An Apple in a Bushel of Peaches

Chapter 3 ‘More than Friends?’

An Applejack in the Vogonverse story

Ah saw Anthony as he tried to help with the peaches. He was still favoring his side, and ah was surprised to see ‘im out here helping us. The first week of getting ‘im back on his feet was hard. He had lost so much blood that Ah thought he was gonna die. He surprised us all, and hung in there. What he finally confessed ta me ‘bout his family made ma blood boil.

“I don’t got any family. Not anymore,” he had said.

“What cha mean?” Ah asked.

“Do you really want ta hear this?”

Ah nodded and watched him.

“My pa was a pimp, my mom was one of his working girls. When she got pregnant with me he beat the living hell outta her. He wanted her to miscarry, get rid of the little bastard she was carrying, but I was too damned ornery to die. So, when mom had me he tried to make her dump me off somewhere. That’s when mom tried to leave. She tried again, and again over the years as I grew up. My lullabys were the sounds of him beating her, screaming at her, and finally when a john that feel in love with her taught her how to shoot a gun, her killing the bastard,” he took a breath, “She wasn’t even given a trial. They took her off, and they left me inside of the stacks.”

Ah listened as he told the rest of his story. He had grown up learning what it meant to survive. The things he had to do as a colt, it made me want to cuddle him something fierce, and let him know that it would be okay. The days turned into a week, and now they turned into two weeks. Pinkie’s wedding was still on ma mind, and so was Anthony.

If’n Ah was gonna ta be honest, and honesty is kinda ma thing, Ah couldn’t help but look at him. He was a bigin, his muscles all worked in under that skin of his in a way that grabbed ma attention, but his scars. Landsakes there was a bunch of ‘em. Ah could see places he had been burnt, stabbed, and Celestia knows what else. A rough life weren’t the half of it. Ah watched as he picked up a bushel of peaches. He carried the large wood basket with little trouble, and then he stopped by where Ah was peach bucking.

“Need me to carry that one?” he asked.

“Naw, ‘Bloom should be out here in a minute,” Ah said.

“No sense in making that girl do the heavy lifting,” he replied.

Ah watched as he heffed the large basket up, and carried it along with the one he had. Ah didn’t want to stare. Ah was gettin’ used to the idea of him being here, and Ah was starting to trust him a little. His savin’ me and ‘Bloom went a long way in gettin’ that trust, but it weren’t right to be lookin’ at him. Especially when Ah was thinking ‘bout the way the muscles in his back flexed and moved.

“Luna’s teats, get a hold of yerself Applejack. Y’all’s acting like it’s the first day of yer estrus cycle,” Ah whispered to maself.

“Those hurt?” Ah heard ‘Bloom.

Ah turned around to see her standing there with Anthony. He had just put the baskets on the closest wagon, and he knelt down to her.

“Not really. The only one that still bothers me a little is the newest one. The rest of ‘em are just memories,” he said.

“What kind of memories?” she asked.

Ah walked closer as he knelt down ta her level.

“Well, the kind that helps remind me to faster than the guy that’s trying to hurt me or my friends,” he answered.

“Why’d they try ta hurt ya?” Apple Bloom asked.

Ah listened, wanting to hear something else about his childhood. Something that didn’t involve an awful stallion of a father.

“Well, when there’s a large group of people crammed into a place, and somebody’s got something. Maybe they got some extra food for their kids, or it could be that they’ve got a game that lets them not think about life for a few hours. Whatever it is that they’ve got those other folks want it. They want to have it, and they don’t think that it’s fair that one person should have it to themselves,” he said.

“Couldn’t they share?” she asked.

Ah couldn’t be more proud of ‘Bloom. Thinkin’ ‘bout others like that was something that came natural to us Apples, and it was somethin’ Ah knew she’d do in a second.

“They could, but then their kids might go hungry, or they might never get their game back. Some people still share anyway, but there are some folks in those crowded places that have been without for so long that when they get a little bit they can’t handle it. They want it all. They don’t ever want to go without again, and it leads to fights. Sometimes somebody gets killed. I used ta help make sure that didn’t happen. I didn’t want my friends gettin’ hurt, and I didn’t want anyone to take my stuff,” he said.

“They’d kill each other over some food?” she asked.

“Sometimes. Where I came from originally… It was a bad place. People there had lost hope, and all they had to look forward to was the little escapes they could afford,” he said.

“Why didn’t they have hope? Granny Smith always said that no matter how bad things might git a pony’s gotta hope for a better day. Ah believe that. Ah believe a new day is a chance fer things ta be better,” she replied.

Ah walked toward her and knelt down next ta ma little sis.

“And that’s the right attitude ‘Bloom, but from what Anthony here has told me already most of these folks have grown up in this. They’ve never known anything but what’s right there in front of ‘em,” Ah said.

“Can’t we help? Ah mean can’t we give ‘em something ta hope fer?” she asked.

“Maybe, if we could ever stop the Corporate Farms, we could possibly help make sure they had enough food ta eat. I know Rider Farms sells their food cheaper, and has a contract with the Government for their food vouchers, but it’s not enough,” he answered.

“Back home in Equestria all of us Earth Ponies grew enough food for everypony! Ah bet we could do it here!” she said excitedly.

Ah wasn’t sure what I expected him ta do. Anthony was a strange one. He was loyal ta ones he considered friends, and he went on about his honor. Ah just didn’t expect ta see a softer side ta him. He reached out and wrapped ‘Bloom into a hug.

“Don’t ever lose that. Don’t lose that part of ya that says ya can change the world. The world needs more folks that believe that,” he said.

She hugged him back, and Ah felt something inside of maself. Something that just woke up, and it dun told me that Ah needed to be near ‘im. Ah pushed it back. There had been a few stallions that called on me before, but ain’t one of ‘em t’was able to keep up with me, or with Big Macintosh. He stood up, looked around at the bushels still on the ground, and then at the house.

“What do you guys say to finishing up out here, and then taking a break for some lunch?” he asked.

“That sounds good!”

Ah watched Apple Bloom as she took off toward one of the bushels and lifted it. She carried it toward the wagon only ta git some help from Anthony. Smiling Ah walked over and began heffing up some bushels and carrying ‘em toward the wagon as well. It didn’t take long, and we filled the back of the wagon. Thisun was a heading toward the bakery up the road a piece, and the other one already in the barn was a heading off to the farmer’s market.

The smell of beans, fried taters, corn bread, and peach fritters filled the air near the farm house. We walked toward it and made it inside to see Big Macintosh coming in behind us. Ah knew he had went to work on the left side of the orchard, and Ah could see the sweat jest pourin’ off of him.

“Lunch is nearly ready,” Jessica said.

Ah watched her carry out a pan of cornbread. It smelled so good that ma mouth was a watering somethin’ terrible. Before she could even turn around Big Macintosh skedaddled right inta that kitchen.

“You don’t have to do that,” she said as he carried out the beans.

“Eeeyup,” he said.

“Macintosh Apple I’m pregnant, I’m not an invalid,” she said.

“It smells mighty good Ma’am,” Anthony said.

“Look, Mr. Vercetti, either you can call me Jessica, and I can call you Anthony, or you call me Ma’am and I’ll call you Mr. Vercetti,” she said.

“Okay, Jessica, but it feels kind of odd to call someone that’s an employer by her first name,” he said.

Ah helped ‘Bloom set the table, and the five of us sat down ta a purty good lunch. Ah knew that afterwhile we’d be having beans again, but that didn’t bother me too much. Jessica said a quick bit of grace over the food, and we began tearing inta it. There ain’t nothing, but nothing like a good plate of beans, cornbread, and fried taters after a good mornin’ of peach buckin’. Ah watched ‘Bloom as she broke her cornbread up inta the beans and let it soak up the juice, but me, naw, Ah wanted to get some butter on ma cornbread.

Ah started to reach for the butter only ta find that Anthony was holding it out ta me. Ah cut a piece of the stick of butter off, and Ah tried my hardest not think about what Ah was a feelin’ earlier.

Ah just needed ta do a heap more peach buckin’. That’s all there was ta it.

“Food’s really good,” Anthony said.

“Thanks, most of it is my Granny’s old recipes. She never liked to let anybody go hungry,” Jessica said.

We all enjoyed the food, and Apple Bloom went to tellin’ Jessica ‘bout her ideas of helping everypony. Jessica smiled, and told her that maybe she’d be the one ta do it. After a minute there was a weird chiming sound, and Jessica got up and grabbed her tablet thing and pressed a couple of buttons.

“Madam, you have an email,” the voice said.

The first time Ah heard that voice Ah nearly jumped outta my skin, but Jessica told me that it was a digital assistant she had. Since then Ah’ve talked to Hal a handful of times, but Ah kind of find that digital assistant to be a little hoity toity for my taste. Plus there’s all of this Madam business. Ah ain’t no madam, and Ah don’t like to be called one.

“Hey, we’re being invited to a bachelor and bachelorette party. It’s Pinkie Pie’s and Andy Williams… Oh wow, I mean I know we met him that one time… She wants to invite Mac, Applejack, Apple Bloom, myself, and Applejack’s coltfriend?” Jessica said.

Ah shook ma head. This was Pinkie being Pinkie. Ah swear that girl could tell just about anything that was a coming with that Pinkie Sense of hers. Ah looked at Anthony who seemed to be a bit confused.

“Where’s this shindig gonna happen?” Ah asked.

“The tickets for the train are for Las Vegas,” she said.

Author's Note

(First update in a while on this one. So, this is the leading upto chapter. The next chapter for An Apple in a Bushel of Peaches is going to be during the bachelor and bachelorette parties. Expect to see a little fun here and there.

Thanks,

LF)