Author's Note

Enjoy! Life was kind of annoying the past few weeks, I'll just leave it at that. Sorry this isn't longer to make up for that lost time, but I plan on having more out soon!

Hard Work

I pull an apple off a tree on my way towards the danger zone. I look around nervously and see nothing but apple trees and fences around the area. A small yellow pony with a red mane starts coming towards me from the house on the hill near said apple orchard. I quickly hide behind a tree and peek around it, noticing that a larger pony with an orange coat and a blonde mane is walking by her, headed towards the inner parts of Ponyville. I scowl and stare at the bigger pony's hind legs and remember the pain they brought upon me. Such memories are soothed by her apology and offer of a job that I am returning to this farm for. I look at the sky, which seems slightly darker than usual and then look back at the farm and start to walk towards it.

Alright, I suppose since she's probably taking Applebloom to school, I will just go to the house and maybe learn a couple things before she comes. Don't want to be completely useless when I start working for her.

I start to walk up to the little farmhouse when I notice a large and red pony standing at the entrance to said farmhouse. I take a nervous gulp and walk up to the giant pony that seems to be rippling with muscle everywhere. I tap him on the side and he turns to me slowly and has a rope on his neck.

"Hello, are you Big Mac?" I say with a slight stammer forming in my throat.

He nods slowly and replies with his signature "Yuuuup".

Big Mac continues to look at the rope on his neck, and attempts to use his hooves to fiddle with the ends of the rope.

Is he.. Trying to tie it? I'm no good with knots but..

I take the rope and he looks at me with slight amusement. I quickly tie the rope in a simple knot. Big Mac looks at me with a smile and nods while pointing at what seems to be a tree that is leaning over. A large pole is behind the tree alongside the trunk. I nod back at him and go towards it, noticing some rope at the bottom of the tree. I look up and instantly understand what he wants me to do. I begin to tie where the apple tree is starting to lean over, to the pole to where the rope is taut and doesn't budge easily. I continue to do this with two more lengths of rope. I stand back from my work and look at it with him. He nods and puts his hoof out towards me, I grab it and shake it gently. He starts to lead me towards more tree's with the same issue. In the distance while I'm working on my third tree, Applejack starts to come towards Big Mac and myself in a hurried fashion. I give her a smile and she hastily gives one back before looking towards her brother.

"It seems Twilight has found a problem on the mountain there." Applejack exclaims as she points towards the mountain with a black smog coming from it. " She says it's a dragon! That it's snorin is causing all that there smoke to fill the air. That smoke would ruin the sunlight that needs to reach our precious trees. So I'mma going with the girls up there to hopefully deal with the sleepin fire-breather. I see that our new little farmhand has been doing okay?"

Applejack looks at me and then around at the tree's I tied upright again with a smile. Big Mac nods in response to her question.

"Great!" she says with a tip of her hat towards me. "Well I oughta get going now, good luck with your first day Devan!"

Applejack gallops off towards Ponyville and I stare at the mountain.

"I wonder what a full grown dragon looks like." I say with some disappointment.

Big Mac apparently catches the tone of my voice and rests his giant hoof on my shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure ya'll get another chance. Now let's start with this tree over yonder." he says surprisingly.

I just nod as he leads me towards another one, happy to at least have a job now.

Hours later I notice the sky has cleared up and I see the Mane Six coming back into town. I wipe sweat off of my forehead and look behind me at almost thirty tree's I tied up and a couple I harvested. I roll my shoulder and go towards Big Mac. He nods and picks up a small bag, with what I assume is bits in it, and drops it in my open hands. I smile, he smiles, I leave to go take a shower and a nap I desperately needed.

I am so fucking tired! How does anyone who did this in my world live without a sore EVERYTHING and the get up and do it again!? In this world of magical ponies and creatures, life doesn't seem too mu... Magic. Goddamnit I could have used magic to do all that shit.

After realizing how stupid I was and venting my frustration at myself, I arrive at the Carousel Boutique. I go instantly into the shower after taking about twenty minutes this time to open the magical lock. After my quick shower I, as quickly as I can, go to my bedroom and lay down. I pass out almost immediately...

About three hours later I awake to something moving next to me. It smells like leaves.

Obsidian.

I turn quickly to see her laying on my bed, facing me, in her natural form. She also is the size of an apple coincidentally.

"How, and why?" I say immediately after realizing what I was looking at.

"Well I AM still your guardian and since Rarity doesn't seem to like me too much, I decided to infiltrate your room and watch you like this! Well, this isn't really me, just a small familiar I can possess that looks like me. By the way, I can still feel pain while in possession. That slap last night kinda hurt." she says with a pout on her face.

So that's what woke me up...

"So, I suppose you saw my whole day then? What, were you hiding as a seed or something in my clothes? And where is your real body at?" I say while putting my clothes back on after casting the small cleansing spell on them.

"Yes, I saw what happened to you all day. I'm not going to tell you what I was hiding as, because I know you'll just get rid of me. My real body is so gracefully taking a nap right now and I'm possessing this while dreaming of.... Oh dear, well You don't want to know what I'm dreaming of." says Mini-Obsidian with a nervous blush.

I look at her with no emotion on my face and simply say, "Pervert".

She looks at me in alarm and hides her small head under the blankets. "No! It's normal! I haven't had a special somepony in MANY years!" she says while pouting even more so now.

"Well, considering you can summon roots and can apparently change your size, I'm sure you can find someone to be with. Have you tried other tree-based life forms? Weirdo's who like foal sized mares?" I say with a grin while opening the door slowly.

The look Obsidian gives me is surprising and full of horror the first second but changes into realization and deep thinking the next. I proceed to take advantage of this and leave the room that I so smartly left open in order to not have to fiddle with the magical lock again. I wave at Rarity working hard in her room, she waves back with a smile. I find that Sweetie Belle is simply sitting around in the main room downstairs. I pat her puffy mane and she looks up at me with a small smile.

"Wanna come on a walk with me?" I say gently while crouching down to her level.

She looks at me with surprise and nods frantically and then runs up to Rarity. I hear a couple questions and a resounding 'yes' from Rarity and see a speeding white ball come down the stairs. "She said it was okay!" Sweetie Belle replies with apparently glee and a hop.

"Alright, alright. Let's go for a walk then. I need to pick up some things, or at least.. I think so? I haven't really gotten the whole 'how much a bit is worth' thing down so, help me out Ms. Belle." I reply while picking her up and putting her on my shoulders.

She looks alarmed for a second but then looks around in wonder and raises her hooves up happily and yells "Woo Hoo!" as we leave the Boutique.