Mistress Do Well: Extradition

Mistress Do Well: Extradition
by milesprower06

Summer

June

"Ya wanted to see me, Ms. Jubilee?" Applejack asked, stepping into the office of the owner of Cherry Hill Ranch.

"Yes, Applejack. Thank you. I wanted to discuss your schedule this weekend."

"What about it?"

"I've been concerned, for several weeks now, that you're not giving yourself enough time off. You've been working 80 hour weeks for at least the past two months. That's not healthy."

"It's what I do best, ma'am."

"Applejack, Cherry Hill Orchards did not become the largest sustained business in Dodge Junction because its owner was a clueless idiot. Yes, you are a very hard working and tenacious farmer, and I know you've been working this hard because of what happened in Ponyville last fall."

Applejack was as silent as the grave.

"News travels fast. There are Missing posters of your pegasus friend around town, in case you've never noticed them."

"That has nothing to do with my job here, ma'am."

"Correct. But it has an awful lot to do with you, one of my best workers."

"I'm not going to discuss-"

"I'm not asking you to discuss anything involving the kidnapping in your hometown. Nor am I asking you to take the weekend off. I'm telling you to. You come in and do your job, but when you look absolutely exhausted at the start of every day, it effects the morale of all of my other farmers."

"Ms. Jubilee, I don't need any time off."

"Last I checked Applejack, it's my orchard. If you want to come down here to run away from your past, fine. But I won't let you work yourself to death because you can't cope with whatever happened. Last thing I'm gonna do is take my orchard's profits and dump them into insurance payouts because you collapsed out there among the trees."

"Ms. Jubilee, I'm fine. I don't-"

"Now is this conversation over, or do I need to go look for a new cherry harvester for Monday?"

Applejack held her tongue for the second time.

"And don't run off doing oddjobs for the weekend either. If you don't come in here Monday morning looking well rested, you won't be working Monday either. Now I believe I've made myself clear enough. Go get some rest."

Applejack turned and left Cherry Jubilee's office without another word, and departed the orchard proper minutes later after grabbing her saddlebags from the locker room. With all the overtime pay she had made, she had rented out a small apartment on the edge of town. Though she didn't really care how much she made. She was here to work, and it sounded like she was about to be doing a bit less of it. So what if she looked exhausted? It was results that mattered most, right?

But deep down, Applejack knew, and Cherry Jubilee probably had a clue, that it wasn't the work at the orchard that was exhausting her. She had put in long hours every single applebuck season. No. She was exhausted because she wasn't sleeping at night, and whenever her mind wasn't focused out at the cherry trees, it was focused in on what she was running away from.

Not only that, but also reminding herself that she had missed her chance with the mare she had had a crush on for a year.

"Oh Fluttershy, if only 'ah had the courage to get to ya first. None of this would've happened. You wouldn't be a pet, or slave, and we wouldn't have gotten it in our heads to do the same to Rainbow... I hope you're okay out there, wherever you are..."

She wasn't really sure what she was going to do. Inside, she was a mess. There was so much to sort out, and she was too afraid to admit it. Even if she could, it wouldn't be something she could do by Monday...

July

Twilight woke up groggy and sore, hearing a knock on her door. She raised her head and looked at the clock. She had done another lengthy self-bondage session, which were becoming more and more frequent. When she thought about it objectively, she had simply swapped out drinking for fantasies where Rainbow returned and got payback. Whatever, at least she could function the next morning. A sore muscle or two, maybe, but no splitting headaches and sensitivity to light and sound. She channeled her magic through the opened halves of the magic inhibitor, and removed all of her equipment within seconds.

"I'm coming!" Twilight responded to a second set of knocks, levitating all of her gear and putting it under the bed. She stretched, and quickly ran a brush through her mane to look halfway presentable. She walked downstairs and trotted to the front door, and opened it to be greeted by Big Mac, who had effectively been promoted to making the major decisions at Sweet Apple Acres since Applejack's departure.

"Morning, Big Mac. What can I do for you?" Twilight asked, enthused by the company. Visitors were all too rare these days.

"Good morning, Twilight. Sorry to come to you with this last minute. Applebuck Season starts today, and we're wondering if you'd like to help. We weren't sure if Applejack was going to come back for this, but it looks like she isn't, and you're the last 'honorary family member' left in town."

For a moment, Twilight was beside herself. Nopony whomsoever had come to her for any help at all once the house arrests were lifted. She knew Celestia had to have had a hoof in Mayor Mare not going through with her eviction threats. If she were to be kicked out of the library, there'd be no place to go.

"You want my help?" She asked, unsure if she heard him correctly.

"Eeyup. I won't pretend to know how life is for you here now, but it's a chance to get out of town for a bit. Three meals a day, pay is decent, a share of the harvest, and the guest room is yours for the duration. We just figured with your magic, we'd get it things done faster, and we can get them sorted and to market that much quicker."

Twilight hadn't used her magic for much else than fastening and removing her bondage gear before bed and in the morning, and it wasn't particularly good in the horn health department for the horn to be used that infrequently.

"Well, sure. When do you need me?"

"Today, if you're available. We start at noon."

"Sure. Let me just get some things situated here, and I'll be there in a bit. And... Thanks."

"See ya there." Big Mac said with a nod, and departed.

Twilight closed the door and set to getting ready, starting with a shower. She no doubt still smelled of sex from the night before.

But Big Mac was right. It was a chance to get out of town for a few days, for some practical and helpful application of magic, and a goal to accomplish each day.

After locking her bondage gear back in the chest downstairs, she did a final check around the library to make sure everything was in order, then departed for Sweet Apple Acres.

It had been quite some time since Twilight had exerted herself magically like that. Sure enough, she showed up at Sweet Apple Acres, and at high noon, they set out baskets and started harvesting the east fields. They were out there all day, taking only short water and bathroom breaks. Twilight could tell that the family was struggling to make up for Applejack's absence. The most obvious one was Apple Bloom, whose heart just didn't seem to be in it. But her half-hearted efforts aside, they got the east field done by sundown, and had gone in for a hearty meal.

The three remaining members of the Apple Family and their Alicorn helper took their seats at the dinner table.

"Good work today, everypony. Tomorrow we hit the north field." Granny Smith announced, dishing out pot pies fresh from the oven.

"Yeah, who needs AJ when you've got magic..." Apple Bloom pouted.

"Apple Bloom, we've been over this. We all miss Applejack, but coming back is up to her. Now you thank Twilight for coming out here to help us harvest."

"Alright then. Twilight, thanks for comin' to replace my big sister." Apple Bloom said.

"Apple Bloom!" Granny Smith chided, before Twilight could respond to the snide remark. "Any more talk like that outta ya, and you'll be outside cuttin' a switch, ya hear?"

"Then if ya'll be excusin' me."

With that, Apple Bloom got up from her place at the table and stomped upstairs, the ponies remaining at the table heard her bedroom door slam closed.

"Sorry about her. We're glad you're here helping us out." Big Mac offered, cutting into his pot pie.

"And I'm happy to have the company and opportunity to help out. I'm guessing she took Applejack's departure pretty hard."

"That, and she was really hopin' she'd come back for Applebuck Season. She misses her big sis somethin' fierce."

Twilight began into her pot pie. It was the most delicious thing she'd eaten in months. She wasn't much of a cook herself, and she'd stopped eating out; the judgmental looks were too much to handle, especially because they were deserved.

The rest of the dinner went without incident. Twilight ate heartily until she thought she would burst. Before she retired to the guest bedroom, she reheated Apple Bloom's pot pie and went up to her bedroom door and gently knocked.

"Yeah, come in."

Twilight opened the door, walked in, and offered the warm meal to Apple Bloom, who got off her bed and accepted it.

"Thanks. Listen, I'm not mad at you. Today would've been a lot harder without you. I'm mad at Applejack. She always told me family was the most important thing and... Then she runs halfway across Equestria. Didn't even say why. That's the most irritatin' thing here. Whatever happened with you guys, the thing everypony always said is that it wasn't for fillies or colts to hear."

"It's really not, Apple Bloom. We didn't even like talking about it with each other. I think that's why everypony went off on their own."

"Then why did you stay?"

"Because I've got nowhere else to go. My mom, dad, or brother don't want anything to do with me."

"O... Oh. I'm real sorry, I didn't know that."

"It's alright."

"No. No it's not. Here I was complaining about Applejack walking out on us, and here you are, helping us, when your family walked out on you."

"I'll be alright. You've still got Granny and Big Mac. I've just gotta take it one day at a time. Well, enjoy your dinner, and rest up. Another long day tomorrow."

October

The afternoon sun shined bright down on Cloudsdale's west neighborhoods. In one particular cloud house sat Rainbow Blaze, Director of Operations at the Weather Factory. He and his wife Firefly were just sitting down to dinner of his Spicy Storm Cloud Soup. Blaze was about to take his first bite when there was a knock at the door.

"Who could that be?" He wondered, not expecting any evening visitors. He went to the foyer and opened the door, seeing a pony clad in a hooded black cloak.

"Hello, can I help you?" He asked, not being able to discern any of this pony's features. Then, the figure slowly raised their front left hoof, lowered the hood, and he saw the unmistakable mane and face of the pony he wondered he'd ever see again.

"H-Hi dad."