//------------------------------// // Accidents Happen // Story: The Sweet Taste of Apple // by Icecane //------------------------------// A few hours had came and went by the time Trader found himself once again bathed in the shade of apple trees. Like the many other times before it, the pegasus was tasked with bucking down the apples for the Apple family to use. This time however, his progress was slowed by his own wandering mind. When he had first returned to the farm, Applejack seemed happy to have him back on the work force. A bit more than he had first anticipated, but the stallion didn't put too much thought into it. She already had a load of work for him to do, the midday chores taking up a good chunk of time before he was sent to his usual applebucking. Trader didn't complain however, happy to be of help after his long hiatus from it all. While he worked, the rest of the family seemed busy getting things ready for their trip that Rainbow Dash had mentioned. He wasn't bothered with still being kept in the dark about it, realizing how busy it was making the Apples and figuring they would tell him about it when it was necessary. However, the solitude of the task brought the stallion to ponder his own little world, his thoughts turning to more recent events. It was still hard to believe that he would garner the attention of the athletic Rainbow Dash. Though, he also never compared her to Spitfire, realizing the similarities between the two, but also knowing their differences. He was at least happy that the mare wasn't too upset by his rejection, glad to know that she too wasn't fully certain about him either. But her accusations soon after however, was what really made the pegasus pause. Him and Applejack? The idea seemed absurd. Anypony to see them as kids would see nothing else, two good friends. She'd be more like a sister to him than anything else, even if they spent so much time apart since they grew up. But Trader wasn't able to deny noticing how his foalhood friend had changed, how she had matured over the years, in more ways then one. It was just that though, him simply noticing it. Not that he'd ever consider that the situations were the same for the both of them. It was easy for him to see how she had grown up to be such a responsible mare, working harder than anypony else he had ever met. All the while, Trader had remained the same, staying as the usual screw-up he always was, as plain to see as the cutie mark on his flank. And he certainly wasn't going to try and screw anything up this time, he couldn't easily forget the number of times he had messed up due to his own wandering eye, or because of a pretty face that seemed all too trustworthy. Shaking his head of it, Trader's legs kicked out and struck the tree harder than he realized. Pieces of bark chipped away from the trunk and several apples missed the basket that was set for them, rolling away. Pausing in his bucking, the stallion moved to retrieve the wayward fruits. As he did, the sudden sound of rustling tree leaves sounded off, despite there being no wind. Trader's head perked up at that, listening closely to make sure he wasn't hearing things. More sounds followed, so soft that he could barely make them out, but it sounded like movement. But he couldn't find another soul nearby. Things got even stranger however as he could have sworn he could hear his name being called, sounding distant and near all at once. Thinking he was going crazy, the pegasus gave his head another good shake and returned to picking up the apples he had lost. The moment he turned around, his heart lurched, a startled yelp escaping him as he jumped into the air, a yellow-coated pegasus standing mere inches away from him. A similar yelp sounded as the yellow pegasus also shot into the air, falling flat on her back and lying still for a brief moment, eyes wide open. Trader was already on his feet, heart going a mile a minute, immediately recognizing the pink mane of Applejack's more timid of friends. “Fluttershy?” The mare was getting up herself, looking as reserved as ever. “I-I'm sorry if I... startled you... I didn't mean it,” she said in apology. Trader merely groaned aloud as he slowly regained his sense. “Geez,” he murmured, at his wit's end. “Do all the ponies around here just teleport right beside one another? I swear, it's like you all are purposely doing it. “I think Twilight can teleport,” replied the mare, unable to realize the stallion's meaning. Breathing steadily to calm himself, Trader's flattened expression was also lost as he shoved it away and looked curiously at the sudden arrival of the pegasus. “Never mind, just- Do you need something? Applejack's not here if you need her, she's back up near the barn getting-” Shaking her head, she surprised the stallion. He couldn't think of any reason why she'd need to see him, almost certain he didn't make any random promises to her. “I actually just got done talking to Rainbow Dash.” Trader nearly choked on the knot his throat seemed to tie itself into. Just looking at the mare, there was no way for him to not see what she meant by it. “Sh-She told you?!” he managed to say, his voice coming out hoarse. Fluttershy merely nodded. If she noticed the stunned expression on the stallion's face, or the small beads of sweat that were forming on his brow, she didn't show it. Instead, she simply stared at the stallion of several long moments. Just looking into her eyes, the white pegasus felt rooted to the ground. He felt frozen, her eyes grabbing hold of his body and keeping it still, a shiver running across his spine. It didn't help Trader in the slightest, fully aware of how close the two friends were, and having no idea what to expect. As the long, awkward moments passed, Fluttershy seemed to come to a conclusion and idly nodded to herself. Freed at last, Trader was prompted to speak. “Look,” he tried saying, “it's not that I don't like her or anything. I... you know, already told her that she's great and all. I just... um...” “It's not that,” Fluttershy then said, her calm tone sounding eery to the stunned stallion. “She understands, but... she does feel kind of silly about the whole thing. And she thinks you think she's weird... You don't, do you?” A light smile crossed the pegasus' face. “Of course not.” “Good. I just wanted to make sure.” Yet again, for a brief moment, the usually shy pegasus started directly at the stallion. “You do kind of look like him...” “Huh?” A light blush appeared on the mare's cheeks as she realized how rude she was being. “Oh, well... It was somepony that Rainbow Dash knew really well. His name was Stormchase. Though, his coat was a little more gray than yours. It was a long time ago too, back before we even knew Twilight.” Understanding began to dawn on the stallion as he listened. “Oh, so they were like... together...?” “Rainbow Dash always said they were just good friends,” Fluttershy replied. “But everypony knew they liked each other. His flying wasn't that great either. He wasn't bad... just not that great. But because of Rainbow Dash, he got a lot better. He was nearly as good as she was.” Her gaze trailed up into the sky as she continued, frowning slightly. “They always liked to push each other as hard as they could. But... Please don't tell her a said this... She can push a little too hard sometimes. Then, he ended up in the hospital... with most of his bones broken...” “Ouch,” Trader murmured, grimacing to himself. “What happened to him?” “He left,” the mare answered bluntly. “As soon as he was healed, he moved away from Ponyville, to get away from her.” A saddened sigh escaped the mare as she finished. Trader just stared blankly away as what Fluttershy said sank in. “Hm,” he murmured offhandedly, “guess I dodged a bolt there...” Suddenly remembering who was with him, he coughed forcibly into his hoof. “Uh... so... yeah, that's pretty sad to hear. It must have been hard on her.” “Yeah...” Fluttershy said with a nod. “She's never really gotten close to any other stallions since. I was kind of surprised when she said she had a date with Soarin, she's never been so excited about something like that.” “And it ended the way it did,” the stallion added, remembering what the weathermare had told him about it. “And then... I was next...” “But she seems to be over that now,” Fluttershy quickly said, not wanting him to get the wrong idea about the situation. “I just... wanted to make sure you didn't hate her for it or anything... She seemed a little worried about it.” The timid mare was surprised when Trader chuckled at that, a wide grin on his face. “Of course not,” he assured. “There's nothing for me to hate. I understand what it's like to think you feel one way but actually feel another. I'm just glad we can stay good friends.” Relieved to hear it, a soft smile appeared on the mare's face. “I'm glad to hear that, thank you, Trader.” Her gaze slowly drifted to the trees that surrounded them, her smile deflating quickly as she looked back at the stallion apologetically. “Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your work...” Another small chortle left Trader as he waved it off harmlessly. “No harm done. And thank you for the story.” With that Fluttershy turned to leave and Trader returned to his applebucking. Wings flared open, just about to take off, the yellow-coated mare stopped herself as she turned back to the stallion. “Oh... Trader,” she said, catching his attention. “For what it's worth... Though I don't think I'd know very well... I do think she really likes you.” Trader stared at the mare, perplexed. “Who? Rainbow Dash?” “No.” And without another word, she flew up into the air and disappeared as she broke through the small canopy above them, leaving the stallion even more confused than before. Standing there for a moment, he pondered what the pegasus had meant. Unable to discern it so readily however, it was pushed from his thoughts as he returned to his work. There was still plenty of that to be done. He had barely made a dent in the number of trees he needed to buck, with time ticking away. From his own slowed speeds as well as Fluttershy's visit, his progress was hindered incredibly. Trader could only groan loudly to himself as he thought on how much more he had to do. Applejack and the others seemed all the more busy as well, and he couldn't be falling behind. But looking back to the trees, getting them done quickly seemed like a daunting task. Thoughts racing, something then came to the white pegasus as a not too distant memory resurfaced. The day he and Rainbow Dash went off to see the Wonderbolts. There was certainly plenty of work to be done there. And the mare had been an extraordinary help at the time, if only to get him to come with her. Flying through the trees and knocking the apples down from up there, she made great time. Unfurling his wings, he gazed at them for a long while, occasionally drifting back up to the green masses of leaves above him. Though he was nowhere near Rainbow Dash's speed, he was also far from his old pathetic ability as well. There was no reason he wouldn't be able to replicate what the mare had done. And if he could shave off a good chunk of time spent working while doing it, it was all the more reason why he should make the attempt. Flying into the air, the green leaves of his first tree came rushing toward him and he flew into the thick foliage. Several of the more loose ones broke away and slowly sailed downward while the top the tree rattled and shook. Trader struck his hooves against the larger branches, his flapping wings doing the rest. Triumph was had as the apples fell down and into the baskets below. A streak of white went from one tree to the next, disappearing into it as quickly as it had left the other. Just like before, the branches rattled about, as if a harsh wind was blowing through, the apples breaking away with ease. His speed increased with each tree he went through, getting better and better and hitting them in just the right spots. In no time at all he would be finished. Getting closer toward the barn, Trader saw a certain burly stallion with a red coat passing by. Apparently with work deeper in the orchard, Big Macintosh didn't seem notice the speeding pegasus. What they both failed to noticed however, was the gnarled-looking branch on an old tree he was headed for. Disappearing inside it like the many others, his hoof struck at it, trying to get it to relinquish the apples it didn't have. The sound of the large branch snapping from the trunk made Trader freeze on the spot. Even worse, was the following crash at it struck the ground hard and the accompanying cry of pain. The pegasus' eyes were wide with panic as he looked down to see what he had done. “Big Mac!” Within the living room of the Apple home, Big Macintosh laid back in a reclining chair, a cloth brace wrapped tightly across his body. From the expression on his face, it was clear he wasn't having a very good time about it. The rest of the family stood by his side, their worried faces having dampened as the worst seemed to be over. Trader himself stood there with his head lowered, the shame he felt almost palpable. One of the local doctors backed away from the injured stallion, his work just finishing. The unicorn levitated the spectacles on his nose and carefully cleaned them off before addressing the whole family. “Well, Macintosh, you're certainly lucky that nothing is broken,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. “A smaller stallion might have been snapped in two.” “So he's gonna be alright, Doctor?” Applejack asked, for what felt like the hundredth time. A simple smile crossed the unicorn, noting her concern for her brother. “Yes, yes, of course, Miss Apple. The branch hasn't done any severe damage, otherwise we'd being heading straight for the hospital. No, he just needs plenty of rest and recovery.” His eyes shifted to the red stallion, like a lecturing parent. “I mean it. Stay off your hooves for the next few days, then simply keep away from any hard physical work for a week or so after.” As Big Mac nodded as best as he could, Granny Smith thanked the doctor and took him to the front door to see him out. An abrupt silence filled the room. Trader looked up at the stallion he had injured, while he tried shifting in his chair to becoming more comfortable. He could barely look him in the eye as he approached him. “I'm so sorry Big Mac,” Trader said, feeling miserable. “If I hadn't been so careless, this wouldn't have happened to you.” Smiling at him, Big Macintosh opened his mouth to speak before the pegasus felt a playful nudge against him and Applejack spoke up. “Don't you fret none about that, Trader,” she said happily. “It was an accident after all, they happen. Ain't that right, Big Mac?” Directing a somewhat agitated look toward his sister, who didn't seem to notice, the large stallion then eyed Trader with a smile. “Eeyup,” he said simply, agreeing with his younger sibling. Though feeling slightly better, it didn't change Trader's mind that the whole thing was his doing. With that said and done though, Applejack looked to the ground in dejection for a moment and heaved a sigh. “Though, Ah do wish we had better luck than this,” she murmured. “Somethin' like this just had to happen right before our trip to Hoofington.” “Hoofington?” Trader questioned aloud. Applejack looked surprised for a moment, but it quickly dawned on her how little the pegasus knew. “Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know. Heh, sorry about that, must have slipped my mind,” she said with a bit of embarrassment. “But that's right. Hoofington is having their annual fair, and we try to make it every year. With so many hungry ponies, it's a great place for business, and there's also the baking competition they have.” A broad smile showed on her features as she thought on it. “Why, first place in that would be great publicity for the farm.” Her eyes then turned to her injured brother. “Me and Big Mac always went together. But now...” Gasping in sudden realization, Applejack whipped back to face Trader, nearly causing the pegasus to fall over himself in surprise. “Trader! You can come with me to Hoofington!” “What?” asked Trader, not expecting the sudden offer. “You want me to go? Are you sure?” A firm nod came from the mare as she continued to smile brightly at him. “Of course. It'll take two ponies to get up to Hoofington and back. Last Ah checked, you fit the bill. Besides, there wouldn't have been much for you to do around here anyway.” “Well... alright, if I'm really needed,” Trader said. Between Applejack's large smile and his own obligation to the family, he found it downright impossible to say anything else. It seemed to make her smile grow even more as the mare happily patted him on the back before walking away, saying, “Great! Now there's only a few things left that need doin' before the trip. Then tomorrow, we'll leave first thing in the mornin'!” True to her word, as soon dawn approached the next day, the farm was alive with activity. Applejack and Trader worked diligently on their final preparations before their trip. A wagon waited outside for such a purpose as they began loading up what they were taking. Several baskets of apples, hefty barrels of their famous cider and a large cart that smelled heavily of baked goods were all put in their proper place and secured for travel. Applebloom did her best to help despite her size, trying to make up for what was lost with Big Mac's injury. Stowing away the last of the supplies they needed, they were all set to head out. “We should get going soon,” Applejack said as she inspected their work. “It'll take nearly the nearly the whole day to get there, so we shouldn't dally.” “Can't Ah go with ya too?” the little filly pipped up, looking sympathetically toward the two older ponies. “It ain't fair that only you two get to go.” Applejack merely shook her head no. “We aren't goin' there for fun, Applebloom. Besides, you need to stay here and help Granny Smith look after the place, especially with Big Macintosh held up like he is.” The little one was hardly phased by her sister's reasoning however, looking down at the ground in crippling disappointment. “But Ah wanna go...” she whined, acting very much like the child she was. Kneeling down to her level, Trader smiled playfully to her and said, “Come on, you know you need to stay. You're gonna be the mare of the house while your sister's gone.” Her ears perked up a little at that, though she wasn't fully convinced. “How about this. When we get back, if you've been good and not gotten into any trouble, and I will ask around, then I'll take you out for a nice treat.” Applebloom eyed the pegasus closely for a moment, as if searching for any hint of a lie. After a moment, she happily nodded her head in agreement. “Okay, I'll be extra good,” she said as she accepted the bribe. Finished and with nothing else to be done, it was time for Applejack and Trader to set on their journey. The wagon they were using was different than the usual one. It was larger than a typical wagon, allowing for a much heavier load. The thill at the front was set up to allow two ponies to be harnessed to it at once, their combined strength being used to pull the heavy burden along. They each took their time strapping and buckling themselves safely in. Neither wanted any accidents on the road, to hurt themselves, the wagon or even the goods they were carrying. When they were certain that they were secured in as well, they took an experimental few steps forward, feeling the heavy weight of the wagon as it rolled along with them. As Applejack finished with their preparations, she became aware of a peculiar thing. It was something that she never really noticed, or at least never really thought about. So many times before she must have pulled the wagon alongside her brother, too many times for her to count. But now, it was the first time she had ever noticed just how close it brought the two ponies pulling it together. Only a few inches of space kept her and Trader apart, she could almost feel his soft wings brushing up against her. “We ready to go, Applejack?” the pegasus asked, certain with himself that he was as secured as he'd ever be. “Huh? W-what?” the mare stammered out, taken off guard by the sudden question. It took her a few moments to realize what he had asked, clearing her head as she nodded her answer to him. “Yeah, Ah think we are.” Not wanting to waste anymore time, the two waved and shouted their final farewells to Applebloom and Granny Smith before departing. Though the trip to Hoofington was a long one, the two always had the company of the other.