Midnight With The Stars and Applejack

>As you load the last bushel into the barn you can't help but collapse to your knees
>You've been going back and forth, hauling cart after cart, each filled to the brim with bushels of apples
>It's only been about 8 hours but it feels like it's been weeks
>You're honestly just glad you can do this much
>All the manual labour is far beyond what you could dream of doing
>Earth pony magic man, how does it work?
>Dragging yourself over to the bucket of water kept in the barn, you dunk your head in, in a vain attempt to get rid of some of the sweat, dirt and grime that's accumulated on your face today
>Despite the blistering heat of the sun you find the water to be surprisingly cool
>Reveling in the refreshing feeling you let your eyes slip close and allow a small amount of your held breath out
>Before you're able to get much more enjoyment you feel a pair of hooves just barely grip your sides before they give you a hard tug, effectively squeezing the life out of you
>As your held breath is force from your lungs, you're somewhat glad as they fling you out of the bucket
>With the wind knocked out of you and the lack of strength in your muscles it would have been difficult to pull yourself out
>Coughing and spluttering you look to your side to see a small ball of yellow clinging to you
>Gulping down air you clear out what's left of the water and finally find your voice
"Applebloom? The heck did you do that for?"
>She looks up at you with tears in her eyes and you start to internally freak out
>If Big Mac found out you made her cry he'd sell your liver and kidneys
>Probably
>He didn't talk much
>"You were in there for a few minutes, I thought you were trying to drown yourself! Did we do something wrong?"
>You weren't drowning but this filly will give you a heart attack if she isn't careful
>Placing a hand on her head you ruffle her mane
>Leaning into your touch she starts nuzzling you until she headbutts your chin
"No need to worry AB, I was just cooling off is all, sort of got lost in it I guess. You don't have to worry about anything"
>She pulls back and scans your face
>She's no Element of Honesty but she has at least half of her sister's knack for sniffing out lies
>Satisfied, she gives you a hug that barely reaches halfway around you
>Chuckling to yourself you return the embrace much to the giggling filly's delight
>As the giggling stops you can tell that something's still troubling her
>Pulling away you see her trying to avoid her gaze
>Letting out a small sigh you shift her into your lap and pull her chin up to look at you
"Applebloom, talk to me. What's going on?"
>Despite her struggles she gives in and cranes her head up to look at you
>Her eyes dart back and forth, uncertainty clear on her face
>"Are- are ya sure you're alright?"
>Placing a hoof on your chest she finally looks up at you
"Applebloom, I'm fine. Where's this even coming from?"
>"Well it's just that... I've heard ya'll humming and singing under your breath when you were on your breaks. When you thought nopony was around."
>You're starting to put together why she's been so much more timid around you, even after she got over the whole alien thing
>"I know Applejack says eavesdroppin' ain't right, but I couldn't help it!  It's just that, it weren't no song I've ever heard here, so I reckoned it was from your home. You never like talking about your home, but then I listened and it was just so... sad"
>This is gonna be harder to explain than you thought it would be
>You try to come up with an explanation but the words just die in your throat
>Looking down at Applebloom you can see that her worry has only gotten worse
>Pulling her to your chest you just rub her back, not saying a word
>Getting the message she returns the embrace
>After a few minutes like that you hear a familiar twang on the wind
>"Applebloom, Anon, where the hay'd ya'll go?"
"We're in here Applejack"
>The familiar sound of her hoofbeats on the dirt get louder and louder as she canters up to the door
>Seeing the two of you as you are, she brings a hoof to her muzzle in a poor attempt to hide her smile
>Chuckling to herself she kicks her hoof out and leans against the door
>"So what's gotten into you two?"
>With a smirk of your own you wave her off and slowly detach from Applebloom
"It's nothing to worry about. Applebloom was worried about a whole load of nothing is all"
>Applebloom stretches herself out as she shakes the feeling back into her legs
>"Well I hope it got sorted cause Granny's raring to tan your hides if you don't come get your dinner"
>Applebloom gets a perk in her step at the mention of her grandmare's cooking and starts making her way out of the barn
>Shooting you a worried glance she hurries along when Applejack nudges the nape of her neck
>Shaking the feeling back into your own legs you start making your way down the beaten path home
>Or at least you would, if you didn't feel a pair of teeth tugging at your pants' leg
>"Now where do you think you're goin'? I said 'hides' that means you too mister"
>Rubbing your eyes you turn back to face the country mare
"Come on Applejack you know I hate freeloading, I've got food back home waiting for me"
>She lets out a 'pfffttt' and swats your leg
>"Freeloading my flank, you did a good hard day's work and ya'll deserve compensation"
"You already pay me well enough Applejack"
>You try to back away to no avail as she's already put herself behind you, cutting off your escape route
>"Bits are all well and good but neither me, nor Granny are gonna take a no for an answer"
>You roll your eyes at this, this mare's as stubborn as they come
>"Honestly Anon, when have you ever been able to convince me not to have you for dinner?"
>You grumble as a smug grin spreads across the mare's face
>It tempts you to more adamantly refuse but that didn't work the last time either
>Letting out a sigh you see her sway on her hooves as she knows she's won
"Alright, fine"
>You fail to show any actual annoyance as the prospect of a home cooked meal brings a smile to your face
>As you turn yourself around Applejack makes her way besides you, bouncing on her hooves as she does before going into a slow trot to keep pace with you
>As you make your way to the house she sways herself back and forth, humming some random tune
>As she sways she ends up hip checking you
>Stumbling slightly you manage to regain your footing and shoot her a small glare
>Chuckling to herself she starts trotting again, without swaying this time
>"Sorry about that Anon, sometimes I forget my own strength"
"It's no trouble Applejack"
>As you continue on your way you look at her out of the corner of your eye
>Stepping forward with your foot at a bit of an angle you manage to make her stumble over it, causing her to lose her balance briefly
>As she regains her footing she shoots a glare at you as you try to stifle your laughter
>"Oh you find that funny do ya?"
>You'd find her tone intimidating if her hat wasn't crooked
>As you fail to stifle another fit of laughter, Applejack lets out a snort
>Before you know it you're on your face
>Applejack had headbutted the back of your knee, causing you to trip over your own feet
>Blowing the dirt out of your face you shoot a glare at the now laughing mare
>As you get up and dust yourself off you take advantage of her distraction
>Plucking the hat from her mane causes her to quickly stop laughing and shoot you a glare of her own
>"Anon, gimme my hat back"
>Placing it on your own head it's a bit too small but it works well enough
"Nah, I quite like it"
>As you continue on your way she walks backwards in front of you, jumping up at your chest to try and reach it
>As she reaches for it for the dozenth time you grab it and hold it out
>As she holds herself on her hind legs she loses her balances and fall backwards
>Crouching down you place her hat on her chest and shoot her your own smug grin
>Snorting indignantly she quickly rights herself
>"Now it's on"
>Seeing your imminent demise, you take off at a run to try and reach the safety of the house
>Weaving as you go, you only briefly see orange blurs attempting to tackle you through your peripherals
>Just before you reach the port she crashes into your back and causes you both to tumble to the steps
>As you both break out into fits of laughter you try and fend off her hooves as she playfully smacks against your chest
>The laughter alerts the matriarch of the house to your presence
>Hearing her clear her throat you both go still
>Craning your heads up to see a less than impressed Granny Smith you start to disentangle from Applejack
>When you both are finally back on your feet Granny Smith looks you both up and down before letting out a sigh
>"You youngins and your tomfoolery, ya'll keep this up and there won't be no more food for you. You can fool about with each other all you like, ain't none of my business, but try and do it on full stomachs"
>You both look to the ground and say your apologies
>Shooting you two one last glare she lets out a huff before indicating for you to follow
>As you both make your way inside, you're greeted by an impatient Applebloom, bouncing up and down at her seat as she looks between you, Granny and her food
>Besides her is her ever stoic brother Big Mac
>He gives you a curt nod which you return as you settle down next to Applejack
>With Granny giving the word, Applebloom immediately begins devouring her food
>She's stopped as quickly as she started as Granny starts going on a tirade about manners
>After that, dinner goes on about the same as usual
>You talk to Applejack and Mac about what tomorrow's work will consist of
>You talk to Applebloom about her day at school and her friends
>She asks you about your old life which you answer as vaguely as possible
>Though one difference is you and Applejack's back and forth
>Apparently not satisfied with what happened outside she nudges your elbow with her own causing you to nearly hit your head on the table
>Much to her and Applebloom's delight you note
>Quickly returning the favour causes her to dip the tip of her muzzle into her food
>You can't hold back your laughter as she glares at you with food falling off of her muzzle
>Ever the neutral party, Applebloom finds just as much amusement in her sister's fall as she did yours
>You both go back and forth until your nearly just shoving each other
>Though you go back to your food after getting an earful from Granny Smith, you both continue under the table
>As the 5 of you finish up your meal you start going your separate ways
>Granny and Applebloom head upstairs to turn in for the night
>You, Applejack and Mac meanwhile stay behind to clean up what's left of dinner
>As you put the last of the plates up to dry Mac asks you to take one last bushel count for the day then to head home
>Telling him to thank Granny for you in the morning you head back to the barn
>As you double check the number of bushels you don't hear Applejack slowly making her way in after you
>You're only alerted to her presence as you hear the creaking of wood as she leans against a nearby wall
>You both look at each other in comfortable silence for a while
>Shooting her a smile you go back to checking today's work
>While you're both comfortable with each other you can tell that something's agitating her with how she's scratching her foreleg with the other
>Straightening up and rolling your shoulders you turn back to her
"What's up Applejack?"
>Her eyes snap up to meet yours
>Something's definitely up
>She's normally a lot more focused than this, even if she is tired
>She turns away from your gaze to paw at the ground again
>"I- I was just wonderin' if you wanted to talk?"
>You seat yourself to lean against the cart so you'd be at eye level with her
"Talk about what?"
>"I dunno, it's just- I ain't really feeling tired yet and I was wonderin' if you wanted some company before you headed home?"
>She rubs her neck nervously as her eyes dart back and forth between you and the ground
>Giving her a reassuring smile seems to help her calm down a little
>Snapping out of whatever she was thinking about, she starts look especially giddy
>"I just remembered, I got something I wanted to show you. Come on"
>Trotting towards the barn door she turns and begins to climb a ladder
>Turning your head up, you see it leads to small platform with a large stack of hay bales on top
>Pushing yourself off the ground you follow after
>Getting a quick glimpse of Applejack's toned flanks as you look up the ladder
>As she reaches the top she turns around and beckons you up
>Quickly making your way up after her you see an indent in the hay bales near the front of them
>As you come around to the front you see them stacked in a way that makes them perfect for laying on
>Turning to Applejack you see her tugging on a small pulley system with her mouth
>As she pulls, two large planks of hinged wood swing outwards gives you a perfect view of the orchard
>"You like it? Had it installed when the barn got rebuilt.”
>You try to answer her but the sight nearly takes your breath away
>A near endless sea of trees and a star-dotted sky stretches out before you
>“Well don't just stand there gawking"
>Turning to the source of the voice you see Applejack plopped down on the pile of hay, patting the space besides her
>"Take a seat"
>You can't wipe the smile off your face as you make your way besides the mare
>As you heave a sigh and relax into the surprisingly comfortable hay, the barn goes quiet as you and Applejack gaze at the orchard and the night sky
>Only briefly disturbed by the sound of crickets your breathing gets slower and slower as you relax into the hay more and more
>You're snapped out of your drowsiness as Applejack speaks up
>"There was actually something I wanted to talk to you about Anon"
>Turning to Applejack you don't say anything but wait for her to continue
>Letting out a sigh she drags her hat off her head and turns to face you, a sad look on her face
>"Are ya'll happy here?"
>Taken slightly aback by the question you prop yourself up and try to wake yourself up a bit
"Well I mean, the pay could be better"
>You're chuckling is cut short as Applejack quickly interrupts
>"No jokes this time, I want an honest answer from you"
>Turning away from her slightly, you sit forward, hugging you knees to your chest as you think about your time here
>Suddenly appearing in the Ponyville fountain
>Meeting the girls
>Getting a small house, it's closer to a shack but you make it work, courtesy of Twilight
>Getting hired by Applejack and the months of work
>Has it really been months seen you've been away from home?
>You can't help but feel a smile tug at the corner of your lips as you remember all the nights spent with the Apples or in the local pub with Applejack and Rainbow
>Leaning back into the hay with a content smile you turn back to Applejack
"Yeah, I'm happy"
>"Do you wish you could go home?"
>She seems to have had this on her mind for a while with how rehearsed it sounds
>You had been told that travelling between there and here once was impossible and doing it a second time was even more unlikely
>You start to think about whether you're actually ok with that for the first time since you were told
>After contemplating that for a while you turn to her tell her a firm no
>Seems she wasn't expecting that answer
>Shuffling a little towards you she puts her hoof on top of your hand
>"But don't you miss your kin?"
>You find it hard to look at her after that
>Family was always one of her strongest held values
>Maybe even moreso than honesty
>Seeing the determination in her eyes you know you're not gonna be able to get out of this
>Letting out a sigh you start telling her about your life back on Earth
>Your family
>Your friends
>All of it
>You open up more than you ever have since you got here
>As you go on she slowly shuffles closer and closer towards you until she's basically using you as a pillow
>You find yourself tapering off more and more as she buries herself into your side
>When she finally notices you going silent she looks up at you
"Basically Applejack, I guess there will always be a part of me that will miss Earth, but I'm happy here"
>The barn falls silent for a while as you just stare at each other for a while
>Taking a few slow breaths she slowly settles back into your arm and mutters something
"Sorry Applejack, I don't speak arm"
>Pulling her head back she smacks your shoulder before chuckling lightly
>As she settles down you raise your eyebrows at her
>Covering her face with her hoof you're only just able to make out what she says
>But she always was cute when she was annoyed
>You ask her a view more times to repeat herself, each time you see her get a bit more agitated
>"For Celestia's sake you darn colt! I said I'm glad you don't want to go"
>Her glare is matched only by her blush
>Feeling a smug grin spread across your face you lean into her
"I heard you the first time"
>Her face goes from aggravated to shocked at this
>Shooting her a wink seems to seal it as she pounces at you
>You hold up your arms as you can't help but laugh at her colourful language as she hits you
>Eventually wearing herself out she starts giggling herself before collapsing on top of you
>Bringing your hands down, you cup her cheek and turn her to look at you
"Why are you so glad I'm staying exactly?"
>She let's out a small huff at that
>"I ain't falling for that one, ya'll already know why"
>Turning her to face you again you give her a more serious look
"I honestly don't, I mean I lighten the load around here sure. But that's all I can think of"
>She straightens up at this, looking at you as if you just grew a second head
>"Land sakes, you don't think I could like just having you around?"
>You shrug your shoulders, much to the annoyance of Applejack
>"It's true, you're not just good help, you're good company"
>You let out your own huff at this and shake your head
>Taking a hold of your head she turns you to face her and you notice she's uncomfortably close
>"Hey, I don't want you dismissing this like you always do. I'm serious here Anon"
>Pulling her legs away she tucks them under herself, lightly pawing at your stomach
>"The truth is ya'll have been really good to have around. Hardly anyone gets into farm work like you do, so being able to talk to someone's besides my family makes for a nice change"
>She slowly lowers her head as she goes on
>"Then there's all the help you ain't paid to do, you help Applebloom with schoolwork, you help Granny even when she says she don't need it. Then you... then you go and help me too. Just having someone to talk to and get the day's load off my chest has made me really appreciate having you around and... well I'd miss you if you went and went back home"
>She finally looks back to you as she finishes off, giving you a small smile
>"Basically I'm really happy you're here to stay Anon"
>You're at a loss for words at what you just heard
>Realising you're not gonna be able to put what you feel into words you simply wrap your arms lightly around her barrel
>She gladly returns the embrace, burying her head in the crook of your neck
>As the minutes pass you feel her breathing get lighter as it passes over your neck
>As the breathing is slowly replaced by snores you run your hands through her manes as she sleeps in your arms
>Feeling your own eyelids grow heavy you take one last look over the orchard before you let sleep take you as well
>You're pretty happy you're here to stay too