//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Home 
// Story: Fragments 
// by Phoenix_Dragon 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 3: Home
 
Sky found it somewhat amusing to recognize how quickly he had associated Ponyville with home, but it was undeniable. Stepping off the train and onto the wooden platform brought a wonderful feeling of relief, as if everything in the world was back to normal, as it should be. He'd been here barely a day after waking up, and already it was home.
Twilight stepped up next to him, smiling as he sighed happily. "You certainly seem to be doing better."
"Yeah," he said, slowly looking around. "Don't get me wrong, Canterlot was fascinating, but I'm just happy to be back here."
Loud cries and a sudden clatter of hooves from down the platform drew their attention. He wasn't the only one glad to be home; Golden Harvest was bounding across the platform, flying into a hug with Bon Bon and some green unicorn he hadn't seen before. Twilight had caught sight of her when they were boarding the train, and had eagerly ran over, soon making introductions all around. He soon found out why Twilight was so excited to see her there. Golden Harvest had been one of the ponies that had gone missing, caught up in the chaos of the city after the attack.
Seeing the tearful reunion, they simply looked on, happy for the ponies who were, to him, mostly strangers.
Before he could stare too long, Twilight nudged him in the side. "Looks like you're not the only one happy to be back."
Chuckling softly, he nodded. "Yep."
"So... What now?'
He paused, considering the question. There was a world of possibilities, but there were a few things he would have to settle, first. "I guess I'll need to get a job and a place to stay. Other than that, I guess I can do whatever I want, now."
"Well, I'm sure you could stay with any of us until you get yourself on your hooves again," Twilight said. "Hey, we might even be able to help you with the whole job thing, too. Weren't you talking about needing some extra hooves to clear a new field, AJ?"
"Ah dunno, Twilight," Applejack said, uneasily, then quickly added, "Ah mean, it's some mighty hard work and all, 'specially for somepony not used to the farm life. Maybe he should talk to Rainbow, see if'n he can't get some work with the weather ponies or somethin'?"
Sky's ears perked up. A job that involved flying around? Work that took no more effort than pushing a few clouds around the sky? "That sounds like a great idea, Applejack! Where is she, anyway?"
"Oh, her?" Applejack let out a little laugh. "Probably sleepin' on some cloud somewhere. That filly might be all speed and athletics, but she sure does love her naps."
Right. Tracking down another pegasus might be a little tricky while he was still stuck on the ground. "Well, in that case, I should get over to Fluttershy's house. She made me promise I'd wait for her to take these things off, and I've been dying to get some flying done!" He gave his wings a wiggle, barely moving them in their restraint.
"If that's the case, ah suppose ah should be headin' off. Gotta get back to help out with the farm and all, 'specially with us bein' gone an extra day." She looked over to Twilight. "You gonna be okay without me for a bit?"
Twilight rolled her eyes, giving an amused smile. "We'll manage fine, AJ. Go on, I'm sure your family is all waiting for you."
Applejack gave them a slightly uneasy look before turning to head off. "Well, okay. Y'all take care!"
Twilight turned back to Sky. "Mind if I tag along? I might be able to help out. And since I pretty much cleared my entire schedule for the next week, I don't really have much else to do."
He laughed softly. "Of course I don't mind. C'mon." To tell the truth, he was rather happy to hear it. He liked the company. He also didn't know his way around town at all, yet, but that was more of a handy excuse.
"Thank you, for everything you've done," he said, as they walked along. "I really can't express just how much it means to me."
She smiled, though there seemed to be a faint reluctance to it. "Don't mention it. Helping ponies is kind of what we do. I just... wish we could have done more."
He watched her as they walked on. His first impulse had been to dismiss it as something imagined, but seeing her so lost in thought brought out uneasy feelings in him. Something seemed off.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, quietly.
She stiffened, apparently not realizing how transparent her thoughts had been. "Oh. No. Not really, I was just... thinking." She cast a sideways glance at him. "But I think it's nothing..."
He fixed her with a look, smirking. She seemed genuine enough when she said she thought it was nothing, but it was obvious she was putting some serious thought into whatever it was.
She met the gaze for several seconds. At first she held firm, but finally she sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'll tell you later. Maybe."
"Still trying to figure things out, aren't you?"
She nodded faintly. "Yes. Just thinking of a few things, trying to sort them out, figure out answers. I'm starting to think it's all leading to nothing in particular, but I want to make sure, first..."
He couldn't help a little chuckle. "You are one determined little pony, aren't you?"
"...I guess you could say that. I like that better than some of the other words ponies have used to describe me at times."
He quirked an eyebrow at that. "Such as?"
She sighed a little, allowing a little smirk. "Too many to list all at once, though "obsessive" and "neurotic" seem to come up with alarming frequency."
Sky laughed. "I dunno, you seem just fine to me. Far too nice for neurotic."
That got her to smile again.




 
She was also thoroughly brilliant, he decided. She'd seemed pretty smart before, but he hadn't expected a few casual comments about wind eventually leading into a lengthy discussion of thermodynamics and its effects on flight. He could understand the outcomes and effects she described, much of which seemed fairly common-sense, though he was mostly lost on the mechanics behind it all. Despite that, he found the conversation surprisingly interesting, even asking a few questions on some points, which she was happy to clarify. It was rather fascinating to find that such simple things as thermals could have such complexity behind them. At the same time, she seemed quite happy to have somepony genuinely interested in what she was saying, rather than going "all googly-eyed" the moment the discussion turned technical.
"Oh, I won't pretend I understand everything you're saying," Sky said, with a bit of a laugh, "Or even, you know, most of it. But it's still interesting. I might have to look into that stuff sometime, see if I can't wrap my head around it."
She seemed to brighten up even more. "I'm sure I have some books on the subject."
"I'm sure you do," he replied, thinking of the library she lived in.
The conversation was just starting to drift into a discussion of the mechanics of weather-manipulation magic when a burst of laughter drew their attention to a side street. Pinkie was sitting at the corner of a building, with Rainbow Dash hovering just overhead, both of them laughing uproariously.
Sky paused, musing over the scene. "They seem in a good mood."
Twilight glanced around. "Well, I don't see any fires or ponies running for safety, so I suppose it can't be too bad."
He glanced over to her, seeing her seemingly serious expression, then looked suspiciously at the two laughing ponies; Rainbow was now eagerly saying something to Pinkie, who was laughing more every moment. "...You're joking. Right?"
She playfully shoved a hoof at his shoulder with a light laugh. "Of course," she said, then added rather more quietly, "Mostly."
He looked flatly at her, while she just smiled back. "Well, go on. You were going to ask for a job, weren't you?"
He gave a mock sigh and approached the laughing duo.
The moment Pinkie noticed them approaching, she leapt up and bound over to them. "Heya Twilight! Heya Sky! How'd the trip to Canterlot go? You find everything you were looking for?"
Sky chuckled a little, musing on how this pink pony could possibly have so much energy all the time. "If 'nothing' counts, I suppose you could say so," he replied, drawing a confused look from Pinkie. Then, in a rather disgruntled tone, he added, "Though I guess it's 'Skyblue' now."
"Oh, don't pay that grumpy old scribe any mind," Twilight said. "You can still be just Sky."
He knew that, of course, but it hadn't stopped him grumbling about it on the train ride home. Celestia had arranged for him to be registered as a citizen, even if it turned out to be a temporary matter, but the clerk they had ended up with had been less than pleasant. Apparently he thought "Sky" was not appropriate for a name, and had rather insistently inquired as to its origin. On discovering that it had been "made up" -- his words -- he had haughtily informed them that it might do as a given name or surname, or a component of a more complex full name, but "Sky" was, in his opinion, just too simple for him to register as a name on its own. They had eventually and begrudgingly come up with "Skyblue" as a solution, largely so they could be done with it and leave the annoying clerk.
Hmm, maybe he could get Twilight to ask the Princess to have it changed.
He shook his head clear of those thoughts, recalling why he was here. "Hey Rainbow Dash. I hear you're the one to talk to about getting a job as a weather pony? It's looking like I'm not going anywhere, so I kinda need to make some money."
Rainbow was still chuckling a little from whatever she and Pinkie Pie had been discussing. "Oh, a job? Hah, yeah, suppose we could find room for one more. Not that there's much to do right now. Getting into summer, so that means clear skies, smooth sailing, and plenty of free time." She swooped down to him, suddenly sounding reluctant. "There's just one little problem."
"What's that?" he asked, trying not to sound too concerned.
Rainbow just smirked, gesturing to his side with a hoof. "You have to actually fly."
He gave her a flat look as she chuckled. "...fine. I'm going over to Fluttershy's to get that taken care of, anyway. After being stuck on the ground so long, I can't wait for the chance to fly circles around you." He ended with a smug grin.
"Fly circles? Around me?" She laughed. "Hah, right! You're talking to the fastest flier in all of Equestria!" She struck a proud pose, hoof to her chest, still hovering in mid-air. She held it for all of a second before looking down at him with a grin. "And that's not even bragging, that's a simple fact. No other pony can go fast enough to pull off a sonic rainboom, so that just leaves me!"
Sky cocked his head to the side. "A sonic what-now?"
Rainbow Dash dropped down to hover barely off the ground, a dramatic look of concern on her face as she peered close at him. "Wow." Then she raised a hoof, poking lightly at the side of his head. "You must have hit your head extra hard to forget something that awesome!"
That drew a sigh from him. She floated back up, chuckling. "Well, come on then. Let's get to Fluttershy's house, you've got a race to lose, Brain-Boy!"
They continued on. Sky kind of wished Twilight would continue on with her description of basic magical theory -- he only halfway understood what she was talking about, but it was interesting -- but she was quite happy to let Pinkie take over the conversation. Most likely she recognized a losing battle when she saw it. Pretty smart pony, indeed.
"So, how was Canterlot?" Pinkie asked, and he had only just opened his mouth before she went on. "Did you get to see the palace? Oh, it's a beautiful place, and they're always throwing fancy parties there, did you get to go to one of those? But if you didn't, there's still so much to see and do. Oh! Did you try going to Donut Joe's, or The Royal Sweet Shop? I always wondered if that one was royal because Celestia went there, or if they just named it that way, but it's a wonderful place either way."
Some seconds passed before he suddenly became aware that she had stopped talking, looking at him with an expectant grin. He tried to play back the conversation in his head. "...I forgot what the first question was."
She just laughed and skipped on ahead. "It's okay!"
Sky chuckled softly as they all walked on. All but Rainbow Dash, of course, who was still flying alongside them. He couldn't recall ever seeing her on the ground, in fact.
"Do you ever just walk?" He asked.
She shot a smirk back and quipped, "Do you ever fly?"
He let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling his eyes. "Soon as we get to Fluttershy's, you'll see."
"I'm sure I will," she replied coolly. "At least, you know, if I look back."
If he hadn't promised Fluttershy he would wait -- and could perfectly picture the look of disappointment if he broke that promise -- he would have torn the bandages off right then and gone chasing after Dash. He was distantly amused that he wasn't more upset by the teasing. If anything, it made him more eager to get up there himself. Besides, maybe he could impress them.
Though probably not Rainbow Dash. She seemed impressed enough with herself already.




 
Fluttershy tenderly lifted his wing with her hooves, occasionally giving feathers a gentle tug with her mouth. "Did that hurt any?" She asked, somewhat timidly.
"A little stiff," he said, and when she let go, he slowly drew his wing through a full circle. He could feel the muscles a bit too clearly, slight protests at the movement after so long idle, but no real pain. "But so much better than before. Give me a few minutes to stretch them out, and I should be perfect!" A wonderful, eager happiness was bubbling up in him as he moved his wings, and it wasn't just from seeing Fluttershy's happy grin. It felt like one more weight lifted from his shoulders, one less burden holding him back. It was like a new-found freedom, the prospects opening up before him.
"Well?" Rainbow said, drawing the word out expectantly. She was, for the first time he could recall, not flying, though she had at least claimed a lofty spot atop the peak of Fluttershy's cottage.
He shot her a smirk, then hopped up, wings beating at the air to lift himself until he was hovering just in front of her. "Okay, fine. Race time."
"Hah!" Rainbow Dash laughed out, crouching down. "About time you got off your butt and flew some. First to town hall and back!"
Without another word she sprang from her perch, shooting off toward town, with Sky flying after her.
She really wasn't kidding, he realized. She was fast. His own wings ached a bit from lack of use, but as he struggled to eke every bit of speed out of his wings it became increasingly clear that, even on his best day, he wouldn't be matching that speed. He wasn't sluggish by any means, but she was making this look easy.
Particularly when she passed him on her way back, doing a flying impression of the backstroke as she went by.
Soon he was catching up with her, but not from his own ability. No, she was weaving back and forth, doing slow circles, taking it easy. Overconfidence, hmm? He grinned. Maybe, just maybe, she might be too distracted with her early celebrations to notice him slip into the lead. He put his all into it, pumping his wings as hard as he could.
The moment he drew even with her, she leveled out and matched his pace precisely. "Not bad. Just not good enough!" She laughed, pulled a quick barrel roll around him -- Ah. Flying circles around me. Of course -- and put on a sudden sprint of speed.
She landed hard just beside the cottage, striking a proud pose. "Aw yeah, I am victori-"
And Sky plowed into her with a loud "Oomph," sending both pegasi tumbling into the brush.
"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy cried out in her soft voice. "Are you both okay?"
Twilight seemed to take it more in stride as she trotted up to the bush, observing the two, both intact if slightly dazed. "Wow, Rainbow. I think he's about as good at landings as you are."
Rainbow groaned, kicking Sky off her none too gently. "Smooth. Somepony needs to watch where they're going."
She righted herself only to blink, looking back at Sky's curiously staring expression. He just sat there, staring at her. "Uh..." She glanced back to Twilight, then back. "...Earth to Sky? You land on your head again or something?"
Sky was silent, but raised a hoof, slowly reaching to poke Rainbow on the nose.
She pulled her head back and blinked.
Then Sky smiled. "Tag." With that, he kicked off the ground, shooting off into the sky.
Rainbow sputtered. "Wha? But the -- you -- hey!"
As she flew up after him, Sky turned to dive down to the ground, turning tightly as he rounded the first trunk and passing under the canopy. This called for a change in strategy. In a contest of speed he might have no chance of competing, but in the tight and cluttered space among the trees, her advantage in speed would mean nothing. Here it would be up to agility, and agility was something he had plenty of.
This wasn't just fun. This felt right, in a fundamental way. This kind of tight, turning flight, weaving between trees and dodging obstacles. This was something he had done before, something he was good at.
Something Rainbow Dash was better at, he found, as a pair of hind-hooves planted themselves on his back and threw him out of a tight turn, tumbling through the leaves before he leveled out.
"Tag!" she laughed back at him, pausing just long enough to let him see her before zipping off again.
He shot off after her, eyes fixed on that rainbow-colored tail as it turned and bobbed and flowed through all manner of acrobatic twists and turns, with him struggling to keep up. She didn't restrain the chase to just the forest, either. Soon they were arcing up into the sky, only to plunge down again into the heart of Ponyville, flying down streets and alleys. She'd even slow down a bit every now and then to let him get near, but never quite close enough, giving a quick laugh as she pulled away again, which he found himself unconsciously echoing.
They flew on, and on...




 
Rainbow Dash was panting as she landed atop the small cloud, finally calling an end to the wild and lengthy chase. "Okay, that's enough. I think you've had enough for one day."
Sky had to agree. Silently, of course. He was thoroughly exhausted, wings wobbly as he landed beside her, sinking to his belly with fatigue. Not that he'd admit it. "Why... stop?" he panted. "I can... keep going..." He wasn't sure he could even lift himself off this cloud, but he was completely ready to try.
Thankfully, Rainbow just flopped down on her back with a laugh. "Yeah right. Of course you can. C'mon, I can outpace you all day long, but I'd been planning to have a nice nap this afternoon. And totally not because I just spent a couple hours flying around Ponyville like a complete maniac." She shot him a grin, trying to hide her own panting, and he couldn't help but let out a gasping laugh as he rolled onto his back, sucking down deep breaths.
"So... did I get... the job?"
She laughed again, raising a hoof toward him. "Heck yeah. That was pretty good."
He reached out to bump his hoof against hers with a soft clop. He lay his head back, staring up into the clear sky above. Even despite the exhaustion and his failure to keep up with this absurdly good flier, he was happy. This was how life should be.
"A nap is sounding pretty good," he said softly, grinning up into the sky.




 
A few hours of lazy dozing had the two pegasi feeling much better, both of them sprawled out atop the cloud, looking over the whole world laid out before them. Having recovered from their energetic flight (Her much swifter than him), they were now lazing about, talking. He was, of course, interested in learning about this new job he had signed up for.
"So, weather patrol," Sky said. "What exactly do I need to do?"
Rainbow chuckled softly. "Do? Pretty much nothing! Summer's the best time to be a weather pony. Mostly you'll just have to keep an eye on the sky and make sure no stray clouds go wandering by. We're supposed to keep things near-clear for at least the next week, I think." She reached out and thumped him lightly on the shoulder. "Heck, this is pretty much the whole job, right now! As long as you keep a bit of an eye out, you can do whatever you want!"
"Wow," Sky said, and looked around at the sky. Only a few clouds were even visible, scattered distantly. "That's it? And we get paid for that."
"Yep!" Rainbow said, rolling onto her back again. "Not nearly as much as in the other seasons, of course, but still, you get paid to fly around, nap, whatever. It's the most awesome job ever."
Sky cast her a curious look. "We get paid more in other seasons?"
"Well duh," she replied. "It'd hardly be fair to be paid the same for arranging a whole storm as it is just to make sure the sky stays clear."
A hint of doubt poked at Sky's mind. "So... how much pay are we talking about?"
Rainbow sighed. "Guh. Well, there's a set amount we get, depending on the weather. Then we split that among everypony, and there's some weird stuff about active and reserve lists and who does or doesn't have another job, and all sorts of boring egghead stuff that I let the others deal with, but for summer it comes out to something like five bits a day. Okay, a little less now that we have one more on the team."
"So, about a hundred fifty a month." He had a number, but suddenly realized he had absolutely no context for that number. "...is that a lot?"
"Nah," she said, giving a shrug. "I mean, it's probably enough for food, if you don't get anything fancy. But don't worry, you'll make more than enough in the other seasons that you won't have to worry about being short!"
That was less than encouraging to Sky, however. Fall was still a couple months away, and he didn't want to wait that long to get things in order. He couldn't say he minded the charity these ponies were giving him, but he didn't want to rely on it. He needed more than just food, he needed a place to stay. He needed to pay his own way.
Which meant, as awesome as the weather patrol was sounding, he needed another job.




 
Twilight looked up from her book as Sky entered the library, a hint of a smirk crossing her face. "Ah. We were wondering when you'd show up again. Rainbow finally wear you out?"
Sky stopped in mid-step, suddenly realizing that he had just left her and Fluttershy, and had never come back. "Oh," he said, sounding guilty. "Er, yeah. Sorry we just took off like that..."
Twilight rolled her eyes, smirk growing into a full smile. "Oh please. I've known Rainbow Dash long enough to expect that kind of thing by now, and with you finally able to fly again, I can hardly blame you for your enthusiasm."
"Oh," he said, a little surprised, then quickly added, "Thanks. And sorry."
"It's fine," she said. "So, how'd it go?"
"I never got near her unless she let me. And... it looks like I need to find a different job."
Twilight blinked, looking genuinely surprised. "Wait, you mean she turned you down? Why, because you couldn't keep up with her?"
"No, no!" he quickly said, not having realized that his statement might be taken that way. "I got the job fine, it's just that it doesn't pay much during the summer. I mean, I can at least cover my own food this way, but I'll never get enough to get a place to stay. Well, not until fall or winter, any way."
"Oh, Sky," Twilight said, the levity returning to her voice. "We're not going to kick you out to the street. I know Fluttershy's place might be a little small, but I've got plenty of room and an extra bed. Even if it's going to take a couple of months, you're perfectly welcome to stay here."
She said it so casually, as if the offer were nothing at all. A little hint of happiness tugged at him to have such a generous gift offered so freely. "Thank you," he said. "But I'd really like to be able to take care of myself." Emotion was starting to come over him, and he smiled. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me, all of you. This would have been so much harder without your help. I don't even know how I'd be coping with it right now. But right now, I really need to stand on my own four hooves, to be able to pull my own weight."
He quickly held up a hoof, stopping Twilight's coming objection. "I know, you're glad to help. You've said so. I really do appreciate it Heck, I'll probably still need a place to stay for a few weeks, anyway. I just... I need to get my own life going again."
He let his hoof drop again, feeling a slight unease creeping over him. For just a moment, he worried that he might have offended Twilight, but the smile she gave him buried that fear. "I understand," she said, softly. "Being able to make it on your own can be a very comforting thing, and I'd imagine that's even more so in your case. Just promise me one thing."
"What's that?" he asked, cautiously.
She just smiled. "Don't be afraid to ask for help, if you need it. I've seen how that goes..."




 
He was falling.
Below spread the wild twisting streets of Canterlot, the towers stabbing up into the sky like great spears, seeking to impale his body on their golden spires. He plummeted downward, between the towers. Past the spires. The towers rushed by him, then roofs, then walls.
The hard street rose to meet him. The impact sent the world askew. He reeled, his head pounded.
His gaze turned to the sky, to see it alight in clouds of green flame. Points of fire fell from the sky like rain, plummeting down into the city. The fireballs smashed into stone, and from each crater a changeling rose, joining the mass of shadows swarming through the streets.
Behind the rising flames loomed one black figure, the shadows swarming about it, green eyes burning as bright as any flame. Its mouth opened, uttering one single word.
"Go."
He rose to his hooves and fled, laughter following after him.
Through twisting streets and swarming shadows, he ran. Changelings flew by, ponies scattering in every direction. Patches of green flame spread, casting its eerie light over the chaotic scene.
A glimpse of yellow caught his attention. Turning, he saw Fluttershy staring out from a doorway, her face full of concern. He turned and ran to her, plunging through the doorway after her.
He entered a train car, already starting to accelerate away. Outside the windows he could see the maelstrom of chaos raging through the city, buildings whisking by. Then a blur of stone, and the outer wall of Canterlot was receding into the distance behind them.
A hoof touched his shoulder, and he leapt in surprise, spinning around, sure for a moment that the changelings had followed him. A surge of relief passed through him as he saw Fluttershy's smiling face. And Twilight. And Rainbow Dash. And Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie. They looked worn and tired, but happy.
A spark of green flickered on the back wall of the cabin, and his heart stopped. He staggered back, trying to scream a warning as flame shot out across the wall, over the seats. The train lurched, slamming to a stop, and he leapt from the growing inferno, his friends scrambling out after him.
He landed on the platform of the Ponyville station, staggering on several yards before collapsing. His body was spent, his legs too weak to lift himself.
He looked back over his shoulder to see the train engulfed in green fire, tendrils of flame reaching out the the platform, seeking more to burn as if alive with a malevolent will. And behind that flame, in the raging inferno, a shadow drew itself toward them.




 
Sky had risen reluctantly, shaking off yet another night of bad dreams. Soft sunlight filtered in through the windows of the library, the sun just now peeking over the horizon. It was still quite early, which was good. Despite the lack of sleep, he wanted to head out as early as possible. Finding a well-paying job might take some time.
He cleaned up, brushed his mane in an attempt to make it look more presentable (an effort that had no noticeable effect on the perpetually unkempt mane), and shared a quick breakfast with Twilight. One final quick run-through with her made sure he remembered where to go, and then he stepped out.
The streets were still and quiet this early, only a few ponies going about, getting a similarly early start on the day. A few merchants were setting up their stalls, a mail-pony flying about on her rounds, a handful of others heading out for early-morning jobs. Most ponies were still home, sleeping late or taking their time with a pleasant breakfast, waiting for the day that followed. It was still brisk, but it should be a wonderfully warm day once the sun rose higher in the sky.
With a flurry of wings, he leapt into the sky, slowly arcing up over the town. He had so many options, now. Twilight was, unsurprisingly, full of ideas, and had given him a full run of suggestions. Unfortunately, most of these were simply noting places of business that might be able to use another hoof around, without any promise that they might be hiring. The most likely suggestion seemed to be at the town hall, which she had said was often looking for ponies to fill in for certain jobs.
More interesting to him, however, was the suggestion to check in with several of her friends. There was a certain appeal to being able to help them, after what they had done for him. That gave him a few options, and if those turned up nothing, he still had the option of heading to the town hall. That just left the choice of which pony to go to, and Applejack was the only one he knew for certain had some work that he could do, even if she had seemed uncertain of the prospect.
He banked into a smooth turn, the ground sliding away behind him as he headed toward the uniform rows of apple trees in the distance. It was a short and leisurely flight in the cool morning air, and in minutes he was gliding down toward the small cluster of buildings near the center of the farm, a familiar orange mare hauling a large cart out into the field.
He flared, back-winging a moment to land precisely atop the fencepost nearest her. "Hey Applejack!"
She started, jerking back from the sudden voice and turning to face him. Recognition took a moment. "...Sky? What in the hay are yah doin' there, startling the heck out of me!" She stopped suddenly, looking completely shocked. "Wait a minute, what are yah doin' here?"
Sky chuckled a little. "Sorry there, Applejack, didn't mean to startle you. It's just that you mentioned having some work you might need doing, and I kinda need a good job. I figured it'd be good to show up bright and early for my best chance, and," he spread his forelegs, balancing with his wings. "here I am!"
"Uh, yeah," she replied, giving a rather doubtful look. "But weren't yah getting' a job helpin' Rainbow with the weather?"
He dropped back down to all fours, expression falling a touch. "Well, yeah, but it doesn't pay much at all. Not for summer, anyway. I guess I just need something better to make it to fall, when the weather picks up. Or anything at all, really."
"Oh, ah see," she replied slowly, still eying him questioningly. "Well, Ah dunno. Truth be told, summer's kinda slow on the farm, too."
"Oh," he said, heart sinking a little. He'd expected to have some difficulty, to have to make multiple attempts to find a job, yet he still found the failure disappointing.
A memory suddenly leapt to mind. "Hey, Twilight said you were planning on clearing a new field, that you might need help with that. Maybe I could help out there?"
"Ah don't..." Applejack trailed off as she stared back at his downcast, yet hopeful expression. She seemed to struggle a moment, conflicted. A few emotions flashed subtly across her face. Determination had already yielded to suspicion, then uncertainty, then... guilt? She grumbled something under her breath. "...Yeah, Ah suppose there's that. Are yah sure? It's mighty hard work, yah know."
Sky perked up, lifting off from the fencepost to hover there before her. "Yes! Heck yes! That'd be great!"
Applejack smirked a little uncertainly as she looked over that broad and eager grin. "Well, okay then. Yah can help me tend the trees, then we'll get to work clearing out the new field. And don't say Ah didn't warn yah..."




 
That was the worst day ever.
Scratch that, Sky thought. Second worst. At least this time my legs just feel like jelly, my wings are intact, and I'm fairly certain I'm not bleeding.
He was, however, sprawled out in the dirt again. The sun was closing in on the horizon, casting its last rays of light over their progress. The first part of the day had been wonderful. They had gone through the orchard, clearing weeds, checking on the trees, making sure they were all healthy and cared for. He even had an easy time of it, being able to fly up into the upper reaches of the tree to look at what she had to peer at from the ground. If he had any idea what to look for, that might have even been helpful.
But all too soon, they made their way to the new field. The ground was hard. The bushes refused to be uprooted. The wonderful warmth of the beautiful summer day became a harsh and oppressive inferno. He worked as hard as he could, the fatigue growing by the moment, but he refused to give in. Applejack was right there beside him, working just as hard as him, but handling it so much better. Maybe it was a bit prideful, but he didn't want to look weak or incapable. If she could keep working all day, well then, so could he.
She had finally called an end to the work, and he thankfully collapsed onto the ground, largely undoing any image of unstoppable endurance he might have wished to maintain. She just chuckled. "Ah told yah, it's hard work."
Yes, it was hard, and dirty, and he was pretty sure he'd be feeling the aftermath of this work all day tomorrow. At the same time, though, there was a feeling of contentment. Maybe even pride. He'd worked harder than he had thought he could, and gotten good work done. It might not have been as much as Applejack, probably by a fair margin, but he had done it all the same.
Applejack nudged him. "C'mon, we'll get some food in yah. Reckon yah need it after all that."
He nodded weakly, despite being rather uncertain his legs would carry him that far. At least his wings weren't sore, though he barely had the energy to lift himself up, hovering alongside Applejack as they headed back to her home.
They traveled in silence, moving among the trees in the fading light of the setting sun. It wasn't until they were almost to the house when Applejack spoke again. "Listen, um... Ah'm not gonna turn down any offer to help, but Ah dunno if this is the job for yah." He started to weakly protest, but she continued on. "Yah did a good job, can't fault yah none for that. Rarely seen anypony work themselves that hard. But..."
She looked over at him, and he couldn't even muster the energy to protest further.
"...Well, yer not gonna be able to keep goin' like that for long. Now don't go takin' this the wrong way, but yah might want to look for some work more your speed, yah know?"
He sighed and nodded. "Yeah."
They went on in silence a few more moments before she let out an exasperated sigh. "But if yah can't find anything, and want to help out, I suppose yah can come back here. Ah just hope yah can find something that's a little more pleasant, yah know? Ah don't want to see yah hurtin' yourself tryin' to keep up."
Sky managed a weak smile. "Yeah. And thanks, Applejack. Ah really do- I really..." he groaned, head hanging again, while Applejack tried -- poorly -- to conceal a snicker. Stupid addictive accent.
At least the food was good, and there was plenty of it. The company was good, as well. The Apple family was very friendly, and while Applejack's older brother was quite a bit quieter than she was, her little sister, Apple Bloom, more than made up the difference.
"So you're the one my sister's been talking about?" the little filly asked eagerly, and with a rather less-pronounced accent than her older sister. "The one with no memory?"
He nodded. "Pretty much. I remember seeing Canterlot, but not much else." Definitely no need to get into mentioning the scary changelings to the little filly.
"Oh yeah! Were you there when all the changelings attacked?"
Of course she would ask that, he thought with an inward groan. Applejack had an unnervingly protective eye on him now, which certainly didn't make things any easier. "Well... I suppose I was, but I honestly don't remember much of it."
"Really?" Apple Bloom asked with clear surprise. "I couldn't imagine ever forgetting something like that. It was so exciting!"
Sky nearly choked on the bite of apple pie. What?
She was already going on. "There was so much going on, everything going wild, but my sister ran right out there with all her friends to save the day!" She suddenly pouted. "And I didn't get to see any of it! All the adults were too tall and blocking my view, and then they started running and dragged us all with them. It's not fair, I didn't even get a good look at any of the bug-ponies, not even that weird big one that did all the flashy magic."
She leaned toward him, a very expectant look on her face. "Hey, did you get a good look at them?"
She looked so eager, a drastic contrast to the dangerous look her older sister was giving him. "Uh... I don't really remember much about them, I'm afraid."
Apple Bloom sighed, but the failure seemed to only deter her a moment. "What's it like losing your memory?"
Applejack managed a surprisingly quick turnaround time between evil glare and exasperated groan.
He cocked his head, blinking. It took a few moments for his own brain to change gears. "Oh, uh... Well, I don't really remember."
Applejack coughed, caught laughing halfway into her groan, while Apple Bloom frowned at him, ears drooping. He held up his hooves, smiling. "Okay, okay. Serious answer time, um..."
He considered for a few moments. "...I dunno. It's weird, certainly. I mean, I don't know anything about myself. Don't remember where I'm from. Don't remember what I did. Don't even remember what my name is or what my cutie mark means. I'm kinda starting over, I guess, get to find-"
Apple Bloom's eyes had gone wide, completely shocked by what he said. "You don't remember what your cutie mark means?!"
He flinched back from the sudden reaction. "Er... no? I can't say I'm happy about it, but it's not really that big of a deal. I obviously figured out what my talent was once, I'm sure I can do it again."
He eyed her carefully, hoping his weak attempt at reassurance had worked. She was sitting back, now, no longer looking at him, or anything in particular. "Iiinteresting..."
It seemed Applejack decided it was time to intervene. "Allll right then, Ah think that's enough of that."
It was well past dark by the time he left. His legs felt a little less rubbery, and his belly was wonderfully full. The Apple family certainly knew how to cook, and the portions were generous. But best of all, he was able to leave with a feeling of pride, and a jingling bag of fresh-earned bits.




 
There was going to be no heavy work on the farm today, which suited Sky just fine. Sometime during the night -- thankfully occupied with only vague dreams of shadows and a happy lack of running -- his legs had decided that simply feeling like jelly was far too kind of a punishment for what he had done to them. It wasn't so bad when he was idle, but they ached horribly the moment he put any weight on them. Fortunately, he seemed to be quite good at swallowing his pride, or he might have been upset at Twilight's giggles as he took off from and landed already in a laying position. He could outsmart his own legs; they could only hurt him if he used them.
No hard work today. Something easy. There were still several friends who might need help. None of them should have any work nearly as hard as farm work. And if none of them had work? Well, he had no problem taking a day off in the state he was in now.
It was significantly later when he set out today, the town already coming to life as he flew out over it. Dozens of ponies wandered the streets, browsing the market, or simply relaxing in the park. A few pegasi were flying in loops, laughing as they played. If only he didn't feel so sore, he would have gladly joined them. If only he didn't feel so sore, and didn't need to find a job...
When he asked Fluttershy if she had any work for him, the poor mare looked so sad that she couldn't help. She even tried to come up with a few small tasks for him, things she could easily do herself and was offering way too many bits for him to do. He managed to eventually talk her out of it, even managing to coax another of her wonderful laughs.
His next option was Rarity. Not the greatest of options, he thought. A dressmaker? Still, Twilight had figured she might have something he could do. He wasn't surprised when there wasn't. "I mean, I can always use models," Rarity had said, with a much-too-amused smile, "But somehow I can't quite picture you in a dress."
Which left the one option he dreaded: Pinkie Pie. He felt bad for dreading it, he did genuinely like her, but he couldn't imagine possibly keeping up with her energy when he felt as sore as he did now. As it turned out, there was little she could do to help him. She worked for the Cake family, and while she assured him she could put in a good word, it hardly looked like the small family-run business was in need of another pair of hooves to help out.
He did get a free cupcake out of the visit, at least.
A hillock in a picturesque park seemed quite inviting, and he sprawled out lazily, soaking in the sun as he munched on his free treat. It was about as good as a lazy day could be, and he certainly didn't mind the free time. Foals and parents played in the field, the warm sun shining down on him, a general air of happiness filling the park. If not for the sore legs, it would be perfect.
It was so close to perfect that he had almost dozed off, when a voice called out to him. "Hey, Sky!"
He sat up, blinking. It took a moment to focus his eyes, the image of a very happy Apple Bloom finally coming into view, a pair of curious fillies along side her.
"Oh, hey Apple Bloom," he said. "What're you up to?"
"Well, I was thinkin'," she said. "You don't remember what your special talent is, right?"
He nodded.
"Well, we don't know what our special talent is, either. We're trying to find out, so we can earn our cutie marks. So we're kinda in the same position, right?"
"I guess so," he replied, feeling a little less certain than he sounded.
"Right! So I was thinking, we can help each other out!"
The orange-colored pegasus filly grinned. "This is going to be so much fun!"
The white unicorn filly nodded eagerly.
The three young faces beamed happily at him. "Please?"
He looked from face to face, each one filled with happy excitement. "...well, sure. Why not? What've you got planned?"




 
Sky staggered into the library. His fur was ruffled wildly and frayed, his mane singed, and he didn't even want to think of what was stuck in the fur of his haunches and tail. Twilight stared blankly at him as he panted just inside the doorway, his eyes wide and fixed, staring off into the distance.
"...Wow. I think your new job is even worse than your last," Twilight said with dry amusement, showing just a hint of a smirk.
"Not work," he said, numbly. "Foals. Crazy, crazy foals."
Now she was chuckling. "Let me guess. Cutie Mark Crusaders?"
He turned and stared at her for several seconds. "Wow. Those three do this enough to have a name?"
"Something like that."