//------------------------------// // The Liar and the Apples // Story: My Little Pony: The Brothers of Discord // by mr.myxsiple //------------------------------// CHAPTER 11 THE LIAR AND THE APPLES At the end of that long, hot day full of unsuccessful searches, Scar was glad to finally be back at the apartment. He was very tired and hungry as well; he planned on taking a nice, relaxing bath right after getting that day's soil sample over to his dad. It was a good thing it only took him around 10 minutes to get there. He stuck his key in and opened the door. As he closed the door, he readied the test tube already filled with soil and turned to- "Hello there Scar." The latter was startled to see his brother sitting in a chair across his, hooves crossed with a stern look on his face. "Uh...hey Ironhead." Scar said approaching the earth pony cautiously. He gulped a little in fear of what might happen. Ironhead looked angry which, with his powers, wasn't a good thing to see. Ironhead glared at his brother for a few more seconds. "So...how was your day?" The question seemed innocent, but that didn't lighten up Scar's mood. "Not that good. Still couldn't find anything about the light." His brother nodded but continued to glare. "Ok uh..." Scar made his way to the window. "I'm gonna get this over to dad." Silence came from Ironhead. "D-Don't worry; I'll stay in the clouds this time, so I guess I'll get going..." He slowly made his way to the window before Ironhead could- "I know about yesterday." Too late. "I ran into Rainbow Dash today. She told me all about you guys hanging out together." "Wh-what?!" Scar exclaimed facing his accuser. Aw crap! "She said you two hung out all morning yesterday." Ironhead told him. "You said you were searching all day yesterday, but you were really hanging out with her!" Now Scar was cornered. "I...'cause...that's cause I...I'M SORRY!" The pegasus slumped to the floor and covered his face in shame. "I'm sorry Ok?! I admit it; I'm weak when it comes to her!" Ironhead grumbled and shook his head, disappointed by his brother. "You could've gotten more work done. I told you to stop hanging out with her. And wanting to work with her?! What's up with that?!" "C-c'mon! Cut me some slack!" Scar yelled getting up. "You don't know what it's like to be in love!" "Th-this isn't about me." Ironhead argued back. "This is about what we have to do. If you don't find our where all the light's coming from, Ponyville's history! And so will Rainbow!" "Don't you think I know that?" Scar said back. "Look, I swear it won't happen again OK? I'll search all day tomorrow; I promise." Ironhead face-hoofed. "You and your stupid crush..." "H-hey! What I feel about her isn't stupid!" Scar yelled, his wings flaring out in agitation. "I really like Rainbow. She's pretty, she's funny, she's an awesome flyer, I've never met anypony else like her!" "Yeah, I know all about you being a real goof ball around her." Ironhead chuckled which made his brother blush slightly. "Hey!" Scar tried thinking up something to say back. "Um...Ah...Wh-what about you huh?" "What about me?" "You're always working down there at the farm right? Aren't you and Applejack...y'know..." Ironhead couldn't believe this. "Great, not you too!" he exclaimed face hoofing once again. Scar raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?" Ironhead sighed and looked at his brother. "A while ago...Applejack's grandma told me that she was waiting for somepony like me...somepony that can..." He couldn't finish it. "Seriously?" Scar chuckled which made his brother almost as scarlet as he was. "But-but we're just friends! I don't like AJ like that." "AJ? You got a nickname for her?" "E-Everypony calls her that!" Ironhead argued. "I'm just her friend. End. Of. Story." Scar gave him a sly, knowing smile, the same kind Granny had earlier. "Whatever you say bro. Whatever you say." With that playfully mischievous smile still on his face, Scar took off to deliver that day's soil sample to their dad. Ironhead sighed glad to finally be alone. His day had been very exhausting with him being accused of liking AJ-Applejack! twice. He only wanted to do one thing at that moment-sleep. He hopped on his bed and tried to doze off before realizing something. He sniffed himself and learned that he smelled strange. He smelled like...apples. He figured that's what happens when you work at an apple farm all day. He considered washing it off but decided against it. There was something in the scent that comforted him, like he had brought a piece of the Apple Family home with him. The thought felt nice. Deciding to just go with it and slept carrying the aroma of apples. As he laid there, his thoughts began to drift towards them-Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, Applebloom and, strangely more often than the others, Applejack. The next day... "Hop to it everypony! Applebloom, head fer the east field! Big Mac, you take the west and north! Git them apples in b'fore we lose 'em!" "What about me AJ?" "Ironhead...OK. Yer with me in the south field. I buck, you bring 'em in." "Got it!" For reasons unknown to the Apple Family, the storm scheduled that day came hours earlier then they were warned (a certain cyan filly was going to get in trouble with her friend). The storm threatened the apple field; the minute the sky darkened threateningly, Ironhead and the three Apple siblings got together. Cold wind blew leaves and small twigs around as Applejack darted from tree to tree bucking apples as she went. She didn't have time to get the bring in the baskets, but that was what Ironhead was form. He darted from the barn and back delivering basket after basket quickly. Several minutes in, the sky was completely covered with black clouds. There was a sudden flash of lighting and a great rumble of thunder before the rain started to pour. Still, Ironhead and the Apple siblings managed to bring the apples in before they could be lost. "Almost done!" Applejack cried out bucking a tree while her partner raced back towards her passing by Big Mac who was just about done with his part of the field. She turned and headed for one of the few remaining trees. Unfortunately, as she turned, a stray apple that had been blown by the harsh winds flew towards her and smacked her right between the eyes. The impact knocked her off course, and she stumbled a bit before stopping. "Applejack!" Ironhead cried out running to her side. He helped her up and noticed the nasty bruise the apple made on her face. "I'm fine." she said seeing his face. She galloped towards the remaining trees with Ironhead in tow. Together, they managed to collect the last batch of apples and darted towards the barn. After regrouping with Applebloom and Big Mac, the group dove into the barn just before the rain started to pour. Panting and catching her breath, Applejack looked over at her siblings. "That was a close one. Good job everypony..." she said earning tired smiles from them. A small gasp came form Applebloom. "Applejack, what happened to your face?" "Oh." Applejack gently touched her face and winced at the sharp pain that followed. "Stray apple got to me. I'll be fine." "Lemme take a look at that." Big Mac finally got a good look a the bruise. It was slightly swollen and discolored. "Eeyup, that's one nasty bruise sis. I'll go fetch some ice." He left the three of them alone to do just that. "Uh hey...Applejack?" Ironhead said getting her attention. "Listen...I'm sorry I couldn't help a lot earlier. I wish I was out bucking apples with you guys." "Well, better to lose a few apples than a few trees." Applejack smiled warmly at him. "Don't sweat it sugar cube I still couldn't've all those apples in without ya." The way she said it, coupled with the way she called him sugar cube, scrambled his mind a bit. "Uh...thanks...?"he said in a slight daze. "I wish I could've seen it." Applebloom said bringing him back to reality. "That'd be really cool, knocking a whole tree down. Nopony's ever done it before." "Huh. We got a few dead trees 'round here. Think you can buck 'em out Ironhead?" Applejack asked the colt. "What? Y-yeah. If it means helping you guys out, it's OK with me." he replied glad that he could be of help to her-them. he corrected mentally. Just then Big Mac arrived with Granny and an ice bag in his hooves. "Thanks Big Mac." She put the ice bag on the bruise and sighed. "Yep, that's feels good..." A sudden flash of lighting caught them by surprise. Granny peered through a window and saw the storm raging on outside. "That's some storm alright. Looks like we're stuck inside 'till it dies down." "Aww; we were gonna try firefly catching today..." Applebloom said with a pout. "Cheer up there 'lil sis." Applejack said quick to comfort her sister. "We can still have some fun inside. You up fer a game of Go Fish?" "Do I?" she replied excitedly. "Big Mac, Ironhead, you guys wanna play too?" Both guys looked at each other. "Sound like fun to me." Ironhead shrugged and smiled. "Yeah, I'm game." "Ya better watch out though. I'm pretty good at it y'know." Applebloom said as they left they room. "Huh? Maybe's that's your Cutie Mark..." "Y'know, maybe it is!" The young filly's excitement over getting her Cutie Mark made the group laugh. As they talked on the way out, they were watched by Granny who was specifically keeping an eye on the only non-Apple Family member of the group chatting happily with her grand kids. Well, not Apple Family member yet... "Any aces?" "Nope sorry AJ. Got any 3's Mac?" "Eeyup. Applebloom, any Kings in there?" "Nuh uh. Do ya have a queen sis?" "Here ya go sugar." Ironhead was...happy to say the least despite what was going on. The storm raging outside would've prevented Scar from searching the town thus wasting yet another day. And yet, Ironhead wasn't that much upset by it; the storm had given him the opportunity to bond with the Apple siblings. There was a part of him, a small but growing part, that wondered what would it be like to actually be a part of this family. He ended up gazing at Applejack as he thought about it. Now that the swelling and her face was slowly reverting to its original color, he could finally get a good look at her. The first thing he noticed were her eyes. Those emerald orbs seemed to shine with kindness and comforting warmth. Next were those freckles on the sides of her face; he found it cute how they looked against her sleek orange coat. Then there was that Stetson she always wore above that magnificent golden mane. Last of all was the smile, that gentle curve she always had whenever she gave him a "Howdy" ever time he arrived in the morning- SWEET BUCKING CELESTIA WHAT THE BUCKING HELL WAS THAT?! "Here!" Ironhead said loudly hoping to stop the thoughts while handing over a random card to Big Mac. Three gazes pressed on him. "Uh...I asked for a nine." the other stallion pointed out. He looked at it and saw that it was a two. "S-sorry. I uh...I mean, go fish..." The confused gazes however continued. "You all right there sugar cube? Y'all look like Winona b'fore takin' her to the vet." Applejack pointed out. "Well, that's..." He took a deep breath and calmed down. "I'm fine. I am guys, really." The siblings nodded and just shrugged it off and resumed their game. Well, except for one of them- Applejack. Ironhead did look fine now, but before he shouted, she noticed something strange. He was...looking at her with a slight smile on his face. That observation really puzzled her. A second later, she looked over at him, and he looked at her coincidentally. His light hazel eyes met her emerald ones, and neither of them said a word during this little exchange. Applejack then gave a slight shrug and a shy smile. Ironhead's eyes widened momentarily before nervously turning away, the sight of which made her giggle a little, the sound of which made him turn back towards her. Pretty soon, both of them were laughing for no apparent reason, but neither of them really cared much. She's got really cute laugh...Ironhead thought no longer caring where it came from. "What're you two laughin' about?" Applebloom asked curiously, reminding the two chuckling ponies of the other two ponies in the room. The two stopped laughing at the same time. "Nothing." they said together which puzzled everypony including the two of them. Just as Applebloom and Big Mac were going to ask, Applejack and Ironhead were saved by the timely arrival of Granny Smith. "Oh Ironhead," she said sticking her head in the room. "It's still to risky ta go outside; would ya like to have dinner with us?" He was momentarily surprised by the offer. "Really? With you guys?" He looked around at them. "Well...sure. Why not? Thanks for the offer Granny." The latter nodded and headed out noticing just how much he was enjoying his time with her grand kids. "I hope ya like Apple Pie Ironhead 'cause Granny makes the best ones ever." Applebloom told him. "Yeah. I can't wait." he told her. Dinner with them sounded nice, a great change from the meager dinners he usually had with Scar. He silently thanked the storm for the chance it gave him. "Whoa...this's something alright..." It was indeed something. Apple pies, apple fritters, apple soup, apple salads, apple everything, and everything looked delicious. "Well stop starin' and sit down sonny." Granny told him snapping him out of it. Ironhead nodded and quickly took his seat right next to Applejack. "I don't even know where to start." he told her excitedly. "How do the fritters sound?" she asked offering him some. "Thanks AJ." He took one and ate it. "Mmmm. It's delicious Granny." "Well I'm glad ya like it." the latter replied taking a slice of pie from Big Mac. "Eat up all ya want." "Oh I will." Ironhead replied happily eating another fritter. "Hey Applebloom, can you pass me some of that pie too?" He felt right at home. It had been a while since he had last had a nice meal with his family back home. Deep down, he sort of missed that feeling, that atmosphere of togetherness. He kinda wished Scar was there to share in the happiness he found with the Apple Family. Crap, when did I get so sappy? He honestly didn't care about those things anymore and instead just decided to enjoy his time with the Apple Family. He didn't tell any of them, but they were starting to seem like a family to him. Granny was like the grandmother he never had, Big Mac was like the brother/rival he'd always compete with, Applebloom was the like the little sister he'd missed so much, Applejack- Applejack...She was just...Amazing not to mention friendly, kind, hard working, dedicated...the list went on and on. Never in his life had he met a mare like her, and that wasn't because she was the only mare he knew well. He realized just how fun it was being around her, how good he felt when they were together. He inwardly wondered if she felt the same. Several minutes later, they were done. His plate clean, Ironhead leaned back and patted his belly. "Oww...I still wanna eat, but I think I'm gonna explode or something..." he moaned in a satisfied way. "Eeyup, that's Granny's cookin' for ya." Applejack told him. "I'll go get this stuff put away now." "Actually, lemme help you with that." Ironhead said getting up and helping her collect plates and putting them in the kitchen sink. As he did, he noticed the sly smile and the raised eyebrow on Granny's face. He sighed a little and just tried to ignore it. As he deposited the last of the dishes in the sink, he got a good looked out the nearby window. The rain had finally stopped falling though the occasional dripping sound could still be heard. The clouds had parted allowing little moonlight to shine on the great fields of Sweet Apple Acres. "Looks like that there storm's finally done." Applejack commented appearing next to him. "Yeah uh...I think I gotta go..." He realized when he just said "N-not that I don't wanna stay or anything, but...Scar's probably worried 'bout me and stuff..." "Nah, it's all good sugar cube." his companion replied. "Why don't...why don't I walk ya out?" "That's...nice. Thanks Applejack." Ironhead said feeling tingly for some reason. The two of them headed back for the table. "Hey Granny, i'm really sorry, but I gotta go." he told her. "But uh...Thanks for dinner and all; it was amazing." "Any time sonny." She stood up and ruffled his mane affectionately. "Y'all get some rest ya hear? Ya still got some work in the mornin'." "Yeah, I get it. Thanks." "Bye Ironhead. Let's go try Snake and Ladders next time." Applebloom said going up to him and earning a ruffle of her own mane. "Yeah, sounds fun kiddo." He looked up from her, turned to the other stallion in the room and gave him a nod. "Mac." He nodded back at him. "Y'all stay safe now ya hear?" "Relax. Nothing's tough enough to take me down." Ironhead laughed a bit. "OK. I'll see you guys tomorrow." On that note, he left the barn and trotted towards the rod to town alone with Applejack. "Lovely night ain't it?" she said as they approached the gate. "Sure is." Ironhead replied looking at her. They eventually reached the gate and stopped there. Ironhead slowly turned around and faced the farm filly, alone, under the moonlight. "H-hey Applejack, I uh...had lots of fun a while ago" he told her wondering why he felt so nervous. "It was a real blast hanging out with you guys." She smiled at him affectionately. "T'was fun havin' ya around here too. I had fun today too." she replied. Ironhead shifted around nervously and scratched the back of his head. "That's good. so uh...I'll see you tomorrow." "Yeah. You too...G'night Ironhead." "G-Good night Applejack." With a tip of her hat, she turned around and made her way back inside. Ironhead turned around too, but for some reason could not leave, not just yet. He didn't feel satisfied with a simple good bye. He felt a powerful urge to do something, something bold, something he hadn't thought of fully, something he never thought about before and quickly whipped around. "Applejack!" Luckily, she was still within earshot. She turned around and was momentarily surprised to see him fidgeting nervously. "A-Applejack." He tried to ignore the fact that he face was heating up. "D...D'you wanna... hang out some time...? J...just us...?" The suggestion caught her by surprise and made her own face turn slightly pink. "W-Well I...I dunno what to say honestly." she answered just as nervous as he was. "I.. well...Aw to hay with it, sounds like fun." That made his heart do a back flip or two. "H-How does this Friday sound?" "That's...that's great." Ironhead was smiling widely now. "Thanks. Night again Applejack." "Good night...sugarcube..." With that, she turned and hastily galloped back into the barn. She passed by the kitchen, went up to her room and slammed the door shut. Her entire exchange with Ironhead was noticed by the elderly mare who looked upwards towards her grand daughter's room. "Ugh...Finally!" Outside, Ironhead was still in his place, giddy over Applejack's acceptance. After about five minutes, he turned and finally left Sweet Apple Acres and trekked down the road to Ponyville. He felt so excited; he was going to hang out with Applejack! He was going to- He suddenly froze mid step, his grin vanishing when the full realization of what he just did hit him. "Why the hell did I do that?!" he nearly shouted and almost woke everypony up. What was up with him? He had a mission to do and had to focus solely on that. He didn't any distractions, yet why was so willing to ask her- It filly dawned on him. "Ho...ly...crap..." "Ugh...It's not morning yet..." Scar still felt a hoof nudging him. "Quit that! I'm trying to-Ironhead! You're back!" It was indeed his brother. "That's a relief. I got worried with the storm and all and- Are you alright?" Ironhead said nothing and continued to stare blankly at his brother. "Hey! Bro! What's wrong?" No reply. "C'mon...say something." Light hazel eyes looked down on him as he heard his brother speak. "...I'm in love with Applejack..."