As the sun rose slowly over the distant mountains, David and Rob snored softly on their piles of hay. Applejack was already up from a combination of work and her family spending the Summer Sun Celebration at Sweet Apple Acres. 'Not to mention the two new ponies. Ah should go check on them.' She thought. Opening the barn door, she noticed they were very much still asleep. They did have a good amount of Pinkie Pies cake, and with them being new to town, she doubted they expected the punch it packed in the sugar department. "Rise an' shine, ya'll! It's a brand new day, ready fer work!" She said approaching the makeshift bedding.

Rob opened his eyes and slowly but surely rose from the pile of hay he called his bed. "Haven't done that in a while..." Rob groaned. Between waking up early and large amounts of farm work, he would nap on hay every now and again, but only for 30 minutes to an hour. He wasn't use to sleeping a good eight hours in one setting. He wondered how David had faired and was answered by a childlike groan from his right.

"Five more minutes..." David whimpered.

"Come on D- uh Paladin. We got work ta do." Rob said, hoping Applejack hadn't caught his stutter.

"Maybe we should give him a little bit ta freshen up." Applejack said noticing David’s wild bedraggled mane.

"Thanks..." David managed.

"Well, Ah got apple trees to buck. Them apples ain't gunna harvest themselves!" Applejack said walking out. "Oh, and come meet me in the orchard if ya want ta help out with the buckin'." she added. Once he was sure she was out of earshot, David groaned and feel back on his hay.

"Oh, get yer ass up." Rob sighed.

"Coming from you? You're always up in time to see the sunrise." David said with a heavy sigh at the end. "I guess you’re right. There is just one, tiny problem." David said.

"What now, ya big crybaby?" Rob asked stretching.

"It's just... farm work is kinda not my thing..." David tried to find the best way to say 'I'm blowing you off because I don't want to work' without sounding like an ass.

Rob sighed. "Ya don't want ta work on the orchard, do ya?" Rob asked, knowing the answer.

"Mind reader." David mumbled. "Yeah. I was thinking of working somewhere else though. I'm not gunna make you do all the work." David said wondering how a shower would work in Equestria.

"Fine, jus'... get yerself cleaned up. Ya look like a mess." Rob said, too groggy to argue.

It was then David looked in a discarded mirror. His hair was all over the place, almost comically out of control, with straws of hay here and there. "Yeah, that would be a good idea." David said.  After walking the grounds for a minute or two, David found a pond he could use to get his mane wet and therefor under control. 'Cold water will wake me up at least.' David thought with the slightest twinge of regret. He jumped in and was met with the shock of cold water all around him. He washed all the loose hair out of his mane and was relieved to climb out and shake all the water off. His mane now hay-free and sopping wet, he walked around in the small forest between Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville letting it dry. After checking to see that his mane was more or less dry in a puddle, he trotted into town, wondering where the best place to get a job would be. 'I'm not the best cook, so Sugercube Corner is out. I'm also horrible with clothes, so not at Rarity's shop.' David thought looking around the market square.

"No Spike, these books go over there, not here." He heard somepony complain. Thinking the library would be an easy job; David poked his head in the open door to see what Twilight Sparkle was upset about.

"Sorry Twilight. I just thought these ones went over here." Spike said.

Twilight groaned and noticed David. "Oh, hello Paladin. What do you need?" she asked.

David was a little confused, thinking that Twilight moved in after the Nightmare Moon incident sure to come. "Well, I was wondering around town looking for a good place to get a job when I heard the commotion." David said.

"You heard that?" Twilight asked looking sheepish.

"Yeah. But I was wondering if I could help out here, given my lack of a job, money, and a bed to sleep on." David explained.

"Well, I'm just going to be in town for a little bit, but sure, you can help out." Twilight said. 'All according to plan...' David thought. "Well... where do I start?" He asked.

30 Minutes Earlier at Sweet Apple Acres

Rob took only a few minutes to find Applejack. "Howdy." he said approaching her.

"Hey there Dusk. Where's Paladin?" She asked.

"He isn't into good ol' farm work. I'm more than ready fer whatever ya want ta do." Rob said, wondering what exactly he would be doing.

Applejack walked to the nearest tree explaining as she went. "I guess ya must not have harvested apples before. It’s easy. Just buck a tree like this-" she kicked the tree and several apples fell down "- and put the apples in yer basket. Ah got one fer you an' Paladin, but Ah guess ya can take both of em'." Applejack motioned to the empty baskets to her left.

"Seems simple enough." Rob said grabbing a basket in his mouth. He walked over to the nearest tree and set the basket down. He turned around and kicked the tree with all he had, much to his surprise. When his hooves made contact with the tree, he heard a loud crack and turned around... just in time to see the tree fall backwards.

"What in the hay was..." Applejack started and stared at where the tree stood only seconds ago. She looked at Rob and then the fallen tree, then Rob again. Rob could feel his body getting warm and his cheeks turn red with embarrassment.

"Uh... woops?" Rob offered weakly. Applejack was still staring with her mouth open.

"How... wha..." Applejack said still shocked at the earth pony's incredible strength. "Have ya always been that strong?" Applejack managed after a few more stutters.

Rob was just as surprised as Applejack at what happened. "I... suppose..." Rob started. He knew he was stronger than your average Joe, but he just fell a full grown tree.

"Well, Ah suppose accidents do happen... just, promise to replant a new tree, ya hear?" Applejack said.

Rob was silent for a minute. "Oh, uh, yeah. Sure thing Applejack. Yer, uh... not mad, are ya?" Rob asked, not wanting to have lost a job the day he got it, but more importantly, not to get on Applejacks bad side. She was his only source of shelter at the time.

"Naw, its fine Dusk. There's plenty more trees on the orchard." Applejack said, smiling. 'Oh thank God she isn't pissed. She has a pretty smile to.' Rob thought. Picking the apples of the tree was much simpler with the branches on the ground. For the remainder of the day Rob was able to perfect his buck with the perfect combination of restraint and force to get almost all the apples out of a tree. As the sun hung low in the sky, the pair headed back to the barn to store their gathered goods.

"Well, that was a great harvest day of apples, Dusk." Applejack said. "It was nice to spend some time with ya to." she said slightly blushing.

"It was a fun day, huh?" Rob said. He noticed her slight blush and blushed a little himself.

"Maybe ya would like to make some apple pies with me? The Summer Sun celebration is tomorrow, and Ah sure could use the help." Applejack said. Robs smile disappeared at the mention of baking, something he was not good at. He was lucky he knew how to use the microwave, and that did all the cooking. Applejack saw he didn't like the idea and looked around for a new subject to talk about when she saw Paladin approaching. "Well hey there, Paladin." she said. Rob looked over to the gate and saw his friend carrying a large bag on his back.

"Hello Applejack. Hey Dusk. How are you two?" David asked as he walked up to the pair.

"We're jus' fine. Uh, what’s in the bag?" Rob asked.

David smirked. "Oh nothing special, just this." he said dropping the bag and opening it, revealing the golden bits that filled the bag.

"Holy- how'd ya get all that?!" Rob asked.

"I told you I won't make you do all the work. Twilight Sparkle paid me to help out in the library. Also, I found an apartment that we can stay at instead of a barn, no offense Applejack. It was very kind of you to have us." David explained.

"Ya'll welcome here anytime Paladin. It was great to have Dusk here help out at apple buckin'." She said.

"We'll see you tomorrow Applejack. I'm sure you need your rest for the Summer Sun celebration tomorrow." David said.

"Oh yeah. Goodnight you two." Applejack said and headed off for the farmhouse. The pair walked to the apartment complex just south of the market square. It was nothing fancy, just a three story brick building with the vibrant colors of Ponyville. David unlocked the door to show Rob their new home.

"Here's the living room, there are two bedrooms down the hall that way and the bathroom just down that way, with the kitchen over there." David said walking around. However, after a long day of farm work, all Rob heard was "bedrooms down the hall" and chose the door on the left, flopped onto the bed and was fast asleep. "And the rent is-" David looked around for Rob and was greeted by loud snores coming from down the hall. "Oh. Guess I'll tell him about how I am super-fast tomorrow." David said to no pony in particular. He headed off to his room and closed the door to block out the loud snores Rob was emitting.