(7) Emotional apple bucking
Chapter 7 – Emotional apple bucking
The first sound to ‘grace’ my ears as I awoke was shouting. Angry shouting, full of rage. It was a very familiar sound, not because it was a common occurrence but instead because it haunted me.
Regardless I decided to rise from my slumber and uncomfortable position on the hay, stretching as I stood. It was early in the morning, rays of the twilight sun rebounding around the barn. The wind was still and foreboding, ominous but not malevolent. Other than the shouting coming from just outside the cavernous space I inhabited, the only sounds I could make out were the sweet chirruping of some unknown birds, their song bringing blissful tranquility to all those in earshot.
Assuming they’re not in vicinity of that cacophonous bloody shouting...
Despite the volume of the argument occurring not ten metres from where I stood it was difficult to make out what was being said. The combination of loudness and a heavy southern accent was unfamiliar, to my then-untrained ear at least.
Moving closer, remaining as quiet as possible in the process, I began to make some sense of what was being said.
“Applebloom! If Ah hear that kinda language again I’ll wash yer mouth with out with soap mahself!”
“Ah don’t care! It’s a load of horseapples and you know it! He’s our guest and we should treat him like it, not like cattle! Why didn’t you let him have the guest room? That’s not wut the sister Ah know would do!”
“Fer goodness’ sakes Applebloom what in tarnation has gotten into you!? We don’t know nothin’ bout that there alien except that Sweetie Belle saw it kill a manticore. Now Ah don’t know much about humans but Ah do know that if somethin’ can kill a manticore then it’s pretty darn dangerous.”
God I want to just smear the walls with this prejudiced bitch…give me five minutes and she’ll never talk shit again.
Harming her will make life significantly harder, both while remaining here and when you want to get home.
If you were in her situation you would act the same way – don’t judge her harshly for her ignorance and fear.
I was pretty angry. Nothing extreme, but it wasn’t ‘nothing’. I had gone to extreme lengths to compose myself, keep my decorum and not lash out but she refused to acknowledge it. Any of it, in the slightest. She didn’t understand my point of view but even worse, she refused to understand it. She didn’t even try to put herself in my shoes or to understand me.
And if she were in my shoes she’d probably do what wrath is suggesting, though slightly less extreme.
I can tone it down if you want to avoid lasting damage, physical or otherwise…
And what about Applebloom? Are you going to let your weakness, your lack of restraint to end up hurting her? Harm Applejack and Applebloom will feel it too, and she’s done nothing wrong by you. If anything, Applebloom one of the few who has been kind to you, as opposed to reasonable or neutral. She has been actively kind.
She is young and foolish.
She is innocent.
Regardless, calm down. I’m not going to strike out. I’ll try to help AJ understand first, hopefully avoiding a conflict – I don’t want to hurt anyone and all of you know full well why so don’t push it. And just so none of you can try and deter me:
I threw open the door to the barn.
“Top of the mornin’ to ya’ll!”
Applejack and Applebloom took a step back and let out a momentary, synchronised “Waaaagh!” before calming down.
“Oh Ah’m sorry, did we wake you?” asked the younger of the two, a considerate yet regretful expression painted to her face.
“Not at all young Applebloom. And, while I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I have to agree with your sister.”
Applejacks eyes opened wide before she avoided my gaze and commented, “Ah’m guessin’ you heard our conversation there didn’ ya,”pulling her hat over her eyes in shame.
“Wait a second, you agree with her!?” exclaimed Applebloom, the surprise evident from the near-squeak exhibited by her voice. Applejack soon followed suit with,
“You agree with me? But why?” no longer embarrassed but instead curious,
I crouched down to match Applebloom’s height, looked into her confused eyes… and I smiled.
“Applebloom, you are kind, open and generous. Honestly – you are one of the few ponies who has treated me nicely since I woke up here and for that I am grateful. But you are also quick to trust and somewhat naïve. Look at this from your sister’s point of view:
A mysterious alien has appeared, he has killed a manticore and doesn’t seem all that worried about it. She has then been forced by friends and a certain little sister to harbour this odd creature that she knows nothing about – immediately placing him inside a guest room might cause panic for the family even if he isn’t dangerous. Finally, instead of leaving him out in the cold she gave him temporary residence inside her barn and from there she will give him a chance to prove his worth and move into the guest room. So thank you very much Applejack for leaving me in a barn like you did last night and for giving me this chance to prove myself.”
I looked over to the pony in question with a plastic smile adorned on my face, like a mask worn at a masquerade. Applejack responded by pulling her hat back over her eyes, turning around and walking back towards the front of the house in silence.
That went better than expected
You didn’t have to be so manipulative
Of course I did, it was a bloody guilt trip!
My mental disagreement was put aside as Applebloom ran after her sister called out, “C’mon David you’re gonna miss breakfast!”
“Coming!” was my response. “Wait a second, weren’t you not meaning to wake me?”
“Oh, no – Ah wus cumin to wake you up, Ah just didn’t mean to do it with shouting.”
“Makes sense. So what’s for breakfast?” I asked, standing in front of the doorway.
“Hay bacon sandwiches!”
Oh bollocks I forgot about that… this is going to be a pain…
“Actually, that might be a problem. You see, I can’t eat hay,” I stated, trying to avoid the fact I need meat to thrive.
“Whaddya mean? Everypony can eat hay!”
“I’m hardly a pony, Applebloom,” I replied.
“Oh, right,” mumbled the young filly, her cheek flushing red with embarrassment, “What can ya eat then?”
“Would an apple be okay?”
“Sure! But we only have MacIntoshes ‘cause the rest are all sold or outta season,” stated Applebloom, matter-of-factly.
“Fine by me. So, when do I meet the rest of the family?”
Applebloom didn’t give a spoken reply, she just nodded her head in the direction of the dining room and led me on. As I approached the doorway I heard hushed tones, weary but not frantic. From what I could tell, Applejack was trying to convince Granny Smith to give me a chance.
I reached the room and was immediately struck by a powerful scent, recognisable night or day. It was the manliest meat one would ever find: bacon. It may have been hay, but I would have recognised that thick aroma even if I’d been half-dead and missing a nose.
Wow, they may have called it hay bacon but that sure smells like the real deal!
Applebloom rushed to the table with an ecstatic buzz. Applejack sat at the table looking worried. Big Mac was himself, a stoic expression hiding any hint of surprise, curiosity or worry. Then I focused on Granny Smith.
“Monster in the house! Monster in the house! Run fer yer lives youngin’s, I’ll hold it off! Chaaaaaaarge!” called the crazed, green granny. True to her word, she charged, albeit at a snail’s pace.
Pimp slap her back into place!
That’s a new low. Pimp slap a creaky old granny who poses no threat whatsoever?
What can I say, I’m a violent bastard.
You’re fucking unbelievable that’s what you are.
“Calm down Granny Smith! That’s the alien guest Ah was just tellin’ you about!” shouted Applejack. Her tone and her face just screamed that she was worried that I was going to pimp slap Granny Smith. Mind reading bitch, at the time anyway.
The elder mare looked at me incredulously, then at Applejack, over to Applebloom, and finally back at me again.
“Well shoot Applejack, you shoulda’ said so!”
“Ah just did!”
“Oh quit yer yappin youngin,” commanded Granny Smith, creakily walking over to her rocking chair. Reaching it, about twenty seconds later, she carefully planted herself on the wooden seat and continued. “Now, why don’t you introduce yourself.”
At this point introductions were already wearing me thin – constantly repeating my name and explaining what I was got old incredibly quickly. We exchanged names, nothing unusual - I already knew all of them anyway, not that they knew anything about that though.
Applebloom remembered my request for an apple and quickly popped out of the room to fetch one. The second she left the room I prepared for some form of verbal onslaught from the three about how I’m not welcome and that I should be weary for angering them.
“So how did you come to be here anyway?” asked Granny Smith, catching me off guard. It took a few seconds for me to formulate a response and when I finally did it was hardly spectacular.
“Quite frankly, I have no idea. I just woke up in the Everfree, my last memory before that was taking a nap under a tree in my world.”
Granny Smith thought on that for a second before continuing. “An’ how did you come to be here.”
I recounted my tale in the least dramatic and most straightforward fashion possible. Everything from my tussle with the manticore to Applejack leaving me in the barn was condensed and summarised, leaving only the bare essentials to scrutiny. Much to my surprise Granny Smith flipped out much like Applebloom had when she found out that Applejack had left me in the barn, stating that her ‘parents would be rollin’ in their graves if they heard!’
Applejack tried to argue her case but it was pointless – Granny Smith kept on talking about how the apple family were always open to strangers and that was how their parents had met and that they had no reason to distrust me. I was astounded by her ignorance – I thought Applejack was completely justified in saying that I could have been a threat.
The, now rather heated, disagreement was interrupted when Applebloom returned with an apple, at which point I realised I was still standing in the doorway and thus preceded to actually enter the room. I couldn’t fit in any of the seats at the table – all the dimensions were off for a human – so I opted to lean against the wall for support instead.
I brought the apple up to my mouth, the family looking on expectantly, and took a bite. My mouth instantly exploded in a barrage of taste like no other apple known to me. Unfeasibly sweet yet unmistakably tangy, the flavour was so powerful that I almost wanted to bounce around and weep with joy. Almost.
I managed instead to remain steadfast in the face of deliciousness and maintain my composure, stating only, “that was by far the best apple that I have ever tasted.”
The Apples just smiled. No cheering, no bouncing. It was nice. Nothing more, nothing less – just, nice.
From there, breakfast was relatively standard – questions, answers and the occasional suspicious glance from Applejack. Everything seemed to pass like a blur and the next thing I knew it was time for me to get to work on the farm.
Granny smith started on the dishes while the rest of us left, stepping outside to begin the colossal undertaking that was apple bucking. Well, maybe not for the Apples but it definitely was for me, even if I hadn’t realised it at the time.
The sun had lifted itself from its hazy confinements beyond the horizon and was floating in a cloud free sky. The faint glow combined with a faint breeze was refreshing, even if no work had actually been done.
Big Mac separated from Applejack, Applebloom and I in order to plough the fields, while the rest of us set off to the section of the Acres we’d be farming for the day. Applebloom wasn’t actually meant to be doing any of the manual labour – she was still too little, despite her protests – and was instead joining us to keep me company in lieu of Applejack constantly guarding me.
The only reason that I can think of for Applejack agreeing is that she mistakenly thought she could contain me if things went awry, which, of course, she couldn’t. She may be strong, but she was still a pony with no true concept of violence.
Regardless, the walk to the orchard was short, taking no more than five minutes at the maximum. Five minutes was plenty enough time to observe the beauty of my surroundings however, and I was overwhelmed by the number of trees. Everywhere you could see was filled by apple trees, completely smothering my field of vision with hues of green and brown, the occasional red spot from a corresponding red apple.
“Kay then, this’ll be where we gonna start. Applebloom, bring one of them buckets over here and let’s show David how to buck apples.”
“Sure thing Sis!” called out the excited filly, eager to showcase her skills at apple collecting. She picked up one of the buckets she’d been carrying and balanced it atop her head before sprinting to her sister’s side.
Applejack turned her rear to face the tree and bucked it with her hind legs. Hard. As in unbelievably hard – I doubt a human’s most powerful roundhouse could come close. A hollow *THUNK* reverberated through the tree, lasting a millisecond but echoing for multitudes that amount, before about twelve or so apples fell from the tree which were promptly, and expertly, caught by Applebloom.
I was astounded by the spectacle – Applebloom’s balance was unparalleled while Applejack’s strength was extraordinary.
“Bravo. Now, my turn.”
I walked over to the nearest tree and readied my stance. Left leg forward, knee bent over the toe. Rear leg straight, sticking out back and to the right. Both feet parallel, facing front. Using my left hand as a marker for my target, I held out front with an open palm, fingers pointing upwards and thumb ninety degrees to my fingers. Pulling my left hand back I propelled my right fist forwards, striking the wooden trunk with my force focused on my first two knuckles.
*CRACK*
Pain lanced up my arm, taking me by surprise and making me lose my composure.
“Ack, BOLLOCKS!” I shouted, expelling all the air from my lungs in an instant. In reality it didn’t hurt that much but I had definitely been taken off guard and my reaction was mainly out of shock.
That was rather stupid. What else did you expect? You are punching a tree.
I’ve punched trees before, none that hard. That’s one tough tree. Then again, that is to be expected – the ambient magic in Equestria probably makes the plant life grow stronger and faster, especially under Earth pony guidance.
That was mean of you! If you need anger management don’t take it out of the poor tree, what did it ever do to you?
Yeah! Don’t take your anger out on the tree!
Are you kidding me? You of all things are telling me not to take out my anger on an inanimate object?
Well duh – save it for these fucking ponies!
You’re hopeless, the lot of you.
“David! Y’alright?” asked Applebloom, her voice considerate and caring. Her eyebrows were raised and her eyes themselves full of concern. For most it would be warming for someone to give a damn about my wellbeing for a change and I was uneasy when I found that it… touched me.
On the outside I always tried to show as little as possible. If I was in pain I wanted to be alone and overcome it myself, I didn’t want other people - or ponies, in this case - to show pity or care for me. ‘If I get over my troubles myself I get stronger as a result’ and ‘pain is a stepping stone to power’ were my beliefs on how I should handle personal difficulty. Most people had grown used to this about me and thus left me be when I had, but this little being didn’t know this about me and was actually went as far as to care.
Even more than that, I felt something positive on the matter. By no means was I some guy that didn’t know how to feel happy, and it wasn’t like I had forgotten what it felt like to be cared about. It’s just that I didn’t normally like it when people were concerned about me - it made me feel like I was just adding to the troubles of society, like I was making it harder on everyone else. So I hid it, I didn’t drag other people down with me and decided to keep myself to myself, hardening myself to discomfort over time.
So when I was touched by her concern, it left me feeling uneasy. I knew what it felt like but I certainly wasn’t used to feeling like that, and I couldn’t figure out why I felt that way. Pissed me off, but I couldn’t show that. So I kept up my usual façade, living my life wearing yet another mask.
“I’m fine, it’s not that bad. I’ve had worse and it’s not as if it’s broken or anything,” I casually replied, my stoic expression returning.
Applejack looked at me, unconvinced and not entirely uncaring, before asking,
“You sure? ‘Cause that was a mighty loud crack when you hit that there apple tree…”
“It’s nothing,” I stated flatly, striking the tree again to reinforce my point. A lesser sound emanated from the point of contact compared to before and my knuckles began to numb but I didn’t mind. Actually, that sensation stirred some pretty good feelings.
“If you say so. But if you can’t buck trees with me how do you expect to help me? You did say you were gonna earn yer keep or somethin’ like that,” responded Applejack, her tone almost accusatory.
Why didn’t you just climb the tree and pick the apples, like humans normally do. Actually, why did you feel compelled to try and ‘buck’ the apples down anyway?
Good question. Maybe I still have an unconscious desire to dominate after all.
Shaddap punk, that’s my job. Nah, you were just trying to show you weren’t a pussy to yourself, not rise above the rest. You’re too weak for that, and you know it. That’s what I’m here for.
Maybe, maybe. Who can say really? The fact that you even exist means I should be up for electro-shock therapy, barbaric as it is, so quite frankly I don’t value your input as much as I do the other two.
Yaaaaaaaaaay! See, Mummy loves me best!
That' not what I... ugh whatever, e and my big mouth….
I muted the voices in my head and proceeded to scrutinise the tree in front of me. I observed it carefully, taking care to note any branches or indents for hand or footholds, mapping out a vertical route towards my objective.
Having completed my theoretical path I slowly walked forwards a couple of steps and began my ascent. It didn’t take very long, thirty seconds at most, for me to climb to the top. What can I say, it was a short tree. Actually it was unlike any apple tree from home, more like a miniature, badly scaled oak that grew apples on its branches. That makes loads of sense… right? Regardless, reaching the apex of the bizarre tree required little effort.
“Applebloom, could you set a bucket down on the floor by the trunk of the tree?”
“Sure!” replied the little filly, exuberant as ever. As I heard the sound of said bucket being laid down in place, I began picking the apples individually and carefully dropping them below. The operation was repetitive, monotonous and boring… but it was also calming in its routine, soothing even. I quickly got into a rhythm, and before I knew it all of the apples on the tree were depleted.
However, when I went return down the tree I ran into some difficulty, well, getting down. Normally I would just jump down but the ground underfoot was very uneven, leaving me worried that I would twist my ankle. Yet climbing the tree in reverse would be arduous but more importantly, it was slow - there’s no way I’d be able to pick all of the apple trees if I had to climb back down each time.
Ah… I didn’t think this through very well…
Considering your plan was effectively:
‘1. Climb tree
2. Pick apples
3. ???
4. PROFIT’,
I’m inclined to agree with you.
Well, if you thought that was bad you’re going to go ape at what’s happening next. I can’t climb or jump down. However…
Oh dear.
While scaling the tree I had noted that the lower branches were both long enough to reach out a good few metres, and strong enough to support my weight. So I did what any unreasonable person would do: I took a running jump to an adjacent tree.
I don’t have a perfect memory of what happened next, but it turned out fine for the most part. A couple of scratches and bruises, but that was it really. At least I landed on the tree, as opposed to faceplanting on the ground. That would have hurt a lot more than minor lacerations…
“Applebloom, could you put a bucket under this tree too? Actually, how many buckets did you bring?” I asked, trying not to sound too confident.
“About seventeen, why?” responded the young filly. If I had seen her she probably would have had her face scrunched up in confusion, going from the way she sounded.
“Well, could you put a bucket under each of the next seventeen or so trees in this row?”
“Uhm, sure, Ah guess…”
From there it was child’s play. Pick apples, drop them into bucket below, jump to next tree, rinse and repeat. It may have been repetitive, but it was no longer boring - having to keep my balance while teetering on the branches was surprisingly difficult, but by around the fifth tree I had accustomed to it.
The Applebloom left to check up on Big Mac on about the tenth tree, leaving me and her older sister alone. At this point Applejack decided to speak, having been mute since we left the house about half an hour earlier.
“So…. Err… Is yer hand feelin’ better?” she asked gingerly.
“Fine,” I replied flatly, before adding , “thanks for asking.”
Silence hung in the air like a toxic fog, smothering the already strained relationship.
Why is she trying to talk to me!?
Maybe she’s trying to apologise.
Yeah right, she’s way too stubborn.
“Ah’m sorry.”
Applejack’s words struck me like a resounding blow, echoing throughout my being. I was completely stunned, completely caught off guard by her sudden apology. My only response was “Huh?”, prompting her to further her statement with,
“Ah said Ah’m sorry. Mainly for makin’ you sleep in the barn but also for mah attitude. Ah’ve been downright horrible to ya an’ you haven’t deserved it at all. If you still wanna stay here, an’ if you don’t Ah understand, you can sleep in mah room and Ah’ll go in the guest room.”
I didn’t immediately say anything, letting it sink in for a second. I put on an otherwise ‘normal’ tone, as if nothing were wrong and replied,
“It’s fine.”
Applejack exploded in anger. Not hateful… concerned and frustrated more than anything else actually.
“There you go again! Ah can tell that was a lie, it’s not just ‘fine’ Yer just actin’ blank, ya hide yer feelin’s! Why don’t ya show anythin’, why do ya just accept these things!?”
Everyone has their limits, and being a hormone-fluctuating teenager I had reached mine so I relayed my thoughts without any sugar coating at all. Actually, I was almost angry at her interference and to reflect that I felt a lot less forgiving. No, I felt downright mean.
“I'm not interested in anything that gets in the way of me getting home, feelings included. I don’t want or need friends either, so don’t try and force them onto me.”
I looked down at Applejack, who stood with a look of abject despondency. She looked utterly crushed. I believe twice she tried to open her mouth to say something in defiance but somehow couldn’t muster the willpower to do so.
Her eyes were wide and on the edge of tears, her lip quivering and her ears twitched subtly.
If she’s so weak that that’s broken her then I question the value of her existence.
The right to live isn’t dictated by strength.
In nature it is - survival of the fittest and all.
Not in this world.
I didn’t question her right to her life, just the value of the said life.
Life has no calculable value.
Maybe not one that can be calculated in numbers, but one life can be worth more than another. Now screw all of you, end of discussion.
Applejack turned her head from me and went back to bucking trees as before, but she clearly had taken a massive shock from my statement about my feelings. To be honest, I didn’t give a damn that she was upset, at least she was out of my hair.
I think I heard her murmur something about what I said being ‘too sad’, or (as I thought at the time) ‘some crap like that’. She may have been woeful but I was glad I could finally be open about my feelings, or lack thereof. It was a relief like no other to just be oneself, and I saw myself as a blank slate. That turned out to mean a lot more than I knew at the time.
From there we just continued our respective routines, me picking apples and Applejack bucking trees. Time flew by or droned on, dpending on your perspective and before I knew it I’d completed the first set of trees. I climbed down and loaded all the apples into a nearby cart before setting up the buckets in the same way as before. Rinse and repeat. And repeat. And repeat.
The wind blew, the birds chirruped, the sun blazed. This was the epitome of S.S.D.D and I hadn’t even finished the first day. This pissed me off greatly. I was about to voice my complaints aloud, to no one in particular (especially not Applejack), when something broke the routine.
A howl.
Followed by a scream.
Stats
Page generated in 0.021 seconds
Total duration
631 users online
918,296 hits today, 2,782,760 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Longest chapter so far, so you're getting that aspect right. Now, I downright despise when the protagonist's subconscious is speaking to him, because to me that seems to be a sign of insanity. It's like the saying goes, if you talk to God you're religious, when God talks back you're crazy. That applies in this case. The fact that he has more than one voice speaking back to him knocks a significant amount of appeal from this story.
2716913 Eep sorry, those voices and the nature of his sanity is going to be a main part of the story
not too much of a turn off is it?
2717856 I'm just hoping that it can be resolved relatively soon, I'll keep reading no worries.
2717869 They never truly go away, but they do become less prominent.
2716913 Oh man, this. Absolutely this. The head voices thing is probably my least favorite thing about most of the Human In Equestria stories that have been coming out recently. This would actually be a top notch HiE if it wasn't for that, in my opinion. With it, it's just pretty decent.
At this point I understand this is a decision that you've decided to stick with, but dude... as a point of constructive criticism, unless the dude actually HAS voices in his head and IS crazy, the head voices are unnecessary, and at this point a little cliche. I can dig around and find at least eight other HiE's that have done the "head voices" thing. I don't know who's responsible for starting that trope, but I really wish they hadn't.
That being said, everything ELSE has been interesting and the grammar and style is competent, which puts it head and shoulders above ninety percent of its peers.
I'm gonna reserve judgement on this one, frankly.