Chapter 37
“Hey Twilight, Lyra,” greeted Allen as he approached the group of ponies clustered by the entrance to the field.
Turning to face Allen, both Lyra and Twilight’s faces lit up with happy smiles as they trotted up to meet him.
“Hey Allen!” they greeted in stereo. Looking at each other in surprise, they burst into laughter with Allen joining in with a quiet chuckle.
Wiping a small tear away, Twilight was the first to recover and asked, “How are you this morning? Is everything ready for the demonstration?”
Allen nodded, a pleased smile on his face. “Yep, the tractor's fueled up, and the mower is greased and ready to go. So as soon as the meet and greet is done, I can get started.”
“I can’t wait to see what human technology can do,” said Lyra excitedly. “Ever since you showed up Allen, I’ve been working overtime scouring as many libraries as I could, I’ve even been allowed access into the more restricted sections of the Canterlot Archives. Prince Blueblood even said that it might be possible for me to travel to other countries and look through their records as well.”
“What are you hoping to find?” asked Allen curiously.
“Anything really,” replied Lyra with a shrug. “I haven’t found much so far. Though I did find an interesting journal written by Clover the Clever that managed to survive the Discordant Age. Unfortunately, it’s in poor condition and written in Old Ponish, so it’s taking some time for me to translate it.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” replied Allen in encouragement.
“Oh I know, it’s just taking time is all,” she replied with a ‘what can you do’ shrug. “In the meantime, how have you been?”
“Busy,” replied Allen, “Penny has been a godsend, I don’t know where I would be without her. The amount of paperwork I’ve filled out and looked at just makes me want to pull my hair out at times, but we’re getting it all sorted. This,” he said pointing with his chin, “is what I’m good at doing. Being out in the field working, not sitting behind a desk filling out paperwork all day.”
“Ugh, I know,” replied Lyra in commiseration, “filling out the needed forms to get permission to take things from the archives is such a pain in the flank, and don’t even get me started on what I had to go through to even get access to the more restricted sections.”
“Well, there is a reason that they are restricted,” interjected Twilight, “I’m all for spreading knowledge around, but there are some things that should never be shared.”
Lyra nodded. “I get that, but it’s still annoying,” she grumped.
Allen just smiled and shook his head. “Say,” he asked as he looked past the two mares at the group of ponies gathered around his tractor and mower, “do you know who that stallion is talking with Checklist over there?”
Both Lyra and Twilight looked back at the aforementioned stallion. “Nope, can’t really say,” said Lyra.
Twilight likewise shook her head. “Same, though I think he got off the train with them, and Checklist has been staying pretty close to him since they got here. Maybe they’re related?”
“Well, one way to find out I suppose,” said Allen as he strode past Lyra and Twilight, his sights set on the mysterious stallion.
He’d nearly reached the gate when someone called out his name. Turning, he spotted a stallion who he assumed was Filthy Rich waving at him and heading his way, both Twilight and Lyra decided they had other places to be and made themselves scarce.
Cowards.
“Mr. Ross, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, I’m Filthy Rich, owner of Barnyard Bargains.”
“Uh, nice to meet you as well, Mr. Rich,” replied Allen as he took Filthy’s hoof in hand and shook it.
“I would just like to apologize for my daughter's behavior at school the other week. I just can’t imagine what could have made her act that way. She’s such a sweet filly, really.”
Allen internally rolled his eyes. Yeah, real sweet, like vinegar maybe. However, he didn’t let his inner thoughts show on his face, and instead returned the amber-colored earth pony’s smile with one of his own, even if it was a tad forced.
“Well, kids can sometimes say mean things, even if they don’t think they are being mean,” replied Allen diplomatically.
Filthy nodded in agreement. “Oh yes, I agree. That is why it is so important for us older ponies to teach them proper manners. I made sure that my little princess understood how disappointed I was with her behavior and meted out proper punishment. In anycase, that’s not why I am here today, or at least not the main reason,” he said, quickly pushing past the obviously upsetting subject of finding out that your supposedly ‘sweet little princess’ was actually more of a sour little brat.
“And what is the ‘main reason’ you’re here today?” asked Allen curiously, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Well, I’d like to speak with you about potentially selling your hay in my stores. I have several you see, and I’m in the process of building more. In fact, we just opened our first one in Manehattan last week, bringing the total to twenty stores nationwide!”
Allen gave a noncommittal grunt. “I see,” he said, looking around to see where Penny had gotten off to, “well I would certainly be interested in hearing what you have to offer us, Mr. Rich. However, I’m afraid I’m not really familiar with the business climate here in Equestria,” he finally managed to spot Penny by the chariot talking with Blueblood and waved at her in an attempt to get her attention. “So, I think it would be best if you talk with my assistant, Penny Farthing. She’s the one who handles that stuff,” he said as he finally caught her attention.
“Oh, well I was hoping to speak with you rather than your assistant,” replied Filthy as he watched Penny trot closer, a disappointed look on his face.
Letting his arm drop to his side, Allen turned back to Filthy and said, “I’m sure, but as I said, Penny is more the business and financial side of things, while I handle the day-to-day operations on the farm.”
“Hello Allen, Mr. Rich,” greeted Penny with a nod as she trotted up to the pair. “What’s going on?”
“Mr. Rich here is interested in selling our hay in his stores,” replied Allen with a nod of his head in Mr. Rich’s direction.
Penny’s face lit up in happiness. “Oh, that’s wonderful, Mr. Rich! You know, I was actually going to come and speak with you about that this week, but since you’re here now, how about I schedule a time and we can go over the finer details later? Say Tuesday at ten o’clock? Will that work for you?”
Mr. Rich looked like a stallion whose cunning plan had just gone up in smoke. Allen internally smiled when he saw the stallion’s barely hidden crestfallen look.
“Uh, yes I think that will work for me,” he replied, a slightly disappointed tone in his voice, before suddenly clearing his throat and saying, “Well since that’s set, I’ll just leave you two be, I haven’t had a chance to take a closer look at Mr. Ross’s machine over there.”
Beating a hasty retreat, Penny and Allen watched the businesspony go.
“You didn’t agree to anything did you?” asked Penny quietly enough so that only Allen could hear her.
Allen shook his head. “Naw, I know I’m not smart enough to handle negotiating with a guy like that. It’s why I waved you over when he started making noises about wanting to do business with me.”
Penny gave Allen a proud smile. “Good, I’m glad to hear that. Knowing when to ask for help isn’t always easy, nopony likes to admit they don’t know how to do something.”
“Yeah well, I’d rather not lose a lot of money because I wasn’t willing to ask for help,” replied Allen simply. “Do you think it would be a good idea to work with him?”
Penny hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe, Filthy Rich is a well-respected stallion around here and if what I heard is correct, his business is doing very well these days, so it would be short-sighted of us if we didn’t at least look into a potential business arrangement.”
Allen nodded but didn’t say anything. Motioning with his head in the direction of the tractor, he strode away, Penny falling in alongside him as he approached the group of curious ponies.
Striding through the gate, Allen spotted Checklist speaking excitedly with the mystery stallion at the front of the tractor. Changing direction, he made a beeline for the two of them, Penny following along sedately behind.
Upon seeing him approaching, Checklist’s face lit up with a happy smile and she nudged the stallion with a hoof and pointed it at Allen. Giving a small wave in greeting, Allen and Penny came to a stop next to the two.
“Hey Checklist, how’s it going?” asked Allen in a friendly greeting.
Checklist happily replied, “Oh it is going great, thank you so much for inviting me Allen.” she paused and turned to wave the other stallion forward. His coat was a dull gray and covered in scars of varying sizes. The more prominent ones ran across his chest and barrel as if someone had tried to gut him with a knife at one point. His right rear leg had a nasty-looking scar running up it from just above his hock to the top of his thigh, neatly bisecting his cutie mark of a pair of gear wheels in the middle. His left rear leg however was worse, as the leg ended at the hock joint, and had been replaced by a wooden and brass prosthesis with a complicated-looking pulley system of belts and gears.
Jesus, what happened to this guy? Thought Allen in amazement, as up until now, he’d never seen a pony as messed up as the stallion before him. However, he kept his thoughts to himself as he stepped forward and stuck out his hand in greeting.
“Allen,” Checklist said simply, “this is my father.”
The stallion stuck out his forehoof, the hoof chipped in places from hard work and shod with an iron horseshoe. “Zubchatoye Koleso is good to meet you,” he greeted in a deep Slavic accent.
Allen felt his eyebrows hike upwards in surprise as he shook Zubchatoye’s hoof. “Zubchatoye Koleso, rad s vami poznakomit'sya,”* replied Allen in turn, earning surprised looks all around.
Zubchatoye blinked in surprise before leaning back and letting loose a booming laugh. “Your accent is strange my friend, but better zen most southern ponies can manage!”
Allen laughed in return. “Well it’s been a few years since I last spoke my mother’s maiden tongue,” he admitted, “so I’m not surprised. Hopefully, it wasn’t too bad.”
“Nyet, nyet,” replied Zubchatoye with a wave of a forehoof. “Just needs bit of vork and you vill be fine.
“Well that’s good to hear,” he turned to regard Checklist with a curious expression. “You never mentioned that you spoke Russian... or whatever the equivalent language is called here.”
Checklist shifted uncomfortably. “I try not to when I am not at home in Serveryana. Most southern ponies look down their muzzles at us, especially those in Canterlot and Manehattan, they consider severyanaian to be a provincial tongue at best and a barbaric one at worst. I spent years working with several speech coaches to lose my accent, and improve my equestrian so I try not to speak severyanaian too much for fear of it coming back.”
Allen nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I understand what you mean. My mother came over to the US in the mid-seventies with my grandfather and grandmother... political shifts back in the old country made staying there... problematic shall we say. Anyways, she didn’t speak very good English, and Russians at the time were regarded with suspicion due to differences in ideological opinions of the two nations. So she and my grandparents had a hard time adjusting, but they managed well enough in the end. My mother was always proud of her heritage, and she never tried to hide it from others. You should be proud of yours too, it’s what made you, well... you,” replied Allen with an encouraging smile.
Checklist returned his smile with one of her own and nodded. “You’re right... though most ponies here in the south do not particularly care for Serveryanian culture. So it is hard to hold onto it when it feels like a large burden on your back weighing you down,” she replied, her smile having faded, replaced by a look of melancholy as old, painful memories resurfaced.
Not wanting to see his daughter upset, Zubchatoye quickly changed the topic to something safer. “So, tell me about zis machine of yours!”
Startled by his sudden, forceful outburst, Allen stared dumbly at the scarred stallion for a moment, before shaking his head and giving them a quick explanation of how a tractor and mower-conditioner worked.
“Amazing,” said Zubchatoye after Allen had finished speaking. He was on his belly underneath the mowing deck inspecting one of the mower blades, his prosthetic leg splayed out to one side awkwardly as he did so. “You say zis machine can cut zis entire field in two hours?”
Allen shrugged. “More or less, it depends on the shape of the field, how rough the ground is, how thick the grass is, and so on. But yeah, it shouldn’t take me very long to cut this field here.”
Zubchatoye shook his head in amazement while Checklist had an excited grin on her face. “See father? I told you this would be worth coming all the way from Princessyn to see this.”
Zubchatoye nodded as he carefully extracted himself from underneath the mower with a slightly pained groan as he awkwardly rose from his prone position. “Da, you vere right, zis is vorth it,” he said as he trotted around to the back of the mower and tapped one of the rubber padded conditioning rollers. “Tell me, vhat do zese rollers do?”
Allen joined him at the back and replied, “They crimp the grass after it's been cut, crushing the cell walls of the plants without tearing them, and allowing the hay to dry down faster by at least a full day.”
“Ve don’t have anything like zis that I know of,” said Zubchatoye as he traced a hoof along the raised chevron patterns in the rollers.
“You know, I’ve been curious to see how you ponies harvest hay, do you use scythes to cut it or something else?”
“Yes, some still use scythes, but a lot of hay cutters are switching to mechanical mowers that they can pull behind them,” replied Checklist helpfully.
“What about tedders and mechanical rakes? Do you guys have those?” queried Allen.
“I’m not sure what a ‘tedder’ is, but I know that we do have mechanical rakes,” answered Checklist.
“Alright, well that’s good to know that you at least have mechanical rakes in case mine breaks, and in case you were wondering, a tedder is a machine that spreads and fluffs the hay after cutting to help it dry down faster,” explained Allen, “I’ll probably be using mine later today after the hay is cut and had a chance to dry a bit.”
Checklist’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Oh, you’re talking about a wuffler! Yeah we have those, but from my understanding, they’re not very common yet,” replied Checklist.
“Interesting name,'' commented Allen as he watched Zubchatoye continue looking over his tractor with a curious eye, talking with Twilight and Lyra as he did so. Looking down at Checklist, Allen cautiously asked, “Say, how did your dad get those scars? Was it from some kind of accident at work or something? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”
Checklist stiffened up, her ears falling flat against her mane as she pulled her tail tight against her rump. She didn’t immediately reply to his question. Finally, after a minute of silence, she quietly said, “No, he didn’t, and no offense, Allen, but I would rather not talk about it, and please do not ask my father about it either.”
Sensing he was on very thin ice, Allen wisely backed down and said, “Alright, sorry if I overstepped my bounds, I was just curious is all.”
Checklist relaxed. “Your apology is accepted, and thank you Allen for understanding.”
“Sure, no problem,” he replied with an unconcerned shrug of his shoulders. Glancing up at the sky, he shielded his eyes with a hand and said, “Well, better get to it then before something else-”
“Hey, Allen!” called out Cloud Kicker as she and Rainbow Dash came in for a landing next to him and Checklist.
“...comes up,” finished Allen lamely. Turning to the two pegasi, he gave them a nod in greeting and asked, “Hey Cloud, Rainbow, what brings you both by?”
“Just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Rainbow and I were busting some rogue clouds over Sweet Apple Acres when we spotted a bunch of ponies heading this way and decided to see what was going on,” explained Cloud Kicker.
“Yeah, when I saw Twilight I asked her what was happening and she said there was going to be some kind of demonstration out here, so I asked if I could come and she said ‘sure’, and Cloud just kinda tagged along,” added Dash with a grin before her grin faded, and she looked around before hesitantly asking, “So, uh... what is, going on here?”
“They’re just here to watch me cut some hay is all,” replied Allen simply.
“Psh, that’s what all the fuss is about?” complained Rainbow, “that sounds boring.”
Cloud shot Rainbow an annoyed look. “Rainbow, don’t be a jerk,” she admonished.
“I’m not being a jerk,” retorted Rainbow hotly. “I’m just saying that watching somepony cut hay sounds boring! I mean, I’ve seen the hay cutters cut tons of hay before, and there’s nothing exciting about that. The way Twilight made it sound, I thought there was gonna be something exciting happening here, not boring hay cutting.”
Allen smirked at Rainbow. “Is that so? Well, have you ever seen a human cut hay before?”
“Well... no, but it can’t be that interesting,” she replied with a little unsure expression on her face.
Allen shrugged. “Only one way to find out,” he said as he strode towards the tractor intent on getting started. Pulling out a pair of foam earplugs he’d stuck in his pocket earlier that morning, he idly rolled and squished one down as he asked, “Say, how long do you think it would take me to cut this field?”
“What, by yourself?” she asked.
“Yep,” nodded Allen,” Well, myself and my trusty steed over there,” he said, hooking a thumb at the 706 behind him.
Cocking her head to one side, Rainbow sized up Allen’s tractor and mower. Judging by her unimpressed look, she didn’t think much of them. Which Allen supposed was understandable, his tractor was pretty old, and her formerly bright red paint had faded to a muddy brown, and the white paint around the engine bay was stained with streaks of rust, along with a few spots where the paint had blistered and popped leaving a rust spot behind. Plus, he and his dad hadn’t made the time to power wash the years worth of grease and crud that had built up in places, and the tires were worn and had spots where the rubber had pitted and worn down in places from use, which made the tractor look even more run-down than it should.
“She might not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts,” replied Allen confidently. “I bet you I can get this field cut in less than two hours, no problem.”
Hearing Allen’s challenge, Rainbow’s ears perked up and she sneered. “You expect me to believe that that rust bucket can cut this entire field in less than two hours? Heh, no way you can do that. Something like that would take like, a hundred ponies to do and even then I doubt they could do it.”
Allen returned Rainbow’s sneer with a confident smile. “Well then this should be an easy win for you, shouldn’t it?”
By this point, both Twilight and Lyra had trotted over to see what was going on. Oh no, thought Twilight when she heard Allen’s challenge and saw Rainbow’s face, she’s going to do something dumb.
“What’s the bet?” asked Rainbow curiously.
Allen rubbed his chin thoughtfully before he said, “How about a wager of say... fifty bits?”
Rainbow scoffed. “Fifty? Come on, those are rookie numbers, you’re gonna have to bump it up if you want me to be interested.”
“Uh, Rainbow,” said Twilight as she tried to catch Rainbow’s attention.
“In a minute Twilight,” waved Rainbow dismissively with a hoof.
Allen glanced over to Penny and asked, “How much money do I have to waste on a bet?”
Penny shot Allen an unamused look and replied tersely, “Not as much as you think you do.”
“Well if I risk a hundred will it cause an issue?”
Penny sighed and shook her head, muttering something under her breath about some deity giving her strength. “Go ahead Allen, it’s your money, I’m sure we won’t miss a hundred bits if you lose it.”
“Great thanks, Penny,” replied Allen cheerfully, before turning back to Rainbow and asking, “Well? Is a hundred bits good enough for you?”
“Meh, I guess so,” replied Rainbow as she stared at her hoof in a bored, dismissive manner.
“Uh, Rainbow, you do know that you still owe me and Thunderlane like sixty bits each right, or did you forget about that little poker game that you lost last week already?” reminded Cloud Kicker, a long-suffering look on her face.
“And I told you, I would pay you back after this week's paycheck comes in, besides, this is easy money, Cloud. I have never seen a pony cut a field this big in under two hours, there’s no way that he can do it!” replied Rainbow confidently.
“So we got a deal then?” asked Allen as he stuck out his hand.
“You got a deal!” replied Rainbow as she shoved her hoof into the palm of his hand and gave it a firm pump.
Smiling confidently, Allen shook her hoof and asked out loud, “Does anypony have a watch? I’m going to need someone to keep time.”
Fancy Pants strode forward and pulled out an elegant gold pocket watch from his vest pocket. “Why do you need somepony to keep time, Mr. Ross?”
“Oh, just a little bet Rainbow and I have going. She doesn’t think I can cut this entire field in less than two hours,” replied Allen, an amused and confident smile on his face.
“Ah, I see, well if that is the case, I would be delighted to be the timekeeper for your little challenge,” glancing down at his watch he said, “It is currently half-past nine in the morning. When do you want me to mark the start time?”
“When I start my tractor,” replied Allen, “I figure that’ll be a good start point, and the end is when the last bit of grass is cut, and I shut off my engine, sound good?”
“It does,” he replied as he wound his watch up in preparation for the coming challenge. “Ready when you are.”
Nodding, Allen turned to address the rest of the crowd. “If I could have everyone’s attention, I’ll be getting started soon, and I’ll need you all to leave the field while I’m working. So if you all could stand on the other side of the fence, that would be great, thanks!”
Hearing his announcement, everypony quickly exited the field and stood along the fence line, looking between the fence rails, or if they were tall enough, standing up and resting the forehooves on the topmost rail. While Rainbow and Cloud Kicker had zoomed upwards and snagged a pair of random clouds to use as improvised viewing seats and after fluffing them they each settled down to watch.
Twilight, Lyra, and Penny were the last to leave the field. “Are you sure you can do this in under two hours, Allen?” asked Penny, a doubtful look on her face.
“Psh, no problem. This is one of my flatter fields, I walked it the other day and didn’t see any sinkholes or animal burrows so I should be able to let fly after I do my first circuit around the field. That’ll be the slowest because I don’t want to accidentally run the mower into the fence and tangle up all the wire around the blades,” explained Allen as he and the three mares walked around to the other side of the tractor and Allen climbed up. Settling himself in his seat, he stuck his earplugs in and said, “Alright, better get back, I’m going to start her up.”
Nodding in understanding, the three mares turned and quickly left Allen to his task.
After one last check, Allen was ready. Pressing in the clutch pedal, he gave the tractor a little choke and hit the starter button. The engine whined as the starter spun up cranking the engine over several times, before with several coughs and chugs, the motor sputtered to life, a puff of black smoke exiting the exhaust stack. Pushing the choke back in, the engine settled into a low growl as Allen let it warm up for a moment. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw that several of the ponies had their ears down and had even taken a step back, startled by the loudness of his tractor.
Turning his attention back in front of him, Allen put the tractor in gear and gave her a bit more throttle. Turning the steering wheel to the right, he let off the clutch and let the tractor roll forward as he expertly guided it to his desired starting point. Checking to make sure the mower wasn’t too close to the fence, he pushed the clutch in again and let the tractor come to a stop. Reaching down, he pulled up on a lever next to his right leg and let the mower swing outwards to its operating position before pulling the one right next to the first, this time dropping the mowing deck down to the desired cutting height. With that done, he advanced the throttle and kept an eye on the tachometer as he watched the needle rise to the point where it said, ‘PTO Engage’ before then reaching over his seat and pulling up on a lever behind him.
With the PTO engaged, Allen could hear the quickly building whine of the discbine behind him as it spun up to operating speeds. Many years of experience let him know when it was ready to go, and with a final nod, he let off the clutch and started forward, the mower quickly consuming the helpless grass before it and spitting it out the back in a neat, thick windrow.
Splitting his attention between watching the mower and how far it was from the fence, and where he was going, Allen deftly controlled his steed as he cut his first row of hay in Equestria, a wide smile split his face as he came to the first corner and turned left, the mower staying right where he wanted it, out of the fence and in the field.
The first pass is always the hardest, thought Allen to himself as he made minute corrections to the steering wheel to keep the tractor on course. But after that, it’s simple, you just keep front wheels between the windrow you just cut and you're golden.
He was about a third of the way down the field when he spotted movement out in front of him. It was a small bird desperately trying to get away from the oncoming machinery but it was having trouble taking off, either because it was too panicked or partially entangled by the tall grasses. Either way, it didn’t matter, as Allen gently placed his foot on the clutch pedal and pushed, causing the tractor to slow. Disengaging the PTO, Allen throttled down, the engine quieting from a dull roar to a comparatively quiet burble. Putting the tractor in neutral, Allen jumped down and circled around, quickly spotting the struggling bird who was now tangled in amongst a stand of thick timothy grass.
“Shhh, shhh, you’re alright,” he cooed as he slowly and gently bent down and worked to disentangle the stuck bird. Picking it up, he brought the frightened bird up to eye level and said, “You are a lucky little bugger. I almost didn’t see you there until it was too late, now shoo, I’ve got work to do,” he said as he opened his hands and the terrified bird spread its wings and took flight as fast as it could. Watching it go for a moment, Allen gave a satisfied nod before returning to his seat.
Meanwhile, back at the main gate. The ponies had noticed that Allen had suddenly stopped.
“Hey Rainbow, what’s Allen doing? I can’t see anything from here!” asked Lyra in frustration from her position on the ground.
Leaning over the side of her cloud to look back down, Rainbow said, “I don’t know, looks like he spotted something in the field and stopped before he ran it over. Probably a rock or something,” she guessed.
Cloud Kicker, who hadn’t taken her eyes off of Allen, suddenly gasped when she saw the bird Allen had just released, race for the relative safety of the sky. Leaning over her own cloud, she called down to Penny and urgently asked, “Penny, did you tell Allen he needed to hire a bush beater before he did any fieldwork?”
Penny blinked in confusion and cocked her head to one side. “Bush beater?” she asked before her mind made the connection and she asked, “Oh, are you talking about a field clearer?”
Cloud Kicker groaned. “Bush beater, field clearer, potato, potahto, yes I’m talking about a field clearer! Did you have one come out before Allen started working on this field?”
Penny stood there, her mouth hanging open slightly as she racked her brain trying to remember if she had or not. Her prolonged silence provided all the proof that Cloud needed. Turning to Rainbow, she said, “Rainbow, go get Fluttershy and tell her we need a field cleared pronto. I’ll go and stop Allen before he accidentally kills an animal and contaminates his hay.”
Snapping off a crisp salute, Rainbow took off, obliterating her cloud in the process. The distant rumbling rhythm of Allen’s tractor suddenly changed as he increased the throttle in preparation to resume cutting. Realizing she was running out of time, Cloud Kicker, spread her wings and with a powerful flap jetted off in Allen’s direction, her own cloud also poofing away in her wing’s backblast.
Allen meanwhile had climbed back into the driver's seat and had just throttled up in preparation to resume cutting. Turning around and flipping the PTO engagement lever up, the discbine came back to life, a high pitch whine emanating from underneath the mowers shroud as the blades spun up. Looking up, he spotted a rainbow contrail suddenly heading towards the northeast.
Huh, wonder where Dash is going? He wondered before shrugging, unconcerned about her sudden departure. He was just about to turn around when he spotted a pale purple and yellow streak heading his way very fast. Now he was very confused.
Why is Cloud Kicker heading this way? He thought to himself as he watched the distant pegasus closing the distance. Sighing, he flipped the PTO lever down and listened as the discbine slowed to a halt. Turning around, he throttled down again and waited for Cloud to arrive.
He didn’t have to wait long before the speedy pegasus came to a halt, hovering next to him. Leaning forward on the steering wheel, Allen curiously asked over the noise of the engine, “Hey, what’s going on?”
Panting slightly from her dash over, Cloud replied, “Allen you have to stop cutting.”
“What for? I just got started,” he replied, a confused expression on his face.
“Because you didn’t clear your field of animals before you started, that’s why,” said Cloud Kicker as if that explained everything.
Still confused, Allen leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in befuddlement. “How the hell am I supposed to clear ten acres of grass of animals and keep them out while I’m cutting? There’s no way I can do that in a reasonable amount of time.”
Not wanting to argue with Allen, Cloud gave him a pleading look and replied, “Allen please, just stop cutting and wait for the bush beater to get here so that she can clear your field before you accidentally run over an animal and contaminate the hay.”
“Are you pulling my chain?” asked Allen, an unconvinced look on his face.
“Allen I’m being one hundred percent serious. This is a real thing you have to do if you want to sell your hay and not get in trouble with the law. Just turn off your machine and wait for the bush beater to get here and she’ll explain everything that needs to happen. I promise it won’t take as long as you think it will to safely clear the field of animals,” begged Cloud desperately, not wanting to see Allen get in trouble because of his impatience.
Letting go a frustrated sigh, Allen reached forward and turned the key, shutting the tractor off. Pulling it out of the ignition and sticking it in his pocket, he grumbled as he stepped down.
“If it’s not one thing, it’s another around here.”