Troubling Thoughts
Aloe trotted ahead of the group, his head held high as he walked. His stomach was full and he felt quite refreshed after having the cool water through his mane. In fact, he only cared about... twenty percent that his mane and tail were a bit off kilter. He tried not to think about it. Applejack had directed him in the direction they were going, and he was now examining all the trees as they went.
Many of the apples were still small and rock hard, hardly a proper harvest and definitely not ready to be bucked. On occasion they found one tree beginning to show the signs of red, but still not enough to consider. He was so focused on trying to see the targets first, he didn't hear the others talking behind him.
“Yah sure about this? He's liable tah hurt himself,” Caramel said as he watched the happy stallion.
“Don't worry, he'll stop long 'fore that,” Applejack said confidently. “He's just high on romanticizin' what it is we do here, doesn't understand just how much work goes inta runnin' a farm. Ah jus' wanna give him a proper showin'. Once he's tired himself out he can jus' rest in the--”
“There!” Aloe yelled before galloping off. The barrels and cart they were using still stood ready for bucking. He galloped to one of the trees, the empty barrels already placed and ready to be filled. “Applejack, watch!” He closed his eyes and bucked.
A single apple dropped on his head. “Huh?”
Applejack face hoofed. “'Bout as well as any of us coulda expected.”
Another few bucks echoed through the field until, finally, the buckets were filled. “Err... I did it,” he said sheepishly, chest rising quickly with every rapid breath. “Took me... a few more tries than I wanted it to...”
Applejack trotted up to the tree and glanced up. After a few moments, she gave a nod. “Well, took yah a few more'n it would one ah us, but yah got 'em all down so ah can't complain. Now yah jus' latch the buckets on the side ah your saddle and... oh. Big Mac, we bring any spare saddles?”
“Nnnope!”
Applejack sighed, before glancing around at the other trees they still had to buck. “Listen, we already got a buncha trees primed. Yah try buckin' 'em down an' we'll get 'em to the cart, okay?”
“S-sure,” Aloe said with a nod, before trotting away. His back hooves were aching like he couldn't believe, but he didn't want to give up so easily. It wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be. Hard on the hooves, but nowhere near the exhausting torture he'd imagined. Then again, all he had to do was the bucking. That and it was only one tree.
Each tree that released its bounty to him made his hooves ache worse and worse. After the third tree he was forced to limp, each step sending sharp pain through his pastern. He looked up, stopping to watch the others for a few moments. They easily went from tree, to carrying the buckets, back to tree without stopping. He bit his lower lip and watched Applejack for a moment. Her eyes caught his and she smiled.
“Yah all okay? If yah need tah stop, it's fine.”
“I'm fine! Just... taking a moment to catch my breath. Eh heh...” He moved to the fourth tree, looking up with a nervous gulp. It looked as big as a barn and solid as a mountain. He turned his back to it, and readied himself, digging his front hooves into the ground. He gave a small buck, the tree barely moving and only giving a few apples. He let out a growl and tried again, this time receiving nothing for his troubles. With an annoyed growl he leaned forward, before kicking back with every ounce of force he could muster, his legs rocketing out.
Applejack looked up as the scream piercing the air. Her ears twitched a few moments before she saw Aloe, laying on the ground on his back, clutching his back hoof with tears going down his face. She galloped over, her eyes widening as she saw the injury. “Big Mac, run tah town, get Nurse Redheart. Tell her we got a nasty cracked hoof. Caramel, help me with Aloe.” She dropped down besides him, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “Shhhh, it's okay. Aloe. Take deep breaths. Calm down, just calm down.” She did her best to avoid looking at the hoof, though she couldn't stop it.
Both of his back hooves had cracks across the ends, the repeated strikes seemingly been too much for them. However, the back right one had the deepest. It had cracked all the way up to the coronary band and formed a red, throbbing wound under it. The stallion was trembling, though the initial pained screams had died down. She took his left while Caramel took the right. With their similar heights they were able to easily hold him up and carry him back to the farm.
“What happened?” Lotus asked when they entered the building, her eyes wide as she watched her quivering brother.
“Split hoot,” Applejack said quickly. “Applebloom, get meh the first aid kit.”
“On it!” the filly said before galloping off into the kitchen. The carriers followed, quickly placing the whimpering stallion on the table. His twin hovered around, watching nervously but too afraid she'd get in the way.
“Caramel, start boilin' some water. Don't know if Redheart will need it, but better safe than sorry. Aloe, just sit still. This'll sting a bit.” Applejack sat on the ground, holding his hoof level, though careful not to touch the wounded bits. Applebloom soon galloped up, the plastic container with a big red cross held in her mouth. She dropped it by her sister.
The farm mare gulped and slowly pulled out a bottle and waited until the water was started. She then nodded. “Caramel, 'old him.” Aloe blinked in confusion when he was grabbed, moments before letting out a scream as what felt like liquid fire traveled down his hoof. Applejack got a firm kick to the side of the face for her troubles, but she was soon finished and the stallion was released, who quickly dropped onto his side and whimpered. “That should keep it from gettin' infected. Sorry, sugar cube. It's gotta be done.”
“What happened?” Lotus finally asked.
Applejack sighed and pulled out a sanitized cloth, pressing it to the wound and eliciting another hiss of pain from the stallion, but he didn't recoil too much. “Ah did something plain stupid. His hooves weren't trained for this kinda work, ah shoulda known better. Ah've seen enough broken hooves tah know better.”
“You're not answering me!” the spa pony said angrily. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself and just tell me!”
“Ah had him buckin' trees he shouldn'ta been buckin'. Some'a those trees are like buckin' a steel wall. Ah'm sorry.”
“Is he going... is he going to be okay?” the mare asked, watching her brother with quivering eyes. “I've... I've seen some really bad effects from these, will--” She was silenced by a shake of Applejack's head.
“Nah, he'll be fine. Eventually. Nurse Redheart's dealt with more ah these than ah can count, she'll get him right as rain in no time. It'll probably hurt somethin' fierce for a while.” She glanced up at him and let out a sigh. “Ah'm really sorry about all this. Ah shouldn't have asked yah tah come help.”
Aloe whimpered. “Can... can we not have this t-talk now?”
“Err...” Applejack glanced to Lotus. “He's talking in Prench again.”
“He doesn't want to talk. Please, just let him rest until the nurse gets here,” Lotus said before moving to his side, gently running a hoof through his mane. She soon began whispering to him in Prench, soothing the stallion.
------
Applejack sighed, occasionally glancing towards the kitchen door. Redheart had shooed all of them away once she arrived, to deal with the poor stallion. Big Mac and Caramel had gone out to finish the chores, but she had stayed behind to keep Lotus company.
“You're, uhhh, really good at calmin' him down,” Applejack said nervously to break the tension.
“Indeed. You do realize it is not your fault, no?” the spa pony asked softly.
“How come? If ah hadn't been tryin' tah drive him off ah wouldn't have tried to--”
“Please, Applejack, I was wrong before. Don't hide it. Just tell him you aren't interested. Before he gets himself killed or worse. Tell him you don't like stallions like him, it's better he gets his heart crushed now, rather than his body and heart crushed later.”
Applejack blushed red and looked down. “It... it has nothin' tah do with him though. Or him bein' all like that. It really is all meh. Ah mean, in a few years or so, ah might, maybe, consider it. Ah might even like it. Jus' right now ah got far too much on mah plate tah be seekin' any kinda romance.”
Lotus stared, eyes wide. “What?”
“Look, there's a lot tah do on the farm. It's... it's kinda like you an' your brother. Yah can't really do all this stuff without 'im, right? Well, it's like that here. Ah'm needed. Not tah mention ah can't leave Applebloom and Granny Smith tah Big Mac alone, that jus' wouldn't be fair. Ah got far too much responsibility tah the farm tah jus' go datin' some stallion and droppin' everythin' else.”
The spa pony just stared, before giggling into her hoof.
“What? What's so confounded funny?”
“Nothing. Hee hee. I just find it humorous that you've spent more effort in trying to deny his advances and avoid them, than you would have if you just went on a date.”
“W-what? Ah told yah, ah got a lot ah--”
“No pony, especially not my brother, is asking you to abandon your responsibilities. He'd just like to help you with them and possibly become one. I'd suggest you discuss these things with him or tell him that you are completely not interested. Do not keep stringing him along like this, in the hopes he'll lose interest. Or you will be responsible for whatever harm he gets himself into. Understand?”
Applejack slowly nodded, hanging her head. “Ah... ah gotcha. Ah'll... ah'll figure it out. Thanks for all your advice an, uhhh, understandin'. Ah'll... talk to your brother tanight.”
“Please do,” Lotus said with a smile before trotting away to the other room, intending to help with more mending.
Applejack watched her go before sitting down, eyes lowered on the ground. She really did have too many responsibilities, Lotus just didn't understand. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to him if she just put him on the bottom of the list. Even if that's what he wanted. She let out an exasperated groan before getting back on her hooves and trotting outside. That fence still needed mending and it might help to clear her head.
------
“GAHHHHHHH!”
“AYEEEEEEEE!”
Applejack froze, her ears perking at the screams. The sun was almost down, and her body was covered in sweat from the hard labor of fixing the fence. Still, it was a good job and she felt proud of the job. However, the screams tore all those thoughts from her mind and she galloped into the house, brandishing the hammer in her mouth.
Her eyes narrowed at the sight before her. Applebloom and Aloe were sitting on the living room couch, the latter in a hoof cast. They were playing on the game console the former had borrowed from one of the colts in town. The game they were playing was very dark, with just a small flashlight coating a small tunnel in light.
“Hurry up! Slendermane's gonna catch ya!” Applebloom yelled, sitting on the edge of the seat.
Aloe said something in Prench, his hooves moving around on the controller. All of a sudden a very tall, strange black pony, missing a face and with legs at least three times the length of a normal pony's, appeared in front of them and the screen fizzled out before going black.
“GAHHHHHHH! AYEEEEEE!” the two ponies yelled in unison and hugged each other, staring at the screen with wide eyed horror.
“Really? This is what yah all are gonna do with your time?” Applejack said as she leaned against the couch from behind.
The two just screamed louder before falling out of the couch, eliciting a pained moan from Aloe. They stared up at her for a few moments, then glanced to each other. Finally, they burst into laughter.
“Yah shoulda seen your face!” Applebloom yelled before pointing.
“You were the one tossing the controller at me!” Aloe said with a grin.
Applejack rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop her smile. She put the hammer down before moving to help Aloe up. “It's almost night time. Yah all have dinner?”
“Yeah, we rang the dinner bell but yah didn't come,” Applebloom said before jumping onto the couch. “There's left overs in the fridge.”
“Ah wasn't really hungry. Had a lot on mah mind.” She glanced down at the pair. “Where's everypony?”
“They're all talkin' in the other room. Ah think Lotus is tryin' tah convince Big Mac tah make his own cologne,” Applebloom said before making retching noises. “Ah don't know why anypony would want somethin' like that.”
“I could see it now,” Aloe said with a giggle. “Applespice. For those who want to look, and feel, like they have the music in them.”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Applebloom, tah bed with yah.”
“But Applejaaaaack,” the two said in unison, giving her doe eyes.
“We've almost beat this stage!” Aloe said.
“Can we at least get to ah save point?” Applebloom asked, her ribbon going limp as she pouted.
The farm mare rolled her eyes. “Fine. Yah got until ah finish supper. But not a second more, yah hear?” The two cheered and she heard the strange, gentle music playing as she trotted into the kitchen.
She made up a small bowl of spaghetti for herself, though took her time eating it. The mare had finally come to a decision, but the most difficult part came next. Telling him. She knew it would crush him, but she just didn't feel it would be fair to him with all the other things she had on her plate. She planned to tell him tonight, but she just had to find the correct time.
Applejack finally took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. Ah'll tell him once ah get Applebloom in bed. It'll be the best, an only time.” She glanced down at her meal and sighed. She'd barely touched it. She then glanced out the window and let out another sigh. The sun was gone and the stars twinkled above, who knew for how long. She quickly downed her meal and rinsed the dishes off before walking out to the front room.
Applebloom and Aloe were laying on the couches, sound asleep. The former was sleeping in the latter's lap, their game black, aside from showing their score and time in the corner. She guessed they waited for her, but she hoped they hadn't for long.
She started with the filly, gently nudging her. Unfortunately, both woke up. “Come on, yah two. Time tah get tah bed in some real proper sleepin' quarters.” The filly was much too tired to make more than half-hearted objections, and soon was sprawled out on her sister's back and taken upstairs to her room. Applejack soon came back down and looked at the stallion. “Yah wanna sleep down here, or want me tah help yah get upstairs?”
Aloe looked down, then outside with a soft yawn. “Upstairs would be nice, please...” He tried to stand up, but with only three good hooves he teetered over quickly.
“Come on, yah silly pony,” Applejack said before moving to help him up. “What did Nurse Redheart say?”
“She yelled at me a lot,” he said timidly once they started walking. “Said I should have known better. I really should have, but I thought the hoof pain was just because it was a new experience. Not because they were cracking. I've seen enough cracks, I should have known better than to get my own.”
She nodded. “Yah shoulda. But accidents happen. Ah've done mah fair share uh dumb things over the years. Pride'll make a grown pony act like a foal sometimes.”
“Yeah, heh heh.”
“So...” she said softly, trying to divert the conversation to what she had to tell him. “Ah've been thinkin' a lot...”
“Yes?”
“Ah jus' think... until yah get this hoof all better, yah should take it easy,” she finally said, mentally cursing herself for cowardice.
“Oh, I will. Don't worry, I know how to tend these. Plenty of patients end up coming to our spa after injuries like this, so my sister and I have lots of experience with them. I never thought I'd get one of my own.”
“Does it still hurt?”
“Only when I touch things with it. Or when I breath.”
She chuckled. “Good tah know. Let us know if yah have any more problems.” She finally made it to his room and opened the door. She turned on the light, but with a sudden pop it died out. “Well, that's a might annoyin'. Ah'll have it looked at in the mornin', okay?”
“It's fine. We won't need the light in the night, anyway,” he said with a chuckle. She brought him to the nearer bed and gently put him in.
“Yah all rest fine, okay? If yah need anythin', give a shout.”
He nodded before she tucked him out. She then walked out the door, the light flickering on for a few seconds after. He let out a groan and sat up, the light flickering off again. “Bucking...”
The light flickered on again, and he saw something out of the corner of his eye. The light flickered out as he turned, and his blood froze.
Standing in the corner, staring at him, was Slendermane. The faceless pony in black just watched him, the darkness enveloping the monster. Aloe let out a blood curdling scream, flailing about before falling out of his bed.
The door opened a moment later, the light flickering on for a few seconds before going out again. Applejack quickly scanned the room, finding the flailing pony on the ground between the wall and bed. She darted to his side. “What happened? What's goin' on?”
“It's Slendermane! He's here! Look! He's going to kill us all!”
“The buck?” the mare turned to stare at where he pointed. All she could see were two of their old busted scarecrows, one stacked top of the other with the bottom one missing its head. They were wrapped in old black rags. After a few moments she started giggling uncontrollably.
“What? What is it? What?” he asked before she helped prop him up. Once the light flickered back on, his cheeks turned bright red. “That's... it... it really looked like Slendermane in the dark. I-I swear!”
“Ah'm sure it did, sugar cube.” She helped him into bed before trotting to the scarecrows. She glanced back at him for a moment, the poor stallion huddled up into a little frightened ball, his mane all and tail all wild and erratic. She quickly looked away, grabbing the scarecrows. “Listen, ah'll go ahead an' move these, so yah can get a good nights sleep.”
“I don't think I'll be able to sleep now,” he whispered, blushing bright red as the lights flickered out again. She sighed and dragged them outside the room and shoved them out the door. She glanced back at the stallion, huddled in the darkness, blanket wrapped tightly around himself.
With an exasperated sigh she trotted forward, determined to do what she should have done to begin with. Applejack sat on the bed and looked him straight in the eye. “Aloe, we needta talk.”
“Yes?”
“Here's the thing. Ah got a lot on mah plate. Ah got a farm tah help run, ah gotta keep an eye out on both Applebloom an' Granny Smith. Ah got animals tah tend to, trees to grow, a business tah run. No tah mention ah got friends ah need ta help sometimes too. Ah don't have a lot a free time.”
His ears sank. “And... I get it. You don't want to waste it on me.”
Applejack stared, but slowly smiled. What could it hurt? “Ah don't think that would be so bad. Ah jus' want yah tah know where you'll stand. If we date, ah won't be able tah be at your beck an' call. Ah'll try tah spend time with yah, but ah got a live tah live. You'll be a part of it, but yah won't rule it. Yah got that?”
He nodded, a wide grin blossoming on his face.
“An' another thing. Ah don't want yah goin' an' changin' who yah are for me. If we can't be ourselves, we ain't gonna have a chew toy's chance in Tartarus. None ah that skulkin' around, watchin' me, hopin' ah'll pick up on some invisible signals yah sendin' out and things'll get better, either. I'm not puttin' up with none ah that nonsense. Yah got a problem with the relationship, yah gonna tell me, an' we're gonna fix it. An'... if we don't work out, an' yah start feelin' miserable? Break it off. Ah'm not givin' any promises that any ah this will work out. Just ah'll give it a shot. Ah don't want yah puttin' your life on hold jus' cause you're hopin' ah'll one day change what ah am. Yah got all that?”
He nodded rapidly, his face wide and grinning as he suppressed the urge to squeal. He finally reached out and hugged her. “Thank you thank you thank you!”
She blushed and prodded the ground. “N-no need tah get so happy. It ain't like ah agreed tah marry yah. Ah jus' said ah'll give you a shot.”
“Yeah, but that's a chance! You'd be surprised how many mares won't even give that,” the stallion said with a happy grin, soon the mare joining in on the hug.
------
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” a cloaked pony asked as he and two others slowly tip hoofed through Ponyville. The moon was out, but it only gave a little light in the darkness.
“It'll be easy, come on. Besides, no way they can prove it was us,” the second pony said before stopping in front of the spa, looking up. A few of the lights were on. “Huh. Looks like they fixed the window already.”
“What if somepony sees us?” the third asked.
“You wanna chicken out? Come on, imagine how awesome Rosering will think you are once she finds out you were here. You heard what she was saying about him.” A small carton of eggs floated up by his head. “Besides, he deserves it.” He threw one of the eggs and it whipped around to hit the first pony in the face.
“Hey!” the pony shrieked, shaking eggshells out from the hood. “What was that for?”
“Wind caught it, yah idiot. Come on, let's do this.” The three began throwing eggs full fury, but their attempts were in vain. The eggs either hit the ground far before hitting the building, or whipped around to hit them. Soon the three were covered in egg whites and shells. “Yah idiots! Can't you throw straight?”
“It wasn't me! You threw those too!”
“By Celestia, you two are useless!” the pony growled before spitting out some egg shells. He then took out a brick, wrapped in a note.
“Errr, are you sure we should? They might figure out--”
“Don't be stupid. This is a brick, that was a rock, there's no way they'll know it was the same ponies. Hup!” The rock sailed through the air at the second floors window. However, once it left the ponies magic, the blinds opened and a pony was standing in the middle. The brick smashed through the window, crashing into the ponies skull as the three stared up with horror. A moment later a scream pierced the night.
“You, you killed him! Her, one of them!” the first pony said, trembling so badly the cloak was shaking.
“S-shut up, I didn't, it was his own fault, he, run!” the second finally yelled and the three galloped away.
Moments after they left, the window repaired itself and Discord stood in the room, gently tossing the brick up and down in his hands. “Oh yes. Apologies can be such fun.” He chuckled before snapping the brick in half, tossing half of it into his mouth and blowing a bubble.
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4444310 Thanks ^^ always nice to hear. These popular stories always give me +5 to confidence. :)
4444378
Well, it's good that Discord at least gets to play a part in making up to Aloe for what he did to him.
And yay, Applejack finally decides to give Aloe a chance to have a relationship with her! Woo hoo!
I had already sort of forgotten about Discord in the last chapter or two... Heh.
Still waiting for a scene were Fluttershy chews him out though. Likely it happened of-scene, but...
Great chapter! Like the pacing. Please keep up the good writing!
Should be Applebloom, yeah?
Yay! Give him a chance, AJ! Also, what could Discord's plan be...
4444431 You know you can edit your comments right? Instead of just deleting them? Because that makes it look like the author is trying to censor their comments.
4444741 Oh sorry about that, will take note of that in the future! Didn't mean to make it look like the author was trying to censor comments!
ok, discord has officially redeemed himself!
4444431 Discord gets to have fun :P Absolutely no way this could possibly go wrong for everyone involved. Nope. *cough.*
4444546 Thanks ^^ I'm trying hard not to rush things.
4444438 I'm not sure Fluttershy has it in her to really chew somepony out. Even if they almost destroyed equestria I don't think she could do it... she more just kinda cries at you or scolds you.
4444585 You know, I actually might be. I'd thought it before, but I never really checked >.> Scootaloo does look like a light brown to me though. Is she an orange?
4444684 Chaos mostly. Probably.
4444741 I'm totally censoring everything! Except, instead of deleting comments i just kinda... sit their, and laugh maniacally. Not sure how it censors, but eh.
4444750 Mwa ha ha ha! The censorery shall commence... okay, not really. I doubt I have it in me to delete a comment unless it was an ad for a website/some product(which I have had to delete in the past.)
4445472 Redeem is such a strong word. >.>
4445639 Woo! Original is fun! Now, so long as I can make it good... :P
4445838 Hee hee. These spa ponies are a lot of fun to write. And yes, even 'friendship discord' still seems to be a bit of a douche.
4445845 ok, then he's on the way.
I'm really looking forward to Aj and Aloes first date, no matter what i try to think of, it always ends up gloriously awwwwwwwkward.
And Discord is a douche, even when he does what's right, he still does it like a douche and he makes it look awesome.
4445845
We haven't even seen that though. She is just making excuses for him (and we have seen her loose her temper, she can do it. Plus, Sea Breeze taught her you sometimes have to be strict to be kind.)
Split hoof
There's more stuff but it's late and they weren't all that bad.
Discord....you have marginally improved. Though nice work with the accidental murder. Unfortunately, these guys are obviously idiots.