//------------------------------//
// Ponyville and Shenanigans 
// Story: A Bittersweet Apple 
// by MegaTJ 
//------------------------------//

Ponyville and Shenanigans

Thorny walked with Applejack back to the farm house. Little did he know, that she had no intention of stopping there. Instead, she was focused on getting to know him a little. A small tour of Ponyville was the best way to find that out. The list of things she wanted him to see ran on, but she knew that the first thing she wanted to do was introduce him to her friendds. If he was going to be working on the farm, then they'd see him sooner or later.

"So, Thorny, how're ya likin' Ponyville so far?"

"Ain't that different from Trotledge", he replied, "'Cept there's tons more fields there. Dusty too. Ah like all the grass 'round here."

"You make any new friends?"

"Ain't had time too, movin' an' all that." He followed her without noticing they were leaving the farm. He was too busy trying to come up with his own questions for the mare. "Yer mah only friend' so far."

Applejack grinned. "Now who in tarnation said we were friends?"

Thorny blinked. "Ah thought—"

"Jus' pickin' with ya Thorny", she laughed.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Applejack lost the conversation. She wasn't exactly sure what to say. If he was a mare, it would be a lot easier talking to him. She could challenge and tease him, but simple discussion was so much harder. Absolutely no pony knew, but Applejack never could talk to colts much outside of family. Luckily for her, Thorny knew how to talk to everypony.

"Where're y'all takin' me, Applejack?"

"We're goin' t' Stirrup Street, then just around and maybe t' meet a couple of mah friendds."

"Why? You ain't showin' me off, are you?" Thorny grinned.

A blush crossed Applejack's nose. But instead of wanting to deck him for saying something like, she only laughed a little. "If Ah'm gonna show a colt off to mah friends, he's gotta be a little more handsome than you are."

Thorny laughed loudly. Applejack figured he was the kind you couldn't tease easily. He pulled ahead of her without realizing it. Applejack decided to get a look at him. From the angle she was looking, she noticed that his red bandana was neatly knotted in the back and that it was almost covered up by his hat, which he wore low on the back of his head, lower than she wore hers. She also noticed that his freckles only covered the bridge of his nose. She couldn't tell what color his eyes were. His Cutie Mark was a single ranching fence in the middle of a field.

She was so absorbed in him, that she almost passed their first stop up. "Okay, Thorny, this here is where we sell the apples durin' the week. Ah usually work the stand on Mondays an' Tuesdays, Big Mac works it Wednesdays, an' then Granny Smith on Thursdays. We don' sell on weekends."

"Can Ah pick up Tuesday? So we can all have jus' one day?"

"Ah'll talk it over with Granny Smith since it deals with money", Applejack replied, "But Ah don't got a problem with that."

"Maybe me an' you can do it then. So Ah won' have to wait so long."

Applejack liked the idea of not having to work very hard for two days. And Thorny would be good company to have. She remembered back to a few times when the boredom was almost ate her alive. With Thorny with her, she would have somepony to talk to. "Alright it's settled. We'll sell apples together."

Thorny smiled, and followed Applejack to wherever it was they were going next. He really didn't care. Her company was enjoyable, she was a really good pony to be around. And, he thought, She's mighty pretty… He blushed, but it didn't matter. He was sure she couldn't see it.

Now why is his face turnin' red? Applejack wondered to herself. She shrugged. Must be the heat. On that thought, she thought it best to get inside somewhere, and the closest place was Ponyville's one and only Sugarcube Corner. She led him into the spacious inside, where immediately Pinkie Pie had zipped out to greet them.

"Hey, Applejack!" she turned to Thorny, "Hey, you're new here! I love making new friends! Wanna be my friend?"

Thorny took a step back. "Uh…"

"Great!" She jumped up and bounced around. "This calls for a party!"

"Party?" Thorny asked as Pinkie Pie bounced away.

"Pinkie Pie throws parties for ponies who move in t' Ponyville", Applejack explained.

"Is she always so rambunctious?"

"Yep, that's Pinkie Pie for ya."

Thorny quietly exhaled. There wasn't a single pony like Pinkie Pie in Trotledge. He looked around the bars and shelves in the bakery. "Say Applejack, mind if Ah buy ya a slice of cake?"

Applejack stared at him. "why?"

"That's what friends do where Ah come from", he lied.

Applejack was a little skeptical, but shrugged and nodded. She never turned down free food. "Sure thing, Thorny!"

She left for a table while Thorny left to go pick out the cake. He skipped breakfast this morning and now he knew he wouldn't be able to watch her eat without scaring ponies away with his stomach growling. "S'cuse me ma'am!" he called to another pink mare.

"How may I help you?" Cupcake asked brightly.

"Ah'd like t' buy a slice of cherry cake an'…uh…" Thorny poured over the case, wondering just what kind of cake Applejack would like.

Seeing the orange mare take her seat near the door, Mrs. Cake whispered, "She usually likes to order apple spice cake."

Thorny smiled. "Thanks, Ah'll take one o'those."

She wrapped the slices up and hoofed them over the counter. "No need to pay, dear. I commend a young stallion who acts on a crush."

Thorny blushed three shades of red and chuckled nervously. He couldn't deny that he was, nor could he admit it. He only liked Applejack a little…so far. He wasn't about to ruin a friendship by jumping right into her personal space as a cowgirl. After thanking her he turned to find where Applejack had gone to. She waved to him from a table near the door. He briskly crossed the room and sat down in the opposite chair.

Applejack smiled. "Took ya long enough."

"If you weren' so darn picky, Ah woulda been back a while ago."

Somewhat impressed with his comeback, she quickly asked, "What did ya get me?"

"Apple spice cake."

Applejack's jaw almost hit the table. "How'd ya know mah favorite kinda cake!?"

Thorny glanced at Mrs. Cake. "Uh, lucky guess…"

Applejack forgot Thorny as she hurriedly devoured her favorite treat. She usually showed a little restraint around new ponies, but she couldn't help the fact that it had been a long time since she had last eaten the cake.

Thorny watched her with admiration. From how fast she was eating, Thorny guessed she could easily out eat anypony at an eating contest. Ah wonder if she could beat me… He shrugged and figured he would have to invite her to an eating contest some time. She was too far along for him to race her to the last crumb, so he ate at his original speed. He was glad he got cherry; the taste was so strong he almost fell out of his chair. He took bite after bite slowly, hopefully to preserve the flavor.

"Ya sure are takin' yer sweet time."

Thorny smiled. "Would ya rather me eat it in one bite like a pig?"

"If it means you'll get done before tonight."

Applejack watched Thorny take bigger bites out of the cake. In the hour that she had known him, she knew he was a good pony. And not just because he bought her a slice of cake. He was a hard worker, and that was enough to put anypony on her good side.

"About what time, do ya usually get back t'work", Thorny asked through a mouthful of cake.

"When it cools down", Applejack replied. "Ah don' know 'bout you, but Ah'm not havin' a heat stroke jus' to get apples from the trees. Ah learned mah lesson on that one."

"So that's a couple of hours without nothin' t' do", he stated obviously.

"Ah'm takin' you 'round Ponyville so you won't get lost, remember."

"Ah know, but what about after that?" He wiped his icing-stained mouth with his hoof and burped.

"We'll see 'bout that when it gets here." Applejack stood up. "C'mon, Ah'll give you the grand tour of Ponyville!"

"Sounds nice." They both rose from the table and headed back out into the bright day. Thorny followed Applejack through the streets. It had gotten crowded, and was beginning to look like the streets back in Trotledge.

"This here's the market", Applejack said as they passed by a few stands.

Thorny noticed that this was where everything food-wise was sold. That was great, he wouldn't have to grow his food like back home. "Ah gotta stop by pretty soon. Food's gettin' low."

Applejack walked on and named the buildings they walked by and the ponies that owned them. He kept a mental note of the ones he wanted to browse later. The space between them got smaller as Thorny got more comfortable with Applejack. She noticed instantly, but didn't say anything. So long as he didn't try anything, Ponyville General wouldn't be admitting a patient overnight. She didn't really expect him to, but there was that awkward doubt in her head.

Thorny couldn't help but find the tour boring. He was a pony of fun and work. The thought of his favorite past time brought a hopeful smile to his face. "There a river 'round here somewheres?"

Applejack hesitated. "Uh…yeah, why?

"'Cuz I love t'swim! And this heat's killin' me!"

"Hey, we got time", Applejack said. She choked on her next words. For a second she wanted to ask him if he wanted to go, but the words got caught in her throat. Instead, she made a small gasping noise. To her relief, Thorny didn't notice.

"Where is it?" Thorny leaned forward a little.

"Uh…" Applejack mumbled uncomfortably, "I-it's down by…um…"

"C'mon, AJ, just show me!"

She froze up. For some reason her brain was refusing to work. She knew what she wanted to say; the words just didn't want to come out. Thankfully, a random savior came to her rescue.

"Did I overhear you asking about a trip to the river?" asked a turquoise pony.

They both turned to see a colt peering at them curiously. "It's down the hill on the southern edge of Ponyville. Applejack should know that. She goes almost every day." He didn't have time to hear a reply from them. His companion was a little impatient.

"Wish, we're going to be late! Let's go!" Lyra called from somewhere ahead of them.

"Coming!" He jogged to catch up to them without waiting for a single word from the farm ponies.

Thorny glanced at Applejack. "South hill? C'mon, Ah'll race ya!" He galloped away, leaving a trail of dust chasing his hooves.

Applejack shot after him. She knew she wasn't going to let a new pony show her up. Her hooves pounded the path with a rhythmic beat. A playful smile formed under her nose. She wasn't even running her fastest and was steadily gaining on the green stallion. She kept going until they were even in pace and were neck and neck with each other. They raced passed ponies and dodged obstacles as they got farther away from the center of town. Many of the ponies didn't even see them. Pretty soon, the buildings gave way to the empty outskirts and they were now climbing the hill that hid the river.

"Applejack are ya even tryin'?" Thorny chuckled.

"Nope, an' Ah guess you ain't either."

He shook his head. "Ah don' even need to!"

Applejack stopped on the top of the hill. He came to a stop too. Glaring at him, she asked, "Now whatcha tryin' t' say?"

Thorny knew he must've touched a nerve, so he decided to have a little fun with her. He grinned. "Cuz Ah could whoop ya with mah eyes closed."

Now furious, Applejack stood on the tips of her hooves to match his height. "Now listen here! Jus' cuz you come from a different town don' mean ya can beat me in a race!"

Thorny gazed down to the river, where thirty ponies were swimming and splashing. He spotted a rope swing situated in a tree on a high bluff above the water. "You wanna find out?"

Applejack growled. She turned and, to throw him off, began to walk down the hill.

Thorny blinked. "Hey, Ah didn' mean t—"

Applejack took off in a full sprint down the hill. She successfully caught him off guard. Sure she had cheated a little, but she could bet the look on his face was priceless. She laughed to herself as she got closer to the river. She looked behind her, expecting to see Thorny staring at her in disbelief. To her surprise, he was right behind her, mere inches from her tail. She jumped and ran faster. Unfortunately, she didn't see the rock that had come to be in front of her hoof and she hit it with full force. Unable to stop herself, the mare could only be subjected to gravity, as it pulled her down the hill toward the water. She tumbled down until she bounced off the bluff and into the water.

Upon impact, everything hurt. She was glad the water wasn't deep. If it were shallow, it would've hurt a whole lot more. It didn't take her long to recover, but it when she did, she realized she was already being drug out of the river. She was only pulled for several seconds before Thorny had her on shore, both gasping for oxygen.

"Dang, Ah'm gettin' outta shape", Thorny weaved. "Ah woulda had you sooner, but mah lasso's packed up in mah room back home."

Applejack didn't say anything. Her brain was still trying to process what had just happened. She ignored the stares of the many ponies around them as the emotions began to seep in. Shock, embarrassment, anger, and gratefulness all set in at once. She looked at the ground.

"You alright?"

She nodded. She didn't know what to say exactly, but she knew being polite would be appropriate. "Ah didn' need yer help, but thanks anyways."

"Ah wasn' riskin' you bumpin' yer head an' not bein' able t' swim back up." He stood up and shook off. "If there's one thing Ah won' let happen, it's mah friends getting' hurt."

Applejack looked up to see Thorny offering her his hoof. A little anger came back as her burning for independence began to blaze. "Ah can stand by myself, thanks." She attempted to stand, but her left hoof exploded with pain. She yelped.

Thorny grabbed her hoof. After years of ranching, he knew exactly what was wrong. "You sprained it on that rock. C'mon, Ah'll help y'all get back home. Sorry fer racin' you."

Applejack snatched her hoof back. "Ah can get back jus' fine!"

"Okay", Thorny replied smugly, "Go ahead an' try."

Back on her three good hooves, Applejack once again attempted put pressure on her hurt hoof. "Ah!" The swelling made it impossible to put even the tiniest amount of weight on it. She tried two more times before Thorny took her foreleg and placed it around his shoulder. "Ah told ya Ah can—"

"Hush an' walk", Thorny instructed sternly.

The orange mare's face was alight with red from the embarrassment of being rescued AND hushed by a stallion. In her mind, she could have easily gotten up by herself. She had never once been in trouble she couldn't get out of, and now she was sure everypony was whispering about her. She could only keep her head low to protect what little pride she had left as Thorny guided her back home.


T


"Applejack, I think you're being unreasonable", said Twilight after hearing Applejack's tale of the events of her day.

"Unreasonable? Twi, the colt—"

"Was nothing but nice to you the whole day", the unicorn finished. "Sure he teased you a little, but isn't that what friends do?"

Applejack mumbled something that twilight couldn't hear. She rubbed the hoof that Thorny had bandaged up. "Yeah, but thanks to him, Ah can't work for at least a week."

"That wasn't exactly his fault, and I'm sure he feels bad about it. Didn't he apologize?"

Applejack nodded.

"Have you forgiven him?"

She shook her head. "It wasn' all his fault. Ah'm the one that ran off. Ah gotta apologize too…"

Twilight frowned. Applejack was apparently having mixed feelings about this new colt. Her instinct was to help her friend out, but that would be impossible with Applejack's independence and pride as a capable mare. She sighed and stretched before hopping down from her chair. "Want something to drink?"

"No thanks, Twilight." Applejack turned her gaze to Thorny's first aid work. The two splints he wrapped in the bandage doubled as a type of crutch that put pressure on her upper foreleg and shoulder instead of her sprained hoof. He sure was talented from what she saw from the day's events. She wished she was working out in the orchard right now, instead of letting Thorny and Big Macintosh work it while she recovered. Every time she got hurt or sick and couldn't work, she always felt like a useless burden. This time, she also felt jealous of Thorny. He got to work hard bucking apples while she was busy healing from her injury in the library.

She sighed heavily. So far, the new farmhoof was nothing but trouble. At least that's what her head was saying. Her heart, however, just wouldn't stop putting the images of him caught in the harness and eating his cake at Sugarcube Corner. Before she could stop herself, she gave a small giggle.