AppleYou

A/N

--Sorry if this seems a little rushed. I was in a... A minor panic when I wrote it. I just needed something to do, and ended up with this. :D --

As you sit in your comfy armchair, in your small, one bedroom apartment overlooking Manehattan, your thoughts are drawn to the past few weeks.

You had lost your job for slacking off, and you couldn’t care less. In fact, you are wondering why you hadn’t quit sooner. All you have to do to get money now was go and pick up an unemployment check, and go for a job interview every now and then to make it look like you're looking for work. At least it isn’t hard to fail those.

But your friends seem to have the crazy idea that a job is the most important thing in the universe to have. They have been heckling you constantly, and they are obviously close to giving up.

And so it comes as a surprise, just as you are about to fall into a nice, relaxing sleep, when you hear a sharp knock on your door. You look up, and frown, hoping the knocker will go away if you ignore them for long enough. There is silence for a few minutes, and you happily start drifting off to sleep again.

But then the unseen pony raps on the door again, jerking you awake. You get up, grumbling under your breath, and trot over to the door, grudgingly swinging it open. Standing there is one of your closest friends. His name had never really been easy to remember, so you had all ended up nicknaming him ‘Buzz’, since his serious demeanour usually made him quite a buzzkill. Nonetheless, he is a good friend.

Without waiting for an invitation, he trots in, and frowns at you. His eyes are drawn to your slightly bulging stomach, and he scowls.

“You have to-” He starts.

“Get a job? How will that help?” You ask. He frowns.

“Listen, you have to get out of this apartment more often!” He hisses. You let out a small laugh.

“Why? I’m perfectly comfortable here.” You say. Buzz frowns.

“What do you think a mare would say if she saw this?” He asks. Again, you laugh.

“I’m not interested in relationships, Buzz.” You say. He scowls again, and says;

“Alright, fine. But, me and the others have gotten fed up of your damn laziness. So, we’ve gotten you a job.” He says.

You smirk.

“Very well, when’s the interview?” You ask. Surprisingly, Buzz lets out a small laugh at this.

“Oh no, you already have the job. We’ve noticed how you keep ‘forgetting’ to dress well, or groom yourself right before interviews. So, we found somepony in Ponyville who is willing to give you a chance. Well... After we convinced her.” He says. You find yourself scowling as you say;

“You can’t force me to leave!” You say.

“No, but I can bribe you. Well... Sort of. If you can make it three weeks there, then I will pay you a thousand bits.” He says, a hint of smugness in his tone.

You take a surprised step back. A thousand bits isn’t a sum to just throw away like that. Alright, I’ll just slack off for about three weeks, get my bits, quit, and get back to living. You think.

“Alright, it’s a deal.” You say. You shake Buzz’s hoof, and he smirks. Before you can ask why, he nods, and turns.

“I’ll be waiting downstairs for you to pack. The job comes with free room and board. They simply ask that you work hard.” He says. You smirk, and nod.

“I have nothing to take. Let’s just... Go.” You say, following Buzz down the stairs.

The train ride to Ponyville is a long, boring one. So you decide to get some sleep, happily drifting into your favourite dream; Lying in a hammock on a nice, sunny day, the breeze blowing through your mane, and a nice, cold cider in your hoof. But this time, it’s... Different. You can’t pinpoint how, but it is.

Before you can figure out your dream, the train jolts to a stop, and you jerk into consciousness. Buzz gives your leg a small kick, and he picks you up.

“Alright, now, I have to get home. Look for an orange mare, with a brown stetson. Her name is Applejack. Got it?” He asks. You blink tiredly, and nod.

“Mmh... JappleAck... Brown mare... Orange stetson...” You mumble. Buzz frowns, and gives you a small slap.

“Wake up, stallion!” He growls. You shake your head, and blink.
“S-sorry. Applejack, right? Alright...” You nod to Buzz, and join the ponies leaving the train.

As the train trundles away, you take in the various ponies flocking about the station, and your gaze is drawn to a light orange mare, with a long, blonde mane. Perched atop her head is a brown stetson hat. You nod, and trot towards her. As you get closer, her gaze is drawn to you, and from their, your body. She winces slightly as you get close.

“Um... Are you... A-Applejack?” You ask. She puts on a forced smile, and nods.

‘Wh-why yes Ah am. Ah’m guessin’ yer the stallion Buzz asked me ta hire?” She asks, in a thick southern drawl.

You nod stiffly.

“Yeah, apparently working is the most important thing in the universe...” You yawn, and shrug.

“Ah well, I’m only gonna be working with you for three weeks.” You stretch, and smirk, the thought of sitting around in a cool, quiet room while your work goes undone quite welcoming. Applejack nods stiffly, her smile becoming more forced as she looks at your physique again, and says;

“Eeyup. Yer home for the next... Three weeks is gonna be Sweet Apple Acres.” She says. You nod, not really listening. As you get ready to follow her, the mare’s words get through to you.

“Wait what. A-Acres? A-apples?” You say, in a faraway voice. Applejack chuckles.

“Eeyup. Yer gonna be helpin’ us work tha farm.” She says. As these words reach you, you feel your mind shutting down.

So... So much... So much work... Farm? Waking up early? EUGH... You think. The only thing stopping you from quitting right now is the idea of having a thousand bits to play with.

So, you grudgingly follow Applejack, as she trots away, towards what will probably be three of the worst weeks of your life.