Always Together, Forever Apart

by bahatumay

Chapter 3

Bright and early the next morning, Applejack was in the kitchen once more, flipping some cherry pancakes.

Ledger Line shuffled in, groaning. His body ached. His everything ached. Things he didn’t know he had, ached.

The bird Ardie looked over at him and screeched.

“Oh, I heard him,” Applejack said with a small smile. “Shuffling like some kind of zombie pony.” She turned and winked at him. “Sleep well last night?”

“No,” Ledger Line groaned. “Everything hurts and I woke up at weird times. I was so tired last night I thought I saw a rainbow in the middle of the night.”

He’d intended it as a joke, and Applejack laughed at it; but her laughter sounded forced, a bit longer than usual, her smile was shaky, and… was she sweating? “You’re… you’re a funny one, Ledger Line, you know that?” Her voice seemed to crack. “You're a real joker. Hey, how about some pancakes? Nice and hot!”

Ledger Line decided that while Applejack was good at many things, ‘hiding something’ was not one of them. However, he also knew that one good kick of her hind legs, and he’d be missing his head. Therefore, he decided it would be most prudent to not pry further, and instead use his mouth for eating the pancakes.

* * *

Applejack dragged the bucket over to the hopper. She jerked her head, and Ardie flew up into the rafters, keeping watch over them both. Applejack looked back at Ledger Line and grinned. “Alright, Ledge, it’s sorting time. You get in the wheel, and I’ll do the sorting. Ok?”

Ledger Line looked at the large wooden wheel and whimpered.

Applejack kept a straight face for approximately two seconds before cracking up laughing. “I’m kidding!” she said, hopping down and getting into the wheel herself. “You can use your magic to sort, right?”

Ledger Line sighed in relief. “Yes. Yes, I can.”

“Good!” Applejack started trotting, spinning the wheel. “Get moving! We gotta get these cherries sorted!”

“Don’t you ever stop?” Ledger Line grumbled, lighting his horn and beginning to sort.

“Can’t stop, won’t stop!” Applejack answered. “We’ve gotta get these into town by lunchtime.”

“Lunchtime?” Ledger Line asked, confused.

* * *

Apparently, Applejack had decided to start selling the cherries straight in the streets. It was a way to gauge the demand, she said. And anything that gave Ledger Line a respite from the farm was good enough for him.

So thus it was that with a cart full of separated cherries, Applejack and Ledger Line headed into Dodge Junction.

Applejack was a natural salespony. Ledger Line watched in fascination as she started conversations with ponies she had never even seen before, and his fascination only increased when more and more of those ponies left with bags of red and yellow cherries… and left shiny bits behind.

It also fascinated him as to how easy it was for her to talk to anypony. Even younger foals were getting in on this; they would be treated to a quick display of her dexterous hooves and her cherry-juggling ability, and every so often she’d bounce a cherry right into a waiting mouth (accompanied with a quick lesson on spitting out the pit inside). She was a natural, and Ledger Line stood back and let her work her magic.

* * *

“Wow,” Ledger Line said with a little chuckle, walking beside the wagon as they returned to the orchard. Applejack’s bird rode on the top of the cart. “That’s more bits than I’ve seen—or heard!—in a long time.”

“And that’s just the beginning,” Applejack said with a smile. “You hear what everypony was saying?”

“Good stuff?” Ledger Line guessed. He glanced at Applejack’s bird and was moderately jealous of the fact that it didn’t have to walk all the way back.

“Very good stuff!” Applejack answered. “Seems like there’s been somewhat of a cherry dearth around here. And folks are just craving some cherry pies. You know what that means?”

A little smile played at Ledger Line’s lips. “We should get them some pies?”

“We should get them some pies,” Applejack answered. “You happen to know Cherry Jubilee’s recipe?”

Ledger Line chuckled, mirthlessly this time. Aunt Cherry was very secretive about her recipe. “Not a clue.”

“Didn’t think so.” Applejack rolled her neck out, as if stretching. “Welp, I’m always good for experimenting.”

“What’s wrong with the pie you made last night?”

“I know apples much better than cherries, and that was definitely an apple pie crust. Not flaky enough for the cherry texture. Just fine for eating with friends, but not for selling. We got a reputation to uphold, you know. We gotta get this pie perfect.” She nudged him. “And Ledge, lucky you, you’re my taste tester.”

Ledger Line couldn’t help but wiggle his whole body in excitement as he walked. That did sound lucky.

* * *

Ledger Line did not feel so lucky anymore.

Applejack slid another pie in front of him. “Now, for this one I added a little more butter, and a little less salt. Trying to get the crust a bit flakier.”

“They’re all starting to taste the same,” he moaned.

“Oh, come on, Ledge, don’t be like that,” Applejack cooed soothingly. She leaned up next to him and began massaging his shoulders with her hooves. “You want to give the ponies the best pies, right? Best pies they’ve ever tasted, don’t you? Pies worthy of Cherry Jubilee herself, right?” She leaned over and picked up the fork. “I need your help, sugarcube.”

“Right now I want to lay down and-”

But he never got to finish; Applejack took advantage of his open mouth and shoved a large chunk of cherry pie inside.

Ledger Line groaned, but managed to chew and swallow.

Applejack tasted it next. “You’re right,” she said, pursing her lips. “Not enough salt. Back to the drawing board!” She glanced outside and froze.

Ledger Line noticed and looked outside, as well. The sun was getting ready to set, but other than that, he saw nothing alarming.

But apparently, Applejack did. “Uh, you know what,” Applejack said hurriedly, “I think we’re done for tonight. Get some sleep and I’ll come wake you up in the morning.”

Ledger Line watched as Applejack quickly discarded her hat and apron and headed outside. He squinted. “Where are you going?”

Applejack looked back at him, her eyes flicking wildly back and forth. “Uh, I… always go for a walk late at night!” She forced a smile.

Wow. She really was a bad liar.

But feeling too stuffed and lethargic to do anything else, Ledger Line watched as Applejack grabbed Ardie and hurried outside.

He tried to move, but decided it wasn’t worth the hassle. He could sleep here tonight. That would be just fine. He set his head down on the table, and realized that he’d laid it in a pie tin. Oh well.

As the sun set and the moon rose, his ear flicked. Was that… a scream?

Oh, yeah. Applejack. Nightmares again. She was probably in her bed by now, getting ready for a long, long day tomorrow.

He snorted as he realized that he would not be getting up tonight. Lucky her.

* * *

Ledger Line woke up the next morning by Applejack gently prodding him with the handle of a spoon and Celestia’s sun shining in through the window. He tried to lift his head, and brought the pie tin with his face.

Applejack chuckled. Her bird reached up a claw and scratched at the pie tin, and it soon fell back to the table under its own weight.

Unfortunately, try as he might, the fur on his cheek still remained a bright tinge of red, stained by the cherries and the sugar. Applejack smirked the whole time she experimented in the kitchen.

That smirk disappeared after her third pie crust test was deemed a rousing success by both parties; but it quickly returned as they walked all the way into town.

It was worth it, Ledger Line decided as he watched the pies fly off the cart. Applejack was in control and almost everywhere at once, delivering pies, directing the crowd, and making change. Ledger Line tried to find something useful to do. Applejack did that, too; and soon he found himself twirling a sign with his magic, directing ponies to the pies. Not his proudest moment, but hey.

His secondary job was answering questions. Most of them were about the pies, but…

“What’s with the hawk?”

“Uh… it’s our mascot,” Ledger Line answered.

He was getting fairly tired of Applejack’s smirk.

* * *

There is nothing like the sweet smell of results to help strengthen a pony’s resolve. The sound of results isn’t bad, either.

Ledger Line smiled widely the whole walk home, and not just because Applejack let him ride in the cart on the way back (a safe distance away from Ardie, of course). And between his hind legs, there was a large sack of bits kept for safekeeping, even larger than the one from the day before.

Comments

[Ze1a7in]

I want to get dialogue from Ardie soon.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

8122127 You and me both.

I'm also hoping that AJ takes Ledger into her and Ardie's (Rainbow's) confidence soon, OR that he finally gets curious enough to disregard AJ's instructions to stay inside when she and Ardie are outside.

But we'll just have to wait and see, I guess.