Chapter 21
Are We But Ponies?
Something about the way that Heartbreak was almost fawning over Big Mac worried Applejack. It seemed that she cared a little too much about whether she had hurt him or not.
“I just don’t want to rush him off to a doctor, Applejack,” Heartbreak responded. “He’s rather...big. Uhm, in size! Height! Weight.” she frowned. “What I mean that I wouldn’t want to carry him to wherever the Ponyville hospital is.”
Applejack blinked. “There’s no need ta raise a fuss over it. If Big Mac here was in need of a doctor, we could either get one over here or ya could stay with him while ah ran for help.”
Heartbreak blinked and looked a bit wary. “Why would I have to be the one that stayed with-” she almost right away facehoofed. “Right, because you are faster, stronger and better knowledged of the area.”
Applejack frowned. She wasn’t sure if that was Heartbreak’s way of complimenting her, insulting her, or just stating the facts. With the way she talked, almost everything sounded askew, slightly sarcastic or snide. “Now, don’t be putting words in ma mouth there, Heartbreak.”
She frowned at Applejack and sighed. She looked as if she was about to say something, but then her face scrunched up as if she was about to say something she would regret. “I didn’t mean to make it sound like I was putting words into your mouth, Applejack. I was just thinking out loud.” She kicked some dirt. “Can we please just go back to apple buck practice?”
Applejack looked at the two of them. There seemed to be an awkward tension coming from Heartbreak that she just didn’t like. Was there something going on here? She was after all named, ‘Heartbreak.’ “That sounds like a good idea.” she looked at Big Mac. “Was there anythin’ else yer were needing there?”
Big Mac blinked. “Nope.”
“Right then, Ah suspect that ah’m guna be up here fer a while with Heartbreak teach’n her the ins and outs of buckin’. Ya gona be alright on the north side?” She asked.
“Eeeyup,” Big Mac replied.
“Alright then, Ah’ll see ya at noon fer lunch,” Applejack replied. Big Mac nodded and walked away. Applejack’s attention turned back to Heartbreak. There was a rather strange expression on her face. As if she had just caught the whiff of a skunk on the air. “What?”
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I did not just hear those words come out of Applejack’s mouth. “The ins and outs of bucking? Seriously!? Ugh! I swear, if she only knew how horrible that sounded. Well at least I can confirm that I don’t like stallions. Ha! Take that subconscious! I didn’t feel anything like I felt in that dream. Or anything in the slightest. I think. I hope. What the fuck was that dream all about anyway?!” Applejack looks at me with a displeased expression.
“What?” She finally asks.
“What do you mean, ‘what?’” I reply.
“You were looking at me funny like yer were grossed out or sum’thin’,” she replies.
I frown. Now another fraction of myself is showing. The Mi side. The side that is wearing his heart on her sleeve. That thought sounds jumbled even in my head. I need to think of something quick. “I just caught a whiff of myself. I did kinda build up a sweat walking up the hill.”
“Dang, a walk up a hill tuckered ya out? That there world yer from must make for some soft, ‘apples,’” Applejack says, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. “If ya know what ah mean. But don’t ya worry none. We’ll whip ya back inta shape faster than you can say, ‘sta’awa’fruma’brothar.’” She smacks me on the shoulder.
“Wait, what?” I ask.
“Nothin’, let’s get ta cracking at that tree and see if ya can’t buck some apples off it this time.” She looks at me with a rather large smile. I’m not sure what she said in that last sentence, but I have a bad feeling about it.
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Applejack watched Heartbreak as she attempted to buck the apples off the tree. “Yer form is getting better, but ya got ta put more weight into yer kicks.” Heartbreak had only kicked the tree a good solid ten times and already she was working up a sweat. “Ah’m guessing they have fancy machines ta do all their apple harvesting were yer from.”
Heartbreak’s left eye twitched. “Actually,” she let out a kick. “Most of the, UGHF!, harvesting of apples is, UGH!, done...” while trying to catch her breath she paused. “Without the use of machines.”
Applejack blinked. “So ya buck yer apples the same as we do?”
She shook her head. “No, the apples are...uhm” she glared at the tree and kicked it again. She rolled her right hoof as if she was trying to think of a word. “Picked. Picked by workers.”
“Huh, who would’a thunk?” Applejack asked.
“Seriously, Applejack,” Heartbreak looked at Applejack while breathing heavily. “Our worlds aren’t that different.” She kicked the tree again. “The beings there live their lives much the same as you do. -Ughf!- They eat, sleep and do practically everything that you do.” She frowned. “They have lives, -UGH!- the only thing they lack is magic, -uuugh!- and hooves.”
“Ah see,” Applejack replied. “Alright, now we’re getting somewhere. Got her ta open up just a little about where she’s from. Even if it isn’t that much. It’s still somethin’.”
“They even get tired and thirsty like you do,” Heartbreak’s butt slammed down on the ground and she looked exasperated.
“Is that a hint at somethin’?” Applejack asked.
“Yes. I’m tired and thirsty. Can we take a break?” Heartbreak asked. “And maybe get something to drink?”
“Sure thing, Sugarcube,” Applejack replied. “Yer gona have to come this way if yer wanting some water’n.”
Heartbreak rolled her eyes. “Alright...” she moaned, following Applejack through some of the trees at the top of the hill. “What could be at the top of-” Behind the trees was a small watering trough. Heartbreak glared at Applejack. “You have to be kidding me.”
Applejack looked confused. “What? Don’t they have these where yer from?”
Heartbreak frowned. “Yes. Yes they do, but..”
“But what? Yer thirsty right?” Applejack asked.
“Yes,” Heartbreak replied.
“This is water, in’it?” Applejack asked.
Heartbreak’s eyes rolled again. “Yes, but why can’t we go back to the house and get something to drink there?”
“Cause there’s water here,” Applejack replied.
Heartbreak looked at it with caution. “Is it even clean?”
“Oh for lands sake.” She put a hoof to her face. “Yer one of them fancy city ponies, ain’t ya? Yes it’s clean! The pegasi filled this one here just this morning! Ya can’t get any cleaner than that!”
“For your information, no, I’m not from a city...I’ve lived more out in the suburbs than anything.” She continued to eye it. “It’s just when it comes to the safety of water...”
“Let me guess, they have fancy machines that take care of the water where yer from?” Applejack half expected her to protest that they didn’t.
“Actually, yes. Yes they do! Water is one of those things, next to food, that we don’t play around with. Too many things can live in water,” Heartbreak replied. The look on her face was much like that of when somepony expected Rarity to do anything that was ‘uncivilized.’ Which could be anything.
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ya can lead a pony ta water, but ya can’t make her drink,” she muttered.
“What?” Heartbreak asked.
“Nothing. Look, the water is safe ta drink. Ah can’t make ya drink it, if ah don’t have ta. But if ya don’t drink, then yer gona get dehydrated. An’ ah might not be the best teacher in the world, but like hay am ah gona take ya to the hospital cause yer were too stubborn ta have a drink of water. Now drink up!” Applejack said as calmly as she could.
“Darn you and your logic.” Heartbreak swallowed hard and then lowered her face. Her lips touched the water and soon she was drinking. There was a small moment of satisfaction that rolled through Applejack. She had gotten her, ‘student’ to do something. Heartbreak gasped for air after she was finished and she rubbed her eyes. She sniffed hard and shook her head. Applejack blinked. “Are ya ok there, Sugarcube?”
“I’m fine, Applejack. A bit of sweat just got into my eyes is all,” she replied, her voice cracking a bit. “Can we get back to bucking?”
Applejack quirked an eye. “Alright, if ya think ya can keep doin’ it.”
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“Fucking hell, that was borderline humiliating. Just about as bad as the time when I licked that bit of honey off of the floor!” Seriously, water out of a trough?! I feel low. Particularly when I have seen the ponies of this show drink from glass bottles. Practicality wise, this makes sense. The pegasi help water everything, and the earth ponies help grow everything. If a trough is out that collects rainwater, then ponies can drink from it. But it also gives a chance for other things to drink from it! Rats, birds, other animals!
I am feeling a bit pissed at myself for why I am really upset that I had to drink out of a trough: Humans don’t drink from troughs, other animals do.
“Troughs are for cattle, sheep, pigs and,” I frown at myself. “And horses. Fuck, I am a horrible person. I can’t understand why I can’t get over that. Wait, yes I can, because it is so ingrained into humans that from birth, that -we- are the best above all other species. Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck. This is what being a bigot must feel like. Just swallow your pride, H.B., you’re an equine whether you like it or not.” I roll my eyes. Fuck you brain. Just because I’m on all fours doesn’t mean I have to act like it. If you had a little forethought to all this, you would have brought bottled drinks and straws. Right. Next time, in order to avoid feelings of shame, you’re going to bring bottled drinks, and straws.
“I am sure that I can keep doing it, Applejack.” I roll my eyes. “It’s just hard and this is my first day.” “And hopefully my last. I don’t want to do this all week.” I reposition myself next to the tree. “At least it isn’t boring.”
“What’cha mean by that?” Applejack asks me.
“Some jobs get boring.” I reply, kicking the tree. “Like my last job.”
“What was yer last job?” Applejack asks me. I give her a look. “Hey, just making polite conversation is all.”
“Cutting plastic,” I reply.
“Plastic?” Applejack asks me.
“Don’t tell me you don’t have plastic here...” I roll my eyes. “It’s like what balloons are made of, but it can be molded into any shape. Seriously, I don’t want to explain this stuff to you, Applejack.”
“Hey now! Ya think Ah can’t understand yer fancy machine talk?” She asks me.
“No, it’s because I barely understand how plastic works. Just that it does. Plastic is like the all purpose material. It can be hard.” I start kicking the tree. “It can be soft, -UGH!- It can be flexible, it can be stiff, it can be used to make bags, it can-”
“Ah know what plastic is Heartbreak, ah just don’t know what yer talkin about when ya said that yer cutting it!” Applejack says, almost shouting at me.
“Meaning that it is blown into a bubble, pulled up high, flattened into a sheet and then rolled into, well, -UGH!- rolls.” I explain. “When it got to me, I used a razor blade to cut it.” I kick the tree again. The apples wobble and a small one falls off.
“Ah see,” She nods at me. “And how long had ya been doing this?”
“Oh...” How long had it been? “Two to three years. What was worse was the fact that it was twelve hour rotating night shifts.”
“Land sakes! Ya got breaks, ah hope,” Applejack exclaims. “Wait, if that sounds so hard, then why ya havin such a time now?”
“It didn’t require a great deal of effort on my part,” I reply, giving another kick. Holy crap. Why is this conversation so...calm? “Just cutting, standing around and being quick.” I roll my eyes. “Plus, new body that I am not used to.”
“Ah see.” She looks around. “Ah must say, this certainly has been the quietest apple buckin. Normally there would have been at least one or two critters comin around, some birds or the like. Guess yer were right about them.”
I glower and kick the tree harder. “Yeah, I was right about something, go figure.”
“Hey, I’m sure that ya’ve been right about a lot of things,” Applejack says in a sympathetic voice. “And everypony has made her fair share of mistakes in their lives.”