Thwack!
Apples fell to the basket. There were somehow more of them this time. More of them falling.
Applejack exhaled. Her fetlocks ached and her lungs burned.
But she withstood it.
Sniffling, the mare brushed a forelimb across her face.
There were less tears to dry.
She would remember this.
Shoving the half-full basket to an adjacent tree, she swung her legs and struck it once more.
Th-Thud!
The rest of the basket filled.
A hot wind blew over Applejack's tussled mane in the afternoon light.
She sliced through the gale like a razor sharp knife.
She shoved the basket towards the wagon with one hoof then proceeded to the next line of trees.
Her eyes were dry. Bloodshot. She felt an incurable itch across her brow. It had been days without a bath. Applejack didn't know where the mud began and her blood ended.
She didn't care.
A curious thought chanced through her skull. She turned and looked at the heart of the ranch, no longer afraid of what she might see.
To her surprise, there were two more full wagons than she had expected.
Applejack made a mental note before slamming another tree, sensing a jolt beyond the numbness.
Whack!
Applejack rolled into Ponyville's market district.
She was pulling two wagons chock-full of apples. The rear cart had been hastily attached to the front one. It was enough to survive the journey.
Two clerks standing outside Barnyarn Bargains couldn't help but stare, muzzles agape.
She looked emotionlessly at them. Strolling to a stop, the teenager unhitched herself from the wagon and gestured at it.
"Y'all know the drill," she droned.
The two clerks dumbly nodded.
Applejack's nostrils flared. "I'll come back for the wagons when the harvest is done."
With that, she turned and trotted back towards Sweet Apple Acres before anypony could say anything.
Her joints felt like giving out at any time. She wouldn't let them. There was so little time left. If Applejack ran, she knew that her fetlocks would howl in pain.
So she sprinted as swiftly as she could.
Wham!
Applejack kicked another tree.
It hurt.
Everything hurt.
She collected the apples and dashed to the next tree in a burst of energy. Her blood boiled. Her eyes darted towards every glinting shape on her endless hunt for fruit.
Pain and stiffness encompassed her. She was unstoppable.
"Rnnngh!" She spun and kicked the tree.
It only took one buck for all the fruit to fall. She was no longer surprised by this.
Wiping her brow, she glanced towards the wagons resting uphill. It would be a long trek and she needed to save time. She glanced at her filling baskets in quiet contemplation.
Applejack marched uphill...
With three baskets...
Stacked up on top of one another...
Atop of her...
She huffed and puffed. She pushed through the pain. She saw the bright sun cresting over the hilltop and verdant trees.
She didn't smile.
And yet—for the first time in as long as she remembered—she knew that there would be a time for it.
But that time wasn't now.
"Hrnnngh!"
She tossed the baskets neatly into the back of the wagon, hitched herself to the cart, and dragged it effortlessly to the remaining orchards.
"She saw the bright son cresting over the hilltop and verdant trees."
Spell correct to sun ?=X
Rainbow Dash Can't feel anything, Applejack feels too much.
Two extremes, together, maybe they can be normal.
As depressing as this all is, I can't help but wonder how it will tie back into the main story at work here
I can't help but feel proud for, Applejack
She's... actually pulling it off? ...wow. I feel bad for doubting her.
This oddly reminds me of the book (and I suppose movie but I don't remember it so well) Holes, where the kid has to dig a five foot hole every day and at first it's hard but it gets easier.
7686574 until it doesn't and this is just too torture us all with fresh depression
Come on AJ let's be real here, this is Appledashery and we both know that's never going to happen.
I love how this ship is shaping up. One is a strong mare that is going to have to realize that she will eventually need outside help to make it (her farm and sister would be gone if not for Dash). And the other is more than willing to offer all the help she can give but needs a partner who can provide a solid foundation to help get her life together.
If the idea in this chapter holds up, that determination can manifest muscle mass and super-pony endurance, then idk. It doesn't compromise 7687161 's analysis, but it does let us know Applejack' s superpower.
Because unlike Rainbow, AJ is torturing herself for a reason, a purpose. Rather than crushing over another pony, she is working steadily and pragmatically towards a goal, an attainable end.
7686570 Or can be a disaster.
Soooooo much self-loathing in this series.
7687161 Or knowing SS&E, this will just be about five hundred chapters of this.
Who wants bets on how long this stuff lasts?
7686574 When Rainbow Dash crashes into the orchard, obviously.
Sheesh, make up your mind, AJ!
Is it just me, or does this line feel like it's implying that Big Mac's helping her now, possibly behind the scenes?
7688075 do you not assume we'll get caught up through appledashery and read about AJ or RD's past romantic lives (think unwanted male rival). Anyone with hope of them having more than a kiss or more likely a confession before volume 3 is quite the optimist. (Masochist*)
Okay, theory time. This whole self-torture out of stubbornness to the point of near death... thing, seems awfully similar to what Rainbow was doing at the end of Vol. 1.
So I wonder if Applejack's life is gong to be a reversed parallel of Rainbow's, starting out at rock bottom and slowly transforming into a put-together person. As opposed to Rainbow who slowly fell more and more apart until she finally hit the lowest of rock bottoms.
Just a thought.
Applejack is so hardworking and I'm just so proud of her. Somebody give her, like, a hug and a medal.
I feel like this is a commentary on how We all Mourn differently. This is AJ mourning.
Achievements Unlocked: She's Just Unreadable, All Eyes On You, Work Now, Happiness Later
THis is madness. . . . No, This. Is. EQUESTRIA!!!
But, seriously, I am both heartbroken and super proud of AJ, right now.