His shoes landed softly on the grass as he dismounted from the last rung of the ladder and tossed the few apples he could manage to hold into the basket waiting below. He looked west to see the sun starting its trek below the horizon, already partially hidden by the rows and rows of trees in the orchard, and a light gust of wind gently tickled the beads of sweat that had formed on his brow and neck. Matt wiped his forehead on an arm and peeled his shirt off his upper body, hoping to unstick it from his back and let some cool air in. He stretched his spine out as well, having pulled a muscle or something at some point.
He turned around and looked over what he was able to accomplish that day. Hm, at least six or seven hills worth. Not too bad over the course of most of an afternoon. Satisfied – and a bit more comfortable now – he closed up the ladder and set it on the ground beside the mostly-full basket to his left, making sure to leave himself some room to lay back against the tree he was just working on and watch the sun continue to go down.
The clock tower rang out in the distance with six loud gongs. Jeez, he was getting pretty good at predicting when it was quitting time. Though, considering he had been stopping by the farm at least a couple times a week after all the nonsense with Discord had finally blown over, one couldn't exactly blame him. It gave him a semi-regular schedule in a way. Speaking of which, didn't he have something to do for someone tomorrow? He was sure it was in the early afternoon. Was it to help move something or...? Eh, whatever, he'll check his calendar when he gets home.
Despite enjoying much of the freelance work Ponyvillians requested of him, there were some days he wished he still had all that magic he stole from that mismatched freak so he could get most of the orchard picked with a few mere thoughts – or any of the other side jobs that helped pay his bills for that matter. It would have allowed him to go fool around with his friends for the rest of the day if nothing else. Unfortunately, the memories and nightmares that sporadically came with sharing a mind with Discord, even if it was only for a few minutes, put that idea to bed quickly enough.
It's not that he minded helping out at Sweet Apple Acres. In fact, he'd usually find himself gravitating toward it almost unconsciously when his schedule was free. He never gave it much thought however. It was just something to do more often than not.
Thank God Applejack was happy to help him get out and about after the work was done much of the time these last several months. Despite having been revealed to the public nearly a year ago, it wasn't unheard of for Matt to have trouble finding things to do. No doubt being separated from technology that he was used to for so long had a hand in that.
The rings of the clock's bell weren't the only thing that reminded Matt of the time. A quiet growl of his stomach got his notice. He took a quick glance around. Good, no one was in sight. Wouldn't have to be embarrassed if he failed...again...but who knows? Maybe this time he'll get lucky! This tree didn't look terribly thick.
He stood back up, bent his knees, balanced himself out, and slammed the bottom of his foot into the trunk as hard as he could without hurting himself further. He quickly looked up, hoping to see one those big, juicy apples over his head giving way to his might...and slouched when not even a single one appeared to wiggle on their branches. Ugh, what else was new? With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, he slid his shirt back on, plopped onto the ground and leaned up against the tree, facing the beautiful sunset. At the behest of his angry stomach, he snatched an apple from his basket and took a bite.
Hm, strange. AJ was usually able to find him and hang out for a little bit before the clock went off. Eh, she was probably just caught up with something. No big deal.
-----
A calm, cool breeze blew through her blonde mane, kissing the droplets of sweat that ran down her slender neck. Applejack hoped he was still in the northern hills somewhere. Matt did say he wanted to continue where he left off yesterday. Returning to the same place as the day before, she looked left and noticed the newly-empty trees. Grinning, she followed the evidence and spotted him lounging as she typically found him – gazing toward the west, watching the sun go down.
And just like every other time she'd go to meet him over the last couple months, the farm girl's stomach would suddenly start doing back-flips. Though she was used to it by now, she could still remember the first time it happened to her. For a couple weeks up until that point, she had thought that she was just hungry or that, Celestia forbid, she was starting to get sick.
But on one particularly rough afternoon, Matt happened to notice her standing at the bottom of the hill from where he sat. He didn't realize she had been gazing at him in wonder for a few minutes, but his smile and little nod hello made everything right for her. In that moment, she realized why her stomach had been in such turmoil.
Later that night, she sat by the window trying to piece it all out. Little by little, it started to make sense. After the whole ordeal with Discord and Matt flinging his stone body into space and all, things had cooled down, but she noticed that he frequently seemed a bit...well, lost. He had adapted to Equestria as well as could be expected, but he still seemed to be looking for his place in the world. It was almost as if all the insanity that Discord caused lit a fire up under him and now that things were normal again, he didn't know what to do.
One early afternoon right after lunch, he happened to show up to the farm. She and the rest of her family were never one to turn away a visitor and when he offered to lend a hand that day, sure, she was all for it. But even with the schedule he told her and the others about, she found him stopping by more and more frequently. Nopony minded in the least, especially Apple Bloom. She still saw him like an uncle she never had...that was of a different species. After a few weeks, Applejack had offered to take him to see a movie and get something to eat as a way of thanking him for all the hard work he had done.
Now, she had never really been on what anypony would consider a date before and she didn't consider that one either. Chores, family things, and goings-on with her friends always took away most of her time. But after Matt told her as they ate their dinner that he was having trouble figuring out what to do for entertainment, she took it upon herself to help him in that regard.
If there was a local sporting event going on, she'd offer to take him. A couple farming shows and competitions came and went, and sure enough, she'd want him to go. Heck, if she needed someone to watch Apple Bloom for some reason, she knew she could ask him, and he never said no to any of her requests. Applejack even braved the video arcade a couple times when Matt wanted to check it out. Even though it wasn't her cup of tea, she loved seeing how much fun he had. Thank Celestia he got bored of the place after beating all the games that he had any interest in. Still, it simultaneously pained her and made her happy that whenever the two of them would spend time together, no matter how ordinary a day Matt said he was having, he always seemed to perk right up. For a while, she wondered if he even realized it himself.
A couple weeks had gone by after Applejack's initial revelation, and needless to say, she had thought long and hard about what it all meant to her. She wanted to be proactive and tell him how she felt, but every time she would start building the necessary courage to do just that, she couldn't go through with it.
She didn't think Matt knew; he never indicated anything one way or another. It drove her more and more crazy as the days turned to weeks, but no matter much she struggled against herself, she'd always end up losing at the end of the day. Even on days when she didn't want to see him just so she could relax a bit, opening her front door and seeing him standing there would make her forget about cooling off.
The gentle breeze may have helped cool her neck and brow at the moment, but her stomach was still dancing. With a pat of her belly and a deep, nerve-calming breath, the cowpony trotted up to meet her friend, smiling warmly as she approached.
-----
The soft sound of hooves on the grass pulled his attention from the beams of sunshine popping out over the treeline though he didn't need to glance over to know who it was.
"You're late," Matt joked.
"Heh, yeah. I, err...had a couple extra baskets to put away." She noticed the half-eaten apple in his hand and smirked. "You finally manage to buck one out of the tree?"
"Heeeeeell yeah!" He felt the weight of her light-hearted, disbelieving glare out of the corner of his eye. "...No." Applejack let out a little giggle, forcing another quip out of him. "I'll get one of those damn things down some day, you watch!"
She sat next to him, shoulder to shoulder, still chuckling under her breath. Feigning annoyance, he gave her a playful jab with his elbow. "I know you will." The country girl took in a breath of the crisp air and smiled wide. "I love the way the sun shines through all the leaves. Looks so pretty."
"Mhm. Be nice if it could stay just like this all day long. Nice and cool." Matt twirled his neck around, stretching his muscles while trying not to nod off. Even after as long as he'd been helping the Apples, he'd still be pretty beat at the end of the day.
"Got a heck of a lot done for being here only half the day."
"Yeah, just kind of in the zone today. Don't know why. Don't really care either," he said, offering Applejack one of her namesake. "Kind of surprising considering I think I threw my back out at some point."
The mare took his gift and rubbed it clean. "Thanks. What happened with your back?"
Arching his body and groaning, he replied, "Was reaching for one of these things and I must've stretched a bit too far to get it or something. Been hurting since."
"I'm sorry, sugarcube." Seeing Matt wincing and in obvious pain as he twisted around beside her was enough to calm her fire, even if only for a moment; she needed to help him. She tossed the apple back into the basket and took hold of his arm. "Here, lay on your stomach for a minute."
"Huh?"
"Lay on your stomach. I'm going to try and get that knot out for you."
"Nah, nah, you don't have to do that. I'll just sleep it off or–"
She gave him a light slap on the shoulder, very mildly annoyed but not at all serious. "Look, I know how bad a pulled muscle can feel. Now, get down on your stomach before I hit you!"
"But you already hit me!" She raised up a hoof and pretended to threaten Matt again when he threw his hands up in defeat. He knew better than to argue with Applejack. He'd likely have more success knocking an apple out of a tree with his head. "Okay, okay!" Doing as commanded, he curled up his arms and rested his head on them, sighing defiantly. "Shirt on or off?" he muttered.
She paused for a moment as she stepped overtop him, the butterflies having migrated back. Her pulse started to race too. He had removed his shirt around her in the past while he was working the fields, but that was just because he was hot. This was a different story altogether.
"Err... I-I'll, um... Where does it hurt?"
"'Bout here," he said, pointing below his left shoulder blade.
"Alright." Biting her lip, her hooves shaking just a bit, she managed to slide his shirt up to his neck. 'Come on, AJ, you can do this.'
"You realize my back is covered in sweat, right?"
"You know I can handle sweat better than most, right?"
Applejack slammed her eyes shut when she realized just how bad that question sounded. Matt's snorting laughter didn't help either. "Can you now?"
"Oh, you hush! Now, come on, relax so I can do this."
"Alright, alright," he said as he finished giggling. "Haven't had a massage since...hell, I don't know. Long before I landed here."
As Applejack dug her hooves into his back and kneaded his flesh like soft dough, her heart finally managed to slow back to normal. She was past the hard part, thankfully. "You never went to the spa here?"
"Uh-uh. Rarity tried to drag me there–" He suddenly stiffened up and hissed through his teeth, even causing Applejack to stop short.
"Right there?"
"Right there," he wheezed.
The farm girl started up again slowly, each firm rub progressively easing the pain and turning Matt into a puddle below her over the next few minutes. His soft, appreciative moans made her smile. "I'm probably not as good as the spa twins, but–"
"It feels good," he mumbled lazily into his arm.
"Heh, thanks." Noticing his closing eye a later cooled off her reddening cheeks. "You ain't going to sleep on me, are you?"
"No, no!" He took in a deep breath and rubbed his face. "Okay, maybe a little."
"Good. Cuz, um..." Her green eyes darted around as she quickly thought up a good story. "Well, I-I didn't want to admit it, but uh...I was carrying of couple baskets earlier and I think I felt a twinge in my neck. Been bothering me all day, eh heh!"
Her act was convincing enough, making Matt glance up at his masseuse with a concerned look. "You want me to–"
"I-I mean, if you don't want to, that's fine. You don't have to," Applejack babbled, cutting him off. "Not the first time I've ended the day and been a little sore!"
The young mare hopped to the side as Matt made his way back to his knees. "No, no, I'm good. It's fine."
"Are you sure? Cuz it's really nothing I can't–"
"Yeah, yeah, it's alright."
"You don't have to feel obligated–"
"Look, you gave me a massage. I don't have a problem giving you one. Now turn around."
"Y-you're sure?"
"Will you just turn around? Jeez!" he insisted, playfully backhanding Applejack on the shoulder and shaking his head.
"Okay, okay," the cowgirl chuckled, doing as he asked. "Uh, do you want me to lie down?"
Matt spun to face the mare's back, folding his legs beneath him. "Nah, it'll be easier for me this way." Unfortunately, he couldn't get comfortable sitting the way he was. He'd have to lean in too much, and he didn't want to aggravate his back again. After trying a few positions, he finally settled with sitting several inches behind Applejack, resting his legs at her sides. Good thing she was narrower than him. "There we go, this works."
As he reached in, Applejack saw his legs from the corners of her eyes and nearly forgot to breathe for a moment. Remembering to do so became even more difficult when she felt his hands firmly squeezing the back of her neck. Though she had no idea how strong he was before he arrived in Equestria, she just knew that grip of his had to have gotten stronger thanks to all the farm work. A long groan of pleasure got Matt to smirk and look around for anyone who may have heard the farm girl despite being in the middle of her orchard.
Applejack's head started to droop after a moment or two of ecstasy. She may have nodded off herself if Matt hadn't spoken up. "Feel better at all?"
"Mmmmmhmmmm."
"Good." He paused to twist his back and neck again, grunting in approval. "Those hooves really did the trick."
"Hm?"
"You could really dig in there, work out the kinks. Almost kind of wish I went to that thing with Rarity now."
"I've been a few times myself, and I have to say those hands are just...yeah. So much better."
"Why's that?"
"Can't really squeeze with hooves like you can those. Heh, maybe you ought to get a job there. You'd probably make a fortune." Wait, why was she encouraging him to go away? Not only that, he'd have his hands all over other mares! Ugh, stupid!
"Pfff! I doubt I could handle all the scented soaps and stuff they have all over the place there. Noooo thanks," he replied with a purse of his lips.
As he lowered his hands toward the base of her neck, Applejack closed her eyes and bit her lip, getting lost in how sensual her massage felt. Matt's stifled laughs brought her back to reality fairly quick though.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself," he said.
She craned her head to face him. "Huh?"
"You, uh, flicked me in the arm with your tail," he muttered between giggles, having to hold himself up.
"I-I did?" she squeaked.
He nodded, laughing even harder at this point. All she could do to avoid dying of embarrassment was turn away and bury her mortified face under her hat.
"Listen, um...I do feel quite a bit better now, so, uh...if you want to stop, that's fine," she said from her stetson.
"Yeah, I think I'll do that."
"Okay then." She set her hat back atop her head, hoping to Celestia he didn't see how red she still was. "Look, uh, it's getting kind of late in the day. Did you want to stay tonight? ...For dinner!" she quickly added. "For dinner. Y'know, the eating and...stuff."
It took every fiber of her being not to hide under her hat again.
"Well, I really didn't have any ideas as far as what I was going to eat tonight. Uh...okay, sure, yeah. Thanks!" He glanced over to the ladder and the apple basket beside them. "Guess we should start heading back then."
"Yeah, good idea."
As the two got to their feet, Applejack stood frozen in place, still dumbstruck over her actions. She thanked Celestia Sweet Apple Acres was so isolated.
"I'll get the ladder if you want to carry the basket," Matt offered.
"Sure, toss her on."
Without a hint of pain thanks to her little massage, he picked up the apples and set them down on the farmer's back. Grabbing the ladder in a similar fashion and tossing it onto his shoulder, they made their way back to the barn, but not before he pulled the brim of her hat just over her eyes. With a smirk, she flicked it back into place and followed a step behind.
-----
It was a fast fifteen minutes that passed as Applejack and Matt headed home. The cowgirl didn't say too much and left most of the talking to her tall friend. She still couldn't believe what a fool she made of herself.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," Matt said as he carried on, "I saw an ad in the paper earlier for some action movie that's coming out this weekend. Looks kind of fun! Want to go check it out?"
"I'll have to see if I'm busy, but if not, sure! I'd like that."
"Cool, I'll check some times when I get home." They turned the corner to find a familiar face already putting a few tools away in the barn. "Hey Big Mac, what's up?"
He nodded hello and continued about his business, storing one thing after another. Matt followed suit and hung the ladder on the wall inside while Applejack set the basket in a nearby cart to be taken into storage.
"You go on inside, Matt. I'll be a few minutes."
"Okay, cool. You mind if I take a fast shower before we eat? I'm feeling kind of ripe."
"Nah, go ahead."
"Alright, see you inside."
As he headed into the house, whatever Applejack may or may not have needed to do was tossed by the wayside. She was far more interested in admiring Matt. Even after he vanished behind the door, she couldn't stop staring and thinking – about how she had messed up yet again, about what she wanted to say and how to say it, about what his responses might be.
Her sad eyes fell as she replayed what just happened not long ago in her mind once again. Who was she kidding? Why did she keep persisting? What was she doing wrong?
While she wallowed, her brother had crept up beside her. The only reason she was aware at all was because the noises that came with putting farm equipment away had come to a sudden halt as did his steps in the dirt. They stared blankly at each other for a minute, neither one of them saying a word though she could see a hint of concern on his face. Celestia, why was he so hard to read sometimes?
"What?" Applejack finally said.
"Why don't you just tell him?"
She froze up, her heart almost skipping a beat and her eyes darting away for a split second. Gah, that was probably enough to give her away! "T-tell him what?"
His soft look turned into a glare and he smirked at the stupid question. Did she really think he wasn't aware?
"I don't know what you're talking about!" she growled, trotting away with her nose in the air.
The big red stallion sighed and shook his head as she headed into the house.
-----
The cowpony was setting her hat on its hook just inside the door when she heard pots and pans rattling around from inside. Granny Smith was likely getting dinner started in a few minutes. Applejack made her way there to confirm her suspicions, making sure to pet the dog as she walked.
"Howdy Winona," she cooed. "Hey Granny Smith."
"Oh, hey Applejack! Just saw Matt walk in about five or ten minutes ago. He staying for supper?"
"Yeah, I asked him to, if that's okay."
"Course it is! You know he's always welcome. Did you happen to see Apple Bloom anywhere earlier?"
She rubbed her chin, recalling the last few hours. "Uhhh, no, can't say that I have. Maybe she's out playing with her friends?"
"She didn't tell me that she was staying out before she left for school this morning. Better show up soon or I'm going to be right annoyed with her, I tell you what!" she grumbled, slamming a pan onto the stove for emphasis.
"I'm sure she will. Ain't like her not to say something. What've you got cooking up?"
The old pony reached into the fridge and pulled out several vegetables before moving to the cupboard, tossing the various ingredients onto the counter as she went. "Was going to put together the best darn noodle casserole you ever had. Should be done in about a half hour or so. Probably going to have to make a little more with Matt here. That boy sure does like to eat!" Granny Smith said with a chuckle. "By the way, how're things going between you two, hm?"
The orange mare stiffened yet again. "What do you mean?"
Granny Smith cocked her head at her granddaughter, lifting a single confused eyebrow. Several awkward seconds passed as the two stared each other down. But, the elder pony could see the panicked look in younger's eyes, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, and shook her head in disappointment.
"Oh Applejack..."
The young farmer's jaw clenched up, but that didn't stop her lips from twitching. She slammed a flustered hoof hard to the floor. "First Big Macintosh is asking me all kinds of weird questions and now you! It sure would be nice if somepony told me what the hay was going on around here!" she hollered as she turned around and stomped her way up the stairs, leaving Granny Smith to shake her head again.
Once she was out of sight and down the hall, Applejack came to a stop by the bathroom door, collapsing up against the wall. She stared helpless at the ceiling, trying to figure out how in the world Big Mac and Granny Smith knew. She never said anything to either of them! She was keeping things under wraps, wasn't she?
And how come she didn't hear the water running in the shower?
A few minutes later, Matt opened the door, fully clothed, drying off his hair and almost tripping over his host. "Oh, hey. Didn't know you needed to use the bathroom."
"N-no, I, uh...thought maybe I could use a shower too. Don't want to sit down at the dinner table stinking to high heaven! That sure was an awful fast one you took."
"Yeah, just a quick rinse. Probably take a real one before bed tonight. Here, let me get out of your way."
Once she saw Matt starting to go down the stairs, Applejack bolted into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her – maybe a bit too loudly. As she clicked the lock shut, she took a hard breath and looked in the mirror. Did she ever look ragged. Why shouldn't she though? She worked hard all day, sweating like a pig. She was just tense because...because it was a rough day and her body was aching! Yeah, that has to be it! Well, except for her neck...
Ugh, she needed a shower. That's all. Just a nice, cold shower.
She turned on the faucets without focusing on the temperature and climbed into the tub, jumping at the mercifully chilly waters pelting her as she laid back and rested her head against the wall. Unfortunately, her shivering didn't last terribly long as the shower started to warm up. Maybe she should have paid more attention in the first place.
Still, it was relaxing. Not quite as relaxing as when Matt was...
She closed her eyes and remembered the way it felt when he squeezed and pinched at her neck. Rolling his fingers and thumbs and... Dear Celestia, why didn't she ask him to do that before? As she continued to fantasize, her hind legs started to clench. Little by little, a forelimb seemed to make its way down her stomach on its own. When it reached its destination, she felt her body twitch and she bit her lip.
-----
The bathroom door slowly creaked open, bellowing out steam and causing Applejack to shiver as she stepped into the cooler hallway. With a final, quick shake, numerous drops of water were launched all over the place. Even though she was a bit tired after doing all the farm work earlier, now she felt even more exhausted. At least she was finally feeling a little more at ease.
She trotted down the stairs and into the dining area where she found most of the food had already been distributed. Jeez, just how long was she in there?
"Hey, she's alive!" Matt joked as Applejack walked in. "Thought you drowned in there or something."
"Sorry, y'all. I was...just thinking about some stuff."
"Like what?"
"Eh, n-nothing really," she mumbled. Granny Smith and Big Mac shared a quick glance.
"Hell of a lot of time to be thinking about nothing."
"It's nothing you'd be interested in really," Applejack muttered nervously as she took a seat beside her object of affection.
Matt gobbled his first bite of dinner and shrugged. "A'ight." He then quickly scarfed down half his plate and let out a belch under his breath.
"Woo! That didn't take long to get a seal of approval!" the old green pony said with a laugh.
"Granny, you must teach me your ways."
A few minutes of jokes and small talk went by before the sound of the front door opening gave them pause. "Sorry I'm late!" a voice called out, followed by a little yellow filly galloping into the dining room and tossing her saddlebag on the floor. "Me and the Crusaders – Matt!" Apple Bloom dashed over to the human and gave him a hug, receiving a ruffling of her mane in return. "I didn't know you were coming to dinner tonight."
"Yeah, AJ convinced me. Where've you been? It's almost, what? Seven o'clock?"
"Yeah, I know. It's just that me and the girls found something weird outside school in some bushes and we'd been trying to figure out what it was and what to do with it all this time," the filly explained as she rummaged through her bags, looking for the object. "Here, this is it."
"Wait, you don't know what this thing is and you brought it home? Apple Bloom, you know better than that!" her older sister scolded.
"We figured that maybe one of you knew what it was. It has an apple on it, see?"
Applejack took the thing from her sister and looked it over. She was telling the truth; there was indeed an apple on one side with a bite taken out of it, but she didn't have any idea what it was either. It was small, rectangular and shiny with a couple buttons here and there and what appeared to be a black window or...something on the opposite side.
"Sorry, sis, I don't have–"
Matt's fork suddenly crashed onto his plate. He stood up, grasping at his throat, hacking and choking loudly on his food. Applejack set the strange object down and shot to her hooves, patting him on the back.
"Whoa, easy there, partner! Easy! You okay? Come on, drink something!"
Finally, the last bits of casserole dislodged themselves and he was able to swallow it down. Gasping for breath, he looked past his caretaker and stared straight at the small thing on the table, baffled and slightly horrified at what he saw. He swiped it up in a flash, looking over every square inch of it in minute detail. He blinked hard several times just to be sure he wasn't seeing things. He tried to speak but words weren't able to find him.
Applejack observed how bewildered he was and it only left her with more questions. She glanced briefly at the rectangular object and back at him. "Sugarcube, you alright?"
"Apple Bloom, where did you get this?"