(IRT) Blue Ribbon Apple Pie by Anon

>Be Anonymous.
>And you can't do it anymore.
>This is too much.
>Your lungs are on fire
>You've been sweating so long that the sweat's dried up and a new coat of it has taken over.
>You smell like crap
>Feel like it too
>Flies zip around you, but your arms… you can't move your arms enough to swat the pests away.
>You're in hell right now.
>A place called Sweet Apple Acres.
>There's nothing sweet about it.
>You don't even think (((They))) had to struggle this much in the work camps.
>That is, if anything of it is even true.
>You focus on the barn's wooden ceiling from your place on the floor, pondering how you ended up in this line of thinking.
>Probably the heat.
>You're getting delirious by now, no doubt.
>This is how you die.
>Not with a bang.
>Not even a whimper
>You're going to die struggling to breathe, surrounded by hay and manure, because your parents thought it would be great to save money on camp by just sending you to the family farm.
>Just like they did with old Wishbone, your pet dog, years ago.
>'He's old Anon, it's time for him to retire to some fresh country air in a big open farm.'
>Yeah right, now you know why he's no longer here.
>Your throat is parched.
>Your legs feel like hardened jello
>Your back hurts
>You wish you were back home playing video games.
>You hear feet crunching on the ground.
>It approaches you from the side.
>You can't move, you swear your eyes do a cartoonish creaking sound from how dry they are trying to look.
>"There yew are 'cus, Ah've been looking for yew all over."
>Your cousin Applejack approaches you in the middle of the barn.
"I... can't do this any longer... H-Hold me close Jack... It's getting dark..."
>You say in a tired, fake southern accent.
>She giggles
>"Y'all are funny aren'tcha?"
>Humor is the only thing keeping the pain at bay.
"Seriously, this is too much, it hasn't been two weeks yet and I'm feeling like I'm dead."
>"Smell like it too."
>You shakily lift your arm slowly and tap your nose before pointing at her.
"Nice bant."
>"Come on 'cus, we still have more 'ta do before Granny whips us some lunch."
>Your mouth opens and closes like a fish.
>"Here, have an appul."
>She hands you a green apple, the citrus-y kind you like, and bites into a red one she has before sitting on a bale of hay near you.
>You sit up and bite down, the juiciness and crunch of the apple washing away the taste of dust from your dry mouth.
>She kicks her legs absentmindedly as she munches on her own.
>Her legs exposed below her short denim overalls.
"How do you do it? I can't keep up at all."
>"Hm?" she swallows and looks your way "Ah just been doin it all mah life is all, yew'll grow into it."
"As if, it's impossible for me!"
>She laughs
>"Impossible for y'all ta use what God gave 'ya?" She did it again, using Granny Smith's line against you.
"Come on, I'm so weak you can kick my butt without breaking a sweat!"
>"Believe it city boy." She beams smugly "But if yew tough it out 'n keep goin, yew'll be able to carry me around lickedy-split, Ah'm still a girl after all, if y'all get strong like Big Mac, Ah'll be the one fallin behind."
>You? Strong like that hueg cousin of yours?
>You scoff.
>No way is that happening, impossible.
>You tell Applejack as much and her face says it all.
>She's not having any of that.
>"It's all a matter of attitude mister, it might be hard now, 'n tomorrow can be harder still too, but just tough it out 'cus, you'll see, in no time it'll be gettin easier instead."
>She tosses her apple core into a nearby trough and gets on her feet, patting her behind to get rid of any hay.
>"Trust me, if that ain't still enough, then remember that there's apple pie in it for ya."
>You salivate at the thought of that delicious pastry.
>The Apple family recipe for blue ribbon apple pie will ruin a man's pie habits.
>One fork full and nothing will ever match.
>Applejack laughs good-naturedly "Now that perked yew right up didn't it 'Non?"
>You struggle to get on your feet and manage, you can do it.
>For pie
"Jack, there's little I wouldn't do for a fresh slice of Apple pie."
>"Hmmhmm, spoken like a true workin Apple." your cousin kicks a bit of dirt bashfully "'N yew know, Ah've even asked Granny ta teach me how to bake it too!"
>That got a chuckle out of you.
>Hard to picture miss denim overalls tomboy making pie.
>She's a beast during family thanksgiving football game.
>She pouts.
>"Wuts so funny? Y'all said it right? Our recipe's the best, so Ah should learn to make it myself too..." she gets fired up. "This way you can eat it any time ya like, how about it 'cus? If you come b-back after summer to s-stay w-with us, y'all can eat apple pie every... day?" she trails off on the last part so you didn't quite catch that.
"What was that?"
>"W-What was wut, I-I didn't say nothin'" her face scrunches and she breaks eye contact.
>Applejack still can't lie to save her life.
>She knows this and starts backing away into the exit
"Come on, tell me."
>"F-Fine, i-ifn it's okay with yew, if you stay with us, even after Summer vacation's over, Ah'll... Ah'll bake you the pie you love everyday!"
>...
>No way.
"For real? Heck yeah! You've got yourself a deal!"
>Applejack's eyes widen for some reason, but despite her fluster, she seems really happy
>"No foolin? Yew promise 'Non?"
"I'm pinky promising, right now."
>You feel the soreness lift from your body, you've got a second wind, maybe she's right, it'll get easier, after all, even if you stumble about, it's like Granny said, if you're healthy then any one can do good old fashioned labor.
>"Don't ever forget, cus if you do Ah'll git Mac to teach y'all a lesson!"
>With that, and with red still tinting her cheeks, she gives you a friendly bump on the chest and runs along to do more chores, a spring to her step.
>Weird though, since all you did was agree on something that honestly benefits you entirely
>She's the one that'll have to bake that delicious pie for you every day, all you have to do is stay with her on the farm after summer break's over.
>You're cousin's a bit weird at times though, even if you did back out on this, why would she get Bulldozer Mac to "teach you a lesson"?
>Eeh, whatever.
>You stretch the last of the soreness from your body while making a mental check of what you needed to still do before lunch as you start walking.
>There's little you wouldn't do for that Blue Ribbon Apple Pie