Persona EG LTE | Mythril Moth Creations

Today's Horoscope (Virgo): You will meet somebody today who may play an important role in your life later.

Morning

After breakfast, Twilight and I go with Cadance to visit Rainbow Dash.

"Hey Twi," Rainbow says as we walk in. "Feelin' better?"

"Yeah," Twilight says. "Just needed to take it easy for a bit. How about you?"

Rainbow shrugs. "They say I'll be outta here on Tuesday. I'll still be on crutches and painkillers for way too long, though." She sighs.

"And..." Cadance looks apologetic. "You're going to have to stay at the dorm for two weeks. You'll be doing all your schoolwork over Canterbook."

Rainbow nods. "Yeah, the doctor told me I'd have to stay off my leg as much as possible." She frowns. "They're also gonna be sending a physical therapist out every day."

Cadance winces. "That won't be fun."

"Well...on the bright side..." I say, "This'll give you plenty of time to practice the guitar." I grin. "I bet by the time you go back to school, you'll really be rockin'!"

Rainbow smiles. "Yeah...guess I'll need somethin' new to do, since I can't play soccer anymore..."

"Don't talk like that," Cadance says sternly. "Your soccer career is not over."

"She's right, Rainbow Dash," Twilight says. "Professional athletes get hurt a lot worse than this all the time and they recover and keep playing. This is just a temporary setback."

"Yeah, don't you dare give up on your dream," I say. "You don't wanna give those two assholes the satisfaction of knowing they beat you, do you?"

Rainbow grins. "You're right...I gotta get better, and I gotta bounce back from this. I will be the captain of next year's team!"

"You're still the captain of this year's team," Cadance says. "Just because you can't play right now, doesn't mean you lost your title. You earned that title."

Rainbow's eyes widen. "I'm...I'm still...even though..."

"Of course you are, silly," Cadance says.

Tears fill Rainbow's eyes.

"Nobody told you?" Twilight asks, tilting her head.

Rainbow shakes her head. "First I've heard of it." She smiles. "Still, I can't be much of a team captain if I can't even play..."

"Let your coach and the others worry about that," Cadance says.

There's a knock on the door. "Come in!" Rainbow calls.

Two tall, lanky boys walk in. They're carrying the biggest card I have ever seen between them. Pasted to the front is a huge print-out of Rainbow's cloud-and-lightning emblem, surrounded by the words "GET WELL SOON, CAPTAIN!" cut out from construction paper.

The two boys look a bit apprehensive that there are so many of us in the room. "Uhh...hey Rainbow Dash," one of them says.

"Hey guys," Rainbow says, staring at the card.

"We, uh...the whole team...we made you this card," the second guy says. "The whole team signed it..."

Rainbow smiles. "Th-thanks, guys," she says. "That...that's awesome."

"We, uh...we wanted you to know...what those two di—err, guys did...we're all really upset about it."

"Yeah, we're all behind you a hundred percent."

Rainbow sniffles. "You guys..."

"So, uhh..." One of the guys shuffles his feet. "I don't know how long you're out for, but...you will be coming back, right?"

"You bet I will," Rainbow says. "It'll take time for my leg to heal, but once it does, I'll be back better than ever."

"Why don't you guys sit and keep Rainbow company for a while?" I suggest. "Me and Twilight need to bail anyway."

"We do?" Twilight asks.

"Hey, you just spent two days cooped up in the dorm," I say. "We need to do something."

"Yeah, you two go do date stuff," Rainbow says, grinning.

"Yeah, okay," Twilight agrees. We leave the hospital.

Daytime

After taking a walk around town, Twilight and I decide have lunch at Monster Waffle. We've just arrived when we run into Applejack, who's with a group of people I've never met before: a young girl with long red hair topped with a big pink bow, a tall, broad-shouldered, heavily-muscled man in his twenties with messy blonde hair, and a wrinkled old woman with silver hair in a tight bun.

"Didn't spec Ah'd see y'all here!" Applejack says, grinning at us.

"Hey Applejack!" Twilight says.

"Hey Flash, you ain't met mah family yet!" Applejack says happily. "This here's Granny Smith, this is mah big brother Big Macintosh, an' this is mah little sis Apple Bloom."

"Hey," Big Macintosh greets.

"Pleased t'meetcha!" Granny Smith says.

"Howdy!" Apple Bloom says.

"They come inta town t' do some shoppin' today, so Ah thought Ah'd meet up with 'em an' we'd go out t' eat fer a change," Applejack says. "Hey, why don't y'all join us?"

"Oh, we couldn't impose," Twilight says.

"Heck, it ain't no big deal," Applejack says. "Ah'd love fer mah friends t' get t' know mah family!"

Twilight looks at me. I shrug. "Okay, we'll join you," I say.

Once we've ordered, we make small talk while waiting for our food. "Flash Sentry here just moved t' Canterlot from Seaddle 'round th' start'a school," Applejack tells her family. "He's Twilight's boyfriend." She grins. "See that purty thing 'round her neck? He done give 'er that for her birthday."

"Oh wow, that's really pretty!" Apple Bloom says.

"Well now, ain't you a smooth fella," Granny Smith says, chuckling. She elbows Big Macintosh. "This'n could learn you a thing or two." Granny Smith gets a sly look on her face, and stage-whispers, "Boy's twenty-two, ain't never had a girlfriend."

"Granny," Big Macintosh rumbles tiredly.

"Hey now, Ah wanna see some great-grandkids runnin' 'round th' farm afore Ah pass on," Granny Smith says.

"Granny, you're healthy as a horse an' you know it," Applejack says.

"So? Ah still want one'a y'all t' have chil'ren while Ah can still enjoy 'em!"

"Well it won't be me," Applejack says. "You know Ah got way too much t' do t' worry about that."

"So! Apple Bloom!" Twilight says brightly. "How are you doing in school?"

Apple Bloom shrugs. "Not bad," she says. "Ah wish Ah could actually go t' school."

That's right. I remember Rarity telling me a few weeks ago that Applejack's sister is homeschooled.

"Well, you'll be in high school in a couple years," Applejack says. "Then you can move into th' dorms an' go t' CHS like me."

"And you'll be off to college by then," Apple Bloom says.

"Well, yeah...but them two gals you play with over th' summer an' talk to all th' time'll be there, won't they?"

"Well, yeah," Apple Bloom says.

Our food arrives. While we eat, I learn more about Applejack's family. Her mother passed away two years ago, and her father is sick. By the time she graduates high school, he'll have to stop working on the farm. Right now, he and Big Macintosh do all the work on their apple orchard themselves, and Applejack's father handles all of the farm's business. Applejack says that before long, her father won't be strong enough to work like he does now, and he'll have to let Big Macintosh handle all the farm work while he does the business, which is still pretty stressful work, but not as physically demanding. Applejack's going to an agricultural college, where she'll learn how to run a farm so she can take over the business end and let her father retire. I also find out that Apple Bloom's best friend is Rarity's little sister Sweetie Belle, but they only really get together to play during school holidays.

"So how about you, yung'un?" Granny Smith asks me. "Tell us somethin' about yourself other than you know how t' get yerself a real cutie!"

Twilight blushes furiously while Applejack chuckles. I tell them, briefly, about my parents' work, why I'm in Canterlot, and that my main interest in life is guitar.

"Gee-tar, huh?" Granny Smith says. "Big Mac here can pick a mean banjo when he wants. Got that from his pappy."

"Eeyup."

"Flash plays all that rock 'n' roll music," Applejack says. "Ah guess it ain't too bad t' listen to, when he's playin' in th' dorm an' all, but Ah still like country better."

"I'm starting to really like rock," Twilight says, smiling at me.

"Ah'm more inta pop," Apple Bloom says. "Ooh, like Sapphire Shores! Ah could listen t' her all day long!"

"YOU DO," Big Macintosh and Granny Smith both say. We all laugh.

After we finish eating, Twilight and I excuse ourselves.

"It was nice meeting you all," I say.

"Likewise," Big Macintosh says.

"See y'all back at th' dorm later," Applejack says.

As we leave, Twilight says, "The Apples are really nice people, aren't they?"

"Yeah," I say. "It must be nice to have a family like that..."

Twilight grabs my arm and leans into me. We spend another hour just walking around town before heading back to the dorm.

Evening

I spend the evening practicing guitar in the lounge, with Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity listening. Pinkie comes in late from work, irritated. Her hair isn't as poofy as usual.

"What's wrong, Pinkie?" I ask.

"Some JERK came into the shop and kept trying to grope me," Pinkie says.

"Eww," Twilight says, making a face.

"He put his hand up my skirt and was feeling all around my thighs and it was just really annoying."

"Good heavens!" Rarity exclaims. "Whatever did you do about it?"

"I screamed at him until he left," Pinkie says. "I got a good picture of the guy, too. He's banned from Sugar Cube Corner for life."

"Good for you!" Rarity says.

"I'm gonna go upstairs and take a really long bath," Pinkie says.

Applejack comes home later, tired but happy. She fixes herself a sandwich, then goes upstairs.

The rest of us spend a quiet Sunday evening in the lounge before turning in early.