I Just Want to Make You Proud

Yan looked back, struggling to hold back tears. German waved somberly as the two walked away. His mother tugged on his hoof, telling him to hurry up. He walked at his mother's pace, still looking back. His father and Yan held eye contact for as long as they were visible, the contact broken as German went out of Yan's field of vision.

***

Yan's reddened eyes opened as he woke from his dream. He yawned as he wiped the moisture from his cheeks. Climbing off the bed, he slowly made his way downstairs, arriving to his destination. The fridge. He opened it, and sighed as he saw what had filled the inside. Nothing.

"Well...shit." He closed the door and plopped down onto a couch in the living room. Broke, depressed, and hungry. The worst combination.

As he sat, Yan began to think. At first, he reminisced the day before last; the burial, the will, meeting those two ponies...

Soon, his mind wandered to Applejack. As her face appeared in Yan's mind, a shiver rippled down his spine. His first instinct was to jump back in surprise, but then he remembered it was just an image in his mind.

Why do you put me in such vertigo? He asked to himself as he thought of Applejack. He knew nothing about her, he didn't know what her hobbies were, what she liked and disliked. Not a thing.

Then why does she make him feel so jittery?

Yan thought for a long while. Could it be that… I...like her? It was a reasonable deduction. He never actually had a crush on anypony before, so he didn't know from experience, but one of his friends from school said he felt similar about a filly he liked.

His stomach growled, interrupting his thoughts. Yan sighed once more before heading out the front door, prepared to find something to eat with the little bits he has.

***

What to eat, what to eat...Yan thought to himself as he strolled through Ponyville's marketplace. Vendors, carts, and merchants were focused around this part of the town, hence it being a marketplace. He saw many tantalizing morsels, but all proved to be too expensive. He had a few bits to his name from the odd job he had back in Manehatten, but he needed to save up as much as he could.

"Yan!" called a familiar voice. The pegasus jumped in surprise. "C'mon over!"

Yan turned to see Applejack standing behind a cart decked out with apples and apple-related foodstuffs, waving her hoof to get his attention. As he walked towards her, he grew more and more skittish. He could feel any trace of confidence leave him as he stopped in front of her cart.

"Ya got the hankerin' for any apples today? Only a bit an apple," She tempted, gesturing to her apple cart.

Yan was about to deny the offer, when his stomach growled, taking over as his response.

"Ah think yer stomach's sayin, 'Yes,'" She chuckled. Yan tossed a bit from his bag and grabbed an apple from the counter.

"T-thanks," He muttered. He took a big bite, savoring the flavor.

"Heh, don't mention it," Applejack waved off the gratitude.

Yan stayed silent. He chomped on his apple, afraid to say something.

"So, uh...you been doin' alright since, y'know..." Applejack asked.

"Oh, um, f-fine I guess..." Yan stammered before taking another bite of apple.

"Well, you haven' really been talkin' to anypony, at least from what Ah've seen. If you need anypony to talk to, Yan, you jus' talk me," She stepped next to the mentioned pegasus. "It's not healthy to stay alone all the time. It's alright to wanna be alone for a while to think, but not to be isolated. Ya understand, right?"

Yan only nodded in response. He wasn't used to having someone being so...like this. She barely knew him, but was so courteous. Was it merely being supportful, or something else? Of course she's just being supportful. Why would it being anything else?

"Well, let's stop talkin' about this depressin' stuff, we need to be happy," Applejack changed her tone back her usual one.

"Er, before I forget, can I a-ask you something?" Yan stuttered, even more skittish from having Applejack so close to him.

"Anythin', sugarcube,"

"I-is there anywhere that's hiring? I kinda need a job..." Yan scraped the cobblestone with his hoof, looking everywhere but at Applejack.

"Yeah, Ah think so. Ponyville Post Office definitely needs some more employees. If ya want, Ah can show ya," She offered.

"N-no, it's fine, I-I can find it on my own," Yan stammered out, scared that he'd be alone with Applejack.

"Are ya sure? It'll only take me a few minutes; Ah can just get mah younger sister to watch over the cart fer awhile,"

"I-I'm fine, really, it's alright," The skittish pegasus starts to take a few steps back. "T-Thanks for the offer though," He stammered before he took off in what he hoped was the direction of Ponyville Post Office.

As soon as Yan was out of sight, Applejack's ears drooped.

"What am Ah doin' wrong?..."

***

Yan was mentally kicking himself as he slowly cantered towards Ponyville Post Office. He didn't mean to sound so rude when he refused Applejack's offer to show him the way to said post office; he just couldn't be near Applejack for too long before he would probably faint. Yan didn't know why she radiated such a lethargic effect, but he knew that it was powerful.

Maybe...maybe being a mailcolt will help me with my shyness, Yan thought to himself. I'll be delivering mail and packages to other ponies, which means I'll get used to being around them. Oh, but it's so scary. Other ponies frighten me so much... Yan sighed. He would just have to suck it up, because a building with 'Post Office' adorned above its door was approaching. The tan coated pegasus cantered up to the door that had a little note stuck on it.

Now Hiring.

Well, that answered that question. Yan pushed the door open with his hoof and entered the post office.

"Yeesh, this place does need more workers..." Yan murmured under his breath as he walked slowly through the main room. There was a total of three ponies in the main room. Yan guessed that they were employees, considering they were in and out of the room from double doors that said "Employees Only" above it.

The room was grey and dull, the walls chipping, showing a dusty, dingy white. There were two benches placed near each other for no particular reason, and there was a reception desk in a corner. Yan approached the unicorn receptionist that was dealing with assorted papers.

"U-um..." Yan muttered, barely audible.

"Can I help you?" She said without looking up.

"I, uh, I heard that you're low on workers, so-" At the word 'workers,' the unicorn receptionist snapped her head up.

"Really?" She asked, her tone hopefully. "Yes, yes please, come follow me," She took Yan and lead him to a room somewhere in the back.

Knock, knock. The unicorn knocked on a door that read 'Manager's Office.'

"Yeah," A burly voice called out from inside.

"We have somepony who wants a position."

Not a second later, a cacophony of cluttering elicited from behind the door. It swung open to reveal a large, buff pegasus with five o' clock shadow.

"I'll handle him, you go back."

"Thanks, Burl," The unicorn said before she headed off back to her desk.

His voice fits his name. How ironic.

"C'mere, kid," Burl muttered as he turned and walked into his office. Yan meekly followed.

"So, ya want a job?" He asked rhetorically.

"U-um, I guess..." Yan replied.

"You guess? I need a definite answer here,"

"Y-Yes!" Yan squeaked.

"Ya got the job."

Yan stared at Burl for a long while in confusion. "What...?"

"You heard me. You got the job." Burl said it with a neutral tone as if it was obvious. Maybe it was.

"B-but, how? I got the job cuz I wanted to?" Yan was highly confused.

"We have a little over 10 employees, over half are here assorting letters or doing deskwork. We need more mail carriers. We'll take all we can get."

Yan blinked a few times, letting the information sink in.

"Yeah, call us crazy, but we need workers, as I've stated a million times over. You start tomorrow. Ditzy!!" He called out randomly.

"Yeah, Boss?" A voice called out behind Yan. He turned to see a gray pegasus, with a rather peculiar gaze. She was wall-eyed.

"Show our noobie around."

"New employee?"

"Yep."

"Come with me," She said, gesturing her head over to her. Yan quickly followed, still trying to let his newly acquired job sink in.

"Is it that bad that he'll hire anyone who asks?" Yan asked, confusion fading his shyness a bit.

"Basically," She sighed.

Words were rarely spoken as the mare took Yan around the post office.

After more awkward silence, Yan couldn't take it.

"Do you, um, know somepony named Applejack?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah, we were friends in school. We haven't talked much in awhile though. Why do you ask?"

"Um, I just met her, and...I wanted to know a little bit more about her..."

"Why don't you ask her?" The mare said.

"Because every time I'm near her, I get really nervous. Well, more nervous than I already am naturally, but..."

"Heh, you like her, don't you?" Yan winced as he heard the words. They were finally spoken. They were finally out.

"Um...I...guess..." Yan felt his face grow hot.

"Well, just try talking to her. Hang out with her and get more comfortable around her, then hopefully, you can muster the courage to ask her out." She looked back at the blushing pegasus.

"I'm sorry, I never introduced myself. I'm Ditzy Doo. What's your name?"

"I...I'm Yan..."

"Well, hello Yan. You can go, there's not really much to see. I'll see you tomorrow."

"T-thanks...um, what time?"

"Eight o' clock. Don't be late."

As Yan walked out of the office, he smiled.

He was making friends.