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#Post#: 552--------------------------------------------------
Re: Derivation
By: Darrus Date: January 11, 2014, 9:57 pm
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"Heh, maybe not yet," Darrus said in response, now taking a bit
of extra care in watching what his hooves were stepping on as he
continued to follow who he hoped would be his future boss, the
idea being appealing in more ways than one , "but I'll warn you,
I've been told I can grow on ponies" Keeping up beside
Applejack, he kept the crate on his back balanced as she led him
up to then around her home, asking more questions as she brought
him to a tree stump then ordered that he shop some wood. "No
problem," he confidently replied, carefully removing the crate
from his back and setting it down on the ground before taking
the axe in his hoof and stepping over to the stump. Picking up
and placing a log down on the stump, the pegasus bounced the axe
in his hooves for a moment to get a feel for its weight then
lifted it up and over his head before bringing it down and
through the middle of the log, cutting it in half lengthwise as
he thought about how to answer the questions asked of him.
That first one... hmm... He... never really had to answer that
kind of question very often... "Well, aside from the already
explained dedication, enthusiasm and full tolerance to being
paid in pocket change, I'm a really good shot?" He decided to
answer her second question first and let the first sizzle on his
mental back burner, "Dunno if that will ever come in handy, but
my special talent is accuracy. I could probably hit the stem of
one of those apples on those far trees over there with a bow or
some such. Other than that, I've of course got wings so I could
make quick flights into town for you if ever you needed it.
Maybe play with the weather a bit or something whenever you
wanted. Do you already have pegasi working for you?
"And pressure? Ha!" He laughed, another log being chopped to
punctuate the sound, "This farm could be hit with an earthquake,
be in the path of a tornado and be getting attacked by an Ursa
Major all at the same time, and you'd still find me here
chopping this wood nice and steady for as long as needed if It's
what you wanted me to do." He finished with another one of his
smiles as he side glanced at the mare then turned his attention
back to the quickly split log. Unfortunately his smile didn't
last once he wasn't looking at AJ, it being lost as his mind
went back to that first question shed asked him. What motivates
and gets him up in the morning?
Another log was chopped and now Darrus was starting to slow down
slightly, not out of fatigue but instead out of him trying to
think of something to say as an answer. It was possible to be
able to tell even from where Applejack was that the wheels in
his head were turning if she was to notice, the normally, well,
normal question for most being an odd bump in the road for the
stallion. "Uh..." He tried, now almost forgetting what he was
doing as he mechanically continued his work. Why did he get up
in the morning? He... couldn't really think of a reason... It's
not like he was ever looking for a permanent job or place to
settle down... he'd left his family in a whole other city to go
see the world, but he didn't actually have any set goal in mind
for himself... "I guess... I get up because... that's just kinda
what I do... Sorta... Hmm..." He said, axe being buried into the
stump as another log was split and sent falling to the ground
into the like of chopped wood that had begun to accumulate.
His tone was a little slower and quieter, something he himself
picked up on and immediately tried to change as he picked his
work speed back up to its original pace and threw on another
smile. "Uh, I mean, I get up because I always need to find
something interesting! There's so much out there in the world
today, and I want to be a part of at least 'almost' all of it,
but right now I want to be a part of your farm." He finished one
more log, then rested the axe on his shoulder as he turned to
fully face Applejack, eyes half lidded and smile migrating more
to one side of his face. "Shall I continue? Just say the word
and ill chop this whole gosh darn pile and make you enough fire
wood for seven winters."
#Post#: 885--------------------------------------------------
Re: Derivation
By: Applejack Date: January 29, 2014, 9:18 am
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With a critical eye, Applejack stood a little to the side and
just watched Darrus as he took the axe and bounced it in his
hooves. Every movement he made, she examined and evaluated, all
while perking her ears up to listen to what he said. She took
the 'dedication, enthusiasm to being paid in pocket change'
comments with a few grains of salt, knowing full well that
little details like that could simply be lies to try and color
himself in a better light. Special talent of accuracy may or may
not be useful though. She'd have to think a little bit on that
one.
His point about him being a pegasus was a good one, though.
Having a pair of wings around the farm would be fairly useful,
and even though she didn't really like messing with the weather
ponies' plans... Maybe she could have a little chat with
Rainbow, see if there was some kind of compromise they could
come up with. Then, he began talking about how he handled
pressure, resulting Applejack just staring at him with a
neutral, almost distant expression. That was kind of overdoing
it. He could've just told her he was just tenacious when it came
to that kind of thing. But whatever, she supposed he got his
point across.
One of her brows raised when Darrus slowed down his chops, eyes
scanning to see if he was getting tired or something like that.
But that didn't really seem to be the case. Just seemed like he
was thinking hard more than anything. Which... kind of made
sense as he soon began speaking hesitantly, as if not really
sure of an answer to the question she'd asked him. A wanderer
who didn't really know what motivated him to get up in the
morning. Not really a good combination. She'd have to keep a
close eye on him over the next few days. And she had a fairly
decent, risk-free plan for hiring him.
After he asked if she wanted him to keep chopping wood, she
scrunched her nose slightly and held up a hoof as she spoke.
"Uh, no, Ah think that's plenty. Ah saw what Ah wanted ta see,"
she said, before beckoning him to follow behind her with the
same hoof in the air, then began walking over to the barn
nearby. "So, Ah got good news, an' bad news, Darrus. Good news,
is Ah'm gonna give you a shot," she told him, immediately
stopping to poke a hoof at his chest. "But don't let this get to
yer head. You showed up at just the right time fer me ta
consider lettin' you stick around." After making sure she'd made
her point, she continued to move towards the barn once more.
"The bad news is, Ah'm gonna be puttin' you through a lil' bit
of a test trial. That means, for the first while, Ah won't be
payin' you bits. However," she said, stopping in front of the
barn door. "Ah'm gonna be givin' you room an' board. You'll get
ta sleep in the barn--we kin move a spare bed in here for
ya--an' you'll get three meals a day. Ah'm makin' you sleep in
the barn fer now 'cause Ah don't know ya, so don't take that
personally. And like Ah said, Ah won't be payin' ya bits, at
least not 'til you prove all o' what you said. How's all that
sound?"
#Post#: 889--------------------------------------------------
Re: Derivation
By: Darrus Date: January 29, 2014, 10:25 am
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'Saw what she wanted to see'? "Oh, I bet yo-" cutting himself
off with a hoof clamped over his mouth while trying to play it
off as if he'd just been coughing, the stallion decided that
maybe he'd best tone that down a little... for now at least.
Figured making sure her final evaluation of him here would be a
bad time to joke and what not. But it was hard, so very hard, to
keep his tongue in check with his usual attitude just trying its
hardest to claw its way back to the surface after being pushed
to the back of his mind and locked behind rather flimsy bars.
Keeping his mouth shut, the Pegasus followed AJ as she led him
to the barn, him glancing up and around as he got a good enough
look at it on their approach.
Good news and bad news, hm? Well, Darrus would admit to being a
fan of good news, and bad news tended to just roll off of him
like droplets of rain on a rubber poncho, so he was ready for
her news. At the good news, he grinned happily preparing to
comment with a "sweet" but being cut off after only "swe" as the
mare poked him with a hoof. Glancing down at the Lomb then back
uo at her face, he just offered another smile as she explained
the reasoning behind giving him a chance. Seemed he was lucky he
came when he did at least, and he was still confident he'd be
able to prove that hiring him on wasn't a bad decision,
hopefully, so he just stretched his smile a little further to
show some teeth. Teeth which slowly became less visible at the
bad news.
No pay... Hmm... Well, he of course had been hoping for a steady
supply of bits from the get go, that being the point of getting
the job obviously, but... being a stranger who just kinda showed
up... he guessed he couldn't blame her for wanting to make sure
he wasn't just trying to get a few quick bits for the train then
ditch... Looking down at his hooves, he took a few seconds to
think. Room and board... That would certainly solve his problem
of having no money to pay for a bed at the inn, and it would
also prevent him from being stuck eating grass everyday. And
actually staying on the farm itself would allow for plenty of
opportunity to be around whenever he was needed.
Seemed fair enough, though he couldn't help but think back to
Lamplight at the Guiding Light. He wouldn't need the room she
was offering him anymore, which means he didn't owe her anything
and therefore didn't need to go help out in the tavern later
that day. But, still, she seemed nice and he'd given his word
that he'd come back around later, so, unless he was needed to
stay here, he supposed he could still come help out just as a
friendly gesture and as thanks for the offer shed made him.
"... Okay, sure." He answered, smiling again at the mare and
nodding before taking a few steps past to look up at the barn.
For some reason, and he wasn't an expert or anything of course,
to him the structure looked... recently built.... "Sounds
good... As for proving myself, I'm ready and willing whenever
you say the word." He boasted again before quieting down some
and taking a more sincere tone, "and... Uh... Thank you,
Applejack, for giving me a chance. I promise I won't let you
down." Again catching his own shift in the tone of his voice,
the stallion cleared his throat then gave his wings a short
stretch to check on them before turning back around and giving
the mare his usual confident smile.
"So, is there anything you need doing around here right now, or
did you just want me to get familiar with the barn? Maybe I can
help you with those other crates out in the field, or check on
the water shoot up there? Treat you to a candle lit dinner or
picnic of grass maybe? Or possibly pull a plow out in the
fields?"
#Post#: 919--------------------------------------------------
Re: Derivation
By: Applejack Date: January 29, 2014, 8:29 pm
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Applejack only nodded once to Darrus when he acknowledged her
compromise, glad that he found no problems with the suggested
plan. This way, she didn't haveto worry about him just getting a
few bits and then scampering off, and she could easily find him
if she needed to, except for when he went into town. "How 'bout
you thank me by doin' a good job 'round here," she said to him
after he thanked her for giving him a chance, raising a hoof to
her head to adjust her hat. "Remember, faster you prove yer not
gonna be dead weight 'round here, faster you start gettin'
bits."
He then asked about anything he could do, even slipping in a
suggestion of a candle lit dinner in the middle of it, causing
her to roll her eyes and turn back towards the house. "Calm yer
hooves, stranger. Ah'd appreciate if ya stopped tryin'a come
onta me like that. Ah ain't interested. As fer things ta do...
Well, Ah still gotta repair some o' the fence on the west side
o' the farm, an' Ah still need ta inspect the roof o' the house
ta make sure it's still holdin' tight an' keepin' water out...
Ain't really any point in tryin'a plow any fields yet 'cause
it's so close ta cider season, an' when that happens we really
gotta hunker down an' focus on the apples. Guess there's also
bringin' in all the baskets of apples Ah've filled so far...
Guess if yer feelin' adventurous taday, you could do that. But
Ah ain't gonna force ya to, not 'til tomorrow."
She hummed for a moment before waving for him to follow her once
more. "C'mon. Gotta introduce you to everypony else so they
don't think yer a trespasser," she told him as she walked over
to the house, that... Just looked like another barn. She lead
him into the doorway before calling out, her voice easily
carrying through the house. "Apple Bloom, c'mere a sec!" She
waited for a moment before the filly came down the stairs with,
"Yeah, whatcha need, sis?" Applejack then gestured to Darrus and
said, "Apple Bloom, this's Darrus. He's gonna be workin' on the
farm with us, an' stayin' in the barn fer a while." After
glancing between the two of them, obviously thinking there was
something between them, Apple Bloom waved to Darrus before
inspecting his cloak. "Oh! Ah got a cape like that, too! Be
right back!" she cheered before darting back upstairs. "Uh, ya
really don'--" was all Applejack got out before Apple Bloom
disappeared, causing Applejack to rub at the back of her neck.
"She gets excitable sometimes. Sorry," Applejack told Darrus,
moving over to the kitchen and peeking inside as if to see if
there was somepony in there. After humming to herself, she moved
back into the living room just as Apple Bloom came dashing back
down, her cutie mark crusader cape tied around her neck. "See?
Capes're so awesome, don't ya think?"
#Post#: 928--------------------------------------------------
Re: Derivation
By: Darrus Date: January 30, 2014, 3:57 am
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"You got it! I can almost hear the clink of bits already..."
Darrus joked, confidence, of course, still clear as day. For a
moment he wondered where exactly he was going to be having his
bed set up within the barn that he was evidently going to be
growing quite familiar with in the coking days. It didn't matter
to him the placement, of course, as being used to just grabbing
any random cloud whenever he needed to sleep, having a roof and
an actual mattress to stretch out under and over respectively
meant that regardless of where it was set up he was probably
going to be getting some better sleep over the next few nights.
At Applejack's request for him to "cool it" in a sense, the
stallion raised his hooves up in a gesture to show that he
understood. "I'll...try." he replied, not really trusting
himself to make a full fledged promise to not flirt in the
future. He knew himself pretty well, and he knew filtering his
speech for those kinds of things would be difficult. "As for
those chores, well, I am a rather adventurous stallion..." He
said, nearly wagging his eyebrows before catching himself and
attempting to, again, hide what he'd done, this time behind the
act of pretending like he'd gotten something in his eye as he
rubbed a hoof over his vision marbles. This was going to be even
harder than he'd originally thought... "Uh, *ahem* I could
probably handle one or two of those today. I could at the very
least get started on something."
Following behind Applejack after she waved for him to do so,
Darrus kept back a small chuckle. Gee, they just met and already
she was taking him home to meet her family? They seemed to have
skipped some steps and- WOW! This was actually going to be a LOT
harder than he'd originally thought! Trying to focus on
something else for a moment, Darrus thought about the upcoming
cider season and the beverage that he'd wanted to try so badly
that it had brought him here looking for work just to be able to
afford it. Mmm... Cider...
Reaching a second barn... or no actually, it was a house now
that he was getting a closer look. Huh. Well, if that's the
style they wanna go with... Reaching the mares house, Darrus
stepped inside and took up a spot next to AJ as she called out
for and was then answered by a small filly whom, if the Pegasus'
incredibly developed and accurate detective skills were anything
to go by, was her little sister. Darrus gave a small wave and
friendly smile as he was introduced to the filly, him picking up
that her name was Applebloom and then blinking from her reaction
to his cloak and subsequent departure. He gave a small chuckle
once shed gone from sight, his smile growing a little at AJ's
apology as he only shrugged in response, glancing over his cloak
as she checked the kitchen to see of something may have
triggered the reaction it had earned only to find it as the same
old thing he wore everywhere.
Looking back up at the sound of the energetic filly's return,
this time sporting a little cape of her own, he smiled again at
her enthusiasm over the article of clothing. "Heh, definitely,"
he replied to her question with a nod, "a pony looks their best
when they've got themselves a cool cape billowing epicly behind
them in the wind. I like yours better than mine though, its a
better color and less worn down. Really well made and kept in
good condition it looks like. Also, you've got that awesome
patch on there." He sat down, and exaggerated the act of
crossing his front hooves over his chest and looked away in
playful jealously. "Wish I had a patch like that. What's it
mean?"
#Post#: 938--------------------------------------------------
Re: Derivation
By: Applejack Date: January 30, 2014, 10:08 am
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Apple Bloom nodded fervently in agreement to Darrus' statement
about a pony looking their best with a cape, causing Applejack
to roll her eyes to herself as she just listened. Sounded like
they were gonna get along just fine. Then, Apple Bloom's already
wide grin only widened as Darrus complimented her cape, though
her excitement diminished a bit when Darrus looked away in
jealousy. "The patch's the symbol fer the Cutie Mark Crusaders
club!" she exclaimed as she glanced back to the part of the
cloak that rested over her flank where the patch in question
sat.
"It's a super exclusive club for blank flanks, where we do
everythin' we can think of ta get our cutie marks!" Applejack
then cleared her throat to garner a little attention her way
before speaking. "AB, is Granny Smith still out at the market?
And what about Big Mac? He ain't in the house is he?"
"Nope," Apple Bloom replied, pausing for a moment to think.
"Granny Smith's still out in Ponyville, yeah, but Ah think Big
Mac said somethin' about the west side o' the farm? Maybe he's
out there with a mare~?"Apple Bloom joked, causing Applejack to
shake her head slightly.
"Sure, we'll go with that," she said dryly before sighing
quietly and looking to Darrus. "Well, Ah guess Ah'll introduce
ya later," she said before disappearing into the kitchen,
leaving Darrus and Apple Bloom alone. Apple Bloom, seizing this
opportunity, spoke up once again. "Anyway, one o' the other
Crusaders made the cape and the patch. Her name's Sweetie Belle!
She's not around right now, or Ah'd introduce ya to her, too.
Why do you wear a cape? An' what brings ya to Ponyville?"
#Post#: 940--------------------------------------------------
Re: Derivation
By: Darrus Date: January 30, 2014, 12:04 pm
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Cutie Mark Crusaders, huh? The explanation of the groups purpose
cause Darrus to think briefly back on his own mark and how he'd
discovered his talent, him thinking that, had he had a club to
help him out, he'd have probably earned it much sooner than he
had. "You guys got your own club for that? That sounds awesome!"
He said, almost sounding like he was matching the small filly's
excitment over such an idea. Glancing over towards Applejack
when she paused the conversation to ask her sister a few
questions, Darrus learned of two other members of her family
he'd be meeting at some point in the future. One, he assumed
given the name, being their grandmother and the other possibly a
brother from how they spoke of him. Welp, if they were anything
like the Apples he'd met so far, he figured chances were were
low that he'd have reason to dislike them.
"Lookin forward to it," he replied to AJ before she left for the
kitchen, him then turning his attention back to the smaller pony
present. "Mine? Well, I wear mine mostly just to keep the rain
off my back when I'm out traveling. It doesn't have a special
meaning or purpose like yours does, but it works pretty well as
a half decent blanket when camping and, as we've established, a
cape is a must for any pony wanting to look cool. As for what
brings me to town, I just kinda found it while on my way to
nowhere in particular. I move around a lot, and Ponyville
happened to be in my path so I decided to stick around for a
bit. Also, I'm told Cider season is coming up, so that's
definitely something to be here to enjoy from what I've heard.
"So, what kind of stuff has your club done to try and find your
cutie marks? Go any any really exciting adventures? How many
members do you have aside from yourself and Sweetie Belle, and
have any of you guys found your talents yet?" He asked with
genuine interest, pausing to glance over towards the kitchen
Applejack had left for a few seconds before then lowering his
voice some as he sounded more conspiratorial, "Also, Applebloom,
you think you could do me a favor? I'd really appreciate it."
#Post#: 954--------------------------------------------------
Re: Derivation
By: Applejack Date: January 30, 2014, 8:55 pm
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Apple Bloom sat down on the floor in front of Darrus, grinning
up at him as she listened to what he had to say about why he was
in Ponyville. Wasn't quite as exciting as she was hoping for,
but since he said he moved around a lot, he must have a lot of
cool stories to tell, right? Apple Bloom's gaze moved briefly
over to the kitchen as Applejack made a little bit of noise in
there, before looking back to Darrus when he asked about the
Crusader club. She giggled at his question and looked up for a
moment to think of which activities she should share, only to
pause and look at Darrus in surprise when he asked if she could
do him a favor. "Yeah!" she responded, her volume and tone
matching his as she moved a little closer. "Whatcha need?
Whatever it is, it sounds fun!"
#Post#: 960--------------------------------------------------
Re: Derivation
By: Darrus Date: January 30, 2014, 9:50 pm
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Darrus looked a little unsure at the filly's belief of the favor
being fun or exciting right now, him making a gesture with his
hooves to reflect how he believed it may possibly disappoint.
"Well... It might get fun later once I've had some more time to
get some ideas and work out a plan or two, I suppose, but right
now I was wondering if you could help me with something a little
simpler. Since I'm going to be staying and working around here
for a while, I wanted to make sure I stayed on everypony's good
side, follow? Especially Applejack since it seems I'll probably
be around her the most, what with her telling me what to do and
all. So I was hoping you could tell me a few things about her.
Like, the kind of stuff she likes to do and what not, you know?
I figure that, as her sister, you'd be a good pony to help me
with forming an idea on how I can get to know her better."
#Post#: 965--------------------------------------------------
Re: Derivation
By: Applejack Date: January 30, 2014, 10:54 pm
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Despite Darrus' denied descriptor of any discussed deeds daring
to be dastardly or devious, Apple Bloom continued to grin up at
him as she waited for him to explain. If it wasn't going to be
interesting in some way, he wouldn't have lowered his voice like
he did. Even though Darrus' reasoning for asking about details
regarding Applejack was tame, it didn't stop Apple Bloom from
coming up with a different conclusion, and squeeing a little too
loudly before clamping her hooves over her mouth as she glanced
over to the kitchen. "You kin count on me," she whispered to him
before raising her voice and calling out to Applejack. "Hey sis,
Ah'm gonna show Darrus the clubhouse!" she said before
scrambling outside before Applejack could say anything in
response and stop her from doing so. nce she and Darrus were
both outside, she lead him through some of the orchard near the
farm, singing along the way.
[spoiler]
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIbL3BpTQ08[/spoiler]
"We're the toughest little ponies in town,
Got the moves, got the mojo, no harder workin' ponies around.
We are a trio, work as a team,
We'll be the first ponies out on the flag-waving scene.
We get goin' when the goin' gets tough
We know our very best is just never enough.
We're kinda short, but so what? We don't get defeated.
We could take a little break, but we don't need it.
We got hearts as strong as horses
And we're playing to win as we gallop to glory
We can conquer any challenge we're in
Weve got hearts, hearts strong as horses."
By the time her song ended, she was climbing up the ramp that
lead into her clubhouse, holding the door open long enough for
Darrus to join her before shutting it behind him and speaking.
"A'ight, so let's begin. Ya wanna know 'bout mah big sis, do ya?
Well, she likes bakin', dogs--but not bakin' dogs. Don't get
that confused. Apples, money, hagglin', racin', competin',
rodeoin', her Stetson, helpin' ponies out when they need it...
What else d'ya wanna know?"
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