Chapter Eight: Farmhand
AHHHH! One thousand views! My story has one thousand views! This is my first story, so I feel so excited that one thousand people in this world have looked at my story with their eyeballs! IT'S JUST SO GREAT! Ahem. Sorry, I just got super duper excited there. Oh, and I just want to apologize in advance...I'm back in school (ew) so the fanfics will take longer to write now. I mean, seriously, between actual school attendance and homework, they have me for about a fifth of my day, and I need sleep too. Anyways, here's that Applejack chapter I promised, if you couldn't tell by the title. Now read it...with your eyeballs...
"Yee-haw! Get along, little doggies!" You look up from reading History of Equestrian Royals, Cities, and Wars to see Applejack and a brown-and-white herding some pigs into a pen. "Y'all get in there, ya hear?" The dog barks happily as the last pig runs into the pen, and Applejack closes the gate after them. You walk up to AJ who is praising and petting the dog.
"Hey Applejack. Who is this?" You look at the dog, who yips and tries to lick you.
"Oh, this is just my herding dog, Winona. She's a good gal, ain't you, Winona?" She gives the dog a final pat on the head. "So, how y'all been doing, [Y/N]? Read any good books lately?" She looks at the one under your arm.
"Hardly. This is the one Celestia told us to read, but it's boring beyond belief. I can't even count the number of times I've fallen asleep while reading it. Most of the book is just a bunch of lists of war generals, city founders, and rulers, plus a few little facts about them. So, of course, Twilight is practically in love with this book."
Applejack chuckles. "Yeah, that Twilight sure loves her books. Me? I'm a simpler pony. I like to stick to working on the farm with my family. Yes sir, nothing is better than a long day in the apple orchard with your brother and sister." As she talks, you look at the ground sadly, remembering the long summer days back home with your human mother. Applejack seems to notice this. "You alright, sugarcube? Hmm..." Her orange face lights up. "Here's an idea! Why don't y'all come work on the farm today with me and Big Macintosh? The day is still early, and we sure would appreciate the help."
A large grin slowly spreads across your face. "Would I? I'd love to! Not to mention that I love apples."
"In that case, y'all are gonna be just fine. You know how to applebuck, right?" You stare at her blankly and she sighs."Oh. Guess not. No worries, it's not hard to do. I can show you, come on! You too, Winona!" Winona barks and follows AJ down an old dirt path to their big red barn. Behind it, hundreds of apple trees sat, their apples just waiting to be bucked down. Applejack walks up to the closest tree, Winona on her heels. You gaze up at the large tree. It's much bigger than our apple trees back on Earth. Then again, there is no pollution here... "Now, just do what I do, and don't worry if you don't succeed the first time." Applejack turns around, pushes her hind legs in close to her body, and then quickly extends them in a forceful kick. As her legs come into contact with the apple tree, it shudders, causing all of the apples on it to fall to the ground and into AJ's ready bucket. All you can do is stare at her, your jaws agape in surprise. When she sees your reaction, she chuckles. "And that's why nopony messes with a farm filly."
"And...you can teach me how to do that?" you finally ask.
"Sure as I'm an Apple!" Her confidence fills you with hope, and you nod, walking over to another nearby tree.
"Well, here goes nothing!" You turn around, pull your legs in as tight as you can, and kick out with all of your strength. Once your legs hit the tree, a vibration from the impact rockets through your whole body, not unlike the feeling of banging your head against a wall. This causes you to fall flat on your face, your legs sore. You stand up and shake off the dirt on your coat, then turn around to see Applejack on her back, roaring with laughter.
"You...ok there...sugarcube?" she gasps between laughter.
You make a face. "I'm fine, now quit laughing at me!" You can't help but giggle a bit yourself, it was pretty funny now that you think about it.
AJ manages to finally calm down a not before saying anything. "Sorry, sorry. I probably should've told you, but it's just something that everypony normally knows 'round here. You don't kick the tree with all of your strength, or you'll just hurt yourself."
"Thanks for the tip," you say jokingly. "Here, let's try that again." You tuck in your legs and again, this time with a little less power, kick the apple tree. To your delight, your legs feel fine and the tree begins to tremble.
"Get ready, the apples are gonna fall!" AJ warns. You quickly grab a basket as shiny red apples begin to break off of the tree and tumble down towards the ground. Running around like a maniac with a basket on your head, you dart around the tree to catch the various apples. You smile every time you hear the thump of an apple landing in your basket. Finally, the apples stop falling and you look up at the tree to see that all of its apples have been harvested.
"Yee-haw!" Applejack says, standing up on her hind legs and hitting the air with her front legs. "That was some mighty fine applebucking!"
Before you can reply, three small voices yell out behind you. "Cutie Mark Crusaders applebuckers, yay!" You jump as the three hyper fillies dart under your legs and towards an unharvested apple tree. Apple Bloom, obviously used to the hard work, kicks the tree with a surprising amount of strength for a filly. Before the apples even begin falling, Apple Bloom is under the tree with a basket to catch every apple. After she does this, the three fillies check her flank for any changes.
"Anything yet?" the yellow filly questions impatiently.
"Nope," Scootaloo confirms, shaking her head.
"Drat. Why don't you girls try? You never know, you could be applebuckers in disguise."
"Hold on a second," Applejack stops them before they can try anything else. "[Y/N] and I are trying to do some actual work over here, we need some space."
"Pretty please?" they all say simultaneously with the same puppy-dog eyes.
"Yeah, come on, AJ, they won't get in the way," you plead, mimicking their sad eyes.
Sighing irritably, Applejack answers, "Y'all have got to stop ganging up on me. It just ain't fair. Fine, crusade for your cutie marks, but don't slow us down. This field needs to be picked as quickly as ppossible to make up for the time I was gone."
"Thank you, big sis!" Apple Bloom nuzzles her big sister affectionately.
"We'll stay out of your way, we promise," Sweetie Bell says with a smile. You chuckle and continue helping Applejack as the other two fillies try their hoof at applebucking. As you watch Sweetie Bell, you note that she is lacking the strength needed to applebuck. Your theory is proved when she kicks the tree with a small, dainty kick like her sister or Fluttershy would give.
"I don't really think that applebucking is my special talent," she remarks as she looks at the apples refusing to budge for her.
"Here, let me try," Scootaloo says, stepping up to the tree. "Prepare yourselves, apples!" She also kicks the tree with too little strength, although she was much more effective than Sweetie Bell. She looks up as two or three apples fall, embarrassed. "Um...I guess it's not my talent either."
"Huh, you know, I thought you were a lot stronger, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom points out uncertainly.
Scootaloo shakes her small orange head. "Nah, this is all upper body strength, not so much with the legs...or wings, for that matter."
"Oh. Oh well. I guess we're not applebuckers." Apple Bloom pouts at the ground.
A large grin suddenly appears on Sweetie Bell's face. "We may not be applebuckers, but maybe we can be party planners for Pinkie Pie!" The other girls begin smiling like Sweetie Bell as soon as she says this.
Scootaloo looks around at all of their faces. "Then that means..."
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS PARTY PLANNERS, YAY!" They all run off in a cloud of dust towards Sugar Cube Corner. AJ shakes her head.
"Those silly fillies are always getting into trouble. Oh well. Come on, [Y/N], let's get to bucking these apples!" You smile and follow her through the long grove of apple trees, kicking the tree and catching the apples, kicking and catching, over and over on every tree. After an hour of this, you just want to fall asleep on the ground. "Alright, that's enough for today," Applejack confirms to your relief. "Big Mac was working the west field today, so he should be done soon too. Come on, wanna grab some grub?" You nod, speechless from the heat and exhaustion, not to mention how thirsty you are.
You happily sip a cold lemonade as you sit next to Applejack inside of her kitchen. Big Mac sits next to Applejack at their dining room table.
"Was there a lot to harvest in the west section, Big Mac?" AJ asks her big brother as she finishes her lemonade.
"Ee-yup," he replies simply. Talk about a stallion of few words. I don't think he's said more than three words since he came inside.
"Anypony want some of Granny Smith's famous homemade oat cookies?" Applejack asks as she stands from the table. You and Big Mac nod hungrily. "Alrighty then, I'll be back in a jiffy!" She trots happily into the kitchen to grab some cookies. You look at Big Macintosh, attempting to start a conversation.
"So, you like being an applebucker, Big Mac?"
"Ee-yup," he answers, his eyes never leaving his lemonade. You bite your lip, determined to get a normal conversation with him.
"You know, Applejack is a really nice pony. What's your favorite thing about her? I mean, you are her brother." You sit back and prepare yourself for actual communication.
"She's a hard worker," he states.
"And that's it?" you press.
"Ee-yup." You grind your teeth together in complete frustration. Why isn't he talking to me?! I just want a regular old conversation! Is that too much to ask for? Ugh, this is so awkward. You take a deep breath and try again.
"So, I heard Vinyl Scratch is deejaying for another one of Rarity's fashion shows coming up soon. I love Vinyl Scratch, don't you? Her music is just so cool." You lean forward in anticipation as you wait for his answer.
"Nope. I like country." You can practically feel the steam coming out of your head. You wish you could just scream into a pillow to shake off the anger inside of you. When you came to Ponyville, you could easily get into a conversation with just about anypony. Obviously, Big Mac was going to be different.
"Hey, ya'll, I got some cookies!" Applejack walks in the room with a plate stacked high with oat cookies and sets it on the table, grabbing one cookie for herself before sitting down. "Um, [Y/N]...you ok there, sugarcube?" You look over at the orange made to see her eyeing you strangely.
"Fine. Just peachy. Nothing at all to worry about." You feel your eye twitch as you clench your face in masked frustration.
"Ok...hey, it's getting late. You should go ahead and go home soon." You stare at Applejack blankly for a moment, then shake your head to clear your thoughts.
"You're right. I-I should get going. See you later." You stand up and walk to the door, the sun already beginning to set.
As you walk out, you barely hear Applejack say to her brother, "Did you notice anything different about [Y/N]? She seemed kind of...twitchy."
"Nope," Big Macintosh replies as you close the door and walk home.
"[Y/N]? Where are you? Did you go to bed already?" You turn over in bed to see Twilight walking up the stairs, only to stop as soon as she sees you. "[Y/N]...what happened?"
You look at her, a faked smile flastered across your [B/C] face. "And what do you mean by that, Twilight? I'm great as ever. Happy happy happy." You slowly rock back and forth, most of your mind lost in thought. Well, if he doesn't like Vinyl he might not like fashion, because Vinyl is playing at a fashion show. And if he doesn't like fashion, he probably doesn't like girls, because girls like fashion. And if he doesn't like girls, that means he doesn't like me because I'm a girl! Why doesn't he? Everypony else seems to like me. What's wrong with me? Princess Celestia wants me to befriend everypony in Ponyville, and Big Mac lives in Ponyville! What if she gets mad at me? What if she sends me back to the human world?!
"[Y/N]!" Twilight's voice pulls you back into reality where you are now rapidly rocking back and forth in a tight ball on your bed. "[Y/N], what is really going on? I can tell that something is happened, so don't try to make up some story." She looks down at you with stern purple eyes and you flop your head down on your hooves, exasperated. Twilight puts her hoof on your shoulder sweetly. "Come on, you can tell me." You look up at her sadly and then sigh.
"Well, you know how Princess Celestia wants me to make friends with the ponies in Ponyville?" Twilight nods. "Well, I might be having trouble making friends with Big Mac..."
Twilight tilts her head in confusion. "What do you mean by 'having trouble?'"
"Well, I like talking to ponies, it's just how I start friendships. But Big Mac just doesn't seem to want to talk. I asked him questions and talked about his family, and I thought he would respond with more than one syllable! I just feel like something's wrong with me so that he doesn't want to talk to me..."
Your sister smiles warmly at you. "Sis, they is nothing wrong with you that would stop you from making friends. Sometimes, you just have to go about it differently with different ponies."
You look up at her. "B-but Celestia wanted me to become friends with everypony..."
"And you can be friends with everypony. Here, I have an idea! Why don't you go talk to Applejack about it tomorrow? He is her brother, she probably knows what he likes. The key to becoming friends with some pony is to spend time doing things that you both like together. If you can do that, you can be friends."
Blinking, you realize that she's right. "You know what? I think I will talk to AJ. Thanks, sis." You hug her tightly, which she returns.
"Howdy, [Y/N]!" Applejack calls out to you as you walk towards where she's applebucking in her orchard. "What can I do for y'all?" He turns around to face you and pushes her hat up farther on her head.
You sigh to calm yourself. "Applejack, do you remember when I was acting weird yesterday?" She nods. "Well...I'm sorry, but it's because of your brother."
"My brother? What in tarnation did he do?" She grimaced.
"No, no, he didn't do anything. Actually..." You hang your head. "It was my fault. I was overreacting." You look up to meet her eyes. "You see, I know that I'm supposed to make friends with everypony in Ponyville, and so I got a little crazy when I wasn't able to befriend Big Mac. I thought something was wrong with me, but after talking to Twilight, it's obvious that I just need to try to befriend some ponies differently than others. So, you tell me...what's something your brother likes to do that we can all do together?" You look up at her hopefully, but AJ's gaze is focused on something behind you. You turn around to see the red stallion standing there over you. Your face drains of color. "I-I..."
He looks at you questioningly. "Ya'know, just because we got different interests doesn't mean we can't be friends. Sure, I'm a stallion of few words, but if it's alright with you, I'd like to hang out sometime."
As soon as he finishes talking, you breathe a deep sigh of relief. "You don't even know how much I wanted you to say that. Yes, that would be fun, and Applejack could come too. But first, I have a letter to write. So...maybe this weekend?"
"Ee-yup," he confirms. You and Applejack start laughing before you say goodbye and walk home. As you enter the tree door, you see Twilight with her muzzle in a book, Spike lying down on the floor next to her desk.
Your sister looks up from her book as you walk in. "You're looking very perky. Is it safe to guess that the chat went well?"
You smile. "Better than I expected. You were right, Twilight, I just needed to try a different approach. It turns out Big Mac wasn't being unfriendly at all. In fact, I think I have a letter to write."
"You're getting good at this," Twilight chuckles. "Soon enough, you'll be an expert on friendship too!"
Turning to the purple dragon on the floor, you say, "Spike? Come on, stop being lazy, we need to write a letter."
He groans and turns over to glare at you. "Fine. But let's make it quick, I want to go back to bed." He slowly stands up and grabs a scroll and quill. "Ready."
"You're not going back to bed," Twilight grumbles.
"Dear Princess Celestia..." you begin.
"I've already given you my answer, I do not want to begin an exchange student program with the Griffon Kingdom," Princess Celestia tells a guard sternly, who nods and leaves the throne room.
Luna looks at her sister with a slight frown. "Must you keep refusing the griffons, sister?"
Celestia smiles at her sister. "Luna, I do not want to start a fight with the their kingdom, but I feel that the griffons have a bad effect on our subjects. Perhaps I will consider it if the griffons can prove that they are changed."
"You should not generalize a whole race like that, Celestia." Luna looks off to the side as a letter suddenly materializes in front of them. "Ah, a letter. Let's see, what is happening in Ponyville now..."
Dear Princess Celestia,
I'm happy to report to you that, as your newest princess, I am still learning many new things about friendship. Recently, I began helping Applejack on her farm. I can confidently say that I am very good friends with her, but I wasn't able to say the same about her brother, Big Macintosh. I wanted to be his friend, so I tried to befriend him quickly by talking, only to find that we have completely different interests. Instead of embracing our differences, I began to think that something was wrong with me that was stopping us from becoming friends. If only I had known how wrong I was! Friendship may be magic, but it doesn't just appear like magic. Friendship can be gained in different ways and in its own time. Also, I've learned that even two ponies are as different as the sun and moon can become good friends.
Your faithful subject,
[Y/N]
Well, here's your Applejack chapter. Next up...wait, I won't tell you! Tee-hee, I'm so mean. But I put a small hint about it somewhere in the middle of this chapter. I promise it'll be good, though. Oh, and I am in no way trying to ship you with Big Mac, you guys are just friends. If you want ReaderXMac romance, well...it's not here. Sorry! Anyways, this is Bronygirl6729 saying...I'm actually really tired. Goodnight!