Apple of my Eye

The Apple Family Household

5:15 AM

Applejack woke up the same time she did every morning; 5:15 on the dot. She had her very early morning chores to do and knew she had to get right to it, just like every other day. She got out of bed, took a quick shower, ran a comb quickly through her long hair, then tied the end of it off. She put on an orange plaid top with skinny denim shorts and her favorite brown stetson hat and went downstairs, grabbing her work boots at the base of the steps and putting them on.

She met Big Mac in the kitchen, he was already preparing himself a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast and Applebloom was having a bowl of cereal. Applejack decided to have some yogurt with an apple that morning. There was little talk, since everyone was still considerably tired. After Big Mac briefed AJ over the chores she'd be doing, she fitted her lasso through her belt loop for easy access and headed out to the cow pen.

Once reaching there, Applejack let out a sigh of annoyance. Big Mac said she was working with 'city boy' again. Man, why did he have to do that? He knew she didn't like him, and it certainly didn't help that he was useless either. Today, they'd be in the apple orchard picking apples. It was something they did every so often and today was one of those days. She began thinking of ways that you might screw it up. Perhaps you'd knock over your own ladder, or maybe she'd knock it down for you. Actually, that would be kind of mean, so she threw that idea out. Perhaps you'd end up dropping more apples than you'd harvest. Maybe you'd accidentally harvest a bunch of bad apples and compromise the quality of their products. The possibilities were endless! Once you arrived, she would have to teach you the ropes of apple harvesting, whether she wanted to or not...

She was thinking all of this even as she started milking the cows. She couldn't get too lost in thought, or else she would get distracted from the task at hand. Man, this city boy was causing more conflict in her than she thought possible. Her head was buzzing with thoughts....

That city boy is probably going to screw something else up today...I don't wanna get caught like I did yesterday with the lasso incident. If I'm gonna show him I'm not to be messed with, I need to be subtle. Then again, why do I feel I need to prove I'm better than him? I mean, it's not like he's done much more than completely suck at doing farm work...

No! Don't think like that. Ya can't cut him any slack! You know him and his type, they let ya know how much better they are than you every chance they get! They also like to git in yer head and point out all of yer mistakes. What do them city boys know about farming? Someone's gotta do it, it's not my fault I ain't as smart as they are!

...But it would be nice...I kinda envy 'em...

Still, this here city boy hasn't really said anything mean t' ya, why not give 'im a chance? What if...he's different?

Fat chance of that. He ain't done nothin' to show he's the same, but he ain't shown that he's different neither.

What about helpin' Big Mac yesterday and not messin' anything up?

He probably didn't do much work and didn't mess up what work he did.

But still...I think I can at least give him a chance...maybe he ain't so bad...

Applejack had finished milking all 8 of their cows just as she finished her train of thought coincidentally. She then moved on to her next chore, gathering eggs from the chicken pens, and finished it in about 20 minutes. Since it took her an hour and 10 minutes to milk all of the cows, about 20 minutes of that was spent lost in thought, she noticed it was about time for city boy over there to wake up. She saw the rooster sitting on top of the chicken coup and got a devious idea...

"I'm gonna give him a chance, but that sure as sugar doesn't mean I ain't gonna have some fun doing so..." She said to herself.

Your parents were wide awake and were about to wake you up when they heard a knock on the door. It was a quiet knock, almost as if the knock was deliberately trying to only be heard by those nearby. Your parents opened the door and saw AJ with the rooster perched on her arm. No dialouge was exchanged, they looked at Applejack's face and knew her plans. They nodded in unison much to Applejack's delight and led them up to your room.

-*~*-

Meanwhile, you were sound asleep in your room, in your dream, you were working on the farm again, picking up bushels of apples like you did yesterday and putting them in the cart with Big Mac alongside you. Suddenly, Applejack decided to join for some reason. You didn't object, and just decided to go with it. Applejack went over to you and got up close and personal to you to show you how to properly lift them up without hurting your back. You could feel her...breasts...brushing up against your arm as she guided your arms deep under the bushels and helped you lift them up. You also could swear you felt the pointy branches poking your arms as well. The...strangely soft leaves brushed across your skin and it actually felt pleasant. Then, unexpectedly, Applejack has you drop the bushel and pulls you in for a full-on make out session. Big Mac is surprisingly gone at this point as your mind has her rub her body all over you. She pecks you on the cheek lightly...then...OW! OW! Not the ear! What's going on!?

You wake up to find a rooster perched on your limp arm and lightly poking your ear with it's beak. Seeing you awake, it then gives you the official wake up call.

COCK A DOODLE DOO!!!

"JESUS JETFUEL CHRIST WHAT THE HELL!?" You immediately spring out of bed and notice the rooster has re-perched itself at the head of your bead and it cocked it's head to one side as if saying, "What? I'm just doing my job."

You hear very familiar laughing coming from the other side of the door...

"GODDAMMIT, APPLEJACK!" You shout, the anger in your voice not hidden at all.

"AHAHAHA! Hoo...That was the funniest thing I've heard in ages. You awake city boy?"

You facepalm. "Nope, I'm just sleep talking. YES I'M AWAKE!"

"Well then, best git a move on, you an' me are pickin' apples today." Then you hear her tone change from amusement to completely serious... "And you best not screw anything up, y'hear?"

You brushed a bit of sweat off your forehead before responding with, "Y-yes ma'am." Gosh, she sounded pretty threatening behind that door. You heard her knock real quick.

"Hey, are you decent?"

"I guess, I have no shirt on, but I have pants, why?"

She barges into the room and heads to the rooster. You're surprised, she's fully dressed and stunning as ever. She glances at your half-dressed figure on the floor and chuckles.

"Boy, you sure need this work, you look like yer in terrible shape."

She was right, her plaid top exposed some of her belly, but you could tell she was toned and fit as a fiddle. You didn't have any muscle definition whatsoever. (Whether it's being scrawny as a toothpick, or having a few extra pounds, reader's interpretation) You were far from Applejack's level of physical fitness, but you were ready to show your worth...for her. However, you don't like it when people insult your physique like that, even if it is her.

"Hey, I'm not that weak!" You decide to add in some humor to break her guard. "I'll have you know that I can beat the Final Boss of Super Smash Brothers within 5 minutes!"

She rolls her eyes and puts the rooster on her arm. "An' I can beat him in 3. Don't you try ta best me, sugarcube. It ain't happenin'." She adjusted the stetson on her head

Your eyes widen. "You play videogames!?" Wow...this changed a lot.

"Uhh...Yeah! I do. And ain't nobody better than me, y'hear?" She adjusted her stetson hat again.

"Well then, Miss Applejack, I reckon we're going to have to test that! This saturday, my place, Super Smash Brothers. You're going down." You were very confident in your skills as a gamer, and you were NOT about to have her say otherwise. You're a guy! You've been gaming all your life! If she, a country girl, says she can beat you...she has another thing coming.

Applejack suddenly turned beet red. She was spouting lies the entire time. Now she was in trouble...she only knew a little about video games from what her brother played in high school. Oh boy...why didn't she just keep her trap shut...

Because she had her pride, is why...

"Uhm...yer on, city boy!" She wore a nervous expression and didn't bother to face him in case he noticed. She quickly walked out of the room with the rooster and shut the door.

"Meet me in the barn, same place as last time." She called out before you heard her footsteps going down the stairs.

You noticed there to be uncertainty in her voice, but you didn't think much of it. Hopefully, she was nervous because she feared that she might be a tad rusty and not be able to beat you. There were more pressing matters at hand, such as getting to work. You showered, got ready, and dressed in long gray pants with a white shirt that had the 'Assassins Creed' insignia on it.

You came downstairs and dad offered you his old work boots. Strangely, they fit you. They were dark brown and worn with use and weathering alike. They would do just dandy, so you thanked your dad. Mom gave you breakfast (a granola bar with yogurt) and you ate quickly. Then, it was off to work. The morning had gone by surprisingly well (besides the wake-up call) and you were surprised by your own attitude. You weren't nearly as sulky as you were yesterday...could it be...perhaps...that it was Applejack? Were you looking forward to your shift? No, that couldn't be right. Still...you mulled it over your brain a few times and it kept pointing to Applejack. The hug she gave you yesterday still sent butterflies through your stomach...and you wondered if butterflies flew through hers...

...Nah, highly unlikely. You thought.

As you approached the gate to the orchard, you could've sworn you saw Applejack immediately dart from behind a tree to a barn. Was she watching you? Man, that sounded pretty creepy now that you thought about it...You went over to the front door and saw Granny Smith, who simply greeted you with a friendly wave and pointed to the barn you went to last time. You nodded and headed to where she pointed. Along the way, you passed Big Macintosh carrying a huge basket of apples to their cellar and you waved. He nodded back then kept carrying the basket to the cellar.

You saw Applebloom hauling a bag of feed to the chicken coup and she gave you a happy grin. You politely waved back then headed through the barn door and saw Applejack in the barn just like she said she'd be...but she looked as though she had arrived not too long ago then tried to hide it by assuming a lazy position. She had her boots kicked up and her hat over her head, and she was laying down. She didn't have straw in her mouth this time. What gave her haste away was the fact that her chest was heaving as if she had recently ran. You knew at this point that she was waiting for you and tried to hide the evidence...

"Took ya long enough..." She lied, adjusting her hat so that it exposed her gorgeous emerald eyes.

You figured to just play along. "What can I say? I'm just a slowpoke of a city boy. Just tell me what to do so we can get this over with."

She hopped off the extra large bale of hay she had been resting on and approached you. "Big Mac has assigned that you an' me are gonna be pickin' apples from the east acre today. He has the ladders and buckets already put out. I don't want no trouble from you today now, y'hear?"

"It's you and I, Applejack. Also, your double negatives...they confuzzles me...Do you mean to tell me that you do want some trouble from me?" You gave a smug grin, feeling extra ballsy with that comment.

She brought her face mere centimeters from yours, scowled, and stared deep into your eyes with her emerald ones. She was so close to you that you could smell her. She smelled like newly-cut grass and fresh apple juice. It was relaxing, but her face wasn't. She backed you into a wall and placed a hand firmly on your shoulder. You started to get a little scared.

If this were a dream, this would have a whole different meaning... You mused to yourself.

"Wanna run that by me again, city boy?" Her eyes were narrowed, burning themsleves inside your head.

Goddammit, why does she have to be so intimidating sometimes...

You shake your head furiously. She cracked a smile and tousled your hair.

"Good. Now follow me, city boy." She took off at a light jog, so you could keep up with her.

As you followed her, you saw not just how nice her ass was, but how toned it was when it moved. She had very well shaped hips that complimented it, and her denim shorts just accentuated it all so nicely.

Then a thought occurred to you...

What if I don't really like her like that? What if I just feel lust for her?

I...I guess that's a possibility but...

It would make sense why I couldn't stop staring at her the other day, and let's face it, she's totally gorgeous, but her attitude is so abrasive that she causes you to grind your teeth at night.

...That she does. But maybe I can still like her for real! Perhaps after she warms up to me a little bit...

...Well okay, I'll get to know her better and see if her attitude changes or not...But just so we're clear, I recognize that I at least feel lust for her to some degree.

I am not going to argue with that...

I'd hope not, we're the same person, just different sides of your brain.

One knows he is insane when he recognizes his own insanity. You're now officially insane, congrats. *Clap clap clap*

I've been insane since last night, idiot.

Oh yeah...Hey, why don't you do yourself a favor and snap back to reality?

Great idea!

You snap yourself back to reality and find that Applejack has stopped in front of an apple tree that has a ladder on it and a few buckets already positioned beneath it. You assume you know what to do and approach the ladder. Before you can, however, Applejack holds out an arm and stops you.

"Now before ya begin, I gots ta show you what yer gonna be doing." She then climbs the ladder and wraps her fingers around an apple. It was deep red and shiny so you assumed them to be Red Delicious apples.

"Now...when pickin' apples, ya gotta twist then pull." She twisted the apple and pulled sharply, plucking the apple clean off the tree. You step forward and face upwards, enjoying the view of her rear. God, you're such a pervert. You avert your eyes and watch her twist and pull another apple clean off.

"When ya can't carry any more, reach down and drop 'em in the buckets. Don't worry, it's not a long drop and the bottom of the bucket is cushioned." She gently drops the apples in the bucket and she reaches further back to pick a few more off.

...Perhaps a little too far back...

You hear her gasp suddenly and lose her balance, falling back and twisting around before landing on top of you. You break her fall, but since it was unexpected, you fall to the floor and Applejack lands directly on top of you, her nose pressing against yours and her outstretched arms preventing her from completely bashing yourselves together.

You groan, and upon seeing Applejack's shocked face directly in front of yours, you both develop deep blushes across your cheeks. Perhaps if she didn't have her arms in front of her...your lips might've touched...You two were that perfectly aligned.

"...What just happened?" You don't make an effort to get Applejack off of you since you kind of like this.

Her eyes widen before she slowly climbs off of you. "I dunno, I got careless and fell I guess..." The blush is still present on her face and she bites her lower lip. You find it super adorable when she does that...

You puff out your chest and smile proudly. "Well then, guess I saved you."

She blows a lock of hair from her eyes. "Um...guess you did. Thanks, city boy." She actually sounded sincere that time and her face showed that she was probably in deep thought.

Applejack's mind, 8:45 AM...

Why in the HAY did that thought cross my mind!?

Applejack's mind was ablaze with thoughts because when she landed on top of him, she considered kissing him as thanks. She didn't know why it crossed her mind and so her brain thought of possible reasons.

Let's see...if he weren't right there then you would've probably broke something. That would stink big time, wouldn't it?

Yeah, but why would that prompt me to kiss him as thanks? I don't even like 'im!

Well...um...I guess the atmosphere was right...the tree was shaded, we were on top of one another, he actually isn't half bad lookin', the moment just seemed...right.

...That's ridiculous.

Yeah, what was I thinking. There's no way that city boy's gettin' a piece of me, no way no how. I reckon he doesn't even like me that way.

...Just like every other guy...

She came back to reality and saw you holding a hand out to her earnestly, offering to help her up. She decided not to refuse and you pulled her up. She grabbed her arm nervously and ordered you to start picking. You didn't say anything, just went to your ladder and did the same 'twist and pull' trick Applejack showed you, taking care not to fall...

A few hours of you and Applejack picking apples passed, not a word was spoken out of either of you. You didn't think this was from the ladder incident, although that did make things pretty awkward...You figured it was because you knew Applejack didn't take a liking to you. That made much more sense in your head, so you just went with that.

Meanwhile, Applejack was still thinking about the ladder incident unbeknownst to you. It was the only thing that kept her from talking to you. She thought about how she thought about kissing you, about how she just realized how much she didn't like being single all her life, she didn't get out too much, and so the only guys she interacted with were at school. But now, school was out and she only had him. Not to mention, all the guys she knew at her school either picked on her for her lack of academic merit, or acted like they had no interest in her what so ever. She began thinking that you perhaps had a girlfriend you left behind, which she thought explained why you were so...bitter...about being here. The more she thought, the more she convinced herself that you two would never be, and she was just fine and dandy with that. Heck, she didn't even know why she had the thought in the first place.

When 3 PM swung around, Applejack let you know that it was time to head on in for some food. You agreed and followed her to the house. When you both stepped inside, Big Mac greeted you both and asked how the apple picking went.

"It was...interesting..." You said, casting a glance to Applejack so she knew you were having trouble explaining. She decided to help you out out of courtesy.

"Eeyup, we ended up clearing 36 trees or so I reckon." Applejack adds on.

"How is that interesting?" Applebloom asked.

...Dammit...

"Well you see Applebloom, when doing a mundane task like simply picking apples, you learn to make things interesting using your imagination." You said using your quick thinking skills.

"Oh...okay." Applebloom bought it. Geez she was gullible sometimes...

"Well now, I reckon you kids's hungry?" Granny Smith asks with a cheerful smile.

"You betcha!" Applejack beams, stretching her arms and back.

"Yeah!" said Applebloom.

"Eeyup." Big Mac stated, his arms folded across his chest.

"Yep." You folded your arms across your chest, imitating Big Mac.

Applejack seemed to snicker at your attempted emulation of her brother.

Granny Smith brought out lots of little finger sandwiches on a tray and set it out. You grabbed a few and set them on a paper plate, then joined the rest of the Apple family.

Whilst eating, a brown and white border collie bounded up to Applejack and wagged it's tail.

"Well howdy, Winona!" She said, scratching the dog behind it's ears and giving it a sandwich. The dog snapped up the sandwich in one bite, ran away quickly, and returned with what looked like a ball in it's mouth. It trotted over to you and dropped the ball at your feet, then assumed an 'I'm ready!' stance.

"She want's you to throw it!" Applebloom told you.

Eh, what the heck.

You picked up the ball, Winona eying it intently and gave it a toss. She snatched it from the air almost immediately and brought it to you again and whimpered.

"Already?" You rolled your eyes from amusement and threw the ball a little higher this time. Winona almost caught it in mid air, but instead had to dash after it with blinding speed. Winona brought the ball back to you within 10 seconds.

"Geez you're fast." You admired this dog's agility.

"Ain't she?" Applejack said with a light smile in-between bites of her sandwich. Her tone wasn't kind, but it wasn't hostile either. It was like she was saying it to someone she was trying to be nice to, and failing.

You recognized it as rhetorical question and didn't respond. Instead, you just threw the ball again and Winona dashed after it. She brought it back and dropped it again.

"I'm trying to eat here, dog." You sigh from mild annoyance and throw it really far. Once Winona dashes after it, you start eating your sandwich as fast as possible. You finish one before Winona bounds back and drops the ball by your feet again. But this time, Applejack picks it up.

"You eat yer sandwich, I'll handle her." She says in the same tone as before, but a little nicer.

"Thanks." You go back to your other sandwich and start eating. AJ was done eating, and was playing fetch with Winona. You thought the dog was cute, if not a little demanding...

"That's Winona, she's our dog." Applebloom beamed.

You don't say?

"We found her at the pound a few years ago and decided to adopt her! She's been such a good herding dog, watch dog, and companion to us." Applebloom continues. "We just love 'er to death, don't we?"

The rest of the Apple family nods in agreement.

"She seems nice..." You say, not wanting to talk much since Applejack's silence was actually starting to unnerve you. Ever since the ladder incident she hasn't talked to you at all except when necessary...You begin to wonder if that's the reason as opposed to not liking you that much...

And yet, she's actually acting less hostile than she did yesterday. It made no sense, since all you did was help a little bit with carrying bushels yesterday. She couldn't have warmed up to you that fast. You brushed the thought off and finished eating your sandwich. It was getting closer to the end of your shift, and you didn't know what the Apple family had in store for you. You simply waited for all of them to finish...

It was four in the afternoon now, everyone had finished eating and Winona was curled up in a corner of the house. Big Mac told you and AJ that you would both be heading off into the forest to collect firewood.

"Why do ya always pair us two together?" Applejack complained.

"I do it 'cuz y'all are such a good team." He chuckles.

You know better than to argue with Big Mac. Besides, it's dangerous in the forest, You pictured there to be snakes and wolves and bobcats and all kinds of nature that could eat you. Having Applejack by your side seemed to ease your nerves, being as strong as she is. Applejack however, continued to protest.

"He'll only slow me down."

"It's dangerous to go in the woods alone."

"I can handle m'self!"

"What if you can't? Someone needs to get help."

"That's a good point but...him!?"

"What about 'im?"

"He won't last 3 minutes in those there woods."

You decide to intervene. "Hey! I can do just fine in the woods, thank you very much!....But I won't go if Applejack's' really that against it..." You take a step back.

Big Mac lets out a sigh. "I really insist you go, I don't want anything happenin' to my little sister out there."

"...Fine...I'll go."

"...Fine, he can go."

"Not like you had a choice anyway, AJ." Big Mac said matter-of-factly.

You two walk to the edge of the woods bordering their property and before you walk in, Applejack stops you with her outstretched arm again.

"Now listen here, city boy. I've been in these here woods many-a-times and made it out jus' fine. All we need to do is gather enough firewood and git out. Understand?"

"Why not just use some of the wood from your hundreds of apple trees?" You say logically.

Applejack seemed shocked you would suggest such a thing. "Why...why would we do that? Those trees are our pride n' joy! We love every single one of 'em!" She seems to almost speak of their trees like they were their babies.

"Alright alright, forget I asked." You face palm. What a weirdo.

"You best, city boy." She says, then appears to be in deep thought. She finally asks, "So, why exactly are ya so mad about moving 'ere? I think this part of the land ain't nothing to be upset about."

You sighed, this question you could answer easily. "I had a happy life where I was, it was a small apartment with a good internet connection and a low living cost. I have a computer that used to have a great connection where I was, now it's downright terrible. Everyone I've ever known, every memory I've had, everything in my life that I hold dear, it was all there at that apartment. Now I have no friends save talking to them on facebook, and since school isn't for another few months, I probably won't be making any in the near future. And what's worse, my dad acts as if he has just done me a huge favor. He just...doesn't understand me. He's too ambitious and absorbed with his work to pay attention to me anymore. And now that I think about it, I miss spending time with him...even though I don't want to now." You turn your head and notice Applejack has moved closer to you, cautiously side-stepping between fallen branches and fungus-covered trunks.

"Well shoot, I reckon that ain't so good, I've lived here all my life, and if my family were to suddenly move to a small apartment in the city, why, I might just be as nervous of a wreck as you are..." She paused. "So...leave behind any...special friends?"

You were a bit surprised at her question. "Uhmmm...No, not really. To tell you the truth, I have pretty bad luck with the ladies. Some girls have liked me before, but they usually end up being crazy or an emotional train wreck. I really don't want that though, I've always wanted a girl that's as emotionally stable as she is beautiful. I have always had a thing for nerdy girls, and it's also great if she has an intelligent sense of humor. I mean, she doesn't have to be super smart, it's just a preference of mine. Oh! And I like girls that are mostly level-headed and love to cuddle. As far as appearance goes...and don't take this the wrong way, I'm a huge sucker for green eyes. And having great hair helps too." You see her start to think, and you continue talking. "I prefer natural beauty over makeup, and she needs to be confident in her abilities. That being said, I think it's cute when a girl is a bit competitive."

Applejack hears your description and starts comparing herself to your description of the perfect girl.

Let's see...I got green eyes, I wonder if he thinks my hair is great...I'm no brainiac, but I try in school. That counts, right? Umm...I'd say I can be pretty level-headed, I dunno about my sense of humor...I don't know if I like cuddling or not since I've never done it. I'm pretty competitive, and proud of my abilities. I guess now the main question is...does he think I'm beautiful...?

Wait a minute...why do I care if I'm good enough for him or not!?

She took a deep breath and heaved a sigh before answering, "Well, I guess I better tell you my taste in men."

"Go ahead." You respond.

She takes another deep breath. "I guess what I'm really looking for is a sweet guy I can share my emotions with. I'd like him to be a happy guy that is emotionally strong, and not overprotective. I can handle m'self. I need to be able to trust 'im and he needs to know to trust me. I like it when guys are smart an' all, but they need to know not to be a braggart. As far as looks go...well..." She starts to blush a little. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy them muscly armed men ya see on TV, but as long as he was good to me and knew how to treat me right, I'd gladly date 'im."

You tried to see if she saw any potential in you. "And you've never met a guy like that? I think we're actually pretty common."

Her blush intensified. "A-and are ya tryin' to imply that yer one of 'em?" I can't see you being emotionally strong, plus you can't seem to get jack-squat done."

Oohh....right in the heart...

"Plus...." She continued, "You have got 'braggart' written all over you. I bet you're the kind of guy that makes fun of everyone."

"Hey, I haven't mistreated you like that, have I?" You said, defending yourself.

"Well uh..." She stammered, "Not yet at least!"

"I think you're being paranoid. I am NOT out to get you. If you keep this sour attitude though..."

"Just nevermind. I still don't fully trust you yet. That ladder thing...was an accident."

"Whatever..."

Suddenly, you heard a twig snap in the distance. You both jumped and turned to the direction of the sound simultaneously. You saw a fox. It was small and red, and it was just out for an evening stroll.

"...Aw, little guy is cute, ain't he?" Applejack whispered, losing all the hostility in her tone.

"Aren't those the ones that carry rabies? You know, the ones that don't show signs...?" You whisper nervously.

"Nah, yer thinkin' of skunks." She whispers back.

"...Oh...Well there's one of those over there." You point to a skunk you just noticed a few meters to the right.

"Well as long as we don't bother it, it won't bother us..."

Suddenly, the skunk bolts away, and fortunately, it doesn't spray it's noxious gas. You wonder why, then you hear the fox let out a weak 'YELP!' Before you hear a cracking noise. You turn to where the fox was and see that a rather large bobcat has snapped it's neck. It was about as big as Winona, but it had sharp claws and you knew that bobcats were pretty strong, so they were pretty dangerous. It was getting ready to eat it's fresh kill until it sees you and Applejack. It's yellow eyes seem to glow in the dark as it drops the dead fox and stalks toward you, ears back and teeth bared. You didn't need to be a wildlife expert to know it was angry. You probably stumbled into it's territory by mistake...

"What do we do, Applejack?" You whisper, your nerves increasing exponentially.

"I dunno, we're just gonna have to fight it."

"Are you crazy!? Let's just run away!"

"I ain't crazy, and we can't outrun it! Are you crazy!?"

You think for a bit. "...Yes, yes I am."

"Well that's just great." Applejack narrows her eyes and prepares herself to fight.

With no other options, you take your best fighting stance and hope the bobcat goes for her first...

To be continued................RIGHT NOW!!! :D

The bobcat lunged forward, aiming for you. Before it could land a hit, Applejack brought her boot down over the Bobcat's head and caused it to hit the floor with quite the bit of force. You and her jumped back at the same time as it got back up and growled in anger. It lunged again, this time, for Applejack. She side stepped and grabbed it's scruff before throwing it against a tree. She seemed to know what she was doing.

"Dayum!" You couldn't help but admire her strength.

Was that a blush you saw across her face? It was hard to tell. You could at least tell that she smirked at your compliment and stomped her foot on the ground, seemingly challenging the bobcat again. The bobcat got up, and rather than go after the feisty one, lunged at you again.

Applejack didn't reach it fast enough and you ended up with an irate bobcat clawing your face. It gave you a nasty swipe across the cheek just by your eye and was attempting to bite off your nose when it abruptly let go of everything. You opened your eyes, Applejack had the bobcat in some sort of weird hold that prevented it from moving it's arms. It kicked and squirmed, but Applejack merely threw it on the ground and stomped on it's back.

The bobcat let out a hiss of defeat and ran away.

"Finally..." You say, then suddenly the scratch the bobcat gave you begins to take it's toll.

"AGH!" You suddenly grab your face and reel it away when you feel something wet. It was blood. Your blood.

Applejack's face suddenly became very worried. "Oh my gosh, are you alright?" She showed genuine concern for you.

"I-I'm fine, I just need a bandage is all..." You wince as Applejack runs a finger across one of the cuts.

"No, ya ain't fine. That scratch is mighty deep, ya need medical attention right away!" She grabs your arm and drags you out of the forest, back to the edge of the property, and finally into the Apple family household.

"Goodness, what happened to him?" Granny Smith asks, seeing your bloody face. The blood had run down your face and made you look way worse than you actually were.

"Bobcat attacked him in the woods." Applejack said plainly. "Git this wound cleaned up, and hurry!"

Granny Smith nodded and took you over to the bathroom to wash your wounds.

Big Mac walked in suddenly. "What's this about a bobcat? Didn't I tell ya it was dangerous in the woods?"

Applejack narrowed her eyes at Big Mac. "I had to fight off the bobcat by m'self. City boy got a nasty scratch from 'im and I brought him back faster than a rabbit caught on fire."

"Now do you understand why I sent two in the forest?" He spoke calmly as usual. "If you weren't there...what would've happened?"

Applejack had to think for a minute...she could make the argument that he could've just sent her in to get the firewood, but she understood that he wanted to send him in there originally.

"I guess..." She lowered her head.

"And another thing, if you don't like him that much, why were you so worried about 'im?"

This time, Applejack blushed. "Uhm, well he's no help if he's dead, right?"

Big Mac stared at her, knowing there was more to it than that.

"Oh come on, this again? I didn't want 'im to die. That's all there is to it."

Big Mac kept staring.

"I'm not giving in like I did last time."

He still kept staring.

"Would you quit it? It's not gonna work!"

He didn't let up his stare.

"Nope, not working."

The stare continued.

"There ain't anything else to it!"

The stare didn't relent.

"Oh...horsefeathers....I didn't want him to die because I don't really hate 'im alright? In fact...he ain't that bad! There I said it. Ya happy now?"

"Eeyup." Big Mac grinned.

"Don't tell him I said so, y'hear?" Her voice was a whisper.

"I ain't promisin' anything, AJ."

"Aw, come on!" Applejack was getting really annoyed with her big brother.

"Tell you what. I won't tell, if he don't ask."

"...Fair enough." Applejack sighed.

As if on cue, Granny Smith led you out of the bathroom with your wounds patched and cleaned.

"Now don't touch them bandages, sonny boy. We'll replace 'em tomorrow." She then looked at her clock. "Goodness! it's time for you to go already? I reckon it is. Why don't you pick up an apple turnover on yer way out. Have a nice evenin', y'hear?"

You nodded and walked to the door, picking up an apple turnover on your way out.

Applejack watched you head out the door. She figured that she wanted to hear you thank her for saving your life, so she walked out the door a little while after you did. Afterwards, maybe she'd consider calling you a friend...

You had taken a few bites of the apple turnover. It was amazing. It was flaky, sweet, warm, just....heavenly. You thought about maybe catching a show with your mom and dad when you heard footsteps behind you again. You recognized them as Applejack's this time, and decided to thank her for potentially saving your life. When the footsteps sounded close enough, you turned around abruptly and shocked her a bit.

"Look, before you say anything, I just want to say..." You lean in and give her a warm embrace. "Thank you for protecting me back there, well, most of me anyway. I suppose we're even?"

Applejack was taken aback by your sudden display of affection, but she understood why you were doing it. "Uhm...yeah! I reckon I did save yer life, didn't I?" She closed her eyes and smiled pridefully, lifting her head up a bit. "An' I guess...we're even."

You smiled broke the hug. "Soooo yeah, now that that's out of the way, what did you come here for?" You waited for her response.

She answered honestly. "Actually, I came to see if you would thank me...I mean, I think what I did was pretty noble..." Her prideful face turned to one of uncertainty.

"Wait, so what you're saying is that you came over here to pretty much ask for a thank you rather than wait for one?" Your smile disappeared and was replaced by a look of annoyance.

She couldn't lie at this point. "Uh...I guess?"

You facepalmed. "By doing this, you aren't being very noble..."

"You know, you would've died if it weren't for me." She was fully defensive now.

"And I'm grateful for that! I just don't like it when people ask for thanks because it shows lack of integrity. I believe thanks is given where thanks is due."

That hit Applejack right in the heart. She hadn't really thought about that, she let her pride get in the way of her integrity, and it hurt you. She wanted to be alone, alone where she could gather her thoughts about what just happened. You saw her lip tremble, and immediately wanted to comfort her, but she ran off before you had the chance to do so. You just sighed, mentally hit yourself in the head for being so stupid, and walked the rest of the way home. All that progress you made with her today...you just ruined it all. It was over a trivial matter too! It wasn't anything to get so upset about, so why were you so bothered by it?

...Because you're a jerk, that's why...

With that negative thought floating around in your head, you entered your house with much less enthusiasm than when you first exited the Apple family household. You were disconnected from everything else the entire evening, you ate your dinner thoughtlessly, and crawled into bed to try and forget about today...

Applejack's room, 9:00 PM

Applejack wanted to go to sleep, but alas, she could not. That conversation with you still burns in her brain.

"I just don't like it when people ask for thanks because it shows lack of integrity."

She turned to her side and hung her head low. It was a trivial matter to be upset by, but why did what you say affect her so much? She looked to her dresser, her brown stetson hat and hair band sitting on top of it. She looked town to her feet and closed her eyes. She could feel tears forming in her eyes, but she held them back.

Don't let what he says get to ya, you don't even like 'im that much!

I like him enough to care what he thinks about me...

I think he was just overreacting is all, you deserve a thanks, whether you need to ask fer it or not.

Now that I think about what he said, it was pretty shallow of me...

It still doesn't give him the right to talk to ya like that. Now, there's absolutely NO chance he's ever gonna like you, might as well give up, AJ.

Maybe I'll apologize tomorrow and see if he apologizes. What then?

I dunno, if he does, great. If not, he's not worth you anyway.

Applejack let out a sigh both physically and mentally. For the first time ever, you were in her dreams...