I woke up early, and I let out a sigh. From now on, things were going to be a bit more complicated. Ferris was back in my life after about four years, and I did not exactly like that. It did not matter though. What’s done is done. I stretched a bit and grabbed for my backpack as well as the box and my shoes. I made my way to the house, and up the stairs. I got inside the bathroom, and locked it. As I was getting ready for my shower, I heard a knock on the door. I called out to whomever it was. “A bit busy right now. Gotta get ready for the day.” I had some inclination as to who it was, but I paid it no mind. I took my shower, and my thoughts drifted off. How was I supposed to deal with Ferris being here, anyway? When we parted ways, I would have been content if we never came in contact ever again. Yet he was in this town now, and there really was not a way that I could feasibly avoid him forever. Not to mention, if I was right about the kind of person Twilight was, she would try and meddle. I shook the thoughts away as I dried off. It would not do me much good dwelling on it, so I put it out of my mind. I picked out the blue t-shirt and the white with light orange striped shorts and got dressed. I packed away my pajamas, and huffed a bit at the weight of my backpack as I got it on my shoulders. I exited the bathroom, and saw Applejack. I got out of her way, expecting her to need the bathroom. She instead hoofed me a small bag, which I took in my right hand. I raised an eyebrow. “Payday already? I guess that is alright…”
I opened the bag, and looked at the gold coins, the same kind that the customers had been giving Applejack yesterday. She smirked. “We had quite a haul yesterday, thanks to all o’ yer advice. This is only the start, considering.”
I shrugged a bit, and closed the bag after counting how much was in there- about 15 “bits”, though I was not quite sure how much that was exactly. Then there were the smaller silver coins… about 25 of them. “I guess that I will have to have a rundown on how much these are worth. Though, considering the prices of your apples, it is probably not much per bit.” I turned to her with a quizzical look. “What are the small ones called? How much of them to a bit?”
Applejack took me aside as I left the door frame. “Those’re jangles. Got some from selling apple slices later in the day. It’s about 100 o’ those t’ a bit. A bit on its own can buy quite a few things- so we have to have change for it.”
I gave a nod in understanding. “Kind of like the differing levels of coins that can go into a dollar back home.” A grimace set upon my face. “Too bad that it is only the penny-equivalent, though. That is quite bothersome indeed.”
Applejack blinked rapidly as I made my way to the stairs. Though, she did seem to understand soon enough. “Ah see. Interestin’ that we have such an equivalent, don’tcha think?”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “Coincidence. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to get something proper to store these clothes in.” Before I was all the way down, a thought popped into my head. I called back up. “Say, you don’t happen to have an old wardrobe that I could spruce up, do you?”
Applejack wracked her brain about that for a moment, and shook her head. “Not really, no. There’s a thrift store in town that ya can get one for pretty cheap, though. Blow through ‘bout half o’ yer wages, but worth it.”
I gave a small smile. “I guess that I will stop by there then. Gotta jet!” I went to the barn to set my backpack and the box back on the shelf. I then went into town for the first time in a while, taking a bit of a stroll. I stopped by a cart and bought a pear for a bit from one of the stalls. I took my snack in hand and went over to the thrift store- Used & Renewed. I stepped inside, and took a look around. It almost reminded me of Deseret Industries, given it had about the same quaint feel. I had finished my snack by the time I had found the wardrobes, and started to I look them over. Most of them were just plain and boring, but one amongst them stood out. It was made of maple, if I was guessing right. It was painted ice blue with gold stripes. It was a bit faded in some places, but that was quite alright. I looked at the price, and sighed. 9 bits. It was a bit pricier than I had expected, but it was going to be worth it. Its size was pretty big, considering. I made an attempt to move it- and I found that it was quite hefty. It was a bit of a workout, but I brought it to the check-out counter.
The blue pegasus mare at the counter stared at me slack-jawed. “Woah! I did not think that our resident human was quite that strong…” She gave a nervous chuckle and her green eyes darted about. “So, you wanted this one, then?” at my nod, she smiled as she adjusted her purple mane and recorded it down. “With tax… that will be 10 bits and 12 jangles.” I rummaged through the bag for a while until I had counted out the exact change. She grabbed the coins and placed them in her register. She then looked at my state as I put the rest of the coins in my left pocket. “Exhausted, huh? All furniture can be installed at no extra cost. I will get the twins to help you with that.” She called into the back of the store. “Haul and Heft! Get up here for our customer!” I gathered my breath as I stood to see two massive earth pony stallions come from the back room. One was golden brown, the other one was dark azure.
I shrugged as I got the wardrobe up on their backs. “It is a bit heavy, are you sure that you two can handle it all on your own?”
The golden brown one let out a hearty chuckle as his orange hair swayed a bit. “Please. Haul an’ I do this sort o’ thing all o’ th’ time. This is nothin’ compared t’ what we’re used ta. Where are we off to?”
I led them out of the store, and was a bit surprised that they were keeping pace with me. “Sweet Apple Acres. I have been staying there for the past few days.” I scratched my head a bit. “Funny. I thought that everyone in town was aware of that.”
Haul shrugged, causing his brown mane to go slightly askew. “Heft an’ I don’t really get out of the shop very much. It’s nice though, makin’ friends-”
I huffed in irritation. “Nope. We are not friends. Acquaintances, maybe.” I sighed deeply. “What is it with you people? Presuming that just because you talk with somebody they automatically become your friend? How naïve can you possibly get?” I shook my head. “No matter. Just do not go asserting that nonsense around me.”
Heft stared at me for a bit with those green eyes of his as Haul’s purple eyes bored into me. I did not like the way that he and his brother were looking at me. What was so wrong with being practical? However, we did reach the farm before Heft asked the question that was likely on his mind. Instead, he settled for a different question. “So where exactly would you like this to be put?”
I led them to the barn, and let them inside. I lifted it off of their backs, and started pushing it to the wall. I called back. “I can handle the rest on my own, thanks. You can go.”
Despite that, I could almost feel them looking to each other for a moment before they shared a sigh, and left. I sighed with relief. Finally, those two were gone. I adjusted the wardrobe against the wall a bit before I took a step back. I nodded, satisfied with how it looked in that spot. I then walked over to the shelf that I had built, and took down the box. I went back to the wardrobe, and opened it. I sighed as I saw that it only had a clothes rack- I still needed some hangars. Still, it was better than nothing. I took out the rest of the clothes from the box, and carefully folded them over the clothes rack before closing the wardrobe. I then heard a knock on one of the barn doors. A bit confused, I went to open it. The person I saw there did not exactly lighten my mood. “Ferris.” I looked over, and saw that Twilight was there as well. I sighed with irritation. “You put him up to this, right? Just buzz off, Twilight. I do not intend to rekindle my friendship with him, not ever. Just… go away, and take him with you.”
Just as I was going to shoo them away, Ferris called out. “Wait! Please. Just… hear me out.” I gave a very cross expression, but shook it away. I motioned for him to go ahead, though I was pretty sure that I was going to end up regretting it. “Look. I may have told her about… our history, but I do not care if we become friends again. I just want your forgiveness, Nathan. Just… let me know how I earn that. I do not want you mad at me forever. Please.”
I stared at him for a moment, then turned to face Twilight. “Did you push him to do this?”
She shook her head vehemently. “No. He said he wanted me here for moral support. Can’t you just listen to what he has to say?”
I blinked for a bit, and then gave a reluctant nod. “Listen to him, huh? Alright, fine. But do not go expecting him and I to become buddy-buddy. If you’re expecting that, you best be ready for disappointment. Got it?” She gave a nod, and I sighed as I turned to face Ferris. “You ask how you can earn my forgiveness? It’s not easy, let me tell you. I first have to believe that you are truly sorry. And frankly… I don’t. I want to hear a promise that you will tell me the truth; then explain how you came to regret what you did. After that… the rest will take time.”
Ferris took a deep breath, then proceeded. “Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye; what I tell you now is the honest truth.” He paused as he looked me straight in the eyes. “I will admit that back then I felt that I had to cut ties to save my own skin, so to speak. But it wasn’t long after that that I started to regret it. I often looked back upon what we had, all the good times back when we were friends. I also recalled the look that you had on your face the day that I had turned on you, and it never left. Those judging eyes, all full of anger and regret… It made me think about how wrong I had been all the more. I had hurt you, but by the time I had realized the weight of my actions… it was too late.” He sighed. “I know that you won’t ever consider me your friend again, but please. Stop looking at me with those eyes full of hate. I’ve said my piece. Please. Just… forgive me, please.”
I took a deep breath. I shook my head. “I need some time to think. Please… leave me be.” I walked past them, wrapped up in my thoughts. It was one thing to have Ferris back in my life. It was quite another to have him apologize and ask forgiveness. It would have been far simpler if he had stayed gone. Why him? Why now? And why did he have to-? I sighed deeply as I reached Applejack’s stand. “Hey. Can I help you today? I need to get my mind off of things.”
Applejack tilted her head as I found my way behind the cart. “Wut’s eatin’ ya Nathan?”
I sighed deeply as I busied myself with cutting up some of the apples to sell as slices to the children. “It’s not your business. I’ll deal with my issues on my own time, thank you very much.” I turned my attention to the que that was building up. “Alright, apple slices! Ten jangles a piece!” I rapid-fire sold off a few to each of them, figuring out the change pretty swiftly.
After about ten children had stopped by, there was one filly that I didn’t like the look of. Pompous look, snobbish air… rich kid. I was about to ask what she wanted, but she cut me off. “Get me an Opal apple, stat!”
I internally growled at this brat. Little pink demon, I thought to myself, somebody ought to teach you some proper manners. I kept that to myself as I got the aforementioned apple into a bag. “That’ll be 5 bits.” I made sure to hold it out of reach as the little imp placed five bits up on the counter. I passed them to Applejack, and she placed them in the register as I handed over the bag. I forced a smile. “You have a nice day, alright?”
She snatched the bag in a huff, and stormed off. I let out a sigh. Applejack looked at me with a strange look. “Did ya just stand up to Diamond Tiara? Ah heard from mah sis that she’s quite the trouble at school…”
I quirked an eyebrow. “Trouble? Great. Rich kid bully. No wonder I didn’t like her. Can’t stand those that put others down.” I shook my head. “Not really my business, but your sister ought to talk to a teacher about this problem. After all, it is part of their job.”
Applejack bit her lip slightly. “Well, it’s not as bad as it used t’ be. She’s got some friends that she sticks by, and they mostly ignore Diamond… though it doesn’t stop her from tryin’ to get a rise out of them.”
I gave a sleight dry chuckle after selling another few apples to a customer. “Bullies can’t take a hint, trust me. I know from experience.” I sighed deeply as my eyes went distant. “Even after years of ignoring them, nothing changes…”
Applejack tilted her head. “You’ve been… but why don’ ya do anything ‘bout it? Ya seem knowedgeable ‘bout this stuff, so…”
I shook my head. “Things are different back home. I’ve tried it all, nothing works. I’ve had a few drop away because I got their folks involved, but the rest just keep chugging along. I’ve since accepted that they just won’t grow up- after all, it’s quite childish to try and prey on the ‘weak’.”
Silence prevailed as we went back to selling the apples. My thoughts drifted back to the problem at hand. What was I supposed to do about Ferris anyway? Certainly not let him become my friend again- that was out of the question entirely. I went over what he had said in my head, though. I analyzed it, to try and find insincerity. I didn’t want him back in my life, and I have to admit I might have been a bit desperate to force him out at any excuse. But I couldn’t find anything insincere about his words. I still didn’t know if I could fully forgive him, but… maybe, I could not be as hostile, at the very least. Things like what he did are not easily forgiven, at least not for a person like me. By the time I had come to this conclusion, I had found that Applejack was closing down the stall. She turned towards me. “Listen, Ah maght not know wut it is that yer dealin’ with, but lemme give ya some advice. Take a look at wut yer life is like, a long and honest look. Then ask yerself: ‘is this really what Ah want?’”
I gave a deep sigh before looking at her again. She was doing it again. Meddling, just like all the ponies did. Still, her advice was solid, at the very least. I let myself have a soft smile. “I’ll give it a go, I guess. Couldn’t hurt.” I took a look around. “It’s pretty quiet right now. I’ll pop back to the farm- I’ve some things I need to do.” I stood up and walked off, and left myself to my thoughts. I let my thoughts turn to applejack’s suggestion. What was my life like, really? If I was being honest… empty. Sure, I had Ophi, and that was good. But everything else felt toxic. My outlook wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, compared to the ponies. But I had my reasons. I felt that I couldn’t afford to get myself hurt again. I looked at people, and saw mostly the worst in them. The only exception was Ophi, but I still had doubts deep down.
I shook myself off. I knew what was wrong, but there really wasn’t much that I felt I could do about it. I stepped back on the farm, to see that Ferris and Twilight had left. I sighed with a small smirk. Of course they wouldn’t still be here. I went into the house to grab a bit of lunch- fixing up a quick batch of hash browns, just for me. I sat down with my plate, and took my time. I had been skimping because of my lack of appetite lately, but I felt I could get back into the swing of things now. After I finished, I washed my dishes in the sink and dried them off. I got up, and found my way back to the barn. I took down my backpack, and opened it. I took out all the dirty clothes, and held my nose a bit. I held them in arm as I found my way to the laundry room. I found that they had one of those old-fashioned washboards, giving a sigh. I set the clothes down and went to work. It took a good few minutes to scrub each one, and by the time I had them all done an hour had passed.
I took the clothes in arm again, careful not to drop any. I found something that would suit as a make-shift drying rack outside and set them out to dry. It was then that I came to officially meet the mutt. It gave a small yip, and wagged its tail. I raised an eyebrow. “What do you want, mutt? You’re not getting anything from me.” I made to get passed it, but it moved into my way with another yip. I huffed irritably. “Out of the way, mutt. I don’t have time for this.” The little mutt didn’t listen, but I wasn’t having it. I stepped over it back into the house, and shook my head. “Dogs.” I then proceeded to get on my way, but the mutt followed after me. I clenched my teeth, and found the mutt’s food bowl. I shook my head. “Can’t believe I’m doing this…” I found the bag of dog food and poured some into the bowl. I set it down as the mutt went over to the bowl. I sighed, and crept away back to the front of the house.
Once outside again, I heard Granny chuckle, and I turned to see her on a rocking chair. “Little Winona’s taken a shine ta ya! She usually doesn’t like guests…”
I gave an irritated sigh. “Just great. A mutt likes me.” I shook my head. “Why did it have to be a dog? Why can’t you have a reasonable pet, like a cat? Much easier to keep track of.”
Granny shrugged, a small twinkle in her eyes. “Applejack don’t like cats much. Plus Bloom really wanted a dog. Given that, it’s only natural…”
I rolled my eyes. I had no time for this. I gave a small wave as I walked off, determined to get some more work done. Before I left, I stopped by the barn. I grabbed my backpack, and pulled out my sketchbook. I considered it for a moment, before putting it back and opting for the small notepad instead. I placed it in my right pocket, along with a pencil. It’d keep me busy during my down time, that’s for certain. I then left the barn again, and made my way back to Applejack’s stall- only to bump into Ophelia. Surprise was apparent on my face. Her outfit was a lavender blouse and cyan skirt, simple but elegant. I reigned in my emotions, and spoke frankly. “Ophi! What brings you out today?”
She smiled readily. “Well, I was doing a few errands for Rarity. You know, delivering some of her orders to the customers.” She looked at me with a concerned look. “So… how are things with… you know who?”
I gave a resigned sigh as we sat down on a nearby bench. “It’s not easy. He came over earlier, to apologize… I just don’t know if I can forgive him that easily, though. Even though he has explained how he came to regret what he did… I just…” I shook my head. “It would’ve been easier if he had stayed gone.”
I turned to see her staring at me, deep into my eyes. Her eyes looked sad, and a twinge of pain ran through me. I’d give almost anything to never see her eyes like that again. She sighed deeply as she laid her hand upon mine. “I know that it’s hard to see him again, especially after all this time. But Nate, you have to realize… It never was going to be easy. Call it mad, but… I have a feeling that you two were supposed to meet again. Maybe not to become friends again, but at the very least to bury the hatchet. I think that it’s high time you let this grudge of yours go, Nate. It’s only hurting you, and you know that. Just… let go.”
I looked away. I knew that she was right, but… It wasn’t so easy for me. I could try, though. I gave a nod. “I’ll try. It will be hard, but…” I stood up, and her hand fell away. “I’ll see if I can find him after I’m done helping Applejack today.”
Ophi gave a smile. “I know that you can do it, Nate. You just have to believe that you can. Nobody’s too far gone.”
I gave one last look to her, a smile upon my face. I walked away, a new determination in my stride. I didn’t know where Ferris had gone off to, but I was determined to find him- after I finished helping at Applejack’s stall. I made my way back, and Applejack gave me a knowing look. “So. Ya done with yer introspectin’?”
I gave a nod as we got back to work. “Yeah. I am.” I then decided to get into the swing of it as I help customers with what they wanted. I could focus on my problem once I was done for the day. It was a long shift ahead...