I snapped myself out of the memory, and stared at the blank paper. I guess I have my image. I bit my lip in concentration, and began to draw the image of Aira in her crib, standing up. However, I drew her so she wasn't crying.

My image of the room around her was shaky, so I just shaded the rest of the room to look blurry and unimportant. I didn't use colour, just the pencil. If Cheerilee wants it coloured, she can tell me. With my opposable thumbs, I was quicker to draw then the others. Most of it was shaky, as I hadn't held a pencil for such a long period before, but you could tell what it was.

I stared at the wobbly picture, comparing it to the mental snapshot in my head. It wasn't exact, nor was it crisp and lifelike. Looking around, however, told me it was one of the better pictures being drawn. I sighed, and looked at the fillies sitting with me.

Using a stick of something waxy, Apple Bloom was drawing a picture of an apple. She looked up, and smiled, dropping the waxy thing, "hey!"

I smiled, "What are you drawing with?"

"It's a crayon!" Apple Bloom Blinked, "You've never used a crayon?" Her voice was quiet, and worried.

I slowly shook my head, "No..."

Apple Bloom nudged the box of crayons over to me, "You have lots of paper, try drawing some stuff with them."

I nodded, and opened the box. I picked out a blue crayon, and started to test it out. After a while, I had tested out all the crayons Apple Bloom wasn't using, and pushed the box back to her. I stared at my hands, that were slightly stained by the crayons. I sighed, and my stomach rumbled quietly.

Scootaloo laughed, "It's okay! Lunch is soon!"

I smiled weakly back, feeling embarrassed. Scootaloo went back to her drawing of a scooter. I looked over at Sweetie Belle's drawing, it was several jewels drawn onto a page. I chewed on a thumbnail, wondering what I could do.

All of a sudden, the bell that had rung before sounded again. This time, however, I didn't jump. The others threw down their supplies, opened their desks, and pulled out their lunches. I quietly followed suit, careful to clean up any mess I may have made before leaving the schoolroom.

I spotted the other Cutie Mark Crusaders sitting under a huge tree. I hobbled over, and sat down with them, leaning against the tree trunk. Apple Bloom was munching on an apple, and Scootaloo on some sort of sandwich.

I opened the bag Twilight had given me, unsure of what to expect. There was a sandwich of some sort, a small bottle filled with what looked like juice, two apple fitters, an apple, and another fruit I couldn't identify.

I pulled out the sandwich first, and gazed at it. It was a daisy sandwich. I carefully unwrapped it, and ate it. Next, I pulled out the bottle of juice and an apple fritter. I ate the fritter, while staring across the schoolyard at the ponies eating and playing. I pulled out the fruit I didn't know what it was, and looked at Apple Bloom. I held it up, "What is this?"

"That's an orange!" Apple Bloom said cheerfully, "You need to peel it before you eat it."

"How?"

"With, well, Whatever those are," Sweetie Belle said, pointing to my hands.

"Oh," I dug into the orange flesh with a fingernail, and pulled. Some of the thick stuff peeled away from a pale orange and white inside. I continued to peel, and noticed a thick, heady scent that smelled like citrus. I wrinkled my nose, it smelled weird.

I finished peeling, and took a look at what was now resting in the palm of my hand. It was smaller then it had been originally, and felt soft in my hands. It was orange, with white lines running everywhere. I gently pulled it apart in the middle, and noticed that it could be easily divided into slices. I pulled off a slice, and put it in my mouth.

My eyes watered at the strong, oppressive taste. The fruit was soft, and juicy, but it had an odd lumpy, mushy texture. I tried to swallow, but found my body was not willing to comply. My throat seemed to close up, so I did the most logical thing: I leaned over the side of one of the large tree roots and spat it out, coughing. I grabbed the bottle of juice and chugged the last of it, still sputtering. I glared at the fruit still in my hand.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were staring at me, and I stared back. Sweetie Belle recovered first, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Apparently, I don't like oranges," I wiped at my mouth with my arm, "Do any of you want the rest?"

(LINE BREAK)

The next portion of the afternoon was spent on the art project. After that, was the promised math quiz. Most of the ponies mumbled and complained, but did as they were told. I was nervous, but soon found the quiz to be just as easy as the questions Cheerilee had put on the board in the morning. Once the school day was over, fillies and colts bolted out of the schoolhouse, shouting goodbyes to each other, and to Cheerilee. I nodded goodbye to her as my three friends ushered my outside.

When we got to Sweet Apple Acres, I noticed Big Mac sitting on the front porch, bandages wrapped around his torso. Apple Bloom gasped and ran toward him, "Are you alright?"

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied.

"What happened?" Apple Bloom asked, "Are you sure you're okay? You're not too hurt, right? Have you been to the hospital?"

The stream of questions was cut short after Big Mac glared at her, "Fell out of the hay mow. Applejack took me to the hospital, it's just some bruised ribs."

"How are they just bruised?" Apple Bloom protested.

"I dunno, but they're just bruised."

"Are you sure?"

"Eeyup, now go on. I suggest getting one AJ's good side, she's determined to do harvest all by herself."

"Are you kidding?" Apple Bloom shrieked.

"Nope."

Apple Bloom sighed, and rejoined us, muttering about stubbornness. She led the way through the apple trees, and soon we came upon the treehouse. The structure itself was fixed, but it still needed to be painted.

"I wish I could have helped you," I said.

"It's fine, you were sick."

"I know, but I told you girls I would."

"You're helping now," Sweetie Belle said, voice squeaking a little, "You can help us with the furniture, and with the painting and decorating!"

"Okay.. Which one are we doing?"

"Painting," Scootaloo said, "We can't get any decorations or furniture in until the paint dries," Apple Bloom said, "We already have the paint and stuff ready, we just need to paint."

"Alright, inside or outside?"

"Both. There's four of us, so we can change every now and again."

I nodded, "Makes sense, lets go."

"Applejack said she'd help us get some of the furniture up into it when we're done. I hope she can, even though she's doing the applebucking season all on her own."

"Applebucking?" I asked, following the girls up the stairs, and into the treehouse.

"You buck all the apples of the trees. This is our harvesting season, and generally Big Mac and Applejack do it themselves. Now that Big Mac is hurt, Applejack will have to do it on her own."

"Well, if she can't help us, I'm sure we can find someone."

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo picked up a paintbrush each, and went outside with several buckets of paint. That left Sweetie Belle and I alone, I pushed back my hair with my hand, and picked up a brush, "Where do we start?"

(LINE BREAK)

Several hours later, we stood away from the treehouse, staring at it, "It looks good," I said after a moment.

"Yeah."

"We did a great job!" Scootaloo's wings fluttered.

I smiled, "This is a big treehouse. When Applejack used it, did it have the small attic?"

"Nope!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, "Big Mac helped us make it a bit bigger, then made the attic. If you climb out of the window, you can get to the roof."

I nodded, "This is amazing. I can't believe you girls did most of this yourself."

"We were hoping to get our Cutie Marks in construction," Sweetie Belle replied sadly.

I laughed, "Well, even though that didn't happen, you should be happy. Now, what do you guys have in mind for furniture?"

"Well, we need a podium, a desk, a lantern or two, some chairs, and whatever else we need once we get going."

"Do you have most of this stuff already? Doesn't furniture cost money?"

"We already have the podium, it used to be used for school plays and stuff, but Ms. Cheerilee got a new one. We have lots of lanterns at the farm."

"So we need a desk, oil, some chairs, and whatever else?"

"Yeah..." Apple Bloom looked a little sheepish, "We thought, well you're an adult... We thought you would help."

I blinked, "Girls, I hate to break it to you, but I don't have a single bit to my name."

"Oh," All three looked heartbroken.

"I'm sorry. I'll help you raise money-"

"We can do a fundraiser!" Scootaloo jumped up, "We can do a lemonade stand, or a bakesale!"

I blinked, "Huh?"

"Lemonade is a drink, and we can make a lot of it, and sell it. Same with a bakesale, we can make a bunch of stuff, and sell it!" Sweetie Belle told me, nodding enthusiastically.

"Okay.. I think we can make this work."

"Lemonade is easy to make! I've made tons for Rarity before!" Sweetie Belle said.

"I'm sure Granny Smith will help us with the bake sale!" Apple Bloom said.

"Then it's settled! We run both a bakesale and lemonade stand!" Scootaloo finished.

"We could earn salespony Cutie Marks!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, "Alright, when are we going to do this then?"

"The weekend! That way we won't miss school, and we can make a lot of bakes goods for the sale!"

I nodded, "Alright."

Sweetie Belle's stomach suddenly growled. I looked down, realizing I was hungry as well. Sweetie Belle laughed nervously, "Lunch was a long time ago."

Scootaloo nodded, "Yeah."

"It's almost dinner, if we go back to the house, you guys can eat here."

My mouth watered, remembering the food the last time I had eaten Granny Smith's food, "Okay."

(LINE BREAK)

The walk back to the house was surprisingly quiet. When we got inside, smells assaulted my nose. I wasn't sure what most of it was, but it smelled good. Apple Bloom trotted in, "Hey Granny! We painted the treehouse!"

"Did you now, pipsqueak? That's good! Go wash up, you're covered in paint."

I looked down, and saw splatters and smears of paint covering most of my tunic. I cursed under my breath. I looked at the girls, and saw they had paint all over them too. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle ran upstairs, leaving me with the bathroom near the kitchen.

I stepped in, and washed my neck, face, and arms. I combed my tangled mas of hair with my fingers, trying to make it behave.

I walked into the kitchen when I was done, and saw a pot boiling on the stove, and the table already set. Granny was humming to herself, stirring something hanging over the fire. I cleared my throat, and she turned around, "Hello there, dear! You helped the girls, didn't you?"

I nodded, "Yes. It was...fun."

"That's good. Can you stir this for a minute, I need to make sure the rest of dinner is cooking right."

"Of course!" I took the wooden spoon from her, and started to stir the deep red liquid bubbling in, what can only be described as, a cauldron, "What is this?"

"Tomato soup, dear."

I nodded, at least I know what soup is, and I still remember tomatoes. Not entirely out of my league for once.

I heard the girls stomp back down the stair, and burst into the kitchen, "Hey Granny!" Apple Bloom greeted.

"Hello again, dear. How did the painting go?"

"It went great, but still no Cutie Mark."

"You'll find your special talent soon enough, dear."

"That's what everyone says!" The girls said, in unison.

Granny laughed, "That's because it's true."

"Where's Big Mac?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Went to get your sister. Sit down, dinner's almost done."

Granny came back, and I gave her the spoon back. She finished stirring, then hoisted the cauldron over to the stove. I sat down beside Sweetie Belle. My heart skipped a beat when the door opened.

"I'm fine, Big Macintosh!" Applejack said, "I'm not hungry!"

"That's a lie, you've been out there since this morning."

Applejack grumbled, but continued into the kitchen, sitting down with a huff. Apple Bloom smiled, "How'd it go?"

"It went fine."

I was taken aback, I had never heard Applejack be so harsh. I jumped visibly when Granny set a large bowl on the table. She hurried back to the stove, opened it, and put something fabric in her mouth before lifting a steaming tray of several loaves of bread from the stove.x

I picked up Aira, and brought her into the kitchen, "There. She's all better."

"That's my girl," Daddy swooped in from the doorway.

I beamed, and set Aira down, "Daddy!"

"Hello sweetie, what is your mother cooking, it smells amazing?"

"Pasta and her bread!" I exclaimed, "It's my birthday!"

"Of course it is!" Daddy's big green eyes sparkled, "How could have I forgotten?"

From his tone I knew he was joking. I smiled, and hugged him, "I love you,"

"I love you, too."

(LINE BREAK)

Author's Note: I'm setting you up for the next season one episode. Can anyone guess what one I'm doing?

Still don't own MLP, but I do own Eternity.

Please R&R, but if you don't want to review, feel free to PM me.

Until next time.