Except for those who had heard the tales, or been in Ponyville at the time, no one cared much for the oddly shaped demon, and barely paid any attention to the statue, and assumed it was completely lifeless. But, beneath the stone, the draconequus writhed in anger.
"Well, isn't this just swell?" Discord mused to himself. "Beaten by Twilight, I'm stuck attached to this plane, yet again. But, at least I can go back home..."
Within the statue, a minute spark ignited, and not even the most alert passerby would notice the small flash. Within moments, Discord was back home, in the Blind Eternities.
"You know, I really wish that I could find someone in here, it gets so boring…" Discord continued on his small rant.
Unlike other planeswalkers, Discord could retain his entire form and stay within the Blind Eternities indefinitely, being that they were what made him: chaos itself.
"You know, I'm not sure why I even go back to Equestria every time. I really should just planeswalk somewhere else next time… sadly, I need my body to get into a different plane, so - actually, just another spark would work as well." Discord hummed. "I'll have to look into that… wait, what is that over there?"
A blue form was running through the Blind Eternities, screaming something that almost resembled "I'm sorry!"
This form was Jace, running from Silmot's Crossing, having just wiped his own memory of Alhammarret, and everything he had done.
Discord let out an extended 'oh'. "Now there looks a confused and weak little planeswalker now… he'll do just fine."
"Who's there? What do you want?" Screamed the terrified Jace, spotting the approaching draconequus.
"Oh, you're a first timer too! Perfect…" Discord grinned devilishly.
"Back off! I don't want any trouble!" Jace yelled, bluffing bravery towards the unspeakable creature.
"Oh, but I WANT trouble, and to cause plenty of it…" Discord grinned deviously as he readied himself.
Discord tackled Jace, leaving the young planeswalker stunned that someone could even do that in the Blind Eternities, and shocked that this being could retain its shape of… whatever it was.
"Now then, I am going to rip your spark from you. Expect that this won't be pleasant at all."
Jace could not make out anything else that happened after that, except hearing these words:
"Arrivederci, ya little brat!"
"Oh- oh my… Applejack! Come here please!"
'Ugh…'
"What is it Flutter- oh my! Ah'm goin' ta get Nurse Redheart. You stay here and see if there's anything you can do right now."
'My head…'
"I can fly, so do you-"
"No can do, sugarcube. You're pregnant right now, an Ah don' want you inducin' premature labor while you're flyin', or somethin' like that."
"Oh, all right."
'Okay, some is staying; someone is going… who were these two again?'
Jace slowly opened his eyes to see a pregnant yellow pegasus with soft pink hair standing within a few feet of him, but carefully keeping her distance. He slowly began an attempt to sit up, to survey whatever place he was in.
"Oh my, you're awake! Please, don't move…" Jace felt a soft pressure on his chest from her hoof, as she urged him to lay back down.
"Nurse Redheart is on her way here. Eventually…"
"I- ugh, my head…" Jace decided to observe what he could from a laying down position. He had deep cobalt blue fur, underneath a tattered, blood soaked navy cloak. He was laying on soft grass on a gently sloping hill, surrounded by apple trees.
"Oh my! You could have a concussion or even worse! Please, lay still. I'll go get some water to clean you." The mare left his sight, leaving him to wonder where exactly he was, or what he was, exactly.
Fluttershy soon returned with a small bucket of water grasped firmly in her jaw by the handle, with a small rag hanging over the side. The water smelled strongly of disinfectant, and the towel was completely spotless, as though it had never been used before.
"Please, lay still. Hopefully, I can wash some of these cuts without it being too painful, I'm sorry if it stings…"
She began to gently scrub Jace's small cuts and wounds, which were beyond count, after she removed his cloak.
Jace began to bite down hard, but did not flinch. Rather, he couldn't, considering how sore his entire body was.
'Please, Applejack, get here soon.' prayed Fluttershy silently.
"M- my name's Fluttershy, by the way." The pegasus stuttered.
"N.. nice to…" Jace submitted to the waves of pain and passed out.
-
When Jace regained consciousness again, he noticed this time that he was feeling a lot better, considering his only other memory was being covered in wounds and getting cleansed with a burning disinfectant.
Granted, his head wasn't exactly making him want to sing, and his leg felt stiff, like it was in a cast. He slowly adjusted himself to see; lo and behold it was.
Jace slowly began to look around him, and, to his surprise, he was again greeted with the sight of the same yellow pony as before. She was watching him with wide doe eyes.
"Oh, my, you're awake! I should go get Nurse Redheart."
Before he could say anything, the yellow pony, whose name he could vaguely recall being 'Fluttershy', left to go get this nurse.
He lay back, and decided to ponder over the few events he could remember; being called Jace, having some form other than his current one, and an indescribable horror.
Before he could think on it any further, Fluttershy returned with the nurse. She immediately and silently, at first, began to examine him. Eventually she asked him questions such as "How does this feel" and "Does it hurt when I do this". When she was finished, she motioned Fluttershy to leave the room with her. He attempted to listen in on what they were saying, but he could not hear anything through the heavy barn door.
Soon, Fluttershy came back in, and lay down across from him, this time a little bit closer than she had previously been when he had awoken.
"So…" The yellow mare paused. "How are you?"
Jace wasn't sure where to begin. He had no memory except his name, for one.
"Well, I…" Jace groaned as the effort of speaking began to pound in his head even more.
"I'm fine, I guess, all things considered."
"That's good, umm… oh my, I just realized I don't know your name!"
"Oh, um, Jace, Miss."
"Oh, my name is Fluttershy. What happened, Jace?"
"I'm not really sure… I remember being somewhere scary, something attacking me… then I ended up here."
"Oh, my, that sounds awfully terrible! Is that all you remember?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Oh, you poor dear!" Fluttershy soon had him in a very tight embrace, as over her pregnancy she had become somewhat clingy.
Fluttershy soon released him, and fled the room, her face flush from the embarrassing emotional outburst.
Within minutes, an orange pony, this one wings, clad in a large brown Stetson entered the room.
"So, Ah hear yer awake! That's always good news!" Applejack cheerfully called into the room.
He winced, the volume in her voice causing a sharp pain in his head.
"Oh, right, sorry…" Applejack quietly chuckled to herself in embarrassment. "Ah forgot, Nurse Redheart said you'd probably have a sore head fer' a while…"
"It's all right… may I ask, where am I?"Jace finally managed, as he sat up. He now realized that he was naked now, and felt more than slightly uncomfortable with this.
"Well, this here is Sweet Apple Acres. My name's Applejack. Pleased ta meet ya, Jace."
"You know who I am?" Jace questioned, immediately shooting straight up, despite the pain in his head.
"Well, Fluttershy told me yer name when she came ta get me."
"Oh…" Jace dejectedly replied.
"What's the matter?" Applejack asked, concerned with why the young colt was so depressed at that fact.
"That's basically all I remember… is my name."
"Why, that sure does sound right awful… Ah'm sorry Ah don't know anythin' ta help ya."
"It's… it's all right, I guess I really couldn't ask anything of you right now."
"Why's that?" Applejack asked as she lay down beside the young colt, feeling more comfortable talk.
"You took me into your house, for one. You could have just let me lay there."
"Now that would have been just downright cruel. Besides, Ah could never have lived with myself." Applejack replied, in an attempt to soothe Jace's obvious emotional turmoil.
"Umm, thank you. But since I think I can move now, I'd rather get out of your hair, and when I find a way to pay you back-" Jace began, as he feebly attempted to stand.
"Woah, now hold on there fer' just a minute." Applejack held him down with a gentle yet firm hoof.
"Ah'm not lettin' you just go wonderin' 'round when you don' even know where you'd be goin', especially since yer injured."
"But I-"
"No, an' that's final. Yer stayin' here till ya get yer memories back. Meanwhile, ya'll want some food? Ah'd be willin' ta bet yes, seein' how you've been asleep fer' almost two days now."
Before Jace could reply, as if on command, his stomach began to growl loudly.
"That sounds like a yes. Ya'll wanna eat with the rest of us, or ya want ta eat in here?"
"I'd rather eat out there. I'd rather at least… be able to- to talk to… others." Jace finally managed to mumble out as a reply.
"Well then, ya'll want me ta help ya out there?" Applejack offered as she stood up.
"I- yes, please. I'm not entirely sure I could get out there by myself." As much as Jace's already diminished pride hated to admit it, he was barely stand, much less walk.
"Oh, and in case ya'll were wonderin', yer cloak is out by the door." Applejack mentioned as she helped Jace put a leg over her shoulder.
"Cloak? I had a cloak?" Jace gave her a confused look, hoping that he was not simply losing all his memory whatsoever.
"Yeah, Fluttershy had ta take it off when she was washin' yer wounds."
"Oh, that's right… I never got around to thanking her." Jace winced as Applejack helped him up, as the pain of weight being put on his leg set in, along with embarrassment for something he figured was probably rude.
"Don' worry, Ah'm certain you kin' thank her at dinner. Then, or sometime later. 'Sides, she doesn't really like bein' thanked when she can't deflect it off ta someone else."
"Oh, well, I- oh, never mind."
"By the way, Ah hope ya like apples, 'cause that's almost all we serve 'round here."
"I don't think I'm in much of a position to have a preference." Jace gave a soft chuckle as he said this, joined in by Applejack.
Applejack and Jace slowly began to advance towards the door out of the somewhat small room.
"That room ya'll just left will be yer room for the time bein', the one out here on the right is Granny Smith's. By the way, she is asleep right now, so don' make that much in the way of loud noises, all right?"
"Yes ma'm." Jace replied in a hushed voice, which almost matched the quiet of Fluttershy's usual volume.
"To yer left is the bathroom, an' round this corner is the kitchen." Applejack led him around, so that he could be in view of the kitchen.
He was amazed, the kitchen seemed off compared to the rest of the house. Almost all of the rest of the house was red paint walls, hay floors, and screen windows.
The kitchen, on the other hand, was beautifully decorated. It had dark green granite countertops, with deep cherry cabinets, with stainless steel accents, along with stainless appliances.
"Wow. The kitchen is very…"
"Yeah, we spend the most of our time in the house here, so we figured why not make it look pretty."
As Jace continued to scan the sparkling clean kitchen, he noticed a very large, very muscular stallion standing at the stove with an undersized, pink lacy 'Kiss the Cook' apron on.
Applejack bit back a guffaw, while Jace stood in sheer amazement that anyone could be so large.
"Oh, that colt woke up. How ya doin', kid?" The large stallion asked as he put down the frying pan while walking towards him.
"I- I'm…"
Applejack noticed the look of awe he had in his eyes, and began to explain.
"He's fine, Ah just think a lil' bit scared of ya, that's all."
'A little? More like he terrifies me! His hind leg is bigger than me!' Jace thought to himself, afraid of provoking the giant stallion that stood before him.
"Well, that's good ta hear. Ah'm just glad he's awake, Ah was worried when he barely moved fer the first day." The large stallion replied, as he hummed and returned to his frying pan.
'I'm right here…' Jace kept his mouth closed again, not wanting this time to come off as rude.
"Anyway, Jace. Ah'm gonna help ya ta yer seat at the table, then me an' Big Macintosh are gonna carry food out, all right?"
"Ye- yes ma'm." Jace stuttered out.
"Listen, Ah know yer' probably trying to not get anyone here mad at ya, but Ah think ya kin stop callin' me "ma'm" and Fluttershy as 'Miss'. Ah think it's just a bit uncalled for, so just call me Applejack, okay?"
"Yes, m- Applejack."
Jace and Applejack slowly entered the dining room, which incited an excaimation from Applebloom.
"Oh hey, yer finally awake! Now Ah have someone else Ah kin' talk to! Hey, ya wanna do homework together?"
"Applebloom, ya'll rarely get yer' homework done anyway. 'Sides, Ah don' think he even goes ta school here." Applejack slowly helped him remove his leg from her shoulder and into the chair that was awaiting him.
"Usually no one sits in this chair, seein' how Granny Smith stays in her wheelchair, so ya'll get ta be right in the middle. Though Ah'm not sure what we're gonna do if Rainbow Dash comes over fer' dinner, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
Jace sat, staring at the ground, not entirely sure of what to say, having not really met that many other ponies before, especially one so… young.
"My name's Applebloom, in case ya couldn't tell. What's yers?"
"M-my name? It's Jace…" Jace mumbled out.
"Jace? That sure is a cool name! Where ya from?"
"I- I don't know…"
"Oh yeah, Aunt Fluttershy said somethin' bout that!" Applebloom exclaimed, as Fluttershy shot her a disappointed look.
"Oh… right. Sorry if Ah hurt yer' feelin's…"
"It's all right… I guess it is sort of out of place…" Jace mentioned, hoping to make her feel somewhat better.
"So…" Applebloom made a thoughtful sound as she stared at the table.
"You're Applejack and Big Macintosh's little sister…?" Jace ventured, figuring that the apple theme ran through the family.
"Yeah, Ah'm proud of it, too! Ah've got a really cool brother and sister, an Ah hope one day Ah kin help them on the farm, an everythin'!"
Around this time, Applejack and Big Macintosh came out, carrying grilled apple sandwiches, along with two large pitchers of tea.
"All right, everypony, food's up!" Applejack called as she passed out plates to each person.
Applebloom and Fluttershy did not begin eating when they received their plates, so Jace figured he should probably wait as well.
When Applejack finally sat down beside Applebloom, and Big Macintosh with Fluttershy, they all joined hooves, with Applejack and Big Macintosh holding their hooves towards Jace. He met Big Macintosh's hoof no problem, but had difficulty in trying to raise his broken leg to meet Applejack's. She picked his leg up, and then Big Macintosh began the prayer.
"Dear Princess Celestia, we thank ya fer' all the blessin's you've given us. Thank ya fer' the sun above our heads, the food in front of us, and the folk's beside us. Thank ya fer' keepin' Fluttershy healthy through her pregnancy this far, an' please keep her safe through 'til the end. We'd also like ta thank ya fer' lookin' over this young colt, Jace, through whatever has happened to him so far, an Ah hope ya bless the path he takes next."
"Amen" They all spoke at once, with a slight delay until Jace added in his own "Amen".
Author's Note: Well, I'm back with more than just a one-shotter now! Anyway, I will probably not be as quick in proliferating this story as I was with my first, so- yeah. Anyway, I'd like to give a shout-out and thank you to my beta-reader for this story, Ava Nova. Anyway, ciao! Or as we said in Egypt, lamtumirë!
