without having to listen to what I have to say, you're going to take 'my' test." She lays a pan-flit onto the table, with a 'flap' echoing in the room.
>Scootaloo's eyes go wide. "How are we supposed to do all that!? There's no way we can finish this!" but Cheerilee interrupts.
>"Either you finish this today, or you will do it tomorrow... in front of the whole class." This causes Scootaloo to jump.
>"The whole class?" Her pupils dilate to minuscule dots identical to that of a pencils markings.
"Simple. I will do it."
>Scootaloo looks at you with complete dismay. She can't get out of this situation, and prolonging the inevitable would only make it worse, so she had no choice but to help in whatever way she could. "Alright, I'll do it too."
>Ms. Cheerilee puts on a smirk and starts listing off questions one after another.
>"1 + 6"
"7"
>"12 + 8"
"20"
>"12 * 8"
"96"
>"54 / 9"
"6"
>"59 - 62"
"-3"
>Scootaloo is awestruck.
>Both you and Cheerilee go at it for a while, but neither of you hesitate to say or answer a single question.
>Because she has a paper to read them off.
>And you already know what the answer to all of them is.
>Ms. Cheerilee sits back in her chair with a final huff and gets up. "Wow, I never thought I'd have any pony do that good on something I've given..." and then she looks at you. "But I guess being Twilight's son does have it's perks." she gives a warm smile, knowing that you won't have a problem in her class. She finally has the perfect student, and now she only needs to teach you the history of the land.
>But it really had nothing to do with Twilight.
>Though you don't discourage her from her hopes.
>Instead you look at Scootaloo, who seems to be standing in disbelief at how good you did.
>"I-I uuh... wha? how? This is..." She didn't know how to respond how good you did. No hesitation, no falter, no clumsiness. It was spot-on and she couldn't believe her own eyes.
>So she lets out a long held breathe and falls to the ground, passing out in the most umpleasent manner.
>Right on her face.
>But she doesn't get back up, so Ms. Cheerilee walks up to her with a glint of disappointment before turning to you. "You're free to go 'Prince' Anonymous. I will take care of Scootaloo for the time being, so no need to worry."
>This catches your attention.
"Prince?"
>"Yes, prince. You are the son of royalty. So it is how you will be addressed in the future, if you ever go to a place like Canterlot with your mother." Cheerilee gives you a warm smile before you exit the room.
>Leaving you outside the school.
>With two fillies waiting for you.
>This will be a long day.