CHAPTER 18
I walked down the road, looking at all of the stores and restaurants. I tipped my hat (Which I had completely forgotten about) downwards to keep the sun out of my eyes, and unbuttoned my jacket (Which I had also completely forgotten about) a little. I had been picking these things up and putting them on every day when I went out, both on Earth and in Equestria. I guess it just became routine and slipped from my mind.
I was walking into Sugarcube Corner, when I heard a yell come from behind me. "AHA! I CAUGHT'CHA! GET BACK HERE YA' DIRTY CRETIN!" Was that... AJ? Who is she-
Then, a memory snapped into my head.
"I was plannin' on usin' that wood to build a shed! We need somewhere to keep all th' old we got lyin' around!"
Oh... Dear...
'"AHHHHH!" I was screaming as I sprinted down the street, running from AJ's wrath. Karma, why me?
"Y'ALL BETTER RUN!" She was catching up. Yikes!
I noticed some construction nearby. Somepony was repairing a square hole in their roof. I suddenly remembered The Doctor.
I climbed up a set of makeshift stairs and got onto the rooftops. This is VERY dangerous.
I was hopping across rooftops, stumbling after each jump. My heart skipped a beat after every one.
"You gotta come down from there sooner er' later!" Oh no, she was right. I was running out of rooftop. And before I could stop myself, I ran right off the edge of the last roof.
"WOAH!" I landed in a barrel. Thankfully, it was empty. But I was stuck in it. AJ trotted up and looked in the barrel, a sinister smile on her face. "Have I got some work fer' you, buddy boy."
She started rolling the barrel towards Sweet Apple Acres.
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After we had arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, AJ had her brother, Big Macintosh, kick the barrel open. They both glared at me.
"Uh... Apple Bloom said it was OK to use that stuff..."
"Ah don't wanna hear it. Y'all used it, so y'all r' gonna pay fer' it."
"Eeyup." Her brother said that with an almost smug tone.
"Alright, so what do I have to do? I don't have my shoulder pad, so I can't apple buck..."
"Oh no, I don't want ya' doin' somethin' y'all's used t' doin'. You're gonna paint th' barn."
What.
"Then replant all'a th' old apple trees." She pointed to a barren plot of land with hundreds of tree stumps.
WHAT.
"Then, y' c'n help fix all th' apple pies fer' tomorrow. We only need a few hundred."
WHAT.
"That should about cover all th' materials y'all used." Oh, you think? Here we go...
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I grabbed red and white paint buckets, and a brush. I sat them down outside of the old barns door, and went inside to grab a ladder that was always sitting there. I noticed that the crater I had left was still there, covered by a few planks of wood. Wow.
"And Ah' don't wanna see you until every INCH of this here barn is covered with fresh paint."
"Yes ma'am." I had half a mind to bolt, but I saw that AJ had left Big Mac behind to guard. Bugger.
I got to painting, and decided to try striking up a conversation with Big Mac.
"So... AJ never mentions you."
"Eeyup."
"Umm... Anything new going on?"
"Eeyup."
"Would you care to tell me?"
"Nope."
Ugh... WAIT! New idea...
"Any mares in your life? You seem like the kind of guy girls would be all over."
He reacted immediately to that.
"Now what makes you reckon Ah'd wanna talk about that?"
"Well, it's what I hear a lot of stallions talking about." That made me realize that I only hang out with one stallion.
"I have a mare in my life. I'll tell you about her, if you promise to tell me about yours." I negotiated.
"Ah' reckon that sounds fair."
"She's really pretty, and nice too. She is a lot like me. Rational, but sorta like a loose cannon, and loves to party. She has quick wits, too. I was real nice to her when I first got here."
"Would ya like t' tell me her name?"
"I won't tell if you won't."
He grumbled. "Alright, then Ah'm only hintin' towards who it is too."
"Fine by me." I continued painting while he described his crush.
"She's real nice, and loves t' help people. She don't talk much, but I don't neither."
"It's Fluttershy, isn't it."
"DANGIT! How'd ya know?"
"As soon as you said she loves to help people."
"I guess that was kinda a giveaway..."
We laughed. I noticed I was almost done with half of one side of the barn.
"Alright, keep workin'. I don't wanna be out here all day."
I went back to my painting.
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After I had finished painting, we went on to plant the apple tree seeds. Big Mac had agreed to help me. He was a little rough around the edges, but he was a nice guy once he opened up to you.
We started planting the seeds, one at a time, after digging up each stump. I was using a shovel, Big Mac was kicking them until they flew out of the ground.
We were making good time, and I decided to strike up a conversation.
"So, why do you like Fluttershy, asides from the fact you're both kinda quiet?"
"Well, she's real kind, and Ah' love animals like she does."
"Oh. Well, I guess you would like animals, you are a farmer after all."
"Yeah. Ah' jus' wish she weren't so shy. Any time Ah' approach her, she runs away."
"Maybe she feels the same way?"
His head shot up and he looked directly at me. "Y' think so?"
"Dude, look at the facts. You two have a lot in common. You are the shy, quiet farmer boy from the other side of town, the kind of thing that makes a girl melt, and she runs off every time you approach. You do the math."
He pondered that for a minute or two, then he nodded. He was grinning ear to ear for the rest of the time.
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After finish up with the apple tree planting, we went to the Farmhouse. Big Mac went off to his room to rest, and I walked into the kitchen. I saw a very elderly mare with a walker. She seemed to have a bad hip, and arthritis almost everywhere. Ouch...
"Uh... Ma'am? I'm here to help you bake pies..." I took my hat and jacket off and put them on the coat hangar near the doorway.
"Oh, yes! Applejack told me about ya, sweetie. Come here, let me show ya what ya need to do..."
I was memorizing the recipe and trying to keep the instructions in my head. I was hopeless when it came to cooking. I remembered the first time I tried to use the oven back on Earth... I almost burned the house down. Oh no...
"Well, what d'ya think sweetie? Are ya up to it?" She was such a sweet old woman. I remembered my grandma.
"Alright, yeah. How hard can it be to make a few pies?"
"Y' remind me of Applejack when she was a young'un. Always rarin' t' go." Yep, sounded like her.
I started to get the ingredients.
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After a while, I pulled the pie out of the oven. It looked a little hard around the crust, but not bad for my first try. But cooking wasn't really my shtick.
"Well, Ah' reckon that's pretty good fer' a first try. I darn near burned th' house down on mah' first try." She grinned, and I noticed she had no teeth left.
"Yeah, well my Mom was a good cook, and I helped her every once in a while."
I went to get another pie ready. I wanted to make conversation to pass the time.
"So, what's your story?" I asked the old mare casually.
"Well, what'dya mean?"
"I mean, what did you do when you were young?"
She winced, trying to remember. Then a look of realization came across her face.
"I used t' be an apple bucker, like Applejack. I was good at it, but I jus' couldn't get int' it. One day, mah' Ma got sick, and Ah' had t' cook fer' th' whole family. After Ah' got done cookin', everypony dug in, and they all said it was th' best food they ever tasted. When I saw everypony starin' at Mah' flank, I looked too. Then I saw this here Cutie Mark. An apple pie. Seems fittin' t' me."
The story brought warmth to my heart. Such an old woman being able to remember stuff like that made me feel even happier. I went back to helping with the pies.
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I was finally done. Applejack looked at me in disbelief.
"Y' managed t' finish ALL them chores?"
"Yeah, well, I can be a pretty dependable guy when I set my mind to it."
She couldn't help but grin at that. "Well alright then, Yer' free t' go."
I waved goodbye to the Apple family, and walked out the door. After only a few steps out the door, my body seized up. I couldn't move, I just stood there.
"Hey, Ah' said Yer' free t' go!"
I fell to my knees, and darkness began to overtake my vision.
I just barely heard Big Mac's voice. "Kyle! Are ya' OK?"
Then I fell flat on the ground, and the darkness crept in to the last shreds of consciousness I had.