Chapter One
Stupid Applejack
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Golden Harvest didn't ask much from her life. The sun at her back, the soil under her hooves. The sun to be just a little bit less bright and the soil to be a little bit softer. Some carrot seeds, a watering can, a mug of coffee and a fruit danish from Sugarcube Corner. A warm, dry place to lay down at night, her favorite wool blankie to lay down with, a soft pillow and her stuffed manticore plushie to also lay down with, and running water in case she got thirsty in the middle of the night. And a few other things. Really, it wasn't a whole lot to ask for, all things considered. She felt it was a very reasonable list of demands.
But what Golden Harvest wanted most of all, above all else, was her neighbor, Applejack. For her neighbor Applejack, that was to say, to cut out that racket and let her concentrate on her garden. She was being incredibly distracting over there, lining her haunches up with an apple tree, bunching up the powerful muscles in her hindquarters, and 'thwack,' spilling a shower of apples from the tree with just a single strike. It was terribly inconsiderate of her. Golden Harvest wished Applejack would stop showing off and let her get to work.
'Howdy, Ah'm Applejack,' she mimicked her neighbor's intolerable drawl in her head. 'Howdy, howdy, howdy. Look at mah dumb hat. Ah'm so special 'cause everythin' Ah grow falls down in a basket for me with jus' one little kick. That must be why Ah get invited to go have tea with princesses all the time, an' the weather manager always does what Ah tell her. Gee, it shore is great bein' me!' Stupid Applejack.
Applejack glanced up from her work and spotted Golden Harvest peering over the fence at her. A warm, neighborly smile spread across her face, and she waved before moving on to the next tree.
Golden Harvest made a rude gesture back. Actually, she smiled and waved back, because there was a deep-seated primal instinct in the pony psyche that made her automatically respond to friendly greetings. It was considered the height of class in Canterlot to be able to suppress this reflex; wealthy ponies took classes and spent long hours practicing their cold and aloof scoff. Golden Harvest liked to tell herself that by waving to Applejack, she was secretly being very rude.
Who did she think she was, anyway? Waving at Golden Harvest like they were... well, like they were neighbors. Which they were, of course, but still. She had waved like she was completely oblivious to the fact that all her flexing and kicking and sweating was making it impossible for Golden Harvest to concentrate on her carrots. Didn't she know that carrots required lots of attention and care? It was very un-neighborly to go on being so distracting all morning, so where did that pony get off giving her neighbor a neighborly wave? Why, Golden Harvest had half a mind to go over there and give her a piece of her mind. But that would leave her with just one piece left of her mind, and carrots required a full mind's worth of careful planning and concentration, so she stayed put and glared.
She glared at Applejack's country saunter. She glared at her sturdy hooves, shod in worn but well-kept draft shoes. She glared at the way Applejack's muscles rippled and tensed up before, 'thwack,' another tree was freed of its fruit. At the thin sheen of sweat forming in the short hairs of her coat. Gosh, it was warm out here.
Golden Harvest was tired of staring at her neighbor's perfect orange flanks, so she turned her attention to her plot. Of land, for goodness's sake! She turned her attention to her own plot of land! Celestia above, she didn't even swing that way! Which was, of course, not something she could say for her neighbor. Everything about Applejack just screamed filly-fooler. Not that Golden Harvest had a problem with filly-foolers, mind. This was modern Equestria, and ponies could like whoever they wanted. It was just that she was sure Applejack was into mares. It was written all over her face.
Golden Harvest wasn't like that. She had a coltfriend. She bet Applejack didn't have a coltfriend. The only colt she'd ever seen Applejack spend any time with was her big brother. Golden Harvest had a coltfriend, and he was handsome, and funny, and he was a writer. She was pretty sure he was a writer, anyway. Applejack had passed by and distracted her when he had told her what he did for a living. His cutie mark had something to do with writing, though, so she was sure he was a writer.
Applejack, though. All of those shapely young mares she hung out with all the time... there was no chance there wasn't something going on there. She was certain that behind closed doors, that bunch couldn't keep their hooves off each other. Golden Harvest could just picture it, Applejack rising from a panting, sweaty heap of mares, locking eyes with the blue one, and growling, 'Yer next, sugarcube...'
Ahem. Golden Harvest turned her attention to her own plot of land. Carrots took lots of attention and hard work. She pawed at the soil with her hoof, determined not to let any orange ponies distract her any longer.
It wasn't like Applejack was any kind of special, anyway. Sure, there were all of the medals, defender of the realm, the magic amulet of truthiness or something, and all of that stuff, but that could have been Golden Harvest there with those things just as easily. Everypony knew that Applejack had met Princess Twilight because she had been in charge of the food that year for the Summer Sun Celebration. That would have been Golden Harvest, if Mayor Mare hadn't decided to lose her mind and say that apples were tastier than carrots. Ha! As if! Apples would be tastier than carrots when chocolate milk rained from the... wait. Apples just weren't tastier than carrots, okay?
Whatever. Golden Harvest was glad it wasn't her, anyway. All those adventures they always went on, saving the world from evil and stuff, who needed that kind of trouble? Also, they'd have probably made her join their weird lesbian cult. She didn't need them. She had her prized, world-class carrots to tend to.
That's right, world-class. Ponyville was a mecca for Equestria's carrot aficionados, and everypony knew that Golden Harvest grew the biggest, orangest, overall best carrots in Ponyville. Ponies came from miles away to have a taste of her carrots. She had once sold some carrots to a couple from Saddle Arabia. To be fair, they hadn't been in town for the carrots but for some kind of diplomatic summit, but still. She sold them those carrots. And they said they liked them. Everypony knew that Saddle Arabians were renowned vegetable connoisseurs. Everypony knew that.
But to grow her perfect, world-class carrots, Golden Harvest needed to focus. Carrots required focus in order to grow properly. A carrot patch without focus was like a patch of carrots that weren't quite as good as they could have been if their gardener had been focusing. Nopony wanted that.
Golden Harvest sighed and glanced over her fence again. Applejack lined up her haunches and gave the next tree a swift kick. 'Thwack.' Apples fell all around her like rain. It looked so easy. Of course it was easy, apples grew in trees. Gravity worked for her, not against her. It wasn't like Golden Harvest could kick the ground and have all her carrots pop up out of it. She stared at the rows of carrots.
Well maybe...
The carrot farmer locked her jaw. She took a deep breath in through her nostrils and held it, staring at the rows of green carrot-tops. She closed her eyes and pictured herself striking the ground at just the right angle, exactly hard enough, so that a shockwave would ripple through the earth. She imagined it rippling outwards like a wave in a pond, popping each and every one of her carrots right out of the ground, and also making that orange rodeo clown over there lose her balance and fall over.
Golden Harvest raised her hoof slowly into the air. Tense. Ready to attack. She was one with the earth. She was the earth. She was an earth... pony.
“Hyaah!” Her eyes popped open and she struck the ground as hard as she could.
Her carrots did not leap from the soil. She did not send a shockwave rippling through the earth like a wave in a pond. She did, however, stub her hoof very hard on a small rock. “Owie!”
Applejack trotted over to the fence, concern playing across her brows. “Y'alright there, hon? I heard you hollerin'.” She bit her lip as she glanced at Golden Harvest's chipped hoof. “Ooh, that looks like it smarts! Hang on there, neighbor. I'll run an' get some ice and a bandage!”
Immutable primal callings made Golden Harvest smile gratefully. “Thanks. You're the best.”
Stupid Applejack.
Next Chapter:
Chapter Two
Stupid Colgate
"As much as I'd love to help you stalk your neighbor, I've got an appointment in seven and a half minutes."
so far, so good.
Normally, I don't go for romantic comedy. (because they're usually 9 parts comedy to 1 part romance) But this one is off to a great start. Looking forward to more.
Pffftahahahahha.
Okay, I'm in.
...Intriguing.
I think I may have to read this.
Words can barely describe how stoked I am for this story.
Dumb Applejack.
I don't like your cover image. Here's a suggestion:static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120416064114/mlp/images/8/8b/Applejack_with_Cherry_%26_Golden_S2E11.png You could crop out Cherry Berry.
This has caught my attention.
3930747 Heh, ironically enough, I actually used that exact image as reference when making the cover image.
But I didn't use the image itself for a reason. Thank you for the suggestion, but I'll stick with the cover I've got.
3930798 Fine. I have yet to read the story. I'll read it once it's complete. I just noticed the cover image and posted that comment immediately after seeing it. Sorry for the bluntness of that last comment.
3930831 No worries! I've had stories hobbled by poor cover art before, so it's good to be watching out for it.
So begins!
3930521 3930553 3930620 3930796
It's encouraging to see a positive reaction. Hopefully the subsequent chapters don't disappoint.
Hee hee hee.Oh Carrot. I like where this is going, yes I do.
Ahhh-hah. Ahhh-hah. Gimmie that back!
So far I like where this is going. Not often you see Carrot Top as a main character.
3931176 Glad to see someone caught the reference.
I don't believe I've ever seen a story with Carrot Top/Golden Harvest (due to the time at which I joined the fandom, her canon name has stuck with me, though I realize many folks prefer Carrot Top; there will be a nod to this at some point) as the protagonist before. A supporting role, very occasionally, at best. I figured I ought to change that.
3931274
Well done in that case. Hope this goes far.
Good stuff, good stuff! Really enjoying things so far. Now if only I could write that kind of comedy coming from annoyance. Ah well, I'll come up with something someday... should watch the cartoon again.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/2/7/545760__safe_solo_applejack_animated_smile_bedroom%2Beyes_apple_sweat_eyes%2Bclosed_simple%2Bways.gif
Good start, bonus points for novelty...!
It's about time another good Carrot Top fic came around. We need more of her.
Stupid sexy Applejack. I feel for you Carrot. Not only does Applejack have a family to help her out, she has huge....
tracts of land.
3931760 Another? You mean there's more out there?
I love the humor in this story, so I'll be keeping an eye on it. Upvote from me.
Quite well in deed my good pony! Indeed.
Title of this fic is quite fitting.
It's always a joy to read your works, Esle. Keep it up!
I've always had a soft spot for stories with unreliable narration. This one, of course, takes that concept and skews it entirely through rose (or should I say, moss) covered glasses, portraying the world through the eyes of a jealous little bippy.
Genuinely, this is something not at all easy to do, and something that really needs a lot of control and planning. There is the balance required to tell, in her voice, what she's trying to say in her opinion, and what she really means through subtext and between-the-lines suggestion.
And I think you pulled it off splendidly.
It was great fun to read. I laughed more times than I normally do in a day, and I think you've genuinely won me around to her point of view. Applejack used to be best pony. But now she is just a stupid. A great big stupid. I SEE now! I understand the truth!
The best part of this story has to be the skewed logic that you implement to turn every action or thought into something negative. Especially interesting to me was that one bit about waving and rude gestures. It really is that spark of creativity and spin that is more than welcome in a story such as this.
Good start. I'm looking forward to more.
3930963 I cheated and went and read them on the GDoc.
They didn't disappoint.
I'd love to gush about, like, all of it, but I won't since spoilers. I'll have to remember to come comment again when you upload the last chapter.
I'm really glad this is up ... for some reason didn't get notified, but I'm really glad this is up.
weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/yes-moar-of-that-biden.jpg
I cant wait for the next chapter of this!
3932236 I do believe this is my first ctk comment. I recall this being one of my goals when I first started writing for this site, so thank you for making my day.
Also, yes indeed. Stupid, sexy Applejack.
"Feels like I'm wearin' nothin' at all!"
3933634 Sometimes the notification system screws up. I've had some stories I was following update, and I didn't know about it until I saw them in the update slots in the feature box.
Thank you for helping ready it to be up.
3933235 You have hit on exactly what made this so much fun to write. Unreliable narration is wonderful fun to work with; you get to put yourself in the shoes of a character with an agenda, and you get to feel terribly clever when you come up with a way to portray events in a way that serves that agenda, and you get to implement all these character quirks in portions of the text you don't usually get to use for quirks... lots and lots of fun.
3933244 Cheater! Applejack is disappointed.
Nah, it's okay. It's there for pre-readers, but I imagined a few folks might spoil themselves on it. Just bear in mind that what hasn't been published yet is still subject to change. I wonder if I should disable that link to remove the temptation?
3931778
I can suggest three if you're interested.
Also, cool story, Bro.
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3934194 Should have focused more on those carrots.
3933786 Beh, my pleasure.
I'll probably be over on the Gdrive to yell some more, since
that's a good thing now.
Added to Read Later!
3931274
Well, there was this, but probably only old TMPers have ever seen it.
Speaking of which, RIP.
Welp, I'm sold.
3934194 This is what happens! This is what bucking happens if you're not on top of your carrot game! Applejack, cut out that tree-kicking! You think the Saddle Arabians would want a carrot like that?
3934771 I know, and it makes me so sad. TMP inspired some of the best stuff I've written. Heck, this story itself started as a TMP prompt! I understand their reasons for shutting down, and they have had an excellent run, but it's still a shame to see them go.
3935039 Now how did I guess that part would be something you approved of? Fair warning, that's about as appledash-y as this one gets.
3934373 Congratulations, you're internet-famous.
3934111 If you wouldn't mind. Golden Harvest doesn't seem to have as much fanon built around her as, say, Lyra, so it'd be interesting to see what direction other writers have taken her in, and how it differs from what I've got.
3935272
What can I say, I'm predictable. As lng as there's no dreaded white and orange happening here, I'll still be satisfied with this! ...
I really like this headcanon. It explains quite a lot about Equestria's urban centers.
In any case, definitely looking forward to more. Not sure what I like more, Harvest's impenetrable thicket of denial or the prospect of seeing it unravel.
3935272
Weeeeeeelll...
Waaaay back in the early days of the fandom, *cane wave* This comic appeared. It pretty much started the whole friendship between Derpy and Carrot Top which became a thing.
Then there's Going Up made by a resident Carrot Top fan. I did a reading of it too.
The Purloined Pony, a much older work made by the same guy. A Choose Your Own Adventure story even. Don't see much of those. It definitely gets my recommendation.
Long Story Short, Things Went Down Is one I haven't read yet, but it apparently stars Carrot Top, and I've heard good things about it.
And then there's Sparkle's Law, which I think Is a great story. Carrot Top plays a pretty significant, if a bit flat, role here.
Sorry if all that's a bit much.
...Also related.
Colgate, Carrot, and AJ? Color me interested and sign me up.
Oh this one is going on the reading list.
3935909 Is that comic where the Carrot Top/Derpy convention comes from? I had wondered, since I didn't remember seeing anything in the show to really suggest a connection between them.
I wasn't terribly impressed with Long Story Short. Not my kind of humor. Carrot Top is involved, but off-screen for most of the story as far as I read.
Sparkle's Law, on the other hand, is great. But again, Carrot Top serves a supporting role there, cast as Applejack's rival and Carrot Family analogue. I wouldn't call it a Carrot Top fic.
I'll have to add those other two to my Read Later list, though.
Oh, this story looks promising. The romantic elements are strong if one-sided and solely physical at this point, but with the alluring descriptions its hard not to sympathize with Carrot Top's crush. The humor is actually funny, and helps to show how much Carrot Top has repressed her emotions without necessarily giving the reason away straight out of the gate. You even managed some world building, which blends well with the plot. Overall, a fantastic job so far! I cannot wait to see more. Please say that the update rate will be consistent...
Great buildup to a hilarious conclusion. You got the tone of bitterness down really well(which is to be expected, considering that the title has the word "bitter" in it). Golden Harvest's narration felt jumbled and disorderly enough so that you could really feel her distraction with Applejack and her stewing resentment over it, but you did it without making the story seem confusing.
Really well done.
PS: Lesbian cult? Had me dying.
This is gonna be good. I shall observe with interest.
3936653
Yessiree! That there comic is the origin of it all. Derpy and Carrot Top's friendship, as well as the whole fridge raiding thing.
And my apologies, when I said three I meant those first three. Those other two came as afterthoughts of Carrot Top appearances. Man, there really is a distinct lack of Carrot Top/Golden Harvest stories. Good thing you're writing this.
3937412 It'll be updated every Tuesday and Thursday 'til it's all up. Is that consistent enough?
3937664 Lesbian cults will sometimes do that.
This seemed like a perfect setup for some quality background pony angst, where she laments how pathetic her life is compared to that of someone like Applejack. But then I saw the last line,
and the chapter title,
and I sighed quite heavily indeed and pressed my palms into my eyes until I saw little stars popping against my eyelids. Then I banged my head against the wall for a while.