For Her

Strawberry Tart and I had been traveling across Equestria for the past month. Since the temperature had risen, I had decided it was time to start looking for work to support us. I was tired of  living from day-to-day, so we gathered what little we had to our names and set off. We had been to several other cities in the past month, none of which had anything for us. Everywhere we went was a waste of time. There was no work to be found anywhere.

It was just before noon when we arrived at a small town called Ponyville. We had been traveling non-stop since daybreak. The sun was out and bathing everything it touched in its warming glow. It was pleasantly warm with a cool, gentle breeze that would occasionally blow across the land.

We were exhausted and hungry from our travel. The last time we had eaten was lunch the day before. Sadly, there was not much food to be found on our way. What little we had found we ate sparingly, so as to make it last longer. I wished that we had some food, not for me, but for her. I didn’t need anything...no matter how convincing an argument my stomach made.

“When are we going to get something to eat, Silver? I am hungry,” she said as we neared the small town.

“I don’t know. I don’t know,” I said, trying not to sound as depressed as I am sure I did. I had to stay strong, for her sake. She couldn’t know how bad things really were. “I am sure we will find something.”

“Okay. If you say so. So, where are we headed anyway? Are we going to find something there or are we going to have to start over again? I am tired of moving.”

When I stopped to wipe the sweat from my brow, I responded, “I already told you, we are headed to a small town called Ponyville. It will be different from what we are used to. There won’t be as many ponies there, and it won’t be as loud. In terms of work, I don’t know what to expect.”

When she finally noticed that I had stopped, she halted and turned to me. “Are you ok? Do you want to rest for a bit?”

“No. I will be fine. I just wanted to take in the scenery before we reached town”

She giggled that bubbly giggle of hers. “You are so weird. Hurry up, I want to get there before dark.”

“Really? I thought that we could wait till night fell and look at the stars in the sky. Maybe you could tell me one of your stories again,” I playfully replied as I started moving again.

                                                                                                        ***   ***   ***

It took us another hour before we finally reached town. During our chat, we decided to take some time to play a game. In the end, we spent more time staring at the clouds than actually moving. I would like to say that I let her win, but that is not the case. She was quite imaginative when she wanted to be.

Ponyville was not quite what I expected. When we arrived, the first thing I noticed was how bustling the small town was. All around us, unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi went about their daily lives. All of them waving or smiling at us as we passed by. In retrospect, I am not sure what I was expecting.

The second thing that I noticed when we arrived was the massive structure jetting out of the ground. On the far end of town, there was a massive crystallized tree. Sitting in the tree was some sort of building. I will admit, it was quite impressive; although I was not sure why such a small town would have such a building.

As we made our way through town, I was captivated by the air quality. Other aromas also mix with the air, such as that of flowers, bread, cake and other assorted sweets; and what I could only assume was the smell of the local restaurants. All of these fragrances seemed to be perfectly balanced. They never mixed or overpowered one another, and the closer you got to their source the stronger they became.

We arrived at a local tavern. The exterior was fairly simplistic and matched the architectural style of the town. The only noticeable difference was that is was larger than most of the residential buildings. It also had a large wooden sign; the sign itself had a red background with white raised letters that read: Berry’s Punch House.

I turned to Strawberry Tart. “I want  you to wait out here for a few minutes. I won’t be long, promise.”

“Ok!” she said, smiling.

Inside the tavern was a bit different that I expected. Inside the air reeked of tobacco smoke. The bar was not full,but not empty either. Several unicorns were smoking and playing cards at the center table. Over in the corner two pegasi were having a merry time as they drunkenly sang a song I was not familiar with. Whatever it was, it was catchy.

As I made my way to the bar, I could feel all eyes fall on me. I didn’t catch any of them staring, but I could feel them sneaking peaks. The bartender was an earth pony who was busy washing one of her mugs. She was so focused on her work I didn’t think that she noticed me approaching. Even when I arrived at the bar, she seemed to ignore me, completely focused on her work.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I had a chance to she cut me off, “Welcome to Berry’s Punch House. My name is Berry Punch. What will you be having?”

I stood there with a stupid, confused look on my face. “I thought you didn’t notice me. You didn’t even look up. “

“Didn’t have to. You aren’t the quietest fellow. Now, what will you be having?” she replied, not even bothering to look up

“Are you even going to look me in the face? It’s rude to address somepony without even looking at them.”

She let out a long sigh before looking up. “ Look, you either need to buy something or leave. I am trying to work.”

“That’s better. Isn’t is nice to look your customers in the face?” She gave me a look that showed me that she did not view me as a customer. “ I am here for something, but it is not to get drunk. I am looking for work. Do you have any leads?”

“Sir, this is a place of business. If you are not here to make a purchase--whether it be food or drink-- then you are going to have to leave.”

She was starting to test my patience. I could feel my blood begin to boil as I looked at her. “Fine! If you are going to be like that I-”

My outburst was cut short when Strawberry Tart tugged on my mane. I had been so focused on our conversation that I didn’t even notice her. The tavern wasn’t exactly quiet, but I should have been able hear her hoofsteps on the wooden floor. Maybe I had, but I didn’t take notice of it. Regardless of why I took no notice, I turned my attention to her.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, returning to my voice to a calmer state. “I told you to wait outside while I took care of some business.”

She motioned for me to bring my head down. I complied. She cupped her hooves and whispered in my ear, “I need to go to the bathroom.” My eyes went wide as she spoke. This was perfect...just perfect.

“Where are your restrooms?” I asked as I looked back at Berry Punch.

“Restrooms are for customers only. But...she can use my private one--much cleaner,” she said in a more pleasant tone. She then lead Strawberry Tart into the room behind the bar.

Upon her return, my only concern was why she was without my charge. “Where is she?!” I demanded, nostrils flaring. Being hungry had a way of messing with the mind...and my temper.

“Um, the restroom...you know, the one I just took her to.” She was about to say something else, but waved it off instead.

Was it wrong for me to worry? I was just concerned for her; it would devastate me if something happened to her under my watch. “ Is it a crime worry? All we have are each other, and I would sooner jump off of a cloud before left something happen to her,” I said as my gaze drifted to the floor.

“No. I suppose it is not. But improper care is. Now, you were saying something earlier about looking for work”

Hearing this reminded me of my earlier outburst. It stirred up some frustration, but I knocked it aside since she had become more reasonable. “ Yeah, I was going to offer to buy the information from you,” I said as I reached for my money. When I brought my hoof back up, I placed two bits on the counter.

She pushed the money back to me when she looked down at it. “ We don’t sell information here, only food or drinks. ”She looked back at the me then resumed, “And this isn’t even enough to buy the bottle the drink came in.”

My head grew hot as the blood rushed to my face. “What the heck?! You tell me to buy something, and the second I offer, you refuse and throw an insult my way. Are you trying to set me off? Because if you are, you are going in the right direction!”

What happened next shocked me out of my mood. She glared at me with such intensity that I couldn’t help but shut up and listen. “Listen here. I am not doing this for you. I am doing it for her. If she wasn’t with you, I wouldn’t help you, period. ”He words stung, but they were filled with truth.  She took out a piece of paper and began writing something. When she had finished, she handed it to me. “Head out to Sweet Apple Acres and give this to my friend AJ. She should be able to help you”

We stood in silence for quite some time, at least five minutes. Her response was more malicious than I had expected. In a strange way, I was impressed. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had been put in my place.

The silence was broken by the return of Strawberry Tart. As she returned, we both greeted her. She returned to my side as I returned to my shocked state. When she noticed my frozen state, she asked me if we were going to go find something to eat.

Her question shook me out of my awkwardness. “Huh? Oh, yeah, lets go find something to eat. I am sure we can find something,” I told her.

We began to leave, but Berry Punch called out to us as we reached the door, “Wait! If you are looking for something to eat, I can whip something up. I’ll just start you a tab and you can pay me after you get paid.”

Strawberry Tart’s face lit up like a rainbow upon hearing those word. Her eyes grew wide and she smiled so big it made my face hurt. If she was as hungry as I was, then she was probably holding back a considerable amount. Honestly, I was surprised she wasn’t bouncing off the walls with excitement. However, I am sure she was not far from that point.

The meal wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but after not eating for about a day, it was pretty satisfying. Veggie burgers and crispy straw fries. Berry Punch had generously made us lunch...although she made it for both of us, the face she wore while serving told me all I needed to know: you only get to eat because she is with you.

We ate our meal at the bar. Berry Punch decided to eat with us. However, I am sure she did it so she could talk with Strawberry Tart as we ate. Since she didn’t take much notice of me the entire meal, I knew she sure didn’t do it for my benefit.

After we had finished our meal, we took the time time to let it digest. All of the partons had left while we were eating. I assumed it was to go back to work, but I really didn’t care either way. Berry and Tart continued their conversation, leaving me in silence. Occasionally, Strawberry Tart would take notice and pull me into their conversation. That, however, never went very well. It usually ended with me and Berry Punch trying to mentally squeeze the air out of each other. I went to use the restroom myself after so long; when I returned, something was a bit off. Berry Punch had stopped giving me those looks. What the heck did they talk about while I was away?

It was finally time for us to go after ten minutes of talking. Thank Luna! By the end, I was about ready to cut my ears off. How could they have possibly talked for so long? I was glad to finally be free of that mare. I would have vowed never to go back, but she kind enough to feed us on a charge. Until I had paid her back, I would be indebted to her.  I think she got some kind of kick out of it, knowing it made me feel uneasy. Or maybe, just maybe, it was a genuine gesture of goodwill.

As we were leaving, I could have sworn I heard her whisper in my ear, “Take care of her.”

                                                                                                           ***   ***   ***

As per her advice, we headed to her friend’s farm, Sweet Apple Acres. It was good a thing we decided to let our meal digest before we made our journey. The scenery along the way was about what is was on the way to Ponyville. Beautiful wilderness surrounded us, greeting us, guiding us. It wasn’t long before we started seeing apple trees. This made me wonder just how big Sweet Apple Acres really was.

Not long after seeing the apple trees, we began playing another game. This game was all about, what else, apples. Our goal was to find as many hidden apples on the ground as possible. I was winning for the longest time, but then she came out from behind and started leading. So...many...apples. How was she doing it? I promised myself that the next time I groomed her mane I would look for a horn.

By time we had reached Sweet Apple Acres, it was late afternoon. The sky was like a canvas and the sun was the brush, painting the sky with a broad spectrum of colors. The colors seems to dance as a soft breeze swept across the land. It was truly a sight to behold. Even the clouds, though few in number,  seemed to add to the perfection that was the heavens above; untainted by pegasi who would obstruct such a view with their presence.

As we made our way down the dirt path leading to the farmhouse, I began to worry. What if Berry Punch had lied. There was, however, no reason to do that. She seemed genuinely interested in helping us out--or at least Strawberry Tart. Also, what if this AJ had no positions available, and this whole trip was a waste of time? I didn’t know what we would do if we came all this way for nothing. We used all of our remaining supplies getting here. If we didn’t find work here, I would be forced to make a very difficult decision.

Upon arriving at the farmhouse, I knocked at the door. No answer. I knocked a second, third, fourth time. Still no answer. My heart dropped into my stomach. My throat felt tight as I tried to swallow. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t care too much, but this was about us, not just myself. What was I going to do? It was going to be dark soon, and we had no place to bunker down for the night.

So close. We were so close! What was I going to do, now that I had exhausted my options? I really didn’t want to, but I figured that she was more important than my pride. I was going to have to beg Berry Punch to work for her. Honestly, that scared me more that not finding a job at all. There was something about her that left me uneasy, but I had to do what need to be done.

As we were about to leave, I heard a voice calling out to us, “Hold on there! Y’all only just got here. Ah haven’t even had the chance to welcome ya yet.”

Over by the edge of the orchards, there stood an orange mare. Her mane was the pleasant color of straw, as was her tail. Upon her head she wore a brown hat that seemed to tie in with her country accent. Her posture told me that she was at home amongst the apple trees. She wasted no time in making her way over to us. Upon closer inspection I saw that she was sweating and covered in a fine layer of nature.

“Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! My name is Applejack. What brings you all the way to this little slice of heaven?”

Instead of offering her a response I gave her the note. She took the note and began to read. Her smile faded as she read the note. When she finished, looked back at me, then to Strawberry Tart, then to me again.

“Is something wrong?”I asked, curious of why her eyes were so greedy.

Her smile returned and she replied, “Nothing at all. I just wanted to get a good look at my new worker. Now, let’s go inside and we can discuss the details over a hot meal!”

                                                                                                       ***   ***   ***

“So, how are you finding everything so far?” she asked as the three of us sat at the large table.

Before I had the chance to respond, Strawberry Tart jumped in. “I love it here. Everypony is so nice to us. I think that Silver likes Berry Punch.” After finishing speaking, she went back to eating.

I nearly choked on my water when she said that. All Applejack could do was laugh as my lungs took on water. My little pony was going to be my undoing.

After I had regain the use of my lungs and Applejack had finished laughing, I responded to her question, “Well, it is better than most, if not all, of the places we have been so far. I think we have a chance of making a life here”

“Glad to hear it. Now..what do you plan on doing about her?” she said while motioning towards Strawberry Tart.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked, trying to hold my tongue. No matter what she said, I had to hold my tongue at all costs.

“Well, she can’t rightly be working around the farm during the day. You could get into serious trouble with the local truancy officer.”

“Truancy officer?” I asked, not knowing what she meant.

“Yep. If she isn’t in school, both of you could get into trouble. Since school is out for the weekend, she can play with my sister, Apple Bloom, while we work.”

“Before I forget, where is everypony else? This table is kind of big for just you and your sister.”

“Well, Granny Smith went with Big Macintosh to Manehattan. He needed to go to the doctor there to find out how his leg is doing --he had an accident a few weeks ago, and now we are short-hoofed. They should be back in a few days. As for Apple Bloom, she is spending the night with her friends and won’t be back until tomorrow.”

We finished the rest of our meal of our meal in silence. The meal was much better than our lunch. But it was a home cooked  meal, unlike our lunch. By the time we had finished, I felt like I was going to pop. I couldn’t even remember when last time I felt like that was--or if I had ever felt like that.

After dinner, it was time for us to get cleaned up. I had no problem being grimy and greasy; it was just like old times. Strawberry Tart also tried to get out of taking her bath, but Applejack wasn’t going to have that. I was about to take her upstairs for her bath, but Applejack offered to do it for me. She probably did it for other reasons, but I didn’t care because I got out of taking mine.

While they took their bath, I remained in living room and read a book that I had brought with me. It was the first time I had had time to read since we departed the last city we stayed in. Applejack was the first to descend the stairs. I didn’t take much notice since I was absorbed in my book. She came by and sat on the other end of the couch.

Without looking up I asked,” Where is she at?”

“I gave her Apple Bloom’s room for the night since Apple Bloom won’t be using it tonight.” She looked at my book. ”What are ya readin’?”

“Of Pegasi and Unicorns.” My nose still buried in the book as I answered her question.

“What is it about?”

I looked up from the pages of my book and closed it. It was apparent that I wasn't going to be able to read much with her here. “It is about a two ponies: one a unicorn, the other a pegasus. Together they have traveled across Equestria, but they can never find what they are looking for. All they want is to be able to find a place to call their own. But their journey is filled with misfortunes that force them to keep moving from location to location. In short: they want a better life, but fate is working against them.”

“Sounds like an interesting story. Anyway, it is getting late and ah had better hit the hay; we have a busy day tomorrow. Oh, by the way, ya can sleep in Big Mac’s room tonight. Sleep tight.”