Apples to Apples

     You give the apple tree a sturdy kick, and watch as the fruit falls into the baskets. You feel a sense of pride in yourself. You're getting better at this. AJ will be proud. You watch as she trots over.

"Nice job cousin! Yer gettin' better! Ah knew ah'd be able to help ya." She says.

     Cousin. That word would have made you wince if she wasn't standing right there. You two are distant cousins, and hardly know each other. But to her, as you found out soon after arriving, family is family no matter how distant. Instead of wincing, you smile.

"Yeah, thanks for the help AJ." You reply.

"Anytime cousin." She answers, tipping her hat before walking off.

     She said it again! Sometimes you wonder if she knows how you really feel about her, and is condemning you. Then again, should you feel this way about her. Sure, you two aren't blood related. But you're still related. What would everypony else think? What would the rest of the family think? What would she think?

     She'd probably be disgusted by that thought. The rest of the world would, what would stop her? Morals? Her morals probably condemn your feelings. You shouldn't love family like this. It's just wrong.

     But, you can't control who you love. It doesn't work that way. The best you can do right now is hide it. You've been able to do that so far. It just gets harder every day. Heck, you're not going to be here much longer. Soon, you'll have to make the choice to tell her or not.

     Each choice has consequences. If you tell her, she may never look at you the same way again. But if you don't, you'll have it weighing on your mind forever. Gah! Thinking about what to do is a pain. Literally. It's giving you a migrane. So, you try getting back to work. It helps a bit. At least your headache goes away. But the choice keeps nagging at you like your mother.

     You decide to stop thinking about it, and let it leave your mind. Choices or not, AJ needs your help with the south field. That is much easier said than done. You are built for speed, not built for strength. Your exceptional running abilities meant that you were your family's errand pony back home. But, this year they sent you out to Ponyville to do work with your distant cousins on their farm, Sweet Apple Acres.

     Honestly, you really weren't looking forward to it. You enjoyed having to do so little on the farm back home. But, your family finally got fed up with your lack of effort in strength training. They told you that Applejack and Big Mac would whip you into shape. You fought and fought to stay home, but they threw you onto the train kicking and screaming.

     You knew their one mistake was sending you alone. You had planned to bolt as soon as you got off the train, and then run as far away as possible. But, your relatives found you first. Before you could get your bearings, you were stopped by an adorable little filly with a large pink bow in her mane. She kept asking who you were and where you were from. Before you could answer, another voice piped up.

"Apple Bloom! You leave that pony alone right now!" It ordered.

     With that, an orange mare with a stenson hat stepped between you and the filly named Apple Bloom. You tried to keep your jaw from dropping. Standing before you had to be one of the most beautiful mares you'd ever laid eyes on. You couldn't believe that this was your cousin. You'd never believed in love at first sight, but you'd be damned if you weren't smitten.

"Sorry about Apple Bloom. She's just real excited to meet more family. Ah'm Applejack." She says.

     You can't find the words to introduce yourself. It happens whenever you meet a pretty mare. You become meek, and can hardly say a word. She waves a hoof in front of your face.

"Um, cousin? You alright?" She asks.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Applejack." You respond.

"No problem. Ah just didn't get yer name." She says.

You give her your name.

"Well, it's nice to meet ya cousin. That there filly's mah lil sis. The rest of the famliy's back on the farm. Come on." She says, motioning for you to follow her.

     You follow her, staring a bit. She stops, and turns around. She hits you on the head, and you come back to reality.

"Fer the hundredth time, mah eyes are up here!" She says, somewhat angered.

      You look around, and wonder how you got to the farm so fast. You hear Applejack start laughing.

"Enough day dreamin'! We've gotta finish the south field." She says through her laughter.

     You did it again. You started reminiscencing and stopped working. And again, you started staring at AJ. Your face reddens, and you look down. She starts laughing a bit harder. The laughter continues for a couple of minutes before she lifts your head up. She smiles at you, and you can't help but smile back.

"Come on, the sooner we finish, the sooner you can go hang out in town." She says.

     You nod, and follow her. Thinking she can't see you, you let your eyes drift once more. She looks back, and notices your stare. Instead of saying anything, she decides to tease you a bit. She adds more sway to her step, and looks forward with a grin on her face. You take notice, and snap your attention back up.

"Enjoyin' the show cousin?" She asks with a snicker.

     You don't answer, and instead trot up next to her. She's giggling a little bit. You roll your eyes.

"Lighten up. Ah was just playin' is all." She says.

"Yeah, yeah. Can we just finish this field already?" You reply.

"Isn't that what we're doin'?" She retorts.

     You chuckle, and continue into the field.