They say a little hard work can go a long way. I never took that expression seriously. Why? Well, I'm not the most labor-oriented person in the world. Of course, I'm not an idiot. I'll do things that I'm obligated to do, like get a steady job, go to school, and other painfully mundane activities that we, as citizens, must do in order to live happily in this existential purgatory we call life. Or so the government says.

Anyways, enough of my rambling. I can imagine what you're thinking right now. Why is this guy talking to me? Does he have a story to tell? As a matter of fact, I do. Yep, that's right. Good 'ol Maverick has a story to tell. Weird? Maybe. Epic? Probably not.

A few weeks ago, that day started like any normal Friday afternoon. It was the end of the year, which mean that finals week was on the way. We all know how finals week goes. I was never the intelligent type. You know, the kind of student that goes the extra mile and somewhat overboard to get better grades? Well that's not me. I'm happy with a C.

It was already the end of 4th period, which meant that next period was everyone's favorite class: lunch. There I was, sitting in my Composition class. I had my earphones on since there was only about five or six minutes left to the bell, so I already had my bag all zipped up and packed. The teacher had stopped talking to us, so pretty much everyone in the class was having their own little conversations. As for me, my music would do.

I had my head down as the music played at a comfortable volume, just high enough to drown out everyone else. I was already close to falling asleep, which was not a good thing since there was five minutes left. Eh, might as well take advantage, right? As I settled into the desk to get as comfortable as possible, I felt someone tapping me on the shoulder.

Removing my left ear bud, I turned around to see a pair of emerald eyes staring back at me. A worn, brown Stetson hat rested atop her head, and her golden blonde hair was done into a ponytail that hung over her left shoulder. She had lightly tanned skin, along with a set of cute-looking freckles just below her eyes. Dressed in an unbuttoned, plaid long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her forearms, a white undershirt, tight-looking skinny jeans, and the whole country look complete with cowboy work boots.

There was only one girl who bothered to dress like this: my classmate, Applejack.

"Yo, what's up, AJ?" I asked, removing my other earbud. She flashed me a brief grin before answering.

"You okay there, pardner?" Did I happen to mention that she has the sexiest Southern accent I have ever heard? 'Cause she does. "Ya looked y'all were fallin' asleep there."

I sighed and leaned back against the armrest of the desk. "Yes, in fact I was. Before a certain cowgirl decided to wake me up." I smirked at her. I've known her for quite a while. I think we met in Home Economics class sophomore year. Since then, we've been good friends and always had the same classes together. Though, I don't think I'm as close to her as her other friends. A couple of them are known figures here in the school.

"Well, ah reckon t'aint a smart move to fall asleep a few minutes before lunchtime," Applejack laughed as she crossed her arms. "Anywho, what y'all doin' for lunch? Gonna meet yer buddy Note?"

"Probably." I shrugged my shoulders. "He's got this new game and he wants to talk about it with me. He's such a nerd, heh." Not that I didn't like video games, what guy doesn't, but Note likes them a little too much, spending most of his free time playing. And he wonders why he hasn't got a girl yet.

"Well that's Note there for ya." She laughed once again. Pausing for a moment, as though she had something on her mind, she finally spoke up. "Hey, can ah ask ya somethin'?"

"You already did, but yeah go for it," I chuckled, motioning for her to continue.

She scowled playfully at me before continuing. "Ah was gonna ask ya if y'all were busy this weekend." Okay, that was out of the ordinary. It was a normal thing for us to hang out with each other occasionally, like during lunch or after school, but never outside of school. This I had to hear.

"Can't say I am." I shrugged my shoulders with a casual smile on my face. "My parents are leaving for the weekend and I have to stay and hold down the fort. So no, I guess I'm not busy."

"Ah'm afraid ah can't say the same for myself." She pursed her lips as she leaned forward and placed her hands under her chin. "My brother, sis, and granny are headin' out to Appleloosa this weekend to visit one of my cousins. Problem is, there's a whole field we haven't picked yet, and we need to so that we can get an order for a shipment of apples in so we can meet our quota for this month. And well, ah volunteered to stay behind and pick up the slack for us."

I had an idea on where this was going. "Why would you do that? You already work hard enough as it is. Why put yourself through more than you can handle?" It was true. Many times I've had to wake her up in class because she worked herself too hard the day before. In fact, she's actually missed school a lot because of her job. I remember when I asked her if she planned on going to college after this year. She replied by saying, "Why? I already found something to do for the rest of my life!"

Seems as though picking apples must be exhilarating.

"Cause, someone needs to pick up the slack while everyone else is away." She shrugged her shoulders.

"So what does that have to do with me?" I asked probably a little too rudely.

"Well, ah was wonderin' if y'all would wanna come on over to Sweet Apple Acres and give me a hand with pickin' some apples?" Now here I was conflicted. I'm not sure if I got the point across to you earlier, but physical labor and I do not, I repeat, do not mix. Never liked working myself hard, and now Applejack is asking me to help her out on her farm. Where lots of manual labor takes place. Almost too quickly, I decided to come up with some sort of counter.

"I dunno, you don't have anyone else to help you out?" I asked. "What about your friends?"

"Believe me, I already asked 'em," she rolled her eyes as she said this and I wasn't sure if I should take offense to that. "But they're all busy this weekend. So you're pretty much my only hope for any help this weekend on the farm."

Aw man, she was playing the guilt card. Great. Now I actually have to take this into consideration. "Well, I'd like to help you out, AJ, but I don't know the first thing about working on a farm. I honestly wouldn't be that much help."

"Please, all ah need help with is pickin' apples," she scoffed, smiling at me. "And pickin' apples ain't that difficult, but it ain't easy neither. Get my meanin'?"

Okay, that was a bit of a contradiction.

“Uh, rrriiight.” I looked away from her briefly, scratching my neck while trying to find some sort of answer to give without hurting her feelings. “I really don’t know, AJ. I don’t think I’m really cut out for that kind of work. For all I know, I’d probably mess something up.”

The look that appeared on her face killed me a little inside. She pursed her lips briefly before those beautiful, shimmering green eyes looked down towards the ground in defeat. Applejack seemed to deflate entirely as her shoulders slumped and she leaned on the desk, holding her chin up with her palm.

“Aw shucks, Mav,” she mumbled, not making eye contact with me. “Ah was really hoping you could help me out this weekend. Ah don’t trust anybody else and you’re one of my best good friends. Here ah was thinkin’ I could count on ya.”

Goddesses did that fucking hurt. This girl put her trust into me. And considers me as one of her closest friends.

I am the biggest jerk on the planet. There was no way she would forgive me for this if I just completely blew her off.

Quickly coming up with a response—one that I hoped would not fuck this up even more—I picked up her chin so she would look me in the eyes. To be honest, I had no real clue what possessed me to do that, but it felt right.

“Alright, AJ,” I sighed. “Give me until after school to think about it alright? I still have to ask my parents if I can even leave the house this weekend.”

“So you’ll think about it?” she asked, her face lighting up.

I merely nodded.

“Aw, man!” She chuckled. “You had me goin’ there for a sec!”

Suddenly, the bell rang. And everyone in the class immediately began making for the door. Me and Applejack usually wait for everyone else to leave. It makes things easier to just walk out instead of jostling others around.

All of my stuff was packed into my bag so I got up, stretched, and slung my bag on my right shoulder.

Applejack did the same and picked up her binder that was full of her work from all her classes. Not that she had much in there to begin with.

Like I said, Applejack hardly gives a shit about school. The only thing she really cares about is just waiting for school to end so she can go back home and work on her farm. I couldn’t imagine working on a farm for the rest of my life. Sounds… boring, really.

I don’t know how she does it.

As she stood up, she turned to pick up her binder from the floor. It was this angle I got a really good view of her. Damn was she built.

She had a wonderfully slender form with visible curves running down her hips. Her physique was absolutely stunning. All those years working on the farm paid off nicely. Even with the modest clothes she had on, you could clearly see how toned she was. And those skinny jeans she had on flaunted those luscious, sculpted legs.

It honestly makes me wonder...

“Gettin’ a good view there, Mav?”

I shook my head as her voice broke me out of my stupor caused by that divine body of hers. “Uhh…”

“Uhhh…” she mimicked, laughing as she brushed a lock of her blonde hair out of her face. “Come along now, Mav. Time’s a wastin’!”

She turned me around and began nudging towards the door before I finally regained control of my motor skills and joined her out in the now crowded hallway. We walked out towards the foyer of the school, where her friends, surprisingly Sunset Shimmer as well, were standing around in a circle. More than likely waiting for Applejack.

“So, you’ll think about it, right?” she asked before we reached her friends. Usually whenever Applejack met up with her friends, it would be time for me to take my leave. I would hang out with her and her friends from time to time, but I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome.

That, and I’m pretty sure they have… ‘girl things’ they often talked about. Like what they’re going to wear to prom. Or something of that nature.

“Yeah,” I nodded, grinning at her. “I think I’ll consider it. But, I’m only doing this ‘cause it’s a favor to you.”

“Aw, thanks, Mav.” She smiled graciously at me, leaning forward to wrap her arms around my lower torso. I responded in kind by holding her back just as tightly as she held me.

Ouch. She’s really squeezing the hell out of me. Our embrace lasted a little longer than usual. Maybe like, four or five seconds longer. Eventually, Applejack released me from her iron grip. “You’re the best. I can’t thank ya enough.”

“Anything for you, AJ.” I smiled.

“Well, I guess I should find some way to repay ya for yer trouble.”

“How so?”

“Hmm.” She pursed her lips and arched her brow, thinking back on something. “Meh, I’ll figure somethin’ out. See you after school in the front?”

I smiled then nodded at her. “You bet. I’ll meet you there.”

“Alrighty then.” She hugged me tightly once more and made her way back to her friends, where they were patiently waiting next to the front door. After reaching them, she turned around and waved at me, and I waved back to her. Usually I don’t pay too much attention to her friends, and by that I mean I don’t really make the effort to go up and talk to them. Mostly because I’m just too lazy to do so.

Getting to know six other girls at the same time is exhausting.

Before I turned towards the cafeteria, I caught brief glimpses of the looks they were all giving me.

Rainbow Dash was smirking deviously at me, like she was hiding something. Rarity had her arms crossed and a hand on her mouth, as if she tried to stifle a giggle. Sunset Shimmer was just smiling brightly at me.

Goddesses, did she have a cute smile.

The others were simply just smiling at me as well. Pinkie looked like she was about to burst out laughing, Twilight had this small smile on her lips, and Fluttershy, well, she had this sheepish look on her face. Applejack was in the midst of it all.

And I wasn’t sure, but I could’ve sworn I saw a hue of red on her cheeks.

Meh. Whatever. I’ll deal with that later. For now, my stomach was getting pretty upset at me for the lack of food. I quickly made haste to the cafeteria, where I could already see the line to the serving area forming.

A long.

Fucking.

Line.

Typical.

I stood in line for fifteen agonising minutes .

After picking up my tray of two slices of pizza, an apple, milk, and the crummy green slop they call a vegetable, I tossed everything except the pizza and apple in the nearest trash. I don’t much care for the other things, so why eat them? I dropped the apple into a pocket on my backpack, zipped it up, and made my way toward the usual spot where Note and I hung out.

The spot was in a mostly secluded area of the school, where all the nerds go to do nerdy things where no one can see them. I’m actually not too much of a nerd myself, but those guys are the very definition of the word. Like, they literally talk about science, play games on their handhelds, or play nerdy card games that have to do with dragons, knights, and other things.

Oh, and FYI, the female population of that sector of the school is utterly and entirely nonexistent.

You get half a guess as to why that is.

Anywho, I finished my two slices of pizza, threw the plate in a trashcan in the hall, and pulled out my apple, taking a large bite. It felt like I was biting into a damn soggy marshmallow. My face wrinkled from the sour taste and looked at it with disdain.

I knew it. The damn apple was practically brown on the inside. Fuck high school food.

The apple disgusted me so much I doubled back to the trashcan where I threw the plate, and I slam dunked that shit in there so hard Michael Jordan would be proud. I wiped my hands of the disgusting juice it left on me and I resumed my trek across the school to the little area on the school grounds, where my nerdy compatriots along with my buddy Note were.

Though I could probably hang out with other people with bigger standing in the social food chain, I didn’t want to. I honestly found solace hanging out with those dudes. Hanging with a popular guy like Flash Sentry or some other A-hole, I couldn’t possibly be myself. To be truthful, one bad move or one terrible joke would be all it would take, and my reputation at Canterlot High would forever be slandered.

And that’s if I actually gave a shit.

When I met Applejack, I didn’t really care about making a crap ton of friends. I didn’t need that really. All I needed was just a couple of friends I knew I could talk to whenever I wanted, and they would talk to me as well. You know, people I knew would never fuck me over.

Now that that’s over with…

At long last, I reached the area on the side of the school near the student parking lot, where the nerds of the school staked their claim long ago. And so it was, this became their hangout spot.

Then there was Notebook, standing above some other guys that were seated at a table, a chessboard draped over the top. From what I saw as I approached, the guy playing as the black pieces was losing. Big time.

“Hey! Douchebag!” I called out. He turned around from the game taking place in front of him and smirked as he saw me approaching.

“Sup, bitch!” Note laughed as he held out his fist which I bumped. “What’s happening?”

“Just finished wading my way through a sea of hungry people to claim the divine treasure that is pizza,” I replied nonchalantly. “Did you get something to eat?”

“Yeah.” He nodded as we turned towards the table where the chess game was happening. “Packed myself a sandwich. Didn’t feel like fighting through the crowd just to get a slice of frozen pizza.”

“Hey the pizza ain’t that bad,” one of the players known as Rooker chuckled.

“He’s got a point there,” his opponent replied. What his name was I didn’t know. Fun fact: I don’t know half the people on this side of the fucking school. They all stood in various spots on the grass or sat down on the few benches that surrounded the area.

We all laughed for a moment before I spoke up. “Yeah the pizza ain’t that bad. It’s better than those damn tacos they give us.”

“Right, right,” Note nodded, smirking to himself. Okay, one thing I forgot to mention, Note was a pretty big guy. He had broad shoulders and stood at least a full head higher than me. I barely reached up to his shoulders and I’m a fairly tall guy. I’m taller than Applejack for goddesses’ sake.

I am jealous of Note’s height and forever will be.

We spent a few minutes of chatting idly, and watching Rooker beat the shit out of the other guy. By the time he won, I finally decided to tell Note of my weekend plans with Applejack. Or rather, if I should even do it.

“So what do you think?” I asked as I leaned against the brick wall of the sciences building. Note stood off to the side, his arms crossed.

“I say go for it,” he nodded at me, pursing his lips. “She’s a friend and she needs you. Just do it, bro.”

“Would you seriously do it?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Shit, I would,” he chuckled. “Especially if I’m going to be helping a fine individual like Applejack. Think about it for a sec. A hot girl is asking to spend a weekend with you alone at her farm. The possibilities are endless. It’s highly probable that this will end how your perverted little mind is hoping it will!”

Okay, weird. I frowned at his absurd declaration. “Seriously? You really think Applejack is just using the excuse of her needing help at the farm just for us to end up having sex?”

He then gave this weird little look that he always gave me when he’s trying to get his ridiculous point across.

“I doubt it, man,” I sighed, shaking my head. “I really doubt Applejack sees me that way. I mean, I’m not exactly the greatest. She could literally choose any guy in the school and she chooses me? Why don’t you put that into your little calculation.”

“Aw c’mon, man!” he exclaimed, shoving me slightly. Jeez, he barely made a move and I felt like I was hit by a train. “You are the X that she is trying to solve for! Out of all the variables in the equation, she chose to solve for you! You are the absolute value! The standard deviation! The square root! The-”

“Alright!” I shouted. “Enough with the math metaphors. You’re hurting my head.”

“Well excuse me for understanding math, asshole.”

“Anyways, so you think I should go for it?”

“Absolutely,” he replied. “This is an opportunity of a lifetime. And you’re thinking of passing it up.”

I paused and thought for a moment about things. Applejack is an insanely attractive individual. Even though we’ve been friends for a couple of years, I didn’t think that we were that close. Sure we’ve talked about personal matters and the such, but we hardly ever hung out outside of school.

The thought lingered inside my mind for a moment, before Note tapped me on the shoulder. “Yo, so are you gonna go through with it, man?”

“Now that I think of it,” I began. “I think I’ll just do it. I’ve got nothing better to do with my parents out of the house the whole weekend and it’s a whole lot better than staying up all night playing online with you.”

“Whoa- wait,” Note interrupted, grabbing my shoulder and glaring at me straight in the eyes. “Your parents. Are gone? For the whole weekend? Dude, we should totally-”

“No.”

“Aw c’mon! This is another perfect-”

“Mm mm,” I hummed, crossing my arms.

“But-”

“I said no.”

“Mav, we could do a-”

“We are not a doing a Toga party.”

‘But what about-”

“Or a keg party. We can’t even buy beer.”

“Then how ‘bout-”

“And definitely, for the love the Goddesses, not a party where a bunch of these dudes we don’t even know go over to my house to do nothing, but play video games on my systems that I worked hard for. Especially if there are no girls there. The amount of testosterone packed into my living room would be stifling without some estrogen to cool it off. It would be the biggest sausage-fest in the world.”

“Man, you’re no fun,” Note groaned, folding his arms as he leaned against the science building’s brick wall.

“Well excuse me for not wanting strangers in my house to enjoy my personal amenities,” I scoffed. Before our banter could resume any further, the school’s monotoned bell echoed throughout the school, signaling for all students to cease fun and be herded back into class like sheep.

You could literally hear the whole school groan.

I saw everyone in the Nerd Sector of the school begin to pack up their stuff. “Welp. I guess it’s back to the grind,” Note laughed as he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “So, what are you doing after school?”

“Well it’s a Friday,” I said, picking up my bag as well. “First, meet up with Applejack. Then I guess take the bus home and prepare myself for this weekend. Goddesses know what kind of work Applejack has in store.”

“Heh, I can think of a few things.”

“Get your head out of your ass will you, Note?” I chuckled. We both then decided to begin the trek back to our classes. I believe I had government next. “What about you?”

“I’m staying in the library this afternoon.”

“The school library?” I raised a brow at him. “Is that even allowed?”

“Uh yeah.” He glanced at me. “Didn’t you know that students can stay after hours?”

“I’ve never cared enough to ask!” The only times I went is when I had research to do. “Why are you staying?”

“‘Cause, finals are coming soon and well, I like to get a head start.”

“Hmph, right.” We eventually made it into the school, where the halls were flooded with students. Some of them were familiar faces, but when you spend the last four years of your life wandering the same halls, you begin to recognize people.

Me and Note had to part ways since we had different classes. He stopped right in front of his math class, where the infamous Mr. Cranky Doodle made his domain. The old man stood outside in front of the door, staring with his soul-burning glare.

“So, see you soon?” he asked, standing in front of the lockers near the classroom.

“Yeah, man.” We bumped fists and he smirked at me. “Don’t study too hard. Might fry that potato you call a brain.”

The two of us laughed briefly as I turned around and made my way down the crowded corridor to my own class. I’d happily skip, but I had enough absences and I did not need my diploma to be revoked.

You know, now that the school year was finally over, it made me think about what the future held. To be honest, I was going to miss the big guy. He was smart so I knew he would probably get accepted to some really fancy school.

Oh well. Time to get back to class.

A few classes later and the final bell rang.

I was among the torrent of young adults pouring out from the exits of the school. Soon enough, I was standing in front of the school statue that resembles a rearing stallion.

So majestic.

Eventually, I saw Applejack walking towards me… By herself? Strange, her usual entourage of her best friends was absent.

“Hey there, Mav!” Applejack greeted brightly as she pulled me into a tight hug. “Have a good day?”

Whoa, where in the world did that come from? “Well, now that the day’s over and you’re here, I feel a little better.” I smiled at her. I feel like what Note said might be getting to me and I’m inadvertently buttering her up.

The farm girl's eyes widened slightly before she blushed and smiled bashfully up at me.

“Aw, shucks.” Applejack glanced away from me, rubbing her neck. “You’re makin’ me blush, Mav.”

Man, she looks cute when she blushes. I could feel my cheeks burning up from the sight alone. No matter what, I had to play it cool. “W-well, I’m...” I cleared my throat. “I’m glad I can flatter you so easily like that. So, what’s the plan for this weekend?”

“Welp, one thing’s for sure, we got our work cut out for us,” she began, holding her binder against her chest as we walked towards the sidewalk where the buses lined up, the students walking to their designated rides. “The whole southern field’s gotta be picked before the summer, and I wanna get through the first half of it this weekend.”

“And uh, how big is this field?” I asked, raising a brow at her.

“‘Bout a couple acres. Give or take.”

Oh, shit. A couple of acres. I knew that was a large piece of land and I didn’t even have to ask Note to calculate that for me. And she wants to do half of it this weekend.

What have I gotten myself into?

“Mav?” She tapped my shoulder.

“Huh?” I muttered, blinking as I shook my head. “What?”

“You’ve been awfully quiet,” she said, a worried look on her face. “You thinking about something?”

Only the pain and suffering I’ll be going through this weekend.

“Uh, n-nothing,” I stuttered. “So, just the two of us are going to be taking on a whole field of apples? You sure we can do this?”

Applejack laughed. “Hah! You kiddin’? Me and my big bro can get half a field done like nothing! All’s we need is two of us. Don’t need much more than that.”

This is crazy. Just the two of us alone on her farm. Picking apples. Hundreds of apples.

“I don’t know, AJ,” I argued. “I mean, I’m not in the best shape of my life. And summer’s on the way. How long would we be going at it?”

“Heh, well,” she chuckled. “We usually wake up at the crack o’ dawn so that way we can get more things done. We then usually work ‘til the late afternoon ‘round four or five. ‘Course, we ain’t superhuman. We do take breaks here and there, Mav. Specially for lunch. Working all morning can work up an appetite.”

“Right.” I nodded. “So, what time do I go over there tomorrow?”

“Oh! That reminds me!” She opened her binder and reached into one of the side pockets, pulling out a small slip of paper. “Here, take this. It has the address for the farm. It ain’t too far away from here. Just about close to the city limits.”

The distance from here to the city limits was at least a twenty-thirty minute drive. Great.

“Well, I guess I could look up the address online.” I pocketed the note. “So, what now? I’m about to head for my bus. What about you?”

“Big Mac’s comin’ round with the truck sometime soon.” She looked off towards the street where parents were picking up their kids. “Ah guess you might wanna head to your bus before it takes off without ya.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” The long line of buses was already running the length of the school. I saw everyone already getting onboard. I really needed to get on mine or else I would’ve been left behind. “So, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow morning? What time you want me to come?”

“Just be there at least before noon.” She smiled.

“I’ll try to be up early then,” I smiled back. “So, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow?”

She only grinned and nodded. “You bet.”

“Alright, then.” I leaned forward and hugged her goodbye, where she squeezed me tightly. “Ouch, not so hard. Don’t miss me too much, heh.”

“Can’t help it.” She chuckled, letting go of me. “You’re just too squeezable.”

Someone from the street honked their horn and we both looked over. There was a red truck with Applejack’s brother leaning out the window and motioning for Applejack to get in. I’ve only ever spoke to him maybe once. He graduated last year and since then, he’s probably just been working on the farm like Applejack.

I didn’t know about her, but I intended to go to college. It’d be a shame if I went off somewhere and never saw her again. But, if she really was going to work on the farm for the rest of her life, I could always visit her.

Another thing occurred to me at that moment. If I was gone and we never saw each other that much, then she would possibly…

“Welp. I gotta go, Mav.” She smiled before turning around and walking towards the truck. I’ll be honest with myself, I stared a little longer than I should have. How could I not? The way her hips sashayed with each and every step, or how her beautiful, golden blonde hair shone in the sunlight.

If anyone saw my face, I probably would’ve looked a little starry-eyed. Before I knew it, she stepped into the truck, and drove away down the road, giving me one last smile through the window and I smiled back.

“All buses are leaving!” I heard a teacher’s voice shout out. Soon, the big, yellow behemoths growled as they shifted into gear and began driving forward.

And my bus was at the front of the line.

Shit.

During dinner, that evening I spoke with my parents about the plans for the weekend. They seemed to be a bit reluctant about me leaving the house, since they were leaving off to another city and wouldn’t be back until Monday. Thankfully, with a little convincing, I was lent the car so I could get to and from the farm.

I also looked up Applejack’s address and copied the route onto my phone. In the morning, I would have to use it as my guide.

After dinner, I went got on my computer and called Note on Skype, where we decided to play a few games online. Oh, and get this, while he was studying at the library that afternoon, Applejack’s friend, Twilight Sparkle, paid Note a little visit in the library, and well…

Things happened.

You can imagine the rest.

At first I didn’t believe it, but after some convincing and extremely vivid details, I decided to appease my friend and congratulate him on cashing in his V-card. But in a library of all places?

I mean, shit, not even I would have the courage to pull a stunt like that.

Either way, he and Twilight are a confirmed couple according to him. Said something about taking her on a date during this weekend. Lucky bastard. I couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous. Notebook, the biggest nerd I know, got laid before me.

In the end, I was happy for the big guy and I promised we would celebrate together some time.

Night fell, and it was time for me to sleep. Applejack was not too specific on what time I should get there. My parents would be leaving at the the crack of dawn to catch their flight. I set my alarm for just after they left so I could get to her farm as early as possible.

Since I was going to be helping her for the whole weekend, I was sure I’d be able to memorize the route there.

That night, sleep eluded me. I laid there for a good few hours, trying to sleep around ten or eleven, even after Note begged me to stay on and called me a “little bitch” when I signed off for the night.

I didn’t know what it was that bothered me. Was it Note’s success in getting a girlfriend? Or maybe my lack of action with Applejack. As I laid there, I started thinking about all those times I should have asked her out. Like for the senior prom, which already passed about the month before.

When I asked her what she was doing that night, she said she didn’t plan on going, so my dumb ass decided not to bother with it and didn’t ask again. Perhaps I should’ve simply asked her out and done something else than spend time and money on expensive dress wear and just went out to go stargaze in a field or something.

So many things I should’ve said.

Now I found myself standing upon the precipice of my destiny. It was that night I knew I had to do something. To make the first move. I debated with myself for a good hour as I laid on my bed.

Finally, I came up with a resolve to take the initiative and make some sort of move on her. I hoped she wouldn’t think I was being creepy or desperate, but then I started thinking about certain… things.

Some weird reason, I began to think about her looks. Those cute little freckles on her cheeks, her fit, toned body. And then about her beautiful emerald eyes. And then… how she would sway those incredible hips of hers with each step. And those long... legs...

Alright, I stopped myself before I needed to make an emergency evacuation. I then began focusing on sleep itself so I wouldn’t be late like an asshole. I closed my eyes and simply thought about nothing.

But then, I began dreaming. Not the kind of dream where you wake up and immediately forget about it. I guess, daydreaming? Whatever it’s called, that’s what happened as I turned over in my sleep. My dreaming included Applejack, however I wasn’t dreaming about perverted stuff. I was just dreaming about her altogether. The two of us sitting on the hood of my car, staring out at the stars.

Or both of us sitting in my room playing games, her laughing as she beat me, but I secretly let her win just to see that beautiful smile light up like a Hearth’s Warming tree.

And then I began thinking about me and her on a date, having a candlelight dinner in some restaurant that I suggested we go to. I knew for a fact that Applejack wasn’t high maintenance, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t treat her like a lady.

While I dreamt about these moments, I could feel my heart flutter when I thought about the two of us sharing a kiss in the rain or under the moonlight. I really wondered what her lips would feel like on mine. To be truthful, I’m not a hopeless romantic, but when it came to someone I loved, I’d do anything to make them happy.

Then something hit me. But, why it didn’t hit me sooner, I had no idea. The thought of me and Applejack together made me extremely happy. Like, all my dreams had come true or something.

It was at that moment in the long night, I realized something.

I liked Applejack. Quite a bit actually. Okay, maybe a lot.

The one thought that occurred to me, before I finally fell into sleep’s comforting embrace, was something that worried me greatly:

Did she like me back?

Morning came much quicker than I thought.

The alarm clock blared its incredibly annoying siren and I pounded on it until the damn thing finally stopped. My eyes felt like they were glued shut as I half rolled, half fell off my bed. With some effort, my eyes popped open and my vision became clear.

Glancing at my clock, I saw that it read about 6:40 a.m.

Knowing Applejack, she probably already started.

The house was empty since my parents left pretty early. The night before, I gathered clothes that I thought would suffice for the day. Nothing too fancy, just a white T-shirt, jeans, and an old pair of sneakers. I didn’t have any boots, so these would have to do.

As for breakfast, I just toasted a few pieces of bread and spread some butter over them. I made sure to drink a few glasses of water. I read somewhere that before hard physical labor, you’re supposed to hydrate your body.

Hopefully orange juice would add to that.

Soon after, I brushed my teeth, put on my clothes, fixed up my hair a bit, picked up my keys, and then went out the door. By the time I left, it was twenty past seven.

The car growled to life as I turned the keys and sped off from my driveway. I pulled up a map on my phone and followed the route I set up to Applejack’s farm.

I hoped it wouldn’t take too long.

So, remember how I hoped it wouldn’t take very long to arrive at the farm? Yeah, well, thing is, it took A LOT longer than I thought it would. Even though I had the damn route planned out on my phone, I still managed to get lost.

And her farm was way out there in the boonies, away from the usual urban landscape.

Eventually, and I mean eventually, hundreds of lines of trees came into view. I turned my head to see them as they blurred past the windshield. I could only assume who those trees belonged to. Quite obvious since I spotted red shapes amongst the branches.

Further down along the freeway, I spotted a wooden fence that ran for about half a mile until I came across a sort of gateway. I hit the brake and skidded to a halt.

Hanging above the gateway, I saw a large insignia adorning the wooden board: A large, red apple inundated with vines and flower petals. Below that was a wooden sign hanging by chains that read “Sweet Apple Acres” in big, red letters.

I stared at the sign for maybe a moment or two, before I turned to the right and drove past the gate, where it led onto a dirt road. The drive into the farm was truly something.

Trees surrounded the road as I drove, rays of sunlight seeping in through the branches.

I opened the window of my car and allowed the breeze of the early morning to flow through my hair and against my face. It felt nice despite the fact that it was a hot day. The sun was shining brightly and there was not a cloud in the sky.

Great. This ought to be the funnest day of my life.

The dirt road led to a clearing, where I could see a farmhouse resting comfortably in the midst of this jungle. I could smell the strong smell of wet, dewed grass, and the sweet scent of the apple trees was intoxicating. Finally, after taking in everything, I reached the farmhouse, and guess who just happened to be there, rolling in a wheelbarrow full of apples towards the barn?

No, seriously. Go on, guess.

Of course, it’s Applejack, you sillies.

And good goddesses, my mouth dropped to the floor as I saw what she was wearing. She wore her usual boot cut jeans but these looked more tattered and dirty. Either way, she could pull them off. She also wore an orange plaid shirt with the hem rolled up past her midriff and tied up to keep from sliding down as well as the sleeves which were rolled up close to her elbows. Underneath was a plain white tank top which seemed a little too small for her since it could barely cover her lower stomach.

Not that I minded.

Of course, she wore her hat and hair was tied into the usual ponytail that hung over her shoulder. Her skin was glistening from the early morning humidity and it seemed as though she was glowing like an angel.

She smiled as I pulled up in my car, walking towards the driver’s seat window.

Oh boy. I swallowed hard as she approached, trying my damnedest to play it cool.

“Mornin’ there, Mav!” Applejack called out as I lowered the window. “Had a good night's rest?”

“Uh, y-yep!” I grinned. “Sorry I’m a little late. Got lost on the way here.”

“Oh that’s fine,” she chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. “The farm can be a bit difficult to find. Go ahead and park there next to my truck.”

Nodding my head, I rolled up the window and drove over to where her truck was parked, right in front of the porch of the big red farmhouse. I switched it off and pocketed the keys, and stepped out where Applejack was waiting.

She moved forward and quickly wrapped her arms around me in a tight bear hug and I reciprocated the gesture, wrapping my own arms around her lower back. I didn’t even care that she was practically damp from the sweat.

“Thanks for comin’, Mav,” Applejack sighed in my ear before pulling back, a soft smile on her face. From this distance I could see a thin layer of dirt on her clothes and face. “I honestly didn’t think you’d show up at first.”

“Well, I’m glad to see you have faith in me.” I scowled playfully, crossing my arms. “If you want something to blame, blame the broken GPS that led me halfway around the world before I finally arrived here.”

“Like I said, it’s fine.” She rolled her eyes. “So, you ready to get started? Now that you’re here, we can probably get more work done than I could do alone.”

“Sure.” I nodded my head, smiling as I rubbed my hands and popped a few knuckles. “Just point me in the right direction, boss.”

“Follow me right quick.” Motioning for me to follow, I wasted no time in catching up to her. The two of us walked back to where the wheelbarrow rested. “Mind helpin’ me take that there wheelbarrow to the barn? I need to dump that load there before we head back out into the field.”

“Alright.” I gripped the handles of the wheelbarrow and lifted with a grunt. To be brutally honest, the damn thing was pretty heavy. I didn’t want to look weak in front of Applejack, so I put on a stoic face and drove the thing with all my might.

To her, however, I wasn’t hiding my struggle good enough. “You okay there, Mav? The thing too heavy for ya?”

“Nah,” I replied, my voice cracking a bit. Goddesses, she probably noticed that. “I’m good. Let’s keep moving.” A millennia passed before my eyes before we finally reached the barn, and I dumped all the apples into a pile on the floor, next to a sizeable mound of apples. “So, what do you do with these dumped apples?”

“We gather ‘em and put ‘em into barrels,” she explained, leaning against the barn door. “Then we ship ‘em off to whoever wants to buy some or sell them at the local flea market.”

“Huh, right,” I grumbled, grabbing hold of the wheelbarrow. “So, what’s the objective for today?”

“Welp, we got our work cut out for us, that’s for sure,” She pursed her lips, looking back towards the orchard. “I wanna get most of the South field picked before my family gets back on Monday. But for today, let’s get at least more than a quarter through it.”

“And what’s my job?”

“Your job, is to help me carry that wheelbarrow so I won’t have to do double the work. I pick the apples, put ‘em in a bucket, dump ‘em, and you roll it back to the barn. Easy right?”

“Pfft, too easy.” I chuckled as we began our trek to the enormous field of apple trees.

“Alrighty then.” She rolled her eyes. “Oh and FYI, ya probably should’ve brought a hat. Protect your eyes from the sun. We gon’ be out here for a little while until it’s time for lunch.”

“Oh, really.” At that moment, I kind of figured I was fucked. Out of everything I could have forgotten, I forgot that we were going to be out in the sun for an extended amount of time. A hat of some sort would’ve done wonders. Now I had to endure the heat of the early morning without any kind of protection from the sun.

“Heh! And I reckon we’ll be putting those muscles of yours to work!” She clapped me roughly on the shoulder, and the recoil caused me to fumble with the wheelbarrow. “By the time this weekend is over, you’ll probably be as strong as Big Mac!”

She chuckled heartily and I laughed as well, though a bit uneasily. We were now close to the endless trove of trees, and I felt as if I was about to meet my horrible heatstroke-involved fate. I began to pray to any kind of God or Goddess that was listening at the moment.

I was going to need it.

So, I wasn’t quite certain what I was feeling at the moment. Pain? Regret? Probably both. Perhaps it was greatest pain of all time: the pain of regret. Mixed in with some self-loathing and the incredibly strong urge to go back in time and prevent my conception. If only that were possible at the moment. Anywhere, but here would be better.

“You alright there, Mav?” Applejack asked as she climbed down the ladder that was leaning against the tree we were working on. The wheelbarrow was currently halfway full, and the tree was just about fully picked. Prior to this one, we’d gone through about maybe thirty, or forty, or I didn’t really know at that point.

The ability to process things such as numbers was heavily impaired. Applejack worked quickly and I had to keep up with her. It was tedious, really. Strenuous. Now it was clear to me that Applejack could do this kind of work almost too efficiently. Then there I was struggling to work at her pace.

“Uh, y-yeah!” I gasped, as I leaned over the wheelbarrow, sweat dripping off my cheeks and forehead. My shirt was practically drenched with sweat and my whole body felt like a Hot Pocket fresh out of the microwave. Bits of grass clung to my hair and my arms, and there were dark dirt stains on my pants and shirt. My sneakers were white and black when I came here.

Now they were brown.

“You uh, sure you’re okay?” Applejack’s expression softened into one of confusion and concern. “If you wanna stop and rest for a bit, I understand.” I wanted to stop around fifteen minutes in. However, I didn’t want to lose face. To my idiotic mind, Applejack seemed like the type of girl to fall for a man’s man with unbreakable machismo. An unyielding force of nature!

Yet here I am with her. A kid who has his head up in the clouds most of the time and plays video games too much. Back then I was such an idiot. I was an idiot for thinking that way. Believing that a guy like me could never have a girl like her in my arms.

Even then, the fact of the matter remains. Of all the guys she could’ve picked, she picked me. One thing I wanted to know, was why? That would have to come later.

“How long have we been at this?” I asked, wiping away the sweat from my forehead. “Feels like years.”

“Oh don’t be exaggeratin’,” she scoffed. I saw her look up to the sky, squinting as she did something with her hands. “It should be about noon by now. Wanna head in to grab some food?”

Did I fucking ever. “Sure. Ready when you are.” With that, she climbed back up the ladder and began picking the remaining apples off the tree, dropping them into a large, wooden bucket below her. When she finished, I grabbed the bucket and dumped its contents into the wheelbarrow, making it heavier in the process. Thus, making the trip back to the barn more difficult.

“Alright, let’s get goin’!” She clapped me lightly on the shoulder and I followed her back to the barnhouse. Okay, I’ll admit. That hurt a lot more than it should have.

“So, whatcha think?” Applejack asked, smirking as she arched her brow at me coyly. “You like it?”

My eyes gleamed with hunger. “Oh man. It looks great. And delicious.”

“Why don’t ya give it a try?” She giggled.

“Gladly!” I took a bite of the sweet deliciousness that was her homemade apple pie. In the past, Applejack has always told me about the legend of Apple family pies. I never quite believed her, but tasting this heavenly morsel of crispy, appley goodness, I now understand why she bragged so much about it.

Before we dug into the pies she made for us, Applejack had cooked some stew for us to chow down on. It was some sort of mix that was composed of cabbage, chicken, carrots, and mixed with various spices. In all honesty, the stew was pretty damn good. Simple, yet satisfying. Along with the soup, we drank a few glasses of refreshing ice tea.

“Wow,” I muttered, still chewing on the syrupy piece of pie in my mouth. “This, is something else, AJ. I kinda feel mad you never let me have a pie like this before.”

“Well that’s your own fault for never giving the farm a visit, ” she laughed as she started on her own slice of pie. “I would’ve gladly baked ya one if you ever came on by.”

“I guess it is my own fault.” I swallowed the piece of pie in my mouth and forked another. “I’ll be honest, I never really thought you’d be okay with me visiting out of the blue.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked. “I mean, I like ya enough.” I felt my cheeks burn. Looking back up at Applejack, I saw her cheeks gain a slight tinge of red. “I-I mean, uh, I sure as heck wouldn’t have minded sharing a piece of pie with ya.”

“Y-yeah, I feel the same way,” I replied as I stuck in another piece of pie into my mouth. Then, it occurred to me what I said and I almost choked. “Uh, I mean, you’re fun to hang around with as well.”

I felt my whole body tense up.

“What do you like about hanging with me?” She might as well have dickpunched me with that question. I was severely unequipped to answer this, and if I said the wrong thing, I might set off this powder keg. Applejack tilted her head as she waited for my response. The fatigue from working on the field was still present. I’d actually have to think about what I should say.

Treading carefully, I gave her my answer. “Well, I guess I can say you’re a cool friend that’s for sure. And you sure know how to make a damn good pie. I would’ve come a lot sooner than this.”

Alright, that sounded much better in my head. Instead, I probably made myself sound like an ass.

“Why didn’t ya?”

I paused again, ceased my chewing and swallowed. “I dunno what to say really. I just, never thought about coming. Despite the fact that I’ve known you for so long. Can I be honest?”

“‘Course ya can.”

“I never knew if you’d be okay with me visiting, you know?” I looked down at my plate. Whatever she was thinking, I couldn’t bear to look her in the eyes. “I just didn’t know how comfortable you are with me.”

A few moments of uneasy silence passed. Neither of us knowing what to say next. I was clueless on what to do next. What was she thinking?

Finally, I heard her sigh as she stood up with her plate in hand. “It’s almost time to get started up again. I’ll give ya about fifteen minutes or so to do what you gotta do. Bathroom’s down the hall and second door on the left. Meet me in the living room when you’re ready.”

I watched her place her unfinished plate of apple pie in the fridge, and she walked out of the kitchen without another word. With that, I pushed back my plate and pressed my hands together in frustration.

“Urgh, how am I going to go through with this?” I grumbled to myself. “Think.” I thumped my head against my hands.

“Think.”

thump

“Think.”

thump

“Think, you idiot, ugh.” I thumped my head one last time before I finally slammed them on the table… right into my apple pie. “Agh, sonuva- man!” I looked around the kitchen table to see if I could spot some napkins.

Sadly, there were none.

Left with no other option, I simply began licking all of the crust and syrupy apples off my wrists. I may have looked like a child, but hell, the pie was too good to simply wipe off with a napkin. When I finished cleaning up, I got up and threw the paper plate into the trashcan.

I finished my business with the porcelain throne, and walked back into the living room, where I found Applejack sitting on the couch next to the screen door.

“Well,” I cleared my throat, putting on the best smile I could muster. “I’m good to go, AJ.”

“Alrighty then, partner.” Applejack thankfully smiled back. “Let’s get goin’.”

This half of the day was not as bad as the first half. Though it was the afternoon, the morning humidity had finally worn off. Now it was just dry heat. Not only that, but Applejack seemed to work even faster, leaving me struggling to keep up with her. Apples fell from the trees quicker than I could dump them into the wheelbarrow.

Not to mention, there was hardly any conversation. The most we would talk was when she asked me to do something or move the bucket this way and that. However many trees we went through, this time I kept count.

At twenty three trees in, she stopped.

She placed the ladder against the tree, leaning on it with a hand on her hip. To me, it looked like she was thinking of something. I dropped the wheelbarrow, a few apples falling off the edge. Without her asking, I grabbed the bucket and stood next to the tree, waiting for her to start the picking.

“Something up?” She refused to meet my gaze and I was dying a little on the inside.

“It’s nothin’.” Oh for fuck’s sake. I was no expert with women, but when they say ‘nothing’s wrong’, it means you fucked up somehow and must find a way to fix it without putting yourself in deeper shit. Right now I’d say I’m ankle deep.

“AJ,” I muttered. “What’s going on?” Seriously, I just had to ask.

“I said it was nothin’, Mav,” she snapped. “Let’s just get to work.” I watched her step away from the ladder and move next to the tree trunk. What happened next shocked, and somewhat terrified me. Applejack about faced the tree and delivered a sharp roundhouse kick to the side of the trunk.

The impact reverberating throughout the whole tree and several apples fell helplessly from their branches and onto the ground, where she began to pick them up.

Meanwhile I stared at her slack-jawed. As she was about to pick up one right in front of me, she stopped and arched a brow at my expression. “What?”

“You just, you-” I coughed and regained my voice. “You just roundhoused the tree and literally all the apples came off. How did you do that?”

Instead of giving me a little smirk like she always does, her expression flattened as she placed a hand on her hip, apples still in hand.

“How long you think I’ve been doing this?” she asks. “I know these fields and trees like the back of my hand. You didn’t bother to think I’d gained some sorta skills from doing this?”

“Well to be honest, I kinda perceived apple farming to be brainless work, really.” I felt a rift open up somewhere in the fabric of the universe after I said that. My blood ran cold as Applejack began to glare at me. I really hope she took that as friendly banter.

“Really, Mr. Comedian?” My body loosened up as her familiar smile returned. “I seem to remember a certain someone sweating like an overworked pack mule earlier this morning.”

Oof. Low blow. “Yeah, well I,” I groaned and wiped a bead of sweat off my brow. “I mean, this is the first time I’ve been out here. Not to mention, I ain’t exactly an athlete.”

“Right, well let’s get back to work.” She turned away and looked up towards the sun where she did that thing again with her fingers, almost as if she was lining them up with the sun. “Alright, it’s about three in the afternoon. We’re making pretty good work. Only three hours and we’re already a quarter of the way done with this field.”

“Really? Huh.” I slumped my shoulders as I leaned on the wheelbarrow. “How much longer til we call it a day?”

“Well,” she placed a hand on her hip as she rubbed her chin in thought. “Since we got some good work done today, I’d say we can call it about an hour early.”

“What time do you usually finish?”

“We finish up around six in the evening.” Applejack took off her hat and wiped off some sweat. “Work any longer than that and we wouldn’t have any energy for the next day.”

“Oh. Well then.” So we still had a good two hours to go from here. Even though we had an hour to rest, I still felt fatigued from the morning.

“Don’t worry, Mav.” I felt her hand on my shoulder as I looked up and saw her emerald eyes staring into mine. My whole body tensed up at the feeling. I could only stare back, and no matter how badly I wanted to, I didn’t look away. “The worst part is always the mornin’. Even for me an’ Big Mac.”

“Right.” I nodded, gulping. What was making me so nervous around her now? Did I fuck up that badly with my smart remark? Last night when I came to a realization about my feelings for her, I didn’t think it would affect me this much. I felt as though I was walking on thin ice.

“What’s wrong? You’re looking pretty sick.” To be honest, I was feeling a little under the weather at the moment. Actually, really under the weather. When the hell did that happen? I felt my face and arms were tingling. I started feeling dizzy. “Mav, you alright there?”

“Yeah I’m alright, AJ.” I felt the wheelbarrow come out from under me and I fell to the ground in a heap. Apparently, I leaned a little too far on it.

“Mav!” She knelt down next to me, the sun shining behind her head. It almost made her look like an angel sent from the heavens. “Mav, can ya hear me?”

I stared blankly at her. “Kinda… yeah.”

She pressed the back of her hand against my forehead. “Aw, shit. You’re burnin’ up big time. You feelin’ dizzy?”

“Yeah.”

“What about weak?”

“Yeah.”

“And are your arms and face all tingly?”

“Uh huh.”

“And do you feel chills?”

“Yeah?”

“Gosh darn it, you’re getting heat stroke.” Applejack pursed her lips. “Let’s get ya inside and cool ya off before you keel over.”

“Ungh, gotcha.” I felt her pull on my left arm and I got to my feet. She slung my left arm over her shoulder and held on to the right side of my back. “AJ, I uh, think I can walk on my own.”

“Just lemme help ya walk for cryin’ out loud,” she scolded as we began the long walk back to the farmhouse. As I took a few steps, my legs almost gave out. They felt like goddesses damned rubber. “Ugh, ya see? Told ya you couldn’t walk on your own like this.”

“Alright, alright,” I grumbled. “I see your point.”

“Good, now let’s get back to the farmhouse, now.” Applejack said, pulling me along. “I’ll fix you up good, and I’ll come back out here to finish cleanin’ up. Looks like we’ll be callin’ it a day a bit more early than I thought.”

“AJ, we need to get work done, I can just-”

“No, Mav,” she interrupted. “We gotta get you better first.”

I didn’t want to argue anymore after that. Not like I had the energy left. My whole body felt like it was on fire. Why I didn’t realize what I was feeling sooner is still a mystery. However, even through the dizziness, cold sweat, and the fatigue, a smile crept its way onto my face.

My head was bowed so she wasn’t able to see me smirking. I tightened my grip on her shoulder, but only slightly. Almost as if I was holding her. Hell, she was practically in my arms already. She held my left hand in her grasp so I wouldn’t slip off. Not like I was going to.

I didn’t want to be anywhere else.

I managed to utter a single phrase. “Thanks, AJ.”

She tightened her grip on my wrist and back.

“You’re welcome, sugarcube.”

End of Part 1

Author's Note

So yeah. Here is the Applejack fic I've been working on for almost six, seven months. I abandoned it for a while to work on other things like the previous chapter for Lost in the Rhythm.

This thing was already clocking in at ten thousand words so my editors and I decided to divide it in half and work our way towards the second half. I also have a little something special planned in mind for the next part. It should be out within the month. I won't give a date since I don't like to set deadlines for this type of stuff.

Especially with school work on the line.

Either way, I'd like to thank Eppie Genetic, Alcatraz, and Duelist96 for helping me fix this up. Couldn't have done this without you guys. That's all for now, folks. Enjoy the story.