“Oh, but Applejack, you can't possibly believe that!” Rarity complained as she'd heard Applejack finish explaining. She and Rainbow Dash had come by for their day of helping the Apples take care of Calvados (who was at the kitchen table, drawing), but Applejack had stopped them for a lecture on her feelings on the matter.
She'd kept most of her feelings to herself, though.
“It actually feels kinda weird agreeing with Rarity on something,” Rainbow Dash added, “but I think she's right. We may not know everything, but you need the extra help, and we can give it to you! Come on, don't be such a downer!”
Applejack shook her head. “I don't know. I have a sneakin' feelin' that somethin' bad might happen. I just can't shake it. But I really think it'd be best if y'all didn't get involved.”
Rarity was insistent. “But there must be an explanation! If you'd just tell us what's troubling you, we could help.”
“I . . . I don't think so . . . .”
“AJ, what's the big deal?” Dash asked, starting to sound annoyed. “What are you so afraid is gonna happen?”
“Nothin', I . . . .” Applejack was starting to run out of excuses and assuaging comments, “I just . . . can't say for sure, okay?”
“But darling, why ever not?”
“I just can't, all right?!” Applejack finally snapped without meaning to. She realized a second too late how forceful she sounded; in the other room, Cal dropped his crayon on the table and threw his hooves over his ears, whining at the sound of Applejack's angry voice.
Applejack sighed and walked into the kitchen, rubbing Cal's back and calming him down. “It's okay, Cal, it's okay. I didn't mean it.”
Cal sat up and waved his hooves in front of his face, huffing worriedly. “Not angry?” he asked, “Appajak? Not angry? I sorry . . . .”
“No, sweetheart, don't apologize,” she assured him. “I ain't angry. My friends an' I were just talkin', is all.” She reached out to hug him, and he leaned into it, not returning it, but not resisting either. He seemed focused on the blue crayon he'd dropped; it was significantly shorter than it had been two days ago.
“Oh, dear,” Rarity fretted as she and Rainbow Dash followed Applejack into the kitchen. “My sincerest apologies, Applejack. I completely forgot how sensitive little Cal is.”
Dash glanced at Rarity, confused. “Huh? I thought that was only his hooves and ears and stuff.”
Applejack shook her head. “It's more than just feelin' and hearin', Rainbow. Cal senses when ponies are upset. That upsets him, too. It's sorta like when you're readin' one o' your 'Daring Do' books, and Pinkie Pie is messin' around and bein' too loud, and you can't focus. It's like that, but a lot worse.” She took her front legs off of Cal and turned him around to see his face. “Honey, you okay?”
“You o- . . . you okay?” Cal replied softly, mimicking his sister's accent. The others knew as well as Applejack by now that Cal's repetition of a question indicated a positive response.
“Darling, I must apologize, as well,” Rarity added guiltily. “Your sister was just a bit frustrated, that's all. I shouldn't have been prying so much. Can you forgive your auntie Rarity?”
Cal glanced between Rarity and the floor, still gently waving his hooves. “Reh- . . . Reh-tee?”
“Ooh, I'm so glad!” Rarity smiled, then turned to Rainbow Dash. “Well?” she asked her expectantly. “Don't you have something to say, Rainbow Dash?”
“What?” Dash asked, still a bit lost, until Rarity nudged her. The Unicorn gestured toward a still-shaken Cal and eyed the Pegasus expectantly. Finally, Dash sighed as she got the message. “Okay, okay . . . I didn't mean to work up Applejack like that, all right?”
“There, you see?” Rarity asked Cal, smiling. “You're not upset with Rainbow Dash, are you?”
Cal turned to Dash and repeated his glancing from her to the floor. “Are . . . are you? Raybodash?”
“There's a good colt!” said Rarity proudly, and she knelt down and nuzzled him. Put off at first, Cal giggled lightly and leaned in towards Rarity, widening the one eye closest to her and closing the other. Applejack was worried that Cal might not let Rarity get too close, but after a few seconds, she relaxed. He seemed content enough.
Elsewhere, at the same time, Spike suddenly shuddered with no explanation, almost dropping the checklist and quill pen in his claws.
Twilight noticed this as she split time between taking inventory of the stationery and reading her seventh book on autism. “Spike,” she asked, “are you okay?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Spike replied, slight concern in his voice, “I just . . . .” He couldn't bring himself to tell Twilight straight that his “Rarity snuggle senses” had been tingling.
Later that day, Applejack had made the tentative decision to teach Cal how to buck apple trees. Big McIntosh accompanied her and Cal to the orchards, ready to give some assistance whenever or however needed. The three of them stood before one of the smaller apple trees and looked up at the gorgeous fruits hanging in the branches; the afternoon sun glistened off the bright red skins.
“Okay, Cal,” Applejack began, “I'm gonna teach ya how we Apples harvest our apple trees. Apple buckin' is a long family tradition, it's a big part of our work here at Sweet Apple Acres, and it's just a barrel o' fun!”
Big Mac smiled and added, “Eeyup.”
Cal merely giggled at Mac's single-word affirmation, and imitated his brother, “'Eeyup'! Beemak say 'Eeyup!'”
Mac gave a soft chuckle, ruffled Cal's mane, and repeated: “Eeyup.” Cal giggled excitedly again.
Applejack smiled as well, but kept things on topic, “Okay, Cal, you ready? Watch your big sister, and do as I do, y'hear?”
Cal watched eagerly, replying with another excited laugh, “Eeyup!”
Applejack chuckled at Cal's zeal, and turned around to demonstrate her apple-bucking skills. She looked back over her shoulder, lined herself up perfectly, and bucked her back legs as gently as possible (it was a demonstration, after all). Her back hooves struck the tree and made a few lower branches shake, and three ripe apples fell from the branches and landed in the soft grass around the base of the plant.
Cal giggled even louder and stamped his hooves excitedly. “Again?” he asked mid-laugh. “Again, Appajak? Again?”
Applejack chuckled, “You like that, huh? Hold on, then . . . .” She looked back and repeated, kicking the trunk of the tree a little harder. This time, four ripe apples fell to the ground. Cal continued to laugh and stomp around and he chased after the rolling fruit. He gathered all seven apples into a pile, sat down in front of the pile, and rocked back and forth in front of it. He kept his eyes on the apples the whole time as he waved his hooves in front of his eyes.
“Uhh, Cal?” Applejack asked, trying to catch his attention. “Why don't you give it a go, kiddo?” Cal didn't seem to be listening; he was still flapping his hooves and staring at his hoard, taking a moment to periodically run a hoof over the skin of one of the apples. He seemed to be fond of the texture. “Go on now, Cal,” Applejack tried again, “your turn.” Again, Cal didn't respond.
Big Mac stepped forward and lowered his head down to Cal. “Whatcha got there?” he asked calmly, still smiling.
Cal glanced up at Mac, returning his smile. “Apples!” he squealed with glee, “Apples, apples, apples!”
Big Mac nodded. “Eeyup.”
“'Eeyup'! Ah shiny? 'Eeyup'!”
“Yeah, Cal, they're shiny,” Applejack replied. She turned to Mac, and saw that they were both incapable of suppressing grins of pride. “Well, he loves his apples,” she said. “He's definitely an Apple, no doubt about it.” She vaguely felt the sense that she spoke as much to Big Mac as to herself.
“Eeyup.”
“Eeyup'!” Cal repeated, kicking his front hooves and laughing. Despite feeling glad that Cal had shown such love for the Apple family's mutual passion, Applejack was still mystified as to how such simple things could keep him so entertained, so easily.
Applejack approached Cal and attempted to lead him away from his “toys” and back to the tree. “Come on, Cal, you try,” she encouraged. “Just walk up, turn 'round, and give it a good kick.”
Cal looked back at his sister in confusion. “Good kick?”
“Yep, just like I did. Like this.” Applejack bucked the tree for the third time, the gentlest of all. Now, only one apple fell from the tree, and Cal chased after it, catching it before it could roll away.
“Got apple!” he declared triumphantly. “Appajak! Got apple!”
“Good job, sugarcube!” Applejack replied. “Now you try. Just give that tree a good buck, and you can get some apples, too!”
“Get apples?”
Applejack nodded. “That's right. Try it.”
Cal looked up at the tree and its remaining yield, then turned around, just as Applejack had done. He checked behind him, as Applejack had, but she gently moved him back, toward the tree, until he was a leg's length away. Cal then stood on three legs and kicked the tree with only his right front leg. Nothing happened.
“Try again, hon,” Applejack advised, “and be sure to use both back legs, okay?”
Cal tried again immediately, but could still only lift one leg. Once again, the buck gave no fruit. Cal huffed and tried again, this time picking up his other back leg a little, but not enough to reach the tree. For the third time, Cal's efforts were in vain.
Cal turned around and glared at the tree, as if offended that it would not cooperate. “Enh! Enh!” he started whining, turning to Applejack and grimacing in frustration. “Enh! Appajak! Want apples!”
“I know, Cal, I know,” she tried to calm him, “but you're not buckin' hard enough, honey. You gotta put all your strength into it.”
Cal turned around and tried again, this time with both back hooves (the left still didn't have quite as much impact as the right). When no apples fell for the fourth time, Cal turned back to Applejack and stamped his hooves angrily. “ENH! ENH!! APPAJAK! WANT APPLES!!”
“Cal, please, calm down!” Applejack plead desperately. “Don't start this again!”
“Is this a bad time?”
Between Cal's screams, Applejack heard a familiar voice. Turning, she saw Rarity approach her with a look of heavy concern on her face. Rainbow Dash hovered six feet above her with traces of the same look.
Applejack frowned and glanced between her friends and her fussy brother. “Matter of fact, it is a bad time,” she replied to Rarity’s question, “I'd be much obliged if y'all could come back later.”
“Oh, but Applejack, please let us help,” Rarity asked. “We'd like to be able to do something for him.” She trotted up to the squealing colt and ran her hoof through his dark-red mane; he shut himself down at first, as he usually did, withdrawing and pressing his hooves over his eyes. “Calvados, do tell me what's the matter, darling,” she asked sweetly. “Whatever's wrong, auntie Rarity will make it all better.”
“All . . . all better?” Cal sniffed before taking his hooves off of his face and pointing up at the tree and explaining his troubles. “Want apples.”
Rarity glanced up at the tree's harvest and laughed, “Oh! Is that all?” She then lit the magic of her horn, and an apple on a higher branch was encased in the same glow. Rarity used her magic to easily pull the fruit off of its branch and lower it down in front of Cal. “There you are, pet. All is well. After all, there are so many of these things about, I cannot begin to see the trouble in acquiring them—”
This only served to continue Cal's frantic display. He stamped his hooves and squealed, turning away from the offered apple.
“We're tryin' to teach him apple-buckin'!” Applejack spoke up over Cal's fit. “He wants to get some apples himself, and he's upset because he can't hit the tree hard enough.”
Big Mac glanced at Cal, his worried look not detracting from his composed voice, “Eeyup.”
“Oh . . . .” Rarity replied, crestfallen, and released her magical grip on the apple, making it drop, “. . . I see.”
“Psh! Not a problem!” Rainbow Dash landed on the ground next to Cal. “We can get those apples together, buddy! Just the two of us! It may not be the old-fashioned way,” she wrapped her forelegs around Cal's waist, “but it'll definitely be more awesome!” She then pumped her wings and carried Cal off the ground with her, lifting him ten feet in the air without so much as breathing heavily. “Okay, kid!” she called to him, “take your pick!”
Cal did no such thing. Instead, he turned, grabbed Dash around the neck and screamed at the top of his lungs. “Want down!!” he bellowed, clinging to Dash for dear life. “Want down!! Want down!!”
“Huh?” Dash looked at him, confounded. “You want down? You mean you're scared of heights?”
“WANT DOWN!! WANT DOWN!!”
“RAINBOW DASH, JUST PUT HIM DOWN!!” Applejack suddenly screamed, her fear and frustration finally reaching a breaking point. Dash, Rarity, and even Big Mac looked at her in shock. In all honesty, Applejack had shocked herself—she'd tried hard to make sure she'd never go crazy like that with Cal around.
Still reeling from Applejack's sudden anger, Dash slowly lowered herself to the ground. Cal's hooves touched earth first, and he immediately galloped to Applejack, embracing her and shaking vigorously.
“Appajak . . . .” Cal struggled to speak over his shaking. “Was scary . . . .”
“It's okay, Cal,” Applejack whispered, running her hoof over his mane, “it's okay. You're all right, honey, you're all right.” She then turned to Rainbow Dash and stared daggers at her. “Rainbow, what in tarnation were ya thinkin'?! Y'all oughta know by now how sensitive he is! I even told ya this mornin'!”
Dash struggled to reply, “I . . . I didn't know he was afraid of heights . . . I didn't think—”
“That's right!” Applejack interrupted. “Ya didn't think! It's like I keep tellin' ya, Rainbow, ya gotta keep his feelin's in mind!”
“Hey, come on, AJ,” Rainbow argued, “it was just a mistake. I'll cool it next time—”
“I think you'd best just leave.”
There was another pause, permeated only by Cal's distressed breathing. Rarity and Big Mac glanced at each other nervously as Rainbow Dash stared back at a livid Applejack. Finally, Dash responded weakly, “. . . What?”
“Just go!” Applejack demanded, still holding her little brother. “Please. I . . . I'll talk to y'all later, but please, just go.”
Dash continued to stare at Applejack, a touch of hurt now creeping into her dumfounded expression. Finally, Dash's face went from surprised to angry as she snapped back, “F-fine! I was only trying to help!” And with that, she pushed up off the ground and sped away from the orchard, just in time to keep anypony (except Rarity) from seeing a stray tear slip down her cheek.
Rarity looked forlornly at the shrinking cyan dot in the distance, then turned to the Apple siblings. “Oh, Applejack, I'm so sorry,” she offered. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I think you'd better go too, Rarity,” Applejack replied simply. “Cal's had enough today. I'd better get him inside. I'll see ya later, all right?”
Rarity glanced at the ground dejectedly before nodding. “If you insist. But if it makes you feel better, you don't have to tell me what it is you're afraid might happen.” With one more sad glance to the Apples, Rarity turned and left the orchard, stopping and turning long enough to say, “Good-bye, Cal, darling. See you soon.” Cal didn't even turn around.
Applejack took a deep breath and brought Cal's face up to meet her eyes. “Come on, sugarcube,” she said, trying to keep her voice level, “let's get you inside.”
Big Mac stepped up to Cal's other side and nodded, adding a soft, “Eeyup.”
The three Apples walked back up to the house together, with Cal staring at the ground the whole time. He took the time to look up at his sister and ask, “Appajak sad? I sorry . . . .”
“No, Cal,” Applejack replied, “don't be sorry, honey. I just . . . .” She turned away, trying hard not to let either of her siblings see her. She felt her eyes start to mist over, but she blinked back the tears. On the inside, Applejack, she reminded herself, cry on the inside.