(My First Ponyfic. No flames please!)
Rorschach knew all of Applejack's friends. He didn't particularly like most of them - he tolerated them more often times than not - and he certainly did not consider them a close friend. They were friendly acquaintances at best but even though Rorschach had expressed that he found them annoying, he still spent Sundays reading at Twilight Sparkle's library, attended Pinkie's Parties, brought Fluttershy fish to feed her more carnivorous pets, humored Rainbow Dash with silly contests to see who was tougher, and, surprising of all, spent time helping Rarity recreate his mask's fabric.
The human definitely liked Apple's friends more than he let on (so she thought) but the farmpony knew he liked her the most because she was the only one of them that he had shown his face to.
She still remembered the first time she'd seen that pale creamy skin and that shock of red, the odd shape and size of his eyes (not quite circles, not quite ovals) and ears and that short pudgy muzzle that wasn't a muzzle but his nose. There were freckles like her own all over his face and that small similarity had made her happy. Applejack had never seen a human before so she didn't know what one was suppose to look like but she figured that even by human standards Rorschach would be considered odd looking (but not ugly, that would be mean).
The Apple family had just sat down for breakfast. Granny Smith had just set out a plate of apple pancakes and everypony already had their forks at the ready, grabbing two to three hot cakes at a time. The door had creaked and everyponies head turned, expecting the familiar monochromatic black and white face to greet them.
(Rorschach slept out in a room the family had put up in the barn. He had insisted on sleeping there when accepting their proposal of room and board. It was safer there, he thought. In the house, he would have to be cautious about his mask. He had already caught the cutie mark crusaders trying to try it on when he was bathing. It was also a great look out point for when the Timber Wolves decided to rear their ugly heads and he liked the privacy.)
Instead what they got was Rorschach. His eyes were still heavy with sleep as he took his seat at the table. He didn't look at them, just grabbed two flap jacks from the stack and slapped them on his plate like nothing was different. He didn't speak until he had smeared a slab of butter across his breakfast and coated it with thick maple syrup.
"Been kind to let me stay here, feed me, offer me companionship. Thought the least I could do is let you really see who you're accepting in." Rorschach's voice was rougher without the filter of his mask sanding over the harsh grit. Applejack's eyes were on his but his were on his food. He shoveled in a bite that should have been too large for his mouth, only glancing up at everypony when the silence dragged on for too long.
Apple Bloom was the first to speak. "I really like yer mane!" She said with a childish chirp, that sounded too innocent to be mocking, as his eyes met hers. Her smile was large and infectious.
"I'm glad ya finally trust us, sunny." Granny Smith smiled.
"Eeyup." Big Macintosh grinned.
Applejack's mouth turned up in a soft smile, her honest smile. "Ya don' look scary at all." And that actually meant something to Walter because it meant she remembered their long ago conversation about how it had hurt him when everypony was calling him a monster.
The mare's green eyes locked with his and for the first time she saw the brown of his eyes. They weren't just lidded with sleep. There were heavy dark bags under them that, even for ponies, indicated weariness. The deep set lines on his face and around his mouth seemed to indicate that he was older. Rorschach had never told anypony his age but it was obvious he wasn't a young human by far. It added to the growing pile of concern Applejack kept just for him.
Rorschach was about as quiet as he always was, only speaking to answer a question here or there or to ask for somepony to pass the jelly. Applejack watched him the whole time, trying to learn everything she could from his face.
He never removed his mask like that around them again but Applejack was hopeful. She knew all the human needed now was time.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Bam!
Applejack's rear hooves made solid contact with the trunk of the apple tree, successfully shaking the apples above from their branches. Each red delicious fruit fell into the baskets at it's base and filled well above the basket's brim. Rorschach picked them up and dumped them into the cart he pulled along before putting the baskets under the next tree so Applejack could start the process again.
Cider season was coming soon - a pony celebration that Rorschach was not familiar with. Still, he helped the family prepare for the event. It was the least he could do for their business after all they'd offered him in kindness.
"That looks like that's it fer this field." The cowpony said as she looked up at the late afternoon sun retreating over the horizon. The sky was just barely tinged with the first hues of a sunset; light shades of violet and orange and pink scattering the sky, resembling the mane of their beloved Princess who was probably lowering the sun as she spoke. "An' the day fer that matter. Phew! Ah guess we were workin' longer than Ah realized."
Rorschach just nodded and pulled the wagon of apples back to the house behind her, listening to her light conversation the whole way. The house was empty when they approached it. Granny Smith was gone and would be for the next week as she visited their family in Appleoosa. Apple Bloom was spending the night at Sweetie Bell's with Scootaloo. Big Macintosh had simply said he wouldn't be there tonight, eluding little to his true intentions. Applejack hadn't seemed to question it even though it raised some suspicion in Rorschach. It would just be the two of them - Applejack and Rorschach - tonight.
Rorschach pulled the apples into the barn with the others. Applejack waited for him, thanking him for his help as always and offering him a smile. "Yer sure ya don' wanna sleep in tha house tonight? Ya could take Big Mac's bed fer the night." She knew the answer but still she asked, every night and day, just to let him know he was still welcome.
The man nodded his head. "Sure. Could use a bath too."
Applejack doubled back. "Wha? Ya really mean it?"
Rorshach's shoulders slumped up and down in a heavy shrug. "Yes."
Applejack didn't flip backwards with joy like she would have liked but she did smile and give a "yee-haw!" as she clopped her hooves together. "Ah knew ya'd come 'round eventually! That is, Ah hoped ya would."
He gave her a look through the mask that she could feel. It said "don't push it this is hard enough for me as it is" but Apple kept smiling and talking happily about friendship all the way up the house.