//------------------------------//
// Part 3, Liquor and Roulette 
// Story: Hard Boiled Pink 
// by haydenward082 
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I stood ready to pounce. Nothing is getting between me and Applejack. She was standing opposite of me, glaring at the ground working her jaw, her eyes darting here and there looking for some kind of escape. Not going to happen my orange friend. More time went by. It's been three hundred and eight seconds since Applebloom cracked open my own personal case. The Mayor can wait, friends come first no matter how angry they can make me. Less waiting, time is cider!

I relaxed my body and sighed. I really shouldn't be too angry with her I guess. She is probably trying to protect something and just has a weird way of doing it.

I looked up with softer eyes. "Applejack, it doesn't have to be like this, we can talk about this right?" I slowly approached AJ's side, wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. "You're the toughest pony in Ponyville but that doesn't mean you have to hide your problems from your friends, even if they are dangerous."

Applejack sat down and looked to the sky and gave an exasperated sigh. "You're right Pink, I'll talk. Applebloom, stay here and watch the stand. Miss Pie and I are gunna have a trot. Don't worry about anything right now, it's all under control. Me and Pink are still friends. I'll be back soon so sit tight for an hour or two." Applejack gave her sister a hug before we left.

Applebloom had spit out or eaten the apple and was still sitting silently behind the apple cart. I could see the tension in her body. I shot a wink her way to try to reassure her but it didn't help. She continued to stare at the space between Applejack and I, a thousand things must be running through her mind right now.

Applejack started walking in the direction of her farm. We walked side by side down the road at a slow, peacefull pace which was giving Applejack some much needed time to think. It was a quiet walk for the most part, we passed by some ponies as we walked through town and eventually made it to the end of Ponyville and went up a dirt road that led up to Sweet Apple Acres. After about tweny minutes, we came to the edge of the rolling apple orchards her family is known for. She motioned to a gate that led deep into the heart of the apple orchard. I walked up to the gate and waited while she fiddled with some keys and unlocked it. We walked for another ten minutes, going deeper into the orchard than I had ever been before. It isn't the everfree but it sure is secluded enough to feel like it was.

AJ came to a stop. A hammock was set up between probably the two biggest trees on the farm. This is obviously Applejacks little hide away. She rolled into the hammock and pushed her trade mark hat over her eyes, "If you're gunna ask some questions, you better start now filly." Applejack said.

I peeled a crumpled and limp cigarette out of my bent cigarette case and began to fiddle with the lighter while I thought about how I should handle the current situation. You've got three kinds of people you've got to know how to deal with in this business: know nothin' idiots like entry level lackeys, the willing, and pony's like Applejack, informed and dangerous. I couldn't take AJ on in a fair fight and she's a darn good shot I've heard. I thought about it and decided it's best to keep on the slow and gentle path, if you can really call my tactics gentle. After three flicks of my lighter, the wick ignites and I put the flame to my sad little penny cigarette. I draw smoothly and blow a small but expanding smoke ring into the green and red speckled canopy above. It lingers a bit before finally reaching the top most branches and dissipates.

"Here's a simple enough question, where has your brother been? He doesn't normally help you sell your apples because he's not big on talking to ponies but he does help you pull the goods to and from the farm." I'm not expecting an interesting answer but I am interested in the Apple family's safety. Big Macintosh is just that, big, but that doesn't mean he couldn't wind up in trouble somehow.

Applejack spokes slowly, carefully picking her words. "Big Mac is out of town on business."  Celestia help me deal with this pony. I guess I'm used to it by now I suppose. More questions means more answers, even if the answers are cryptic. If I'm going to make it through the day, I need to lighten the mood so AJ doesn't get mad. You've got to love your friends. If she weren't one of them, she'd be sitting in my office in cuffs and a black eye for good measure. 

"Where'd he go, any where we haven't been? I've always loved traveling! Tell him to bring me back something!" Innocent enough, if she'd just answer me, I would leave her in peace.

"He's staying in Appleloosa with our cousin Breaburn for while," Applejack stated flatly, "farming apples and such."

"I remember going there, that was so much fun not to mention those delicious pies! Are the buffalo and the settler ponies still getting along alright?"

AJ continued, "There haven't been any tussles that I've heard about as of late, so I'd say they've been getting on well."

I mused, "It is always so much fun to go and help you during harvest season! Getting to stretch the old legs and eating all those tasty fresh apples made for some great memories. I bet Braeburn really appreciates the help bucking those apple trees and building that new cider distillery."

"Oh ya," The farm pony replied, "Big Mac knows everything about harvesting apples and cider making." AJ's eyes grew wide. "I wasn't supposed to mention that." Ah ha! I knew it. There's more questions to be asked but this fills in some pieces.

"My silly orange friend, they call you the Element of Honesty for a reason. You know that's illegal and I am a cop." 

AJ's eyes stayed on me. "You can't let anyone know or you won't leave this orchard." Sadness and panic was apparent on her freckled face. Family always comes first with the Apples.

I took a long pull from my flask as a wordless agreement while crossing my heart and stuffing an imaginary cupcake in my eye. "I should report this but fortunately for you I'm freelance so I can overlook your operation."


Applejack settled back into her hammock and pulled her hat down to cover her eyes again.
I think back to when we were back at the apple stand, what Applebloom said about those ponies coming in the night. I'm not one for using guilt trips very often, but I think that reminding her of her baby sister will crack her apple core.

"Applejack, the way Applebloom sounded back at your stall," I began, looking at her, seeing a flicker of green eyes under her hat as she shifted just enough to look at me. "She is scared. That's no way to let a baby sister feel ever!"

Applejack retorted while remaining stationary, still looking at me from under her hat. "You're one to talk Miss Pinkamena 'I'll-go-and-see-my-family-after-this-case' Pie. How do you think they feel right about know? Am I your new case? Am I holding you back from seeing your sisters so you can go and protect 'em and keep 'em safe and cozy?"

I lost my temper and yelled, my face going from a smooth, even pink to a flushed and angry red. "My parents can take care of the sisters just fine thank you very much! Where's your parents!..." I stopped and the clearing fell silent yet again. Why would I say such a thing. I've never said anything so mean before. I looked up, my face going from red to pale white in a single second, a mask of sadness and pain now expecting to see a raging Applejack upon me but she was still laying in her hammock. She pulled her hat away from her eyes to the top of her head where it normally resides and gave me a strange smirk.

"Don't think you're the first to say something like that, sugar cube, intentional or not. I've heard it all my life. Don't beat your self up over it. I think you've got an apology for me and I've got some information for you. Just remember everyone is vulnerable to something, even you, with your crazy antics and hardened exterior. I'm still the element of honesty and you're still the element of laughter. I think it'd be best if we started living up to our elements, don't ya agree?"

How can she just go from being stubborn and cranky to understanding and kind just like that? I do still feel bad about what I had just said to one of my best friends in the whole world but I guess it worked out, even if it was rather abrupt and unexpected. I guess I'm not as tough as I thought. Even now though, something must have made her have a change of heart. Maybe it was keeping her secret about the cider distillery in Appleoosa. It might have just been hearing the hate in my voice, I can be angry and rude, but I'm not hateful. At least I hope I'm not.

"You're one hundred and ten percent right Applejack. I have trouble reminding myself it wasn't long ago we were just all fun loving ponies. I became a private eye and freelance police officer because I thought it would be fun to sneak around, to be able to help ponies solve difficult problems. It's nothing like I thought, nothing at all like I thought. This is before everything went wrong when Celestia pushed that bill through. I was a baker and a prankster not even two years ago, now I'm a drunk. Having to chase a criminal through the streets late at night is one of the scariest things I've ever done and I have to do it on a regular basis. When you got a half starved lackey with a twitchy trigger hoof, you can never guess what he's gunna do. Some of there faces keep still me up at night, can you understand? Some of these kids just got hooked into the wrong racket, theses guys that stand on corners promising riches and they need just a little help, nothing crooked they say. Then these kids either end up in jail or worse, tied to one of the gangs with no way to get out." I propped back against a tree and threw my cigarette bud onto the ground. "That's no excuse though. We've been through a lot, I can't figure out what made me change. I still blindly cling to hope but it's dwindling." Heh, I've never really told anyone how I felt before, maybe I'm not as hard as I try to be like AJ said. I may be hard boiled but I'm not cracked.