CrabApple awoke on a green plastic tarp carelessly laid over foam couch cushions and pine needles. Stretching her legs out she let out a sigh. She opened her eyes squinting, expecting the sunlight to be shining through the "window" of her tent. Which was actually just a hole with some screen taped over it. As she sat up and looked out she saw the sky was a depressing light grey. "Ugg, seriously!?" Still half asleep she pushed open the door flap of her tent and peeked out for a better look. The grass was wet with cold dew. Water drops slid down the side of the tent, jarred loose by her movement. It wasn't raining but drops of water fell from the evergreen trees as there needle covered branches shifted in the wind. She shivered as the wind blew through her light violet fur. Ducking back in the tent she shook the water droplets off her mane. She walked a few feet to a lightly rusted piece of chrome metal sitting in the corner of her tent. Rummaging through a cardboard box she pulled out a hairbrush and a few bobby pins. Looking in the chrome she began to brush her bangs which took little effort. She then attempted to remove the black bands from the base of her two braids. "Damn it." She winced as she removed the last band. It took a few dark reddish strands of her mane with it. "I couldn't bother to take my braids out before going to bed." She cursed her laziness.
After re-assembling her two braided pigtails she left her tent. She didn't look to bad for being homeless trash. She sported tan leather saddlebags that were in decent condition and two shiny black earrings on her left ear.
She trotted only a few hundred feet before she was out of the forest and began making her way towards a dirt road.
"Hey Crab!" A loud somewhat irritating feminine voice called from farther down the dirt road.
A shorter cream colored unicorn mare with a light pink mane stood violently waving her hoof in the air.
"Oh hey SugarButt!" CrabApple yelled sounding annoyed.
"SugarButt!? What the heck? Where did that come from?!" The pink maned mare laughed.
"I told you not to call me Crab!" CrabApple said as the pink and cream mare trotted up to her.
"Yeah but... suggarbutt!? Like where did you get that name?" The pink haired mare said, still giggling.
"I... I don't know. Your tail is kind of the color of cotton candy? Ugg, never mind." CrabApple said. She rolled her eyes and kept walking. "Seriously though Pastel, don't call me Crab. It sounds so weird."
"It's not that bad Apple. Crabs are pretty cool!" Pastel assured her.
CrabApple rolled her eyes again and kept walking.
After a few minuets of walking they arrived at a gate with a small Woden booth next to it. Pastel walked up to it. She floated a slip of paper out of her bag and stuck it in a slot in the booth. A green light appeared next to the slot and she slipped the paper back out.
"Is your attendance slip still broken Apple?" She asked turning to look behind her.
"Yeah but Skylar gave me his old one when he got promoted. It should last until I get a new one." Apple answered showing her a slip of paper with a picture of a light grey pegasus stallion.
He had a bright blue mane and an unusually multi colored coat. Light grey with white under his chin going down his neck, along with lighter blue stripes on his ears. Only the tips of his wings were showing, mostly hidden as the photo was only a headshot. He was smiling awkwardly looking slightly away from the camera.
"Ha ha haha! Oh my god! What a dork!" Pastel shouted nearly tearing up from laughter. As she looked at the photo.
"Don't even talk Pastel! You look like a cute little fluffy filly!" Apple said giggling.
"Hey! I do not!" Pastel whined.
A loud shout rang out from the speakers next to the booth. "Get to your post! Your late already!!!"
They both jumped in supprise. And ran to the big grey building a few yards away. Once inside they trotted over to a conveyer belt where big crates of apples and pears were waiting. For the next 5 hours they, and many other unlucky ponies would be responsible for the mind numbing process of pealing hundreds and thousands apples and pears. CrabApple operated a lever which brought various blades down on the apples and pears, removing the cores and pealing them. Pastel used her levitation to sort the fruits into different size category's and pushing them to where the blades would finish the job. There working conditions were terrible. The constant noise of the machinery was deafening and the whole factory smelled of fermenting rotten fruit juices. It couldn't be sanitary. Just as they got into there work a loud bang shook through the factory. The horrible sound of jammed machinery screeching and clanging caused them to duck behind the conveyer belt and shield themselves with there fore-hooves. The loud machinery slowed to a low hum before shutting down completely. Apple and Pastel looked at each other stunned with supprise before smiling and laughing with relief.
"I think something got jammed in the grinder." CrabApple said, still shaking a little from being startled.
Then they heard screaming. Three or four ponies ran by them looking shocked and scared. Some covering there eyes.
They emerged from there hiding place behind the conveyer belt and fruit crates.
"Wait, what's happening?! What happened?" Pastel asked the running ponies.
Apple stood on her tiptoes leaning to the side trying to look over to where the grinder had stopped working. A few ponies stood next to the grinder. One sat on her knees covering her face with her hooves facing away from the machinery.
"What's going on?" Pastel asked, also standing in her toes trying to see, but to no avail.
"I don't know. I'm going to go look." Apple answered, lowering back on to all fours. Pastel followed behind.
They approached two maintenance workers in clean white lab coats.
"What happened?" Apple asked the two stallions.
"Somebody got caught in the grinder." One answered, looking much less concerned than he should have.
"Somebody!!!?" Pastel questioned.
"Yep. We had to shut the grinder down to avoid damaging it." The other worker stated.
"You shut it down to avoid damaging the grinder!?" Apple yelled.
"Yep. The machinery is actually pretty delecate. Can't handle much more than fruit. It should be back up in a few hours." The worker said as he wrote on a clipboard.
Apple didn't even know how to react. She just starred at them. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. A living pony was injured by the machine and the workers were more concerned about breaking the machinery!? She wanted to punch them both square in the nose. She blinked and shook her head, erasing the thought.
They trotted over to the grinder. Upon seeing the accident Apple immediately turned around covering her eyes with her hoof. The blades of the grinder was covered in blood. The only thing left of the pony was a single hoof sticking out. The tub where the ground apples would normally fall was filled with bright red chunks of what couldn't have been fruit. Pastel ran into Apple who had turned around unexpectedly.
"Ouch! What!? Are they ok?" Pastel asked looking very concerned.
"No! No no no no. I don't want to see this shit! I'm out!" Apple said as she grabbed Pastel and turned to walk out.
They both left the building in a hurry and continued walking down the dirt road towards where the met up earlier.
"Was it real bad?" Pastel asked quietly.
Apple just kept walking, staring at the road in front of her.
