Brand New Stallion

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Back at the farm, Alan and Applejack noticed that Big Mac had already scored another cart of apples, which meant they had two more carts to fill, which could then be hauled away.

Since there was no red stallion visible nearby, Applejack said:

"It looks like Big Mac is in the apple grove right now. We should start apple picking, too. The sooner we start, the sooner we can finish."

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Nodding in agreement with her words, Alan followed the farmer into the barn, where she took out four empty wooden buckets, two for each of them. After that, she took out two pikes to carry these very buckets.

Seeing such a device, Alan thought for a moment, and then as if realizing his stupidity, he tapped himself on the forehead, and looking at Applejack said:

"Wait, AJ. I don't need a yoke."

Looking questioningly at the guy, Applejack suddenly noticed him lifting the buckets with magic, and immediately realized everything.

"Oh... that's right, bracelets!" here the mare hesitated a bit, and with a bit of skepticism asked, "How many buckets can you handle at a time? And yes, just so you know, full buckets of apples weigh at least ten kilograms each."

Scratching the back of his head, Alan considered his strength and said:

"I think I can handle three of those buckets with magic, plus two more I can carry on my back. So get three extra buckets ready for me."

After looking at the guy for a bit, the mare shrugged, and replied:

"Whatever you say partner. I hope you don't tire yourself out," saying this, the farmer took three more buckets out of the barn's storage area and handed them to Alan.

The stallion picked them up with magic, and then lifted the other two with his own strength, using a yoke. The mare also lifted the buckets, and together they went toward the apple trees.

Approaching the batch of apple trees, Applejack positioned two buckets under the tree, and turning to Alan, said:

"So, Alan, now I'm going to show you how we, Apples, pick apples!"

Turning around to the tree with her taut butt, the mare grinned, and shrieked:

"Ye-e-e-h-a-a!" standing up on her front hooves, the mare slammed her hind hooves against the trunk of the tree with such force that the branches full of apples shook violently, causing the apples hanging on them to fall down.

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To the stallion's disbelief, almost all the apples fell directly into the pails. Whistling in surprise, Alan said:

"Impressive. I just don't get it, how come they all fall straight into the pails?"

Grinning, the mare pulled a smug face and replied:

"Well, Alan. That's the kind of skill that comes from years of experience on the farm," A.J. said as she put one hoof over the other in a boastful pose, then looking at Alan she added, "Now that you've seen an example, try to do the same."

When Alan heard her words, he turned his gaze to another apple tree, which looked to be of a very impressive size, and a little hesitantly approached it and began to arrange his buckets around the trunk of the tree. When all the buckets were arranged, Alan began to repeat the mare's actions and stood with his back to the tree, preparing to strike.

The mare, standing aside, watched his progress with interest, quietly watching the stallion's muscles tense as he prepared to strike. By her bashful and silent admission, the body of this new stallion looked extremely attractive. She could perfectly understand why many mares in ponyville were paying attention to him.

While she pondered, Alan finally figured out how much force he was going to use, and standing up on his front hooves, he tensed the muscles in each leg, and kicked the tree trunk with his hind hooves.

BOO-DUM!

The loud sound of the blow echoed throughout the orchard, stunning not only Applejack, but also Alan, who hadn't expected his blow to contain so much force. From such force, the apples fell from the branches like rain. Unfortunately, unlike the farmer's blow, most of them fell past the pails, landing on the grass around them.

Seeing this, Alan clucked his tongue and said:

"Tsk, I'm nowhere near your precision. But half an apple isn't bad either, right, AJ?" saying that, he expected a response from the mare, but he didn't hear anything, so, he turned toward her, "AJ?"

The mare stood stiffly, staring open-mouthed at the trunk of the apple tree, unresponsive to his words.

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Blinking his eyes a little, Alan followed her gaze and stared at the two deep hoof prints in the trunk, which gave off a small puff of smoke, as if the wood had been exposed to high heat.

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Even Alan was taken aback for a second, and then asked:

"W-wait, is that... is that from my kick?" Alan himself couldn't believe that his kick had been strong enough to leave a seven-centimeter deep mark in the wood, with a hint of scorching.

Finally recovering from her shock, Applejack shifted her surprised gaze to Alan, and replied:

"Right... Wow, I didn't realize you were that strong, sugarcube. Damn, ah think that's the first time i've ever seen a punch that strong at all. Honestly, I'm questioning whether or not you should keep picking apples off the tree. I'm afraid you might damage all the trunks of the apple trees," saying that, the mare still found it hard to believe what she had just seen.

Understanding her worries, Alan nodded dejectedly, and said:

"Yes, you're right. I'm sorry for damaging your apple tree, I really didn't know I could hit it that hard," and then Alan turned to the apples scattered on the grass and began to gather them into buckets using magic.

After collecting them all, Alan finally realized again that he had magic, and so smiling happily, he turned to AJ and said:

"Damn, AJ, I can just pick apples with magic! My control isn't as high as real unicorns, but at least this way I can help."

Perking up, the mare smiled, and replied:

"That's right! You don't have to kick every tree at all," AJ was glad she wouldn't have to send Alan away, who was so eager to work on the farm.

After loading the yoke of pails on her back, and lifting the rest with magic, the pair walked back to the carts, and unloaded what they had gathered into one of them. After that, they made their way toward the apple trees again, and AJ said:

"Okay, partner. Let's do it this way," the mare circled the entire orchard plot with her hoof, "we'll split up to take up different sides of the plot. When we're done, both carts should be just about full. What do you say, can you handle it?"

"Sure, no problem. As you can see, I've got a lot of strength. And magic shouldn't be a problem either."

Nodding, the mare said:

"Good, then good luck partner. We should be good to go within the hour."

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After agreeing to the plan, the couple began apple picking, picking one apple tree after another. Big Mac was also picking, but only on a different plot. In the end, just as the blonde farmer had predicted, it took them about an hour to fill two carts, which was much faster than when Applejack and Big Mac were working alone.

Shaking the sweat off her forehead in satisfaction, Applejack said:

"Wow, we really did it in an hour. Maybe even a little faster. I think Mr. Rich will be pleased," saying that, she couldn't help but cast a satisfied glance at the stallion.

At that moment, the mare swallowed a little as the sweat-soaked Alan, who had taken off his clothes, looked even better now that she could see the boy's hot and wet muscles even better. After spending so much time with him, and appreciating not only his dedication to his work, but also his extraordinary strength, she had to admit that this stud was quite to her liking. The only problem was that she didn't know what to do about it now.

Relationships have never been her first priority, but that doesn't mean she's not interested in them. Like every other mare in Equestria, she also has that itch of dissatisfaction. And given that she's very strong and hardy, it's a much more responsible approach to solving this "problem". Therefore, looking at this stallion, the mare made a note in her mind that she has at least one quite worthy candidate. It remains only to wait until there is free time to try to do something about it.

In the meantime, Big Macintosh had returned. The red stallion looked a little tired, but he seemed more or less awake. Apparently he was working at his own personal and leisurely pace, conserving more energy than A.J. and Alan. Upon meeting her brother, the filly said:

In the meantime, Big Macintosh had returned. The red stallion looked a little tired, but seemed more or less normal. Apparently he was working at his own personal and leisurely pace, conserving more energy than Applejack and Alan. Upon meeting her brother, the mare said:

"Ah, Big Mac, you're just in time. Now we can all work together to deliver the second batch of apples to Mr. Rich."

Nodding, the red stallion replied:

"Yeap," then, he prepared three carts so they could be harnessed to each pony one at a time.

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After securing the harness, the group headed for Ponyville along the same route. Big Mac was surprised that Alan still wasn't exhausted, which raised him up several levels in the stallion's eyes.

Walking into Ponyville, Alan out of the corner of his eye noticed familiar silhouettes, and turning in their direction, he saw Twilight and Rarity sitting at a table in a coffee shop. Twilight looked embarrassed as she was telling the other about something, while the other looked surprised and interested as she listened to her friend's words. Alan wasn't sure what they were talking about, but it was none of his business.

Maybe it was some events from an episode of the show, or something else he can't know. At the very least, if Twilight had any problems, he would try to help. The important thing is that she asks him to.

Just like last time, Mr. Rich greeted them with a cheerful look as the group arrived a bit early. Handing him the carts, the businessman promised that he would return the carts by evening. Saying goodbye, Big Mac headed back to the farm, while A.J. stayed with Alan to talk for a while.

"So, Alan. How did it feel to spend a work day on the farm?" the mare farmer looked at the stallion with a smirk.

"Well, I must say it was quite tiring, but at the same time I felt a kind of relaxation. Picking apples turned out to be a meditative activity, which helped me to clear my head a bit. So I'm quite happy with my time on the farm," Alan replied with a bright smile.

Surprised by his words, the mare also smiled, and said:

"Is that so? Well then, let me tell you that you have really worked hard. From now on, we will always welcome you to the farm if you want to help us some more. With your help, the work went much faster."

Here, the mare seemed to be thinking about something, and said:

"By the way, I remember Rainbow and I had an argument about your ability to work on my farm. Heh, looks like I lost to her."

Alan just shook his head, and replied:

"I'll tell you a secret, I only managed to do one training session with her, so it can hardly be considered a victory for her. Your argument was based on her ability to train me," and seeing a sly glint in the farmer's eyes, Alan added, "Don't tell her I told you that. She might think we're in cahoots."

The farmer grinned and said:

"Oh, don't worry about it. If you think about it, you simply haven't had time to train, so ah could easily make that claim to her in a similar fashion. Thanks for reminding me of that, partner," saying that, the mare raised her hat in gratitude.

Watching the sun slowly sink towards the horizon, Alan realized that it would soon be evening, which meant that he should have a meditation lesson with Twilight and Luna. Except, he wasn't sure if, in light of recent events, Luna would be able to carve out time for it. Either way, he'd give this lesson to Twilight alone as well, no problem for him.

Finally, Alan turned to Applejack, and said:

"Well, it was a pleasure to spend time with such a skillful and responsible mare, but I still have some work to do. I hope you and I can talk again. It doesn't have to be at the farm," Alan said, winking at the farmer, and then headed toward Maud's house.

The surprised mare grinned and shouted after him:

"Then don't forget to visit me the other day, partner. Otherwise this mare may become too nimble for your lasso!"

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When Alan heard her words, he almost stumbled, and turned around in surprise to see the mare laughing at him, then starting to walk away. Shaking his head, Alan laughed as well, and continued on his way home to clean up before visiting the castle.

On the way home, Alan was extremely pensive. His recent blow to the trunk of the apple tree had been much stronger than he had expected. This kind of power couldn't just appear. He was pretty sure he hadn't been this strong before this whole situation with the map, Dryana, and the quest trip. Because of this, Alan decided to carve out some time to evaluate his strength properly. He owed it to himself to know his limits so that he could be more prepared for any unexpected circumstances in the future.

At that moment, Alan's musings were interrupted by a familiar voice. Shifting his gaze to the side, Alan spotted the little dragon Spike walking towards him. He smiled contentedly, and looking at Alan exclaimed:

"Alan, there you are! I'm finally free of Rainbow Dash. We managed to find out some things I'm going to tell Twilight," the dragon took out some papers from behind him, "well, I should also give her this."

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Nodding, Alan replied:

"Nice work buddy. Hopefully this will help make contact with those Gryphons."

"Uh-huh!" the dragonkin nodded contentedly, "But now that things are more or less settled, we can finally play a board game! Are you free tomorrow morning?"

Alan looked at his to-do list and realized that he didn't have anything specific planned for tomorrow morning, so he answered:

"Yes, I'm quite free."

"Great!" the dragonkin raised his fist happily, "then come by Twilight's castle tomorrow morning at about 10am. We'll have a full three hours to play before Twilight needs the throne room. Big Mac and Discord will also be there, so there will be four of us together, which is the perfect amount for a full session in "Ogres and Oubliettes!" Oh, this is going to be so awesome!" Spike was just bursting with enthusiasm.

«Ogres and Oubliettes?» Alna wondered with a smirk, «Must be that game in the series that parodied the board game from my world, Dungeons and Dragons. It should be really fun."

Nodding his head, Alan replied:

"Good, then it's a deal, I'll be at the castle at 10am tomorrow morning."

"Great, I'll run to the castle then, Twilight must be waiting for news by now. See you then!" With that said, the dragonkin was about to start running away when he suddenly stopped abruptly and started twitching as if he had a stomachache. 

Alan was a little surprised, and walked over to Spike and asked:

What's the matter, buddy, you got a tummy ache?"

The dragonkin didn't have time to answer as he suddenly belched out a jet of green flame, from which flew out a dark blue envelope, and the royal seal. It landed in the small paws of the spike, who, coming to his senses, immediately read the name of the recipient, and turning to Alan with surprise, said:

"Wow, this is a letter from Princess Luna, addressed to you. Looks like you two are really close if she's sending you letters."

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Smiling, Alan took the letter, and replied:

"Well, there's no surprise here. She's as simple a pony as I am."

"Pfft, don't say that in front of Twilight, or she might start a lecture on how smart, strong, and incredible princesses are," the dragon smirked sarcastically as he said that.

"Yeah, I've already gotten to see that side of her," Alan didn't open the letter right away. He folded it into the inside pocket of his jacket, and turning to Spike said, "alright buddy, I need to shower before meeting Twilight. We've got a meditation session planned."

Ah, right. Twilight said something about that." Spike nodded his head, remembering Twilight mentioning it, "Okay, I need to run to Twilight's too. I'll see you at the castle!" This time the dragon didn't stop anymore, and with a wave of his paw, ran off in the direction of the castle.

After giving him a glance, Alan continued on his way home. When he got there, he immediately threw off his clothes, and quickly jumped into the shower, which used the water of a small waterfall inside the cave.

After getting out of the shower, Alan toweled himself off with magic, and sitting down on the couch, he decided to finally read the letter. Opening the envelope, Alan pulled out a sheet of "handwritten" text, and began to read it.

"Dear Alan, much to my regret, I will not be able to return to Ponyville tonight. The issue with the griffins, and finding a suitable ambassador, has been much more complicated than I had anticipated. However, the matter of authorizing the trade of your invention is not a difficult one. The only thing you need to do is to meet with my sister to demonstrate the device, as well as undergo a small evaluation by the committee. But since you have a recommendation not only from me, but also from Twilight and most likely Celestia, you have a hundred percent chance of getting approval from the magical community. I'll let you know when my sister's available. Until then, I hope you're doing well. Forever yours, Luna."

As he finished reading, Alan noticed that there was a small indentation of pink lipstick in the shape of her lips below the text, which made him smile. He knew she didn't normally wear makeup, and most likely used it on the letter exclusively for him. Also, judging by the smell, the letter was additionally treated with perfume, giving it even more of the mare's personal charm.

All of this clearly demonstrated how much Luna loved him. Looking at it, Alan couldn't help but think:

"Holy crap. This is so surreal, but at the same time incredibly mesmerizing and enjoyable. Perhaps she really could hold a position in my heart as good as Maude or Pinky. And here I believed I could not accept, much less attract, more than two mares. Life is indeed a marvelous thing."

Putting the letter on the table, Alan, relaxed a bit on the couch to gather his thoughts before visiting Twilight's castle. After a few minutes, Alan decided to get up, and began to get dressed again. After getting ready, Alan wrote a quick note to Maude to let her know where he was going, and then left the house.

Walking through the evening Ponyville, Alan thought about his life. He kept wondering what he would choose if it suddenly appeared that there was a way to return to his world. Would he be willing to return, having formed so many close bonds in this one, or would he choose to stay, forever giving up the ones he had in his home world. Fortunately, he never got to start a real relationship in his home world, and his family has absolutely full access to his bank accounts. Most importantly, his sister was now an adult and no longer needed his supervision, which gave him some peace of mind about her future.

The only thing he wanted to do was see them one last time to say goodbye. His disappearance so abruptly must have hit them hard. Perhaps he would find a way to at least send them a message. He was sure that Dryana would not refuse to help him.

With such thoughts, he finally made his way to the castle, upon entering he realized that no one was greeting him. Knowing that the number of residents in the castle was critically low, Alan shrugged, and decided to make himself known: 

"Twilight! It's Alan! Are you home?"

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But the answer was silence. Alan even thought there was no one in the castle. Although the open doors said otherwise. After waiting for a while, he called out once more:

"Twilight, Spike! Anybody here?"

Finally, after a few seconds, Spike came out to him, holding a comic book of some costumed heroes. He looked at Alan, and said:

"Ah, Alan, sorry, I got a little carried away reading a comic book in my room. Twilight let me rest until tomorrow, so I thought I'd get caught up on the comics."

Alan nodded, and asked:

"I see, where's Twilight? She and I were supposed to have a meditation class together."

"Ah, that's right, she said to tell you she'd be waiting for you in her room. It's at the end of the hallway on the second floor, so don't be surprised that she didn't hear you. Besides, she often uses a silence spell so she won't be distracted from reading, or researching."

"Oh, that makes sense, then. Thank you."

"No problem," Spike was just starting to walk away as he stopped and reminded, "and yeah, don't forget about tomorrow."

"Ten in the morning, I remember," Alan smiled.

"Cool," at that, Spike drifted off back to his room, all excited to continue reading the comic.

Laughing slightly at his haste, Alan nonchalantly headed up the second floor towards the castle corridor, where he headed to the very back of it. Alan wasn't sure why Twilight had chosen such a remote room, but it was more likely that her decision stemmed from her desire for the quietest and most peaceful place possible.

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When he reached the right door, Alan knocked on it for a while before he heard a magical chime, followed by a voice from behind the door:

"It's open!"

Alan pushed the door open and entered the room, and was immediately surprised, as the whole room was furnished in a style that looked like a mixture of Arabic and Indian, with some Asian decorations. There was a carpet-like covering on the floor, with many cushions on its edges. There were scented candles on pedestals at the edges of the room, and purple tulle hung from each of the windows.

(A distant example of styling.)

Overall, the room looked like a clichéd place for meditation practitioners. Considering that he was in a cartoon world that often parodied many things of reality in a cartoonish and typical style, there was no point in being surprised. But what surprised Alan the most was how Twilight was dressed.

At this point, the closest thing he could compare her appearance to was Jasmine from the Aladdin cartoon. She was wearing a blue translucent, almost silk top, and a small sheer fabric that acted as a sort of dress, or skirt, but only covered the back of the mare, leaving the front and tummy exposed.

(A crude example of an outfit. The face is open.)

Twilight was lying on one of the pillows on the bedspread on the floor, and was looking at Alan with half-closed eyes. A distinct blush could be seen on her face that was hard to hide. Looking at her, Alan was truly stunned. He didn't quite understand what all this atmosphere was about, but he knew that he would soon be able to find out. Because of that, he walked a bit uncertainly to the center of the room, and embarrassedly said:

"Well, hello, Princess."

Satisfied with his reaction, Twilight smiled sweetly, and replied:

"Greetings, Alan. As you can tell, I've prepared as much as possible for our meditation session, so the process should go as naturally as possible," the mare seemed a little proud as she said this.

At the same time, she did not forget to watch the stallion's reaction, thinking to herself at the same time:

"Rarity was right! The right atmosphere, and an exciting outfit, is the most effective weapon in the hands of a mare against stallions!" here Twilight turned crimson again, "And yet, it's so damn embarrassing! If it weren't for the curse, I'd never be so determined to do something like this to interest anyone." Twilight tried to regain her composure, "Okay, at least now I'll definitely be able to figure out what Alan's thoughts are about me, and if he's attracted to me as a mare."

With a smooth movement of her body, the mare lifted herself slightly off the cushion, and pointing to the seat next to her, said:

"Don't just stand there, have a seat. I'm looking forward to your lesson, tea-cher," The mare's voice was unaccustomedly sultry, which stood out too much from her usual character. The slightly nervous look, and the blush on the mare's face made it more than obvious.

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Sighing, Alan realized that this was going to be a challenge. And not just for him. He was sure that when Maud found out about it, her depraved mind would think something really strange.

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Author's Note:

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