//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: The Worst Worker 
// Story: A Dodgy Business 
// by MLP-Silver-Quill 
//------------------------------//

	Applejack woke before the dawn. Had barely slept a wink, and was too dang sluggish. Sluggishness meant mistakes, like starting bunny stampedes or launching Rainbow Dash into the library. That wouldn’t do, so she crept down the hallway and searched the kitchen. Ms. Jubilee was a real practical pony. Organized her stuff a lot like Applejack. Maybe that was why this whole mess struck so close.
Twilight Sparkle herself couldn’t mix up a potion half as effective as Applejack’s morning coffee. Enough caffeine to give a dragon the jitters. The aroma spread throughout the kitchen and down the hallway, and before long Ms. Jubilee and Big Macintosh joined her. 
“What is that brew, dearie?” 
“My own special recipe. Sorry for helping m’self to your kitchen, Ms. Jubilee.”
“Oh, that’s quite all right. I’d welcome a cup right now.” 
Applejack poured three cups and passed them around the table. Ms. Jubilee brought out a cream pitcher. The white liquid evaporated before it could break the surface. “I-it smells wonderful. Looks a bit hot though.”
“That’d be the peppers.” said Applejack. 
Ms. Jubilee tried to stir it. The spoon dissolved halfway up. 
Applejack and Big Macintosh downed their drinks in one gulp. Tears welled in their eyes and they both leaned forward as the warmth spread through their bodies. “Yee-HAW! That’s the stuff!”
“Eeyup!” Big Macintosh’s words strung out real high-pitched. 
Ms. Jubilee set her mug down and offered a sweet smile. “H... how about you dears go bring Clutterstep a mug while I go over some paperwork? Be out in a jiffy.” 
“Sure thing.” Applejack balanced a mug on her back and followed her brother outside. 
Clutterstep hadn’t been truthful. It was dang chilly outside. Pre-dawn mist was still hanging near the ground. “A pony’s liable to catch a cold, sleeping outside like this.” 
“Eeyup.” 
Applejack couldn’t spot the plate Clutterstep had sent flying the night before. Well, no time to go a-hunting for it. Too much to do. 
They wound their way past the trees, feeling the world waking up under their hooves. That was the joy of being an earth pony. You heard the wind’s breath and felt the land’s heartbeat. Everything that lived was a part of you. Let the pegasi have their flying and unicorns their magic; an earth pony never doubted they were part of something greater. 
They found the hammock well enough, though it looked more like a cocoon. Darn thing had been twisted up overnight and wrapped around Clutterstep, tight as a mummy from Neighgypt. Applejack couldn’t figure how anypony could wind up in that situation. “Uh, Clutterstep?”
“Gud mumming.” came a muffled voice. 
Big Macintosh reached up and gave the hammock a pull. It spun around and Clutterstep with a thud that spread over the entire orchard. 
The blue thing! The blue thiiiing!
There was that whisper in the trees again. 
“Thank you.” groaned Clutterstep. A ratty blanket draped over his head. 
“Up and at ‘em, Clutterstep!” Applejack waited for Big Macintosh to lend a helping hoof before offering the coffee mug.
“Oh, thanks!” Clutterstep took the mug and downed it almost as fast as the Apples. He wiped his mouth and seemed to enjoy the aftertaste. Then his eyes shrank to pinpoints and his entire body stiffened. “I can see through time!” 
Applejack shook her head. Lightweights. “Then you can guess what you’ll be doing for the rest of the day. C’mon now, let’s get to harvesting!”
They started the morning finishing up the northern field. Rather, Big Macintosh, Applejack, and Ms. Jubilee finished up the field. Clutterstep managed to not get himself hurt, which was nothing short of a miracle.
The work started, and stopped, when he kicked a tree at just the wrong angle so that the cherries flew off and pelted Applejack and Big Macintosh. Then the branch fell off and gave them all a fright. That was seven bits worth of produce lost, plus wasted time. Then he tripped while carrying another bundle. That was another three bits worth lost to bruising, and a second branch toppled off the tree.
The blue thing! The blue thiiiiing! 
“Clutterstep!” Applejack sighed, “You gotta watch where y’all are going.”
“Sorry, sorry!” Clutterstep gathered up the spilled cherries, crushing two bits worth in the process. By mid-morning, they had finished harvesting the northern field and had at least a hundred bits worth of produce, minus twelve.   
They met at lunchtime to divide into teams. Despite her brothers pleading looks, Applejack paired him up with Ms. Jubilee to tackle the southern field while Clutterstep and Applejack took the west. Way she figured, both teams needed a level head and a strong worker. No worries for Big Mac and Ms. Jubilee, but Applejack wanted to keep an eye on Clutterstep. 
“I don’t know if this is gonna work.” said Applejack to Ms. Jubilee before teams set off. They were behind the house, out of earshot. “We shoulda been done a lot sooner.” She cast a glance around the corner at Clutterstep, who was minding to Big Macintosh as the bigger pony showed how to lift a harvest load without losing balance. 
“I know it’s frustrating, Applejack.” Ms. Jubilee sighed. “But we need every hoof we can get.” 
“He’s costing us time and money!” Applejack took a breath. “It’s like trying to corral a bunch of critters while somepony keeps running the wrong way. Ms. Jubilee, that boy’s got as much farming sense as a rock’s got feathers.”
Ms. Jubilee said, “Before you came, Clutter was my only friend in the whole town. He signed on the very day my last work pony quit. Don’t even have to pay him. Just a hammock to sleep and three square a day. Honestly, dear, I wouldn’t have held on if he hadn’t stumbled into town.” 
Applejack’s ear twitched. “Stumbled?” That sounded like Clutterstep all right. 
Cherry Jubilee shrugged, “Never said where he was a-come from; just came into town, walked up to a water trough, and fainted. The sheriff—the old sheriff, mind you—had to haul him out before he drown. Been a wanderer in Dodge ever since.”
It wasn’t hard to guess. “Knocked over some businesses, has he?” 
“Depends on how you look at it. He once shook a house so bad that the family had to duck out. Good thing they did to, since the house caught fire not ten minutes later. A fire I think the Varmin started. And Clutterstep was right there, helping bail water as best as he could.” 
“Uh-huh.” said Applejack. “And how much water did he actually get on the fire?” 
“Um, that’s just a minor detail.” Ms. Jubilee rested a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “He’s got his quirks, but there’s a right good heart underneath. Give him a chance, dearie.” 
Applejack was about to reply when a crash sounded from the wagon. 
Big Macintosh and Clutterstep stood gapping at a fallen tree limb that had smashed the curves of several empty crates. That was thirty bits down the drain. 
“Uh... He did it.” Clutterstep gestured to Big Macintosh. 
“Nnope!” Big Macintosh gave the smaller stallion a shove.
“Hey, I did just like you showed me. So, you know, vicariously.” 
Applejack cut off her brother. “That’s enough, the both of you!” She surveyed the damage. Ain’t no way they’d patch up those crates and still make headway on the harvest. “Big Macintosh, you and Ms. Jubilee are gonna clean up this here mess and get started on the southern field. Clutterstep, you an’ me are taking the wagon into town and getting some replacements. Don’t you worry, Ms. Jubilee, I’ll knock them prices down real nice.”
Ms. Jubilee nodded. “I’m sure you will. Just leave the owner with a little pride. He’s a friend. Least, as friendly as anyone in town has been as of late.” 
“Maybe I should stay and help.” said Clutterstep.
Applejack rounded on him. “Oh no you don’t! Y’all are gonna fix up the mess you made. Now go hitch up the wagon and let’s get a move on!” 

XXXXXX

“That bloody git!” Rawley hissed, nearly blowing their cover. They were tucked between a thicket of bushes on a hillside. It offered the perfect view of the working ponies, but was too close to earshot. Harumphy clamed a paw over his snout. Rawley shoved it away. “You still smell like soap.” 
“And this whole plan stinks of failure.” said Harumphy. “Them ponies should be two paws shorter and ten paws under!” 
Twitch’s work with the twins had gone to waste. Every tree branch they’d loosed and fallen, right enough. But they’d all fallen at the wrong time, usually when that blighter Clutterstep tripped and shook them loose. Hadn’t busted a single pony so far. At least that last one had smashed some of their crates. That had to count for something.
Sweetly stinking mercy, if Ms. Preda didn’t think that counted...
“We should just clobber ‘em.” said Harumphy. “Have Whiskers give ‘em a good swat to the head.” 
“In the open? In daylight?” Rawley made sure his sigh was full of drama. “And which of us would go after that blue one? Or how about you tackle big red over yonder?” Harumphy didn’t respond. Poor fool still didn’t appreciate the art of the Sneak. Too direct, he was. Varmin didn’t fight until the odds were stacked, the match rigged, and they’d collected their share of the cut. 
“Hey, boss?” Scamp was at their side. “We got the western fields all set up, you see?” 
Rawley nodded. “Good lad. Maybe we’ll get a break while that blue bugger’s gone. 
“Wouldn’t hold your breath.” Harumphy pointed to the ranch’s owner, who was trying to cozy up with the big red one. “Looks like she’s interested in a different kind of harvest.” 
“Think they’d let us watch?” Rawley gave Scamp a cuff to the head.
“You kids these days. When are you gonna learn? Never ask permission. That way, no one can say ‘no.’“
“Right boss.” Ah, the young. 
Rawley took a glance at the house. Now was the perfect time to nip in and take what they wanted. Real quiet. Real easy. 
A voice called from the road, “Heads up!” And Rawley noticed that it had gotten darker all of a sudden. He looked up and witnessed something no creature should ever have to see: the underside of a plummeting crate. 
“Oh, that tos—” 

XXXXXX 

Applejack wasn’t sure what she’d just seen. It hadn’t been a big rock. Barely more than a hoof-sized stone. Hadn’t even gone over it that fast. If Twilight were there, she’d be lecturing Clutterstep on how he shouldn’t be breaking physics laws or some such. 
“Heads up!” Clutterstep shouted as the broken crate went sailing back towards the ranch. It crashed down in the cherry orchard near the eastern fields. Well clear of Big Macintosh and Ms. Jubilee. Applejack let out a breath.
“How in the hay do you do that?” 
Clutterstep tried that I-didn’t-mean-to,-but-it-was-kinda-funny smile. “It... just sorta happens.”
Applejack considered going back for the crate. Decided it wasn’t worth the time. “Just take it slow from here on, okay?” 
“Okay.” 
The trip into Dodge Junction was thankfully short. Hop, skip, and a jump as Pinkie would say (and dance). Applejack and Clutterstep made the way in relative quiet. He wasn’t an easy pony to get a read. He tripped on several pebbles and his own hoof. Applejack couldn’t remember meeting a clumsy earth pony. A ditzy pegasus? Sure. But earth ponies were supposed to be connected to the world deeper than any other breed. Clumsy didn’t happen unless they’d been up for nearly a week, overworked, and so frazzled that they couldn’t think straight. 
She blushed at the memory. 
They stopped in front of the general store. Or rather, the ponies stopped but the wagon kept right trucking until it shoved Clutterstep in the caboose. The brakes weren’t working proper. “I should probably keep an eye on it.” said Clutterstep. “Besides, they—uh—won’t let me in the general store anymore.” 
“Any particular reason?” 
“Baking soda is a surprisingly dangerous purchase.” Clutterstep didn’t say any more. 
The general store owner was hiding behind the cash register when Applejack entered. He poked his green-coated head over the counter and asked, “Is... is that other pony staying outside?”
“Yessir.”
“Oh, thank goodness! We just got the cake stains off the walls last week.” The storeowner stood upright. “How can I help you today?”
Applejack put on her I’m-here-to-make-a-deal-and-Celestia-help-you-if-you-try-and-swindle-me face. “I got me a need for some crates. Sturdy ones.” She thought for a moment. “Extra sturdy. Now, I got me some busted crates that still have real good timber and nails, so I reckon that’s make for a fair trade of 30% off.” 
The storeowner frowned and slid up to the window. Peeked out real careful, but Clutterstep saw him and waved. The owner squeaked and ducked back down, his broom and barrel cutie mark trembling with the rest of him. “T-those crates look smashed to toothpicks. I couldn’t take that lumber for more than a 10% discount.” 
Applejack peeked back out the window, just for show. Clutterstep stared back at her, all confused. She noticed that most of the ponies had deserted the street. The same dressmaker ponies were all staring out their building with hoofball helmets strapped and tied-on pillows. “We must be looking at different crates; ‘cause I see a bunch that’ll fetch at least 25%.” 
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but we’re definitely seeing the same 12% crates.” 
Applejack pondered for a spell. This one was a tough nut. She tried channeling Rarity, and a wicked idea came. “Well, I can see we’re of separate thoughts here. I reckon we need a third party. Lemme just call Clutterstep on in-”
“Twenty-four percent!” cried the store owner. “Twenty-four, and you can have all the pillows you want. Just keep that pony outside!” 
“Deal. We’ll need ten crates. Thank you kindly.” She grinned as the pony vanished to the backrooms to count his stock. 
“That was a right wicked thing to do, Miss.” Sherriff Lucky Roll stepped out from behind a shelf of battered-looking self-help books. 
“Sheriff.” Applejack nodded. 
“Y’all should know better than to threaten a pony with Clutterstep.” A crash sounded outside.
“I’m okay!” called Clutterstep. Applejack chose not to look.
The Sherriff shook his head real slow. “That boy ain’t a pony. He’s a natural disaster with a mailing address. Been tearing up half the town since he appeared.” 
“So I heard. You don’t sound too fond of him yourself.” Applejack risked a peek at the book he’d been inspecting. The Dadgum Fool’s Guide to Getting Out of Debt. 
The Sheriff flipped the book down and trotted over the hay jerky stand. “What went on between me and that... calamity is my own business. Y’all should be more concerned with getting yourselves and Ms. Jubilee away from that there ranch as fast as you can.”
Applejack scowled at him. “Y’all got some nerve, talking about Ms. Jubilee’s safety.”
Lucky Roll’s nostrils flared, but he kept his voice even as sunlight. “You may not know it, but I do a dang fine job of keeping Ms. Jubilee safe. There are far worse ponies who could have been tossed into this job, and they wouldn’t have given two figs about her. That mare needs to realize that ranch ain’t worth her life. Even if Ms. Preda does take it, Ms. Jubilee has places to fall back on.” 
“Under Penelope Preda’s care, ‘course.” Applejack sighed. “How’d a pony like you end up with that badge anyhow?”
“That ain’t none of your concern.” The Sheriff snorted. “Just get back to Ms. Jubilee and tell her that I’m doing all I can to protect her, and I-”
The world shook from outside. “Oh, what’s that dang fool done now?” They went to the window and peeked over the rim. 
Clutterstep hid behind the wagon as ponies rushed from one end of the street to the other. Several town ponies took shelter alongside Clutterstep, then screamed and darted indoors when they saw him. The wagon pony Applejack had first seen on her arrival dashed through the doorway and hid behind several bags of chicken feed.
“Hey!” said Lucky Roll. “What’s happening?”
“It’s the Grumble Brothers! The Grumble Brothers have escaped!” 
She heard the Grumbles before she saw them. Flick and Pick marched down the street with lengths of chain bound to their wrists and ankles. Several links were still connected to what was left of the jail wall. The Grumble Brothers kept on strolling like there was nothing to it. 
They were more gray than the other day. Wasn’t quite the pale sheen that meant sickness. More like...
“Stone!” Applejack explained. “Did y’all wash off the sunscreen?”
Sheriff Lucky Roll pressed against the wall separating the window and door. Had a knack for keeping his head down. “You think any of my ponies wanted to get close to those two with water and a brush? We figured the sunscreen’d wear off before we shipped ‘em out.” 
The Grumbles walked down the street towards the town bank. They didn’t slow, and it wasn’t long before the bank’s entryway had two misshapen holes. A general commotion kicked up as Applejack dragged Lucky Roll into the open. “You’re the sheriff!”
“Yeah, which means I could arrest you for assaulting an officer!” He yanked his tail away from Applejack’s grip.
The farmer pony rolled her eyes and hunkered down next to Clutterstep.
“What happened?” The noise from the bank stopped and the silence became thick.
“Dunno.” said Clutterstep. “I’m kinda going through an identity crisis. I mean, buildings are getting smashed, and I had nothing to do with it! This is a real red-letter day.”
“Don’t be so sure.” Lucky Roll pressed down beside. “Them trolls was bound up tight til you wandered in to town.”
Clutterstep rolled his eyes. “It must be wonderful in your world, Sheriff. Every problem caused by just one pony. I wonder what you’ll do when I’m gone?” 
“Breath easy.” grumbled the Sherriff.
Applejack was ready to buck them to opposite ends of Equestria, just for peace and quiet. “Boys! If’n you haven’t noticed, we’ve got a robbery going on in front of us!” 
Lucky Roll crept out from cover as the silence dragged out. Applejack kept pace with him, but Clutterstep kept at the wagon, hooves resting on its side. “They won’t nab one bit.” said Lucky Roll, none-too-confident. “Even if they’re strong enough to break out of jail, they’d need ten cases of dynamite to crack that safe.” 
Ponies bolted out of the bank, eyes wide and shouting gibberish. Were nearly tripping over each other to get behind cover. 
Then the bank started shaking. Applejack worried that the whole thing might come crashing down, but the ruckus was coming from inside. Bricks smashing and mortar tore apart. Applejack made out the cry of wooden planks breaking under weight with a strange kind of rhythm. 
Pick Grumble emerged from the bank with his muscles bulging thicker than Applejack’s head. He hoisted a metal cylinder overhead. Flick Grumble followed, bearing the other end of the bank vault with equal effort. The brothers worked well together. They had a kind of drumbeat going with their mutual grunts. Could win a three-legged race they way they were moving so perfectly.
Clutterstep was the only pony to find words. “Well, that’s novel.” 
“What in tarnation are they gonna do?” 
Sherriff Lucky Roll sighed. “Probably haul it on back to the Coltez mines, where they got ten crates of dynamite waiting.” 
Applejack was starting to wonder if the whole dang town would be better off just throwing their money at the Brothers to make them go away. “Y’all left dynamite in those mines?” 
“Course not!” said Lucky Roll. “Cleared out every stick when we came across them natural gas pockets. ‘cept the Grumbles stole it all back the moment they crossed into the territory.”  
The Grumble Brothers worked their way down the street unopposed. They were already at the base of a hill that led past the town’s water tower. The gray of their unprotected skin didn’t seem to slow them down. If anything, it braced them to support the vault’s weight. 
“We gotta do something!” said Applejack. She looked at the Sherriff. “Haven’t you got anything to tackle a pair of trolls? They’re making off with ponies’ livelihoods!” 
Lucky Roll shrugged. “Better that than winding up like the last sherriff. Way I see it, a lot of debts are ‘bout to be excused. Now hold on there, missy!” He tackled Applejack just as she was about to bolt for them. He pinned her, though she fought the larger pony with all her might. “Ms. Jubilee’d be heartbroken if anything happened to you. I ain’t letting you near them monsters!” 
“Hey, hooves off!” Clutterstep darted away from the wagon and made to ram Lucky Roll, but tripped on the wagon wheel. A metal snap sounded from underneath, and the wagon started chasing the Grumbles down the street. 
Clutterstep had started the wagon at just the wrong way so that it kept building momentum. Before Applejack and Lucky Roll could stop tussling to know what was happening, the wagon was already halfway down the street and gaining speed as it crested the hillside. Applejack gaped as the whole wagon--busted crates and all--vanished over the line. 
“Dagnabbit!” She pushed Lucky Roll away and chased after the goods. Losing that discount would hurt them just as bad as the Grumble Brothers making off with the town’s money. She made it to the hill’s slope with Clutterstep and Lucky Roll close behind just in time to witness the wagon overtake the Brothers and veered off the street’s center. It slammed into the water tower’s supports with a force that rattled Applejack. Even the escaping trolls paused. The crash of wood against bolts sounded throughout the entire territory, and everypony held their breath. 
For a moment, the water tower stood firm. Then the wood around the bolted metal splintered and fell in on itself. The tower toppled, its metal tank slamming upon the street and bursting open.
A tidal wave washed up over the Grumble Brothers. They shared a mutual grunt of surprise before the water lifted the vault out their hands and tossed it back up on to the street. Applejack and the stallions reared back as the wave swept up, turning the dirt road into a mud pit.
They retreated to the general store’s porch, where the water finally stopped and settled into the Dodge Junction ground. Applejack counted to three before leaping off and checking on the two escapees.
The Grumble Brothers had been replaced by a pair of statues. Perfect replicas, right down to the leather and cloth clothing that still billowed in the breeze. The gray that had taken their skin had spread all over, trapping them mid-rise. Their feet were half-submerged in the same mud that tried to swallow the vault
Clutterstep and Lucky Roll stood to either side. The sherriff cast a scowl across Applejack’s neck. “Well, what’ve you got to say for yourself, boy?” 
Clutterstep shot back with a smile. “I hereby submit the re-captured Grumble Brothers in exchange for the bounty.”

XXXXXX

Applejack returned to Cherry Hills Ranch mad as a hornet in a flyswatter factory. Clutterstep trailed her by several paces. Hadn’t said a word the whole way back. 
“There you are!” Ms. Jubilee met them at the cherry orchard boundary and cast a glance at the waxing sun. “We were starting to worry. What happened? Where are the new crates?” She glanced around. “Where’s the wagon?” 
Applejack tried to find the words. They couldn’t work past the burning in her throat. She grabbed her hat and slapped it against the ground, snorting pure steam. 
Clutterstep approached at a good distance and explained what had happened. “We were all set to collect the bounty, again, when... well...”
Ms. Jubilee nodded, completely deadpan. “Penelope Preda?” 
“Got it in one.” 
Applejack found the breath to growl and take on a high-pitched voice. “If’n y’all recall, the second condition of a bounty is that the captured party must, I stress must, be properly secured. And as much as it pains me to say it, I don’t see any kind of binding on these here escapees.” 
Ms. Jubilee rolled her eyes heavenwards. “So, no bounty?”
Clutterstep said, “No bounty, but since we stopped the robbery we won’t be fined for some, eh, collateral damage.” 
“How collatoral?” 
“You won’t want to take Claimjumper Lane for a while.” 
Applejack gave the ground a vicious stomping. “And to top it all off, we couldn’t afford new crates on account of somepony costing us our discount!” For once, Clutterstep had the sense to keep his mouth shut. But the rage was on Applejack, and all her thoughts were pure red. “I mean, are you even trying to help anymore? Seems to me Penelope Preda should at least be paying you!” 
“Hey!” Clutterstep growled back, “I’m not doing this on purpose.”
“You sure as shooting ain’t helping on purpose! We’d be halfway done by now if’n it weren’t for you!” 
She and Clutterstep were snout to snout, neither blinking. “If it weren’t for me, the Grumble Brothers would’ve made it off with the town’s wealth!” 
“Well whoop-de-flipping-do for the town hero. A shame you couldn’t get them to forgive Ms. Jubilee’s debt while you’re at it!” 
“All right, all right.” Ms. Jubilee stepped between them and turned to Applejack. “Hollering won’t solve anything. We’ll just have to make a few crates from the spare lumber.”
“We ain’t got the time!”
“We’ll make them time. We’ll strip lumber from the house if we gotta. Can always mend it back after the harvest is done.” Was plain to see that the idea hurt Ms. Jubilee. She was tearing apart her home for this. She glanced at Clutterstep. “How’s about you go and see if Big Macintosh could use a helping hoof?” 
Clutterstep nodded and galloped away. He didn’t look at Applejack.  
“Dearie, I know you’re frustrated. Heck, I am too. But we can’t take it out on that boy. He don’t mean for this to happen.” She picked up Applejack’s hat and offered it over. “He’s good pony at heart. He’s just a tad accident prone.” A crash came from the orchard. “Very accident prone.”
Applejack walked in a few circles to clear her thoughts. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this riled. Not when Pinkie Pie’s clones knocked over her barn. Not when Applebloom busted her favorite plow. Not even when Twilight sneezed during a spell and Applejack spent the day with a polka-dot coat and peppermint-striped mane. “It was a complete waste of time, Ms. Jubilee! We didn’t get nothing but a heap of grief and now there’s even less time to get the dang harvest ready!” 
“We’ll manage. We have to. We just have to.” 
All the venom was bleeding out of Applejack. Now she was just tired. “Why do you keep Clutterstep around, ma’am? He might mean well, but I’ve seen twisters more coordinated than him.” 
Ms. Jubilee walked to the deepening shade of a cherry tree and patted her hoof on the soft soil. Applejack trotted over and sat next to her. 
“Clutterstep’s been let go from at least several jobs in town, and no pay on account of all the stuff he’s broken. I caught him napping in one of my orchards just when my last worker had quit on me. I’d spent the whole night weeping and was all set to wring his neck for trespassing. Oh, I must have been a frightful sight when he first woke. All red-eyed and unkempt. Bit embarrassed to think on it now.” She blushed and pawed at the ground. 
“Backed him right up against the tallest cherry tree. His mouth was a-flapping like he was trying to use every bit of air. Can’t quite remember what he said, but I remember how the tree shook when he bumped into the trunk. The workers had left several cherry crates at its base and, wouldn’t you know, almost every piece of fruit landed in those crates. Harvested in two seconds flat.” 
She giggled and gazed up at the swaying branches. The cool air, hinted with a taste of cherry, washed over Applejack and settled her blood. She managed to exhale. Ms. Jubilee continued, “Clutter gave me this goofy ol’ grin and said, ‘There you go. One night’s rent.’ Next thing I knew, he was harvesting cherries to pay for a meal. Then for a hammock and a place to spend the night. Then breakfast. I stopped keeping a tally and he just kept on a-working.” 
“But he messes everything up!” 
“Some help’s better than none at all, dearie. Besides, when I’m all set to despair he somehow knows just what to say to keep my heart going.” She gave Applejack a light nuzzle. “Just having a friend nearby can be a huge relief. So please, give the boy some slack.” 
“I’ll try, Ms. Jubilee.” Applejack stood. “But I can’t make no promises. There’s a lot of work that needs doing. I wager we’ll be up all night this time, so I’d best make another batch of coffee.”
“Uh...” Ms. Jubilee jumped up and headed her off. “How’s about I make some coffee, and you coordinate with your brother.” She pondered for a moment. “Who, by the by, could do with a little less work on the farm and more of a night life, if’n y’all take my meaning.” 
Applejack chose not to reply and set off for the orchard. 
She found Big Macintosh and Clutterstep hauling shoulder-fulls of cherries back towards the house. Clutterstep was watching his feet like they were up and ready to leave the rest of him behind. Applejack couldn’t blame him.  
“Big Bro, can you finish taking those cherries by your lonesome? Me and Clutterstep need to have a chat.” 
Big Macintosh eyed them both before answering real slow. “Eeyup.” He gave Applejack one of those glances. The kind that only a big brother gave to warn his sister to take it easy. Celestia, give me strength.
Clutterstep set down his bundle and followed Applejack past the main road to the unpicked western fields. She stopped at the base of a tree that whispered it was ready for harvesting. “Lemme be clear. If’n the choice were up to me, you’d be back in town, looking for work.” 
Clutterstep didn’t say a thing. 
“And I don’t get why you stick around, seeing as how y’all got as much business ranching as a dog has sewing.” Still nothing. “But since Ms. Jubilee wants to keep you around, I reckon you need some proper schooling in harvesting. So unclog your ears and open your eyes. We ain’t got much time and we can’t suffer no more setbacks.”
“Okay.” Clutterstep certainly looked focused. 
“Now, first thing you need to do is center your kick. You’re aim’s off, so the cherries go fallin’ the wrong way.” She waved at the trunk. “See how this one’s grain is swirlin’ to the right? That means it wants to drop its fruit thataway. So that’s where we gotta place the basket.” She dragged a basket over and centered it just right. “You can tell where the berries will land if’n you look at a few of the loose ones. See?” She pointed at a few cherries that had fallen without help.  Clutterstep gave them a good look before nodding.
“Okay then. This here tree’s a good deal bigger than its cousins, so you gotta put more umph in your kick.” She brought up her haunches and centered on that perfect spot. “Don’t give it your all. Just the right amount.” 
One swift kick, and the tree shook all its cherries into the waiting basket. 
A crack sounded overhead, and Applejack wondered just what Clutterstep had knocked over again. She looked up, and time slowed. 
A branch as big as her skull fell. Larger and larger until it seemed to take up her whole future. Move! She told her legs. They wouldn’t listen.
“Jack!” Clutterstep’s hooves shoved into her side. She tumbled, snapped out of her state and rolled. The branch’s crash rang like the end of the world, and Applejack had to lie still for a second and count her heartbeats. 
“Whoo-ee! Thank you kindly, Clutterstep.” She stood and dusted off her coat. “Serves me right for trying to harvest so late. We gotta get some lanterns out here or-” She looked at the fallen branch. It lay cracked in the center, with Clutterstep underneath. A trickle of red ran dark against his mane coat and pooled on the grass. 
He wasn’t moving.