//------------------------------// // Frustration // Story: Applejacking Him Around // by TheTalentlessPony //------------------------------// Hmph. Who does he think he is... lyin' to me like that... Applejack grunted as she walked along the path to Ponyville. She knew she had been a bit out of line, but she was too stubborn to admit it right out-front. Besides that, she was still very frustrated. The nerve of that stallion... "HEY APPLEJACK!" The orange mare jumped back as a certain pink pony leaped in front of her. Though breathing heavy for a moment, the country pony quickly calmed down as she realized that it was just her friend. "O-oh... it's only you Pinkie Pie," she said, adjusting her hat and focusing on the pink mare. "Yep! Just me!" the hyperactive pony exclaimed. "Buuuuuut~" Taking hold of Applejack's face, she pulled the orange mare close and tilted her head. "What about just you?" she asked, promptly releasing her friend. "Did Apple Bloom come with you? Where is she? Or Granny Smith? Big Macintosh can't be around 'cause he's out with-" the pink pony paused for a moment, then put a hoof to her mouth. "-oops..." Applejack raised a brow at her friend, but Pinkie Pie quickly recovered and continued speaking. "Ooo! I know! What about Caramel? He's working on the farm with you now, right? How is he? Did he-" She stopped her sentence once more as she noticed Applejack's sudden shift in demeanor. "...Something wrong Applejack?" she asked, pouting a bit. She didn't like to see her friends look so angry. "Ah..." The orange mare paused to choose her words, then shrugged and trotted past the pink pony. "Nothin' that concerns ya Pinkie Pie." "Why not?" her pink friend asked, jumping in front of her again and giving her a bit of a glare. Applejack simply huffed, in no mood for Pinkie's hyperactive ways. "Ah... well..." "Oh! Oh!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "I know what'll cheer you up!" The orange mare tilted her head and stared obliviously. She just doesn't give up, does she...? "A trip to Sugarcube Corner! I know you love love LOVE our apple desserts!" the pink pony cheered. "P-Pinkie Pie... ah really don't thi-WHOA!" Applejack flailed a bit as she was roughly pushed towards the decorative bakery. "That'll make ya smile! Let's go!" "Ah said-" The orange mare paused as she was shoved through the door, where she was met with a room devoid of any other ponies. "...Nopony's here Pinkie Pie." she stated plainly. "Oh! I know!" the pink pony said, rushing behind the counter and directing a hoof towards the 'CLOSED' sign on the window. "Mister and Missis Cake went out to a convection-" "Convention." "Yeah, that! They went to this convention-thingy and asked me to watch the twins again. They thought I couldn't handle both the store and the babies, so we're closed for a bit!" she explained. "They're sleeping right now though, so when I saw you I just HAD to come say hi!" "Ah, alright then." "ANYWAY THOUGH!" Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted, making Applejack flinch slightly. "Whadda ya want?" "Uh..." Not wanting to be rude, as the pink pony seemed so insistent on baking something for her, Applejack hesitantly took a seat and shrugged. "Ah... surprise me..." "Yoooou got it!" Then, with a hop, skip, and jump, Pinkie Pie rushed off for the kitchen to start baking. Waiting until she was completely gone, Applejack promptly and practically collapsed on the counter. She was still angry at Caramel of course, but she couldn't help but feel bad. She did just snap at him after all. Did he deserve it? She didn't know. She wasn't even sure of her own emotions, much less the answer. Sighing again and slamming her hat onto the counter, Applejack ran a hoof through her mane and gave it a rough tap. "Horseapples Applejack. Ya know darn well that you were outta line." she muttered. "And Granny Smith wouldn't be very happy with ya either..." "You're darn right I wouldn't." Applejack practically scrambled out of her seat as she heard her grandmother's voice. Nervously turning around, the orange mare took notice of the elderly mare standing at the door. "G-Granny..." she said fearfully, backing up until she hit the counter. She did not want to face her grandmother, especially not now. The green earth pony shot her a glare at first, then walked up to her granddaughter and huffed. "Ya chased him off the farm on his first day Applejack. His first day." Immediately going on the defensive, the orange mare stared back at her grandmother and frowned. "Y-ya don't understand Granny Smith! He let the cows break free and they trampled most of our crops!" "Applejack-" "No Granny! It ain't okay for him to do that! Ah don't want him ruining all of our hard work! He'd just keep on doing it!" "Appleja-" "Ah don't trust him one bit, ah'll tell ya that right now! What if he had hurt Apple Bloom, huh!?" The orange mare's voice was starting to strain as her tone increased in frustration. "APPLEJACK!" Shaking her head, Applejack stomped her hooves on the ground, hoping that her grandmother would take her more seriously. "Granny Smith! Why'd ya have to go and hire him! Ya DIDN'T! Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and ah can handle it ALL BY OURSELVES. YA DON'T HAVE TO PUT YOUR FAITH IN SOME OTHER PONY JUST SO WE DON'T HAVE TO-" "-Is that what this is all about...?" Granny Smith suddenly asked, her expression softening. "Ah-" Applejack froze for a moment, then quickly lowered her head and went silent. "...Applejack." "..." "...Applejack." Grabbing her hat off the counter as quick as she could, the orange mare donned the stetson and used it to hide her face. "Ah... ah'm... mighty sorry Granny Smith..." "Deary-" "Ah let ya down... ah couldn't..." Applejack began as she stiffened, trying desperately to hold back her emotions long enough to explain herself. "...ah couldn't hold up all our work. Ah tried... and ah failed ya..." "Applejack!" Granny Smith said sternly, putting a hoof to the orange mare's face and lifting it up, making direct eye contact with the teary-eyed Applejack. "Listen here. Ya never failed me. Ever. Don't ya ever go sayin' that." "But..." Applejack told her timidly, lowering her gaze. "Ya had to go and hire somepony, then pay him just so we didn't have to-" "Ah don't paid him." The orange mare paused, then looked back at her grandmother in confusion. "H-huh? But you-" "Caramel came to me. He didn't ask for pay. He didn't ask me to go easy on him. He just wanted to work hard for free." "W-why would he-" "Work hard... with you, for free." Applejack's ears perked at that. "W-wha? Me, Granny?" The green earth pony smiled a bit, then gently stroked her granddaughter's cheek with a hoof. "He's mighty fond of ya deary." "F-fond... of me?" "Yup. He was too nervous to talk to ya about it after the Winter Wrap Up incident, so he asked me if he could come work on the farm; so he could get more comfortable with ya, and hope that you'd forgive him," Granny Smith explained. Applejack just deadpanned, searching her grandmother's eyes for any sign of lying. "S-so... ya weren't lookin' to hire somepony?" "Nope," the elderly mare replied plainly. "Ah just wanted to help him out, but ah couldn't tell ya why." Chuckling a bit, the green pony grinned sheepishly. "So ah... fibbed, a little." The orange mare was quiet for a moment, then frowned once more. "But... Sassaflash... Apple Bloom told me-" "Caramel's old girlfriend?" The two mares turned their heads to see Pinkie Pie standing at the counter, a plate of two large Apple Dumplings in front of her. Her smile was flat, and she had a... somewhat serious expression on her face. "U-uh... yeah." Applejack replied, suddenly feeling uncomfortable from the intrusion. "She told me that he broke up with her," the pink pony stated. "Said that there was... somepony else..." The orange mare stiffened, only able to mutter, "...oh..." Granny Smith stared over at her granddaughter for a moment, then put a hoof around her. "The crops'll grow back dear. Hearts..." She paused, directing her hoof towards Applejack's chest. "...not always." Applejack looked between her grandmother and Pinkie Pie, then turned and started heading for the door. "A-ah gotta go." "Wait Applejack!" Applejack paused, then turned towards the pink pony behind the counter, who was wrapping up the dumplings with great speed and care. "P-Pinkie Pie, ah don't think-" Her words were ignored as Pinkie Pie gave her the wrapped-up dumplings, which the orange mare held in her mouth. "Share 'em with him," she said, her happy tone softened to match her small smile. Applejack didn't respond for a moment, then smiled back and rushed out the door. She had to find him...