Gary came to a slow, tired stop after doing a full lap around the acres, and nearly collapsed due to exhaustion.
"Don't get weak in the knees now, we still got work to do!" Sarge smiled toothily as Gary wobbled back in forth.
"This working stuff might be a smidgen harder than I had originally thought." Gary muttered, squeezing out from under the yoke.
"Too bad." Sarge chuckled. "Now empty the cart."
"You're mean." Gary pouted, falling to the ground. "Can't you do it?"
"I can, but I won't."
Big Mac walked past Sarge and began putting the wagon on his yoke.
"Don't do the work for him!" Sarge said, walking in front of Big Mac to stop him.
"Sarge, just let me do it my way." Big Mac said firmly, pushing past the confused Sarge.
"Don't tell me you're trying to be his friend." Sarge said. Had he not held Big Mac in such high regard he would have been angry with him.
"Eenope. That boat never even docked, let alone given the chance to set sail. Probably never will." Big Mac grunted as he pulled the wagon into the barn. "Ah'm doin' it for myself."
Sarge looked at the barn, brows furrowed, and then to Gary, who was still laying on the ground.
"What are you looking at?"
"What did you do to him?" Sarge asked, stepping towards Gary, intent clear.
"What are you talking about?" Gary asked sincerely, scrambling to get up and away from the menacing stallion.
"You changed him, didn't you?" Sarge hissed, lifting Gary by his throat.
"Your hooves are surprisingly flexible." Gary said jokingly as Sarge lifted him up higher.
"Why did you do it?"
"I didn't do anything." Gary coughed. "He would server me no purpose. If I needed strength, I would have sought the help of O'Malley. If I meant you harm I could end it with the flick of my... hoof."
Sarge released Gary, making him fall to the ground, breathing at his regular pace. Gary looked up at Sarge, giving him an unreadable expression.
"If I find out you're lying." Sarge muttered.
"Yes, yes. Tie me up and what not." Gary waved dismissively. "You really need new material. Have you ever tried your handat knock knock jokes."
"I'll knock something alright..."
"Fussy."
Big Mac came out of the barn with the plow and stopped next to Sarge, taking it off of his back.
"What now?" Gary asked.
"You're going t' plant a row of trees, and within a few years they'll grow nice an' tall." Big Mac said, admiring the land with a gleam in his eye. "Just like the ones next to 'em, they should last a few generations."
"Exhilarating." Gary yawned, then grunted when Sarge hitched the plow to Gary.
"Start pulling." Sarge nodded to Big Mac, who was now walking towards an open portion of the field.
"O shisno! My shisno!" Gary said, feigning a salute.
Sarge rolled his eyes and hit Gary in the side, making him go faster for the slightest moment. Gary walked next to Big Mac, who was standing at the edge of the acres.
"So what do I do?" Gary sighed.
"Ya have t' try pullin' with your neck t' force th' spikes of th' plow t' go into the ground." Big Mac said, showing Gary the proper positioning.
Gary mimicked Big Mac's movement, then stared ahead uneasily.
"Why couldn't have I lived in an active volcano?" Gary asked as he began walking forwad, barely managing to pull the plow behind him. "It would have been much more enjoyable than this..."
"Come on, put some heart into it!" Sarge said, trying to find the right balance between insulting him and encouraging him enough to do something.
"I do not have a heart." Gary huffed as he pulled the plow forward a quarter of an inch.
'You do now, whether you like it or not."
"Right." Gary muttered as he looked at his legs. "I'll need a word with Delta about that when he comes by."
"You do that. In the mean time, work."
Gary opened his mouth to argue, but saw Sarge approaching him to spur him into action again. Before Sarge could do that, Gary began trying to pull it again, slowly making his way across the acres. Sarge and Big Mac escorted him for the ten minute he was doing it. Once they reached the end of the acres, Big Mac stared back a the work and made a strange grunting noise.
"How'd I do?" Gary asked tiredly.
"See for yourself." Sarge said.
Gary turned around to admire the work that he had done, but the lines the plow had made zigzagged slightly, making planting in a straight line impossible in it's current state.
"I commend you on doing just as bad of a job, if not worse, as I expected you to." Sarge laughed, examining the position of the sun. "And longer than it would have taken us too!"
"That is because a farmer I am not." Gary shrugged off the plow defiantly. "Were there a desirable goal that I could achieve from farming, perhaps I would slow the slightest of interests. But alas, farming is just another simple minded job to give the simple minded shisno something to do with their time. Pointless activity if you think about it."
"Oh? Then what benefits are there other than gaining back strength and a feel of independence?" Gary said mockingly, inviting Big Mac to answer, but spoke up before he could. "Exactly. All you shisnos ever think about are making yourselves stronger and better than everyone else, when in reality you will just ll end up in the dirt anyways. What do you have then? Oh, let me guess, you'll provide nutrients for the next generation of trees?"
"Better than my body bein' tossed into a river with a sack over my head." Big Mac hissed, but frowned at himself for acting this way.
"Ooh, so threatening. You still haven't gotten over the fact that I was in your sis-"
"Do not disrespect the Apple family. You disrespect them, you disrespect me." Sarge muttered, then grinned sickly at Gary. "And you know what happens to yellow AIs that disappoint me, don't you?"
"To some degree." Gary muttered reluctantly.
"Good." Sarge laughed roughly. "Y'know, maybe you should get into politics. Being a liar is pretty much the only requirement."
Something about Gary caused Big Mac narrowed his eyes curiously. He appeared to have shifted slightly, but his expression changed dramatically to one of deep thought. Big Mac continued his gaze, trying to find anything he could see in the yellow stallion's eyes.
"What does a shisno know about politics?" Gary snorted suddenly. "Why don't you stick to doing what you know best? Knowing nothing."
Gary shifted again, but this time he was walking away.
"Where are you going?" Sarge asked, getting up to stop him.
"I decided that I wish to help Applejack with the supplies in Ponyville."
"Really?" Sarge muttered, clearly unconvinced.
"Yes, well, I just figured that I'm no good at this farming business, so I would probably have better luck in town."
"What if people ask about you appearance? Tex was hard enough to explain, but I don't think all of you would be able to get away with it."
"I will say I lost it in an unfortunate accident, and that is why my voice is as is and why I am also missing my butt mark."
"Ah don't think ya can just lose your cutie mark like tht." Big Mac grunted.
"Says who?" Gary asked. "As reluctant as I am to believe it, the shisnos of this world seem to believe in magic, so I'll just blame it on that. Nobody will argue, because from what I've heard from Delta, magic still remains largely unexplored."
"Fine, you really want to go?" Sarge asked sincerely. "Take Big Mac with you."
"I can take care of myself you know." Gary murmured, walking ahead out the door.
"If he wants t' let him do it himself, ah say we let him." Big Mac nodded.
Gary turned to Sarge and gave him a condescending smile.
"Just get the hell out of my sight." Sarge sighed. "And don't let me find out you went there just to possess AJ again."
"I would not dream of it."