Wubs of the South

Applejack jumped out of her bed, and rushed out of her room, only to be stopped by the loud noise of Big Mac's deep snoring.

What the hay? Why is he still sleeping?

She galloped down the hall and burst into her older brother's room, startling him awake. Next to him lay a sleeping Cheerilee.

“Dammit AJ,” Bic Mac yelled at her, waking up his partner. “What could ya possibly need.”

“Now, don't go gettin' all mad at me, mister. What are ya doin', still asleep at this hour?”

“AJ,” Big Mac said in his slow, soothing voice, “it's Saturday. We never start working 'til ten on Saturdays.”

Applejack looked over to the clock on her brother's bedside table. Sure enough, in the right hand corner, above the time were the letters SAT. Applejack blushed, and turned her gaze toward Cheerilee. “Ah'm terribly sorry Miss Cheerilee.”

“That's quite alright, Applejack,” the school teacher smiled.

“Ah'll let y'all get back to sleep.”

“Damn straight,” Big Mac murmered into his pillow.

“Now, dear,” Cheerilee cooed, “be nice.”

“If I must.”

Applejack turned around and looked into Applebloom's room, only to notice that her sister wasn't there.

“Uh, Big Mac. Where's Applebloom.”

“She said something about going to meet her coltfriend. Oh, and she also told me not to tell you that. Whoops, guess the cat's out of the bag. I am such a bad older brother.” His voice was dripping sarcasm.

“WHAT?” Applejack yelled, as she sprinted down the stairs. She was almost out the door when she realized that she did not know where Appleboom was. She ran back up stair and burnt in on Big Mac kissing Cheerilee.

Big Mac broke the kiss. “What in Celestia's name do you want, AJ?”

Applejack blushed again. “Sorry, but, uh, did she say where she was goin'?”

“To the schoolyard. Goodbye, AJ.” He rolled over.

“Thank-”

“Goodbye AJ,” he said even louder.

“OK, bye then.”

As she turned away she heard Big Mac say to Cheerilee, “Now where were we.”

“Ooh, Big Mac, not now, she's still in the AHHHHHHHHHHHH.”

Applejack grunted in disgust as she headed out into the morning sun.

The crisp morning air felt good against her body, cooling off the sweat she had accumulated over the night, under her covers. She was going to need to take a shower when she got home. She swiftly made her way through the orchard to get to the schoolyard that was across Ponyville from the farm.

Ten minutes later, she galloped into the schoolyard, gasping for breath. Applebloom was nowhere to be seen. Applejack slow made her way around the schoolhouse. Behind it, she found Applebloom and her “boyfriend” making out. Well, if you could call it that. It more looked like the boy was trying to suck on Applebloom's face like some sort of disgusting leech.

Applejack walked up behind her little sister and chomped down on Applebloom's tail.

“Whoa. Whoa,” the youngest Apple called out. She looked back to see who was dragging her. “What the hay, Applejack? What are ya doin'?”

“Ah'm takin' ya back to the farm,” she replied through her sister's tail. “What does it look like Ah'm doin'?”

“It looks like you're messin' in business that ain't yours.”

“Ah'd say family is mah business.” She kept on dragging Applebloom behind her as she walked.

Applebloom struggled until they reached the center of town, but, seeing as it was a lost cause, she stopped, sitting down and relaxing her whole body, making herself that much harder for Applejack to drag.

Finally, thirty minutes later, Applejack had Applebloom at the farmhouse. She spit out her little sister's tail and turned around glaring daggers at the teenager.

“Go to your room,” Applejack said venomously. “Don't come out 'til Ah tell ya.”

Applebloom stomped her hoof in anger. “Ya cain't tell me what ta do, AJ. You're not our mother.

Applejack launched herself at her sister, pinning her against the wall so hard, some trinkets fell off their shelves, shattering against the floor. “Don't you speak of her, Applebloom,” she seethed. “You never knew her. You were just a foal when it happened. Do not throw the thought of her around casually.”

Applebloom looked at her sister with fear in her eyes. She had never seen Applejack so angry in fourteen years of life. She lowered her head. “Yes, AJ.

Applejack calmed down, her body visibly relaxing. “Thank ya, Applebloom. Now, go to your room and wait for me.” She sounded extremely tired as she spoke. She released her sister and watched her as she walked up the stairs to her room. She looked around the living room. A vase that Granny Smith's mother had bought on her travels lay on the floor, broken clean in half, the clock lay face down in front of the fire place. Almost everything that had fallen had been broken in some way. She looked back to the spot of wall where she had slammed Applebloom. The wood was splintered, a pony shaped indent showing what had caused the splintering. Applejack took one last look at the wreckage and, with a sigh headed out the door.

She arrived at the library ten minutes later. After standing there for one more, she gently rapped on the door.

Twilight answered shortly after. “Oh, hey Applejack. What happened to you? You look dead tired.”

“Hey, Twi. Can Ah get you to come to the farm real quick? I got somethin' that needs repairin', and Ah can't do it without unicorn magic.”

“Uh, OK.”

“And, uh, can we teleport there? Ah'm dead tired.”

“I noticed,” said Twilight under her breath. She raised her voice to an audible volume, “Sure thing AJ.”

“Thanks.” Applejack stood next to Twilight as the latter's horn activated. The next second she found herself standing in her living room, which looked like a tornado had passed through it.

Twilight gasped, “Applejack, what happened here?”

“Uh, Applebloom an Ah had a fight.”

“And you guys did this much damage?”

“Actually, Ah did all the damage.”

Twilight turned her head at Applejack so quickly it was a wonder she did not break her neck. “Huh?”

Applejack then recited the whole event to Twilight, leaving out the part about her mother. After she was done, she felt even more drained than before. She sat on the floor and just stared at the pony shaped indent in the wall.

“Oh, Applejack,” Twilight put her hoof comfortingly on her friend's shoulder. She looked around at the room, and, activating her horn, set everything to rights again. “There, everything is back to normal.”

“No, it's not,” Applejack wailed. “Ah want my sister back. We used to do everythin' together. Now she hates me.”

“I'm sure she doesn't hate you, Applejack.”

“Yes, she does. Ya shoulda heard her, Twi.” Applejack stood up. “Thanks for comin' by, but Ah gotta get ta work.” She started walking to the door, only to have Twilight materialize in front of her.

“AJ, you are in no condition to work.”

“O' course Ah am.” She kicked out her back legs to add emphasis. “Ah'm fit as a fiddle.”

“That's not what I meant, Applejack. You are not mentally able to work right now.”

Applejack narrowed her eyes at Twilight. “Ya callin' me slow, Twi?”

“No,” Twilight held her hooves if front of her defensively. “That's not what I meant at all.”

“Well then, would ya kindly move? Ah got apples ta buck.”

With a defeated sigh, Twilight hung her head. “Very well AJ.” She slowly walked out of the orchard.

“Now that that's settled.” Applejack went to the barn and got the wagon and buckets and started putting them around the trees.

Vinyl Scratch walked slowly through the town, bobbing her head to a beat only she could hear. Everypony was going about her normal business per usual, happy and not a care in the world. Vinyl could not help but feel a little nervous, herself. She had just met Applejack last night, but she already had feelings for the earth pony. Her head stopped moving to the nonexistent music.

What am I doing, acting like a little schoolfilly about to tell her crush that she likes her. I'm not even doing anything like that. I just want to see if she wants to hang out.

Vinyl's thought had brought her to the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. She could her the distant thud... dribble of the apples being bucked. So much for hanging out. I guess I could just say hello and see when she is next free. She walked deeper into the orchard, passing tree upon hundreds of trees. She would never know how the three Apples harvested them all.

Finally, she came to the place where Applejack was bucking. The orange earth pony's back was to the white unicorn, and Vinyl did not mind the view at all, but something about the object of her gaze was off. Applejack did not carry herself as she normally did when the DJ saw her around Ponyville. She seemed upset about something. Vinyl walked up to Applejack and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey Applejack.”

The earth pony jumped and turned around. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were stained with the tears she had shed. She looked at Vinyl with dead eyes. “Oh, hey, Vinyl.”

Vinyl looked at her friend with sympathetic eyes, hard to notice due to her glasses. “Hey what's wrong?”

“It's nothin', jus' family issues.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Not really. It just needs time to settle down.'

“Well, OK, then.” Vinyl wrapped a sympathetic leg around Applejack's shoulders. She felt the mare relax under her touch. “If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.”

That drew a small smile from the distraught mare. “Thanks Vinyl.” She gave the unicorn a hug. “Do ya want to hang out or somethin' tonight?”

“Well, I'm working at the club tonight, but you can come by and we can hang a bit when I get off.”

Applejack cheered up even more at that. “Yeah, sure. Ah jus' need to finish buckin' mah share o' the apples.”

Vinyl smiled at her newest friend. “K, I'll leave ya to it then. See ya tonight.” She started walking off.

“Yeah, see ya,” Applejack called after her.

Vinyl barely made it to the edge of the orchard before she jumped into and let out a whoop of pure joy.

Applejack started going back to bucking with a smile on her face. She was about to kick a tree when her sister popped out from behind the one in front of her.

“You like her don't you,” Applebloom said in an accusing tone.

“Wha-? Of course Ah like her. She's a good friend.”

“That's not what Ah meant AJ. I meant you like like her.”

“What? No of course not.” Applejack bit her bottom lip, as she always did when she lied.

Applebloom went of the handle. “You are such a hippo, Applejack!”

“I am no-. A what now?”

“A hippo. Are ya so slow ya don't know what a hippo is. A hippo is somepony who tells another pony not to do something and then goes and does it themselves.”

“First off, Applebloom,” Applejack replied with heat in her voice, “that is a hypocrite, not a hippo. And, secondly, Ah am getting' to know her before Ah rush into anythin', unlike you who grasps on to the first stallion who shows any interest in ya.”

“Whatever,” Applebloom retorted, then walked off in a huff.

Applejack watched her little sister walk of with a hint of sadness in her eyes. Tonight cannot come fast enough.