> Honest work and its consequences
>  by PegaTwister
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

PROLOGUE
It has been a few hours since princess Luna had raised the moon and brought out the night. While most ponies would be expected to go to sleep at that hour, the capital, Canterlot, was somewhat an exception. Its main streets were still relatively full with different citizens, mostly sitting at a restaurant table, chatting happily, maybe cherishing the last moments of the weekend that was bound to be over in just about an hour. It wasn't like the city was too loud, or that the rest of its inhabitants weren't able to ever sleep, even if most streetlamps in the center kept illuminating the streets 24 hours a day. No, it wasn't an issue to anypony, well, not really. 

In one of the many bars in Canterlot, maybe one that was considered a little off center and hence didn't have as many customers as some of the other places that were just a few minutes' walk away, there was a pony that was thinking about just that. 
He wasn't a Canterlot-ian (or however they're called), it's just that it being the capital, it was only natural to have visitors from all over the land to come and experience it for themselves, for the first time, 10th time, or maybe even monthly visits, depending on your circumstances. 

The pony was quite young, in his 20s probably, so it was quite natural that he'd be in the capital at least every once in a while. He himself hadn't visited it quite as often as others, from his city or its surroundings might have done, but he knew it well enough to have a favorite bar that he knew he would probably visit every time he swung by. And there he was thinking, about the bar, about Canterlot, about his life's purpose and what he's doing with it. He was so deeply in thought that he hadn't even ordered a drink yet, after the full half hour he'd been there. 
"You ok there, big guy?" The bartender asked the pony. He snapped out of his mind palace and scratched his head, looking around, before looking at the bartender and nodding. "Yeah, fine. Just thinking."
"Well, after thinking so much, you must be ready to order, aren't you?"
Right. He was at a bar, called "mugs's", and he was supposed to order something. He looked to his right. There was a trio of ponies sitting at the bar as well, just a few meters away. They were average looking ponies, unicorns to be exact, nothing really seemed to stand out. One was yellow with a sort of cyan mane, the second white with a pink mane, the third a light blue with a blue and silver mane. The kind of ponies you'd probably see in your day to day life, kind of blending in the background (unless of course you knew them.) They were happily chatting about something that the stallion across them wasn't paying attention to, and they all had the same mugs, with probably the same drink. The stallion turned to the bartender, who was waiting for his response. 

"I'll have what they're having."
"All of that thinking just for that?" The bartender chuckled. "One mug of hard apple cider coming right up, big guy.”
Some might be wondering about the whole “big guy” thing. Well, said stallion was, to put it lightly, taller than most ponies he’d seen. He’d often have to look down when talking to someone, and finding clothes that fit him was no easy task to say the least. If you’d ask him, though, he’d probably say that he’s used to it, even if sometimes he wishes he’d be at least a little shorter. His uncommon height also meant that he would get stared at pretty much daily, from confused foals to somewhat envious stallions. But no harm was really done. The fact that he was tall meant that he would probably be the first who’d get called to help when something needed to be lifted, moved, carried- any physical task that would require a “big, strong stallion”. And for as long as he could remember, he’d always oblige and be happy to help. It was nice, being useful, he thought. 

The pony finally took a sip from his cider. It was good, better than he thought it’d be. Obviously it tasted like apples, but there was also a hint of cinnamon (he wondered whether the bartender added it or was it just a part of the drink). It was sweet, but not too sweet, and not the kind of artificial sweetness he might’ve expected- the sweetness came solely from the apples that were used for the making. He took another sip and found himself to be slightly smiling. 
Even without any experience, he knew that making a good alcoholic drink wasn’t an easy process. It probably took years to find the right combination of ingredients, weather, time and even barrels to reach this taste exactly, and even more time to perfect the art and be able to produce a consistent line of the drink. 
The pony suddenly had a mini revelation and gulped down the rest of the drink in one go. “Say”, he turned to the bartender again, “who made this cider?”
The bartender smiled. “Why, it comes all the way from Sweet Apple Acres, in Ponyville! I hear the owners are acquainted with the new princess. A nice bunch, really, and their drinks sure do sell well!”
The pony nodded to himself, thanked the bartender, put down a couple of bits for the drink and just like that, left the bar. ‘Next stop, Ponyville’, he thought determinately.
> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 1
Some clarifications about the previously-mentioned character are probably required. His name was Engine Cogwheels. He had dark-grayish-green fur, and a dark blue mane, cut somewhat short. There was a small circle of lighter green fur right on his nose as well as on his chest. His eyes were brown, and, as mentioned before, he was tall, passing the average stallion by about 40 cm. His cutie mark was (surprise, surprise) 2 separated black cogwheels, a smaller one with 3 cogs and three holes in the middle, and a bigger one with so many cogs it might be mistaken for just a hoop. But Engine knew that it had 24 cogs (even though he could’ve sworn that sometimes when he was bored and counted them, there were 25 of them).

After buying a ticket to Ponyville and catching the last night train, he chose an empty seat and sat down, leaning back into his seat and closing his eyes. Engine didn't really know what he was doing, and what he wanted to do. Sure, he liked twinkling with all kinds of little machinery related items. He remembered the day he got his cutie mark- he broke his father's alarm clock apart, fascinated by all the little nuts and springs inside. His father wasn't happy about it, so it wasn't exactly a good memory, but Engine still found himself smiling while thinking about it. 

But somehow, he still didn't really know where to turn to with his so-called talent; should he be a clockmaker? A record-player-builder? Toy-maker? Technician that fixes elevators? Or was he destined to invent something new entirely? He didn't know, and not only that, he felt that he was just not ready to make that decision yet. He was young, after all, and supposedly had his whole life ahead of him. And that's how his “journey” began a few months ago; after finishing school, acquiring a technician’s degree from a local college, and trying out some (boring) jobs, he decided to leave his town and see what the world has to offer him. As a foal, he didn't get to travel much, and so the beginning of his “journey” was just hopping from one town in Equestria to another, doing some sightseeing, traveling and so forth. 

But one can be a tourist for only so much time, before feeling the need to settle. And so, he wandered around until that very night when he decided that it's time to set camp somewhere. But he didn't really know what or how to just choose a place- the world was big and he, even with his height, was small. So he just randomly chose a place, based on a drink he saw a few ponies having at the bar he was in. 
Working on a farm doesn't sound too bad. And I'm kinda used to manual labor anyway’. That's right. His so-called plan was just to go up to the farm and ask them for a job, and maybe somehow, through there, it'll be clearer to him what he wants to do with his life. 
Besides, he grew up in a small town, somewhere next to Detrot, and didn't really get to see many farms during his lifetime. Thinking about Ponyville, how it's probably a peaceful town, surrounded by greenery, and with a little farm with apples so great that they reach the capital… it all felt like a nice change of pace, something Engine felt like he'd always wanted to experience. The pony relaxed at the thought, and slowly drifted off to sleep as the train quietly rode towards its destination. 

Only to be awakened by the train's whistle after what felt like mere minutes (in reality a few hours had already passed). Engine rubbed his eyes with his hooves and exited the train. He had a big suitcase with him, it was packed with all of his essentials, more or less, and he didn't go anywhere without it in the past few months. ‘Maybe this time I would actually be able to set it aside for a while and settle somewhere around here’, he thought as he watched the sunrise, accompanied by some distant calls of roosters. 

He looked around. Since it was still quite early, almost no one was outside, and it made the town look incredibly peaceful. Somehow, it didn't feel abandoned, even if nopony was in sight. Somehow, a sort of warmth was in the air, unrelated to the weather, some sort of harmony. Somehow, it felt like… home? Maybe? Whatever it was, it was nice. Engine smiled lightly as he began walking away from the station. For now, he was just planning to take a look around. Or maybe the term should be, to explore the place, because that's sort of what it felt like to Engine. It felt like an adventure, a new chapter in a book. 
More ponies began to appear soon after. Some of them greeted Engine with a polite “good morning” or “how do you do” and so forth, which Engine politely replied to. He wasn't used to strangers greeting him, at least, he didn't recognise any of them. But it didn't bother him at all. It felt nice, in fact, like he was fitting in already. 
He passed some shops and cafes that were preparing to open, until he reached a building he assumed was the town hall. It was kinda fancy, he thought, for a small town like this one. In fact, the whole place looked well-maintained. He wondered if there were ever any troubles in a place like this. 

Engine saw a Mare with a beige coat and glasses leaving the building. He approached her. “uh, excuse me?” 
She turned to him with a smile. “Yes? How may I help you?” 
“I was hoping that maybe you could point me in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres?” he asked, putting his suitcase on the ground for a moment. 
“Of course! You just need to head down this road here, and you're bound to see the apple trees and the red barn after around… 20 minutes I'd say!” 
Engine nodded. “thank you, miss…?”
“Mare. Mayor Mare!” She told him.  
Engine's eyes widened a little. He had never met a mayor before. “oh, nice to meet you. The town looks lovely.” He told her, trying to be a bit more formal. 
“Oh, that's lovely to hear! Are you a tourist here, mister…?” She copied him. 
“Engine Cogwheels. Just Engine is fine, though”, he chuckled. “and… I suppose I am a tourist, though I was thinking about maybe settling here somewhere”. 
“Well, I think you'd make a nice addition to Ponyville! I'm glad to formally welcome you.” She said, keeping her smile. Engine found himself smiling in response. “Thanks again.”
“It's no trouble”, she waved her hoof slightly. “Well, I must take care of some documents now, but I hope to see you around town later!” 
Engine nodded again. “Of course, sorry for keeping you. Have a good day, Miss Mare!” He said as she began to walk away. She waved at him. “you too!” 
Engine put his suitcase on his back again, and started walking in the direction he was just given. The townsfolk seemed nice, another plus in Engine's imaginary pros and cons list. He walked down the dirt path, feeling quite confident about the place. Now all he needed was a job.

Soon enough apple trees were in sight, and a red barn too, just like the mayor mentioned. Just as he was beginning to come up with what to tell the owners, he saw a little filly with a large, pink bow down the road with a dog. She was throwing some sticks at one of the apple trees with a somewhat annoyed face. 

He approached her, and saw something blue up on the tree branch. “Hello.” He said. The filly turned to him. “um, hi?” She looked confused, probably because a random stranger just approached her. 
“Maybe I can help you get whatever it is up on the tree back down for you?” Engine suggested. 
The filly smiled. “you'd do that? Oh, thanks so much! Winona here's dyin’ to play some more catch!” 
Engine got closer to the tree, and saw that the thing up on a tree was a frisbee. It kinda got tangled between the tree's branches. "I doubt I can climb it”, he thought. 
“Usually I just ask my sis to buck the tree, but I asked her, like, a million times already yesterday!” the filly complained. 
“Buck?” Engine asked.
“Yeah! You know, give it a kick! That's how we collect the apples!” The filly got close to the tree, facing away from it, raised her hind legs and kicked the tree. It shook a little, but no frisbee fell. The filly landed on her face as a result. Engine got concerned for a moment but she immediately stood up and shook her head. “I'd do it myself, but… I'm just not strong enough…” she said, kicking the dirt under her hooves. 

‘Ok, this seems simple enough…’ Engine thought. “Alright, step aside for a moment, would you?” 
The filly took her dog and moved back a little. Engine turned around and got ready to kick the tree. He looked at the filly for a moment, before raising his hind legs like she did and hitting the tree as hard as he could. Too hard, probably. A bunch of leaves and branches fell, and fortunately, a blue frisbee fell, too. 
“Wow! You're really strong, mister! Like my brother! If there were still apples on that tree before, I bet you'd make all of them fall at once!” The filly grinned as her dog picked up the frisbee, wagging her tail. 
“Call me Engine”, he said and extended his hoof towards her. He never really interacted much with fillies, so he just treated them pretty much the same as he'd treat anypony. The filly hesitated for a moment, maybe because usually she doesn't shake hooves with new ponies, but she put hers in his. “I'm Apple Bloom! Nice to meet you, Mr. Engine!” She said, rapidly shaking his hoof. 
He chuckled. “just Engine's fine. I'm not THAT old, you know?” 
Apple Bloom grinned.  “Ok! So, Engine, what brings ya to Sweet Apple Acres? You're not from around here, right?”
“Right. I was actually hoping to talk to the owners. Do you know if they're around?”
She smiled widely again. “Sure I do! It's my family!” 
‘probably should've guessed from her name’, Engine thought to himself. 
“Granny is away right now, and I think my brother Big Mac is out in the fields already. But I'm pretty sure Applejack is around the barn!” 
“Oh, perfect. Do you think I could talk to her?” 
“I don't see why not! Come on, I'll take ya to her!” 
“Heh, thanks.” He smiled at the filly's enthusiasm and followed her. 

“Ya know somethin’, miste- i mean, Engine? You're, like, SO tall!” 
Engine chuckled again. “Yeah, a lot of ponies tell me that.”
“Well it's true! I thought my brother was tall, but compared to you he'd probably look like a filly!” 
“Really?” Engine asked with a smile. 
“Yeah!”
“Well, sometimes I wish I wasn't so tall. You have no idea how often I need to duck under tree branches, or door-frames.”
“I guess that's true”, Apple Bloom said thoughtfully. “But it also means you can reach high places really easily, without using any stools or anything!” 
He chuckled yet again. “You do have a point, Apple Bloom”. He saw her smile widen when he mentioned her name. 
“I mean, maybe if I got my 2 friends, and we stood on top of each other, only THEN I’d reach your height”. 
“Hmm, but i gotta say, 3 ponies forming a pony tower sounds more interesting than just one tall pony”, he answered, and Apple Bloom giggled. 
They were now right next to the barn. Apple Bloom looked around. 
“Well, I don't see Applejack ‘round, so I guess she's inside. Come on!” Engine followed Apple Bloom to the door. This was it, his first impression moment. If it really was only Apple Bloom's family working here on such a big piece of land, maybe they could use a hoof. 

Just as Apple Bloom was about to open the door, someone from the inside opened it first. And out came a hatted mare, an adult this time. She had orange fur and blonde hair, tied with red ribbons and her face bore a few freckles. If someone were to ask Engine what was the first thing he thought about when he first saw her, he'd have to say that he found her very much good-looking. Then again, it's not like it's the first pony he had thought to be good looking, so she wasn't necessarily special. Right?
The mare looked at Engine, then at Apple Bloom. Then back to Engine. And just as he was about to introduce himself, he heard her speak first. 

“Oh sweet apples… Apple Bloom, what have ya done this time?”
Engine frowned a little, and looked at Apple Bloom for an answer, but she seemed just as confused. The other mare, who was probably Applejack from the info Engine got, looked back at him and sighed. 
“Ah, I'm mighty sorry, mister, ya know how little fillies can be… now tell me, what has she done this time?”

Apple Bloom seemed to have caught on what's been transpiring. 
“Applejack, I-”
“Now now, Apple Bloom, I’d say you've done enough for one day, don't ya think?”
Apple Bloom frowned. “But I-”
“No buts”, her older sister interrupted her again. “That's enough out of you. You're grounded for the rest of the week, and no candy ‘till I say otherwise!” she said and looked guiltily back at the unfamiliar stallion. 
The filly started to get frustrated. “Wait, you don't understand-”
“Now tell me, mister, what's the damage? Oh, hold on, lemme bring my pouch, I'll pay what I owe ya for…”

“Uh…” owe him? For what? They'd never even met. And what's Apple Bloom got to do with it? “I think there's some sort of misunderstanding here”. 
Applejack turned back around to face him. “How do ya mean?” 
Apple Bloom tried her luck again. “That's what I've been trying to tell you! He-” 
“Apple Bloom!” Her older sister was now very clearly upset.
“Listen here. I understand how much you and your friends want to get your cutie mark, I really do. But for the love of Celestia, WHY does it have to involve all these dangerous activities?! I've lost count of how many broken windows, fences, roofs, heck, even ENTIRE WALLS you've managed to break! I mean seriously, how do three little ponies even manage to take down an entire wall by themselves, and by accident at that?!” 
‘Yup’, Engine thought, ‘definitely a misunderstanding. Awkward…’

“Uh, wait, Applejack, right?” He said. Applejack opened her eyes, which she didn't even notice closing as she got into her speech. 
“Yes, that's me”. 
“Applejack, Apple Bloom here didn't do anything to me. In fact, we just met 5 minutes ago. What I'm here for is not really related to her.”
Applejack blinked a few times. “what?”
Her little sister grunted. “See, if you'd LISTENED to me, I'd have said the same thing! You just assumed I did something bad, that's not fair!”
“Oh… uh…” Applejack kept switching her gaze between the 2 ponies. She looked even more guilty. 
“Apple Bloom… sorry, I…” she started.
Apple Bloom sighed. “It's ok, I know I cause trouble sometimes, I'm not mad.” She went and hugged her bigger sister. 
“Sometimes is not the word I'd use, sugarcube”, Applejack said, hugging her back. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. 
“So I'm not grounded, right? And I can still eat candy?”
“As long as you behave, i suppose…” Applejack started saying, but Apple Bloom was already trotting away, with Winona joining her. 
“Ok awesome I'll see you at dinner I have to go now I love you bye!” She quickly added before running off. 
The two adult ponies watched as she ran off, Winona the dog joining her. 

“I'm terribly sorry ya had to see… whatever this was… I can promise you I love my sister with all of my heart…” Applejack started saying, not breaking her gaze from the road Apple Bloom just took. Engine side-eyed her. 
“No need to apologize. I'm certain you know much more about handling foals than I do. And it's also certain that you both love each other very much”, he spoke, trying to reassure her. 
Applejack turned towards him, and took her hat off. He noticed that she was blushing a little, probably embarrassed about what happened just a moment ago. 
“That's kind of you, uh…”
Right. Introduction. “Engine”, he said with a small nod. She nodded back instinctively. 
“So what brings ya here, Engine?”
“Well, I was actually wondering if you ponies were looking for some helping hooves? I'd very much like to help on the farm”. There, he said it. It was out in the open. 
Applejack’s eyes widened, but she smiled. Engine's heart began to beat a little faster. Maybe he was just nervous about the job?
“You wanna work here? Heh, well it's certainly been a while since somepony’s offered themselves outside the family… ya know, it might even be the first time!” She then took a look towards the farm. “do ya have any experience with farmwork?” 
“Well, no…” he slowly said, afraid of disappointing her. “but i did quite a lot of manual work in all kinds of places in the past few months, and I'm a fast learner, too!” Along with not wanting to disappoint her, he also felt an urge to impress her. 
“Hmm…” she hummed. “Well, obviously it would be best if you were someone with experience… but the farm's big, there's lots to do. Even though the 4 of us manage on our own more or less, it sure as hay ain't easy. An extra pony could really help us, I reckon”. She turned back to Engine with a smile, one that he found to be contagious. 
“Tell ya what. It's not up to me alone to make decisions like that. My granny should be back in Ponyville sometime this evenin’, I'll talk to her and my big brother and see what they think. Though, i wouldn't see why they'd turn down a pony willing to work hard with us.” She finally put her hat back on. “So you'd probably have to wait ‘till then… that alright with you?” 
His chances were looking pretty good. Really good, actually. “Yes, of course! I'll wait for as long as you need me to!” He cringed on the inside, that came out more enthusiastic than it should've been. 
Applejack started blushing again. “Alright then… I'm just not really sure if i should interview you or stuff like that, never really done anything like this before…” she chucked a little awkwardly. “Well, i should really start workin’ now. I'll see you later today, I suppose!”

Engine looked around the orchard. Indeed, it looked like a lot of work for 4 ponies, especially if one of them was supposedly a grandma and the other a filly. 
“Actually…” Engine thought, “how about I lend you a hoof today? That way, maybe you can show me around the farm and how to do stuff.” 
Applejack raised an eyebrow, smirking. “you're quite confident about getting this job, ain't ya?”
Engine, however, shook his head. “no, it's not that. I just thought I could help you, regardless of if I'll actually work here. I have nothing else to do today anyway, so I might as well spend it on helping someone.” ‘Someone as lovely as you’, he wanted to add, but he didn't have the courage. 
“Oh”, she said, not ready for a genuine response like that. “W-well, ok then, sure, why not…” she stared at him for a little too long and quickly averted her eyes. “Follow me then, let's start by bucking some apples”. She smiled awkwardly again and started heading towards another section of the farm. 
‘What’s goin’ on?’ Applejack thought to herself. ‘Why do I feel so…uneasy next to him? He seems like a nice enough guy, so why?’ she remembered that one time her brother got injured, and she tried to work on the farm all by herself. It was difficult for her to accept help then. ‘That’s gotta be it, I'm just not used to gettin’ help ‘round the farm yet… well, this is for the best, I'm sure… we do really need help sometimes…’

Meanwhile, Engine had no doubt about his feelings. He was into her. And that could be a problem, since they might be working together… ‘Probably best to put these feelings aside. I'm not even sure she's interested.’
And so, they silently walked, each with their own thoughts, until they reached the place AJ was aiming for.
“So I'm planning to clear this section and collect the apples by the end of the day.” She pointed towards the area with her front hoof. “You ever bucked an apple tree before?” 
“Apple Bloom showed me how to right before we met up”.
“Alright, good. Why don't you show me?” 

Engine approached one of the trees and faced away from it. He felt the mare watching him, it made him feel warm inside. Then, with a swift motion, he kicked the tree. The tree shook a lot, and all the apples seemed to have fallen, along with a big pile of branches and leaves. 
“Woah there, partner!” Applejack exclaimed. “We want the trees to keep producing apples later on, too, y’know? No need to be so harsh on them!” She chuckled at her own remark. 
Engine smiled apologetically. “right, sorry, i thought it might've been too much…”
“Well, you thought right”, she chuckled again. “Here, lemme show you how the pros do it.”
She approached a different tree and kicked it. It was perfect. All the apples fell, but no leaves or branches. Engine was certainly impressed. 
“And that's how it's done”, she smirked at him. 
“Guess I have much to learn.”
“Guess you do.” 
They both laughed a little. “The apples go into these here barrels, then we put them up on that cart over there and bring the apples inside the farm.” She started picking up the apples and putting them in a barrel. Engine copied. 

“And that's pretty much it for apple bucking, I think. Not really much to it”, Applejack simply concluded. 
“Maybe not, but someone's gotta do it, otherwise lots of ponies are gonna be hungry”, Engine said. Applejack smiled.
“My thoughts exactly.”
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 2

After repeating the cycle several more times, with the occasional exchange of phrases between the two, all the barrels at hoof were full. 

“Alright, I'd say that went quite well! You're starting to improve, that's for sure”, Applejack said to Engine, who simply nodded in response, a little surprised about getting a compliment. 
“Why don't ya take the cart with the barrels back to the barn, while i start off with another tree patch over there?” She continued, pointing her muzzle towards a batch of trees they didn't go through yet. 
Engine nodded again. “sure. Should I just leave them inside?”
“Yeah, that'll be fine. If ya can, load the barrels off the cart and put them against the back wall”. 
“Sure. See you soon”, he smiled lightly before walking off with the cart. Applejack found herself staring at him as he walked away, and as soon as she noticed she violently shook her head. ‘Celestia,what is with me? Something just feels… different today’.

She looked towards the barn again. ‘is it him? It doesn't feel like he means any harm… then again, how would I know…? He wouldn't lend a hoof like that if he had bad intentions, though, right? Or maybe…’ she closed her eyes, remembering Engine smile, and found herself smiling too. ‘Look at me, overthinkin’ for no reason… probably just tired, that's all… Big Mac and granny will help me with it later’. 
She started heading in the other direction. ‘Somehow, it's kinda nice getting help like that on the farm, for a change…’ still smiling a little, she was about to start bucking the next bunch of trees, when she suddenly heard something. 

“...Applejack…”

She looked around, scanning the orchard as best as she could, but she couldn't see anything out of order. 

“...Applejack…!”

She furrowed her eyebrows, looking around again. Was it just her sister playing a prank on her or something?
Then, completely out of nowhere, a pink object came towards her at a speed that seemed physically improbable. 
Before Applejack could even think about reacting, it crashed right into her. 
It was so sudden that the poor farmer didn't even notice that she flipped 3 times before hitting the closest tree. 

Applejack put a hoof on her throbbing head, and slowly opened her eyes, only to find the culprit colliding their forehead with her own. She should've guessed who it was, really. Applejack groaned, still seeing double. 
“Pinkie Pie! Just what the hay do ya think you're doin’??”
The pink pony stared at her intently. She said something to Applejack, but she didn't quite catch what she said with the ringing she had in her ears.
“I could've gotten a darn concussion! And then what? I have a family and a business to take care of, ya know!”
“Where. IS. He.” Pinkie said, not blinking, her right eye somehow stretching on its own towards Applejack. 

Applejack tried to focus. “huh? Come again-”
“WHERE IS HE??” Pinkie Pie was now aggressively shaking her friend back and forth. “whereishewhereishewhereisheWHEREISHE???”
Applejack, half instinctively and half because she was getting upset, raised one of her hooves and kicked Pinkie in the stomach, causing her to roll back so quickly she looked like a pink ball. 
Applejack panicked, fearing that she used too much force. She didn't mean it, well, not entirely! But Pinkie got up just as quickly as she fell and shook her head. 
As soon as Applejack sensed the crazy pony was about to leap on her again, she stood on her two back legs and pointed the ones that were now in the air towards Pinkie. 

“Pinkie, wait! Before one of us ends up in the hospital!”
Pinkie blinked a few times, before sitting down, her ears flattening. 
“Right! Sorry, Applejack, I guess I got a little too excited, huh?”
‘A little?’ Applejack thought angrily. “What is it that you want, Pinkie Pie?”
Pinkie stared blankly at Applejack, trying to remember what she wanted. Then, in an instant, her eyes widened.
“Oh yeah! I was just taking Gummy for a walk, i mean, you know how much he looooves his walks, teehee!”
Applejack recalled seeing one of these so-called walks. It was just Pinkie dragging Gummy around town with a leash.
“And all of sudden, guess who I saw??” Applejack opened her mouth to answer, but Pinkie spoke first. “It was Apple Bloom! You know, your sister? The one with the pink bow? Red hair? Has 2 friends she hangs around with? The cutie mark crusaders? Oh, wait, you already know all of this hahaha. Where was i? Oh yeah! So she was there with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, and she was talking about a NEW PONY in town! NEW! PONY! And you know what THAT means, APPLEJACK?”
“Uh… a part-”
“A PARTY! YES! I mean, first I should probably introduce myself. We don't want the Twilight Sparkle incident to happen again. So I really really REALLY need to know where he is and throw him the most amazing welcome party he’s EVER seen and then we’ll become NEW BEST FRIENDS and that would be AWESOME!!!” Pinkie said all of that in one breath.

“So. Where is he?” She asked, jumping up and down.
“Well, he should be at the barn, but-”
“The barn! Right! Ok see you later Applejack! Probably at the party!! Sorry about almost giving you a concussion bye!!” Pinkie Pie was already hopping away. 

The farmer couldn't help but feel disappointed somehow. She shook her head again, as if trying to shake away the feeling. Nonsense! She usually works alone anyway. Well, there's her family, of course, but the apples end up working on different spots of the farm during the day. Well, it didn't matter, they'd probably end up working together with the new stallion anyway, and that didn't make her feel half-bad. 

Meanwhile, in the barn, Engine was unloading the barrels. It felt good to help others, and it felt even better when he helped somepony like Applejack. Little did he know, this was it for his volunteering for the day. 
“HI!” Someone suddenly shouted. 
Engine flinched and “woah”’d in surprise. He didn't even hear anyone come in! Did she just appear here?? 
He turned around to see a pink pony with a smile so wide it almost reached her ears. 
“Hi…?” He greeted her hesitantly. 
“I'm Pinkie Pie! You're new in Ponyville, right?? What's your name?” She asked, extremely excited, and extended her hoof towards him. 
“Yeah, I'm new. Engine Cogwheels, it's nice to meet you.” He put his hoof in hers, and as soon as he did, she started shaking it up and down very quickly. 

“Wow! It IS nice to meet you, too! What brings you here? What do you do for a living? Ooh, I bet it's something REALLY cool! Where are you from? Do you like Ponyville so far? I LOVE Ponyville so if you don't I'm gonna MAKE you like it. Oh, but in a good way! I'll introduce you to my friends, well some of them, because I got TONS of friends so it'll take a while for you to get to know ALL of them. Speaking of, have you made any friends here yet? Or in general? I bet 5 bits I met your friends, too! Unless they're from REALLY far away and then maybe not, I don't think I've ever met YOU, after all. So where did you say you were from, again? Oh, silly me, you didn't even say that yet, hahaha! You know, sometimes I just start talking and I just keep talking and talking, until I start talking about how much I talk! Speaking of which, I don't talk THAT much, I mean right now I'd probably say that I've said maybe 30% of what i wanted to say to you so far! Or is it 20%? Something about 20% sounds familiar. What was I gonna say…? OH YEAH! Do you like cupcakes? Wait, no, scratch that- OF COURSE you like cupcakes, ‘cause who DOESN'T? Unless you're allergic to some ingredients. ARE you allergic to anything? I'm gonna make a very detailed document about you as a pony including your favorite color, favorite flavor, deepest fears, favorite memory, those kinda things! I make one for each of my friends and that means I GOTTA make one for YOU too! That reminds me of one time I gave one of my friends a cupcake with peanuts inside, but he was ALLERGIC to peanuts, so his eyes became super red and he was covered with a rush and- wait, is that TMI? You'll tell me when I go TMI mode, right? I tend to do that sometimes, not on purpose though! What I DO do on purpose is make delicious cupcakes! Teehee, I said doo-doo! Wait where was I? OHH RIGHT! YOU!”

Engine tried his best to follow what the pink pony was telling him, but gave up after about a minute. He was about to interrupt her, but before he realized she was right next to him, with her hoof on his shoulder. 
“You know, Engine? I think we're gonna get along juuust fine…” she said with a grin. 
Engine was still confused, so he just nodded. 
“Not much of a talker, huh? That's ok! I'll do the talking for the two of us! Aaand…” she threw confetti that she took out of her hair. 
“You’re getting the Pinkie Pie Perfect Ponyville tour! From me! Pinkie!”
Engine laughed, surprised. “A tour? Just for me?”
“Uh-huh!”
“Well, sure, why not? I should just let Applejack know that-”
“No need for that! I already told her!” Pinkie said, jumping up and down. 
“You did? Well, when does the tour start, then?” 

Just a few seconds later, he was already trying to catch up with Pinkie Pie, who started heading out of the barn before he even finished his question.
“Right now!”

They ended up spending quite a few hours together, with Pinkie showing him the different streets and buildings, and other ponies of course. Engine tried his best to remember as many names as he could, which wasn't easy, since he met a lot of new faces which he got to see for only a brief moment, before Pinkie would say something like “ok we gotta go now! Still a bunch of places to see! A bunch of ponies to meet! Time doesn't grow on trees and money's a-wasting! Or, wait- the other way around!”

He enjoyed himself overall. Pinkie Pie, while being overwhelmingly energetic (in a somewhat impossible-looking way), was very pleasant and accepting, not to mention extremely fun to be around. He was smiling and laughing more often than not. In his book, it was definitely a good day. He did secretly wish he could spend a little more time on the farm with Applejack, but it was a good day regardless.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 3

...Speaking of which, as the sun was about to set, the same farmer-pony was in her house with her family, discussing the newcomer. Applejack briefly explained what transpired in the morning, trying her best to sound professional. 

“So, what do y'all think? Should we hire him?” She asked. 
After a brief moment of silence, Granny Smith spoke. 
“Well, lemme tell ya, I'd be lyin’ if I said I ain't surprised that someone suddenly appears on the porch and asks fer a job, havin’ no experience in the apple business once-so ever!” she said sternly, but then her features softened. 
“But, like ya said yerself, Applejack, us Apples won't turn down a willin’ pair of hooves that wanna help. I say we give him a shot, and if something goes wrong we'll chase him out of town faster than he can say ‘sweet-apple-pie’! What d’ya think, Big Mac? Should we give him a shot?” She looked at her grandson. 
“Eeyup.” He said. Applejack smiled, a little relieved. 
“Well ‘course yer for it! You’d finally have anotha’ stallion to talk to, instead of being surrounded by mares!” Granny Smith chuckled, playfully messing his mane. She turned to Applejack. 

“So? When are we gonna meet the stallion in question, hmm?”
“Well, I told him to come by during the evenin’, so I reckon he should be here soon.” 

Just as she said that, a knock was heard on the door. Behind it, as expected, was just the stallion you'd expect to see. He nervously went through the mane on his head and neck with his hoof, hoping it looked good enough. After just a few moments the door opened, and a hatted mare greeted him, just like she did in the morning. 
“Good evening, I'm back”, Engine said, hoping to sound casual. “Is this a good time?”
Applejack smiled. “Sure is. Come on in, we were just talkin’ about ya.” 

Engine followed her to a living room, where two ponies, one green and one red, were waiting. 
Granny Smith spoke first. “Hot diggity! Now tha’s what I call tall! Come sit down, sonny, don’t be shy now.”
Engine did as he was told, and sat down on an empty couch. He suddenly was very aware of the fact that he was a complete stranger “intruding” on a whole family.
“Thank you for having me,” Engine said somewhat stiffly. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, I'm-”
“Now hold yer horses, sonny. I love chatting as much as the next pony- these two can attest to that”, she said as she threw her hoof behind her back, where her grandchildren were standing. 
Before they even had the chance to respond, she continued. “But this trip back home was down-right exhaustin’ and Ah can't wait to hop into bed and hit the hay.”
Engine nodded, not sure what to make of it. Was her wanting to make this short a good or a bad thing?

“Applejack filled me in on them details. Random stranger from celestia-knows where just showed up out of the blue, lookin’ fer an honest job here with the apples. That right?”
Engine nodded again, still not sure if he should be expecting the worst. 
Granny Smith narrowed her eyes and stared at him for a minute. He did her best to keep eye contact. The two siblings watched the scene and occasionally exchanged confused looks between them. 

“Alright”, Granny Smith finally said. “Congratulations, sonny. You can start tomorrow. That is, if that's still fine with you two?” She looked back, barely moving her head. Applejack silently nodded with a smile and Big Mac replied with a “eeyup”. 

Engine was a little shocked. That's it? He's in, just like that? It felt a little too good to be true. 

“Wow, I…” he stammered for a moment. “Thank you so much… I'll do my best!” 
Granny Smith waved a dismissive hoof. “yeah yeah, I'm sure ya will. I have a bed upstairs with my name on it waitin’ just fer me. I'm sure the young’uns here will fill ya in on the details.” 
She told him as she slowly rose from the couch and started to head upstairs. Just before she was out of sight, she looked at Engine again and smiled. “You can calm yerself, sonny, Ah think you'll fit in jus’ fine…” and with that, she disappeared. 

Engine, still a little shocked, tried to process what this meant. It wasn't the first time he spontaneously came up to a place and asked for a job, and he wasn't usually turned down, either. 
But something about this time felt different, like the start of something new, something big.

He snapped out of his thoughts as the other stallion in the room approached him, hoof extended and a big smile on his face. Engine matched his smile and stood up, shaking his hoof. 
“Thank you for this opportunity, I'm looking forward to working here, and I really hope I'll be able to prove useful to all of you, too”. 
“Eeyup.” 
“I think you'll do just fine, Engine”, Applejack said behind Big Mac. “Havin’ a new face around will be refreshin’, if nothin’ else.”
Engine's smile widened. Somehow, Applejack’s approval meant the most to him. 

“So, when should I come by tomorrow?” An important question indeed.
“I'd say about 20, 30 after dawn, if that's alright.”
“Sure, I'll be there.”
"That's usually when we start with the chores. And I guess Big Mac and I will take turns with showing you around, that way you’ll probably see more of the farm and what we do here.” 
“Sounds perfect”, he said with a nod and a smile.

“Well, I should really get going, I think I've taken enough of your personal time for one evening.”
“Nah, nothin’ of the sort”, Applejack quickly replied, “I was the one to invite you in the first place. Come on, I'll walk you to the entrance.” 
And so they did, after receiving a (somewhat enthusiastic) goodbye-wave from Big Mac. 

“Are you all set in Ponyville? Got a place to stay and all that?” She asked him after getting to the front door. 
‘right, a place to sleep’. “Well, there's a tavern nearby, they probably have some spare rooms, right?” He saw it earlier on the “super tour” with Pinkie. 
“I reckon they do, not many ponies come and stay the night”. 
Engine smiled. “Great, then I really am all set.” 
They stared at each other for just a few seconds. One might say they were having a moment. 

Or at least, almost having a moment. It was abruptly interrupted by the front door opening and slamming Engine right on his muzzle. 
Neither had the time to react before a high-pitched voice said “I'm home-! Oh, hi, Applejack! Were you headin’ out?” 
Apple Bloom closed the door, only to find a familiar stallion standing behind it, rubbing his nose. 
“Oops…” Apple Bloom mumbled. 
“Apple Bloom!” Her sister finally managed to say. “Watch it now, will ya?”
“Gee, sorry miste- I mean, Engine”, the little filly said with guilt in her eyes. 
Engine chuckled. “no no, it's ok, really. Standing on the wrong side of the door is never a good idea.” He kept chuckling, finding the situation extremely funny, even if he was the only one. Apple Bloom opened the door for him again. 

“Good night to all of you, and.. I'll see you tomorrow, I suppose.” Engine raised his hoof as a meaning of parting and nodded as Applejack raised hers and her younger sister returned a happy “goodnight!”

‘He sure nods a lot, doesn't he… kinda cute…’ Applejack thought with a smile. And then her smile dropped. ‘wait, “cute”? Did i really just-’
Her thoughts were interrupted. “Wait, he said he'll see us tomorrow… so that means he'll work here?”
Applejack looked at her sister, not exactly sure what to say. “Looks like he will, for now.”
Apple Bloom smiled. “Cool! He looks like a nice pony! He's strong, too!” 
She then suddenly looked a little concerned. 
“Say, Applejack… I can still eat candy, right? I'm really, really sorry I hit Engine when I opened the door…” 
Applejack sighes, smirking. She closed the door and began walking inside. 

“It's late,” she said. “go wash up and go to bed, you have school tomorrow.*"
“Is that a yes on the candy?”
Applejack began walking up the stairs.
“Goodnight, Apple Bloom”. 
“Aw, come on! At least answer my question!” 
“Time for bed.”
“But the candy??”
“Would you look at that, the lights in my room are already off.”
“Applejack!!”
“Can't hear you, I'm asleep. Zzz…”
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, hoping that her sister was really just teasing her.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 4
The next day soon rolled along. Engine Cogwheels did indeed find himself a room in the tavern mentioned earlier, and was able to secure it to himself for the next couple of weeks. 
He also bought himself a big dinner the day prior, having not eaten anything that day (that is, if the cakes and cupcakes and other sweets Pinkie Pie shared with him didn’t count as food). 
The owner woke Engine up at dawn, like he had requested, and after washing up he was on his way to Sweet Apple Acres. 

The streets were still empty, and the grass was still moist from the night that had only just ended. Somehow, maybe magically, he felt like he belonged there, like that was where he came from all along and all of his wandering around the land was to lead him back here. 
Then again, maybe he was still half-dreaming, since it wasn’t true and he still didn’t know much about the place at all. Heck, he only just got there about 24 hours ago. Was this town really special, or did he just really want it to be? “And who even cares…” he mumbled to himself.

After a short while he’d reached the farm again. He was going to see it a lot from now on, if he really was officially part of the team now, but he didn’t mind. In fact, he found the orchard very charming and tranquil, practically a picture out of a book (about… apple orchards, if that exists). 
He spotted Applejack and Big McIntosh chatting next to the farm. When they saw Engine approaching they waved at him and invited him to join them.
“Good morning”, Engine greeted with a nod.
Big Mac happily nodded back and Applejack fixed her hat and smiled at him. “Good morning indeed. You’re right on time too, maybe even a lil’ early! Trying to impress us, are you?” She said with a smirk. 
Engine awkwardly smiled. “Maybe just a little…?”
“Ahaha, don’t worry, ain’t nothing wrong with that”, she laughed.

“Why don’t you and Big Mac go and start with some good-ol’ apple buckin’? You did pretty well yesterday. The section you two are supposed to cover today is farther next to the border of the orchard, so you’ll get to see more of our piece of land on the way there. Sound good to you?”
The two stallions looked at each other and nodded in sync, which made Applejack laugh again.
“Alright then, looks like you’ll do just fine. I suppose I’ll see you two later at lunchtime. Oh, and Big Mac”, she looked deviously at her big brother.
“Try not to scare poor Engine away with how excited you are, will ya?”
Big Mac gave her a look. He knew she was just teasing him, but he wouldn’t let her embarrass him without a snarky remark of his own.
“If I’m excited, Applejack”, he said in his low tone, “then you must be down-right hysterical”. He turned around and Engine followed him after a moment.
“Whatever”, Applejack rolled her eyes, secretly hoping he really was kidding. 
‘Which he is,’ she reassured herself in her mind, ‘cause I really wasn’t all that excited, or hysterical! It’s him and Apple Bloom who were all hyped up! …at least, I don’t THINK he was right… No, no, he’s DEFINITELY wrong.’ 

She looked at the pair and caught Engine looking back at her. He smiled when he noticed and waved goodbye at her, like he did yesterday. She smiled and waved back. She soon realized that he had already turned around again and that she’s been waving at no one for about 10 seconds. She quickly put her hoof down and face-palmed (or hoof-palmed?) 
‘Well, it’s not like there’s anythin’ wrong with gettin’ excited, right? It IS the first time we have another pair of hooves workin’ with us like that… So it’s only natural to get excited…’ 
She looked at the sun and hoof-palmed (or face-palmed) again. ‘Look at me, standin’ around and thinkin’ ‘bout nothin’ when there’s work to be done… I should leave the head in the cloud thing to the pegasi’. She chuckled at her own joke and proceeded to start with her own chores.

Big McIntosh and Engine Cogwheels were meanwhile walking side by side. Engine was reassuring himself in his mind that it's going to be fine, that the Apples already accepted him, even if informally. 
A good impression has indeed proven to be important to him, probably more so to himself, especially when it came to-

“Applejack sure is somethin’, huh?” Big Mac suddenly said. 
Engine had to stop walking for a moment, somewhat startled. 
‘Does he know? Was I staring at her too much? And if HE knows, did Applejack know too?’ a million questions started floating in his head. 
Big Mac turned to look at him. 
“I really wasn't talking that much about ya, ya know! There's no need ta be scared,  she was just foolin’ around!” He quickly added, seeing Engine's reaction. 

Engine studied his face for a moment. ‘Ok, ok, it doesn't look like he knows…’ 
“Don't worry, Big Mac, scaring me away won't be that easy”, he told Big Mac, calming down. They started walking again. 

“If you REALLY want to creep me out, you could try approaching me with a knife next time. Oh, and maybe keeping a cauldron-pot in your house can help, the kind that can fit a pony inside of it.” 

Big Mac was silent for enough time for Engine to think he should say he was joking, but before he could he heard something that started with a light chuckle and ended up being a roaring laughter coming from him. It was quite a contrast from his usual steady and quiet voice. 

“So what ya sayin’, is if we try ta cook y'all, then you'll leave?” He asked with a smile. 
“Well, I said you could try, it might not be enough to chase me out. Who knows, maybe I'll join you for the feast." 
That earned him another laugh from his companion AND a slap on the knee. (50 points!)

As they were walking, Engine was looking around and taking in the view. The orchard seemed endless at times, with trees upon trees blocking the sights behind them. They were now on a small hill, from which he could get a better look on the whole area. 
They soon started bucking the trees, pretty much like he did yesterday. Big Mac corrected him here and there, stuff like what spots he should hit or how to determine how strong the kick should be based on different signs. 
They were mostly working quietly, but it didn't feel unpleasant at all, with the occasional strange joke from Engine and Big Mac's echoing laughter. 

Engine kept turning his head towards the view on the orchard, somewhat captivated by it. After a little while he spotted someone moving somewhere in the heart of the orchard. ‘Must be Applejack’, he thought. He kept following her with his gaze.
“Like what ya see?” Big Mac suddenly asked. 
Engine froze. ‘Did he see me looking at her? Oh man, was that it? Did I just turn myself in? Is he-?’
Big Mac interpreted Engine's reaction as confusion. “Ya know, the orchard? Ya keep staring at it.”
“The orchard? The orchard! Yeah, it's really something, I've never been to one before, not that I can remember…” Another false alarm, it seemed. 
“Yeah, I've lived here mah whole life an’ Ah still love it. It's beautiful, alright.”
“Yeah, beautiful…” Engine said, half about the orchard and half about the pony working in it. 


“Hey, look, there's Applejack,” Big Mac commented, pointing towards her with his hoof. 
“Oh, yeah, there she is, haha…” Engine said after pretending to try and find her. 
A smile slowly crept on Big Mac's face.
“Watch this,” he said as he nudged his pal with his shoulder. 

The red stallion cleared his throat. He then took a deep breath, taking in as much air as he could, before letting it out in a thunderous roar: “A P P L E J A C K ! ! !”

If somepony were to ask him later, Engine would have said that he physically felt the ground shake below him at that moment. It was pretty incredible how loud Big Mac could be, when he wanted to. 
Applejack, unsurprisingly, jumped at the loud outburst. She quickly turned her head towards it, expecting to see something like a huge meteor falling from the sky above her, or maybe a swarm of parasprites. 
But all she saw was 2 figures standing on a nearby hill, the more familiar one waving at her with 2 hooves (Yes, her brother took the effort to stand on his hind legs for this special occasion).

Even though it was from far away, and it wasn't really possible to see Applejack's reaction, Big Mac soon found himself close to tears with laughter. Applejack quickly caught on what was happening and tried to yell an angry reply, but her voice wasn't nearly as mighty as her brother’s. 
“Oh! Oh, Celestia! Ah wish Ah could see her face! Hahahahaha!” He kept laughing, leaning on the nearest tree and supporting himself on it. 
After recovering from the shock he just experienced, Engine shook his head and couldn't help but snort at his companion. 

“Gee, Big Mac, I feel a little bad for your sister.”
“Hahahaha… don' worry, she'll be fine, hopefully I'll get out of it alive, too.”
“Well, if she’s going to ask questions, I’m turning you in.”

After sharing another laugh Big Mac directed his gaze towards the sun. He whistled.
“Well, would ya look at that! Already lunch time!” 
Engine looked at the sun too, but he couldn’t really tell the time without a clock.
“Let’s finish up here an’ meet Applejack back at the farm. Dunno ‘bout you, but Ah’m starvin’!”
“Sure, I could eat”, Engine said. “Do you think I could join you guys for lunch this time?”
“‘Course ya can!” Big Mac replied. “Matter o’ fact, Ah thought ya were gonna eat with us every day from now on! If not for all 3 meals, then at least at lunchtime!”
Engine raised his eyebrows. “Oh, Big Mac, I really appreciate the offer, but I really wouldn’t want to impose on you guys-”
“Ya wouldn’t be imposin’ or nothin’ o’ the sort, Engine! We’d be glad to have ya! Think nothin’ of it!”
“But you’ll have another mouth to feed, for no reason… Are you really sure-”
“Yes, obviously Ah’m sure, I was the one to suggest it”, Big Mac scoffed. “We Apples have a big extended family, an’ we love hostin’ folk. An’ Ah’m sure Applejack would think the exact same thing, too. Now, come on, Ah could really use a bite right about now”.
‘Applejack wants me to come, too…?’ Engine thought “Well, alright then, if you’re sure.”
“Sure Ah’m sure!” The farmer smiled.

Each with a cart loaded with apple barrels strapped to their back, they both made their way back to the farm. 
Engine knew that this job wasn’t going to be too easy, with all the manual labor and the somewhat repetitive tasks. But working with ponies like the Apples made it seem like much less of a chore, and more of a sort of “activity” with buddies. ‘Heck, and I’ve been working here for only a few hours,’ he thought to himself, amused. ‘Maybe there is something magical about this place.’