Applejack Through the Ages

by Paradise Oasis

Learning the Ropes

Learning the Ropes

“Ohhhh…. My head…” Candy groaned, sitting up in bed, rubbing her hoof against her head. “What the hay happened? I feel like I got run over by an apple cart.”

“Well, glad to see you’re finally up. You shore drank enough last night at kill a buffalo!” Countryside grumbled, putting some sheets away in the closet across from where candy lay. “You sure were a hoof full when Butterfly Hunter had to carry all the way up those stairs, and I had to put you bed!”

“Wait, last night…. didn’t Butterfly Hunter and I…” The mare hopped out of bed, blushing a deep red, realizing the whole thing had been an intoxication-induced dream. “Good gravy, that stuff pack far more of a wallop than I thought!”

“Well, you’d better get down stairs, Cherry Blossom’s gonna need some help cleaning’s up that mess from last night.”

Candy Apple nodded, and stumbled down the steps with the worst hangover in history. When she got down to the first floor, she groaned at the sight of all the overturned beer mugs, filled spittoons, and the ashes of the loco weed the patrons had been smoking the night before scatted everywhere. The smell of the spilled booze was enough to make the poor mare choke.

“Ack, this is terrible!” Candy complained, as a blue mare with a red mane looked up at her from wiping a table down.

"Well good morning there, sunshine!" The pony with the brown cupcake with icing cutie mark greeted her. "Here, grab a rag. This place needs some serious scrubbing and wiping down!"

"All right, I'll be happy to help." She grumbled back, grabbing a rag and starting to clen. "Say, weren't you one of the other girls working the tables last night?"

"Yep, Name's Cherry Sweet!" The other mare exclaimed proudly, wiping off the underside of the table iwth the rag in her mouth. "Been here for three years, and there's no pony who can work those tables over like I do!"

"Huh, spunds like you really know this job." The apple mare replied, cleaning the undersides of the table. "So how long have you been working here?"

"Oh, about four years. Left home in Dream Valley a bright and starry-eyed filly with dreams of adventure, ended up working and living at this filthy dump." Cherry replied with a sigh. "It took a loooong time to get use to all the flank slaps and mare calls- but hey, it's a living!"

"So you must be really good at what you do." The older mare replied with a laugh. "I'll be sure to ask you if I ever have any questions."

"Yep, I'm the go-to pony at this place if you need any advice or pointers." Sweet boasted. "I'm the saloon's head dance mare, so just be sure to follow my lead with the customers, all right?"

"You say so, Cherry." The other mare rolled her eyes. "So, who was that blue stallion you were cuddling up to last night, hmmmm?"

"Oh, him?" Sweet responded. "That's Curly, he's the towns baking stallion... the closest thing this stinking privy of a town has to a wealthy stallion. That pink-maned hunk is goona be my key ta getting out of this one mule town, when the time is right!"

"Ah, I see. I'll be sure to leave him to you, then." Candy agreed, putting the rag she was holding down, and grabbing a broom and dustpan. "And that stallion I was dealing with?"

"Oh, Butterfly Hunter? He's a bounty hunter, a trader in flesh who brings back his targets dead or alive." The other mare shivered, at merely mentioning his name. "He's really quiet and keeps to himself, and so we don't bother him much. We all thought you were brave to go cozy up to that unkempt bag of filth, but then we realized you were just new."

"Hm, I dunno, he seems really nice to me." Candy Apple replied, putting down the broom, and picking up the mop. "Maybe he just was waiting for someone to come up and talk to him. I mean, he sure didn't seem to get mad at me when I tried to cozy up to him."

"Oh, my! Only one day here, and you seem to have already become an expert on our customer base!" Cherry sneered. "Maybe I should just retire, and let you take care of all those lonely stallions."

Oh no, another mean mare!

Yes Apple Blossom, I had stepped into her territory, and even I didn't realize it, she took it as a threat to her position in the saloon's hierarchy. You see, I didn't realize there was something of a power struggle between Curly and Butterfly Hunter, and my support for the bounty hunter put me on Cherry's enemy list. But things were only going to get worse from here, as this saloon mare was going to make my life REALLY miserable!

"All right girls, make sure to get that banner up there right!" Countryside yelled to Candy and Cherry, who were pulling the sign on ropes up over the door of the paradise saloon. "I want that banner in place before the stallions bring the herds through the town for this evening!"

"Got it, boss!" Sweet replied, looking over at the other show mare. "Hey, Candy Apple! Could you be a dear, pull tighter on the ropes please?"

"Sure thing, Cherry!" She replied, pulling tighter on the cord she was hanging onto. But as the apple mare pulled tighter, the other pony let go of her rope, causing Candy to unintentionally yank the banner completely free of the building.

"Whoooah-oaahhh!" The surprised mare stumbled backward, falling away from the building, and falling face first into an open privy.

"Apple! Now darn it, we're going to have to get your dress cleaned again!" Countryside sighed in disgust. "Why can't you learn to be more careful?!?"

"Aww, try to go easy on her, boss!" Cherry replied with a snide laugh. "After all, as a dance hall mare... she's just learning the ropes!"

Comments

[FleetlordAvatar]

Mean mare.

[Aatxe360]

Filthy pun.

[La Vallett1]

I bet Butterfly Hunter is Fluttershy's descendant.

[Butterkeet]

4799270 Yeah, I figured he is

[Paradise Oasis]

4804679

Distant descendant, yes.

[keam]

poor Candy...