The sun was just starting to rise, or be raised as Twilight had explained it, by the time I arrived at Applejack's. She warned me not to complain today, no matter what happened which made me question just what exactly the earth pony had in mind.
The door to a rather sizable house opened revealing Applejack, who put her hat on as she walked outside. Seeing me she gave a wave and met me halfway as I approached.
"So what's first?" I asked with a yawn, trying to wake up.
"Have ya ever bucked apples before?" Applejack asked.
I shrugged, I was pretty certain she meant picked, but I didn't want to look like a complete moron in case I was wrong. Bucking for an equine meant kicking, that much I was sure of. How that fit into harvesting apples was beyond me.
"It ain't hard, watch." Applejack said with a laugh, as she led me to a nearby apple tree.
Applejack spun around looking over her shoulder, lining herself up. She dug her fore hooves into the soil before lifting her hind legs off the ground, and slammed her hooves against the trunk of the tree in one fluid motion.
Several apples fell into waiting baskets and the earth pony looked quite pleased with herself. It was impressive to say the least, and a creative way of collecting the fruit.
"You try." Applejack said, pointing to a neighboring tree.
I let out a nervous laugh, not quite sure how to approach 'apple bucking' as opposed to just picking them. It probably would have been simpler to pick them, most of the apples were within my reach but there were a few that were higher up.
I opted to try ramming it instead of kicking the tree, not convinced it would be enough to bring down as many as Applejack had. The pose just seemed a bit ridiculous for a person as well.
A few apples fell which prompted me to ram the tree a second time. More fell the second time than the first. Applejack seemed puzzled by my method at first but nodded approvingly after seeing the results.
"It's a strange way of doin' it, but it gets the job done. Now all we're waitin' on is Apple Bloom and Big McIntosh." Applejack said.
A few minutes passed before a small filly accompanied by a stallion appeared. The filly stopped when she saw me, but followed after the stallion that didn't seem to care about my presence.
"Daniel this here's ma big brother, Big McIntosh, but we all call 'im Big Mac fer short. And that's ma little sis Apple Bloom." Applejack said pointing to them as she said their names.
"Nice to meet you." I said.
"Eeyup." Big Mac said looking up at me almost as if he was bored.
"Hey mister." Apple Bloom said hiding behind her big brother.
"Apple Bloom, Ah told ya he ain't a monster, now come on out here." Applejack scolded.
It worked with Fluttershy. I thought to myself kneeling.
Apple Bloom came out from hiding and cautiously approached me. She seemed more curious now than afraid as if she was trying to put her hoof on what exactly I was supposed to be.
"Alright, now that introductions are out of the way let’s get to it." Applejack said.
Applejack and Big McIntosh were the apple buckers while Apple Bloom handled the baskets. I had the privilege of being an honorary 'bucker' even though my tactic was a bit more brutish than Applejack's and her brother's.
As the morning progressed I tried gently shaking the tree at least once which only ended up dislodging two apples. This at least made Apple Bloom laugh and seemed to lessen the lingering tension.
"So have ya ever done anything like this before?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Not really, but it's a lot better than being under lock down." I said.
"Fluttershy's ain't that bad." Applejack said in between kicking a tree.
"No, but I was starting to get in the way. You guys have helped me so I wanted to return the favor, or try to anyways." I said.
"Well yer helpin' supply Ponyville with food, if that counts fer anything." Applejack said.
“Eeyup.” Big Mac said after kicking a tree.
I got the impression Big McIntosh didn’t say much. He seemed like the soft spoken type and was probably pretty lax when it came to life in general.
As much fun as hitting trees was, my shoulder was starting to get a little sore. I swapped shoulders and pressed on, noting how Applejack’s family didn’t seem fazed by the constant activity. Doing it most of their life probably had something to do with it.
By now the sun was high in the sky; the benefit of working under trees though was the shade they provided. Off in the distance I could hear the whistle of a train which made me notice just how far we had worked from Applejack’s house.
“How big is this place?” I asked.
“Pretty big.” Apple Bloom said.
I heard the whistle again and walked over a small hill in the direction I had heard the noise. There off in the distance were a few buildings I could just make out between the rows of trees.
“Is that Ponyville?” I asked.
“Sure is, don’t worry you’ll get there.” Applejack said.
“Seems easier said than done at this rate.” I replied.
“Welp, ya can think about it more after ya’ve got a full stomach, it’s about lunch time.” Applejack said calling for the first break of the day.
Curiosity got the best of me and I took off my shirt to examine my shoulders. They were a little red, but for the most part seemed okay. My shirt on the other hand, had some tears in it.
“So why do ya wear cloths all the time anyways?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Well…it’s just something my people do.” I replied, not wanting to go into the details.
“But why?” Apple Bloom asked, her childhood curiosity not satisfied with my answer.
“Well some clothes on my world are for protection, others are for work…the latter of which I wish I had.” I mumbled under my breath.
“Oh…okay!” Apple Bloom said happily, now content with the great conspiracy I apparently brought with me to this world.
Lunch with Applejack’s family was enjoyable. Despite the morning’s small hang up I couldn’t tell that they were treating me any differently. Most of the food was apple related, and I got awkward stares when I told them I’d never had apple pie. I had never really tried any pie for that matter.
Applejack came up with a cruel method of forcing me to try some. Being a bit faster than I was the earth pony took the book I was supposed to read hostage until I took at least one bite. Begrudgingly I took a bite and found it to be quite enjoyable.
I met Granny Smith, who was an interesting character to say the least. Like all grandmothers she had some information on Applejack which the mare probably wished I hadn’t heard.
As lunch came to a close and we left the house I found out firsthand what a deer caught in a set of headlights must feel like. On the other side of the door were two white unicorns. I found myself frozen in place like an idiot, as if I stared at them long enough they would disappear.
“Hi.” I said making both of them scream.
“Rarity stop!” Applejack shouted rushing past me.
“Applejack? Oh thank goodness you’re alright!” the older of the two unicorns exclaimed.
“Whadda ya…oh him? He’s harmless.” Applejack said.
The unicorn looked unsure, that same fearful expression on her face like the others. I considered myself fortunate to have been found by one of the braver ponies in Equestria.
“Did it come out of the Everfree Forest?” asked the smaller one.
“No, I’m not native to your world.” I said.
“Are all you’r- gracious what happened here?” the older of the two asked approaching my shirt that I had slung over the chair I had managed to sit in.
“Oh that, I only have one set on me so I had to make do working in that shirt.” I said perplexed by her fascination with it.
“Why would you travel to Equestria with only one set of clothes darling?” she asked.
“Well I didn’t actually plan on coming here. I was…honestly I still don’t have an answer I’ll have to check with Twilight about that when she comes back.” I said.
“I don’t know if its common practice to get good clothes ruined where you’re from, you should have come to me if you’re in such dire need of them.” she scolded.
“After how you reacted Ah doubt he’ll come at all now.” Applejack said rolling her eyes.
“Yes I suppose I did over react a bit. I’m just not used to seeing somepony so…tall coming out of Applejack’s door. Let’s start over; my name is Rarity and this is my sister Sweetie Belle, and yours?” Rarity asked.
“Daniel, and it’s cool, I’ve been getting that a lot lately.” I said with a shrug.
"So what were ya doin' out this way Rarity?" Applejack asked.
"Oh Sweetie Belle had wanted to see Apple Bloom, so I thought I'd get out of the boutique for a while and come see her off." Rarity replied.
The two fillies had already broken away from us and were carrying on a hushed conversation. I had two little cousins who were always getting into trouble and all of their schemes started with that all too familiar huddle.
"Well we've still got some work to do so it might be a while before Apple Bloom will be able to play." Applejack said.
"Aww c'mon please can't I go play with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom pleaded.
"Nnope." Big Mac said.
For being a pony, Apple Bloom had the art of puppy dog eyes mastered. It was the look little kids had in their arsenal against the weaker willed, namely me.
"I can pick up the slack. Besides my shoulders are still kind of sore." I said.
"Alright, but no stayin' out till dark this time, understand?" Applejack said with a sigh.
Though Applejack was Apple Bloom's big sister, I could see a motherly side to the relationship as well. She would probably never answer me on the subject, and it would be offensive to ask, but I hadn't seen Applejack's parents.
I'd seen this far too often, an older sibling stepping up where a parent wasn't present or was negligent. It took a strong bond that most probably wouldn't understand unless they went through something similar.
The two fillies didn't stay long after that and hurried out the door giggling, supposedly at whatever scheme they had.
"Well it seems somepony has a soft heart. Not a bad thing mind you." Rarity said.
My shirt folded itself which was impressive enough I had to stop myself from clapping like an idiot at a magic show. I had to keep reminding myself that this was normal for them.
"I'll be taking this, I'm sure you can do without it for one day hmm?" Rarity asked.
"Uh, sure but why would you want my shirt?" I asked in return.
"Well to fix it of course, you really are new here. Fashion is my life darling and I cannot, no will not, see somepony who has an appreciation for clothing like myself walk around in little more than garments turned rags!" Rarity exclaimed.
"But...I..." I said stumbling over my words.
Rarity's rant, as off as it was, made me reflect on something I never had before. I really took clothes for granted, I woke up each morning and there they were. I took having things that most probably didn’t in general for granted and the more I thought about it the more it showed on my face without realizing it.
"Is something wrong?" Rarity asked.
"No, just a zone out...it's a human thing. Thanks for offering to fix my shirt, um could you do me a bigger favor and not tell anypony you saw me?" I asked, getting used to replacing anyone with anypony.
"Yes I can see why you'd want to stay hidden, but I'm afraid Ponyville is too small of a town to keep something like you a secret for long." Rarity said with a frown.
"Yeah, but Twilight wants me off the record until I'm 'ready'." I said with air quotes which caused Rarity and Applejack to look at one of their fore hooves. Oh the fun with fingers.
"Just food for thought dear, au revoir." Rarity said.
"Bonne journ'ee." I replied making her stop.
"Tall and well spoken, you a mysterious one Daniel." Rarity said taking her leave with a smile.
The fact that a pony knew French raised a multitude of questions. English was one thing, but French? Twilight's guide had seemed to suggest that there was only one language which simplified things. I no longer hated my French teacher and the unnecessarily difficult test he would give if that wasn't the case.
"Welp let’s get back to it." Applejack said signaling the end of our break.
The rest of the day was uneventful and my shoulder appreciated it. I was able to move much faster than Apple Bloom so it wasn't a complete loss. I still felt down that I couldn't do more to help though Applejack assured me I had helped more than what she thought I would.
Carrying them was probably how I helped more than any other way I had tried to. While Big Mac could handle most of this easily, having arms and fingers enabled me to carry more than one at a time. I tried four at once because of a friendly dare from Applejack and managed, but for the sake of not spilling any of their produce we quickly decided against any further attempts to see just how much I could do.
Even though it was work, I still had fun with the company. I couldn't remember the last time I felt like this. It was a satisfied feeling of accomplishment that I had been missing for a long time.
"Ya did okay today, not the best bucker in Equestria, but I'd say ya earned this at least." Applejack said shoving a small pouch towards me as we sat at a picnic table. Inside the pouch were a few small coins no bigger than a quarter.
"I'm going to assume this is money? If it is I can't take it, Applejack you've been more than nice to me but I can't take your money. I came to help you with my only motive being to get outside for a bit and I had fun." I said.
"They're bits, and you earned 'em. I know you don't want to stay here in Equestria, so if ya do go home think of em as somethin to remember us by. But if ya do stay I know Crafty Crate is always looking fer hard workers. I might be able to put in a good word fer ya." Applejack said.
"Thanks Applejack, I'll keep that in mind." I said pulling one of the coins out.
I slowly spun it around between my pointer finger and thumb. The glow from the sun was incredible even though it was worn with age. I was so deep in thought about what Applejack had said that I almost didn't notice the third pony amongst us in the reflection of the bit.
I spun around startled only to see Twilight approaching us. I felt confident I had seen another pony that wasn't Twilight but push it to the back of my mind. I could worry about hallucinations and image distortion later.
“You’re not too tired are you?” Twilight asked.
“I’ve got energy to burn.” I lied truly exhausted.