For Her

The night was pleasant, cool, but not cold. Applejack had decided to lend me Big Macintosh’s room for the night. Comfortable was an understatement, his room was a paradise. It was large room with a large bed in the middle of the room. The walls were decorated with family pictures; they ranged from pictures of individuals to larger group pictures that contained twenty or more. On the nightstand, however, there was picture that stood out from the rest of the ones in the room. For some reason Big Macintosh kept this particular close when he slept. In the picture only contained four ponies: an older green one, a tall, muscular red one, a small one with a bow in her hair, and finally, Applejack herself.

Aside from all the pictures, there was not much else in the room. The only real furniture in the room was the bed and the nightstand. Big Mac was a very simple pony, it seemed. It must have been nice to have such a large family. All of those ponies you could share your thoughts with. I may have had Strawberry Tart, but she could never understand me. She was too young and too naive. I had taken her from the street to ensure that she would never understand me.

Once during the night, I awoke with a start. The room was bathed in moonlight. Sweat had overtaken my mane and body. I sat up and looked around the room, trying to remember where I was. After several minutes of confusion, I remembered. Well, I was awake now, and there was no going back to sleep for a bit. Even though I wasn’t ready to go back to sleep, I wanted to stay in the piece of cloud that Big Macintosh used as a bed. But I got up instead. Until I felt tired again, I would pace around the room.

Eventually, I made my way to the window the was on the right side of the bed. An ocean of black glass greeted me when I arrived. The stars in the sky were the fish that inhabited the world above, adding to its pristine beauty. I was captivated by this sight. The night was never like this in the city. In the city the pollution and lights overpowered the night sky, making it look weak and dreary. Here, in Ponyville, at Sweet Apple Acres, the world was a much different place.

After what seemed like mere minutes staring out the window, I began to feel my eyelids grow heavy. I let loose a yawn that mane my eyes water slightly. Usually when I wake up in the night it take about an hour for the fatigue to return. So, how long had I been in my trance? It didn’t matter, I was tired and made my way to the bed.

I arrived at the bed, about to crawl in, when something caught my eye. Something on the other side of the room was staring at me from the closet. There was nopony else here, so why did I feel like I was being watched? I tried to focus my eyes on the closet,but had no luck. My eyes were telling me to get to bed, but my brain wanted to know.

At first it seemed like my body was winning the argument, but my mind won me over. I made my way for the closet at the back of the room, near the door. Though I knew there was nopony else in the room, I still cautiously made my way to the closet. I didn’t know what to expect. For all I knew, there could have been a nasty surprise awaiting me. When I arrived at the closet, I was hesitant to open it at first. But my hesitation soon faded, and I threw open  the ajar closet door.

On one of the shelves in the back was a little, gray doll with mop hair and button eyes. It sat there, looking me in the face with its button eyes.Why in Equestria did Big Macintosh have that in his closet? He was not as simple as I had previously assumed. Big Mac was a confusing individual. I didn’t think I wanted to remember this encounter. Hopefully, I would wake up in the morning and it will all have been a bad dream.

My body had decided that it was time to sleep, so my once again the fatigue hit me like a buck to the face. I fell to the ground while I desperately tried to silence my impact. I didn’t want to wake anypony else in the dead of night, so I did what I had to. Bracing myself, I stuck out my head and presented my face to the floor.

Thought the crash wasn’t incredibly loud, it still sounded like a cannon going off to me since there was no other sound to mask it. And possibly because my ears were so close to the point of impact. Unable to get back up, I decided to crawl to bed. When I arrived at the foot of the bed, I wasted no time in climbing in. It was much more comfortable than the floor, especially now that I had a reference to that feeling. It took no time for me to drift into the realm of dreams.

                                                                                                 ***   ***   ***

When Applejack called us down for breakfast, the sun had yet to light the sky. At first I didn’t want to get up, but the second that smell hit my nose I jolted up. That heavenly aroma was enough to put both of our meals yesterday to shame. It smelled sweet apples and fried dough. I could hardly wait.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, I made my way downstairs. Applejack was already dressed and eating at the table. Strawberry Tart was also eating at the table. It made no sense. Strawberry Tart has never once voluntarily got up early. She was the world’s worst when it comes to waking up early. But there she was, fully awake and stuffing her face with an assortment of apple based confections.

When I thought about it, it didn’t seem so ridiculous. If the air was filled with a sugary aroma, she would be the first to know. Strawberry had the appetite of a full grown stallion when it came to sweets. If there was one thing she would never refuse, it was sweets. You could not control that girl around sweets.

After seating myself at the table, I started piling my plate with food. My eyes were just as hungry as my stomach was. Such a large breakfast. Pastries, fried apples, applesauce, and much more filled the table. Before long, my plate was full, and I had started eating. It shouldn’t have been possible, but it was. Applejack’s breakfast was better than her dinner.

“How did y’all sleep last night? Applejack asked as we were busy filling our bellies.

About a minute passed before I finally replied, “ Better than I have had in a long time.”

“That’s good to hear. There is something I wanted to tell you. Last night I got sidetracked and forget to mention the details of your employment. Before I say anything else, I need to know your names,” she said with a warm smile.

I swallowed the food I had in my mouth and said, “My name is Mercury Quicksilver, and-”

“I’m Strawberry Tart. Thank your for the food Ms. Applejack”

“You’re most welcome Strawberry Tart.” She looked back at me. “ It is nice to meet you, Mercury Quicksilver!”

“Likewise, “ I responded with a mouth full of fried apples.

“Now, on to the details of your employment here at Sweet Apple Acres. Your job is to do what you’re assigned. It may consist of a number of tasks, or just one, on a given day. You will be paid at the end of every week after the appropriate deductions have been made.”

“What do you mean by deductions? What kind of job deducts money from my pay?”

“Well, it’s simple. We provide ya with food, a place to sleep, and water. In return, ah will make deductions from your pay to cover your expenses. It is a fair deal.” She extended her hoof.

I took a moment to process what I had heard. We couldn’t afford to abandon a job over something so small. “I don’t like it...but I accept your terms of employment, “ I said before shaking her hoof.

“Now that you are officially employed here we can finish our meal. Better hurry though. The sun will be soon, and we need to be out there by then!” she said with a grin of enthusiasm.

                                                                                                       ***   ***   ***

After we finished breakfast, Strawberry Tart offered to help Applejack with the dishes. While those two did the dishes, I went upstairs and washed my face. If I was going to be working, I didn’t need food on my face distracting me. Today was my first day of work, and I needed to prove myself to Applejack. I needed her to know that I could do what she needed done. Maybe that way she would keep me on longer than fall.

Applejack had explained to me that the job would only last until mid fall. After which point, she would no longer require my services. Though she sounded sympathetic, I doubt she would keep me on unless I could show her that she needed me. Without this job, Strawberry Tart and I would be back on the streets.

After the dishes were finished, I came back downstairs and received my assignment for the day. My first task of the day was an easy one. All I had to do was milk the cows. How hard could milking a cow be? Milk a few cows then get my second assignment for the day. Easy as pie.

As it turned out, milking cows is a lot harder than I had imagined it to be. Especially if they have more than twenty cows to milk. The cows were not used to me being near them and were restless the entire time. Not only that, but they also kicked the bucket over more than once. All that milk was wasted because those stupid cows decided it would be funny screw with me.

After about four hours of milking those beasts of burden, I was finally done. Out of the forty-nine buckets of milk I was supposed to collect, only twenty-three survived. My first day of work and it was already starting to get to me. How was I supposed to impress Applejack if I couldn’t even collect milk?

My second task of the day was to feed all of the animals on the farm. It was much easier for me to do because it was so simple. All I had to do was go around the farm and give each animal the appropriate feed. However, there was a catch. The animals were scattered around the farm, and the feed was all in the barn. So, I had to make multiple trips all over the farm.

First, I had to feed those walking hunks of beef. This time they were not as frustrating as earlier in the morning. When they saw the feed I had brought, they gathered around like a swarm of parasprites. I could have simply “forgot” to feed them, and as tempted as I was, I decided against it. Not really a good reason to keep me on if I killed all of Applejack’s cattle.

By the time I finished feeding all of the animals, it was time for lunch. I was starving after all the work I had done. As I made my way to the main house, I heard ringing of some sort and Applejack calling me in for lunch. Before I reached the house for lunch, I took a moment to stop and enjoy the breeze. The air felt good blowing through my mane after all the work I had done. When I finished enjoying the breeze, I went directly to the house.

When I arrived at the house, I could smell the food being cooked. The smell of roasting apples and veggies permeated the air. My mouth soon grew wet, and my stomach growled out its lonesome growl. I could hardly wait. Applejack’s cooking was first rate, nothing else could compare.

As I entered Applejack greeted me, “ Welcome back! How did ya like your first day of work?”

“It was ok,” I lied. Truthfully, I hated every second of it. Mainly because of those cows. Those spiteful milk machines… I hated them more than anypony would know.

“Glad to hear it. Go have a seat at the table with everypony else, and I’ll bring the food out shortly.”

I nodded and took a seat at the sable, where Strawberry Tart and three other fillies were talking. She looked like she had made some friends. I smiled at the sight of her and the other fillies laughing and conversing. It made me happy to see her adjusting so well.

True to her word, a few moments later Applejack brought out a tray of sandwiches. We swarmed the tray almost as soon as it touched the table. After she had placed the tray, Applejack took her place at the table.

                                                                                                               ***   ***   ***

Lunch was fairly quiet. Not much was said. After Lunch had concluded, Strawberry Tart and her new friends went off to play. They had said something about an initiation of some kind for their club, but I wasn’t really paying attention. I was too full and too tired to care.

Even though I was tired and full, I was determined to get back to work. All of those sandwiches were weighing me down, but I didn’t care. I was determined to impress Applejack. However, I never got the chance to return to work.

As I was heading outside, Applejack called me back inside. Curious about what she wanted, I went back into the house. Inside the living room, I found Applejack sitting on the couch. When she noticed me standing in the doorway, she motioned for me to sit down.

“I would rather stand if you don’t mind.”

She shrugged. “Ah wanted to talk to you. It is rather personal, so ah decided to wait until we were alone.”

What did she mean by that?! Was she messing with me...or did she have another motive? My mind raced trying to figure out what she wanted to talk about. I tried my best, but I couldn’t keep my mind from exploring the darkest depths. All the while, my face got redder and redder.

“Ok,” was all I managed to get out.

“First of all, ah am glad to see you are a hard worker, really ah am. However, that is not what ah wanted to discuss,” she said in a serious tone. Even her eyes were serious.

I stood there confused. “ Um, what do you mean? I am getting mixed signals.”

“What ah wanted to talk with ya about concerns Strawberry Tart.”

“What about her?” I asked,even more confused than before.

“Well, it’s just that there is quite an age difference between the two of ya’ll. I just want to be sur-”

“Of what? I don’t like what you are implying! I would never do anything to hurt her!” I spat out. I may have been confused, but her implication was enough to turn my frustration of the day into anger. “Everything I do, every sacrifice I make, I do it for her.”

She was taken aback with my outburst. She was silent before a few moments,then she spoke, “ Ah just want to be sure. It’s just so...unusual for a pairing like yours.”

“I can’t believe this. You of all ponies should know our relationship! You have seen us firsthoof, you should know how I feel about her.”

“Ah know, but-” I didn’t let her finish. She had infuriated me so. Whatever she had to say, I didn’t want to hear. Not with my anger building as we spoke.

I turned to leave, but before I exited I told her, “We are done here. I have nothing more to say to you, but I will leave you with a final thought. Who are you, that presumes much, but asks little?” With those final words, I took my leave.