Canvas

by jozeether

The New Farmhand

Year 1000 of the Celestial Calendar

Lumen had an interesting life up to this point, interesting being the nicest way of putting it. The brown earth pony had been raised at the Canterlot Orphanage. His adult life had consisted of moving from town to town picking up odd jobs, and trying his best to stay under the radar. The most interesting fact about him though, is the fact that he still didn't have his cutie mark. He was the first fully grown stallion to be a blank flank. Nopony wanted to hire him for any big jobs because other, more qualified ponies were available to do it.

Lumen looked at the newspaper clipping in his hoof, "Sweet Apple Acres, eh?" he sighed as he walked down the road. "Not as flashy as my last job, but beggars can't be choosers."

As he approached the farm he could see the large orchard where he would be harvesting apples. He saw several ponies out applebucking, and it looked like they were almost done with the entire field. This is the Sweet Apple Acres that needs a farmhand? As he neared the gate an orange mare was there to green him.

"Howdy-doo there! You must be Lumen. We got yer letter a couple days ago," said the mare.

"Yes, I wa..." Lumen started to say.

"Mah names Applejack," the mare said as she gave a hearty shake to Lumen's forehoof, "Ah sure am glad somepony responded to our want ad. Granny said it was a waste of time."

"I was wondering, do you really need any help? You seem to have it covered." Lumen pointed out as he motioned to the workers out in the orchard.

"Those are just family members that came out to help us get ready for the summer sun celebration, we still need somepony to work full-time for us." Applejack nodded toward Lumen, "You still interested?"

"Yes Ma'am!" replied the eager brown stallion.

"Good, just have a couple a questions for ya."

"Right... go ahead," Lumen timidly responded as he prepared for the worst. She's gonna ask about my flank.

"Ever worked on an apple farm before?"

"No. But I've worked at a Cherry Orchard before," was Lumen's dumbstruck response.

"Why don't you still work there? If'n ya don't mind me askin'."

"Somepony with better qualifications showed up. They didn't need my services anymore." Lumen said as he hung his head.

"So ya didn't do a good job?" Applejack asked as she scratched her head.

"No, I did a great job. The new guy was just... better..." Lumen trailed off.

"Well ya don't have to worry about that here! At Sweet Apple Acres a hard day's work and a good attitude are all that matters!" Applejack stated in an attempt to pick up Lumen's dive-bombing mood, "Why don't ya come with me and I'll introduce ya to the family."

"Wait, what abou..."

"Right! I almost forgot. Ya got the job on a trial basis. Do a good job, and I'll hire you full time." she explained.

"Thanks Applejack, I won't let you down."

Lumen was introduced to so many Apples that he wasn't entirely sure he could remember them all, but he made sure to remember Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom. Right when introductions were over, Applejack got everypony to head back to the house for dinner. It wasn't long after sitting down that Apple Bloom asked an awkward question.

"Mister Lumen, why don't ya have yer cutie mark?"

"APPLE BLOOM!" Applejack shouted at her sister, "We don't ask guests those sort ah questions!"

"It's ok, I'm actually surprised it took this long for somepony to ask," said Lumen as he re-adjusted his seat, "I'm sure you'd all like to know, so I might as well just get it out."

"Ya don't have to if you don't want to sonny," reassured Granny Smith.

"It's nothing tragic or embarrassing, I just haven't found my special talent yet," Explained Lumen, "Most ponies think I'm lazy or useless because of it, so I appreciate being somewhere that I'm not judged because of it."

"The Apple family don't like to judge ponies like that," said Applejack, "A hard days work is much more important than what your flank says about you."

"Thanks, that means a lot to me," Lumen looked right at Apple Bloom, "That answer your question?"

"Kinda, but aren't you worried about never getting your cutie mark?" Apple Bloom asked with genuine worry in her voice.

Lumen glanced down and saw her blank flank.

"Not really. A blank flank is like a canvas."

"A blank piece of cloth?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Until an artist paints a masterpiece on it. You wouldn't want to rush the Pony Lisa, would you?"

"I guess not," Apple Bloom groaned as she scraped her hoof along the ground.

Lumen looked around the table, "Well... Enough of this, who's excited for the Summer Sun Celebration?" The change in topic was very successful, as several Apples started talking about all the fun things there were to do for the celebration.

After dinner, Applejack showed Lumen to the barn.

"I hope this is ok for tonight. We'll get'cha a room ready tomorrow," Applejack explained.

"This is fine. I've definitely slept in worse," Lumen joked, "I just want to know what kind of work I'll be doing tomorrow."

"Well, we got the family takin' care of all the specifics. You just have to help with the heavy liftin' and maybe run a few errands. Can ya do that?"

"Sounds good. I guess this is goodnight then?" Lumen asked.

"One more thing. Where in Equestria did you come up with that canvas bit?"

"A friend of mine said that to me when I was in a dark place," Lumen explained, "They're my reason to never give up."

"Well then, thank Celestia for this friend of yours," Applejack smiled at Lumen, "You seem like too good of a pony to just give up. See ya tomorrow mornin'!"

"Yeah, tomorrow."

Author's Note:

I had to make some changes here to make Applejack and Lumen's first interaction feel more realistic. Hope it works!

Comments

[Dusky Flower]

I dunno, this just seems a bit... rushed. I've been guilty of rushing, but Applejack finds him interesting...why? Why does she find him interesting? What does he do that convinces her? He doesn't demonstrate it, aside from his eternal blank flank, and that alone doesn't really make him interesting. I can't really invest myself in Lumen. Sorry...

Do note that I am not trying to be mean here, I am trying to point out places that could be improved.

[jozeether]

2058694
Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks. I may go back and change it, or start over from square one considering nobody seems to like it.

[Changeling_Shadows]

2058762
I like it, you just need to slow down the pacing a lil' bit