The only chapter
Sweat beaded down my already dampened fur. I brought my hoof up and wiped away the sweat before it dripped into my eyes and stung my vision.
My throat was sticky and dry, making swallowing rather difficult and uncomfortable. I steadied my hooves then cocked back my hindlegs and bucked the apple tree. Several apples fell into the baskets and I swallowed hard.
My saliva stuck to my throat and made me roll my tongue around inside my mouth to try and dampen my parched throat, but to no avail. I let out a deep breath that came out more like a wheeze.
I had scored a good job working at Sweet Apple Acres, 15 bits an hour. However work shifts usually went from the split of dawn until late at night. Luckily I think today is gonna end early. Just have this hunch is all.
I looked over to my boss, or as I call her ‘The orange beauty’. “Hey orange…” I trailed off with a chuckle. She either hated oranges or hated that nickname.
“What?” She asked in a somewhat irritated voice.
I smirked. “I’m sexy and I know it…” I gave an awkward dance and she chuckled then rolled her eyes.
“Yah wish.” She laughed and I stopped my dance and gave another chuckle but ended up wheezing from lack of hydration. “Yah alright?” She asked and I nodded.
“Think I just caught a bug in my throat is all.” I managed through a grimace of discomfort. She rolled her eyes then trotted up to me.
“Yer a terrible liar, probably worse than me. Tell yah what… pack up the rest a these apples here an bring em on down tah the farm then we’ll call it a day… ain’t had a heat wave like this since… a while now.” She told me and I gave a faint smile.
“Thanks orange… means a lot.” I teased and she gave a blunt expression.
“Don’t make me regret lettin yah off early.” She teased back and I quickly went about collecting the baskets while she pulled her wagon back to the barn. She was pretty nice, always doing things for others and what not. On top of that she was pretty. Sure everypony else thought that the pretty mares like Rarity or Lyra where just to die for but… I had seen Applejack once… by accident… kind of… when she was bathing in the lake… to be absolutely honest I was seriously going to take a swim. But man, when her mane is let down and wet *whistles*, she is to die for.
I finished stacking the baskets on the wagon then hooked myself up and began trotting down towards the barn. The heat was still relentless. This day had been just a big pain in my flank… speaking of which.
I looked back to my flank where my cutie mark rested. A golden sheriff’s badge. Well whatever the talent was I probably wasn’t doing it while apple bucking.
I arrived at the barn and unhitched the wagon from my harness. I gave a little shake then took off the harness from my body and tossed it atop the wagon. ‘I’m sexy and I know it…’ I thought to myself as I brought up my left foreleg and flexed.
My bicep bulged and veins began to show through my upper foreleg. I made Big Mac look like… Little Mac.
I chuckled to myself but then a voice broke my train of thought. “Posin’ fer the imaginary mares?” Applejack called out and I swiveled around with a blush.
“Aww, don’t lie Orange… yah think it’s sexy.” I stated, standing to my hindlegs and flexing both my forelegs. Applejack face hoofed as she laughed at my failing ego.
“Yah… maybe if I liked veiny stallions… those veins make yah look like Mr. Haybernathy in the old age home.” Her statement made me drop down to all fours and droop my head in failure.
My brown mane dropped down and shaded my face from the sun. Applejack trotted over and placed her hoof under my chin, slowly rising my face up until I was eye to eye with her.
“Tell yah what Sugarcube… cause yah was such a big help today ah’ll give yah somethin fer yer troubles… come on inta the barn with me…” She trailed off and trotted towards the barn.
‘Was that seductiveness in her voice?’ I asked myself then smiled brightly. ‘Oh yeah! I’m so gonna score!’ I thought to myself then pranced towards the barn, following Applejack in close pursuit.
She led me into the barn then over to a white freezer. She popped open the lid and cool air vapours trailed out. “Darn it… Applebloom an her friends got inta the ice-cream again… ooh wait… hey look at that, there’s two left.” Applejack announced as she brought out two ice-cream drumsticks.
My eyes widened. Ice-cream at a time like this seemed… fantastic and better than sex. AJ tossed me one and I caught it in my left hoof. I quickly unraveled it while she did hers.
She got chocolate whip fudge and I got the one with peanut butter sprinkles. I trotted over to AJ and leaned up against the freezer beside her. I set the wrapper of the ice-cream cone down and took a lick. “Thanks AJ… this means a lot.” I thanked her and she smiled with a slight blush.
“Yah… yah called me AJ. That’s the first time since… a long time.” She said with a smile and I gave the front side of her nose a little tussle.
“Yeah well… it’s a nice name.” I told her, not really knowing where to go with the conversation. Suddenly there was the sound of a dog barking and soon Winona came rushing up to us.
“Hey yah, Winona.” I said and tussled the dog’s shaggy fur. The dog saw the ice-cream and immediately began giving me puppy dog eyes. “Can I help you?” I teased and she brought her paw up and scratched at my hindlegs. “I don’t think so…” I chuckled.
I kind of felt bad about eating ice-cream in front of the dog during this hot day but… well I deserved this ice-cream more than her. Winona, now seeing she would get nowhere with me, looked to AJ and began to beg.
“Awe Winona, who’s a good girl?” AJ asked and the dog lifted its rear and wagged her tail furiously before sitting on her rear and begging again. AJ gave the dog a serious look. “Whatta yah say?” She asked the dog and Winona brought up her paw to shake paw.
AJ lowered her hoof and shook Winona’s paw. “That’s a good girl… alright, have a lick.” Applejack said and lowered the ice-cream to her canine friend. Winona took a second to look at the ice-cream then in one split second, took one large bite out of the ice-cream.
Her bite severed the waffle cone, leaving AJ with just a fraction of the end. Winona quickly chewed and slurped up the ice-cream. Applejack just stood wide-eyed. “Muh… muh ice-cream…” She trailed off.
I chuckled. “And that’s what you get for trying to be generous.” I laughed, looking to the dog and not really paying attention to Applejack. I heard a slight sniffle and looked over to the orange mare standing next to me.
Winona quickly finished off the ice-cream and scampered off, leaving AJ and myself alone in the barn. “She… she just ate muh ice-cream and there ain’t none left.” Applejack whined with a pouty face.
I had never seen her pout before. She always had a real toughie attitude on. I felt sweat beading down my head and a bit of the ice-cream was starting to melt off the cone and onto my hoof.
I brought my hoof, holding the ice-cream, over and in front of Applejack. “Here, have mine… I don’t really like ice-cream.” I told her, lying about not liking ice-cream. I knew she probably wouldn’t take it any other way.
“Yah… yer givin me yer ice-cream… but why?” She asked and I rolled my eyes.
“Just take it before I change my mind.” I replied and she nodded, taking the ice-cream in her own hoof and taking a lick.
She looked over to me with a smile. “Thanks… I know yah probably are really hot an…” She began and I cut her off with some bad humor.
“See, I told you. You think I’m hot. I’m sexy and I know it!” I laughed and she rolled her eyes.
“Ain’t what ah meant.” She laughed, joining in on my bad sense of humor.
“I know… just like to have a laugh, you know?” I asked rhetorically. I leaned my head back and let out a sigh. “Well… I guess I better get home now. I’ll be needing a bath tonight…” I trailed off and sniffed myself. “Maybe two…” I said with a look of disgust from my body odour.
Applejack chuckled, but as I began to trot away she called out to me. “WAIT!” I turned around and she trotted over to me with three hooves, holding the ice-cream cone in the forth. “Here, have a lick.” She offered and I shook my head.
“Nah, you go ahead. I don’t really like ice-cream.” I lied again but she read it perfectly.
“Yer a bad liar, now go on. Have a lick.” She ordered me. I shook my head but then she grabbed the back of my head and playfully dabbed my nose with the ice-cream.
I gave her an unimpressed look as the ice-cream quickly began to melt. “I’m not cleaning that off.” I muttered and she laughed.
“What are yah gonna do? Leave it on until yah die?” She asked and I shrugged.
“Or until somepony cleans it off for me. Ponies will ask ‘What happened?’ and I’ll reply ‘My boss bound me down and tried to suffocate me with ice-cream.’” I chuckled.
“Ah did not!” She objected and I raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah… you didn’t, but how would they know? The evidence is all over my face!” I teased playfully, acting like this was some ‘HUGE’ crime.
“Oh yeah!?” She asked and I nodded. Without warning, she leaned forwards and licked the ice-cream off my nose. “Now there’s no evidence.” She laughed and I smiled.
“Yeah, but now I get to go around saying that yah kissed me.” I said with a chuckle and she blushed heavily as she realized what she had just done.
“Ah… ah…” She stammered and I gave her a pat on the shoulder.
“Meh don’t worry about it because… I’m sexy and I know it.” I stated with a wide smile. Applejack rolled her eyes.