//------------------------------// // Arc XXII Episode VI: Waterworks // Story: Family Begins With You // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// Applejack spared them no time--having already grabbed the garden hose from the side of the house with its jet-powered nozzle active. “Ya’ll better run, sugarcube!” “Ahhh!” Applebloom squealed playfully as she grabbed onto Keiji’s wrist, “We gotta move!” “...I don’t get it--blagh!” he yelped once he was pulled by force, “Don’t we want to get clean?” “It ain’t about gettin’ clean!” she insisted, “It’s the thrill’a the chase--Applejack is six feet’s worth’a muscular young woman--that makes it fun!” “...I think I see the appeal now--” SSHHHH! A fierce blast of water from the hose jetted towards Keiji who barely managed to drop to the ground in time. “C’mon, ya’ll, quit messin’ around! Getcher behinds out here so I can blast ‘em!” “You’ll never take us alive!” Applebloom protested as she ran out from behind a bush. “You won’t catch me!” Keiji had fully given in, and started running as well, cackling the entire way as they both ran towards the watermelon patch. “I’m the fastest man here!” “Ugh!” Applejack huffed as she ran after them, “Don’t make me get mah rope. I will get mah rope. You will not like the rope!” “Wait what--hey!” Keiji dove under another blast of water, “The hell?! That thing has select fire now?!” Next to him, Applebloom was hiding under a set of melons and she replied, “Mm-hmm. Helps us save on water when we wanna just catch a thing or two instead’a runnin’ too much of it--” Suddenly, the sun was blocked out by a massive figure standing over them. The pair of teens turned over and their eyes bulged out of their heads when they saw the annoyed, muscular apple girl standing over them, holding the hose’s nozzle like a weapon. “Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” she flicked the hose nozzle as if pulling back a hammer on a pistol. “Ya’ll best give up now before I make it hard.” Keiji froze--unable to take his eyes off of her chiseled form. “...yeah that’s already--” “Save yerself!” Applebloom pushed Keiji out of the way. Psssshhh… Applejack had turned the nozzle to a much less powerful shower to clean the sticky watermelon bits off of her sister. “Ah! Hehehe!” Applebloom laughed as she was sprayed, and stood up--now dripping wet. “Alright, alright--I’ll go on inside.” Applejack then directed her gaze to Keiji, “Alright, boah. Don’t try runnin’.” “Yeah, and what if I do?” She leaned forward and playfully teased him with a grin on her face, “Then I’ll do to yer face what I did to that there melon. Wanna keep tryin’ me, lil’ man?” “...eeep!” he squealed like a mouse and shook his head, “N-no ma’am!” “Good. Now getcher self on over here.” Defeated, the vampboy huffed and puffed out his cheeks as Applejack sprayed him with the water. “Hmmmph…” “Ya know I was messin’ around, right?” Applejack put an arm around him, “I’d never hurt ya like that, kiddo.” The honest gesture put a smile on Keiji’s face as he tried to play it off. “Yeah…I mean…I knew that--I was just testing you-” “Riiiight…” she replied with a chuckle. “Once Applebloom’s done, you can head on to the shower next I’ll put yer clothes in the wash, alright?” “Sweet, thanks…you’re a swell bunch, ya know that?” “We try our best, buddy,” she turned off the hose and pat him on the shoulder, “Go on. I got yer back no matter what.” As he walked back to the barn, Keiji smiled to himself, looking rather…content with how life had played out thus far. “...Never thought I’d find myself thinking that I’d put my life down for someone else if push came to shove. But here we are.” A few hours later… Once everyone had gotten cleaned up, Granny Smith and Big Mac had returned just in time for dinner--to which they all invited Keiji to remain as their guest for the evening. Of course, normally he would’ve rejected the idea, but given how…much he had learned over the course of the day, he was more than willing to accept their offer out of courtesy towards them. When he had finished eating, Keiji took his empty plate to the kitchen where he’d find Mac washing the dishes. “Thanks…I never knew chili could be made out of blood sausage. Nor did I expect you to know how to cook.” “Eeyup,” was all Mac said as he took his plate. “Wow, you really don’t talk much, huh?” “Nope.” Keiji rubbed the back of his head. “...Yeah I should’ve saw that coming; didn’t miss a beat and already washing the next dish.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked over to see the rest of the Apple family still talking at the dinner table--completely occupied by the conversation of Granny Smith’s experience setting things up for the festival. “...Hey Mac, do me a favor, wouldja? Take care of your little sister--Applejack to be exact. Part of me thinks that--” “Lemme guess,” Mac cut him off with a surprisingly long question, “She told ya about our folks, yeah?” “...Y….yeah,” Keiji replied with wide eyes, clearly not expecting Mac to speak that much. “And you think she’s not entirely over how they passed cuz she still wants’ta know the truth, yeah?” Mac asked again. “....Yyyyeah,” Keiji muttered, unable to put how it made him feel into words. “You know, huh?” “I’ll talk to her about it. Don’t worry,” was all the eldest Apple sibling said in response, wanting to end the conversation there. Luckily, Keiji was able to take the hint, and left it be. “Gotcha. Thanks for listening.” He left the kitchen, and was preparing to leave the farmhouse entirely before he was stopped by Applebloom. “So uh, Keiji--you got anyone yer takin’ witcha to the festival tomorrow?” she asked with her hands behind her back, “Someone…pink-colored, maybe-?” “Would you cut the crap?” he rolled his eyes, “I’m not taking or going with anyone.” His mind started to wander back to what Shinji told him regarding apples, as well as the fact that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon’s parents were also funneling money into this festival alongside the Hishima family. It all spelled potential disaster, but he didn’t want to spell anything out just yet. After all, there was a chance that he could’ve been completely off-base and stress everyone out over nothing. But he wasn’t about to take that chance. “I’m just…gonna watch over the festival and make sure nothing bad happens,” he admitted while shutting his eyes, “I can’t be everywhere at once, but I can damn well try.” “...So yer not even gonna enjoy yerself?” Bloom lamented his intent, “...Kei. Ah think you at least deserve a bit of a break, ya know? If ya keep frettin’ over somethin’ that might happen, ya won’t get’ta enjoy what will happen. Like earlier today when we played outside in the water…wasn’t that fun?” There was no arguing that. Keiji knew that if he wanted to be able to relax, he had to put aside his concerns at least for a little while in order to find enjoyment in life. The hard part was finding a way to lay those concerns to rest… “...Yeah,” he opened his eyes and looked at her, “You’re right. That was honestly the most fun I’ve had in a while.” Applebloom pulled him in for a hug. “Exactly. Whatever happens, we’ll all be here with ya. So don’t worry…” “...” Keiji put his arms around her as well, accepting her embrace. “...Alright. I’ll try.”