A couple of days had passed since the Apple Family had kindly taken me into their home. A gesture that I was thankful for, as sleeping on the streets with no clue as to who I am, or where I’m from seemed an unappealing alternative. I had been given a simple room, but it was homey. I had soon settled in, and Apple Fritter had taken the time from her busy work schedule to show me around the farm and a little of Ponyville.
I was truly grateful for what the Apple family was doing for me. A comfortable bed and some humble but tasty food was all they had to offer, but it felt like so much more to me.
I awoke reasonably early in the morning, with the sun beaming through the small slit in my curtains. I groggily pulled my protesting body upright and prepared myself for the task of waking up. I dropped with a small thump to the wooden floor, which never failed to startle me in the mornings, as the temperature of the planks could be compared to a frosty path. After rousing myself completely and brushing my mane, I made my way down into the living area of the lodge. The wood burning stove was ticking over, quietly crackling every few minutes, and a clock ticked away merrily on the wall above the kitchenette area.
The rest of the farm workers would be out tending to the harvest by this time, so I practically had the lodge to myself most days until sunset, when everyone came back for the evening meal. I got a little lonely, and was stuck for things to do most of the time, but I got by just reading what little books were available and occasionally getting some cleaning done.
As usual there was a neatly wrapped bundle on the table, but this morning a note accompanied the package. Curiously I opened the note first, knowing that the bundle would contain something for my breakfast.
“Star Chaser,
I know we’ll be out tending the fields when you wake up,
So I left you some breakfast in the pouch, also Big Mac was
asking if you would assist him with the harvest and earn
your keep around here. He’s expecting you at nine A.M at the
Southern orchards.
Apple Fritter”
I placed the note down, before glancing at the clock. Eight fifteen, plenty of time. I unwrapped the bundle and a small selection of apple goodies met my eyes. It was amazing what this family could produce with only apples. I tucked into the delicious treats, savouring each one before sighing contently when finished. I allowed the food to settle in my stomach for a moment, before clearing away my mess and making a start towards the Southern orchards.
It was a warm morning. The grass was still damp with dew, and the birds were singing cheerily in the trees to greet the new day. It was serene; the whole land around Sweet Apple Acres just seemed at peace, like time had forgotten it all together. The walk was brief and before long I had arrived at the orchards, expecting to find a number of ponies hard at work. What I found, however, was just trees and a many stacks of baskets.
“Big Macintosh,” I called, hoping he would be somewhere in the surrounding trees. There was no response however.
“Hello? Big Macintosh?” I called again, but was greeted with the same silence as before. I let out a sigh, and took a seat beside the gatepost leading into the field.
“I hope they aren't expecting me to do this by myself.” I mumbled, glancing over my shoulder.
“Howdy!” A cheerful voice shattered my worried state in an instant, “You here to help out with the apple buckin’?”
“Yes ma’am,” I replied, jumping to my hooves and turning to face the mare, “I was just waiting for Big Macintosh.”
“Well ya won’t be waitin’ long, should be along any minute with the last of the baskets. The name’s Apple Bumpkin, Fritter’s cousin.” She smiled honestly, offering her hoof.
“Star Chaser, I take it Apple Fritter has told you about me then?” I glanced around again, hoping that Big Mac would arrive with the baskets so I could get to work. I didn't want to seem like I was being lazy.
“Yeah, she told me a ‘lil. How ya bumped yer head and now ya can’t remember a thing, so she took ya in. Mighty kind of her if I do say so, I dunno if I could just take in a stranger like that.” Apple Bumpkin continued, and thankfully the trundling of cart wheels brought the conversation to a halt. I got the feeling that maybe Bumpkin wasn't as trusting as the rest of the family. Not to mention it seemed like she could talk the hind legs off of me.
“Right, I’m gonna run around and place baskets under all these here trees. All you gotta do is give ‘em a strong buck, and the apples’ll fall right off.” She quickly explained before darting off towards the baskets. I waited a moment, watching her place baskets around, and observed Big Mac bucking the trees, and it didn't look that hard. Confidently, I approached my first tree. I pressed my front hooves to the ground and bucked with all my strength. My rear hooves collided with the tree with a dull thud, and several apples fell to the baskets and a few more scattered onto the ground. I gave the tree a couple more firm bucks until the branches were mostly clear of apples. It was actually, quite fun.
The morning passed reasonably quickly, with Big Mac, Apple Bumpkin and I working through the field. We were making pretty good time, so Apple Bumpkin informed me, but I don’t know whether she was just trying to make me feel a little better. Eventually the lunch bell rang up at the old barn, and we took a break to go grab something to eat. Granny Smith insisted on cooking lunch for the work force, which went to show that everyone at the farm had a part to play.
The table was quite crowded when we arrived. Many voices were raised in raucous laughter, and more were engaged in idle lunchtime conversation. I found a place on the bench, close to the end of the table, and before long Applejack emerged carrying a stack of plates. What amused me more was the young filly that appeared behind her, balancing a stack of plates atop her head. The filly was closely followed by Granny Smith carrying a large apple pie on her back. Eventually everypony was seated and the pie had been dished out to all who were present. It looked and smelled delicious. Everypony tucked in, after a few short words from Applejack and the table fell silent except for the satisfied sighs of hungry ponies.
I finished my slice of pie after most of the ponies were done with theirs, and I decided to spend what little time I had left of my lunch break enjoying the weather. I found a nice spot of grass, with a little shade and dropped to my back. The soft grass felt wonderful against my fur, and the sunshine warmed my body through.
“Hey there, Big Mac workin’ you hard enough?” I heard Apple Fritter say to me as she approached. I sat up a little and noticed that today she had chosen orange ribbons in her hair, as opposed to the red ones she usually wore, and a Stetson was now perched high atop her head with the brow raised, holding her mane neatly in place.
“Yeah it’s hard work. But I’m really enjoying the peace out here. I feel like I have the space to think.” I replied, lying back down as she sat beside me.
“Yeah, it’s great for that here. You reckon you’ll start remembering anything soon? Ya know, with all this space to think.” I paused at this question. I hadn’t really paid much attention to my memory. Nurse Redheart had just told me to take it easy and avoid any more traumas to my head.
“I haven’t really paid much thought to it really. Kind of just hoping that something will trigger it.” I watched a cloud lazily drift by as I answered and let out a sigh. Apple Fritter stayed silent, not seeming to have any more conversation for the moment.
Shortly after the conversation between Apple Fritter and I had died out, Big Mac approached us and I knew what was coming.
“Time to get back to work?” I asked, knowing the answer already.
“Eeyup.” He replied. There was no getting conversation out of that stallion at all. Maybe he was just shy though? I’d keep trying though.
The afternoon continued at almost the same pace as the morning, but the work was definitely starting to take its toll on my body. My rear legs ached, as did my back, and the sun beaming down upon me sapped my energy slowly. Apple Bumpkin kept me going though, occasionally shouting some words of encouragement my way. Eventually though, the day drew to a close and all that was left to do was pull the cart back to the barn.
“So, how was did ya find yer first day?” Apple Bumpkin asked as we slowly plodded towards the barn, following Big Mac with the cart in tow.
“It was hard, but I can’t say I don’t want to do it again.” I gave her an honest smile, which she returned. The day hadn’t been as much toil as I had previously thought it would be, in fact, it had been quite enjoyable. Besides the aching joints and muscles, I actually felt good about working for the day.
After the cart was stored away in the barn, we all went our separate ways. I decided to take my time and enjoy what little light was left of the day. I took a short walk around a few of the fields, taking in the beautiful countryside in its twilight state. It was truly something to behold; the golden sun slowly sinking over the horizon, the last flocks of birds flying back to their nests for the night and the quiet rustle of the breeze passing through the trees. It was a refreshing end to a hard day.
I arrived back at the lodge a short while later. Dinner had just been laid out on the table and I decided not to awkwardly eat in silence, like I did the previous few nights. Instead I opted to join in the conversation a little, get to know the ponies who I may be working with in the future.
“Hey Apple Fritter, would you like me to work again tomorrow?” I asked across the bustling table full of chattering ponies.
“Well, I’ll have to ask Big Mac but I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to have an extra hoof. Even though there are so many ponies here we appreciate all the help we can get.” She replied between mouthfuls of hay fries. I glanced down at my plate; I had barely touched my food. I was hungry but felt awkward eating like the earth ponies did. I was a unicorn after all, shouldn’t I be able to use my magic?
“Apple Fritter, I don’t suppose you could help me find someone who could teach me to use my magic?” I asked hopefully, but feeling a bit bashful at the idea of even asking.
“For the last time, call me Fritter, and I could maybe help out. Cousin Applejack’s good friends with the librarian, I’m sure she might be able to help.” She replied, this time with a mouthful of fries. Etiquette was clearly not high on the list of priorities here.
“Thanks, I’ll speak to Applejack tomorrow.” I turned back to my plate, beginning to eat a little more now that I was feeling a little less awkward.
After dinner was finished and I had helped out with my share of the cleaning up, I decided to hit the hay. I dropped onto my bed, absolutely drained. The mattress felt so much softer than when I had left it in the morning. The room was almost stiflingly hot, the blankets seemed unnecessary. The stove certainly did a great job of heating this place. I rolled onto my back, relaxing all my muscles in turn and eventually my eyes grew heavy and I sank into the embrace of sleep.