Chapter 2:
Hard Landing
Air…
All I can feel is air...
It was a feeling I never experience before, there is nothing to touch but the wind that blowing me with a rush. Am I falling?
I finally realized that I am free falling from the sky, but how did I get here when I was on the ground Moments ago?
At the afternoon sky, a bright sphere of light, moving at great speed crash landed just outside a small town. A little girl witnessed the crash. Curiosity took hold of her, so she went out to get a better look of the crash site.
A small crater was formed from the crash, and a man who is just laying outside the crater. His body was filled with dirt and dried blood, but it's not from the crash, but before he crashed.
My body isn't numb anymore from the unexpected crash, but something feels different. Is this grass? And the air, it smells cleaner than before. Is this what they call heaven? It can't be, heaven should be on a cloud not on the ground. It's too real to be a dream either. Where am I?
Gus found himself not in a city, but somewhere more peaceful. The air is clean from smoke or pollution, theirs grass under his feet and the sun shines on him with a dim light thanks to the clouds. He decided to relax on the ground for awhile to get use to the new feeling, until someone poked his face.
"Hey mister, are you ok?" said a voice of a young girl.
"I'm fine" he replied, not expecting someone would be here.
"Thank the Goddess, I thought you were dead! Since you crashed here" said the little girl.
"Well, as you can see, I'm alive. Is there anything you need?" he asked.
The little girl attacked him with a barrage of questions. "Is all these trash yours? Where you from? How did you get here? Is something wrong with your eyes?"
"Let's see, I remember only bringing my guitar with me. I'm from Los Angeles. I don't know how I got here, really. And yes, I'm blind. Any more questions?" he asked expecting more.
"What's your name? Where exactly is Los Angle? And what is blind?" she asked innocently.
"My name is Gus Hogwill. It's actually pronounced as Los Angeles, aren't we in Los Angeles? And blind means I can't use my eyes, which means I can't see anything. I have to rely on my other senses like hearing and smelling." He answered.
"Nope, we're just outside a town called Ponyville. I don't know why it' named like that, maybe ponies lived here before? I don't know. Anyway, my name is Dinky Doo. Nice to meet you Mister Hogwill" said Dinky.
"You can call me Gus" he said with a smile.
"Ok, do you want to go to town, Gus?" asked Dinky.
"I would like that, can you help me up?" he asked. She nodded and took his hand to help him up and leads him towards town.
"Oh, can you get my guitar? It's somewhere here." Said Gus.
"She replied with a simple "Ok" and look at the crater where it might be located. She handed the guitar to him when she found it and continued their trek towards town.
"So Dinky, how did you found me?" He asked.
"Well, I saw a shooting star, and saw it crashed outside town. I was expecting an alien" she chuckled.
'Does that mean I'm not on Earth anymore?' he thought to himself as they slowly walk towards the entrance of town.
Once they reach town, the town folks were staring at Gus, he is covered in dirt, dust and dried blood.
"Your town is pretty quiet" he thought out loud.
"Well, that's because they kind of surprised by your appearance" Dinky replied.
"I don't look that bad, Do I?" he said quizzically.
"Sorry, but, you look like a hobo" she chuckled.
After an awkward silence, they arrived near Dinky's house. Dinky saw a woman with pink puffy hair and carrying a box, she is also ringing the doorbell at Dinky's home.
"Hello, Pinkie" Dinky greeted with a wave.
"Oh, hi Dinky! You mother ordered a box of muffins, can you give thi-. Why are you holding a hobo?" Asked Pinkie as she noticed Gus.
"I told you look like a hobo" Dinky whispered. "This is Gus Hogwill, he is new in town. I found him ou-" Dinky was cut-off by a loud gasp from Pinkie.
"OHMYGOSH! YOUSAIDHEISNEWINTOWN?! IGOTTAPREPARETHEWELCOMINGPAR TYSOON! IWILLINVITEEVERYONEINTOWN-" Pinkie was talking so fast even Gus can't catch up with her speed.
"Pinkie?" Dinky try to interrupt, but to no avail.
"-THEREWILLBECAKEPUNCHSWEETSCU PCAKES"
"Pinkie Pie!" Dinky shouted.
"Yes, Dinky?" Asked Pinkie as she puts a big smile.
"That sounds like a great idea, what time is the party?" Asked Dinky.
"Oh! It will be at 6, see you at Sugar Cube Corner, Mister Hogwill!" said Pinkie as she handed the box of muffins and skips back to where she work.
"She is one fast talker, is she?" Said Gus, surprise how fast what he just heard. "Anyway, there's a party?"
"Yeah, a welcoming party just for you, Pinkie Pie is one of the friendliest person I know." Dinky replied.
Gus Replied with a warm smile, after that, they entered Dinky's home to meet her mother.
"This can't be happening" Gary thought out loud. "Was that light some kind of portal? I was in an alley just moments ago, then this mysterious light appeared. I found myself falling next and crashed in this field. How did I even survive the crash!?" Gary is completely confused what happened to him even his brother. "If my brother entered the same alley that I did, he must have experience the same thing I did." He said to himself with worry.
"Alright, calm down" he said to himself. "I should find out where exactly where I am" he looks around his surroundings, all he saw was hill in the distance and a few trees. 'It seems I was teleported far from a city, so where am I?' he thought to himself. 'I should go on top of the hill to get a better view'
As he begins walk, his hunger growled like mad dogs. 'Whew, using all that magic is making me hungry, there must be a source of food somewhere' he said mentally.
He climbs the hill to get a better view where he is, he saw something he didn't expect. He saw a large amount of trees with red dots on the leaves, he approaches slowly to get a better look at the tree, the red dots turned out to be red apples, and ripe for the taking.
My eyes are filled with hunger as he saw the apples, he ran towards the trees with the remaining strength and took the nearest apple. He cleaned the apple with his shirt and took a big bite, it was indeed ripe. Once he finishes an apple, he took another since a single apple isn't enough to fill his hunger.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the orchard, three friends are walking at the edge of the large group of apple trees. One of them is a female farmer, the other is a female wearing a uniform and the other is a man wearing a purple jacket.
" I thank ya guys again for da help, I could harvest all dis apples in time" said the farmer with a southern acsent.
"No problem, Applejack. Me and Spike are finish organizing the Library anyway" said the woman in uniform.
"I mostly did the work" complained Spike.
The woman just signed and picked up a basket. "Where should we start?" asked the woman.
"Well, we're headin' to the west side of da orchard, we're almo-" Applejack stopped dead on her tracks as she spotted a half eaten apple.
"Someone has been munchin' on mah apples" said Applejack with annoyance.
"Spike" said the woman in a scolding tone.
"What? You know me, Twilight. I would probably eat the whole thing" Said spike defensively.
"Well, we just need tah find out who is responsible fer dis" Said Applejack as she drops her basket. The three friends searched the area for who is responsible. They soon spotted someone relaxing on the slope of a hill with an apple in hand.
As they approach the man, he slowly dozes-off to a pleasant sleep. But Applejack isn't happy and patient to wait for him to wake up.
"WHAT IN TARNATION R'YAH DOIN?!" Applejack shouted.
The man immediately woke up and crawled backwards in shock. "Gah! Isn't it rude to sneak up on people?!" Gary exclaimed.
"Wat r'yah talkin' about? You stole those apples yah ate!"
"W-wait, you own these apple trees? I-I d-didn't know! L-let me explain!" He pleaded, but found himself lassoed by the farmer and pinned to the ground.
"P-please, the-there's no need for violence!" Fear slowly flowed his mind, not knowing what would happen to him.
"Hold on, Applejack" said Twilight as she approaches Gary. "You can explain yourself before my friend here is going to hog tie you"
Gary swallowed hard, "O-ok". He slowly calms down and looked at Twilight's lavender colored eyes. "My name is Gary Hogwill, I don't know exactly how I got here. I was somehow teleported from here from where I come from, which is a city not in some orchard and I didn't know you own these apples, I swear!"
"How did you get teleported, exactly?" Asked Twilight.
"I was following my brother Gus-" he stopped himself as he remembers why he was here in the first place. "Gus! Have you seen my brother?! He is a blind guy with a guitar?!" he exclaimed in worry.
"Nope, yur da onleh guy we saw here" Applejack shrugged.
Gary signed in disappointment and stood up to meet eye level to his captor. "Fine, I'll submit. Take me awa-"Gary was cut short when someone knocked him back to the ground once again by a certain Pinkie Pie.
"Hey guys! There's a new guy in town, and I'm going to host a party to welcome him to town. So, you guys are-" Pinkie looked down and saw someone below her and tied up. "Whoopsie, I didn't see you there." She said as she gets off of him and helped him up. "I haven't seen you before, because I know everyone in town. *Gasp* Are you new?!" she asked in excitement.
"New? New to what exactly?" Gary asked as he raise a brow.
"New in town, silly! What's your name?" She asked with a smile.
"Um, Gary Hogwill"
"OHMYGOSH! Are you related to Gus? Gus Hogwill? You must be related since you guys have the same last names and all"
Gary's eyes widened upon hearing his brother's name, "Gus?! He's here?! Is he ok?!"
"Of course he is! He is in town with Di-" Pinkie was interrupted when Gary hugs her with joy.
"Oh Thank you! I'm glad he is alright! What a relief!" He exclaimed. After a few awkward moments later, Gary realized he is hugging a girl. He releases the quickly and turns around to hide his blush. "Sorry about that, I'm just relieved that my brother is here and well"
"Don't worry, I like hugs" said Pinkie with a smile. "Anyway, the party will be at 6 pm, see you guys at the bakery!" she said as she skips happily back towards town.
"Well, that was awkward" said Gary still hiding his blush.
"Hey! How did ya escape mah rope!" said Applejack as she notices that Gary isn't tied anymore.
"Oh, it must have…a….slipped?" He said sheepishly.
"Impossible, I'm pretteh sure it was tight enough for you to use your arms" said Applejack.
"He used his magic" Said Twilight with an impressed face.
"Magic? There is no such thing as magic" Said Gary beginning to sweat.
"Oh? Then what do you call this?" Twilight demonstrated by levitating an apple and hand it to Gary's opened hand. " Magic exists in this world. It's real as the grass we walk on"
"Really?" he said feeling disappointed, he doesn't feel special anymore since people in this place can do it.
"I forgot to ask" Gary started, "Where is "here"?"
"You're in mah family's farm named Sweet Apple Acres. Am Applejack" she introduced herself and shook his hand at quick speed.
"And I'm Twilight Sparkle, over there is my assistant Spike" "hey there" Spike greeted.
"Nice…to…meet…you…" he said shakily as Applejack shook his hand.
Twilight look spotted the sun over the hill as it begins to set "Anyway, it's almost 6, we should probably get going. Don't wanna be late now, do we?" said Twilight as she leads the small group to town.
"And don't worry, ya'll get yur punishment tomorrow?" said Applejack.
"Great" said Gary, who is not amused.
Back in Dinky's home, Gus just told Dinky and her mother Ditsy a sad story about his life, which Ditzy can relate to. "You really live a complicated life, mister Hogwill" Said Ditzy as she feels sorry for what he experience.
"You can call me just Gus, Mrs. Doo" Said Gus with a nod.
"Oh, I'm actually single" said Ditzy.
"Oh? What happened to your father, Dinky?" Asked Gus.
"Well, my mom doesn't wanna talk about it" Said Dinky.
"Oh, it's quite alright. You must be a wonderful mother raising a child all by yourself" He complimented.
"She is! But she can be a little clumsy a few times" Dinky giggled. She then look at the clock tower to know the time, it's almost 6. "We should get going to the party, don't wanna make the guest of honor be late for his party" said Dinky as he helps Gus to the door.
Dinky and her mother helped Gus towards the bakery called Sugar Cube Corner, where the party will be held. At the road to the bakery, Gary, Twilight, Applejack and Spike saw Dinky, Ditzy and a guy with them.
"Gus!" Gary called, he ran to him and gave him a hug like they didn't see each other for years.
"Gary? How did you get here?" Asked Gus, not expecting his brother's voice here.
"Long story, anyway, you drop this" Gary reached for his pocket and pulled out his blindfold and handed it to his brother.
"Thank you. Could you tie it for me?" He asked as he gave back the blindfold.
"Sure" Gary went behind him and tied the blindfold over his eyes. "too tight?"
"No, thanks again" Said Gus with a smile.
"Anything for you bro" he said as he gave another hug, while the others witness a brotherly love.
"D'aaaaaaaaaaaaaw" Said a female voice.
"Hello there, Pinkie. Is the party ready?" Asked Twilight.
"Yup! We should head on inside, people are waiting to meet you guys!" Said Pinkie as she leads them inside.
At the Entrance of Town, A man with the large bag at his back, slowly walks towards town.