Odren Peacedreamer POV
You have been looking for a job ever since you ex-marefriend kicked you out. You should have seen it coming though. The tension between you only grew worse and worse. All it took was taking an apple off an apple tree for a quick snack and she exploded. She kept saying things like hindering their progress by eating the produce and stuff like that.
That was the final straw. So, you broke it off. Unfortunately for you, you also lived with her and her family. So quitting also meant moving out. Thankfully, Big Mac helped you move. He was more mad at his sister than he was at you. Probably because of how tight you were with the Apple Family. But then again, you weren’t blood. So it still puzzled you.
After all your stuff was packed up and outside, you realized something very important. You didn't have anywhere to go. So, you started to ask around for places to crash. Pinkie Pie, being the true friend she is, said that her sister Maud was starting up her own rock farm and she needed some help. A few letters and a homeless weeks later, you were invited to live/work at Maud's farm. Before you left, Pinkie gave you a small going away party and some cupcakes before you left. The party was just you and her, but it still was meaningful. Which brings you to now.
Standing at an iron gate, you read the name of the farm, “Granite Fields”. It's an interesting name to say the least. The name certainly fits the location. Looking along the “farmland”, you see a flat, barren landscape filled with rocks, rocks, and more rocks. Come to think of it, you don't really know what a rock farm does. All you cared about knowing is that it's a job and it pays. Plus, if Pinkie said you could do it, it shouldn’t be anything you can’t handle.
Picking up your bags and walk past the gate and onto the path to the house.The walk takes a while, but no more than Sweet Apple Acres ever did, making it a long trek to the house. Visitors probably don't come here too often.
When you reach the house, you can see it is as bland as the rock field. It's a good thing you like bland. Well, that isn't entirely true, just anything below Rarity's standards. You knock on the screen door and wait for an answer. Soon enough, a gray pony with probably the most gorgeous eyes walks up and opens the door. Out of everything you've seen in this farm so far, her eyes shined above everything.
Being afraid of staring, you move your eyes to take in the rest of her. That is when you notice she is wearing some type of dress. At least you two have something in common. You both wear clothes.
"You must be Odren." Her voice lacks any kind of emotion, making it hard to tell if she is happy to see you here or not.
"Yeah, and you must be Maud. It's nice to finally meet you," you greet as you hold out your hand to give a shake. She responds in kind with her hoof. Once you get a grip, you become a bit confused. You’ve shaken many pony's hooves and they all felt the same, soft and squishy. Her's, on the other hand, are as solid as a rock.
"You have quite the grip," says Maud. Were you squeezing that hard?
"Sorry,” you say, pulling your hand back. You silently curse yourself for putting too much pressure into the shake. So much for first impressions.
"That's okay." You continue to stand there, waiting for something to break the silence. Unfortunately that has to be you.
"So, uh, where do I stay?" you say with a cheap smile.
"In the spare bedroom." She still hasn't moved, making you wonder if everything was alright upstairs. But this is Pinkie's sister after all. Just chalk it up with it's a Pie family thing.
"Could I see it?" you say with your face enthusiastic smile.
"Sure." She opens the door a little wider so you can walk in.
The house, much like the outside, is bland. It has an off gray color that almost matches Maud's coat. The furniture all matches at least. Even though you can only describe it as simple. Not that simple is bad, just nothing that makes it stand out. She leads you through the living room and up the stairs to the bedrooms.
"Your's is the one on the left. Mine is on the right. The bathroom is down the hall." You listen to your new landlord as she points to each one of the three doors. She pushes open your door and you are greeted with a...nother bland room.
"You can set your stuff here. I'll be making dinner soon. What does your species eat?" This causes you to be a bit startled. Didn't Pinkie already tell her about your species? You kinda hoped Pinkie broke the ice about the whole needing meat thing. You decide not to press the issue and just answer her question as honestly as you can.
"I’m an omnivore, though I can't eat hay or flowers or grass. Everything else is pretty much on the menu." You give a little smile, hoping to see some kind of emotion. But, she is as neutral as she was at the door. She didn't even flinch when you unintentionally mentioned being able to eat meat. Maybe you're being too critical.
"Alright, dinner will be in a few minutes. I hope that gives you enough time to settle in." she responds in her neutral voice. At least she didn't make a big deal about the meat eating thing. Some ponies just can't handle that news well at all.
"That should be plenty of time. I don't have much to unpack." She gives a nod and heads back downstairs. You grab your bag and walk in the room. Setting the bag on the bed, you open it up and start to put away some clothes in a dresser. You didn't have many clothes. Rarity is only so generous, but, you can't blame her. She needs to make money too. And the amount of fabric she needs for just your clothes equals that of a big poofy dress.
Once your clothes are put away, you look down to see a smaller bag full of your toiletries: aka a toothbrush and toothpaste, and a picture frame. Picking up the frame, you turn it over to reveal a picture of you and Applejack at one of her rodeos. She had won first prize in hay chucking when you and her posed for the photo. It was one of the fonder moments you can remember of the relationship. Hell, it almost makes you want to go back. But still...
What is this doing in there? You didn-. Fucking Big Mac. You're not surprised that he would try and pull something like this. He always thought you and A.J. made a good couple. You pegged him as the overprotective brother, but he was actually a pretty cool guy. Hell, he was basically your therapist towards the end of you and Applejack's relationship. He saw where it was going. That's probably why he helped you move out. He wanted you to cool off and come back. Little did he know, you weren't planning on crawling back to that farm.
You lay the picture face down on the dresser and put your toiletries in the bathroom. After you put your bag away, you head downstairs to the kitchen. The closer you get, the more you smell something tasty.
Once you reach the kitchen, you look over to Maud as she stands over a stove. She isn't on all fours though. She is on two legs and is working just fine. Not that many ponies can do that.
You walk up and try to see what she is cooking. Once your eyes fall on the pan, your heart starts racing.
She is cooking you some fish. No one ever cooks you fish. Even if you didn't know a thing about her, the fact she is cooking meat for you makes her alright in your book.
"Anything I can do to help?" you ask. She slowly turns around.
"You scared me,” she calmly states. At this point, you have no idea how she is related to Pinkie. “Could you grab some lettuce from the refrigerator?" asks Maud. Ignoring her lack emotion, you go ahead and grab the lettuce. Bringing it back to her she takes out two bowls and makes a quick salad. Well, it was just lettuce and some carrots.
When she was done with the fish, she cut it up and placed it in your salad. You offer to carry it for her, but she politely declines. At least, you think she was politely declining. It is hard to tell with that voice and face.
Sitting down at the table, you both enjoy your meals. You, probably, enjoying it more than she is. After all, you got meat.
"How is the fish?" You stop mid bite. Is she actually starting a conversation? You lower your fork and answer her.
"It's really good. I can't remember the last time anyone has cooked meat for me. You didn't have to do that you know."
"I just wanted to show my appreciation." Appreciation? You have only been here for around half an hour. And even then, you haven't done anything.
"Appreciation for what? I haven't exactly done anything around here yet."
"I was worried when I started up this farm. Tending the fields by myself would have been tiresome and hard. When I heard you were looking for a job and place to stay, I was enthusiastic. I want to make sure you are comfortable here." Enthusiastic. Right… But she is putting an effort into making you feel welcome. You have to stop being so hard on her.
“You don't have to do anything special for me. I am just glad to find another place to stay." She nods her head and goes back to eating. She kinda reminds you of Big Mac: single expression face, not one to talk, going to be working on a farm. If she is anything like him, you two should get along just fine.
You both finish up your meals and head to bed without much conversation. Tomorrow will be your first day working at a rock farm. As you lay down in your smallish bed, you wonder what you will actually do.
Author's Note
I found this in my backlog of stories. I'll probably be flipping between this, TLOTS, and a third story I have yet to publish.
Apparently, working on a rock farm is something between a cattle farm and a quarry. Sometimes you move rocks from field to field. Other times, you cut up the rocks for bricks or other rock related needs. Maud tends to do most of the cutting with her hooves. You will never know how she can do that so well. You stick to just hauling rocks from field to field. She said it was good to expose them to different soil and sunlight. It still doesn't make sense to you, but Maud knows a lot more about rocks than you ever will.
You hardly ever see anyone else out on the farm. The only outsider you regularly see is a young stallion who delivers the mail. He is a skittish little thing. Oh and he has a crush on Maud. You can easily tell because every time he gives her the mail, he gets all nervous and sweats like a pig. Hell, the poor guy can hardly get a word out..
You are pulling a cart by the house when you see the pony walking down the path. Maud is still out by the barn/workshop, so you decide to get the mail today. Unhitching yourself from the cart, you walk over to greet him by the mailbox.
"Hey there Speedy. Anything for me?" The stallion smiles as he goes through his saddle bags to grab some letters and a box.
"Just some letters and this package Mr. Odren." He responds, handing you your mail.
"That's good. And it's just Odren. You don't need me to feel any older than I already am." You are at least ten years older than the stallion. He is, what you guess, his late teens/early twenties. Not too far from Maud's age, but he still has a lot ahead of him.
"I don't see why you wouldn't. When I get that old, I am going to have everypony call me Mr. Delivery." You chuckle and flip though the mail, trying to find anything other than a bill. "So... where's uh... Maud?" You stop flipping through your bills and look down at the nervous guy. He has been like this every time he asked about her. This time, you try and make something happen.
"That depends. Are you finally gonna ask her?" He scrapes his hoof on the ground in thought. Looking closely, you can see his cheeks turn a shade pink.
"...maybe." No, that won't do at all.
"I can't tell you until you sound more confident. She is as blunt as these here rocks. I know. I live with her. So if you want to ask her, you have to be strong, sturdy, and blunt. Like a rock. So I'll ask again. Are you gonna ask her." He takes a visible gulp and puffs out his chest. That’s better.
"I'm going to ask her if it's the last thing I do."
"That's what I want to see. She's working in the barn. Go get her tiger." You point over the hill that hid the barn and send him on his way. He kinda reminds you of yourself when you first dated Applejack. Hopefully it will turn out better for him.
You go back to flipping through the mail. A few bills for water and ley lines. Ley lines, as you found out, are basically pony versions of electricity. All the appliances run off it like the microwave and fridge. In-between all the bills you do spot one bright pink letter. On the front rests the signature picture of Pinkie's cutie mark.
You haven't heard much from her besides the first week you spent here. It was an awful week of back breaking labor. If you thought the Apple family worked hard, they could take lessons from the Pie family.
You decide it would be better to wait for Maud to get back before opening it. That brings you to the package. It isn't big, but still big enough for you to wonder what is inside. You look for a sender, and it's from Pinkie as well. If you were a betting man, which you are, you would guess that it would either be rock candy or some kind of pastry.
Walking back to the house, you set the mail on the table. There will be time to deal with it once you get your work done. You grab an apple and head back outside. After a couple trips back and forth from the east to west field, you spot Speedy trudging back from the barn.
You know the walk of shame, having done it plenty times before. And he was doing it. You walk to intercept him. When you get closer, you can tell he isn't cry at least. He's taking it better than you thought he would.
"Hey Speedy." He slowly raises his head.
"Oh, hey Mr. Odren."
"I take it, she said no." He nods his head.
"Want to talk about it?" He shakes his head.
"Do you want a drink?" He almost shakes his head, but ends up nodding instead.
"C'mon, let's get you inside."
You show the stallion the house and offer him some water. He's still on the clock so you don't want him getting fired for drinking on the job. He just takes little sips and swirls the glass around.
"So, why don't you tell me what happened?" Speedy thinks about it before opening his mouth.
"So, I went to the barn like you said. She was working on something. I'm not sure what it was."
"Cinder blocks, but go on."
"Right, cinder blocks. So, she was working and it was really loud. I couldn't even hear myself. So, I walked up and tapped her on the shoulder. I guess I scared her because she socked me right in the jaw." Ouch. Getting bucked is one thing, but a punch from Maud was like taking a rock to wherever she hit you. At least it was only his face. You remember when you tried to surprise Maud when she was working in the kitchen. You still aren't sure you can have kids. At least she took care of you. There was almost a hint of emotion when she apologized.
"So said she was sorry and gave me some ice to stop the swelling. We got to talking about things, and that's when I decided to ask her out. She obviously said no and here I am."
You offer him a hand on the back.
"Sometimes it just doesn't work out." He just shakes his head.
"That's easy for you to say. I bet you have been with plenty of mares."
Now it's your turn to shake your head.
"Nope. I was turned down plenty of times. Only one said yes, and she was the apple of my eye."
Speedy looks at you with curious eyes.
"What about now?" Your gaze goes back to the table.
"Was, is the key word. Things got tense between us and I ended up breaking it off. That's what led me here. I just needed some space and a place to stay. Maud had both, so I took it."
"Then why haven't you asked her out?" That's... a good question. Why haven't you asked her yet? It's not that you don't think she is attractive. Far from it. Thinking back, it was probably not being able to read her emotions. You still struggle with it now, but you know to look for those subtle hints.
When she is in a good mood, her ears stand up a little straighter and she is more attentive. When she's in a sour or bad mood, she tends to walk slower than usual. The easiest emotion to read is when she is sad. Her ears actually lay back like a normal pony. Her face doesn't change, and that is the biggest mistake ponies make. Looking back at Speedy, you realize you have been drifting in your thoughts for a while.
"I guess it's because I don't want to mix work with personal life." He just cocks an eyebrow.
"But you live together already. As far as I can tell, you both could be married and nothing would change." You raise your finger to rebuttal, but you suddenly find no argument. You both live together. You both work together. Hell, besides Speedy, she is the only pony you see.
"You have a point, but I doubt she wants to do anything like that with me. She'll find some nice stallion. I'll get kicked out and move on to the next job. The cycle continues."
"That doesn't sound like a very good life." You shrug your shoulders.
"Meh. You take what you get." Speedy looks at you, then outside.
"Well, I better get back to the post office." You walk him to the front gate. Right before he flies off, he turns back to you.
"You can always choose a better life."
"I thought I was supposed to be helping you. Not the other way around." He sticks his tongue out and laughs before flying off. At least he left in good spirits. There is your daily good deed. Now it's time for work.
You finish up moving the rocks around and Maud finishes up the order of cinder blocks. This time of the day is the best. It isn't too hot or cold. Plus, all the work for the day is done. That's always good. Maud just finished up her shower and headed downstairs.
"Have a good shower?"
"Yes. As much as I like rocks, being covered by them all day starts to hurt after a while."
"I hear ya." You are relaxing in a recliner in the living room. She took her own seat on the couch.
"So, what happened with Speedy?" And her ears flop down. This isn't going to be fun.
"I would rather not talk about it."
"Fair enough." She paws at the couch. This must really be bugging her if she is showing this much emotion. That's when you remember the letter and package.
"Hey, if you want some cheering up, Pinkie sent us a couple of things." Pinkie was always a subject to bring up when she was feeling down. It gets her in the right mood, but who wouldn't be happy thinking about that bubbly pony.
"That would be nice, yes." You both get up and walk to the table. You have already dealt with the bills so all that's left is Pinkie's letter and package. Handing Maud the letter opener, she carefully opens the letter. At the last second, she turns it toward you and you get showered in confetti. You smile and dust yourself off.
"Thanks for that." You swear you saw her smile a little, but you couldn't tell.
"You're welcome." She pulls out the sticker covered letter and reads it to herself.
You get a little anxious about it's contents.
"So what does it say?"
"She says that a plot of land opened up near Ponyville that would be good for a rock farm."
"Sounds nice. Are you going to take a look?"
She looks back down at the card and studies it.
"It might be worth taking a look at." You nod your head.
"That's good. So when are you going to head down?"
"We." You cock your head.
"What do you mean we?" She sets down the card and looks you straight in the eye.
"If we buy the land, it will be as much as mine as yours." This is the first time either of you talked about ownership or manage-ship of the farm. You always assumed that she was the boss and you were the lonely worker. Apparently, you were a partner.
"So I guess I am coming along then."
"Yes."
"And there is no way to get out of it."
"No."
"Have I ever told you that you sound like Big Mac."
"Yes."
"Alright then, why don't you open your box?" She grabs the letter opener and cuts the tape off the box. Then she angles it towards you.
"Oh don't you-" The box opens and you are covered in more confetti.
"I'm starting to think that you are having fun doing that." You watch as her ears straighten and the edge of her lips barely curl. You have never seen her so happy. Granted most of the time you just work, but still. She continues to open the box to reveal a half dozen cupcakes, and a map of Ponyville. Pinkie must have circled the plot of land that you would be looking at.
It was at least half the size of Sweet Apple Acres.
"That's a lot of land."
"It sure is. It looks just as big as what we have here. I think if the land is good, it would be better to move over there." She studies the map with a critical eye. You aren't sure why she would want to move. She doesn't seem to miss being around anyone. She mostly deals with rocks all day. Hell, even the land she picked out was way out in the middle of nowhere. You have been tending these fields for years, and suddenly she gets an invitation from Pinkie and she is all ready to go.
"So why the change of heart?" She looks up at you and cocks her head.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, why do you seem all gung ho to move to Ponyville?" Her facial expression doesn't change, it never does, but you know on the inside, she is starting to question herself.
"I guess, I miss being around other ponies." Ouch, that kind of hu-
"Not that I don't mind being around you. Just seeing others would be nice." Okay, that's better.
"I never would have pegged you for being a social butterfly."
"What did you think I was?" You shrug your shoulders.
"I was thinking more along the lines of the solitary rock." And her ears lower slightly. Good job Odren, you brought her back down. Looking for a way to cheer her up, you grab a couple of cupcakes and hand one to Maud.
"You know I don't really eat cupcakes or candy." You smile a bit.
"I know, but why not live a little. They are from Pinkie after all." She is a little hesitant, but eventually grabs the cupcake.
"I guess it couldn't hurt." She takes a small bit, and you take your own bit out of your cupcake. It's really sweet. Like really sweet. Too sweet. You both end up spitting your pieces.
"I think she went a little overboard with the sugar."
"I think so too." You fill up a couple glasses of water and you both wash out your mouths.
"I think I will stick to your cooking if you don't mind."
"Not at all. I'll start the stove." You wave it off.
"No, I'll just take a salad if you don't mind." She nods her head and starts to fix the salad.
Maybe Speedy was right. You are kind of like a married couple.
Maud wrote to Pinkie saying that she will be coming to take a look at the plot of land. A day went by before you and Maud went to the train station. The train ride itself isn't too exciting. You both just looked around, regretting not bringing a book. Seeing you still have a lot of time ahead, you strike up a conversation.
"So, you excited to see your little sister?" Maud comes out of her daydream and looks at you.
"It's been awhile since I last saw her. It will be nice to see her again."
"You going to make some rock candy necklaces?"
"If I know Pinkie, we will at least make one necklace. What about you? Are you excited to see anypony?" You think about that for a second. Sure, you were friends with Big Mac... but that might be because you were almost family. There are also the Elements of Harmony that welcomed you when you first arrived, but they were more acquaintances than friends. No matter what Pinkie says. You saw Dash enough because of Applejack to be called a friend. Then there was you ex. You don't think you are ready to deal with her. She can be so hard headed and stubborn. Hell, the first thing she would do is probably flatten your ass for leaving. You didn't exactly say you were leaving the entire town when you packed up.
"Not really. I didn't have too many friends besides Dash and Big Mac. I guess I am going to thank Pinkie for telling me about you, but that's all I plan on doing." When you see her ear twitch, you are worried that she might press your obvious discomfort. But, she doesn't bring it up.
"Well, you are welcome to make a necklace with me and Pinkie." You shake your head.
"No, no. That's your thing. I wouldn't want to impose."
"You wouldn't be. If I know Pinkie, she might try and rope all her friends in on it." Looks like she really wants you to go.
"Alright. I'll come with you." Her ears straighten a bit, so you can tell you said the right thing. You sit back and wait for the train to reach Ponyville.
