Family Begins With You

by Jmaster49

Arc XXII Episode III: Apple Family Tales

It didn’t take long for Applejack to notice and call him out on it. Though, she did so in a more playful manner this time. “...Gettin’ a good view there, sugarcube?”

“...!” Keiji flinched, fully expecting to be struck for looking at her, but was visibly surprised when she didn’t. “...Um…sorry. Sorry--just not used to seeing such…hefty legs in this world. Much different from pony legs.”

“Guess they are, huh?” Applejack looked down at her thighs, “I ain’t no pony. Wasn’t exactly born with these here legs’a mine. Had’ta work for it long before I got extra power from that there magic Sunset gave us.”

While his heart raced, Keiji found himself more interested in holding a conversation with her about biology. “Interesting…you must’ve been training really hard to get to this point. Wonder how you got so well-built.”

Applejack idly sucked upon her popsicle and answered him after a moment. “...All thanks’ta pa, really. Got stronger from workin’ the fields day and night with him. He’s the one who inspired me’ta work harder.”

“Well that sounds noble,” Keiji replied as he bit into the rest of his syrupy ice treat, “I wasn’t really taught the value of hard work until recently, so I can respect that.”

“Heh--you’d be surprised at what a little elbow grease can accomplish.” Applejack got off the couch and tossed her popsicle stick into the nearby bin from afar. “Fun fact: Ya know them Fuji apples we stomped into juice out there? Pa was actually the one who led the research on how’ta make ‘em.”

The revelation caused Keiji’s eyes to bulge out in amazement. “...Really now? But I thought Fuji apples had to be imported?”

“They do,” Applejack walked over to a nearby globe and spun it around until she tapped her finger on an island in the Far East. “He flew all the way over yonder to Japone to work on it. Now they import us Fuji apples while we grow Honeycrisps and Red Delicious ones here.”

Keiji shut his eyes for a moment as he thought back to some familiar words he heard not too long ago…

“...know that the Hishima family imports many things from the East to Canterlot from apples to clothes, silk, and various pieces of technological hardware…”

That’s when it hit him.

“Apples…they…they import apples? So wait…could that have something to do with…?”

Yup. He’d go against what Adagio told him like clockwork.

“Hey, Applejack…?”

“Sup, Keiji?”

Keiji got up to throw away his popsicle stick and asked, “Where are you guys’ parents? I’ve heard you talk about ‘em quite a bit but they don’t seem to be around like your Granny is.”

“...” Applejack fell silent, shut her eyes and folded her arms, looking to be in a deep state of thought as she tapped her index finger against her arm.

The silence was deafening, to the point where only the idle chirping of birds could be heard outside. Over the course of the next ten seconds, Keiji had started to reconsider the question--his expression of curiosity changed to that of fear and a restless frown rather quickly.

“Shit. I knew I shouldn’t have asked. Welp, if I have to get my ass kicked, I’ll deal with--”

“C’mere,” Applejack spoke up a few moments later, and had already begun walking upstairs.

“...” Keiji was frozen from fear as he watched her walk away, unable to move or speak.

Applejack leaned over the stairwell and called out to him. “Ya asked a question--don’tcha wanna know the answer, boah?”

“Oh, uh…” Keiji snapped out of his shocked state and followed her up the stairs. “It’s just…I didn’t expect you to be willing to tell me.”

“Sunset trusts ya,” Applejack replied as she beckoned him to follow, “I ain’t got no reason not to either. Plus, you’ve been workin’ hard ‘round here, so I think it’s only fair that I sate yer curiosity. Just do me a favor wouldja?” She reached the top of the stairs and stopped in front of her bedroom door, waiting for him.

And Keiji soon met her at the top, doing his best to look at her face only. “...Yeah?”

Applejack opened the door to her room, took her hat off of her head and placed it on a nearby coat rack to rest it. “...Please don’t go speakin’ about this to nobody,” she said in a low tone, “I don’t really tell this to nobody, and I’m trustin’ you with my word. Can ya do that for me?”

He nodded without hesitation as he followed her inside. “I promise. Don’t worry.”

“Good,” she shut her bedroom door, and squatted down to grab something from under her bed. It was some kind of brown folder filled with papers and photos sticking out erratically from all sides. She then turned around and took a seat on the side of her bed while patting the spot next to her. “C’mon over here, lil’ feller.”

Keiji took a seat next to her on her bed and took a closer look at the item she had. “...Is that a photo album? It’s what humans use to keep track of their families, huh?”

“Yeah…” Applejack glanced down at the album with a soft smile that betrayed the sadness in her weak, green eyes. “I’ve got loads of pictures of ma and pa in here and I wanna show ya how much they meant’ta us before I answer yer question. That alright with ya?”

The vampboy was more than willing to oblige. Applejack’s parents sounded as if they had a lot of significance to their whole family. Compared to the awful parents that he had back in Equestria, Keiji was more than interested in learning about what it was like to have good ones…

So he replied with an interested, respectful smile. “Yes it is. So…tell me about them, huh?”

Applejack opened the album…starting off with photos of Pear Butter and Bright Mac as children. “It all started back then…”