//------------------------------// // Altogether Apple Abandonment // Story: Apple Withdrawal // by AmblingAnarchy //------------------------------// Chapter 2-Altogether Apple Abandonment As Applejack arose from her slumber the next day,the first thing that hit her was the pleasantness of the sun's rays. The next was the realization that she was now in the midst of a wager. A wager she couldn't possibly lose. A wager that only meant a tiny change in her daily diet for 7 days. How bad could it be? the foolish farmer reasoned. She rolled out of bed and removed the red ties holding her mane and tail to brush her blonde hair. Why she left the hair ties in just to wake up, take them out, and brush her mane, will never be fully understood by anypony alive, let alone Applejack herself. Nevertheless, while in the midst of doing the brushing, Applejack caught a whiff of her under...leg. The odoriferous remnants of last night's bath reminded Applejack of a familiar, recently forbidden fruit. "Heh heh," Applejack awkwardly chuckled to herself, talking out loud for absolutely no reason, "Ah wonder if RD expects me ta stop usin' my apple shampoo too." BANG! BANG! BA-BA-BA-Ba-ba-ba-Ba-bA-BANG BANG BANG! A series of hyperactive hoof knocks sounded off from the direction of the bedroom door. "Hey Applejack! Are ya up yet?" Applejack just shook her head. As usual, if she had actually still been asleep, Apple Bloom's loud might-as-well-have-been-a-wake-up-call would have shocked her awake anyway. "Ah'm up AB." The door swung open. "Breakfast is ready! C'mon, Granny Smith made her world famous old fashioned buttermilk griddlecakes!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, giving an excited little jump. "Alright, alright, keep yer bow on, Ah'm a'comin'." Apple Bloom hurried down the stairs with Applejack not too far behind. Noticing the other two members of her family in their usual breakfast seating places, the orange mare gave a hearty greeting. "Mornin' y'all!" "Mornin'," Granny Smith called back to her granddaughters. Big Mac, who was sipping black coffee, chimed in a few seconds later with his signature stallion-of-few-words fashion,"Eeyup." Applejack poured herself a mug of coffee, grabbed a plate between her teeth, and settled into her usual place at the table. Just like any other day. The spread before her contained all of the vittles necessary to fully facilitate the stereotypical country breakfast: eggs, biscuits, hash browns, grits, toast, applesauce, Granny Smith's world famous old fashioned buttermilk griddlecakes, and of course, apples. Applejack grabbed a little of everything, save for the apples, and began digging in. "Hey -MMM- Apple Bloom," Applejack practically gasped between full mouths of food, "could ya -SMACK- pass me the -GULP- syrup?" "Here ya go. But why aren't ya -SLURP- eatin' any -CHOMP- apples?" Apple Bloom inquired while she passed the warm maple syrup. "Well Ah -CRUNCH- sorta made a deal with -CLICK- Rainbow Dash. Can y'all believe that?" Applejack stopped eating for emphasis, "She actually thinks that apples is all we eat. Like Ah can't go a week without 'em. Ah know It's mah name 'nd all, but it's like she really believes that Ah ain't Jack without Apples!" "Applejack, that wordplay was pretty unimpressive," Apple Bloom deadpanned. "Eeyup," Big McIntosh agreed between his own respective sips and chomps. "Applejack, sometimes yer so stubborn, Ah swear ya could start 'n argument 'n an empty house," Granny Smith chimed in, adding her particular brand of sage wisdom: knowledge off all things Equestria blended with years of experience, a plethora of dropped syllables, and the ever looming possibility of dementia. "Why'd ya ev'n agree ta such a thing? Don't ya know th't ya've eat'n an apple a day since you was knee high to a grasshopper?" "Ah know, Ah know, but-" "What're ya bettin' anyways?" Apple Bloom interrupted. "That Ah don't eat apples and she don't take naps during the day." "Yeah? And?" "Whaddaya mean?" "What do ya get if ya win?" "I, uuhhhh...Ah don't know. We never really talked about nuthin' like that." "So lemme get this straight: You, the Element of Honesty who lives with three people, bet that ya'd give up a nutritional food item that ya eat every day and farm fer'a livin'?" "Yeah." "And considerin' she lives alone 'nd is usually up 'n the sky where ya can't see her anyways, there's nothin' keepin' her from nappin' durin' the day 'nd lying about it?" "Uhh, in theory, yes. But Ah think Rainbow'll wanna win fair'n square so-" "And ya aren't ev'n gettin' anythin' fer it." "No." "Applejack," Apple Bloom began slowly so as not to lose Applejack, "Ah don't think ya thought this one through." Applejack scanned the faces present at the table, seeing a wincing Apple Bloom, a disappointed, head shaking Granny Smith, and a coffee sipping Big McIntosh with an unspoken thought on his mind, no doubt words of encouragement for his disheartened sibling. "Nnnope."