I stared into the mirror at her naked body. It was strange. The female form was quite appealing to me, after years of secretly lusting after various women around me like any young man, just past puberty. But now those hormones were gone, replaced by a whole other set, one which didn't see the appeal of a female form. I had yet to see how my body responded to an attractive man, of course, but unless I developed a thing for quadrupeds that was unlikely to be a problem anytime soon.

A hand mirror, sorry 'hoofmirror', helped me get a look at myself from a few other angles, exploring parts of myself no woman had bared for me before. I gave only the lightest, briefest of touches before deciding against exploring myself too much, just yet. Especially when the steam from the shower fogged up the mirror, and reminded me that I was wasting water just to cover my activities. I set the hoofmirror aside and stepped into the shower at last, putting the water to the use it had been provided for.

When I had finished cleaning myself and dried, I slipped on my dress, dirty and torn as it was from the adventure, and headed out. I really would need to rely on Rarity quite a bit in the days ahead. Hopefully the mare would get a hold of some stronger material soon.

"Morning, sugarcube," Applejack greeted, as I made it into the kitchen. "How'd the guest bed treat you?"

"Not bad, I've certainly slept in much worse," I pointed out. "It's a bit short for my height though," I admitted. "Thanks again for the hospitality."

"No problem, sugarcube. We're happy to help you get on your hooves, especially since you'll be working with us for the time bein'," Applejack stated.

"Eeyup," her older brother, Big Macintosh, confirmed simply.

"Now then, let's have some breakfast and get to work," the mare said enthusiastically.

Picking apples was hard work, and rather boring. Fortunately, I was quite prepared for this. My SOLDIER days had included plenty of abject boredom for weeks on end, and in a lot of ways this was always more engaging than guard duty tended to be. Guard duty was mostly about deterrence: because a guard was present, most people wouldn't do anything that would require the guard to respond. So being bored was often a result of success.

And while the transformation had made me a bit weaker, I was still a strong, athletic woman. I could climb the trees to pick off the last few stragglers that managed to survive one of Applejack's bucks, or carry the barrels into the barn when they were full. I tried, once, to see if one of my punches could match the effects of Applejack's kicks, but only managed to bloody my knuckles a bit. I bet Tifa could do it. I bet I myself could do it with the flat of my buster sword. Or with some more practice fighting unarmed.

"Hay!" Rainbow Dash shouted, as she fell out of a tree along with the expected rush of apples, some of them landing on the winged mare. "I was trying to nap there!"

"Why don't you get off your flank and do an honest days work, instead?" Applejack suggested.

"I did do an honest day's work already," Rainbow Dash said. "Yesterday," she added more quietly after we glanced up at the sky, noting the clouds getting out of formation. It was strange to think of such normal looking weather as clearly wrong, but I knew it was out of place for a pony town.

"Git along now, RD", Applejack insisted. "We need our weather in tip top shape while it's growing season."

"If it's growing season, why are we harvesting already?" I asked, not afraid to admit I knew less about farming than the my host.

"These here are the early harvest," Applejack explained. "They keep ponies fed with fresh fruits while the bulk of the harvest finishes ripening out past yonder hill," she said, pointing a hoof. I nodded along, accepting the explanation, and got back to work.

"Cloud, Cloud, Cloud, here!" Pinkie Pie said urgently as she hoofed me a sealed envelope before rushing off, seeking other ponies to give similar objects to. I watched her go for a moment, stopped in my tracks, before opening the envelope and reading the contents. It was an invitation, a simple one, to a party. "Please attend Twilight Sparkle's Belated Welcome-To-Ponyville-Party Party," the card read, giving the location in the library and the time as that night. I laughed, realizing that with all the parties going on since I had arrived, the new librarian had been left out. I kind of wondered if she preferred it that way, though. She seemed about the least friendly pony in Ponyville, from what I had seen.

Which wasn't saying much. The ponies were hard not to make friends with. I waved to a few of the ones I recognized by sight but not by name as I finished my trek to the Carousel Boutique.

"Come in, darling," came the answer as I knocked, and soon I was within. Rarity recognized me instantly, of course. "Oh, it's you. Welcome back, Cloud. Oh dear, your dress really isn't holding up. Are you sure I can't convince you to leave it off at work?"

"You could convince me to wear something sturdier," I answered. With a jingle I brought attention to my new bit bag. "I need your services rather urgently. I know this probably isn't enough, but I've got more coming and I can lend a hand to help you, if you'll accept that for part of the cost." It wasn't as glorious as being a mercenary in the sense I was used to, but Ponyville was a rather safe place most of the time. I wasn't going to make enough bits deploying violence, even if I was properly equipped for that.

"Hmm, well I'll have to see what you can do, darling. Much of my work is very delicate, and takes a steadier hoof than most have," she pointed out. Despite her doubts, though, Rarity began to show me the ropes, and found I was quite adept at accurately cutting fabric with her scissors. The tools were quite difficult for earth ponies and pegasi to wield, often requiring standing on two hooves while wielding the tool in the other two. Unicorns such as herself had a massive advantage with their horns, of course, but I managed quite well with my hands. Besides, I had something of a talent when it came to blades, if I do say so myself.

A knock reached her door while we were working. Seeing we were busy, Rarity's little sister, Sweetie Belle, called out "I'll get it," before trotting down to make good on her offer. "Hello?"

"Pretty..." came a young male voice from beyond, making Sweetie Belle blush awkwardly, before continuing on awkwardly. "Here, a gift."

The filly took the offering, something small and golden, and looked it over. "Oh, wow. Are you inviting me to... with you?" she asked.

After a brief delay, the male spoke up. "No, wait. I only have the one... still, you go. You can tell me all about it when you get back? I'm sure you'd have a better time there than I would."

"That's so nice of you," Sweetie said, offering a light kiss before thinking things through. "Actually, do you mind if I give it to my sister? I bet she'd have an even better time there."

"Oh, uh, sure," the male said, sounding a bit put out.

"Don't worry, I'm still very happy you gave it to me. Maybe while Rarity's out we can hang out?" the filly offered, before turning. "See you then?"

"Yeah... see you," he said before the door was closed between them.

"Who was that, Sweetie?" Rarity called down from where we were working.

"Oh, it was the little dragon that lives with the new librarian," she said as she trotted up the stairs. "I think he was entranced by my beauty," she added with a giggle. I found it odd how clearly she could speak with her mouth full like that. The younger unicorn couldn't lift things with her horn, I had come to realize, and was carrying a little golden ticket in her mouth. "Here you go sis!"

"Is that? It cannot be!" Rarity declared, rearing up on her hind legs, only to faint away dramatically. Without thinking, I caught her, lowering her the last few inches to the ground gently.

"What is it?" I questioned, looking at the offending ticket, now set on the work table.

"It's an invitation to the Grand Galloping Gala," Sweetie said.

"Only the premier fashion event of the entire year!" the fashionista said, proving she wasn't unconscious, despite appearances. "Only the one place in space and time where everypony who is anypony will be, all at once. Cloud! Sweetie Belle! We haven't a moment to lose," she declared as she lost several moments getting to her hooves. "We must create... the perfect dress!"

We quickly set aside what we were working on, and immediately got to work on what Rarity would wear to the ball, the three of us working tirelessly at the elder unicorn's direction. Mentally I made a note: my debt to Rarity, the one she refused to acknowledge in the first place, was now cleared.

"Oh! Even better," Rarity thought aloud as we worked, the idea seeming to force her to change gears on her design. "This is where I will meet him."

"Him?" I dared to question. I wasn't surprised by the direction of her answer, though.

"Him," she confirmed. "I would stroll through the gala, and everypony would wonder, 'Who is that mysterious mare?' They would never guess that I was just a simple pony from little old Ponyville. Why, I would cause such a sensation that I would be invited for an audience with Princess Celestia herself, and the princess would be so taken with the style and elegance that she would introduce me to him, her nephew: the most handsome, eligible unicorn stallion in Canterlot. Our eyes would meet, our hearts would melt. Our courtship would be magnificent. He would ask for my hoof in marriage, and of course I would say, 'Yes!' We would have a royal wedding, befitting a princess, which is," she giggled, "what I would become upon marrying him, the stallion of my dreams."

I couldn't resist giggling myself, despite the awkward introspection in its wake. "You certainly dream big, Rarity," I pointed out. "If there's one thing I know about dreams, its that you need to give your all to accomplish them. So let's finish this perfect dress." It meant my own wardrobe would remain limited a little longer to the single, silk dress I had brought with me, desperate for repairs as it was, but I wasn't going to a ball.

I awoke in the early hours of the morning, confused at first about my surroundings. My training kicked in, and as motionlessly as possible, I took in my situation, evaluating for the presence of enemies. There were none, of course. There was, however, a blanket draped over my sleeping form, itself lain upon a stylish couch. In some ways, it was more comfortable than the guest bed at the Apples' home, particularly that I had enough length to stretch out my legs all the way.

On the low table before me was the opposite of an enemy. The source of a debt, perhaps. A simple note lying atop a small pile of clothing. I blushed as I realized the top item was my own silk dress, cleaned, repaired and neatly folded. Rarity had taken liberties, to be sure, but I wasn't going to complain, especially with how common outright nudity was in their society. The next item was a new dress, one made of a thicker material, cotton perhaps. It looked like it would endure a bit better than the silk, while still looking attractive in a more casual way. The last looked to be overalls, far sturdier and well suited to farm work, though they would benefit from a shirt to go under them.

Cloud darling,

I simply must apologize for carrying on so last night. With the weeks to come before the gala, I cannot in good conscience set aside the needs of my customers nor my dear friends. Please accept this promotion to the front of the line as my apology to you.
And since I know you like repaying your debts, you owe me 78 bits for the labor and materials, after factoring in your help today. No rush to repay me, darling, I know you're good for it.
-Rarity