I watched as AJ and her sister played while doing chores and I smiled, she'd come so far after what I'd done it was as if she was the same pony as before I met her... Was that really all I was to her, a memory. I grew drowsy so I lay myself down under the shade, I think it's time for a little reminiscence.
---
I was exhausted after the long day of apple bucking. I could last several rounds with the best boxers but AJ's 'training' was worse than all of it combined. I collapsed on bale of hay, my muscles aching in pain. I was there for just a couple of minutes wondering how I was going to make it another day when Apple Jack came in. I was on my back, I looked up to her.
"What's up?" I said looking up at her.
...
Ah was in the kitchen gettin' ready fer supper. Granny Smith looked at me sharply whilst AB washed her hooves in the sink.
"What is it Granny?" Ah asked.
"How come ya didn't ask that new little friend of yers to come ta supper?" She questioned.
"Uh, well he ain't family Granny, he's only here fer workin' the farm till he gets back on his hooves." Ah told her.
"Well a ponies gotta eat don' he?" She cocked an eyebrow at me. Ah sighed defeated, there really was no fussin' 'gainst Granny Smith when she sets her mind to something.
Ah went out to the barn and saw the colt layin' on his back snugglin' with a bale of hay. Ah laughed an' walked over to him.
"What's up?" He asked not botherin' ta get up off his back.
"We were just wondrin'," I began, he looked at me intently, "if... maybe ya wanna have dinner with the family."
He grinned as he nodded all topsy turvy.
"Well common then, ya gotta get yerself washed up." Ah told him.
...
"Race ya there." I told her as I burst ahead of her, she laughed as she quickly caught up.
I knew she was faster than me I'd already found that out. I crashed into her as we reached the door, giggling like two school foals we entered together. I went to the sink and washed my hooves and sat down for grace as they asked Celestia to bless their meal.
Dinner was delicious, as we ate the family went around the table talking about their days. Granny Smith explained that she was about to try a new recipe she'd been wanting to try for her Zapapple Jam (whatever that was). Apple Bloom told about us adventures with her little group, the Cutie Mark Crusaders she called them. I laughed a little when I heard the name, not at her just at the memories of finding my own talent with my foalhood freinds. Apple Jack explained how she thought she'd found an apple heart.
"I swear Granny it was sooo close," she told her grandmare, "what Ah'd give to find one fer real though."
Big Macintosh merely "Eyup'd" in response.
That's when I felt the eyes on me, I looked up from my glass of cider.
"Uh?" I said, "Well you guys really don't know much about me do you." I said.
"Well that's what dinner's for ya foal." Granny Smith snapped, "ya tell us about yerself and what ya seen and done."
I smiled at her way, but then it quickly faded, they wanted to know about me.
"Well?" I began, they all stared as I began my story.
---
I was about thirteen years old, my father pushed me everyday to be better than what I was. He'd taken me out of school to train with the coach he'd payed for. Everyday we trained and trained until one day he got me a fight at the local gym. My first fight I was outweiged by eight pounds. That's a lot in a fight, but I swept the floor with him. After about ten undefeated fights total KO's within five rounds I was granted the nickname Horse Shoes, because all I did was kick flank.
I was offered a title match for the lightwieght division in Manehatten, I obviously accepted. The match was rough, tougher than any of the other colts I sparred with before. During the thirty-fifth round he sucker kicked me in the ribs after the bell. The reff didn't call it. I was fuming in the next round I sideswiped his jaw, that caught him off guard, and got him angry. The one thing you wanna do in a fight is get your opponent angry.
I bucked him as hard as I could in the gut, at the last minute he moved back that's when it all went downhill. I hit him in the throat, he started gagging for dear life. And well, I guess he really was, after I was crowned the new champ I found out he died. I quit buckboxing and skipped town. I couldn't go through something like that again. My father tried to convince me to stay but I couldn't, not after doing what I did to that colt. He was just as young as I was and had the rest of his life ahead of him. I was a murderer, even if it was protected under national employment risk regulations.
So for seven years I wandered from town to town looking for my next meal ticket. I eventually found my way back to Manehatten, I did an underground tournament, I had to. I had no money, I was hungry and nopony wanted to hire a scruffy dirty sack of manure like me. So I risked it all, I got in that ring and made some money, then went out to get a hot meal. That's when my father showed up, it was raining, the scene was like something out of a movie. Silence at first I stared at him angrily, he watched the floor. Finally he spoke up.
"I saw ya out in that ring," I was quite, "ya still got it in ya."
"I'm not goin' back in the ring if that's what you want!" I told him.
He was silent as he watched the table in front of him. "I know son," he told me, "just be safe on your travels okay?"
He left back into the rain just like that, and once again I skipped town again and eventually found myself here in Ponyville.
---
"That's why I was so shocked at your generosity." I told the. "On all of my travels, I was told to buck off. I never had anypony offer me a place to stay." I said looking to Big Mac. "Or a basket of goods." I said smiling at Apple Jack.
They watched me, I felt strange having them all study me.
"I, uh... think I'll go to bed now." I told them. I left, "G'nite," I told them as I went to the barn.
I could never go back home, and now they knew why. I could never be in the ring again. I went back to the bale of hay and fell right to sleep. I didn't dream I just slept.
Several hours later I was woken up by a tap on my shoulder.
"Huh?" I said drowsily scanning the darkness for the intruder, "Whuhappned?"
"Shh!" The intruder hushed. "C'mon I wanna show ya somethin'" It was Apple Jack.
I got up and followed. Where were we going? I had no idea but I followed anyways.