"So, that about covers that, y'all!" Applejack paced through a group of eight ponies gathered along the eastern half of the orchards. "Three of you will work the north fields. You three will work the west fields. The remaining two will stick around here with Big Mac and I and we'll work on the east orchards." She scuffled to a stop in the soft grass of Sweet Apple Acres. "Remember how I showed y'all. Line of the baskets. Buck the trees clean, one by one. Collect the baskets in the wagon and then move on to the next line of trees."
One country mare raised her hoof.
"Yeah?" Applejack cocked her head to the side. "You got a question? By all means, ask away."
She cleared her throat. "Miss Applejack, do you wish for us to be finished by sundown?"
"Heh... okay. Let's make one thang clear." Applejack smirked aside at Big Mac before facing the mare again. "Let's cut this whole 'Miss Applejack' schtick. I ain't yer lord or duchess or any of that nonsense. I'm just a pony on a farm needed extra help in getting the latest harvest done. So I'm tossin' bits yer way in hopes that we can all benefit. No need to think of me as anythang other than a kindly neighbor. Andāto answer yer question... heh... heck no. We ain't gonna be anywhere near close to finishin' these here orchards by sundown. But, today especially, I'd like to feel thangs out. See what our mutual pace is. Thenāonce I've gotten an assessment after a day or twoāI'll figure out how we'll move thangs from there. The ultimate planāI reckonāis to work our way all around the farm's orchards all clock-wise-like. Make any sense?"
The group murmured amongst themselves and nodded.
"Now, Granny's fixed a table of refreshments in the center of the farm," Applejack said, pointing nebulously towards the family household and the front porch. "There're outhouses situated just between the house and the barn. Whatever ya do, dun wear yerself out stupid. Last thang I want is a helpin' hoof droppin' dead from heat exhaustion, ya feel me? I like my apple-wranglers just like I like my applesājuicy and ready to roll."
The air filled with chuckles.
"So... I guess that's it, y'all!" Applejack turned to Big Mac. "You got anythang to add, Big Mac?"
The large stallion smiled and shook his head. "Eeenope."
"Very well, then." Applejack pointed. "Now git, y'all! There be some apples to drop!"
"After puttin' an ad out on the Town Hall bulletin board, we fetched ourselves a bunch of field workers," Applejack said. She scratched the back of her head while breathing in the crisp air wafting over the lonesome hilltop. "Well... maybe not a bunch... more around eight or nine or so. Big Macintosh felt like hirin' more, but I talked him into keepin' the numbers low. I like it much better this way. I dun feel like we need an army of apple-buckers to shout through a bull-horn at. Butāratherāit's more like we've got a small group of swell partners helpin' us with the hard labor. And it's helpin' them out too, y'know? By goin' small... I figure we can afford to pay them more. Seems like the sort of thang Fancy Pants would do... and he's the only reason we can do this at all. So I guess you could say we're spreadin' the love around as healthily as we can. And y'know what...?"
She smiled crookedly, freckles glistening in the sun.
"...it's workin' mighty well. A heck of a lot better than I thought. We even found time to chat it out and share stories between the fruit-gatherin'. Some really nice folk lendin' a hoof here on the farm. Many of them have lived in Ponyville all their lives; they just stick it out and when the local fields need extra help plowin' or pickin' or buckin'āthey drop their names in the hat, get hired for a season, and that's how they get by. And here I was always foolish enough to think that the only 'farmers' who lived in this here town were the ones who owned their own land. Turns out I dun know my neighbors quite as much as I thought I did. But that's changin'... and I'm actually startin' to make some above-decent friends. New friends. In so many ways, it feels just like our horizons here are expandin'."
"What in the blue manure is that?!?" Granny Smith wheezed.
"Rnnngh... grkkkkk!" Applejack shook, quivered, strained, and finally lifted a dangling noose of miniature boulders up onto the kitchen table. THWUMP! "Whew...!" She stepped back and pointed at the rocks. "That right there is a 'Granite Mountain Necklace.'"
"Who would wear such a thang?" Granny blinked. "A guardian from Tartarus?"
"Nonsense, Granny! Fancy Pants himself forwarded this to us! Says here..." Applejack picked a slip of paper up and read from it, eyes squinting. "...erm... 'A buffalo gift from the buffalo buffalo of the inner mountain buffalo, buffalo...'" She blinked. "Now that's an awful lotta typos... right?"
"Dun tell me that's from them horned folks who've been enjoyin' our apple products!"
"I'm afraid so! Turns out this here necklace is a token of their appreciation! Alsoāan invitation."
"An invitation?" Granny Smith blinked. "What kind of an invitation?"
Applejack squinted at the letter once again: "'We buffalo kindly buffalo ask that we share the buffalo filling fruit with our buffalo buffalo neighbors to the west, where they have made buffalo friends with the non-buffalo, buffalo."
"Buffalo... to the west?" Granny Smith blinked, chewing on her bottom lip. "Why... they must be referrin' to Appleloosa!"
"Sounds just like it."
"But... dun those buffalo already have a healthy heapin' supply of apples from Braeburn and the rest of his folk?"
"Yeah..." Applejack leaned forward with a smile. "But they ain't our Sweet Apple Acres supply!"
"So... in other words... we're fixin' to expand our distribution."
"Fancy Pants has already written me, tellin' he's willing to take the mountain buffalo up on his offer."
"Hmmmmm..." Granny Smith rubbed her wrinkly chin... then eventually smiled. "Well, shoot, I reckon them stones should fit just fine over the fireplace! Let's write 'em back and tell 'em it's a deal!"
"Darn tootin', Granny! Now that's the spiritā!"
The kitchen table collapsed under the weight of the rock necklace. THUD!
"Oh consarn it!"
"And... of course..."
Applejack smiled past the tombstones resting before her.
"...for the first time in as long as I can remember... I'm startin' to find myself some... well..."
She shifted nervously, as if feeling guilty to admit it.
"To find myself some... some..."
At long last, the orange freckle pony finally spat it out:
"Some t-time off..."
Saying time off is apparently a curse in the Apple family.
There's always work to be done apparently, never time for a break.
Anyone else get the feeling that we're about to start a journey of applejack interacting with everyone rainbow helped and inadvertantly slowly realising what's been going on, and as she's shown already is unable to accept that reality and leads us to the whole Stu Leaves situation?
Or is that just me.
You watch your filthy apple-munching mouth there you two-bit trumped up bark bucker. There are foals around!
Not a good idea to try opening a second market while the first is in flux, especially when the second already has a source. Conflict of market forces can be just as economically destructive as a war.
Wonder what Big Mac woud look like with that necklace, since due to Fluttershy, hes now a little boulder?
8541653
Red guy with big necklace? He would look like Gouki/Akuma:
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I read again the final part of this chapter before reading everything posted during the weekend, and in this part
I read "tombstones" as "trombones" and I was so lost for a moment.
Soon enough she'll meet Stu, and then time won't be the only thing she's getting off!
Hyuk hyuk hyuk... I'm so sorry.