Leaves rustled in the breeze, the pear and apple trees giving Gold plenty of shade to protect her from the searing heat of the summer sun. Said mare sat on her haunches, eyes closed and back straight while still as a statue. This was how she spent her days for the past two weeks. When she wasn't meditating, she was eating what stray plants she could find or drinking from a nearby stream outside of the farmland. At night, she aided the farmers in their harvest in any way she could. Sometimes this involved eating whatever weeds she found growing in their gardens or keeping an eye on the animal's food or water levels, but most of her aid came from asking the trees to drop their loads for her.

It was because of that that she spent her days in meditation. This new ability to "talk" to plants perplexed her, seeing as it was something she couldn't do in her old life. She knew that it had something to do with a pull she felt on her magic, a hint that perhaps some of her old training routines could help her understand it better. If she could do that, she could make up for stealing from the farmers and possibly promote herself out of being a Mud Pony into being an Earth Pony.

She breathed deeply through her nose, held it for ten seconds, then slowly let it back out before repeating the process. With each breath, she let go of all of her concerns and let her mind wander towards her surroundings. She could feel the now familiar flow of energy from the trees that surrounded her, each turning into a shimmering mass of green energy in her mind's eye. She felt her own magic flowing through her in a similar manner, a faint orange light that pulsed with each beat of her heart. The giant conjoined tree at the heart of her sanctuary was a veritable geyser of green, the sheer power of it all too much for Gold to "stare" at directly.

That presence was proving to be a distraction to her. Not out of fear, but due to the acceptance she felt from it. The impression she got from the converged tree was that of a doting mother trying to fuss over her at every turn at times or a kind father trying to get her to open up about a problem. While not unpleasant, it was such an alien experience for her that she didn't really know how to deal with it. The other trees were a little more cautious around her, or at least, that was the feeling she got from them.

A soft snap followed by a small object bonking her on the head broke her concentration, earning a faint curse from her muzzle as she rubbed the place she was struck. Looking over, she saw the source of her distraction; a ripe and juicy pear.

Gold gave the conjoined tree a frown and said, "No. I told you two. I won't eat any of the family's crops until I can afford them."

She could feel them giving her a stern look, most of it coming from the pear tree half of it before another fruit fell in front of her.

Her frown deepened when she felt the tree's response.

"I am not being foolish," she growled. "This is how the world works. A Mud Pony cannot simply take from their betters and not expect consequences."

She felt a few of the trees surrounding her do the closest thing they could to exasperated groans.

"Oh, whatever," she huffed, getting to her hooves. "I'm going to get some water."

Fuming, she put her tattered makeshift cloak on and headed towards the stream. As she walked out of the orchard, she swore she felt pity from the conjoined tree. Gold let out a small sigh at that, the summer sun scorching her as she walked.

I will be worthy of your charity someday my friends. Just be patient.

As she walked, she didn't know if that thought was aimed more at herself or the trees. Either way, it filled her with a small trace of hope that things could get better for her. After all, much like the trees she lived with, she had nothing but time.

***

Applebloom hummed a happy tune to herself as she trotted through an open field, saddlebags full to bursting with everything she would need for a bit of fun at the lake. While she was a little disappointed that her older siblings couldn't join her, she knew that the harvest season was going to take up most of their time. For how long was the real question, since it seemed as though somepony had decided to help them recently.

Ah wonder who it is? she thought, as she made it past the tree line.

Shrugging, she pushed the thought to the back of her mind as she made her way up a shallow hill to the lake. If somepony wanted to help them, it was fine by her. So long as they didn't do anything funny to the apples, she had no problem letting whoever it was lend a hoof.

When she crested the hill into the wide open field that housed it, she saw that she wasn't the only pony that decided to come to the lake. Standing at the water's edge was a pony wearing a tattered blanket like a hooded cloak. She could see a gold coat and a bit of silver tail on the parts of them the blanket couldn't cover properly. She watched the pony greedily drink from the lake, coming up every now and then for some air before diving their muzzle back down for more. She slowly backed away, not sure what to make of this pony and only now regretting not having her siblings with her. It was at that moment that her hoof found a stray stick to snap.

They both froze, a lead weight of fear slowly growing in their stomachs as the lake pony slowly turned their head towards the filly. Applebloom could see that pure terror in the mystery mare's orange eyes, her whole body suddenly tense as she met the filly's gaze. For a moment they stayed like that, both too scared to make any sudden moves, only for the mare to suddenly make a break for it. Applebloom watched her run with a gasp as she slipped into an older portion of the orchard. Panicking, she dropped her stuff and ran back towards the farm.

***

"How could I be so careless!?" Gold exclaimed, pacing in front of the conjoined tree. "This is bad! No! An unmitigated disaster!"

Some clacking from her bags got her attention, earning a savage glare from her as she snapped, "And where would I go?! Celestia damn it Skully, I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THE BUCK I EVEN AM!!!"

She let out a frustrated scream as she fell to the ground onto her belly, face pressed into the ground as she hid her head under her hooves. She knew it was only a matter of time before the farmers found her. She was going to be tortured again. Terror forced her to her side as she curled in on herself, only the pull from the conjoined tree helping to keep her stable.

"Th-Thank you," she stammered, pulling her cloak tighter around her trembling form.

A soft warmth came over her, the tree's magic embracing her and steadying her nerves. A soft smile graced her muzzle as she relaxed into the wave. She could hear the birds chirping from her protector's branches, their song making her eyelids droop. Between the run, the lack of a proper meal, and the long nights, she felt absolutely exhausted. She knew that she had to flee, that the farmers would find her eventually if she didn't do something, but she was just so tired.

A snap to her left caught her attention, an elderly green Earth Pony mare with a mane and tail turned an aged silver and rolled into buns stepping into view seconds later. A part of Gold was scared of the mare, but the rest of her was too tired to care. Her protector sent another reassuring pulse of magic to her, easing her fears as the elder approached her.

"Well Ah'll be, who do we have here?" the mare asked, voice high in pitch, but warm as the sun peaking past the surrounding trees.

Resigned to her fate, Gold looked at the mare and said, "A worthless Mud Pony tainting your land."

The mare blinked, then frowned as she pointed a hoof at her and said, "Say that again and Ah'll wash that tongue of yer's with a bar of soap, ya here?"

Gold gulped, then shakily nodded.

"Good," the mare huffed. "Now, what's yer name?"

"Gold Vine," she answered.

The mare's warm smile returned as she said, "Nice ta' meet ya' Gold Vine. Name's Granny Smith."

Granny put a hoof out for Gold to shake, but the younger mare only stared at it in confusion. Why was she not yelling at her? From what she had been told, the scum of the tribes were treated as such. She expected to be spat at at the very least.

"Ah, ain't gonna bite ya'," Granny smiled.

Not wishing to press her already small amount of luck, she reached out and accepted the hoofshake. Granny's smile grew at that and with surprising strength for somepony so old, she pulled Gold Vine to her hooves. Floored, Gold's mind barely registered it when she let go of her hoof. Was this another Earth Pony trait she didn't know about, or is this something unique to Granny Smith. Either way, it doubled her resolve to not anger the mare.

"Atta girl," Granny chuckled. "Now, care ta' tell me why ya'll're camping in my memorial grove?"

Gold's eyes widened, shifting back and forth between Granny Smith and the conjoined tree.

"You never told me that that's what you were!" she snapped, glaring at the dual plant.

Granny blinked, then chuckled as she turned her head towards it and said, "Givin' others a hard time Ah see."

It was Gold's turn to blink in shock as she felt her protector respond to Granny, the energy coming off of it feeling like a playful shrug.

"Yeah, these old lovebirds can't help themselves sometimes," Granny sighed, then leveled a raised brow at the mare as she added, "Not too many Dryads around these days ta' keep them busy."

"Dryad?" Gold asked.

"Ah'll tell ya' later," she smirked. "Now, what'cha doin' out here?"

Gold wilted and with eyes on the ground said, "I don't know. Right now, I'm doing whatever I can to make up for eating some apples without permission. I haven't eaten any other ones since the first day I woke up here, but I do intend to make up for my crimes."

She closed her eyes in preparation of the blow she knew was coming, only to flinch and look up towards the mare when she heard a light cackle from her.

"Ah doubt a few missin' apples here or there is gonna make all that much of a difference," Granny smirked. "Specially with all of the help you've given us."

Gold blinked at that, which only made the spirited old mare laugh harder.

"Ya'll think Ah wouldn't notice? Ah may be old, but even Ah can feel it when another Earth Pony's magic is workin' my trees."

Gold blushed at that, feeling like a foal with her hoof caught in the cookie jar as she sheepishly looked away.

"Welp, c'mon now," she cackled, walking away from the tree and gesturing for Gold to follow. "Gonna take some time to get supper ready and were killin' daylight out here."

"P-Pardon?" Gold stammered, quickly falling in line behind Granny.

"Ya' said ya hadn't had any of my crops since ya first go here, right?"

"Y-Yes," Gold nodded.

"That means ya haven't had a proper meal in two weeks," Granny frowned. "Too long for somepony that's helped us out so much. Ah'm gonna fix that real quick!"

Gold's head reeled back at that, both literally and metaphorically as she continued to follow the mare.

"Th-That's really not necessary," she stammered.

"Too bad," Granny chuckled. "Apple Family rule: Nopony that works goes hungry. Now come along young'un"

Gold didn't know how to process all of this. Most of what she had been taught all of her life was being trampled to death. It was confusing at the very least, but also very relieving in its own way. As they moved into the more organized border between the memorial and the rest of the orchard a single question echoed through Gold's mind.

What other lies have I been told?

***

The Apple Family home was something that Gold Vine had both expected and didn't in equal measure. She knew it wouldn't have any of the opulence she grew up in, but she didn't expect it to be so welcoming in spite of that. The home's rustic style gave off a warmth that reminded her of the memorial tree's grove. Countless family photos, both in faded grays and vibrant color decorated walls covered with aged apple-printed wallpaper. The floor was made of aged wood that creaked in places, but was otherwise well maintained and loved. The furniture all looked to be antiques made with very skilled hooves to be both pleasant to look at and built to last. In fact, none of the things Gold could see from the sofa she sat on in the living room looked to be store bought. Everything from the rug on the floor to the very cushions she sat on looked as if they had been hoofmade.

She wasn't alone, a very curious filly staring at her from a chair on the opposite end of the room. Gold looked around the room awkwardly, not sure how to start a conversation with her, let alone if she even should. She had never been particularly good with foals, though she was far better than most other ponies in the criminal underworld. She never accepted jobs that jeopardized the lives of foals, regardless of their tribe of social standing. In fact, she made it her personal mission to end any underground business that involved them. Even clients were not safe from that standard, several being put to death by her own hooves the second they asked her to take such innocent lives. This did little to help her in regards to interacting with them though.

The filly cleared her throat, getting Gold's full attention before asking, "Are you the one that's been helpin' us the last couple of weeks?"

Gold nodded, a nervous blush coloring her cheeks as she looked away.

"Thanks," the filly smiled. "Name's Applebloom. What's your's?"

"G-Gold Vine," she stammered, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Applebloom tilted her head in concern, then asked "Are ya okay?"

Gold nodded, her eyes falling to the floor.

"Are ya sure?"

Again, Gold nodded without looking up at the filly.

"I-It's just been quite some time since I have been around others," she said with a sad smile. "It's a lot to take in."

Applebloom opened her mouth to ask another question, but a call from the kitchen cut her off.

"Soups on!" Granny called. "Come and get it!"

Applebloom bolted out of the room quick as a flash, while Gold trailed behind at a more cautious rate. When the nervous mare made it to the dinning room, each member of The Apple Family were seated. They didn't hold her attention for long when she caught a whiff of what was being served. A rich vegetable stew sat at the heart of the table in a large metal pot surrounded by small baskets full of fresh baked biscuits, plates with fried carrots and corn, and steaming baked potatoes. All of it smelled amazing, drawing a deep roar out of her stomach that brought a small blush to her cheeks.

"Well, don't go standing around on us," Granny chuckled. "Take a seat."

It was only then that she noticed an additional setting put at the unused tail end of the table. Nodding, she nervously took a seat at the table. Her eyes never left her plate, but she could feel their's on her. Not wanting to disrespect her betters and hosts she waited for them to serve themselves before she even thought about herself. The room was quiet save for the sounds of food being served, Gold taking careful note of her host's portions for when it was her turn. As soon as the orange mare finished, Gold added a bit of everything to her plate, each of them less than half of what the family gave themselves.

"That it?" the mare asked, making Gold jump.

"W-What do you mean?" Gold asked, giving the mare her full attention.

The mare looked worried as she said, "Well, Ah would've thought a mare that bucked three hundred trees in two weeks would have a bigger apatite."

The stallion nodded, lips pulled into a concerned frown.

"I-I-It's enough," she stammered, face turning down towards her food. "I don't want to take more from you than I can pay back."

Everypony at the table blinked at her in confusion, before Granny let out a small chuckle.

"Ah think you forgot what Ah said earlier," she smiled. "You work, you eat. Period."

"A-And I will," Gold stammered, locking frantic eyes with the elder pony. "In both regards."

"Then have as much as you need," Granny chuckled.

It didn't take much for Gold to read between the lines of that statement. Nodding, she filled up her plate a bit more. When she finally took a bite, she was in pure bliss. While much more hearty than she was use to, every bite was an amazing blast of flavor that surpassed the skills of Canterlot's top chefs. In her opinion, the stew was the star of the show, its rich broth and seasoned vegetables almost enough to knock Gold right out of her seat.

"Th-This is amazing!" Gold gasped, pushing her manners aside to shovel as much heavenly food into her maw as physically possible.

Granny cackled at that, digging into her own meal at a much more sedate pace. The younger Apples did the same, though the orange mare kept giving Gold worried looks. Gold ignored her, a quick glance at the stallion at the table bringing a small blush to her face as she struggled to regain her manners.

"M-My apologies," she stammered, smiling sheepishly at her mostly empty plate. "It has been quite some time since I had a decent meal."

"That's fine," the mare smiled. "Do you mind if Ah ask ya a few questions?"

"Of course, Ms...."

"Applejack," the mare nodded.

"Of course Ms. Applejack," Gold nodded, happy to finally have a name to address the mare by.

"Right formal type," Applejack smirked, then continued with, "You've been helpin' us out at night, right?"

Gold nodded.

"How? Ah didn't hear any buckin' goin' on the last couple of weeks and you've been harvestin' from trees that are pretty close to the house."

Gold's sheepish smile grew as she said, "I asked the trees nicely."

Everypony, except for Granny Smith gave her confused looks.

"Pardon?" Applejack asked, raising a brow.

"Was I not supposed to?" Gold asked, eyes wide and worry quickly filling her. "I'm sorry. I tried to do it the way you and your husband do it, but I just couldn't get the hang of it."

"Husband?!" Applejack blinked.

Gold gave the stallion a quick confused look. Everypony took a minute to process what Gold was implying, but when they did, the affect was immediate . Granny nearly laughed herself out of her chair while the stallion, Applebloom, and Applejack looked like they were going to be sick.

"Big Mac's my brother!" Applejack stammered.

"Eeyup!" the stallion, Big Mac, nodded.

"Oh! I am so sorry," Gold wilted shame settling over her like a damp blanket. "When I saw all of you together in the orchard, I just assumed."

"Think nothin' of it," Granny chuckled with a wave of her hoof.

"Wait, you've been watchin' us?" Applebloom blinked.

"Only in the orchard," Gold mumbled, bashfully tapping her hooves together. " Outside of weeding the crops, I always made a point to keep my distance from the main house."

"The garden has been lookin' cleaner lately," Applejack mused. "But how come Ah've never seen ya spyin' on us? No offense, but you're coat does stand out a bit."

"You actually came close to catching me a few times," the golden mare grimaced.

"What do ya mean?" Applejack frowned, cocking a brow.

Gold gave Big Mac another small split second glance before she told them what happened.

***

Gold clung tightly to her branch, her orange eyes locked onto the red stallion bucking a tree not too far from where she was hidden. As much as she liked her new found method of harvesting, she still wished to learn how the farmers did it. When she did come back to her makeshift camp each night, she would spend what few minutes she stayed awake trying to figure out what she was doing wrong before exhaustion took her. Thinking that a different view would give her more answers, she climbed a tree to better observe them. It was purely by happenstance that the farmer that walked into her line of sight was the mountain of a stallion below her.

A small giggle made it past her lips as she watched him work, the tree sending her what felt vaguely like a warning. She brushed it off, sure that whatever the problem was wasn't all that important. That is, until she saw a bit of movement out the corner of her eye. When she managed to tear her eyes off of the stallion, her heart sank into her stomach. Standing right under her was the mare, hind-legs reared and ready to strike. Gold managed to cling to her branch just in time, a massive shock ripping through her a second later. Between the shock and a few apples smacking her on the way down, it was a small miracle that she didn't fall out. When the mare finally left, she managed to get out of the tree and staggered back to camp.

***

"I can confirm that your trees are quite sturdy," Gold nodded, taking a bite out of her baked potato.

Applejack gawked at her for a second, then said, "To hay with the trees, how'd ya' walk away from that?!"

"Would you believe me if I said I'm not allowed to die?" Gold said, tone hollow as she stared down at her plate. "By the way, I think somepony planted some questionable plants in your gardens."

"What do ya mean?" Granny asked, a small frown marring her features.

Nopony noticed Applebloom nervously gulp at that.

Gold fidgeted in place for a moment, then said, "When I was tending to the potatoes, I ate some weeds that...did something to me."

"Like what?" Applejack asked.

"Well..." Gold mumbled.

***

The ground and sky had become one, stars and grass growing and sparkling all around her. Trees danced on legs made of apples as they sang songs about pickles. Everything tasted purple and smelled like light as Gold wandered through the scattered landscape on hooves made of diamond. Or did she move? She couldn't tell. She felt like she was standing still, yet running in constant circles. Half of her mind felt like it was laughing as she cried, or did she feel like she was crying as she was laughing? She couldn't tell. Everything was so familiarly damaged, yet delightfully clear! She could see the universe and all of its secrets, if she could only figure out how to put hay into apples so she could eat that blasted candle. Everything spun and twisted around her, melding into a twisted spiral of colors that made no sense and was painfully obvious all at the same time.

Suddenly, several pulls yanked her out of whatever twisted delusion she had fallen into, pulls she realized came from several nearby apple trees as she came back to Equis. She shook her head, still tasting traces of whatever herb she ate in an attempt to speed up her recovery. When everything finally stopped spinning, she stared down at the potatoes and the few remaining weeds that stood among them.

Perhaps I should be a little more careful of what I eat around here.

With that, she made her way out of the garden and towards her camp, suddenly all too eager to turn in early for the night.

***

Gold shivered as she finished her report, a faint trace of purple entering her tastebuds. She tried to wash it away with a glass of apple juice, almost missing the raised brows The Apples were giving a sheepish looking Applebloom. It didn't take long for Gold to read the crowd, but it was hard for her to believe that her experience had anything to do with the filly. Those doubts turned into worry when she heard what Applejack said next.

"Applebloom, what did we tell ya' about plantin' potion ingrediants on the farm?"

"Only plant em in my greenhouse," she mumbled, ears folding down as she stared down at her plate, only to aim a panicked frown at Applejack a second later and say, "But Ah didn't plant anythin' there! Ah swear!"

Applejack leveled a hard stare at the filly for a few seconds, then nodded with a resigned frown and said, "Fine. Just be more careful. Last thin' we need is somepony gettin' sick because somethn' funny got mixed in their bag of apples."

Applebloom nodded, then turned towards Gold with the eyes of a kicked puppy and said, "Sorry Ms. Gold Vine."

Gold gave her a warm smile and said, "It is alright. I should've been more mindful of what I ate. But your-"

She aimed a questioning look at Applejack.

"Sister," Applejack nodded.

"Thank you," Gold nodded, then shifted her attention back towards Applebloom. "But your sister is right. It would be bad if anypony else made my mistake. Try to be a bit more mindful from now on."

"Okay," Applebloom smiled, then went back to her meal.

With a smile of her own, Gold did the same, completely missing the worried looks she was getting from the rest of the family. Something about the way Gold talked about her poisoning didn't sit well with them. It was far too casual, as if she had been talking about the weather.

What kind of pony is she? Applejack thought, taking a swig of her juice. Ah can't get a good read on her!

"You planin' on stickin' around?" Applejack asked, forcing a smile onto her muzzle.

Gold froze, then folded in on herself, staring at her plate as she said, "For a little while. I still have no idea where I am or where I can go from here. I will still help where I can until I have all of that sorted out."

"Then you better get some sleep tonight," Granny cackled. "No more night shifts. Ah want ya' wide-eyed and bushy-tailed when the rooster crows tomorrow."

"Yes Granny Smith," Gold nodded, then began picking at what few scraps of food remained on her plate.

Applejack's eyes never left the pony, her false smile falling as she went back to eating. The fact that the mystery mare was going to be around for a while filled her with mixed feelings. On one hoof, they could really use the help and Gold had shown herself both willing and capable of doing so. On the other, something about the mare didn't feel right to her.

Best keep an eye on her. Just in case, she thought, passing a glance to her brother.

Guessing what his sister was thinking, he gave her a subtle nod. Grateful for the support, Applejack went back to enjoying the evening. All the while, doing her best to push her suspicions of Gold to the back of her mind. There would be plenty of time for that tomorrow.

Author's Note

Will Applejack discover Gold's secrets? Only time will tell. I guess you'll just have to stay tuned to find out. Next Chapter: Help