Sweetapple Desires
-Hoover
Just in case someone can't understand, PREQUEL means BEFORE THE REST OF THE STORY. Now that we're clear, here we go-
"Hey bro?"
"Yeah?"
"It's four."
"Shit!"
I scrambled out of my computer chair and slammed my laptop closed, shoving it into a bag. Rushing to get my jacket on, I ran down the hallway. Three flights of stairs and a sprint down the street later, I was at the Ponyville marketplace.
I jogged over to my regular position, pulling my hood up, pulling out my laptop, and putting on my headphones.
I could see her from here every Tuesday and Thursday. My roommate called me a stalker, but I just come here to look at her from a distance, not follow her. So, technically, I'm not "stalking" her. I'm just admiring her from a distance.
With her younger sister helping her sort the bits and produce, she would sit at her stand and sell apples all day. But the only time I could spare was four PM until whenever she decided to close down her shop. I'm in college, you see.
I make music to make money for college. My parents kicked me out after tenth grade, disappointed at my love for techno and dubstep. Also disappointed by my poor grades.
I've never had a girlfriend before, and never thought I'd want one. Until I saw her. Applejack. Selling apples all day. I'd only ever gotten enough nerve to actually go and buy some apples twice. And right after I bought them, I had almost collapsed from my knees shaking so much.
-----
Back at my room, my roommate, Cedric, was asleep. I sat down at the small, cheap desk we shared, and opened up my laptop. Opening up my music program again, something outside caught my eye.
A large neon sign had just been turned on, its orange and yellow lights adding on to all the other lights' glare off the icy street. It simply said 'lottery'. I thought about it, until I eventually stood up and walked down to the street.
-----
The next day, I woke up extra early to go see when the Apple Family opened their stand. When I got to my bench, nopony was in their spot. I waited for about an hour, until realizing I was about to be late for one of my classes.
At 4 PM that afternoon, since I had nothing planned, I decided to go to my position again. There she was. Selling apples. I sighed deeply, and began to wonder how much longer this would go on for me. If I sat here, day after day, not doing anything, how would we ever be together? That is, if we WOULD ever get together...
That was another problem. How am I going to ask her? What if she doesn't feel the same way? Or what she's a lesbian? 'NO!!', I thought-shouted to myself. 'I won't think that way.' But either way, Now isn't the time. Or the place. Maybe I could ask her when they're packing up... No, not today... Or tomorrow... Or any day after that... I'll never get enough nerve to ask her...
-----
After packin' up our stand, we headed back to the farm.
"Hey sis." Applebloom got my attention.
"Yeah?" I replied, adjusting my hat.
"What's fer dinner again? Ah forgot."
"Again? I told you not ten minutes ago!" I sighed. "Chicken 'n dumplin's and cornbread, and some apple pie for dessert. And if you ask again, I swear, I'm takin' you to the hospital. Yer memory's been real bad lately."
The rest of the walk home was quiet, except for a few chunks of snow fallin' off the tree branches.
-----
When we got inside, Applebloom and I shook off the snow on our backs and hung our jackets up on the coat-hangers. Granny Smith and Big Mac were in the kitchen. Granny was teachin' Big Mac how to cook. In case she were to kick the bucket a bit too early, we would have somepony to take better care of us.
We sat down to eat, Applebloom beating everypony else there. After everypony sat down, we said the blessing and started. Applebloom grabbed the silverware and started to hack at the chicken. I caught her before she got a piece to her mouth.
"Woah, there, partner. Not so fast."
She sighed in annoyance, and put down her silverware. Taking her napkin from her lap, she tucked a corner in the collar of the sweater she had on.
"NOW can I eat?"
"Now you can."
Good thing I caught her, too. That little filly is the messiest eater in Equestria.
-----
After we were all done with pie, Applebloom hopped down from her chair and started walking to the kitchen.
"Hold up, Applebloom. No seconds tonight." I told her.
"What? Why not?" she replied, clearly disappointed.
"Apple sales ain't doin' too well this year. We're gonna have to cut back a little."
"Cut back? We never had to cut back before! Why ain't the sales doin' good?"
I sighed.
"Well, I guess this batch of cider wasn't as good as the rest."
This was a lie, though. Everypony loved the cider. I didn't know a single mare or stallion that didn't buy a mug everyday. But there was a hole in the shed, givin' those wild animals a way to all our apples. And a week ago, the roof had collapsed, ruining an entire bin of apples. And Big Mac and my room are infested with termites. There was a bear using the back barn door as a scratchin' post, and half the cows were sick. The chicken coop was rotting, or at least its roof was, from the moisture of the snow. In short, we needed money. Lots.
We all said good night, and went to our rooms. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't help but worry about all our problems, or how we would fix it. I barely got an hours sleep that night.
-----
I woke up next Sunday morning, still half asleep. Cedric was staring straight at me.
"Hoover?" He asked.
"Yeah?"
"We need to talk."
-----
"So, tell me, when do you plan on actually 'asking' Applejack out?" he asked after breakfast at Pony Joe's. We were in the library.
"What? Oh, not this again. I'll do it later." I said, reaching for my laptop bag. He stopped me.
"No. There is no 'later'. There is now. And only now."
I sighed. "Fine, let's get this over with."
"What do you like about her?"
"Look, I already told y-"
"I don't care."
"...Her mane, eyes, her hat, voice, how she talks to people... Everything."
"Good. 'Cause you're going to need to. Because I invited her over here today."
"What!?! Are you-" I stopped myself from shouting. "Are you fucking crazy!?"
"No, I'm not. You are. If you don't get to know her, you're NEVER going to get her to go out with you. So, you're gonna get to know her. Every Sunday at eleven. At this exact spot. Okay?"
"Umm... Uh... Oh geez... Uhh... Where are you going to be?" I asked, nervously panting.
"For the first few times, I'll be sitting over there." He said, pointing to a desk across the room, partially concealed by a bookshelf. "Now, the scenario is, she's supposed to meet me to talk about getting Applebloom into a good school after she graduates. And I'll be running a bit 'late'. So you keep her occupied, ask some questions, get to know her, and in a few minutes, I'll come in and you'll be free to go."
"So I just-"
"Oh, here she comes" he said, pointing out the window. He ran around back to his desk.
She walked in, and, as I expected, started toward my direction.
"Hey, uh, have you seen a pony in a sports jacket around here? Name's Cedric?"
I shuttered inside. If I screwed this up, it would all be over. "Yeah, he's, uh. A good f-friend of mine. H-he's my r-rommate."
"Are you alright? Cause yer shivering right now."
Oh shit. I was doing it again. Like I did at the stand. Shaking when I get too close to her. She sat down, and I started to shake less.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, nervously laughing.
"So, uh, do ya know where he is?" she asked.
"He said he'd be here in a bit." my shaking was calming down.
"Alright..." she took off her hat and smoothed down her hair.
Oh god. I love it when she does that. And then the shakes started up again. I squeezed the handle of my laptop case to try and calm myself. But it didn't help much.
"So where ya from?" she asked, sitting back.
"Ponyville." my voice was calming down.
"Well, me too! Well, I mean that's kinda... Kinda obvious... Since, you know, Sweetapple Acres, and whatnot..." she was starting to look down. This conversation was dying. I rushed to save it.
"So how's the family?"
What the FU-?!?! What was that???? 'How's the family?' What kind of question was that!?!
I was screaming at myself in my head, and bit my lip in realty, all the while squeezing harder on my handle.
"Well that's mighty thoughtful of you!"
'Oh, thank God.' my hand stopped squeezing.
"Um, actually, not so good right now. With it bein' Winter and all, the snow's finally begun to wear down on the farm. So, as you can imagine, we'd need money to repair the damages, but the roof has collapsed on some of our stored produce, so we don't have much else to sell. But there's nothin' can be done 'bout it now. Now how about you? How's yer life goin'?"
"Well, uh... Being in college is kinda... kinda rough, so my grades aren't doing too well... And, uh, I work on music on my laptop, and uh, that's... Pretty much... It..."
It was coming. That sick feeling I had whenever I got this nervous. And I had only gotten this nervous once before. That was when I bought some apples that one day. And that day, I had thrown up... Which meant...
"Would you excuse me for a seco-" I could feel it coming.
I got up and ran for the door. I didn't care where I did it. As long as I did it away from her. Sprinting past other students and tripping over their saddlepacks, I ran out the doorway and down the hall. Luckily, there was a bathroom to the left.
It was locked. And things weren't getting better for me. Already I had a half-mouthful of vomit ready to come out. Was I THAT desperate? The next surge of stomach acids said I was. I charged into the mares' restroom.
Thank Luna there was nopony in there, because once I was in, my stomach unleashed its hot fury. Yellow-ish orange chunks flew across the air and splattered off the floor and my hoodie. I crashed down on my knees at the foot of one of the toilets, head hanging low.
-----
A half-hour later, after my nerves had settled and my vomiting stopped, I got up to go to the sink. But when I turned around, Cedric was there.
"...the door was loc-"
"I know. What the HELL WAS THAT!?! I give you two some TIME ALONE, AND YOU FUCKING BLEW IT!??!"
"It's not my fault!" I pleaded.
"Then who's fault is it!?" he was breathing heavily, and was clearly pissed off.
"...I'm sorry abo-"
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT IF YOU'RE SORRY!!! I gave you a chance, and you fucked it up! That's as simple as it gets!... I mean, like, how many signs do you need?"
"Just... Why are you trying so hard? For me? Why can't you just, LET me take care of this?"
"Because if I 'let' you take care of it, you're just gonna sit at home and DO NOTHING!!! YOU'LL JUST MOPE AROUND ALL DAY!!! Because you're too much of a chickenshit to ask her out!"
"I get nervous. I shake. And I vomit when I get too close to her! I would LOVE to ask her out. But my body won't FUCKING LET ME!"
Our argument had attracted the unwanted attention of some nearby mares. Two guys in a mares' restroom shouting at each other. One covered in vomit, the other in a letter-jacket.
Cedric stormed out, muttering curses, while all the other mares stared at me.
"...The door was locked." I said gesturing to the stallions' restroom. They stared blankly as I walked out of the bathroom and down the hall.
-----
"Again? Why aren't the sales good this year?!"
Applebloom was real upset about not gettin' her second helpin' again.
"I know you're a growin' filly and need yer vitamins, but we just cayn't afford it."
"But why not? We NEVER had money problems before. Never!"
"Listen, sugarcube. I didn't want to have to tell you this, but..." I looked over to Big Mac. He nodded.
"The barn's fallin' apart." I started. "Termites, raccoons, bears, everything. And all this snow's gettin' mildew on the wood, which makes it weak. So we lost a good deal of our produce last week."
"Well, can't ya fix it?"
"Fixin' it takes money, and that's somethin' we don't have much of right now."
"...well what CAN we do about it?"
I sighed. "Just hope we get through."
-----
That night, I was woken by a smoky smell. 'Fire!' was my immediate thought. But that seemed ridiculous, what with the record-breaking coldness this Winter.
But I couldn't be too safe, could I? Once I looked outside my window, fire met my eyes. My heart started beatin'.
"BIG MACINTOSH! APPLEBLOOM! GRANNY SMITH! FIRE!"
I heard them get up quickly through the walls. I walked into the hallway, and saw Big Mac on my right, and Applebloom on my left, pulling off her bonnet.
Once we were outside, we all ran and grabbed a bucket. The barn was almost completely burned down by now, but we had to put in out fully, so as to prevent it from spreading.
Sprinting to the barn, we dipped the rim of our buckets to the ground, gathering snow. Big Mac had the largest, and tossed it onto the barn roof, smothering a small spot of burning wood.
-----
After we had gotten the fire all out, we all sat in the snow. Except Big Mac.
"What do you think caused it?" I asked. The following sound of a dragon roar answered my question.
Nothing remained but the right-back wall and a small portion of the roof. But everything was black. Even the snow around it. It had started snowing, but we couldn't pick out a snowflake from a piece of ash.
-----
I heard a bing from my laptop. I didn't feel like getting out of bed, so I pulled my laptop from the desk.
I had gotten an email. I started reading.
-Dear Mr. Hoover... After reading through it once, I read it again, analyzing each word to make sure I was getting it right. ...we are pleased to inform you that you have won this months Ponyville lottery... And will receive in your bank account a sum of 4,000,000 bits...
I couldn't believe it! FOUR MILLION BITS!?!?!... But what will I do with all that? I could buy a house, invest some, anything! I'd never been happier...
Well, except once. When I first saw Applejack. No matter what I did, my mind always drifted toward her.
Then I got an idea. The best idea I've ever had. An idea that'll change everything. I would give some of it to the Apple Family.
-----
I decided the time was right. It was about eight o' clock when I got my hoodie on and headed out. I had a letter ready, figuring that it would be better to just leave it written down rather than actually tell her. But I had an empty stomach just in case.
Inside the letter was a small note written in my best handwriting, and a check containing some money.
When I got outside, I was met by the crisp night air. The entire street was lit up with neon lights and the lanterns hanging outside some store windows. The letter was in my pocket, quickly accessible.
I would go to Sweetapple Acres, drop off the letter, knock on the door, and sprint down the road back home. Quick and easy.
-----
When I was in the forest, I noticed something strange. An abnormal amount of lights were lit. And some candles at one tree. I was still hidden by the shadow, and brought my hood up.
I stuck my head around a tree and looked to see what it was. It was Applejack sitting on a bench. With another pony. And candles.
'Maybe they're just... Well... Maybe it's...'
This didn't look good. AJ took off her hat and started slowly towards the other one. The stallion leaned quickly towards Applejack and took her face in his hooves. I started shaking. He kissed her, and her, him. My stomach churned.
I shuffled back to town, trying to handle what I saw. That WAS Applejack, and they WERE kissing... But...... That... Was going... To be me...
ME and Applejack. I would give her the money and she'd be with ME. Not any other stallion. ME. I started breathing heavily, until I was panting. Standing in the marketplace, with nopony else outside. Sweat streamed down my face, despite the freezing temperatures.
I had fantasized this for years. Ever since I saw her. And there had never been a problem, until the day that I finally get brave enough to ask her.
Why did have to be me? Why did I have to have the worst mare-problems out of everypony I know!? Why me!?! Why Why WHY WHY WHY!?!?!?!?!
"FUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed, standing in the center of the street.
I grabbed the letter from my pocket, crumbled it up, tore it in half, and threw it on the ground.
-----
The next day, I packed my things, all of them, wrote a letter to Cedric, and left to the train station. I didn't ever want to see Applejack's face again. Or ever hear her name. I hated her now. I would take a train to anywhere. I didn't care, I just wanted to start again somewhere new. Whether it be Fillydelphia, Manehattan, Trottingham, Canterlot, Baltimare, I don't care. Just get me away from here.
-----
As I was walking down the isle of the train, I saw a nearly empty compartment. I looked down the rest of the train, and saw a thick crowd. I sighed deeply, and got it.
After I had gotten settled, I sat down opposite form the other stallion, by the window.
"...Hey, I'm Chance." he said, breaking the short silence.
"Hoover" I replied.
The rest of the ride, we talked, got to know each other, told our stories of why we were here, and, became friends. Best friends, that is. I told him everything. Every thought. And he did the same.
Now I live in Canterlot, in the same apartment building as Chance. Every morning I go to the Bakery down the street. It has an amazing view. The orange clouds and the soft pink rays of the sun calm my mind. Life is good. Now.