"Howdy Twilight!" Apple Bloom said as she walked into the library. "AJ tol' me that Rick wanted ta see me fer sumthin'? He around?"
"Hi Apple Bloom! Yes, he's got plans for extending the deck in the backyard and wants your professional opinion on the best way to go about it. He might have company so you should also get dressed properly, " Twilight replied.
"Alright, " the young carpenter responded before making her way to the portal. She picked up her clothes from the alcove next to the door before heading in and getting dressed. With so many ponies making the trip between Equestria and Earth, they couldn't always just wear a robe so Rarity had come up some outfits for each of them. Apple Bloom's was the simple, down home type of clothes that matched her country upbringing. Rick always thought she looked like the stereotypical farmer's daughter which in a sense she was but her clothes on Earth only seemed to emphasise that fact.
After getting dressed and putting on her hat, she made her way upstairs, "anypony home?" she called out.
"Hey Apple Bloom, you're just the pony I wanted to see, " Rick said walking into the kitchen and greeting the young carpenter with a hug.
"Howdy Uncle Rick!" she said with a smile and hugging him back. As both Porter and Flame Flicker called him this, Apple Bloom had picked it up as well but she usually did it as a bit of a joke.
"You make me feel so old when you say that, and besides I'm technically not your uncle, " Rick complained only half-seriously as the young mare stepped back.
"That don't matter none. Yer a part o' the family whether ya' lahke it or not, " she replied with a smile.
Rick knew when he was beat and asked her to follow him to the back porch so he could get her opinion on what could be done.
"Okay, see the way it's done now? I want to extend this part out more, make a bit of a covered seating area, with benches all around it. Maybe a bit like a gazebo or something? Then over here, I want to have this raised a bit so we'd need some steps and then put in a hot tub."
"Hmmm, " Apple Bloom thought as she looked over the deck with the eye of a professional. She paced up and down the deck, deep in thought before finally saying, "yup. Ah can do this, but ah'm gonna need a second pair o' hands."
"I can provide you with whatever help you might need. If you tell me the type of lumber you want and how much I'll buy it and have it delivered. Then just name your price, when you'll be able to come by and do so and we'll go from there."
"Uncle Rick, there ain't no need fer that. This ain't different than fixin' up the barn at Sweet Apple Acres. Y'all helped us up there so many times, it ain't right you givin' me bits fer this."
"Apple Bloom, think of it as payment for the jobs you might have been able to take when you're working on this. You still need to eat and you still need to make a living. I'm just allowing you to do both while helping us out. So what do you say? Do we have a deal?"
"Ah guess we do. Ah should be available ta start this next week. Ah'll figgure out th' lumber needed an give a list ta Aunt Twilight an' we'll go from there, " she said with a smile. She gave Rick a friendly hug goodbye before heading back to Equestria. Once through the portal, she trotted over to Twilight to let her know that she'd be back tomorrow with a list of the supplies she'd need.
A week later, Apple Bloom came back to Earth, all ready to start but the lumber had yet to arrive.
"Sorry Apple Bloom, the lumber yard said they'd be able to deliver it last night but something happened to their truck so they're sending somebody out with a van. They said they should be here in about an hour or so. If you want, you can wait here or head back to Equestria and I'll let you know when it's delivered?"
"That's alright, if'n y'all don't mind ah don't have a chance ta work on my tan back home in Equestria bein' a pony and all. Ah'd like ta give it a try here."
"Sure, I guess it's okay, " Rick said. "I'll be out in the fields looking over my vines. If the lumber guy shows up before I get to speak to him, just have him unload the lumber and we'll get to it when I get back." With those words Rick made his way into the fields to examine some of the vines for leaf roll. He had heard tales of it recently and didn't want it affecting his grapes.
Apple Bloom headed for one of the deck chairs and after divesting herself of her clothes, lay on the chair and let the sun’s rays do their thing. Partway through, she turned over onto her stomach to do the other side and was dozing slightly when she heard a voice calling from beside the house, "hello? Is anybody here? I've got the lumber!" This was shortly followed by a young man, in his early 20's coming around to the back of the house to see if anybody was there.
"Howdy!" Apple Bloom called while pulling her clothes back on.
The young man stared at the young woman who's back was currently towards him and was in the process of pulling on her shorts. From his vantage point he could almost make out what seemed to be a carpenter's square on her butt before her shorts covered it up. "Ah was just workin' on muh tan and kinda fell asleep. Gimme a sec!" When she bent over to pick up her shirt, he was greeted by the sight of her full breasts for just a second before she pulled the t-shirt over her head and turned to face him. He was struck temporarily dumb by how pretty she looked. She was a natural redhead with strangely coloured set of eyes that had to be coloured contacts because he had never heard of somebody with orange eyes before.
"Muh name's Apple Bloom. If'n you wanna help ta unload th' lumber an' just put it over yonder, " she said pointing to an area close by, "ah'll give Uncle Rick a call an he can sign yer paper or whatever."
"Uhm, sure Apple Bloom. My name's Jake. Pleased to meet you, " he stumbled over the words and shook her hand. "That's quite a grip you have there, " he said as he was surprised by how strong this girl's handshake was.
"That's 'cause I grew up on an apple farm an' now ah'm a carpenter which is why we need th' lumber, " Apple Bloom responded. She was about to head into the vines to find Rick but she saw him making his way towards them.
"Hey there. Glad to see you finally made it. Need a hand unloading all that stuff?" Rick asked.
"Yeah, sure that would be great, " Jake responded hoping he could use the time to maybe talk to Apple Bloom a little more and maybe get her number.
Between the three of them the lumber was unloaded quite easily and Jake was surprised again at how strong a girl Apple Bloom was. "You're as strong as a horse!" he said with a smile as she casually hefted a couple 2 x 4s onto her slim shoulders.
"Pony actually, " she said with an enigmatic smile. He just watched as between the two of them, both uncle and niece were able to empty the fan in no time flat.
Rick approached the young man and signed the paper he had indicating that delivery had taken place. Jake stalled for a moment, trying to come up with a way to speak to Apple Bloom before he left. "Sorry, could I trouble you for a glass of water or something?" he asked lamely.
"Sure, not a problem. Wait here, " Rick said before walking into the house.
Taking this to his advantage he walked up to Apple Bloom who was in the process of marking things off on a sheet of paper. "Uhm... I'm sorry, " he squeaked before clearing his throat and trying again. "Sorry about that, but I was just wondering if you're new in town? I've never seen you before."
"Nah, ah'm just visitin muh uncle here and helpin' him add ta his deck. Ah'm from far away, " she replied pleasantly.
"Oh! That's good. So you here long?"
"Ah figger maybe a week, maybe more depenin' on the weather an' how much we kin git done inna day."
"Cool. Yeah, well if you're interested and maybe your Uncle doesn't mind maybe you and I could maybe... you know... go out some time for like a coffee or a burger or something?" Jake said his face turning beet red.
Apple Bloom didn't get a chance to respond as it was at that moment that Rick came back with the glass of water and handed it to the young man who drank it gratefully as he suddenly realised how dry his mouth was. He handed the glass back but stood there for another moment, waiting for Apple Bloom to respond.
"I'm sorry, was there something else you needed?" Rick asked the young man.
Slumping his shoulders in defeat, Jake mumbled something before getting in his van and driving away.
"What was that all about?" he asked Apple Bloom.
"I dunno. He asked me if'n he could have a coffee or somethin."
"Coffee? If he wanted a coffee, why not ask for it instead of water?"
"That's whut ah was thinkin'. He did say sumthin' 'bout a burger as well but ah'm a pony. Ah don't eat meat."
"Hold on, did he ask for a coffee or a burger or did he want to go out for a coffee or a burger?" Rick asked, a light dawning in his mind.
"Yeah, that wuz it. He wanted ta go out fer a coffee an' a burger. Strange feller, we culd've had th' coffee here."
"I don't think that that was the actual point. I think he wanted it so that you and he could go out on a date, " Rick said with a smile.
"Whut? Really? But he weren't givin' me no signs that he was innerested, like smellin' at me or tryin' to rub up against me or nuthin'. How's a filly s'posed ta know when a colt is innerested in 'er when they don' show you?"
"Yeah, that doesn't happen here on Earth. Look, when me and Twilight got together she was looking for signals in me that I wasn't giving her and I was looking for signals in her that she wasn't giving to me. There was a lot cross cultural misunderstandings especially at the start. But yeah, from what you've said it sounded like he wanted to take you out for the express purpose of getting to know you better and maybe starting a relationship." He looked at Apple Bloom for a moment before asking, "do you think you'd be interested in that?"
"Ah reckon ah don't know. Ah mean, ah ain't never considered it. He weren't a bad lookin' feller for a human ah guess."
"And, just to say you're rather cute as a human so I can understand his interest."
"Oh Uncle Rick, " Apple Bloom said with a slight blush followed by a flirtatious smile, "talk lahke that can turn a filly's head. What would Twilight think?" She batted her eyelashes coquettishly and hid her smile behind her hand.
"She'd think you're a funny girl, but getting back to the point if you're interested in pursuing this we can head on down to the lumber yard or ask them if he can make another delivery and I could give you kids some time alone so you could talk. Or better still, you could mention this to Twi and she might be able to give you some pointers."
"Ah'll think about it, but in the meantime how about we git this lumber sorted and we kin start on gettin yer renovations done."
In the days that followed, they fell into a bit of a routine. Apple Bloom would show up sometime after breakfast and she and Rick would start to work on the renovations to the deck. They'd break for lunch and once Twyla came home from school they'd end for the day so Rick could look after his daughter and get dinner ready for when Twilight came home along with Sterling.
It was on the second last day that Apple Bloom finally realised that if she wanted to speak to Jake again that she really needed to do something about it. "Hey Uncle Rick! Ah think we might be runnin' outta nails. Suppose we kin head over ta the lumber yard ta get some?"
Rick looked at her strangely before saying, "we've got enough to finish this deck but why would we need to go to the lumber yard for nails of all places? All they sell there is lumber..., " he trailed off when all the pieces finally clicked into place. "Yeah, maybe we do need to head over there to get some other stuff and since I don't know anything about carpentry, I'll need you to come with me."
Apple Bloom's smile was all the answer he needed. Once they were in the car Rick asked, "so what changed your mind?"
"Ah dunno really. There ain't a lot of colts in Ponyville an' ah'm kinda tired of fillies an' since there are a whole bunch of available stallions here on Earth maybe ah ought to start looking beyond Equestria."
"Makes sense I guess. But you do realise that beyond me and my parents, there are no humans on Earth that are aware of Equestria or that you're a pony. I don't want to be a buzzkill here, but you can't go around telling people about Equestria, ponies or the portal for that matter."
"Don' worry 'bout that Uncle Rick, I ain't lookin' ta marry the feller or ta have him sire any foals or nuthin'. I just wanna see what kind of stallion he really is."
"Okay, fair enough. But remember, if he asks where you come from or why he can't visit you live on a commune out in the middle of nowhere and they don't like visitors. That's the line Twilight and I used to use way back when in the old days, " Rick said as they pulled into the parking lot of the lumber yard.
"Hey there boss, " Rick walked over to the closest employee he could find. "Would you be able to tell me if Jake is in today?"
"Can I ask why you're looking for him?"
"I'm not, but my niece over there is. He delivered some lumber to my place the other day, they struck up a bit of a conversation and she hasn't let me forget about it since. So I was hoping they could talk and leave me out of it."
The man laughed at the situation and nodded before saying, "yeah, I got a daughter she's the same way. Jake's in the back, let me go get him for you."
A few moments later, a visibly eager Jake came out from the back of the office and made a beeline for Apple Bloom. Rick stood back and gave them some privacy to talk.
"Hey Apple Bloom, " Jake said. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you."
"Yeah, well, we were almost done with th' deck an' I figured that if'n yew wanted ta still git some coffee or sumthin sometime we could do that. But no burgers 'cause Ah'm a vegetarian."
"Sure. Yeah, that's okay. No, that's not okay, it's great, " Jake said through a huge smile. "So uhm, can I get your number?"
Apple Bloom stopped for moment when she realised that he had no way of contacting her. "D'you know, ah'm stayin' with my Uncle and Aunt but ah don't have their number memorized. Just gimme a minute okay?" she said before running back to Rick to ask him about this.
"He wants my phone number but they don't exist in Equestria. Kin ah give him yers? An' if'n he calls me tell 'im ah'm in the shower or buckin' apples or sumthin?"
"You really like this guy don't you?"
"Well he's kinda cute fer a human ah guess, " she said with a smile while looking over her shoulder at where Jake was trying his best to look nonchalant and failing miserably in the process.
"Just kinda?" Rick teased. "Apple Bloom, I've known you since you were a little filly searching for her cutie mark. I might not know you as well as your brother or sister do but I've seen you grow up and I've seen you when you want something." Rick pulled out a business card and handed it to her. "Give him this, tell him you're staying with us for a couple months and when he calls we'll relay the message to you and you can call him back later. Okay?"
Apple Bloom snatched up the card eagerly and with a huge smile on her face ran back to Jake to give it to him. There was a bit of an awkward moment as they both stood there but Apple Bloom broke it by giving Jake a chaste kiss on the cheek before running back to see Rick. Jake was dumbfounded and waited until they were out of sight before pumping the air and jumping around for joy.
Jake however wasn't the only one that was excited. Apple Bloom could hardly sit still as they drove back to the farm. She kept up a monologue all the way back and she only stopped when they went back to work on finishing the deck.
By four o'clock they had decided to stop for the day and Apple Bloom seemed reluctant to leave, a couple of times making excuses to go back out and check the deck for something she might have forgotten. After the third time Rick asked, "I should have asked earlier but did you want to stay for dinner?"
"Well, if you don't feel it's too much trouble, " she responded with a coy grin.
"I don't mind, but don't get your hopes up if he doesn't call tonight. A lot of guys will wait a few days before calling a girl. They feel it makes them look less needy."
"You humans are weird."
"You'll get no argument from me on that one."
Their conversation was interrupted as Twyla came back home and ran over to Apple Bloom to get a hug. She treated the carpenter like she was a big sister, having known her her entire life and the two got along like a house on fire.
"If you two don't mind, I'll get started on dinner." He turned to Apple Bloom and asked, "you don't do seafood do you?"
"Never really got the taste fer that stuff. Ah know that all y'all eat it and if that's what yer makin then I'll give it a try."
"Don't worry about it, I can do vegetarian, " Rick said, his brow furrowing has he thought. "How are you with spicy foods?"
"Ah'm good ah guess. It ain't my favourite but ah kin handle hot peppers an' stuff."
"Good, we'll do some Pan Asian type things then. Okay, so I'll get started on that, you two girls do whatever and that's about it."
It wasn't long before Twilight came in with Sterling in tow. Rick bent down to pick up his son and got a big hug in return. "Oooohhh! Somebody's a big strong boy!" He leaned over to Twilight and kissed her hello.
"Just to tell you Apple Bloom is staying for dinner, she's currently off with Twyla doing girl things, " Rick said.
"That's unusual her staying for dinner. Is there a reason for this?"
"Actually yes, remember that boy I told you about who delivered the lumber?" Twilight nodded in response. "Well, Apple Bloom has been thinking about him off and on since then and wanted to make sure she'd see him again so we went down to the lumber yard, they talked, she gave him our number and she's hoping he's going to call tonight."
"Oh. Okay, I wasn't aware that she thought about him that way."
"It was a bit of a surprise to me as well but what can you do? I said we'd help her out and effectively run defense for her if he calls when she's in Equestria."
"Okay. Do you need any help in here?"
"Thanks, but I've got everything under control. Alright sport, " he said to Sterling who was still in his arms. "Daddy's got to get to work and make dinner. You run along." Rick put Sterling down and gave him a gentle swat on the butt before he ran away.
Twilight kissed her husband on the cheek before heading upstairs to get changed. As she passed Twyla's room she heard the two fillies talking about colts that they knew or liked. Smiling, she thought to herself, "fillies never change, " before heading into the master bedroom to take a shower and get changed for the night.
When dinner was ready, Rick called them all down and Apple Bloom was a little overwhelmed by what Rick had done. "Ah say Uncle Rick, there weren't no need to put out a spread lahke this for just me, " Apple Bloom said when dinner was ready and she came down to see the dining room table had been set up in a most elaborate way.
"It's Pan-Asian, these things require a certain setup, " Rick said as he put the finishing touches on the table. "You're probably not used to chopsticks, so I suggest using the fork."
"So whut is all this?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Okay, you've got a vegetable stir-fry with glass noodles. Some seared tofu with a spicy dipping sauce. Some miso soup, Asian type coleslaw and if you're feeling adventurous some natto to go with your sticky rice. I will warn you right now, the natto is not for everypony. I happen to love it but then I'm weird that way. Twilight is okay with it but the kids won't touch it. So, you might want to give it a try. We've got beer, sake, tea and water to drink. So please, don't stand on ceremony, eat while it's still hot."
All the way through dinner, Apple Bloom kept looking over at the phone as if willing it to ring. Twilight came to her rescue and said, "it's okay Apple Bloom. He probably won't call for a couple days." Then, as if fate was suitably tempted, the phone rang. Apple Bloom sat up straight in her chair looking at the phone in anticipation.
Rick looked at Twilight as if this was somehow her fault but she just shrugged in response. He got up to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Uhmmm, hi... uhmmm this is Jake, would A-a-apple Bloom be available?" the young man stammered on the other end of the phone.
"Gimme me a minute let me see if she can come to the phone right now." Rick held the phone down and counted to two hundred before saying, "she'll be down in a minute. Just hold on, " then placed the phone on the counter and said quietly to Apple Bloom, "wait a moment then go and answer it. Don't appear to be too eager to talk to this boy even if you are." He turned to Twyla and said, "and you remember this if and when some young man starts calling you."
Apple Bloom however was too eager and she immediately leaped up and ran to the phone. A lavender glow surrounded the door to the kitchen as it closed giving the young pony some privacy from prying ears.
The family finished their meals while Apple Bloom continued to talk in the kitchen to her new beau. The children were excused from the table as the two adults waited for the young woman to finish her call. Finally, another 20 minutes later they heard her hang up the phone before coming back into the dining room, a dreamy smile on her face.
"Looks like somepony enjoyed that, " Twilight teased while Apple Bloom blushed and smiled prettily. "I'm assuming the two of you made plans?"
"He wants ta take me out tomorrow evenin' after work. He said he'd come pick me up and we'd go out fer dinner. Oh ah'm so excited!"
"What are you planning on wearing?" Rick asked.
"Can't ah just wear this?" Apple Bloom asked pointing to her clothes.
"No dear you can't. That's okay for when you come here or if you're going to do some work, you need some clothes that look a little nicer. Did Rarity make anything like that for you?"
"Naw she didn't. Ah never figured ah'd need 'em. Shoot! What are we gonna do? D'you think Rarity kin magic me up some clothes fer tomorrow night?"
"You'd have to ask her, but you're about my size, " Twilight said. In actuality the two were close in terms of body size but Apple Bloom had a definite surplus in the chest as a human. Farmer's Daughter indeed. "I could maybe lend you something. Did he mention where you were going?"
"He said it was sumthin called Sabastiano's. I ain't never heard o' that type o' food but there's things there that ponies can eat."
"Actually it's an Italian style family restaurant that's not that bad. We used to take the kids there when they were younger. Rick isn't too fond of it, " Twilight said while looking at her husband.
"That's only because I can make practically the same thing here for less money and it tastes just about the same. Although I will admit their pizza is better than mine."
"Of course dear, " Twilight said with a smile. Turning back to the young carpenter she added, "it's not very fancy so there shouldn't be much trouble. Why don't you come upstairs and you can try on a few things." The two women left together while Rick finished clearing the table and started tidying up the kitchen.
"So whut did Uncle Rick mean when he said not to be too eager?" Apple Bloom asked as Twilight rummaged around in her closet for a suitable outfit.
"He's just looking out for you in his own way. A young man like Jake probably only has one thing on his mind when it comes to a pretty young filly such as yourself, " Twilight said as she flashed Apple Bloom a wicked smile. "Come to think about it, that really doesn't go away as they get older either."
"Yew mean ruttin'? Yeah, ah know all about that. It ain't like ah'm a little filly anymore."
"I don't doubt it. But you should remember that you're still inexperienced in this body and you shouldn't have to do anything with Jake that you don't want to. Here, " Twilight gave Apple Bloom a couple of outfits. "Why don't you try these on and see how they fit?"
The two girls talked as Apple Bloom tried on Twilight's clothes. It took some time but they finally got an outfit together that looked nice, but wasn't too formal and most importantly it fit Apple Bloom like it was made for her.
"Thank you Twilight! Ah'm so looking forward to tomorrow night!" Apple Bloom said as she hugged the older woman.
"My pleasure Apple Bloom, " Twilight responded. "I just hope your date goes well."
"It will! Ah know it will!" the young woman said as they made their way downstairs.
Rick was in the den, enjoying his nightly glass of Irish Whiskey when the two girls came in. "Did you find something?" he asked.
"Sure did!" Apple Bloom said rushing over to give him a hug. "Ah just wanted to thank you again fer helpin' me out."
"Not a problem Apple Bloom, " Rick said with a light chuckle. "I just want you to remember that you don't need to do anything with that boy if you don't want to do it. If there's a problem, get to a phone and call me. I'll come pick you up."
"Yew don't need ta worry about that Uncle Rick. Ah'm a big girl now, ah kin take care of myself."
"Oh I know you can. I just don't want anything to happen to you because that means I'd need to face your brother and sister not to mention half of Ponyville if something went wrong."
Apple Bloom thanked them both once again and made her way downstairs and back to Ponyville. She felt like she was walking on air and didn't realise she had gotten home until she was in front of the gate for Sweet Apple Acres.
Everypony was asleep so she made her way quietly up to her room and fell asleep dreaming of a young earth pony stallion curiously named "Jake".