//------------------------------// // A New Day. // Story: First Harvest // by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof //------------------------------// Lemona "Lemon" Meringue Pie took a hold of her bandanna and tied it around her long white mane. Moving further into her room, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her green eyes narrowed. "Alright, Lemon," she said to her reflection. "Yesterday did not go the way you would have liked. However! Today is a new day. Put yesterday behind you...." At that she had to stop and rub at her flank and back. She was still feeling incredibly stiff and sore from the crash. She almost thought she would not be able to get out of bed. "And move on," she continued to herself. 'You can do this. You have the signs, you have the snacks (though not pie), and you have lemonade. "Now you listen to me and you listen good." She poked at the mirror as she pointed at herself. "You are going to go to Saddle Burr and you are going to sell those goods. When you get home, you are just going to have nothing left but two empty pitchers. Right? "Right?! "Right!" She gave a nod. "Now, you go out there, and you show that town what you are made of." With that Lemon Pie straightened up and puffed up her chest. Feeling pumped up, she ran from her room. Going to the kitchen, she grabbed the bag of bits, then went to the table. There were the two pitchers of lemonade, one regular and one with strawberries, a plate filled with cookies, another with lemon squares, and slices of a lemon cake. Collecting them all, she balanced them on her back as she took them with her. Balancing the refreshments, she carried them with her to the barn. In retrospect, it probably would have been better if she had carried few items at a time and made more trips. Upside would be that if she tripped (Celestia forbid), she would not lose everything she managed to make. Fortunately, luck seemed to be on Lemon's side today. She managed to make it all the way to the barn without dropping anything. With a sigh of relief, she took the stuff and put it in the back of the cart. Note to self, she thought, get a box to put this in. Now let's see. Lemons? Check. Food? Check. Lemonade? Double-check. Signs with items and prices? Check. Am I forgetting anything? She rubbed at her chin as she stared at the contents. She could not shake the feeling she was forgetting something, but just could not think of what it was. "It'll probably come to me later." Moving away from the side of the cart, she walked around to the front and began to strap herself in. A quick tug made sure she was hooked up properly and she started to pull. Lemon let out a scream as she stopped and collapsed. As soon as she pulled against the full weight of the cart, pain shot through her flanks and back like lightning. The mare would swear that if actually hurt more than when she had actually been in the accident. She considered that maybe she should go back inside and wait until she had healed up. Alternatively, she could just lay where she was and die. Just rot here and let Little Lemon Heaven become a wild lemon orchard. With a deep breath, Lemon Pie to get herself back up on her hooves. She closed her eyes and shifted to adjust her balance. Bracing herself, she started pulling forward again. It did hurt, extremely, but not as much as it first did. It seemed like it would be something she could tolerate. Feeling a little more confident, she continued to pull the wagon and left the barn. The going was slower than she would have liked, but it was steady progress. Lemon stopped as she reached the slope of the hill. "Okay, Mr Hill," the mare said, "you and I didn't get along too well yesterday. Now, I am willing to admit that a part of it is my fault, but I would prefer neither of us hold a grudge or blame each other. So how about you and I try to get along a little better today so I can get to town without losing anything. Okay?" She looked down at the hill a little while longer. Finally she closed her eyes and stepped forward, letting herself begin to move down the slope. After a few seconds, she took another. Opening her eyes, she took a third. Lemon's jaw clenched tight as the cart pushed forward, pressing its weight against her. It felt like something was trying to crush her spine. Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes. Slowly, the mare made her way down the hill. She braced herself with each step, doing her best not to slide down again. At the moment, she did not think she could survive going through it again. It was a relief when she finally reached the bottom of the hill. She stopped a moment to let the pain subside, and to let a feeling of relief flow through her. There was a release of tension from between her shoulders she was not even aware of. She turned to look back at the hill and smiled. One more hurdle down. Lemon Pie gave herself a small shake, and started walking again. She felt a little lighter as she continued to make her way toward town.