//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven // Story: For Lack of a Better Word // by Gunsmith //------------------------------// I walk over to Applejack's stand, keeping my distance until the customer she is tending to is satisfied. Don't want to spook any potential business. I approach the wooden stand, above which hangs a sign with a trio of apples painted upon it. I crouch down, coming to eye level with the orange pony. "Howdy, Mark. What can Ah' do yah' for?" I smile, then pull out the flyer I had recently taken. I point to the address on the paper, looking at the Stetson-wearing pony with question. "Forty-six Apple Tree Way? Uhh..." Applejack glances down, trailing off in thought. "...shoot. If Ah' remember right, that's just south o' here." She points a hoof towards a road to my left, leading away from the town's center. "Just follow that there road 'til yah' come to the intersection, then hang a right. All the houses should be marked. Got it?" I nod and smile in thanks, putting the flyer back in my pocket and standing. I start towards the path, watching as the ponies again begin clearing out of my way. If only I could just tell them...I push the thought away, quelling it before it leads to memory. I sigh, drumming my hands against my pants. Ponies continue giving me odd looks, ones of surprise, confusion, fear, sometimes repulsion. I reach the intersection, and turn to the right. I'm actually happy to see that this street is somewhat empty, with only a few of the creatures roaming about. I start observing the houses, finding that the house numbers seem to be neatly painted beside the doors. Thirty-eight...forty...forty-two...I pass one more house, then reach Forty-Six Apple Tree Way. I remove the flyer from my pants, unfolding it and glancing at it again to make sure I've got the address correct. I step up to the door, raising my hand, and knock a few times. I hear some voices inside, then the door opens. "Ye--" a female pony begins, freezing upon seeing me. She lets out a shrill scream, then slams the door in my face. I stumble back in surprise. Well, that could have gone better. I think for a moment, wondering if I should knock again. Realizing I still hold the flyer for the job, I get an idea. I step up to the door again, crouch down, and slip the flyer under the door, giving another series of knocks. I move to a kneel, figuring that maybe I'll come off as less intimidating if I'm not at my full height. After a few seconds, the door opens a crack. A different pony peeks out of the door, a dark brown one. "A-are you here for the job?" he asks. I'm tempted to stand, but tell myself to stay put, just nodding in reply. "You don't look like a unicorn to me." I smile, shaking my head and holding my hands out in front of me, opening and closing them a few times. The door opens a little further. "Well, I suppose if you can use an ax with those...just...just meet me out back." I nod, now standing. The pony watches me in shock for a moment, then recedes inside, closing the door. I walk around the side of the wooden house, passing through an alley formed between another house nearby. Behind the house is a large pile of uncut logs and a short stump with an ax stuck into it. I go over to the ax, wrapping my hand around the handle. Upon further thought, I decide to leave the tool be to avoid scaring these people--ponies--any more than I already have, which seems to be quite a bit. A back door opens, and a stout, dark brown pony with neither wings nor a horn, trots out. "Sorry 'bout my wife. We've been hearing some rumors, and, well..." He frowns. "Not many have been pleasant. But if you're here to help..." I nod, smiling. "...I'm not going to turn down help. I've been needing this wood chopped for weeks." He glances at the pile of logs; a look of remembrance crosses his face. "Oh, m'name's Till." The brown pony holds out a hoof towards me; I step towards him, crouching down and taking his hoof, shaking firmly. "You got a name?" A short pause, then: "Ah, never mind. Quite honestly, I only care if you can get the job done." I nod again. "Speaking of which, I'm looking for firewood. If you'd just make some small logs, then cut 'em in half, I think that'd do." Till looks at me a moment longer, then snorts. "Well, I'll leave yah' to it. Let me know if you need anything." I nod once more, then stand again. The pony heads inside, leaving me to my own devices. Alright, time to chop some wood. I walk over to the ax, grabbing the handle and pulling it out of the stump. I let the handle drop in my hand, so that I hold the ax more near the head; running my fingers along the blade, I find that the ax is sharp and in good condition. Satisfied, I set it down on the stump, walking over to the pile of crude logs and grabbing onto the first. As I set the cut tree on the ground, I muse that a pair of gloves might be nice. Doubt I'll find one anytime soon, given the general lack of hands on members of the equine family...I pick up the ax, placing a foot on the tree to keep it in place. I recall how to properly swing an ax, grasping in a balanced way to pull it back, then sliding my hand down the handle until it meets my other hand at the bottom. A mixture of gravity and my own force brings the head of the ax down cleanly, shearing the section of the small tree, maybe a branch of a large tree, in half. I smile, kicking one of the halves to the side before halving the half before me. Soon, a cluster of six or so logs lies on the ground; I move them into a small pile near the stump. I'm pleased to see how clean and straight my cuts are, as the log segments balance easily on their ends. I set the first on the stump, stepping back and lining myself up. I do a few practice swings, then bring my ax up, dropping it in the center of the small log. With a pleasing thwack, the log splits in half, the two parts falling off the stump. I repeat the process with the next of my log cuts. *** I look at my neatly-organized pile of firewood, smiling with pride at my handiwork. I had actually finished cutting, and then splitting, all of the wood around thirty minutes ago, but I had decided to organize the wood as well. The yard had seemed much messier after I was done, so it just seemed necessary. I walk over to the chopping-stump and bring the ax down into it, letting it stick. Rubbing my arm across my brow, I go up to the back door, knocking a few times. I remember to kneel down just before the door opens. "You're done already?" Till asks. I nod and smile in reply, shuffling to one side so the pony can see. He steps out, eyebrows raising upon seeing the large pile of chopped wood off to one side of his backyard. "Wow! You did it all, no magic?" I shake my head, holding up my splinter-covered hands. "Wow," he repeats. "I really appreciate that. What is your name?" I pull out my pencil and paper, searching through my scribbles until finding my name. "'Mark'? Well, that's an odd name...suits you, I guess. But I couldn't have done a better job myself. Give me a minute, I'll get what your pay, you've more than earned it." The brown pony trots inside his home, disappearing for a minute. He returns with a small, cloth sack in his teeth, and holds it out to me. I hold my hand open, and he drops the bag into it. I find that the bag has considerable weight to it, and jingles as I shift it to my left hand. "Thank yah' again, Mark. I don't know who designed these tools, but for us Earth Ponies, even the Pegasi, they're mighty hard to use." He chuckles to himself. "Those...erm...hooves, you got, are pretty darn useful, there." I hold up my right hand, wiggling the fingers for a moment with a smile. I push myself onto my feet, bag of payment in hand, and wave thanks to Till, who nods gratefully in reply. "Oh, and my wife apologizes for reacting as she did, and thanks you as well." He holds a hoof beside his mouth, glancing towards his house. "She's too scared to come say it herself, though." I chuckle, nodding in understanding. Till gives me a friendly smile, then walks back into his house. I glance at the pile of wood, then at the bag in my hand. As I walk through the alley, heading back towards the road, I open the small bundle of cloth, peering inside. A multitude of golden coins, each around the size of a U.S. dollar coin, glint up at me, refracting the light of the afternoon. I pull one of them out, pausing off to the side of the dirt street. On one side is the head of a horse, or a pony, engraved in gold; from what I can see, it is a unicorn. The horn is significantly longer than those I've seen in this town, though. The mane of the horse also seems to be waving, as if wind is blowing through it. Under the engraving of the head is the name Princess Celestia. I recognize the name as that of the ruler and apparent omniscient goddess of Equestria. I turn the coin over in my palm. On the opposite side is a sun-like symbol, in the center of which are the words ONE BIT. I roll the coin around a few more times, rubbing my thumb over each side, feeling the engraved pictures and words. So this is the currency, I muse. I wonder how many USD this thing would be equivalent to...if it went by the actual gold amount, probably a few hundred dollars. I make the assumption that gold is more plentiful here, but continue wondering what exactly one 'bit' would buy me. Looking back into the bag, I estimate there's around twenty of the golden coins in total. There's got to be a few thousand dollars' worth of gold in here...either I was way overpaid, or gold really is more common here. I slip the single bit back into the cloth, tightening the hand--or hoof--fashioned drawstring on it once more. I look around for a moment, not really knowing what to do with the rest of my day. A look near the sun tells me that it's probably four or five in the summer afternoon. I feel a pang of hunger in my empty stomach. Okay, I know what to do now. And with that, I start walking again. After about five minutes of walking, I realize something. I have no idea where I'm going. I frown, looking around. I recall the mass of apple trees bearing delicious, juicy, perfectly ripe fruit, out at where Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle's friend Applejack lives. Sweet Apple Acres? I try to remember the sign, and assume my fairly poor memory is correct. My frown deepens in thought as I attempt to think of the path there. Oh, wait...I remember that the farm sits on a hill that overlooks the town. I sidestep a few times to see between some of the houses lining the sides of the road I am on. In the distance I spot a very small-looking red structure, sitting atop a hill that seems to overlook a forest of trees. I set my sights, and begin in as much of a bee-line as I can manage. *** I vault the short wooden fence, again ignoring the gate. It's way cooler to jump over stuff, anyways. I start up the path a short ways, for some reason believing the farther up the hill I go, the better the apples will be. As I turn down one of the many rows, surveying the trees, it occurs to me that I actually have some money, so I would be able to just buy some food. I don't know anything about the economy here, though. And most ponies don't seem to take too kindly to me...I decide my choice to 'borrow' a few apples without permission is a good one, at least better than trying to communicate with the locals when I can't even communicate very well. I scale up a tree, grabbing on to a thick branch and hoisting myself up with a grunt. I pluck a nearby apple off its stem, mouth starting to water. I hungrily bite into the apple. Should've taken Twilight up on that offer for breakfast. I continue through that apple, and into another. Though the apples are tasty, and satisfy my hunger, I think for a moment that a burger would be nice, maybe even a steak. That might be a problem...Everything I've met seems sentient, and I'm not supposed to eat things that can have complex thoughts. That's just...wrong, in some way that is inherently so. It's like cannibalism, despite the fact I would not be eating my own kind. Even the dominant sentient species is of the horse family. I snort quietly, shaking my head a little. As I sit in the tree, I become aware of the heavy cloth in my left hand. I hold it up to my face, shaking it lightly and hearing the jingle. I recall my mainly one-sided conversation with the Pegasus, Rainbow Dash, the previous afternoon. Didn't she mention Applejack was smart with money? Maybe she could help explain the economy to me...I decide she's probably my best option, and slide off the branch, landing on my feet. I begin walking out of the row of apple trees I'm in. A light hit on my head makes me jump. I look around wildly, ducking down and turning about, searching for my assailant. My eyes shift to the ground, and I see a stray apple. Oh. I kick the apple gently, watching it roll away. I smile, turning and walking towards the path again. I feel something hit my head again, and look up. Finding nothing, I look down, only to see another apple on the ground, separated from its brethren in the trees. Raising an eyebrow, I hesitantly turn away, focusing on the path again. Looks like these apples aren't too happy that I ate some of them. The thought that plants might be sentient as well enters my head, making my stomach flip-flop a little. I stop walking, looking around at the trees. Maybe one will move or something. None of the trees move, but I feel another apple land atop my head, bouncing off and hitting the ground. I rub my head, starting to get agitated. I glance up at the apple-filled leaves above, staring at the trees for a moment. Okay, three apples is too much coincidence in a row--a noise interrupts my thoughts. It sounds like...laughter. An attempt to hold in laughter, more like it. I smile, deciding to play along. I continue rubbing my hand against my hair for a moment, then begin slowly walking towards the path, now only a few yards away. I keep my focus up, at the trees. There. A spot near the end of the canopy of leaves rustles ever-so-slightly. I keep walking, counting down to myself. And...now. I stop, looking up; on cue, a bright, red apple falls from above, and a light blue hoof shoots back into the trees. I reach up, grabbing the apple as it falls. I hold the fruit for a moment, then lightly toss it back into the trees. "What the hay?!" A voice exclaims. A quiet second passes. "Ponyfeathers..." A blue head covered in rainbow hair pops out of the trees, upside-down. A pair of large, bright magenta eyes looks at me with a smile. "How'd you know I was there?" Rainbow Dash asks, sounding bemused. I smile back and shrug. The light blue pony lets herself fall out of the tree, twisting around in the air and landing on all four hooves, much as a cat would. I clap in exaggerated amazement; playing along, she takes a bow, bringing a foreleg to her chest. After a moment, I withdraw my paper and pencil, writing a question as the pony shakes out her colorful mane. How long have you been following me? "Pretty much since I got off work." I give her a look. "What? I got bored, and didn't know what else to do." I nearly begin to question how she found me in the first place, then recall that I'm very, very easy to spot. "So how much did that guy pay you for chopping wood?" I open the cloth bag for her to see inside. "Not bad, you must have done pretty good for him to pay you that much!" I frown, somewhat concerned that I may have been overpaid. I appreciate the notion, but I feel that I only deserve as much as what should be paid, nothing more, nothing less. "So whatcha' doin'? Stealing some apples for lunch?" I give a sheepish smile in reply. "Don't sweat it, Applejack doesn't mind. I don't think...guess I've never asked," Rainbow Dash muses. I write down my answer. Yes, and I figured I would ask Applejack about the economy while I'm here. "So you've got money, but you don't know what to do with it?" I nod, receiving a laugh from the Pegasus. "Yeah, I know that feeling. I get paid way too much to kick clouds around all day. Not that I'm complaining," she adds with a grin. "I never have to worry about missing a Wonderbolts show!" I laugh at her extreme devotion to the aerobatic group. I approach the door to the farmhouse, knocking a few times and stepping back. The small sister of Applejack, Apple Bloom, answers the door. She nearly reacts in fear, but recognizes me a split second later. "Well, howdy, Mister Mark! Whatcha' need?" the small, yellow pony questions. Isn't there a specific word for them? Stallions, mares, colts, and...fillies? Yeah, that's it. "He wants to talk to Applejack, Apple Bloom." I glance down at Rainbow, thanking her with a smile. "Okay!" the filly replies, turning back into the house and leaving the door open. I take it that I'm supposed to follow her in, and a look over to the sky-blue Pegasus on the ground beside me confirms that as she motions towards the open door. I step inside, ducking through the slightly short doorway. I stand in the entry room of the farmhouse, which also seems to be a living room, waiting patiently for the orange pony. After a minute, Applejack trots into the room. "Howdy again, Mark, howdy, Dash. What brings ya'll?" I look down, scrawling out my question for the money-wise pony. Could you please explain the economy here? She pushes her hat up a little higher on her head. "Whoo-ee! That there's a tall order, partner. Ah' suppose Ah' can help yah', s'long as yer' willin' tah' listen to me run mah' mouth for a while." I nod, chuckling softly. "Well, have a seat! You too, Rainbow, if'n' yah' please." "Uhh, I think I'm gonna' find something to eat. Egghead stuff isn't really my thing," Rainbow Dash says with a smirk at Applejack. "This ain't no 'egghead stuff'!" the orange pony splutters. "This is important stuff, that everypony should know! You oughta' sit and listen, Rainbow, maybe you'll learn somethin'." "Yeah, yeah..." The light blue pony begins coughing obnoxiously. "Egghead," she coughs out. I smile, laughing quietly. Applejack shoots me a look; I quickly wipe the smile off my face. Rainbow Dash grins and trots out of the room, snickering. "Okay, now...it looks like yah' got some money on yah', already. May Ah' see it for a sec'?" I hold my coin-filled cloth out to her, and she takes it in her hooves, opening the bag and peering inside. "If yah' don't mind my askin', how'd yah' get yer' hooves on this?" I look down, seeing that the floor is made of wood. I tap the floor, then mimic swinging an ax. "Cuttin' wood?" I nod in affirmation. "Well, yah' musta' done the job right. Yah' got paid real well, here. Guess Ah' oughta' start explainin', so yah' know what Ah'm talkin' 'bout." *** I wave a goodbye to Applejack, who responds with an "Any time." Rainbow Dash follows me out the door, and I close it behind her. We start descending down the hill again. "So, did you almost die of boredom? I know I did, and I wasn't even listening to her!" she exclaims, laughing. I smile and give a shrug, actually not having been too bored. The economy here is simple enough, and is comparable to something like the U.S. economy in the early twentieth century, pre-Depression. A bit would be comparable to a dollar, and no other forms or variations of currency existed. That meant that usually, small things like food were overpaid-for; at the same time, it makes buying more expensive items much easier. I remember that Applejack had mentioned a house usually costs a few hundred bits, larger ones in the thousand-bit area. At that point I had realized that the pony fellow I had done the job for had paid me quite a lot, just for chopping wood. The orange pony had suggested that that was likely either because I had gone beyond what was asked and had done the job properly, or out of fear. She believed the former, but the thought remains in the back of my head that the latter may have been more true. The money in my left hand feels more like ransom money for a moment. Maybe I should go and try to ask for a more fair payment... I push the thought away, knowing that would have very little chance of actually working. If it was because he felt I did a more-than-adequate job, he might take my action as an insult. If out of fear, he might reject it all the same. I sigh, looking at the ground as it moves under my feet. "Hey, what's up? You're looking down. Literally," Rainbow adds with a snicker. I look over at her, smiling at the joke. I decide to tell her what is on my mind, writing on my makeshift-notepad for a moment. Nobody trusts me and all seem to fear me. "Well, I mean, can you blame them? No offense," she says, then continues on. "You're really tall, don't have much hair, wear clothes all the time, walk on two legs, and don't talk. All of those are pretty much opposite of what ponies look like and do, so you stick out. They all think you're scary and weird, because that's how you look. Once they learn that you aren't going to eat them or anything, they'll realize you aren't scary. Still weird, but not scary," finishes Rainbow, grinning at me. I can live with weird, I think with a smile. "Just give 'em some time. They'll warm up to you." I feel a friendly punch on my left shoulder. Ouch. "And if they don't, you'll get plenty of exercise from running from those angry mobs!" I laugh, picturing that image. I don't think these creatures have the capability to look very menacing, even with pitchforks and torches. "Celestia knows you need it. Granny Smith could probably outrun you!" she exclaims, laughing to herself. I laugh as well, knowing she's probably right. Four legs seem to grant an advantage when it comes to speed. We continue to walk back into the town of Ponyville, leaving Sweet Apple Acres behind. I find myself watching the Pegasus fly beside me most of the trip; it's captivating, like being able to have a very large, very colorful bird fly right next to me. I think she notices at some point, as she starts doing little tricks here and there to keep it interesting. A loop, a tight corkscrew, flying in circles around me, flying upside-down, sideways, and even backwards. A mixture of joy and curiosity fills me, and I have to resist the urge to start laughing or clapping. I find myself somewhat sad when we reach Twilight's tree house, then sun just about to dip below the horizon. "I'll see you tomorrow! Betcha' won't see me, though," Rainbow Dash adds with a wink. I smile and wave to the small pony, watching her jump off the ground, flying into the reddish sky. When she disappears from sight, I push through the library door. Twilight greets me, commenting on my new-found money and that I must be as hard a worker as Applejack. I brush the compliments away, still feeling a twinge of guilt that I am still unsure whether or not it should exist. I accept an offered dinner of hay sandwiches, opting to eat just the bread. I doubt hay would go over well with my omnivore stomach. Afterwards, arms hurting, I decide to go to bed. I toss my bag of coins beside my bedroll, then crawl under the blankets, sighing at the relaxing feeling of being off my feet.