//------------------------------// // Chapter IX: A Whole Lot of Apples // Story: The Ultimate Test of Friendship - The Stranger From The Outside // by MegaCartmanX //------------------------------// Carter bolted upright from his bed in panic, gasping for breath and clenching tightly onto his chest with one hand. He stared senselessly ahead as he tried vigorously to regain control of his thoughts and emotions. Carter was able to recollect himself not too long after; a single bead of sweat trickled down his face as a result of his efforts. He spent another minute to allow himself to fully recover. That same damn dream. Carter wanted nothing more than to lay his head back on the soft pillow and sleep a while longer, but he knew that the nightmare would only return if he chose to do so. That along with the presence of the early morning sunlight filling the bedroom made him reconsider his choices, and so he instead got out of bed. Carter proceeded to the bathroom where he intended to clean himself off. He found everything there was to expect like a shower, sink and toilet to name a few, which was a surprise to him. Although these familiar appliances were designed more with the ponies in mind, it felt strange to him how everything in this new world felt so different, yet so similar at the same time. At first, Carter wasn’t sure if the princess would take kindly to him using the bathroom amenities. But he later decided that she would be fine with it given the fact that she had lent the room to him for the night. He also wasn’t too keen on the idea of walking around with an unpleasant odor on him throughout the whole day. Carter unclothed himself and went to step in, but caught eye note of the wrappings around his previously wounded abdomen. Not wanting to get them wet in the shower, he simply decided to take them off, as he felt much better than before. About halfway through, he was able to get a clear look at his recovery. Save for a few remaining bruises it seemed that he made a full recovery, which influenced Carter’s decision to scrap the wrappings once all of it was removed from his body. As he cleaned himself, Carter went against using soap, as the scents from them smelled far too sweet to him and he wasn’t too keen on smelling like that for the whole day. Even then the human made sure to scrub himself thoroughly. Once done, Carter slipped into the tunic-like clothes Rarity gave him and walked outside of his room, proceeding towards the throne room. Initially, Carter didn’t know if anyone else was awake due to it being very early in the morning. However, as he made it to the stairs leading to the throne room, he heard Twilight and Applejack talking to each other. Almost subconsciously, he listened in to their conversation while he continued downstairs. “Ah wish we could spend more time together, Twi. Really felt like the ol’ days,” said Applejack. “Don’t worry, Applejack. We’ll find more time to hang out in the future. Maybe then I’ll finally have this whole princess thing figured out,” replied Twilight with a chuckle. “Yer doing fine, sugarcube.” Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle, herself. “Anywho, Ah do need to get back to the farm. We don’t have long left to pick the rest of the apples that need picking, and it ain’t right for me to leave the rest of the family doing the work without me.” “You think you can do all that before it’s too late?” Twilight inquired. “Ah think so. It hasn’t been easy with… everything happening with Granny. But we’re getting through, one day at a time,” said Applejack. “How is she doing?” Twilight looked at Applejack with concern, as she could tell that the farm pony wasn’t processing her emotions well. “She’s fine, Ah assure you. She’s just… a little sick is all.” Applejack timidly rubbed against her hoof. “If you need anything, let me know. I can always make time for friends,” said Twilight, placing a hoof along Applejack’s shoulder. “*sigh* We both know that unfortunately ain’t true,” replied Applejack. “But thanks, Twi. Ah do appreciate that.” Twilight rubbed her hoof along Applejack’s shoulder for a moment. Applejack smiled back at the princess, thanking her for her kind gesture. Both ponies quickly jolted in surprise when they heard footsteps coming from the staircase beside them. They turned and looked to find a pair of feet coming down each step, indicating the human’s presence. Carter came to the bottom of the stairs and was greeted by the two ponies, each presenting a friendly, amiable smile toward the human. “Good morning, Carter. How’d you sleep last night?” Twilight inquired in a cheerful tone. “Quite well. The bed was very comfortable,” replied Carter, returning with a slight smile of his own, wishing he could go back and sleep for at least another hour or so. “That’s good to hear. Of course, that is one of the benefits to sleeping in a castle,” said Applejack, looking at Twilight with a raised brow. “I still can’t believe you actually let me stay here,” said Carter. To think the princess would let a stranger into her castle and partake in the prior night's festivities was something he did not take for granted. “Well, it’s not everyday we get to meet a new face, let alone one who saved the day,” said Twilight. “You’re still talking about that, huh?” Carter raised his brow and placed his hands behind his back. “Don’t be so modest. Ya done did a good thing, let yourself enjoy that for a time,” said Applejack, patting Carter's chest in a congratulatory manner. “I guess so…” Carter awkwardly scratched his head in response. “But, ummm… now that the party is over, what do you want me to do? You know, to better learn about friendship.” “Don’t worry Carter, there’s plenty for us to do to help you start your journey. We can… oh… that’s actually a good question.” Princess Twilight rubbed her hoof against her chin as she tried to figure something out for Carter to do that would help him with his friendship quest. “To be quite honest, I didn’t really think about it before. I knew we would help you, but I guess I forgot to figure out how exactly that would happen. To be honest, I'm usually good at making a schedule.” “That’s okay, Your Majesty. I don’t want to be getting in the way of your time with your friends,” said Carter. Twilight quickly returned with a smile before pondering further. As Carter waited for the princess’ response, he looked over to Applejack who was also patiently waiting. He looked back to the princess, then back at the orange mare. The ponies’ prior discussion came to him, recalling what they mentioned to each other. It was then he had an idea. “Your Majesty, if I may.” Twilight looked up at Carter and motioned for him to speak. “I overheard word that Applejack was busy with apple picking and that the deadline was coming up shortly. With permission from both of you” - Carter turned to face Applejack - “I’d like to help in any way I can.” Princess Twilight tilted her head and pursed her lip. In her mind she saw no downside with allowing him to help Applejack, but the princess looked to her friend for the final answer. “A-A-Are ya sure ya want to do that?” inquired Applejack, surprised by Carter’s offer. “I don’t have much of a choice, it seems. Besides, you made it seem like you don’t have much time left. I’m sure an extra pair of working hands wouldn’t hurt,” said Carter.  Applejack was left speechless, unable to find it in herself to reply for the first couple seconds. She looked back at the princess, who simply smiled and shrugged her shoulders. It seemed they were both in agreement. “Alright then. Ah guess ya can tag along as long as ya ain’t afraid of getting yer hands a bit dirty,” said Applejack. “Not at all, ma’am,” replied Carter. “You really like formalities, don’t you?” asked Twilight. “I’m just really trying not to mess this thing up,” said Carter. “Just calm down and relax. Ain't no need to be perfect,” said Applejack with a chuckle. Carter swiftly let out a sigh to calm his nerves before he inevitably made things more awkward than they already were. “Let’s start there, Carter. The first lesson about friendship I will give you is to not be so stuck-up. Your friends aren’t supposed to be your boss. You should feel okay with being yourself around them and they should feel the same around you,” said Twilight. Carter chuckled. “Thank you, Your Ma- erm, Twilight. I needed that,” Carter said with an embarrassed smile. “You’re right. I just need to relax. Loosen up a bit.” “That’s the spirit,” said Applejack. “Although, how are we getting back to your farm?” Carter inquired. “I’ve already got that figured out” - both Applejack and Carter turned their heads toward the princess - “I have a couple stallions outside the castle with carriages ready to take you and the others back home.” “Well, aren't you quite the planner,” Carter said with a grin. “Like I said, I'm usually good at it. You kind of need to be in my line of work,” replied Twilight. “Nevertheless, thank you.” The group of three conversed for a minute more before the rest came down the stairs, one by one, each greeting the others on their way over. The last to arrive was Rarity, who claimed to be late simply due to necessary beauty sleep, to which the others laughed at. Once all of them were grouped together, Princess Twilight led them out the castle doors and to each of their respective carriage. Carter helped Applejack into theirs before feeling someone tap his shoulder from behind. He turned around to find Spike. The little dragon held out his hand to the human. “Was nice meeting you, Carter. Maybe next time we can get to know each other a little better.” Carter smiled and shook the dragon’s hand, but was pulled in before he could let go of his hand. Spike leaned in and cupped his other hand around his mouth. “Between you and me, it can get kinda awkward being around mares all the time, so don’t feel bad if you’d rather meet up sooner rather than later.” Carter chuckled and winked at the dragon, giving off a thumbs up as he stepped away from Spike. “Ooh, I almost forgot. Twilight wanted me to give you this for the road. To help you get settled in,” said Spike, handing Carter a small pouch. As Carter took the pouch from the dragon’s possession, he was surprised by its unexpected weight. He opened the pouch to examine its contents, astonished to find a handful of gold coins, which he presumed to be equestrian currency. “Oh my… Spike, you don’t need to do this,” said Carter, handing the pouch back to Spike. “You and the others have done enough for me, already.” “She insists,” replied Spike, pushing the pouch of gold away. “It’s not much, but it should help you in a pinch.” “Well then, tell her majesty that she has my gratitude.” The dragon nodded in reply. As Spike turned to walk back towards Twilight, Carter turned to enter the carriage. However, he only made it up the first step before he heard some unintelligible babbling coming from behind him. He looked back once more, this time finding little Flurry Heart racing towards him, giggling along her way. “Flurry?” Carter stepped down from the carriage and knelt down in front of the foal once she approached him. “What are you doing? Where are you parents?” Flurry Heart babbled more as she jumped up onto Carter’s knee. “What the- what are you doing, you goofball!?” Carter exclaimed, laughing alongside the foal. He held his arms around her so she wouldn’t fall off his leg. “Huh. You seem like you healed pretty well. Thank God.” Flurry Heart looked Carter in his eyes and smiled. Even though Carter couldn’t understand what she was saying, he could still kind of decipher whatever it was she was trying to relay to him through her motions. “I got to go, Flurry Heart, and you need to go back to your parents.” Flurry Heart smiled a while longer before looking down at Carter’s arm and growling childishly, lightly smacking her hoof against his flesh. Carter looked down and furrowed his brow. “Don’t worry, Flurry Heart. I will not let that monster hurt you or any of your friends. I promise.” Flurry Heart babbled once more, almost agreeing with Carter’s promise. “You are really something special, you know that?” said Carter. “Flurry Heart! Get over here! Don’t make Carter miss his ride!” Carter and the foal looked over to find Princess Cadance waving her hoof around as she called to her daughter. “She’s fine, Your Majesty! Just saying our goodbyes!” exclaimed Carter. He looked back at Flurry Heart and smiled one more time. “Guess I got to go. You be good now, you hear.” Without any time to process what took place, Flurry Heart leaned in and hugged him around his neck. Carter froze, at first unsure as to why he felt himself doing so. Carter looked down at the foal, watching her as she held him closely to her. It was nothing more than a simple gesture, yet he felt a sudden wave of emotions sweep over him. It was almost foreign to him. It made him feel something. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time, and he didn’t know how to respond.  He felt happy. He remained still; Carter knew not if he should have hugged her back, even though there was a part of him that wanted to. The two of them stayed there for a few seconds. Carter let those feelings of happiness and content fill him, not wanting to let go. For the first time in a while he felt truly happy. But as time passed, Carter knew he had to part ways with the foal, and so he pulled Flurry Heart away from him and looked at her one more time. “You are amazing, Flurry Heart. Never forget that and you’ll be just fine.” Flurry Heart giggled and hopped down from Carter’s leg, running over to her mother. Carter chuckled as he watched the foal run. “Ya really built an audience. And in such a short time, too,” said Applejack from inside the carriage. “I guess so…” Carter said, looking over at the foal as his emotions began to even out. “Now come on! We got a whole day’s worth of work to get through,” “Huh? Oh, right!” And with that, Carter boarded the carriage and sat himself down once inside. “I hate to see you girls leave so soon, but don’t worry! We’ll see each other again in no time, I’m sure of it! And I wish you safe travels on your journey, Carter! I'll have something for you real soon!” Twilight said with a bright smile as she waved to all her friends. The others all waved back in return as they drove off, one by one. Seeing her friends leave was bittersweet to the princess, as she had no idea when they’d next see each other. But what she did know was that if they were able to see each other now, then there was definitely a next time. “Come on, Spike. Let’s get back to work,” said Twilight as she made her way back inside the castle, ready to resume her duties. Spike, along with the once royal sisters, followed suit. As for Carter, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in accomplishment of all the things he had done thus far. To him, he was doing well and it was only a matter of time before he would complete his quest and return to Earth as a new, reformed man. Feeling good about himself, Carter turned away from Applejack for a brief moment and lifted his hand in front of his face. “Take that, you rotten parasite,” he whispered. “Don’t get too cocky…” Carter’s smile dropped as he heard his taunt echo in his mind, lingering there and eating away at Carter’s newly found contentment. He scoffed as he lowered his hand down to his side. “Did you say something?” inquired Applejack. “Oh, n-no,” replied Carter. “I mean, yes… what exactly do you want me to do? You know, once we get to your farm. Is it just apple picking?” “Yes. They’re in season and are perfectly ripe,” said Applejack. “We’re just on a bit of a time crunch.” “Is it like this every year for you guys? Racing against the clock?” inquired Carter “No, just this year. We’ve had some… other things take the place of farm work.” replied Applejack. “... I see.” Carter responded obliviously, pretending not to have heard what Applejack told the princess back at the castle. “Well then, I’ll make sure to do my best.” “Thank you, Carter. I really do appreciate you for offering to help.” “It’s the least I can do. Repayment, if you will, for agreeing to help me learn about friendship.” “Believe me, there’s not much to it. Ya just gotta be willing to learn, is all,” said Applejack. Carter nodded. He knew the mare was right, but he couldn’t come to terms with it. If it really were so easy, he didn’t understand why he had not changed in the past. As he pondered, a thought came to him. One he had been meaning to ask for some time since his arrival. “If you don’t mind me asking, why is Princess Twilight specifically the princess of friendship? Where I’m from, that’s a very… unusual subject to be a part of, let alone as leader,” said Carter. “Yer fine, ask all the questions ya like. Ah know ya just got here n’ all,” replied Applejack. “But to be honest, before Twilight came to where she is now, Ah’m sure many of us would have agreed with ya. Friendship was a foreign concept to us, so much so that we were once split apart because of our differences. Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns alike lived separate from each other in a fierce feud for power and domination. Only recently in Equestria’s history did we slowly start to learn the benefits and true power of working together. “Eventually we put away our differences and came together, but Celestia felt there was more that could be done in regards to friendship. So she sent her best student, Twilight Sparkle, to go to Ponyville with her only companion at the time, Spike, and learn about friendship for herself. That’s when she met us, and when she reported the things she learned to Celestia, she became the Princess of Friendship. Ever since that day, Equestria has only gotten better because of Twilight and her dedication, and when it came time for the sisters to step down from the throne, we knew there was no better eir than Princess Twilight.” “Interesting. Seems she’s done a lot for Equestria,” said Carter. “She has, indeed,” replied Applejack. After minutes more of conversation the carriage came to a halt, stopping right in front of a white fence gate leading to a red barn. “This is the place. Sweet ol’ Apple Acres!” Shouted Applejack, happy to be back home. Applejack stepped down from the carriage and opened the gate up for Carter, who was looking around at the farm’s scenery as he exited closely behind. “Quite a nice place you got here,” said Carter. “Thanks. Ah know it ain’t much to some folks, but it’s home to us,” replied Applejack. “Anywho, let’s not waste anymore time.” Applejack closed the gate behind herself as Carter made his way through. She then ran towards the barn in a hurry. Carter, caught off guard by the mare’s sudden burst in speed, quietly sprinted after her. Applejack was the first to make it inside the barn, followed closely by Carter. The mare looked around for the tools necessary to begin the day’s work. “I’ll get the baskets we need for carrying the apples with us. See if ya can find a couple, won’t ya Carter?” she inquired, looking over her shoulder toward the human. Carter gave her a thumbs up, acknowledging her words. He then looked around in search of baskets. He began his search at the opposite side of the barn that Applejack was surveying. Finding nothing within the first couple seconds, he went about a more thorough hunt, looking behind barrels and under boxes. Still nothing. He cocked his head, feeling stupid and expecting Applejack to have already acquired at least a few by then. “Have ya found any of ‘em, yet?” asked Applejack. “No,” replied Carter in embarrassment. “Hmmm… that’s odd. Ah could’ve sworn Ah left them right here.” Carter felt a sense of relief in knowing that it wasn’t just him struggling to find the baskets. However, if neither of them had found them, Carter wondered where they were. “Do you recall another place you saw them?” inquired Carter. “Ah don’t. Ah always leave them right here, and last Ah checked baskets don’t have legs to run away,” replied Applejack. Carter took a moment more to ponder where to continue his search, when he heard a faint voice coming from the back of the barn behind the wooden walls. Not to Applejack’s knowledge, Carter exited the barn and proceeded towards the back of the structure. He searched for the source of the voices. He could still hear them as faint whispers, but couldn’t track it down. Coming around the corner, Carter stumbled into a large pile of hay bales stacked atop each other, almost in the form of a makeshift fort. I wonder… Carter approached the fort and looked around the perimeter for baskets. None were found, but for a brief second Carter heard the voice coming from inside the fort. There was an opening in the front of the hay bale fortress leading inside. Carter knelt down and leaned his head towards the entrance. “Hello…?” Nothing came to him in response. Carter opened his mouth to repeat himself when he saw something moving within the shadows of the fort. He leaned closer to get a better look. “Who goes there?” A young, yellow filly with a bright red mane jetted her head out from the fortress entrance, inches away from Carter’s face. Both Carter and the filly shouted as they quickly backed away from each other, albeit Carter was startled by the sudden appearance of the filly, whereas the young pony was in genuine fear of seeing the human standing before him. The filly took refuge in the fortress walls. Carter sighed and went back to the fortress entrance. “Um… excuse me. I’m looking for baskets. We need them to pick the apples. You wouldn’t happen to know where they are, would y-” In a flash, the young filly, along with two other fillies, one white unicorn with a half pink, half purple mane, and an orange pegasus with a purple mane, zoomed out from within the fortress and pinned Carter. The unicorn used her magic to force Carter to his knees while the pegasus ran behind the human and pinned his arms behind his back. What the-! “Don’t say another word, monster! We know why yer here!” exclaimed the yellow filly, who stood in front of Carter, glaring into his eyes. “Ya just want the basket so ya can run off with our apples. Well that ain’t gonna happen!” Carter struggled to break free of the pegasus’ grasp combined with the unicorn’s magic hold on him. He speedily began devising a plan to escape. While nothing came to his mind at first, he looked at the yellow filly in front of him. That’s when an idea popped into his head. That accent… could it be…? “Wait! You wouldn’t happen to know Applejack, would you?” Carter inquired. “Ya mean my big sis’?” the yellow filly replied with a raised brow. “She was the one who sent me to find them! I’m here to help pick the apples, not take them for myself!”  “You’re a big liar!” replied the unicorn. “Applejack doesn’t even know you!” added the pegasus. “It’s the truth!” shouted Carter. “Why should we believe you?” asked the earth pony. “Because Ah said so!” The four of them looked back to find Applejack, who stomped her hoof fiercely as she ended her sentence. “Y’all heard me. Let ‘em go this instant!” Without much choice, the three young ponies reluctantly released their hold on the human and let him free. As Carter dusted himself off, Applejack ran up to his side and helped him to his feet. “Are ya okay? Ah hope they didn’t hurt ya,” said Applejack, apologizing on behalf of the fillies. “I’m fine, Applejack.” Carter turned towards the three young ponies with a stern expression. They each looked back with a look of shame and mild fear. But as Carter calmed down, his face changed to that of a smile. “You three have amazing skills and coordination. I’m sure Applejack must be thankful to have you here to protect the farm while she’s gone.” The three fillies couldn’t help but smile back in response to the humans' kind words. “Ah sure am,” Applejack said with a sigh. “Allow me to introduce these three rascals. The pegasus is Scootaloo, the unicorn is Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s little sister, and then there’s Apple Bloom, my lil’ sis’.” “Pleasure to meet you,” said Carter. “And who might you be?” inquired Sweetie Belle. “My name is Carter Johnson. I’m a human.” “Never heard of a human before,” said Scootaloo. “Well it’s very nice to meet ya, Carter,” said Apple Bloom. Carter laughed to himself, surprised how quickly the young ponies shifted moods in spite of everything they had thought of him beforehand. A question came up in his mind as he examined the fillies further. “I see you three have a similar cutie mark. May I ask if they are in common with each other?” “They are, actually,” said Scootaloo. “We three make up the Cutie Mark Crusaders: a group who dedicate our lives to helping other fillies and colts with finding their purpose so that they can one day get their Cutie Mark,” explained Apple Bloom. “Quite an interesting mission of yours, I must say. But I’m sure that they’d be thankful to have you girls to help them out,” said Carter. “Well I hate to interrupt the chit chat, but we do have quite a bit of work to do. So could you be so kind as to tell us where the baskets are?” said Applejack in an almost impatient tone. “Oh my gosh! The apples, that’s right!” shouted Apple Bloom. “The baskets are in our fort, here. We were gonna do a bit of apple picking earlier, but… we kinda got carried away.” “Is that right?” asked Applejack. “B-But don’t worry, sis’. Me n’ the girls can still help out. Right girls?” Apple Bloom looked to her friends. They did not match her energy. “Awe shucks, Apple Bloom. We really wish we could, but…” Sweetie Belle froze, trying desperately to think of a way out of work. “We already had… something planned for tonight. I’m afraid it can’t be rescheduled,” said Scootaloo, finishing her friend’s sentence for her. Carter and Applejack looked at each other and hid their mouths behind their fist and hoof respectively, unable to keep in even the slightest chuckle. “Awe. Thanks a lot,” said Apple Bloom as she pouted her lip. “Don’t worry, sugarcube. Carter’s here to help out,” said Applejack. “We’ve already gotten a lot done, so far. Ah’m sure we can get done with the rest of the apple pickin’ if we just put our hooves together and work as hard as we can. Then we can be done for the year and you’ll have more time to spend playin’ with yer friends.” Apple Bloom sighed as she sulked her way into the hay fort to grab the baskets. As she came out with a few baskets stacked atop each other, the filly looked one more time to her friends. “Ah promise Ah won’t be long.” “Cool. See you later, Apple Bloom!” said Scootaloo as her and Sweetie Belle ran off towards town. Apple Bloom dropped the baskets and hung her head as she sulked. “Sometimes Ah hate farm work.” “Chin up, sugarcube. Like Ah said, it shouldn't take too long.” Applejack picked the baskets off the ground and carried them away, beckoning for Carter and Apple Bloom to follow. Carter took the first step, but realized that Apple Bloom wasn’t following. He stopped in his tracks. He looked at the filly, turned to where her friends ran off, then back to her. “You really like being with your friends, huh?” he inquired. “Yeah, Ah do,” replied Apple Bloom, looking up at the human. “Why ya ask?” “Just means I should work extra hard so I can help you get back to them.” He gave her an amiable smile. “Now let’s get to work.” Apple Bloom smiled, moved by the human’s words and finding the motivation she needed to get up and get to work. She trotted to Carter’s side and walked beside him as they caught up with Applejack. Along their way, Carter looked out across the pasture and to the unpicked apple trees in the distance. It was true what Applejack said, there were a lot of apples yet to be picked. He pursed his lip, slightly intimidated at the thought of getting so much done by nightfall. But he expected nothing less, and he knew there wasn’t much of a choice, anyway. The small group made their way to the first of the farm’s many apple trees yet to be relieved of their produce. It was there Applejack set down the baskets, aside from one which she took for herself, leaving the rest for Carter and Apple Bloom to use. As the two others picked up their respective baskets, Applejack explained the instructions for the day’s work to them. “Let’s each tackle one row at a time. Start at one end and work down until ya finish that row, then go to the next closest one.” The filly and human nodded in response as they assumed their positions. Apple Bloom took the row closest to her sister while Carter took the farther option. Carter began his work setting down the basket by his side and looking up the apples. They were high up over his head, too high for him to reach without something like a ladder or step stool, let alone the ponies. Saving himself the potential embarrassment of asking, he observed their methods of acquiring the apples. Applejack turned her body away from the tree and vigorously bucked it by its trunk. From there the apples detached from the tree’s branches and gravity did the rest, falling perfectly into the basket below. Apple Bloom did the same, sending all that tree’s apples down and into her basket with one swift buck. Carter stood dumbfounded. Shaking his head, Carter simply accepted their methods, as weird and foreign as they were to him. He looked back to his tree and huffed. Alright tree. Give me your apples! Carter turned, leaned back and kicked the tree, connecting with the base of his foot. He then stepped back and waited for a moment to allow the apples to come falling down. And he waited. And waited. Assuming he didn’t use enough strength in his kick, he winded up for another strike. With more force than the last, Carter delivered a hefty blow to the tree’s wooden exterior, enough to where the tree splintered where he struck. Again he waited for the apples to fall neatly into his basket, but the tree it seemed had other ideas, keeping hold of its produce. Both apple ponies, hearing the sound of the wood cracking following the human’s powerful kick, turned their heads in curiosity to see what all the commotion was about. “What’d that tree ever do to ya?” asked Applejack. Carter froze in place. He knew he was caught. “Uh… if I’m quite honest, I’m just trying to do what you girls just did.” In the end, Carter went against making up some dumbass excuse and admitted his intentions. “I don’t think I can reach those apples if I were to pick them by hand.” “Oh, well why didn’t ya say something earlier.” Applejack walked over to another, farther tree and reached from behind. She then pulled out a ladder and proceeded towards Carter. Once there, she placed the ladder up against the tree, allowing Carter access to the high-above apples. “Unfortunately teaching you how we here at the farm ‘pick’ our apples would take a couple days, and we simply don’t have that kind of time.” “That’s alright,” said Carter with a blank expression. “Don’t feel too bad. My brother’s wife has yet to learn the ways of the ‘apple buck’, as well. Just takes some practice,” Applejack looked to her sister. “Speaking of which, where is our brother?” “Unfortunately he can’t come out to help us. He and Sugar Belle are busy taking care of… -” Apple Bloom swiftly looked to Carter, then back to Applejack. “- you know who.” Applejack quietly nodded in response. Carter, continuing to act as if he was oblivious to the situation, turned around and said a quick prayer for their grandmother under his breath. “Anywho, let’s get back to work,” said Applejack, trotting back to her tree. As Applejack left to resume work on her row of trees, Carter looked to his tree with a furrowed brow. “Thanks for nothing you big jerk,” he whispered, forcefully punching against the bark with his fist. A lone apple fell from the tree and onto his head, causing him to flinch and cover the spot where it landed. “Fine. Point taken.” Carter reached down and grabbed the freed apple, placing it in the basket before climbing the ladder to collect the rest of them from the tree. The day went on about the same from there. Carter would walk up to each tree, prop the ladder against its trunk, then proceed to pick each apple off the branches, one by one. He would then place them in his basket, and if ever it got full, he would walk them over to a large barrel and gently place them inside, continuing the process from there. As he finished with the last remaining tree in his row, Carter stepped down with a smile on his face and picked up his basket. Carter moved towards the apple barrel to deposit his produce, when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. He stared out to the distance, looking over towards the apple ponies. With a disappointed look on his face, Carter had come to realize that both mares had made the same progress he had nigh four-fold. They were rows away from him, and they were only speeding up from there. It was a swift but brutal slap to the face, informing him of just how much, or rather how little he was doing for them in comparison. With nothing else he could do, Carter simply sighed and continued on his way. He hoped that they would at least have some sympathy in knowing that he wasn’t very experienced in farm work, and that he was trying his best. Still, it hurt his ego to see just how slow he was doing when comparing his work to theirs. As the sun rose above the land, an intense heat followed suit. Applejack, Apple Bloom and Carter continued their work, nonetheless. Doing their best to finish come nightfall. Occasionally, Carter would make another attempt at the so-called “apple buck”, but would always come up short. Not even a single apple would drop to pity his efforts, and he would swear under his breath with every failed attempt. As the blue skies slowly changed to orange, the ringing of a distant bell echoed across the acreage. “Yee haw! Supper time!” exclaimed Applejack. Apple Bloom dropped her basket and sprinted toward the barn. Meanwhile, Applejack trotted to Carter’s position. Carter didn’t react, continuing with his work. “Aren’t ya coming?” Applejack inquired. “Ah highly doubt ya ain’t yet hungry for some supper.” “You don’t think the others would mind a guest?” replied Carter as he dropped his basket and looked over his shoulder. “Well of course not, ya silly. Anyone helping us with the farm deserves a good meal for their efforts,” said Applejack. “Besides, Ah already told the others that ya were here earlier today. They told me they couldn’t wait to meet ya.” “Alright then, if you insist,” Carter dusted himself down and followed Applejack to the farmhouse. “Awe, don’t pretend ya ain’t itchin’ for a good meal,” said Applejack. “I am, believe me,” replied Carter with a chuckle. As long as it isn’t another hay sandwich. Upon entering the farmhouse, Applejack opened the door for Carter as the human dusted his shoes off. As he stepped into the house, Carter took notice of all the farm themed decor set around the vicinity. It was a nice change of environment compared to the farmland, despite being built on the same plot of land. In front of Carter was the dining table, which had three dishes covered in tin foil. While the contents of each dish were unknown to him, he was captivated by the delicious scent that filled the farmhouse. Carter set his shoes beside the front door, making a conscious effort to be a respectful guest. “Well what in tarnation is this here thing!?” The unfamiliar voice erupted from behind Carter, startling the human quite effectively. Carter swiftly spun around on his heels in response to his sudden adrenaline rush. Upon examination, Carter locked eyes with a green, wrinkly, very elderly mare with a gray mane and tail wearing an orange scarf with a red apple pattern around her neck. The elder pony stared at the human in surprise and confusion, but seemingly lacking the brain power to process this new creature standing before her, as her expression did not change even after a few moments of awkward gazing. As for Carter, it didn’t take long for him to piece together the identity of the old mare. Carter wanted to introduce himself to the old mare by starting with “Granny Smith, I presume,” but realized that if he did, Applejack would no doubt wonder how he knew her name, and perhaps catch on that he was eavesdropping on her conversation with the princess back in the castle. And so he paused for a moment more, replanning his introduction. “Hello, ma’am,” Carter said, plainly. “I hope I didn’t scare you.” “Ah, a feller with manners.” The elder mare held her hoof out. “Granny Smith’s the name.” “Carter Johnson. A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Carter said, gingerly shaking the mare’s hoof. Carter quickly noticed how the old mare was shaking while balancing on her other three hooves, so he was quick to disengage the hand-hoof shake. “Granny, what in tarnation are ya doing out of bed?” Applejack rushed to her grandmother’s side and held out her hoof for the elder pony to maintain balance. “Ya trying to get yerself hurt?” “I’m quite fine, ya whippersnapper!” protested Granny Smith. “Ya younglings always acting like Ah’m living my last few moments in this world.” Applejack, evidently impacted by the old mare’s words through her pained expression, suppressed her rising emotions with one big sigh. “We’re just worried about ya hurting yerself, Granny. That’s all.” “Ya didn’t tell me we were having a guest over,” said Granny Smith, looking back at Carter in surprise. “Ah did, Granny. Ah told you when we got here, this morning. This is Carter, the human Ah told ya who was gonna help us pick the rest of the apples. Don’t ya remember?” said Applejack. “He don’t look like a dragon to me,” replied Granny Smith, staring at her granddaughter with a confused expression. “No… a human,” replied Applejack, raising her voice a bit more so the elder mare could hear her more clearly. “Say, isn’t that the same thing as Discord?” Granny Smith glared at Carter. “Ya better not get into any trouble in my house, ya hear me!” “No, Granny…” Applejack couldn’t help but roll her eyes and chuckle. “Ya know what, let’s get ya over to the table and have some supper with our special guest.” “Supper? Why didn’t ya say so, earlier? Ah’m hungrier than a bear after hibernation.” Carter failed to hold back a hearty laugh in response to the elder mare’s remark. Carter came around the opposite side of Granny Smith and aided Applejack in walking the old mare to the dining table. Once they did so, Carter pulled her chair out as Applejack helped Granny Smith onto her seat. As Granny Smith sat herself down, Applejack pushed her chair in while simultaneously gesturing toward another for Carter to sit in. Carter walked over to the respective chair and quietly sat himself down. “Well go on and tell me about yerself, younglin’,” said Granny Smith. Carter opened his mouth to speak, but Applejack spoke before he could get a word out. “Ah’m sure ya have lots of questions for him, Granny. But Ah’m also sure that the others would like to learn about him, as well. Wouldn’t ya agree?” said Applejack. “Ah guess ye’re right,” replied Granny Smith. “Speakin’ o’ which, where are they?” “Ah’m sure Big Mac and Sugar Belle are coming down any second. But Ah swear Ah saw Apple Bloom come in the house before me,” replied Applejack. “Ah did see the lil’ one run upstairs for something. Maybe she went to get them.” “Oh my gosh, it’s you!” A pink mare with purple hair came down the stairs behind Carter, followed by Apple Bloom and a taller, muscular, red stallion with golden hair. “It’s so good to meet you. My name’s Sugar Belle.” The pink mare came up to Carter and held her hoof out to him. “This is Carter, the human Ah told y’all about,” said Applejack. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Carter stood up and shook the mare’s hoof. “Oh my… you’re a lot taller than I expected,” said Sugar Belle. “Eeyup,” said the red stallion from behind. “Ah yes, this is Applejack’s big brother and my spouse: Big Mac.” “Sir,” said Carter, shaking the stallion’s hoof. “Always good to get some extra help around the farm,” said Big Mac. “So I’ve heard,” replied Carter. As the rest of the apple family sat themselves, so too did Carter, preparing himself for a tasty meal. A smile swept over Carter’s face as Big Mac leaned over and pulled back the tin foil of each dish, revealing carrots, cornbread, and apple slices. It was nothing grandiose to him, but simply seeing something he was used to eating was enough to make him eager to dig in and feast. Applejack, seeing the giddy human in the corner of her eye, couldn’t help but chuckle. “Alright, everypony. Let’s dig in.” One by one, each of them grabbed a plate and loaded them full of food to saturate their hunger. “So tell us a bit about yourself, Carter,” said Sugar Belle, passing the stack of plates to Apple Bloom. “Yeah, what brings ya here to our farm? I’m itchin’ to know just what made ya come here,” said Granny Smith. Carter closed his eyes and laughed, realizing just how much this question would be asked to him. “Well, if you must know, I overheard that you guys weren’t doing so good with getting your apples picked in time before winter. So I offered to help and, well, here I am.” “Well that’s very thoughtful of you, mister,” said Sugar Belle. The conversation took a pause as each of them took their first bite. Carter started with the carrots, taking the biggest bite he could and nearly downing the first of the vegetables with that very chomp. A smile formed from cheek to cheek as his stomach happily accepted the delicious sustenance. “But what brings ya here to Equestria? Ya definitely don’t look like yer from these parts,” said Apple Bloom. “I’m not. I’m from a far away land. I… am here to learn about friendship.” “Friendship, huh?” said Sugar Belle. “Why do ya need to learn about friendship?” inquired Apple Bloom. “Ah thought everypony knows about it.” “Some more than others, I’m afraid,” replied Carter. “I made some… questionable decisions back home, and now I’m here to make better choices and become a better, much more friendly person.” “The princess herself has offered to help him, so he’s kind of become her new student,” explained Applejack. “Student?” Carter inquired. “This isn’t the first time Princess Twilight has tasked herself with helping somepony else discover the power of friendship,” said Big Mac. “Why do you guys say it like that?” asked Carter. “Say what like huh?” replied Apple Bloom. “The ‘power’ of friendship.” Carter spoke while making quotation marks with his hands. “Friendship isn’t some magical power, it’s a concept, the act of two or more humans, ponies, whoever it may be, forming a relationship of mutual affection between themselves and others. There is no special force, aura or ‘power’ that causes friendships to become what they are… is there?” The whole apple family laughed in response. “What’s so funny?” Carter asked, oblivious to their humor. “Ya described friendship, sure, but ya only did so as a simple word. Ya have yet to actually understand what friendship really is about and the good it can do,” said Applejack. “What do you mean?” Carter spoke anxiously, eager to learn about what the mare was talking about. “If ya only knew… but, that’s why we’re here to teach ya,” said Applejack. “It’s not something ya can learn by simply reading a book or watching a demonstration. There’s a reason it took Princess Twilight so long to learn about it, and even to this day she doesn’t yet know everything about friendship.” “But…-” “No more talkin’ ya yabberjabbers, let’s start eatin’!” shouted Granny Smith, immediately delving into her meal after her outburst. The rest of the apple family giggled once more before joining the eldest member in partaking in the feast. Carter, meanwhile, was left clueless. He received no answers and was left with even more questions than before he sat down. He could not decipher what they knew that he didn’t. To him, friendship was nothing more than a concept, one that he felt very confident in understanding by definition. But to the ponies, it seemed as though they thought very differently about it. Realizing that further pondering only created more questions, and therefore more cloudiness in his mind, Carter simply rolled his eyes and sighed as he took a bite of the cornbread. Even with all his thoughts, he found solace in eating the familiar food stacked atop his plate. As evening fell, the food on the table whittled away until there was nothing but empty plates and crumbs left. “Whew, that was delicious,” said Apple Bloom, patting against her stomach. “Sure was,” said Applejack. “Ah sure am tired, but it looks like we still got some more sunlight we can use to help us pick a couple more apple trees. Ah’m still certain we can pick the rest of the apples if we get our hooves dirty and work real hard.” “Awe, but sis’ Ah thought we could just call it a day. We’ve been working really hard and all,” whined Apple Bloom, pouting her lip whilst staring at her sister with big, beady eyes. “Ah’m sorry, sugarcube, but this happens every year. You know how important this is to us and for our farm.” Applejack cocked her head and smiled apologetically. “Ah guess ye’re right.” Apple Bloom crossed her forelegs and huffed. Applejack rolled her eyes and looked at Carter with a pursed lip and furrowed brow. “Ready when you are,” said Carter, not wanting to irritate the orange farm pony any further. “Good to hear, now let’s get to wo-” A loud thud erupted from the nearby area, startling everyone at the dining table. They began frantically searching for whatever it was that caused the thunderous boom. “Did you drop something?” inquired Sugar Belle as she searched under the table. “Wasn’t me,” said Apple Bloom, checking her surroundings. “Nope,” said Big Mac, making sure he still had his plate and utensils. Carter examined the area near the end of the table. Finding nothing but an empty chair, he turned to the opposite end, finding nothing out of the ordinary there, either. He placed his hand on his chin and gently stroked it as he pondered what caused the ruckus. “Granny, did you drop your plate or something?” asked Sugar Belle. Carter's eyes went wide, his face went pale and his heart sunk in his chest. The human nigh-instantaneously turned his attention back to the first location of his search. An empty chair!? A soft groan was heard shortly after; the entirety of the apple family gasped in unison when they finally realized what had happened. “Granny!!!” Applejack exclaimed, worried sick and sprinting to aid her grandmother. She nearly fell to the ground once she got close, finding the old pony having a seizure on the ground. Carter and Big Mac followed suit, kneeling down beside Applejack. Apple Bloom ran to aid them, as well, but when she witnessed what was happening to her beloved Granny Smith, she stumbled backward and shouted in denial of what she saw. Little Apple Bloom practically fell into Sugar Belle’s hooves, who swooped in to comfort the young filly. Apple Bloom buried her face into Sugar Belle’s chest as tears formed in her eyes, shutting her eyes and looking away from the scene, not wanting to further watch as Granny Smith suffered. Sugar Belle gingerly grazed her hoof along the back of Apple Bloom’s head in an attempt to calm her, but knowing deep down that it would do no good. “It’s going to be okay, Apple Bloom. Everything is going to be okay,” said Sugar Belle, continuing to comfort her sister. Applejack held tightly onto her grandmother’s hoof, unable to do anything to help the old mare. In time, Granny Smith gradually regained control of herself. “Huh, what’s going on? What happened? Why y’all looking at me like that?” asked Granny Smith, unaware of the recent event. “Granny, ya scared us to death!” Applejack looked at her with a sorrowful expression. “Ya almost… Ah couldn’t… Granny, ya need to get back in bed, now.” “I’m quite fine, ya hear! Ain’t ya never seen a mare fall, before!?” Granny Smith pulled her hooves away from her grandchildren’s hold, but they refused to let go. “Granny, that was no mere fall! Ya shouldn’t… Bah! Big Mac, help me get her to her room.” Applejack and Big Mac helped Granny Smith onto her hooves and aided the elder pony up the stairs. “Ah’m glad ye’re okay, Granny, but ya need to get some sleep.” “Ah don’t need no sleep! The moon isn’t even up, yet. Ah assure ya, Ah’ll be quite fine.” Granny Smith’s voice cut off from the rest of the group as the bedroom door slammed shut once Applejack and Big Mac made it inside. Carter looked to the youngest of the apple family, who was still in tears after seeing such a shocking and fearful occurrence before her young eyes. Sugar Belle did everything in her power to help soothe Apple Bloom’s despondency. As much as he wanted to support her, he felt that this was not of any concern to a stranger such as himself and instead something only the family should worry about. “Ah’m scared, Sugar Belle.”Apple Bloom spoke through her tears, hugging Sugar Belle with a tight grip. “Ah don’t want to even think about her leaving us.” “I know, honey. It’s going to be okay, just give it some time,” said Sugar Belle, continuously, gingerly stroking Apple Bloom’s mane. Carter placed a hand on his heart and sighed. “Is this a normal thing, now?” inquired Carter, directing his question to Sugar Belle. “No, it’s not…” Sugar Belle answered, appearing to be holding back tears of her own. Carter’s mouth dropped open slightly, feeling empathy for the apple family. He could understand just how hurt and how broken they were after experiencing such an awful incident. When the others witnessed a severely depressed Applejack make her way down the stairs and return to the dining room, they looked to her for answers regarding Granny’s status. She wore a sad, gloomy expression upon her face, looking down toward the ground and fighting back an onslaught of tears. “Granny Smith isn’t feeling too well. Big Mac is with her, right now. Hopefully she’ll recover soon.” Applejack shied away and wiped away a few escaped tears. “We will have to finish picking the apples some other day.” “But… what about winter?” asked Apple Bloom. “It’s starting to get cold at night. If we don’t do it now, they might freeze and die by morning.” “We will worry about that later, Apple Bloom. Go play with your friends, why don’y ya,” replied Applejack. “But… big sis’.” “Apple Bloom, just go…” Applejack’s voice rose ever so slightly, sounding less dejected and more angry. While Apple Bloom was oblivious to the shift in her sister’s tone, Carter and Sugar Belle detected it rather quickly. “Do as she says, Apple Bloom,” said Sugar Belle. “No! We have to-” “Do not talk back to yer sister, ya hear me!?” Applejack snapped. The emotions suppressed within her heart was unleashed upon her sister, nearly scaring the young filly to death. Both Sugar Belle and Carter stumbled back in surprise, unsuspecting of Applejack’s outburst. The house was quiet, as nothing but Applejack’s vigorous panting could be heard. As Applejack calmed herself, she laid eyes on her dear sister, who was petrified, struggling to breathe normally and doing everything in her power to hold back the many tears that were forming under her eyes. As she looked at herself through her sister’s eyes, all Applejack could see was an angry, enraged mare in the tear-made reflection. Applejack’s expression changed once more, from anger to concern, then to sadness, sadness evoked upon the realization of what she had just done. It was then she knew that she had just made a grave mistake. “Apple Bloom… Ah…” Applejack could not find the words to speak. Nothing in the world could be said to reflect just how sorry she was. On the verge of bawling, Apple Bloom sprinted up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door shut. But even as the wooden door protected the filly from sight, her cries could still be heard by everyone in the dining room. Applejack could no longer hold back her own tears, for an insurmountable level of sadness and regret for the way she acted toward her own sister flooded her soul. A couple tears trickled down her face and landed on the wooden floor beneath her hooves. Applejack stood there, softly crying. It felt like the world was against her. “Ya can go, Carter. *sniff* Thank ya for yer help. *sniff*” Applejack spoke through her cries, lowering herself to the ground and covering her face with her hooves. Understanding the circumstances, Carter simply nodded and turned to exit through the front door. As he proceeded toward the exit, Sugar Belle frantically followed after him, grabbing him by the arm before he could step outside. “Wait, don’t go.” “I can’t stay here… not now,” said Carter. “B-but, where will you go? Do you have a place to stay?” inquired Sugar Belle. “No.” answered Carter. Sugar Belle stared back at him with concern on her face. The human looked over her shoulder, looking upon a broken, despairing Applejack. “But I’ll find something. Right now, you need to be with your family. Don't… don't let me get in your way.” “Are you sure?” questioned Sugar Belle. “I know how important family is… believe me,” answered Carter, speaking with intent. “I see.” Sugar Belle turned her head away from Carter and wiped away a tear. Knowing that he was right, she held out her hoof to him. “It was good to meet you, sir. You’re always welcome back to the farm if you wish.” “Good to meet you, too.” Carter shook the mare’s hoof. “You have my prayers.” “Thank you. Good night.” Sugar Belle gently closed the door behind her and walked back to be with Applejack and comfort her. She sat beside her sister-in-law and softly placed her hoof along Applejack’s back. “Oh, Sugar Belle. *sniff* Ah’m so, so sorry. *sniff* Ah didn’t mean to *huff* Ah didn’t *huff* *huff*” Applejack could not continue her sentence as more tears filled her eyes after looking to Sugar Belle, which only filled her with more shame and regret. “It’s okay, Applejack. I understand. It really has been difficult, recently. I'm sure Apple Bloom knows you didn't mean it. Just… give it time.” Carter, standing on the other side of the door, turned around and began his walk. He knew not where he would go, but he knew that the apple family needed to be left alone for the time being. As he walked away from the farmhouse, he could faintly hear some of the conversation between Applejack and Sugar Belle. “Ah just don’t want to lose her. Ah don’t want to lose Granny. Besides you and my siblings, she’s the only family Ah have left.” Carter stopped in his tracks, intrigued by the mare’s use of words. “Ah don’t want to lose her… Ah’ve already lost them. Ah can’t lose her, too.” Carter’s eyes opened wide as a familiar pain filled his heart. His breath grew more rapid and his body went cold. No… impossible. It can’t be, she doesn’t mean… no. Of course not… Carter shook away the negative thoughts from his mind and continued forward. “Mom… *sniff* Dad.” That was the last thing Carter could hear as Applejack’s voice fell out of his range. Carter immediately lost balance, falling to the dirt surface beneath him, catching himself with outstretched arms and resting on his hands and knees. He had lost control of his breathing and he felt himself break out in a cold sweat. Those very last words haunted him, affecting him in such a way that they practically paralyzed him. He felt a pain growing inside him, one he was all too familiar with. Carter began trembling as another dark, torturous memory plagued his mind, separate from the one that would haunt him in his sleep. A single tear fell to the ground, soaking the soil where it struck. Not her… not her, too. She doesn’t deserve that. Carter’s mind became overwhelmed as he felt nothing but fear and sadness consume him. He shook his head vigorously, trying desperately to clear his mind of the terrible memories brought upon his consciousness. He struck the dirt with his fist, gritting his teeth and groaning in a state of mental pain. Following several deep breaths, Carter regained his composure and got back on his feet. The skies above turned gray as the sun began to set behind the horizon. With it, heavy rain swept over the land. As the rain doused the hair on his head, Carter looked down at the ground in pity of the apple family. A lonely apple rested right beside Carter’s foot, glimmering in the rain. He reached down and picked it up, rubbing off the dirt that clung to the fruit. Carter gazed upon the apple for a moment longer, intrigued by what he found to be its majestic nature. So simple in design, yet so familiar to his eye. “If only there was some way I could help them…” he said to himself, partially speaking to the apple. “They have enough going on, already. I just wish I could make it easier for them the same way they’ve done so for me.” Carter looked up at the sky. “What do I do?” As if someone was watching over him, a single raindrop landed straight atop the apple in Carter’s hand, splashing with enough force to pull his attention to the apple. Carter first looked at the apple merely in reaction to the raindrop, but as he examined the fruit further, an idea sparked in his mind. Carter looked to the apple trees, back to the apple, then back to the trees. It was then he knew how to help. “Alright, I can do that.” Carter took a big bite out of the apple before tossing it aside and walking over to the nearest apple tree that had yet to be picked free of its produce. Carter grabbed the ladder and an apple basket along his way and placed it up against the tree’s truck. He climbed up each step until he could reach the apple, when he then began picking the apples, one by one. Once the first was done, he moved on to the next and repeated the process, then same with the following. Carter made it his mission to get all the apples, by sunrise if need be, so that Applejack and her family could focus solely on Granny Smith’s health and well being. And so he kept working, walking with purpose behind each step. However, when he came to the fifth tree, he set the ladder against it, but he did not climb the ladder. Instead he stood there, looking down at the ground and pondering many thoughts. Carter could not help but think back to what Applejack had said when he left, how much it hurt her and her family to see their grandmother in such bad condition, and just how much it truly impacted not just her, but all of them. It was not like he could magically save Granny’s life, but it made him wonder if what he was doing would be truly helpful. An anger rose within him, but he did not know why. Still, he was very angry, angry with himself. He could not come up with a reason to justify his feelings, but he felt as if he wasn’t doing enough. Not for himself, not for those he wished to call friends, not for anyone. Sure, he had done a lot since his arrival, but he still felt like there was more he could do, or rather in his words, more that he should do. But no matter what he thought of, he could not come up with a suitable answer. And that was the theme: he never got answers, it was always just more and more questions. What am I doing? Applejack is in there, about to lose a family member, and I'm standing here thinking that picking apples of all things is gonna help!? Carter violently threw the ladder aside and clenched his fists. Winding his arm back, he struck the tree with a mighty blow, splintering it once his fist connected, all to release his rage. But it was not enough. Carter stepped back and delivered another blow to the tree’s wooden exterior, cracking it further. Then another, and then another. Left, right, left, right. He kept on swinging, each punch packing more power than the last. “And why the hell do I care!? Why do I feel bad for them!? When have I ever cared for anyone!? What is wrong with me!?” When it came to the point that Carter’s whole fist could enter through the hole he had caved into the tree with his hands, it was then he stopped. His hands began to tremble once again as he looked upon the damage he caused. Even though Carter knew it was just a tree, the fact that he hurt it all because of his rage was disheartening, for this was far from the first time Carter acted out on his emotions. Carter pulled his fist out from the hole in the tree and dropped to his knees. He looked down at his hands, which were covered in a bit of blood due to wounds on his knuckles. It once again reminded him of his past, the monster he became and the whole reason he was sent to Equestria. Carter looked up at the tree and placed his hands over the hole in its trunk. “What... what am I doing? I… I don't mean that. I do care about them. They've done so much for me and I just want to do the same for them. I want to feel like I'm actually making a positive difference, doing something good for once! It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, to really make myself feel happy… but it always seems like I can never do enough. It feels like I instead hurt others rather than help them.” Carter flipped himself around and sat with his back against the tree. “What do I do? I want to help them, but I can't. I can't heal Granny Smith… and that makes me feel angry. But... even I know what anger leads to.” Carter hung his head in shame. “I let my emotions control me. Again! Even though I want to help, I know that being angry only causes more issues. I'm doing this to myself…” Carter closed his eyes, thinking back on everything he had done leading up to this moment. All the good and bad he had committed in his past. But while he focused solely on the bad, he came to realize that staying in that frame of mind was keeping him from achieving his goals and preventing himself from being better, being the man he wished to be. Carter lifted his head and sighed, embracing the feeling of the rain washing down his face. “But... I will not become a monster. Never again.” Carter stood up and faced the tree once more. “I may not be able to save Granny Smith, but I can pick the rest of these apples before morning. And that is what I will do. It’s what I must do.” Carter brought his right leg back and took a stance. “I don't know what they see in me. I don't know why they agreed to help me nor why I was pardoned of damnation, but they trust me. Applejack and her friends trust me. I cannot... no, I will not disappoint them.” And with a mighty roar, Carter swung his leg around and kicked the tree, this time controlling his strength and focusing more on shaking the apple tree from its very roots. As his foot collided with the tree trunk, the tree shook in place, but no damage was seen where he struck. After taking a moment to breathe, Carter pulled his leg away from the tree. A single apple fell to the ground, landing beside Carter. Then another, and another, until all the apples from that one tree came down from the branches and into Carter’s reach. A smile swept over Carter’s face. It had seemed to him that he had learned the aforementioned “apple buck” “Thanks…” Carter looked back at the tree and patted its trunk. He leaned down and picked up the dropped apples, placing them in his basket. He then lifted the basket and held it by the handle, targeting the next of the many trees yet to be picked. He looked up at the apples with a stoic face. “But we’re not done yet. Alright, Carter, let’s start being helpful, again.”