Chains chapter 3 – As the sun sets

So...Finally, after five hours I am done with the trees. Yes it is simple, but it gets very repetitive and boring after the first dozen of bucking. I don't think, this can be exciting to anypony in equestria.

I walk down another way which leads me to a small hill with a tree on top. I turn around as I can see the left apple farm and also A beautiful sight to behold: The sunset as it goes down behind the mountains. I sit down for a second and enjoy this moment.

The wind blows gently through my mane, and the smell of fresh cut grass is giving me warm feelings about summer. "It's still the simple things in life which makes it worth living." I talk out loudly.

"Eeyup. Beautiful, isn't it." A female voice says.

I turn around and recognize the orange mare with the blonde mane, Applejack.

"I didn't even hear you, what brings you here?"

She closes her eyes and smiles, as she replies:

"The same thing that makes you stop working. I come here every now and then to see the sunset."

"I-I wasn't stopping, I am finished!"

She looks surprised and replies:

"Seriously? That was a whole days work...Not bad, I gotta say..."

"Thanks...But what exactly brings you here now?"

"The sunset, silly. I already told you, didn't I?"

She lets out a brief sigh.
"It always reminds me of life."

I am confused...What does she mean by that? "...Could you explain that?"

"Life is portraied as a cycle, isn't it? Night and day are also a cycle, and they never end. We all will come to an end, of course, but when life is a cycle, won't the night end and the sun rise for another day?"

...Wow. My chin falls down, but as I notice that, I quickly get a hold of myself. Applejack is hiding another personality underneath her farm-mare type of character?

"The same goes for what we do. We plant plants of all sorts, they grow and they wither just to grow again another day, right?"

"Eh...Yes, right."

Stunned by her symbolism, I can't say anymore than this. I really didn't expect her to appear here, and I expected her to philosophize about sunsets to a much fewer extent.

"I expected you to actually grasp what I try to explain, yet you still have the emotion to understand, I felt it as I saw you for the first time.

There aren't much ponies around to which I can actually talk about stuff like that. But I saw by your formal manners and ways of speaking that you aren't the typical pony.

Also...You seem to have something to hide. You mind to talk about it to me?"

Wow. The newspaper wasn't lying when it titled her the element of honesty, was it...

"To make a long and not even by myself understood story short, I need the money to buy food for...A friend."

She looks into my eyes with an interested look on her face, and asks:
"So, you're helping somepony out who can't work for himself?"

"You could call it that, yes. Also not him but herself, my friend is female."

"Oh my, sounds serious. Is she alright?"

"Yes, but I need the money for food for us, for survival."

"Alright then, I got your wage here." She reached over and gave me 129 bits

"Wow, 129 bits for only 5 hours of work? Thanks alot!"

She smiles at me, and just nods. "No problem, just keep up the good work. We can still need help in the farm, repairing and stuff. You ought to help us out, if you want the money."

"Of course" I reply, and we sit there for about half an hour just looking at the sunset, as it finally is all over: The sun is behind the mountains.

"Well, I'll go back. It's getting dark, and at night it can actually get very cold even though it's summer."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then."

Now that the sun has set, I should hurry as there won't be much time left to buy anything. I got some bits which will be all I have for the week, but that will be more than enough. I just hope for some answers from...Eh...Right. No name said until now.

A short delay later I finished my shopping: Some tomatoes, lettuce, a dozen potatoes, a package with bread, milk, some flour, a pack of butter, peas, a barrel filled with water, some plates and glasses, a Pot-Over-A-Campfire-set9001™ and I got some sleeping bags for a cheap price from a shop for sleeping bags which I somehow didn't notice before.

It isn't a real bed or anything, but everything's better than rock ground. Even though I bought all that, I still have 35 bits left to use for food in case we run out.

I transport all of this in a wagon which I found beside a house next to their trash. They wanted to throw away a fully working wagon, even though it may be a little old, why would somepony do that? Oh well. I also picked up some wooden planks and some flintstones, which lay down right next to it. Now that's convenient.

On my way up the mountain, I can see no sunlight anymore. The night has come. I make my way up the spiral way, accompanied by the moonshine. The wagon isn't too heavy, infact it is very light.

I finally reach my destination, and I'm lucky: The entrance and the hallway is big enough for me to just go with the wagon inside. I pull it inside and see all the torches and can smell that disgusting scent again. Also I see her lying on the floor, shivering a little.

"I'm back. Sorry that it took me so long."

"I-I'm fine. Tell me...What did you bring? That wagon looks like it's filled with...With..."

I see her being very exhausted and almost starving from hunger and thirst...She has to eat first before she talks anymore.

"You seem to be in a miserable state. Let me help you, just let me get something."

I go to the wagon, pick up one of the sleeping bags and tell her to stand up. She does, even though only barely as her hooves seem tired. I then put the sleeping bag beneath her, so she has it a little more comfortable.

I then put away all those bones and what I believe is a bag of...Something, I don't think I want to know what it is, and just throw it off the mountain on the other side of the way. I hate untidy rooms, yuck.

Finally, I pick out some of the tomatoes and lettuce and make a nice salad for both of us.

"Alright, it took a little but here you are. I hope you like tomatoes."

I then turn around, get the wooden planks, some stones around it and the flintstone and create a small campfire. I put up the Pot-Over-A-Campfire-set9001™ and put the potatoes in, together with some water.

"It certainly isn't my favorite food, but thanks...I'm starving."

She then slowly eats up her salad, but gets faster and faster the more she eats. As she finished up half her plate, she ate the other half in one bite.

"Sweet Celestia, this was so good...Thank you so much, I thought I would die a hungering death on those chains. This was probably the best salad I ever had...And I don't even like salad!" she then drinks from her glass very quickly.

"I don't want to be rude or anything...But do you have more?"

I giggle a little, as I am also hungry, I haven't had any salad anyways.

"Ofcourse, let me just get the main course."

I get the potatoes out of the water, and put the water into a bowl. I then melt some butter with milk and flour, thus creating a white sauce. I stir the sauce a little, and put it over the potatoes and voila – Potatoes with white sauce.

As I turn around, I can see her brown mane shaking as her head is aswell, awaiting more food. How long has it been that she hasn't eaten properly?

"Done. Here you go, just care it's -"

Just as I want to say hot, she bites into it and burns her tongue

"HOT! Ouch my tongue!"

"Yes...I was about to say that. You need to blow on it a few times, the sauce will cool down the whole food when you do. Like this."

I blow three times on my plate and the little...Eh...You know, that little cloud that appears above your food when it is too hot? That. It disappears and my food is edible now.

"Go ahead and try it for yourself. Three time's the charm here."

She does as I showed her and then carefully moves her head down to the plate. She slowly takes her first bite, and her hurt frown turns into a joyful smile. She then eats everything that's on the plate, including the sauce. She just licks every little trace off of it.

"Oh my...Such masterful taste, like I have bitten into a piece of heaven...How do you call this masterpiece?"

"Potatoes with white sauce."

"You need to show me how to - ...Wait a second. I'm forgetting something once again. Am I forgetting...What did I forget? Tell me!"

She looks at me with a serious face, shouting out as it everything changed from one second to another.

"You...Wanted to tell me about how we ended up here, and what and why...Basically, everything about this whole situation...But first off..."

"First off what?"

"Who are you?"

To be continued