//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Clarence's Overture 
// Story: A Vinyl's Last Scratch 
// by Shadowflash 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 4: Clarence's Overture



You can't be serious, you're frustrating me. You're tossing me around, like it's anarchy. Your overture is false, your predictions are worthless. I'm tired of all this, send me back, with a purpose.


Vinyl laid in the barn, curled up in a 'ball' in her sleep. She was sitting on a mound of hay that felt very 'stringy' but comfortable, none-the-less. Around the barn was empty pens where she assumed the 'horses' went when there was a storm, or something. Along with these pens, there was multiple farm tools: Scythes, hoes, rakes, and a few more assortments of the like.
Along with the farm tools, was a massive 'device' that sat at the far end of the barn. It was about half the size of the barn, and was green. It had the label 'John Deere' on the side of it, with two massive black wheels. It looked like a face with a big nose, in Vinyl's mind. But, what it actually was was something called: A tractor.
Vinyl, of course, didn't care for the tractor, and mostly gazed around the second and third stories of the barn. She could smell that of fertilizer and a lot of hay coming from above. But, below, it smelled like rotting apples and bananas, in her opinion. After hours of doing this, though, Vinyl eventually entered a sleep. It was an abnormal sleep, of course, but she felt a lot better when she had any form of sleep. 
Besides, this was the first time in a long time Vinyl had some sleep where a pony wasn't bugging her.

" 'Ey! Ya'll awake in dere?", Clarence's voice yelled as the barn door creaked open to Vinyl's left.
Clarence walked in further, carrying a pitchfork and wearing large, blue, overalls with a plaid shirt. He was also wearing a camouflage hat labelled 'Huntin's Good' on the centre of it. 
Clarence forwarded himself closer to Vinyl, who was in a large, open, pen and still sleeping.
"Ya'll betta wake up. 't's workin' time.", Clarence gently jabbed Vinyl with the blunt end of the pitchfork.
Vinyl opened her eyes and yawned, looking over to Clarence in confusion.
"Huh... What..?", Vinyl said softly.
"I said: Ya'll betta wake up, 't's workin' time.", Clarence repeated.
"Oh... Uhm.. All right.", Vinyl yawned again, and stood up on her hooves, stretching out her legs.
Clarence stood there, waiting for her to finish. After a few minutes of Vinyl rotating her head, her hooves and her legs, she turned to face Clarence.
"Okay, I'm uhm... Ready.", Vinyl said, nervously.
"Guud. First, wu're startin' with hay bales. Dey need movin' into th' horse pens.", Clarence started to explain as he walked out of the barn.
Vinyl followed closely, and listened to his directions. Clarence explained that the pitchfork helps support the 2 ton hay bale and allows the movement of it over small distances. Clarence said that his 'cart' will help with the movement. Unfortunately, it's powered by Vinyl. 
"Ya got all dat?", Clarence asked.
"Yeah, I understand.", Vinyl said softly.
"Guud.", Clarence and Vinyl approached the right side of the house (Left, since they're facing towards the door) and there was a massive pile of hay bales sitting there.
Next to them, was a large wooden cart with a brace that looked modified for a calf, or a large filly/colt. Vinyl looked at the hay bales and shook her head.

This isn't going to be fun... Vinyl said to herself.

"All right, now, start helpin' me put th' bales onto th' cart.", Clarence said. 
Clarence walked close to the bales, and shoved his pitchfork right into the centre of one. He pushed upwards and the hay bale was lifted with ease. He moved it over to the cart, placing it inside.
"Uhm... How am I suppose to move it?", Vinyl asked.
"Figur' 't out. Ah'unno how ya'll can do 't.", Clarence said, moving another bale onto the cart.

I could use magic... That would make it a lot easier..., Vinyl stared at the massive stack of hay bales. She started to concentrate on the movement of them to the cart. 

Vinyl's horn started to glow and a light blue aura illuminated around one of the hay bales. The hay bale slowly lifted and moved into the cart. A few others followed suit.
"Wut 'n God's green planet...", Clarence dropped his pitchfork in awe, as he saw hay bales flying and landing perfectly in the cart. 
He turned to Vinyl and stared at her horn. It was glowing brightly, and almost blinded the poor guy. Clarence continued to watch for a few more seconds, and then she stopped. The cart filled with, at least, ten out of the thirty hay bales that were there.
"How 'n th' world did ya'll do that?", Clarence asked.
"It's easy. I used magic. Don't humans have magic?", Vinyl said, smiling.
"No. Back 'n my grand-daddy's day, ya'll wuld've been put t' the stake and burned alive.", Clarence said bluntly.
"Uhm... Sorry...", Vinyl stared low at the ground.
"Ah appreciate th' help 'nd all, but, no magic 'ere at mai farm.", Clarence said. His voice fluxuated with anger and approval.
"Now then, get pullin' dat dere cart and move 't over to th' horse pen.", Clarence yelled.
Vinyl obeyed, and moved herself to the cart. She aligned herself with the straps that wrapped around her and she tightened them around her body. After a few moments of doing this, she started to slowly pull the cart. It felt as though you were pulling a house!... At least to Vinyl.
"This.... Eurg... Is heavy...", Vinyl said, grunting.
"Lemme give ya'll a push.", Clarence said, laughing.
Clarence, full heartedly, booted the back of the cart. This pushed Vinyl forward and it made her run it over, quickly, to the horse pen. 
"How did he... Never mind...", Vinyl muttered to herself.
"Now den, since ya'll think magic an' sparkles is wut makes dis farm, ya'll can move dat hay into th' pen.", Clarence tossed the pitchfork on the ground in front of Vinyl.
"You realise I can't grab that without my magic, right?", Vinyl said.
"Ah do. An' Ah dun't care.", Clarence laughed softly.
"Then how am I suppose to even hold the pitchfork and move the hay bales?", Vinyl retorted.
"Figur' 't out. 't ain't rocket science.", Clarence snorted, and fell to the ground.
He leaned back on the soil and stared at Vinyl. Vinyl's red eyes only stared back in anger.
"Uhg...", Vinyl unstrapped herself and looked at the pitchfork.
She started to figure out how the hay she was going to lift it without magic. Vinyl knows ponies can lift things with her hooves, but, how would she be able to lift a two ton bale of hay? She's a DJ not a farmer... But, unfortunately, she has to try.
Vinyl picked up the pitchfork and stood on her hind-legs. She walked around the cart and speared the pitchfork into the centre of the bale. She pushed down on the back of the pitchfork and it started to lift the hay bale, slowly. Vinyl smiled with achievement and slowly kept one hoof pushing down on the back, and the other lifting the front portion. 
Vinyl, very slowly, lifted the bale and moved it swiftly into the pen where the horses were. She didn't care whether it was perfect, nor did Clarence, but, she achieved what she thought wasn't possible.
"One down, nine t' go.", Clarence chuckled.
"May I have a little help, please?", Vinyl asked, softly.
"Nuuupe. Ah enjoy watching dis. Makes mai day a heck of a lot easy-yer.", Clarence laughed and laid back on the soil, resting.
Vinyl sighed as she just continued to move the next nine bales of hay. It was an annoying an gruelling task for Vinyl. She never did any heavy lifting in her life and when she did, it was because she could use magic. But, it was over... For now.
After she finished all ten, she gently set the pitchfork next to Clarence. She stared down at Clarence and Clarence opened his eyes to see the white mare looking at him.
"Ya'll finish wit' th' bales?", Clarence asked.
"Yeah. I did those ten.", Vinyl said, softly and proudly.
"Ya'll need t' do th' othur twenty.", Clarence pointed to the stack out in the distance.
"You're kidding, right?", Vinyl asked.
"Nuuupe. Ah want ya'll t' finish all of 't. Ah'll be here, restin'.", Clarence pulled his hat over his face, and yawned.
Vinyl grunted in displeasure and annoyance. She picked up the pitchfork and placed it in the cart. She re-strapped the straps around her body again and walked pulled the, now lighter, cart to the bales. She sighed as she looked at them.
"This... Is going to be... A long day...", Vinyl said, softly.
Vinyl un-strapped herself and immediately grabbed the pitchfork from the back of the cart. She repeated the process she had done over by the pen and placed ten more bales of hay into the cart. Vinyl hooked herself up, and found herself able to pull the cart now. She moved it all the way over to the pen, and placed all ten of the next bales inside the pen.
After repeating this process once more, she laid down the pitchfork next to the Clarence and woke him up from sleep. He was snoring, so, it was bugging her.
"Huh? Wut?", Clarence sat up, putting his hat on his head now.
"I'm finished with the bales. What's next?", Vinyl asked.
"Eager fer more already?", Clarence laughed.
"Not really, but, seeing as you'll probably make me do it anyways, might as well ask.", Vinyl said, with a grunt.
"Yu're right. Ah like dat 'bout ya.", Clarence nudged her gently, and sat up.
"All right, next piece of work is cleaning out dem pens. Horses sure do make a mess. Ah'll grab ya a shovel.", Clarence laughed as he walked over to the barn.

He's not going to be making me clean... Oh... Celestia... That's gross..., Vinyl gagged at the thought.

A minute later, Clarence tossed a shovel in front of Vinyl, laughing lightly.
"Ya'll are gunn' clean some poop.", Clarence said, with a chuckle.
"I was hoping that wasn't true.", Vinyl frowned.
"All well. C'mon, Ah'll show ya'll wut yu' can clean.", Clarence opened the gate that sat near the cart and Vinyl walked in. 
The were stepping on mushy ground of mud and hay, and she could already smell the awful smell of feces in the soil, and at the large pens that some horses were standing in. Clarence lead her to a few empty ones, and pointed.
"Dese are fresh. Scoop dat poop, an' put 't in th' bucket here.", Clarence tapped a bucket next to the pens with his boot.
" 't's great fertilizer. If ya'll know wut ah mean.", Clarence laughed and walked away.
"This is awful...", Vinyl whispered to herself.
She opened the first pen, which was on the far left, and was swarmed by the smell of rotting digestive fluids. It made Vinyl gag, and nearly throw up. But, she clogged her nose and started to breath through her mouth, slowly starting to scoop the awful amounts of fecile matter into the bucket.
Every now and then, Vinyl would pull away and get some fresh air, gagging and choking for it. Clarence laughed in the distance as he watch and Vinyl only shook her head at this. She would return to do the same scooping motion for the next three pens, filling all the buckets. 
"Do you want me to bring these buckets to you?", Vinyl called out.
"Naw! Jus' keep 'em dere!", Clarence called back, laughing away.
Vinyl then forwarded herself out of the large horse pen and closed the gate. She was gasping for breath, and so was Clarence.
"Dat was th' funniest thing Ah've evur seened in mai life.", Clarence was chuckling away, looking at Vinyl.
"Ha, ha. Very funny...", Vinyl furrowed her brow, and frowned deeply at Clarence.
" 't is!", Clarence laughed again.
"All right, what's next, then?", Vinyl said, shrugging off his horrible amusement.
"Th' rest is for me. Ah can handle 't from here. Whai don't ya'll head into th' house and wash up? Bathroom is on da first floor. Ah would use just a hose for ya, but, ya'll earned a proper washin'.", Clarence was still laughing as he turned and walked away, to the barn.
"Well, at least I get a shower.", Vinyl said, looking at her hooves.
Her hooves were covered in dirt, hay, and -- unfortunately -- feces. This made her gag once more, and it let her forward herself to Clarence's house.
Vinyl was right. About one thing.

It was going to be a long day...