[Ponyville] Foalish Introduction [Closed for now]

[SteelEagle]

Valen was somewhat taken aback by the offer of no payment. While it was certainly a kind thing to do, he had no intent of getting free services such as this. Professionals needed to be paid for their work, or that was how he had been raised. Whether it was service, medical, or retail of some sort, all ponies needed to be paid for their work or else somewhere down the line somepony was getting the short end of the stock. Ethics told him it was wrong, even if the morality of it from the professional's point of view was perfectly reasonable. Secondly, he was using a business' resources. His Manehattanite mannerisms and Upper Crust way of thinking would not abide by that for free. For him, it was a relatively simple and straight forward manner of thought. Without bits, one goes out of business and without that business, who is there to do the job? No, Sunrise's offer was very, very kind, but she would find herself financially emboldened by her work on the foal. Whether it happened now or later was the only debate.

He was about to give voice to these thoughts as the superbly kind dentist placed on him a muzzle linked to the canister of gas, the same his dentist back in the big city had used.

"I am going to turn it on and you are going to Start to feel giddy as it takes effect, reducing the pain you will feel as I perform the surgery." Sunrise said gently, telling the foal nothing he didn't already know but her re-assurance effective nonetheless.

It took effect quickly, and within a few brief moments the featherweight foal was drifting off. Only as he started to disconnect slightly from himself did he take stock of just how bruised he was. Every muscle ached. Every part of him felt tenderized and raw, beaten, dragged, defeated and disgusting. But this gas played its game on him and soon afterwards, just as she began to start her work, gas-induced serenity was the state he was in. Such joy, joy, joy, joy to disconnect, if only for a brief while and even if the mind realized what falsehoods it currently believed. But sometimes, the lie was better than the truth and this was a pleasant fiction he would gladly live as the dentist did her work.

[Hippo]

Applejack began pacing as she thought and listened to what her own Granny said. Applejack was confounded and rejected her elders idea. "Doh! Nu-, no, Granny! Sweet Apple Acres will be label a hazardous place from now on if we let word get out. Maybe her memory will come back to her on her own. We gotta figure somethin' out. If we send her to the doctor and tell her what happened, the doctor's gonna tell the nurses, the nurses will tell the patients. And before you know it, all of Ponyville will be buying apples from out of town! It'll run us outta business!"

Applejack articulated her thoughts as she daydreamed the scenario just as she had spoke it into existence. The look on the ponies' faces, the way they turned up their noses at her for her lack of consideration. They continued to ignore her, and the apple stockpile in the barn began to rot. The rotten smell tingled the sense of Applejack's mind and it woke her up from her horrible daydream. Applejack shuddered. "No! We can't let this get out."

Applejack began patting Gerty on the head. "Um, hello missy. Uh, mah name is Applejack. Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres." Applejack sweated nervously as she didn't want to screw up the problems any more than they were. She wasn't really sure how to talk to someone who was clueless. Normally, she guessed. "Wh- what are you doing? Here! I mean, what are you doing here?" Applejack stuttered.

[PonyHooves]

"I thought maybe you knew..." Gerty replied. "So, is my name Missy?" Gerty looked at the card with a drawing of Applejack on it. "You know, this really does look like you. It must be your card." The red mare looked around. She had a splitting head ache. The mare's only reaction was to rub her head with her hoof. 'Oh... My aching head... Hmm, so I'm in Sweet Apple Acres... Talk about alot of trees...' Gerty looked at Applejack and then at Granny Smith. She didn't know what else to say. The mare looked at the bruised apples beside her and then at the apple tree. It had a head shaped mark in it for some reason. It all seemed a little bit strange. This Applejack seemed nervous for some reason. The mare stared blankly into the open. She decided to do nothing. She didn't know what she was meant to be doing.

[Mojo]

Granny Smith pondered the words of her oldest granddaughter. Then, her face lit up as an idea came to her elderly mind.

"We gotta do somethin' AppleJack. If'n we don't want no Medical Doctor to see to Gerty's injury, then we're gonna use another kinda M.D., a MOUNTAIN Doctor! Be right back!"

With an unusual burst of great speed, Granny Smith zipped off over a hill and then returned moments later wearing an old doctor's 'headband' with round disk in it's center, a stethoscope around her neck and a black bag in her mouth with a red cross on it.

"I've been docter'n pony folks since I was knee high to a grasshopper, so stand aside and let this Mountain doctor git ta work!"

The gray maned mare began to 'examine' Gerty's head using her hooves, stethoscope and a mysterious tiny bag of horrible smelling spices she produced from her black bag.

"No doubt about it! Gerty's got a brain bruise! Normally, I'd recommend surgery, but I think Big Mac's usin' our best hoof saw out in the field today. So, it is my pro-fessional opinion that thar's only one way to git her memory workin' agin. And that's by givin' her another hard smack to her head! That outta do the trick!"

[SilverSwirl]

Sunrise quickly assessed the extent of the damage to Valen's teeth; only one tooth was chipped and it appeared to be quite minor. Reaching for amalgam on the tray, she smiled and said, "You only chipped one tooth! This will be easy for me to handle", she was smiling broadly at the young foal as she took extra cars to avoid damaging the other teeth in his mouth.

[SteelEagle]

Whatever gas Sunrise had used on Valen, he was hoping it never, ever went away. Whether she had used too much of a perfectly fine gas or if she had mixed it up and was pumping him full of something quite powerful didn't really matter, for the effect was the same. The young Manehattanite was in an entirely different plane of existence as the dentist went to work. Birds danced with dogs. Cats somersaulted over moons and the bareness of the desert rose up and danced with the alphabet. Suddenly, extra cars- fantastical designs in future technology novellas- appeared in his dream, zooming along dirt roads making such noises the likes of which had never before been heard before in Equestria.

In other words, young Valen was completely knocked around and high by the gas, tiny giggling rasps escaping his opened mouth every so often, made formless by Sunrise's oral intrusion. Once or twice he jerked, and his weakened forehooves played tiddlywinks with his stomach fur, kicking imaginary ball around in a game that only he could understand in that state.

"YYUURRR DOGAHGAHING GAHT!" Valen whispered thoughtlessly to the dentist, the closest he could get to, "You're doing great", though it was more in response to her tone than anything she had said- he was simply too out of it to understand anything as sublime as language.

[Hippo]

Applejack brushed Gerty off with her tail. In her haste, she countered Granny's reaction and preceded to imply that nothing was wrong. Of course, she knew entirely that this was horrible. "Nope! E'erythin' fine! Oh, heh heh, no you're name is Gerty. And uh-" Applejack looked around her surroundings and whipped up a good story. "...you sure did voluntarily hit your head on that tree pretty hard, didn't ya?" Applejack fake-smiled. "Don't use your head. You gotta use your back legs. Like this." Applejack squared her back legs with the tree and whacked it hard with her back left leg, Bucky McGillicuddy. With a large thud, tree shook and apples fell off the tree, practically removing its apples that hadn't already been shaken down before.

[PonyHooves]

Gerty was scared when Granny Smith started to mention operating and then mentioning hitting her on the head. The mare may have taken one too many knocks to the head, but she wasn't stupid and she didn't want anything or anypony to hit her. Then Applejack told her that everything was fine. After hearing the orange mare explaining what had happened, Gerty proceeded to watch her demonstration. 'So I was trying to knock apples out of the tree with my head... Well, that explains the mark in the apple tree.' She thought to her self as she watched the apples fall from the tree. "I can't believe I was doing it wrong... Thank you for showing me how to do it right. I won't use my head any more. Just don't let her hit me!" Gerty passed a swift glance in Granny Smith's direction as she stood up.

[Mojo]

"Well AppleJack, if'n y'all say nutin's wrong, then I'll take yur word fer it," Granny Smith said as she backed away from the other mares. "But are you SURE she's ok? I mean, she didn't even remember her name after the poor gal fell off'n yur wagon and smacked her head into that thar tree. Maybe I orta have a look-see at her head, jist to be be sure."

The elderly mare reached into her black bag and pulled out a small mallet.

"Reckon we'll start by testin' her reflexes. Now relax thar youngin', this won't hurt.... much...."

[SilverSwirl]

Sunrise was almost done getting the crown properly seated on Valen's damaged tooth and looked up. The sight of Valen's antics under the influence of the gas made her giggle for a moment until she saw how glazed Valen's eyes were. Her giggling stopped immediately and her mirthful expression evaporated and was replaced by a look of concern and worry, "You are getting too much of the gas! I really need to hire an assistant! I better dial it back before I accidentally hurt you!", she said nervously. Rushing over to the canister, she dialed the valve back by one complete revolution, the gas escaping a barely audible hiss. "I'm almost done and I'll give your teeth a thorough cleaning to make up for that mistake with the gas.", she said politely to the gassed up colt.

[SteelEagle]

Whatever Sunrise's intention was, as commendable an action and thought, Valen found himself straining against it. The gas was the one thing between reality and the weary, battered body in there and the awesome alicorn he was in his little drugged fantasy world. Compared to that remarkable fantasy, reality was lacking. The gas hissed lower and lower until he could no longer feel the effects as pronounced, and a wave of pain both old and fresh flooded him. Valen let out a whimper as the dentist did her job, eventually pleding a full dental clean.

He didn't need a dental clean, for the love of Celestia! He was a well-bred, well-read, well-taught foal of Upper Crust birth. His hygiene was without complaint or issue, any claim otherwise a fabrication, a falsehood, a bold mis-belief fostered by jealousy. He was always the glittering, shining image of well-mannered excellence in the art of appearance. He wore the finest perfumes and used the greatest product to ensure a silky smooth smell and feel. His mane was a work of art, fought over by high-priced stylists who decided to work on their treasured craft by using his head as their piece. He worried so greatly about his appearance that it naturally extended to dental care, as Valen had gone his whole existence without need for a crown or any other dental work besides a check up. Everything else about him had changed in his short time in Ponyville, but one thing remained the same: He did not need a tooth cleaning.

"Nooo zhanks you," Valen said through the work, mustering up his reserves of calm as hid body throbbed and ached. At this stage, the only thing keeping him sane was the comforting thought of an apple pie and other deliciousness back at the farm.

[Hippo]

Applejack had to resist Granny, but at the same time, she could only hold the elder back for so long. "Um, OK. But just a little check up. There's no need to keep Gerty from seeing the rest of the farm and getting that apple pie baking lesson with you, remember?" Applejack gave a heavy wink towards Granny, trying to imply that Gerty wasn't the only one who was having trouble remembering things. Of course, she made this little schedule change up on the spot. She didn't really enjoy improvising, but she didn't want Granny to reveal all of the mistakes that Applejack had made that got everypony where they are at now. The ponies stranded out in the middle of the orchard, Gerty losing her memory, and Valen probably having nightmares as Sunrise terrorized him with her teething tools. She knew that a scheudle change might keep Granny from mentioning what had just happened in detail to the guest pony. Applejack at this point was just trying to normalize everything.

As Granny approached Gerty with all of her medical shapes and tools, Applejack spotted the card on the ground that Gerty had written for the Apple family. She read it. With eyes watered, she stuck the card in her hat. The feeling was so low in Applejack's heart. She felt so warm from the thoughtfulness of this kind-hearted and sweet-natured red mare. But how could she fess up and reveal to her that all of the things she loved about her stay at the farm was wiped away by a rash mistake by Applejack's adrenaline? Applejack decided to keep it to herself for the time being. "Come on, Granny, hurry up and lets get back to the kitchen." Applejack perspired.

[PonyHooves]

Gerty stood up sharply at the sight of Granny Smith's mallet. She hid behind Applejack. Then the mare began to think for a moment. One of them said she'd hit her head bucking a tree the wrong way while the other said she'd hit her head falling off a wagon. It didn't make any sense. One of them had to be telling a lie. The mare began to feel very suspicious. Something funny was going on and she could sense it. But what if they were scared that she'd hate them if they told her what actually happened? Gerty decided to play along with it for a little while. However, she was trying to avoid Granny Smith, who seemed to like the idea of hitting her with different objects. Gerty saw the elderly mare as a dangerous pony when she had any sort of tool on her, especially a mallet!

[Mojo]

"What? Huh?" Granny Smith said as the elderly mare stared at the mallet she held before dropping it to the ground. "Oh yeah, right, we gotta go to the kitchen fer yur bakin' lesson, youngin'! Bakin' apple pies is an art and a tradition here at Sweet Apple Acres! Let's stop horsin' round here and git a move on!"

Granny looked down at the black bag she had brought over with her.

"How are earth did THIS get here?" the gray maned mare asked as she picked it up in her mouth and set it back in the wagon.

[SilverSwirl]

He didn't want a tooth cleaning!? Sunrise Wisp sighed as she looked and saw that he was right, he kept his teeth immaculate. She smiled though and said in surprise, "Well, you are absolutely correct! You don't need a cleaning. Excellent job on keeping your teeth clean, it is a rare day indeed when I don't have to perform at least one oral cleansing...". Holding up the mirror so he could look in his mouth, sure that her handiwork was to his liking. She had taken her time and the crown seamlessly matched the rest of his teeth as if nothing had ever happened. "I hope it looks good enough. It isn't easy for me to remove crowns once they are set", she said with a serious expression as she thought of all the extra time and steps needed to perform that surgery. She then laughed and said, "You are gonna be pretty loopy for half an hour or so... Do you wish to rest here for a while and have a caramel apple? I always have one handy for the young ones.". She then placed the dental mirror back on the tray and with her other hoof, grabbed the bucket of caramel apples and held it out to Valen with a smile and a kind glance.

[SteelEagle]

The offer from Sunrise was plenty generous indeed, for the young colt was entirely loppy still. Not nearly loopy enough for the pain to become anything more than a memory, but still he could feel the edges of his consciousness being little more than a fuzzy idea. That, and caramel apples were always a delicious treat, though as he eyed it a somewhat unsettling thought anchored in his mind and turned it against itself. Were they Apple Family Apples, or wer ethey from another source? Were they stricken by dirt and grim, was hay going to be found halfway through?

And were his teeth even ready for such a treat? he'd hate to tempt his taste buds and tease his quaking stomach. Valen shook his head politely and pointed to his mouth.

"Not sure-" He said, moving his mouth around so he could get the feeling back. It didn't work, and a sigh preceeded the following. "No, no thank you. A kind offer, but I'm completely pooped and out of it. I need to get back to the farm before I collapse, lest I force you to carry me back by yourself," Valen said, slowly easing his way out of the chair and hobbling around as his body tried to operate his hooves effectively to minimal effect.

[Hippo]

After a long walk back to the front of the farm, Applejack let Granny and Gerty inside for their baking of apple pies. She couldn't believe that her mind trick on her Granny worked. She felt guilty in all sorts of ways. It wasn't like her to telling little white lies and being dishonest about things. She wanted to make it right. But as they entered the farmhouse, Applejack spotted Valen's luggage which was still sitting outside. Applejack sparked. "Now's mah chance!" Applejack took Valen's pink suitcase and brought it upstairs to her bedroom.

Applejack then realized she hadn't even considered where Valen was going to sleep. Since all the other bedrooms are being used, she decided the next best thing was to allow Valen to share her room, the biggest room, with him. She didn't have an extra bed, but she did still have Apple Bloom's old crib. Applejack set it up figuring that it would probably suit Valen's small frame. She then pulled out an old dusty chest that had been dormant in her closet for years. When she opened it, she saw that it had nothing in it but a thick layer of dust. "Perfect! Valen will love this!" Applejack opened Valen's suitcase and dumped it into the chest. The contents included several articles of strange clothing, crayons, a few activity books, a couple games, and restroom essentials. The contents nearly overflowed the chest, and Applejack made extra effort to close the chest. She even had to sit on it to get it to latch. There sat all of Valen's belongings, in another Applejack trap spring-loaded for whoever opened it next. Applejack was sure that Valen would appreciate that she set everything up for him.

Applejack walked back downstairs to the kitchen. "How them pies lookin'?"

[PonyHooves]

Gerty looked forward to the idea of baking a pie. She wondered what it would be like to taste something she had made with her own hooves. The idea of it seemed very exciting. She was glad that Applejack had talked Granny Smith out of hitting her with a tool. Yet at the same time, the mare was angry as she knew somepony was lying to her. But Gerty kept her feelings bottled up inside her self. She didn't want to ruin the day for anypony, even though she was deeply hurt by the lies. The mare liked honest pony folk. The story of what happened to her seemed to keep on changing. The mare didn't know who to believe anymore. She looked at Granny Smith as she masked her feelings. Gerty Greetings still wanted to hear the pie baking instructions clearly. She thought that work would distract her from her thoughts and feelings about what was going on.

[Mojo]

"Hope yur ready fer some real fine bakin' thar, youngin!" Granny Smith neighed as she happily pulled out a bushel of apples she had nearby. "The very first thing ya need to know about bakin' a good apple pie is how to cut the apples. Many a pie gits ruint when them apples ain't cut right. The secret is to slice the pieces big enough to be seen but small enough so they mix well with the spices we're gonna add later. Here's a knife fer ya, watch me and then foller what I do, ok?"

With the skill of a master baker, the gray maned mare reached for an apple with her hoof and slowly began to peel it. She peeled it so well that she was able to lift it off in one whole piece. Then she used a cross-cut with her knife to dice the apple into the bowl on the table she was working above.

"See that? Nutin' to it!" the lime green elderly mare neighed as she heard Applejack asking her how the pies were coming along.

"We're workin' on'm now," Granny Smith said. "Oncest we finish cuttin' up the apples and spice'n em up, then I'm gonna show Gerty the secret to my Never Fail pie crust! Good apple pie creation can't be rushed."

[SilverSwirl]

Sunrise nodded, "I understand that you want to go back to the farm as soon as possible but you are still affected by the gas. Look at yourself hobbling around, barely keeping on your feet. If you fall down, you could seriously hurt yourself and possibly injure your smile again!". She smiled and placed a supporting hoof on his shoulder and began to guide him out of the clinic.

[SteelEagle]

As a dentist, Sunrise's worries were well-placed. She had just worked on his admittedly wonderful smile; if it was broken again, poor Sunrise would have to redouble her efforts to repair what amounted to a repair. Her worries were well-placed. Valen's decision, however, was already made.

He shook his head woozily.

"Madame Sunrise, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiifffffffffffff I don't get back soooon, I'll probably sleep...here....in the dirt. Best if I got back to the farm and unpack all of my belongings, madame," He said quickly and lowly, losing steam as the drugs wore off and his sore body started to throb. Misery was never worse when your faculties weren't your own. Nor were his hooves, that got caught up with one another and forced him to the ground face first. He hardly felt it.

"Unff."

[Hippo]

Applejack sighed relief as everything seemed to be going well. "Ok, Granny, sounds great!" She looked at Gerty to see what her expressions would be like. She seemed happy to be involved in baking a pie. However, it was a little unfortunate that she still had no idea how she really got here.

Applejack couldn't stand it anymore. She had to tell the truth. But just as she was about to open her mouth to apologies, she saw that the pie baking really shouldn't be interrupted, and Applejack allowed circumstances to stall her telling of the truth. "Ya know what, Gerty, I just realized I made a big mistake." Applejack stopped herself. She couldn't do it now, not with all of the fixings in the kitchen the way they are. "Um- I- I for got ta... feed Winona! Yeah! I need to feed her real quick." Applejack walked briskly out of the house sweating.

She called on her adorable collie friend. "Winona! Com'ere, girl!" Within seconds, the farm dog ran out of the abyss of the orchard and ran up licking Applejack in the face. "Heh heh. Calm down, Winona, I know you must be hungry." Applejack grabbed a large sack of dog feed, made from dehydrated apples of course, and poured some in one of Winona's many food bowls and littered the farm grounds. As Applejack watched her adorable pet eat, she wondered if Valen had even had the chance to meet Winona, and she realize she hadn't. "Winona! You need to meet mah cousin Valen, he should be back anytime now." Applejack looked at the entrance to the farm. "At least I think he will."

[PonyHooves]

Gerty was peeling her way through an apple. Small amounts of apple skin came off. It seemed as though no matter how hard the mare tried, she couldn't take the it all off in one go. Applejack interrupted her concentration. Gerty Greetings looked at her. Applejack was talking about a big mistake. But then she mentioned dog food. It seemed awfully strange. First it was the two different explanations. Now a mare was going on about a big mistake of forgetting to feed a pet. Something strange was going on. It seemed as though Applejack had something to hide. Gerty saw the dog make an exciteable entrance. This did not change what she was thinking about. The mare could no longer keep it all bottled up inside her. She knew she had to say something or the odd actions would drive her crazy. "Somepony's keeping something from me and I think it's you." Gerty Greetings said as she pointed to Applejack. "I'm not stupid... First there were two different explanaions about what happened to me and now your acting strange... Just tell me the truth!"

[Mojo]

"Yur doin' a fine job, youngin!" Granny Smith neighed to Gerty in an encouraging voice. "Yur gitt'n the hang of it! That's enough apples fer now. Wait here, I'll be right back with the spices and mixin' bowls. I'll show ya how to mix up the pie fillin' and then we kin git ta makin' the dough fer the crust! I won't be long!"

Granny Smith began to move slowly back towards the pantry. Of course, the elderly mare could only walk at a slow pace at best, so she was out of earshot of Gerty when she asked AppleJack her questions. Still moving towards the pantry, the gray maned mare was still well out of earshot of Gerty and AppleJack for a while.

[SilverSwirl]

Sunrise could only shake her head at the young foal. She could see he was dead set on getting back to the farm but she chuckled as he fell into the dirt. "See? What did I tell you? I'll take you back to the farm myself.", she said with a gentle smile. Lifting the foal and carefully placing him on her back, she extended her wings to take flight. "Wait, he can't hold on to me, this would be very dangerous! I better walk back to the farm.", she said to herself as she cradled him gently on her back with her wings and began the long walk back to the Acres.