"Ah'm not sure if I can get Mac to agree to letting on somepony new so easily Twi. You know how he is."

"I know how you are Applejack. Remember last season?"

Applejack blushed, "I know better now Twi! Mac didn't get the same lesson. This is a family business, that's what he'll say. Never mind getting a room too."

"I can handle getting somewhere for Toffee to stay. I just thought it'd be more convenient if she was on the farm."

I sat in silence as the two mares hashed out some kind of agreement on letting me work on the farm. I wasn't in a position to complain, I'd happily accept any job that came my way as long as it wasn't as bad as my old one. Or perhaps the morbid thought that I might not be able to go home had settled deep into my head and wouldn't go away, like a fart in an elevator.

Despite my earlier anger, I'd come to trust Twilight enough to let her handle this. I'd probably be out on the streets begging for money if it weren't for her. The room we were in was really... sweet. Pictures of AJ and her family dotted the walls, with various other items that were clearly of significance to the family placed alongside them.

I could see through into their kitchen, which much like everything else in this weird universe, was sized specifically for four legs. Unlike the modern designs I'd grown used to on Earth, most of the furniture and fittings in Equestria were made of wood. Even so there were many modern conveniences here, like a fridge and oven, which made me wonder what kind of technology this weird place used. Did they run on magic instead of electricity?

The kitchen itself was packed shelf to shelf with everything you could think of. This was very obviously a family that liked to cook. The air smelt of pastry, like it had been permanently infused into the wood of the place from how often it was made.

"Hey," Twilight poked me in the side, I shook my head and wandered back into the living space with her. AJ had sat herself down on one of the seats. Twilight joined her, but I didn't feel comfortable laying my fat ass on any of them. AJ sighed, "You can sit down too you know! These things are special reinforced for Big Mac."

"I thought I was the biggest..."

"You're the biggest mare I've ever seen. Hard to judge without meeting him, but Mac really is the biggest pony you'll ever see. I'd say you'd reach to... just below his eye level."

I didn't believe her at first, so with unnecessary caution I lowered my rear end onto the seat, wincing slightly as it creaked and groaned under my weight. As I lifted my hooves from the floor, it settled down. I breathed a sigh of relief at having not broken her presumably expensive furniture. AJ rolled her eyes.

"Never thought I'd see another pony as big as you."

"Are you sure this is okay?" I asked, "That didn't sound too safe."

"Nah, it's fine," AJ waved me off. Twilight cleared her throat in an attempt to get the conversation back on track. "You need a glass of water Twi?" AJ asked, oblivious.

"No, I'm fine. So, would it be any trouble to let Toffee try working on the farm for a while?"

"Well, you did say she's qualified for it."

"Qualified and experienced are different things," I pointed out, "I'm qualified in agriculture, and experienced in hard labour."

AJ shook her head, "Those sound like the same things to me."

I sighed, "Unfortunately, they aren't. What a waste of time..." I mumbled to myself.

AJ looked to Twilight for assistance, but only received a shrug in response. She turned back to me, "Well partner, as long as you're strong enough to buck a tree and pull a plough, I'm sure that there'll be no problems working here on our farm."

"And you get a room to yourself!" Twilight jumped in, "I mean, the library isn't exactly built for multiple occupants, you know what I mean?"

I nodded. "Well, I can't reject a kind offer like that."

AJ hopped down from her seat and stretched out a hoof, "Put her here then!" I hesitantly reached out with my own hoof and bumped hers, which seemed to satisfy her well enough. "Sorry to push you around so quick, but how about I show you the ropes? I'll give you the grand tour!"

"If you insist."

Twilight hops down from her own perch and smiles to herself, another victory in the pursuit of friendship had been secured. "I need to get back to the library before somepony wonders why it's clos-"

"That ain't happening," AJ interjects. Yikes, tone it down with the snark AJ. "That library is closed more than it's open these days with all this crazy stuff happening around town."

Twilight frowned, "You're right. But that just means I need to make up for lost time! I'll see you later AJ! Good luck with your new job Toffee!" With that, Twilight dashed through the door like a mare possessed and I had to wonder, was she really eager to re-open the library, or did she just want to avoid getting dragged into the tour?

"Let's get started with the orchard!" AJ declared, hooking a hoof around my shoulder and dragging me out of the building. The sun was almost blinding now, the heat of summer meaning that the air in the distance danced and deformed. AJ yammered away at a mile a minute about various farm related trivia, from the founding of the farm, to the extended family of the Apples, to the strange yearly traditions they engaged in thanks to the magic in the air.

My mind wandered, only occasionally being pulled back by the mention of something that I actually needed to know, like where the tool shed was, or which parts of the orchard needed working on. I'd mastered the skill of selective hearing very early on during my time at college. Eventually AJ's monologue was interrupted by the sound of a sledgehammer hitting a block of wood. I nearly jumped out of my fur at the sound of it.

"Mac's still out here?" she asked herself out loud. We approached the red stallion as he battered the tree with his hooves, causing a multitude of apples to fall from the branches and into neatly arranged wooden bins. How strange.

"Hey Mac, it's nearly quitting time! What are you still out here for?" AJ asked as she approached the red stallion. Once again, I was slightly taken aback at the size of the guy, he easily towered over every other pony I'd seen. Mac turned to face her, before his eyes met mine, like a bullet he looked away to the left. AJ paused, and squinted her eyes. I was no expert in pony body language, but something was up between the two of them that I wasn't seeing.

"Y-Yup," he replied. Did he just stutter? I thought to myself.

"Do you need a hoof taking these back?" AJ asked, laying a hoof on one of the wooden tubs, inspecting the apples inside. I wondered how they collected the apples without bruising them, maybe apples in Equestria were just tougher than the ones on Earth?

"Nope." Mac still avoided looking at me.

"Dinner'll be out soon. Don't spend too long out here alright?"

He nodded, which Applejack took as an affirmative answer. As we walked back to the house I asked AJ what was wrong, but she wouldn't answer. "Just Mac being Mac," she said.

Author's Notes:

i haven't watched the show in like three years