The normal serenity of sweet apple acres was being disturbed by a terrible racket coming from the barn. It was this loud racket that had woken Granny Smith from her nap and forced her old bones to come out and investigate. She called out for Big Macintosh but he wasn’t in the house, and if he were in the barn he probably couldn’t hear her shouting.

 

Noisy little whippersnapper, Big Macintosh should know that she naps at this time. No doubt the young’un had gotten excited about something. We she was going to give him an ear full if was responsible for this racket.

 

As she approached the barn, she started hearing the voices of two stallions, one she could make out was Big Macintosh but the other she had never heard before but definitely a young stallion, exhausted with a hint of frustration in the sound of their voices. The conversation were saying having have absolutely no sense in her mind.

 

“Arrgh… Celestia that hurts…” the stranger spoke, he sounded in pain.

 

“Ah’m sorry. I’ll hold it up and we’ll try it one more time.”

 

“Wait… It won’t fit in there, Mac. Its too…urgh… damn big…” the stranger replied, a few more grunts followed.

 

“Ya just need to use more lube. That‘s right, just rub it all over.” replied Mac.

 

“Wow. It just slides right…ugh… in.” replied the stranger, “Right! here we go you piece of---”

 

 

 

“Big Macintosh, you better not be foolin wi…”

 

She popped her head round the corner to see two young stallions covered in dirt, oil and grease. Mac was stood on top of the cider squeezer holding the drive belt in his shaking hooves as it tried to stretch back to its regular size. The young stallion she didn’t recognise had picked up a mallet with his teeth as was about to beat a generously lubed drive wheel into place when both looked at her.

 

“Hey Granny.” said Mac.

 

“Hay Wiss Smiff.” I said with my mouthful.

 

“Mal, could ya finish? Starting to lose feelin’ in my arms.” said Big Mac.

 

I nodded and with a few strikes hammered the wheel on to the pin, allowing Mac to release the drive belt over it. He jumped down from the top of the Cider Squeezer and shook his hooves to get the feeling back into them before he walked up onto the treadmill. He started with a slow walk, the new drive belt powering the machine and starting the large crushing wheel to spin slowly, Mac upped his speed and the large well responded accordingly. I checked everything on the other side as the machine was in operation.

 

“How’s it look?” He asked.

 

“Seems fine, its not screeching anymore. Looks like replacing those parts did the trick.” I Replied.

 

Big Mac responded with a nod and began to slow down, the breaks on the machine bringing the big wheel to a stop as the power stopped going to the wheel allowing Mac to step off just as it came to a complete stop. He raised his foreleg to hoof bump for a job well done. I returned the gesture. I’d never had so much fun getting exhausted before.

 

“Well…. Looks like you managed to fix it.” said Granny Smith approaching them.

 

“Eeyup.” replied Big Mac.

 

“I’m surprised this thing still works. I thought they used steam presses now, not old stone-wheels like th…” Granny Smith glared at me when she caught the word ‘old’.

 

“We make Sweet Apple Cider the old fashioned way! And at do that yer need an old-fashioned squeezer ta’ do it. Annabelle ‘ere is the only workin stone-wheel squeezer in all of ponyville. Maybe even in all of Equestria!” replied Granny Smith.

 

“I’m sorry. Its just I’ve just never seen one of these before outside of a history book.” I was a little taken back how quickly she went from frail to fiery in a heartbeat.

 

“Aww, its okay young’un. I’m just abit tired from being woken up so early.” she replied rubbing my mane. “So who is your new friend?” she asked.

 

“This ‘ere is Malinter. He needed my help with something at school so he’s ere returning the favour.” said Mac introducing me.

 

“Nice ter meet ya Malinter. Always good to see more stallions working the farm. Was getting worried we’d have to retire Annabelle here before the Zap Apple season but thanks to you two I think she’d got a few years left in her yet.” she replied as she stroked a hoof on the machine. Big Mac later told me that Annabelle was actually the first machine of its type and had been commissioned around the time of the 4th Zap Apple harvest and had been on the farm ever since. It was probably one of the few pieces of the original Apple farm she grew up in that hadn’t been replaced over the years.

 

“Since you’ve been so helpful, how would ya like ta stay for dinner as a reward?” she asked.

 

“You don’t have to do that, I already owed Mac for helping me.” I replied.

 

“Ah, so yer want to work for ya food, eh? Well then. Why don’t ya do some Apple Bucking with Big Macintosh? He’ll show ya the ropes, a strong stallion like you will pick it up lickety-split. Dinners at 6.” she said and headed back out of the barn, she popped her head around again.

 

“And get yourselves cleaned up. Ya look like wet dogs and ya smell like a pair of skunks in a outhouse.” she added before giving a little wave and she was gone.

 

I sighed.

 

“I’m sorry about before… When you wanted me to meet you back here I thought.”

 

Mac put a hoof on my shoulder.

 

“I know, I didn’t mean ta tease ya like that. But ya still stayed and we’ve made Granny really happy so I owe you one. This way.” he said.

 

“Where are we going?” I asked.

 

“I’m gonna give ya a bath, you can’t get this stuff out of ya coat without somepony helping ya.” replied Macintosh.

 

“And then I do the same for you?”

 

“Eeyup.”

 

“Sounds like a good way to spend the day.” I smiled, and walked after him. As I follow him a question came into my mind that I had almost forgotten to ask.

 

“Mac.” I asked.

 

“Mal?” he replied.

 

“Why do you have such high grades?” I asked.

 

“Nothing wrong with a pony to try his best.” he replied.

 

“That’s not what I meant. I’m wanting to enrol at college and get accepted into the Royal Guard Program. That’s my goal. I was just wondering what yours was. If that’s ok.” I added.

 

He stopped to think for a moment.

 

“I want to become a doctor.” he replied, he must have read the look of surprise on my face.

 

“Once when I was younger, Granny got sick, real sick. We thought we might lose her right then and there. I remember how I kept wishing I knew how to make her better. She pulled though o’course but that feeling never left me. I’ve been studying everyday since. Once we finish elementary school I’m gonna enrol that the Medical School in Canterlot.”

 

“I know the chief medical instructor at that school, I could let him know about you but… what about this place?” I asked surveying the farm.

 

“My Pa understands. He’s at the hospital right now with my Ma. Expecting a new little sister any day now. We had a small fight about it, both know it’ll be hard for him running the farm on his own but he decided to take a chance on me. Ah told him if it all doesn’t work out, I can always come back to the farm.” he replied. I nodded.