The Element of Hope

by Shootingstar212


Chapter 10: The Apple Family

I rub my stiff shoulder with my right hand, attempting to loosen it up. Rarity kept me standing there for a couple of hours, plus she wants me to come back as soon as possible. I was only able to get out at the time I did because I have to go to Applejacks place to help out with the farm. The words from Applejack echo in my mind, "Once you cross the bridge, follow the white picket fence to get to my farm," something along the lines of that. I made sure to confirm it with Rarity, so I don't get lost again.

I look at what the fence's supposed to be guarding, there are apple trees going on for what seems like miles. I shouldn't be surprised, the farm has somepony named "Applejack" working there. It makes sense that they run an apple orchard. The apples look bright red and juicy. I may have to try to bribe one out of Applejack later... They look a lot better than the ones back at home. I place my hands in my pockets and continue down the path at a faster pace, the excitement of the apples are getting to me...


I see a red barn in the distance, it's bigger than I thought it would be. I decided to jog the rest of the way, I've never been to a farm area before, so I want to check it out as soon as I can. I arrive at the front gate of the area pretty quickly and look over the farm in awe. Above me is a sign with a hollowed out middle in the shape of an apple, there are vines covering the post with apples growing on them. The barn is painted an apple red, with images of apples on the walls. Not only the barn, but the chicken coops are also painted red... with an apple theme going on. Okay, I get this is an apple farm and everything, but this is really obsessive...

I place my left hand on my hip while I gaze around the area, looking for anypony to talk to, specifically Applejack. I spot the orange cowpony running up to an apple tree at an extremely fast speed, "Yehaw!" I hear her shout out as she approaches the tree. I got to take a look at this. I start to jog up to the towards the area Applejack is running towards. When Applejack gets close enough to the tree, she quickly spins around and gives the tree a mighty buck. The tree shakes violently, losing a few leaves in the process. More importantly, piles of apples fall out of the tree, landing in buckets that are carefully arranged around it. I slow down my pace to a walk, watching Applejack exhale loudly.

"Not only did you kick the tree with enough power to knock down all of the fruit, you managed to arrange buckets perfectly to catch all of them. Colour me impressed," I complement Applejack on her outstanding display of raw power, I'm even clapping my hands together.

Applejack does her own version of a curtsy, "I thank ya kindly. I'm more impressed that ya didn't chicken out of today and you stayed by your word."

I shrug my shoulders, "Well, I did say I would help..."

Applejack chuckles, "I hope that your little dress up party with Rarity didn't make you afraid of getting dirty because you're going to be sweatin like a pig by the end of the day!"

"Just what I always wanted..." I say sarcastically, "So what do you want me to do first?"

Applejack trots up to me and sits on her haunches beside me, "You see that apple tree over there?" Applejack points her hoof at a nearby tree.

"Yeah, I see it," I cross my arms and lean my weight on my right foot, just to get comfortable.

"I want you to get the apples out of that tree and into these buckets," Applejack is now pointing her hoof at a group of buckets that are pretty sizable, "I'll help ya set'em up."

"Uh... Sure," I respond as we both start to walk towards the buckets. There are two buckets per wooden pole; I'm not too sure how I should carry it though. I look over at Applejack who gets underneath it and begins to carry it with the back of her neck, effortlessly. Alright, so these shouldn't be too heavy. It's only the first thing Applejack wants me to do, so naturally, it's going to be the easiest thing. I grab the wooden pole with my hands and attempt to lift it up. To my surprise, these buckets are a lot heavier than they look on the outside. I wobble a little in place, trying to lift the pole over my head and on my neck area.Once I'm able to get the pole to a more comfortable area, I begin to follow Applejack who is almost at the tree at this point. I'm being careful with each step, so I don't lose my balance.

"You okay, Sugarcube?" I hear Applejack ask me in a half teasing way.

"Pfft, don't worry about me, I've got this under control," That was a bit of a fib, I'm a little worried about falling over, "You should just worry about setting your buckets up," I try to get her attention away from me. Applejack rolls her eyes and begins to set up the buckets she brought over around the tree. I'm able to just barely stumble my way over to her and carefully place the buckets down behind me, "See... What'd I tell ya," I try to sound confident?

"That was only stepping one, there's still plenty more you need to know," Applejack smirks, "I need you to now get the apples out of the tree."

"That's pretty simple," I say. I look up at one of the thicker branches of the tree, maybe it can support me... I open my hand and aim it towards the ground, crouching down a little to get myself ready. I use my air gust spell on the ground and jump at the same time to send me up higher than a normal jump would. I land on the tree branch but feel myself wiggle a little bit. I place my hand on the main trunk of the tree so I don't fall over. I slowly sit down on the branch and look at Applejack, "See, now it's going to be a cakewalk."

Applejack snickers a little, "You don't plan on... picking each apple individually, do you?" Applejack begins to laugh halfway through her sentence.

"Well... I mean..." Applejack completely guessed my Idea and is laughing at it. I mean, I don't really see what's wrong with it.

"Look around ya," Applejack says, "Don't you see how many trees there are? It'll take you ages to get through one, let alone a few of them!"

"Then what do you want me to do?" I slide off the branch and land on my feet, making sure to bend my legs so I don't get hurt. I then turn around to face Applejack

"I want ya to give 'em a good ol apple bucking!" Applejack says with pride.

"Apple bucking?" I ask confused. This makes Applejack give me a strange look.

"Y'know, like what ya saw me do earlier. I want you to give the tree a good buck."

I remain silent for a few seconds while I think about the kick Applejack gave the tree earlier, "You're kidding me, right? You want me to do that?"

"Yessiree!" Applejack nods her head. This has to be a joke; I can't do anything close to that.

"Uh, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly the strongest guy around."

"Didn't Twilight say that you were able to help fend off some Changelings a few days ago? This is way easier than that is," Applejack gives me a playful hit on the arm.

"I'm not sure what Twilight told you, but what I'm saying is what happened that night was a complete fluke. If I didn't get a surprise hit in on one of them and if they knew that I had magic, I probably would be dead," I look towards the dirt, thinking about how the situation would've been different if I weren't so lucky.

"C'mon, Travis, don't think like that. You need to believe in yourself and make sure your technique is good. With those two ideas in mind, you can do anything," Applejack tries to encourage me on, "I do suggest you get a running start at it though, it does help with the impact if you do."

I walk away from the tree until I'm a good enough distance away from it. Self-doubt is entering my mind, I'm sure if I can do it... I clench my fist as hard as I can. Applejack is right, I just need to believe in myself. I get into a starting position and gauge my target, the lonely apple tree that has such a punchable look to it. I just need to remember what Applejack did. She ran up at top speed, then twisted around to kick the tree with all of the force. The way she kicked it though, she used her forehooves to help propel the attack, then stretched out her hind legs to connect to the tree. She was carrying the momentum from the run-up to the tree... Yeah, I think I got it down. A smirk starts to grow on my face, I've figured it out.

Before I can even think, my feet are carrying me as fast as they can towards my target. The blood is pumping in my chest, almost like the adrenaline is trying to escape me. I see my self rapidly approach the tree, closer, closer, even closer. I just need to believe in my own strengths, I will knock the apples out of this tree and nothing will stop me. The phrase, "The unstoppable force vs the immovable object" is what can describe the feeling I have right now in my heart. The metaphorical fire is burning bright and hot, I'll show myself that everypony that I can do it, that I can accomplish anything!

A grin grows on my face now that I know I'm close enough. I turn my body slightly, placing my hands on the dirt to assist me and to be my propeller. I scrunch my legs in to build up the power, as well as slightly bring myself closer to the ground, my body rotating slightly. It feels like time itself has slowed down for the moment of pure triumph as I spring from the ground towards the apple tree. I can't contain any more of this built up adrenaline and I let out a loud yell as I extend my legs to give this tree the best buck it'll ever have in its life. I shut my eyes tightly as my feet connect to the apple tree, it almost hurts me a little, but it doesn't matter. My legs scrunch back to me so I can land in a squat position. I stand up, not even looking at the apple tree because I know I did something fierce to it.

"Er... Travis?" I hear Applejack say to me, she's most likely impressed that I managed to buck down some apples on my first try.

"I know, you don't have to say it. Honestly, what was I even worried about? That was pretty ea-" I interrupt myself as I turn around. The tree is completely fine. In fact, it looks like my kick did nothing to it at all. I can feel my mouth open up wide in shock. Did that kick really not do anything?

"Y'know, you might be a little scrawny... But at least you have heart," I feel Applejack pat me on the back. Despite all of my efforts, I think I need to be just a tad bit stronger if I want to work here...

"That's a little... soul-crushing," I cross my arms. The bitterness and self-disappointment is now flowing through me even stronger than the adrenaline I felt earlier.

"Don't let it get to ya, you just need some more practice," Applejack trots in front of me, "Maybe get some meat on your bones as well," Applejack pokes my scrawny arm with her hoof, "C'mon, let's try to find something else for you to do." Applejack begins to walk towards the barn with me following her depressingly.


The sun is setting over the Sweet Apple Acres farm. Even though it's starting to become dark out, it's still hot as hell. It's most likely because of all the chores Applejack had me attempt throughout the day, I even took my sweater off to cool down, but that didn't work at all. Even right now it feels like I'm being pushed to the absolute limit. Applejack wants me to try to move a cart of apples. What they did was attach me to said cart and want me to pull it just by walking. At this point Applejack's older brother, Big Macintosh is trying to help find something that I'm able to do. He's pretty nice, if not really intimidating, but he's also a stallion of few words.

My feet are skidding in the dirt while I try to walk forward, the weight of the cart full of apples is holding me back. I can feel myself sweating buckets while I try to move the cart with every step. Sometimes I'm able to get it to move forward a bit, only just a few centimetres though. My legs are beginning to shake and my arms are getting sore, it only takes one more step for me to slip and fall down. I fall to the ground, but catch myself with my arm before my face touches the ground. I inhale and exhale heavily, I need to catch my breath so I can try again...

"Alright, that's enough, Sugarcube," Applejack calls out to me. I attempt to push myself to my knees, but my arms are shaking too much. I feel my straps being loosened, giving my waist some breathing room. I look over to see who took it and see Big Mac getting the straps set up on himself.

"Thanks..." I'm able to huff out at him.

"Yup," Big Mac responds before he begins to effortlessly move the cart to where I was supposed to bring it to. My fists clench the dirt in frustration, the soft soil wetting my hands slightly. I can't believe that I wasn't able to do anything That we tried today. I've never felt so humiliated in my life. I slam my fist against the dirt in anger.

"Damnit!" I yell out in anger. My eyes begin to water, I've let down Applejack today for sure. I've wasted everypony's time, including my own. I feel a large body come from underneath my arm and lift me up. I look over to what it is and to my surprise, it's Applejack.

"C'mon, don't just lay in the dirt," Applejack uses her free hoof to straighten up her hat. I'm able to get onto my feet, balancing relatively easily.

"I'm... Sorry for wasting your time, today..." I avoid looking at Applejack; I'm absolutely sure she's disappointed.

"Don't worry about it," Applejack chuckles, "Everypony starts out somewhere. You shoulda seen me when I was a filly. I was more hopeless than a Dodo bird tryin to get into the Wonderbolts."

"Pardon me?" This analogy has flown right over my head. We've begun to walk towards Applejacks house, instead of the barn.

"I couldn't lift anything heavy, I couldn't pick the eggs out of the coop without gettin a good peck, and I was the worst Apple at apple bucking," Applejack begins. Was she the worst? But, she's amazing from what I've seen," I would try for countless days just to get that one good buck. Days and nights were spent just outside, practising. One day, when I thought it was all hopeless, I managed to get my first apple buck. It made it feel like all the hard work and trying paid off, just by getting it right once."

"You never gave up... despite it seeming like it was impossible?"

"I've been told in my day that I've been fickle," Applejack winks at me. This causes both of us to laugh a little.

"Soups on everypony!" I hear a voice yell, distinctively belonging to an old pony. This is followed by a ringing of a triangle.

"You heard the mare? Let's go!" Applejack starts to pull me towards her house a little forcefully.


"So, your stayin in Ponyville for a whole year?" The old mare known as Granny Smith elongates the last year of her sentence. Granny Smith is just finishing preparing dinner for the Apple family plus one extra. I'm sitting in my chair awkwardly, I honestly feel a little uncomfortable with this situation. Applejack insisted that I'd join her for dinner because of how much effort I put in today. My fingers are nervously tapping my legs while we sit there in silence.

"Y-Yeah, I just moved into the area a few night ago," I reluctantly answer. I turn my head to face where I thought Granny Smith was standing, only to be greeted by her right in front of my face. Her eyes feel like daggers that are piercing into my soul. Did I do something wrong?

"Hmmm... Applejack, you better not be gettin googly-eyed over this one," Granny Smith scolds Applejack for doing... Well something, I don't know.

"Granny, I just met him last night. I don't have those kinds of feelings for, Travis," Applejack responds a little embarrassed. I just continue to sit there awkwardly. I'm pretty sure my grandpa would be the same way if I ever brought home a mare...

Granny Smith's eyes lock onto me once again, "I've got my eye on you," The shrill voice of Granny Smith almost makes me grin. I look over to an empty seat next to Big Mac, but there's a plate of food set up like there was supposed to be one more here.

"Who usually sits there?" I look over at Applejack as she takes a bit of her apple pie. Applejack chews and swallows her piece before answering.

"My little sister Apple Bloom usually sits there, but for the past few nights she's been out late 'crusading' with her friends."

"Crusading?" This is gonna be interesting.

"Apple Bloom and her friends are apart of the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' it really is just trying a bunch of things to see what they'll get there cutie marks in."

"It sounds like something to do to pass the time, I guess..."

"Twilight was tellin me that you're a blank flank," Applejack grins at me, "Is that true?"

"Uhh... Yeah?" What's Applejack thinking of?

"Maybe you should think about joining the Cutie Mark Crusaders, I'm sure they'd love a new member." Applejack laughs at her own joke. I always thought that I couldn't earn a cutie mark because of my species, but maybe I just wasn't trying hard enough... What am I thinking? I probably would've gotten it by now if I could earn one.

I look out the window to see that the sun has set and darkness covers the area. I missed my chance of going to Twilight's today, but I'm going to go tomorrow. I'll spend as much time as she wants taking notes or whatever, just to make it up for not doing anything with her...