Post by Applejack on Oct 9, 2014 14:30:30 GMT -5
Marble is, well, dragging Blueblood back to the farm. It's as simple as that, he's got a frustrated look on his face, dealing with more and more of Blueblood's nonsense. "I swear you're becoming a full-time job for me."
Blueblood looks like he's right back where he was several weeks ago. His head is up, his neck straight, his posture perfect, and his expression is altogether snide and imperious. Yet that's all to hide the pounding of his heart and the rush of blood in his ears. Every step taken closer to Applejack's farm ratchets up the fear, the little voice screaming at him to get away. She doesn't even want him here. None of this is going to work. Rarity knows he's here and is going to drop out of the trees and attack him at any moment. "The Princess made me your job," he snaps back. "Don't go blaming me." His teeth start to chatter.
Things had largely settled back to normal on Sweet Apple Acres, and since Applebuck Season had just started, 'normal' means 'extremely busy'! Big Macintosh, medium Applejack and even little Apple Bloom are rushing around the orchards, bucking the trees and carting harvest back to the barn as fast as their tired hooves can carry them. Applejack is dragging a train of FOUR carts piled high with the harvest back to sort and store them when she catches sight of the visitors. She pays them no mind, lost in mental calculations about cultivars and prices when she realizes who the visitors ARE and stops short, causing the last cart to wobble a bit and spill a few apples. "Oh horsefeathers!" she mutters under her breath, and stands still to meet the stallions.
"My job was to get you straightened out. Come on! This isn't rocket science. It's not even bureaucracy... look. Try it this way." Marble truns to face Blueblood. "You face the lady, and say, simply, 'How do you do?' That's it. No batting of eyelashes, no holding up your hoof for someone to kiss, and NO talking about yourself. Ask her how you can help and keep your opinion to yourself. And help."
"She doesn't even WANT me to help!" Blueblood hisses. "Nopony here wants me to help! I'm unwelcome, unhelpful, they all hate me, I hate all of them, and even YOU can't find one nice thing to say about me! So tell me what is the point of- oh no she's looking this way!" Marble is enveloped in magic and forced in front of Blueblood, who grabs Marble by the withers and hides behind the scrawny pegasus. Then very slowly, he starts to push Marble along ahead of him like one would carry a concealing bush, peeking over Marble's shoulder. "You go first. I can't do it."
Applejack stares, watching the approach of Prince Blueblood failing to conceal himself beneath a bureaucrat, and hoping he doesn't try for inside. Her ears droop a bit when she hears the things Blueblood is saying. They're not EXACTLY true, but they're true enough to be painful. She clears her throat. "... Howdy, Mr. Marble. Prince Blueblood. What can we do fer ya?"
"That's not true. I've said before I have belief in you, I'm jus-- Oh, hello Applejack!" Marble flails and tries to turn around to face Blueblood. "Come on, these are good honest ponies!" He sighs. "I'm trying *again* to make this work, good friend Applejack. Just got to work past some self-esteem issues..."
Blueblood slowly scootches out from behind Marble, slinking like a scolded puppy. He has his head down and everything. Staring at Applejack like she's going to turn and buck him. All of a sudden he stands up straight, eyes wide open. "How. Do you. Do?" he says through gritted teeth. "I am told. That. Marble. Spoke to you recently."
Applejack nods slowly. "Uh. Hay there. Yeah, he did." She fidgets a bit, and makes a show of unhooking herself from the carts by way of stalling. "Ah'm, uh, gonn be straight with y'all. We can't take Blueblood back here. We can't AFFORD it."
"3000 bits a week for four months." Marble says, straight face, eyes not leaving Applejack. Well, there begins his negotiation. He's got to convince Applejack! He's got to!
Blueblood's ears droop. Not only is he unhelpful, he literally causes costly disasters wherever he goes. Twilight and her friends seem to do that a lot too, but they get PRAISED for it because they learn how to be friends and - then he hears Marble's offer. Blueblood's jaw drops and he turns back to Marble to stare like a fish. "That's a lot," he whispers under his breath. That's the crown's money he's using - wait a minute, no it isn't! "That's MY money you're using, isn't it?!" he blurts out, suddenly feeling anger overtake fear again.
Applejack nods and looks away for a moment, embarrassed, then continues. "It's Applebuck Season now, y'all KNOW how busy we get, an' with th' loss o' productivity, we need ta make sure we got enough put by ta last us... until, uh..." AJ trails off as Marble's words register. She stares at Marble and Blueblood for a moment, then digs a hoof into one ear an' shakes her head out. "There's no way Ah heard that right. Did y'all seriously offer us THREE THOUSAND bits? Per week?" Then Applejack takes a step back at Blueblood's outburst. "Wait, IS it his money? That ain't right, makin' somepony pay ta work!"
"Nope, probably not right at all, but the Princesses put me in charge of his finances, and his money isn't doing anything productive anyway. If it helps I can sweeten the deal with some of my own independent wealth. Five thousand bits per week. Three from his budget, two from mine." Marble can afford it. It goes to show how much he wants this to work with Blueblood. "Think of this as a... uh... vocational course."
Blueblood grunts like a cavepony, flailing his forehooves. "You can't- but I- she- wha-!" He drops onto his haunches. He's going to come out of this abused AND poor! He turns back to Applejack, squinting curiously. Why would she even care? That's all farmers care about right - the bottom line? Feeling quite left in the cold, he droops his head. "Oh, fine," he grumps. "Luna would probably *throw* it at you like she threw me at Marble anyway."
Applejack's expression darkens rapidly when Marble agrees it's not right. "Marble Memory," she says, in a quiet tone that her family would recognize as a very special and dangerous kind of angry, "If'n Ah am understandin' y'all correctly, yerself an' their Highnesses have ordered th' Prince here ta work, an' now yer offerin' me HIS money ta let that happen? Y'all know what that is? That there is SLAVERY. Maybe not fer long, maybe even fer a good cause, but Ah ain't havin' nothin' ta do with it! He may be a pompous jerk, but that ain't no kinda justification fer *this* treatment. Th' answer ain't 'no', it's 'HELL no', an' Ah would take it as a kindness if'n y'all gave me a good reason not ta throw yer kiester offa mah farm fer even thinkin' fer a second we Apples would go along with somethin' like THAT." She has been approaching the bureaucrat during this and now pokes him in the chest with a hoof. "Y'all might be willin' ta do stuff that ain't right, Mr. Marble Memory, but that is NOT how we do things on Sweet Apple Acres, ya hear me!?"
Well this was a grave misstep above all others. Marble whimpers as Applejack start poking at him with a hoof. Well, so much for trying to throw money at a problem. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow." Marble steps back as AJ advances on him. But certainly Blueblood is enjoying the show, MArble figures. "Well what *will* it take?"
Blueblood is almost as terrified as Marble. The anger of an Apple is truly something to behold, but one thing doesn't escape him - it's not being directed at him! He scoots out of the way so her death glare doesn't brush him by accident. He blinks rapidly, still uncertain if he should be grateful or not. *I mean... she does still hate me,* he rationalizes. *It's the principle of the thing. But she /can/ take all this money and get her revenge, but she won't...* He finds himself intensely curious, as not a few weeks ago, he'd take such an offer in a heartbeat. "Yes," he says quietly, staring intently at the farmer. "What *will* it take?"
Applejack glares silently at Marble for a moment. "Nothin'. Ain't doin' business with y'all nohow, less'n yer buyin' apples." Then she hears Blueblood and whips her glare at him... but it softens quickly. "Reckon it'd take a sincere desire ta help. We COULD use another pair o' strong hooves here, 'specially this time o' year. It's honest work, rewardin', but it ain't easy." She looks away for a moment, then back. "Y'all realize there's a whole town over there, right? Ain't just us could use help. Ain't even just us farmin'. Could even be any number o' THEM might take yer slave price, though Ah'd HOPE not." - she glares at Marble again for a moment. "But fer us, th' price o' workin' is workin'. An' meanin' it. Anythin' else wouldn't be right."
"Well... yes. We do have all of Ponyville. But who amongst all the Ponyvillians would be most willing to give Blueblood an honest chance to improve *and* prove himself to be more than that slob at the gala a few years back?" Marble asks. Yep. That's Marble's vote of confidence for Blueblood: He might not be a slob.
Blueblood slowly rubs his hoof over his foreleg. Probably a bad time to mention his stint as a waiter ended in him insulting the food, the customers, his co-workers, and the state of the labor market in general before being kicked out. He is totally silent for a time. "...... For the record I didn't *want* to fail," he mutters in a very quiet voice, like he can't even believe he's saying it. "It just happened. Like it does everything else. And, um... I- I'd like... I supppose if you're in the market... you seem like a very fair employer. So if a second... second chance is at all possible... I won't say you're the only one who might have me, but you are, and..." And he can't stop. He really can't. He's rambling.
"And you're the only place /Rarity/ might not hunt me down," he adds with a haunted look in his eyes. To his credit, he uses her name and not an insult.
Applejack lays a hoof on Blueblood's shoulder. The same one she poked Marble with, which has a bit of orchard mud on it, but this time it's entirely gentle. "Ah know, Ah know - shh, sugar, it's okay. Heck, maybe we weren't as fair as we shoulda been th' first time neither. Hmmm! Y'all got a refined palate an' an eye fer imperfections, maybe it'd work out if'n yall took a turn at sortin' our apples fer quality?" She steps aside and points at the wide open barn doors. "Come on in, Ah'll show ya what ta look fer. Then if ya help with th' buckin', we'll put yer dickie away so's it don't get dirt on it, 'kay? Maybe Mac's got somethin' that'll fit." Having said this, Applejack gives Marble two deeply meaningfull looks when Blueblood is looking elsewhere. The first is a resigned nod; the second a glare ending with making pointy eye gestures at the farm's main gate. 'Okay, we'll do this. But YOU... leave.' "An' don't worry 'bout Rares none. Ah'll have a talk with her."
Marble stares as Applejack orders him off. He steps back a little, then turns around and leaves the acres. Oh, Applejack will get over his misstep. He hopes. Maybe he should just fly out of here. Yeah, that's a good idea. The bureaucrat thus takes wing and flies away from the acres.
Blueblood takes the opportunity to immediately break down and cry on Applejack's shoulder. But in the midst of all his blubbering and self-important narcissism, Applejack can discern two very important words: "Thank you."
Blueblood looks like he's right back where he was several weeks ago. His head is up, his neck straight, his posture perfect, and his expression is altogether snide and imperious. Yet that's all to hide the pounding of his heart and the rush of blood in his ears. Every step taken closer to Applejack's farm ratchets up the fear, the little voice screaming at him to get away. She doesn't even want him here. None of this is going to work. Rarity knows he's here and is going to drop out of the trees and attack him at any moment. "The Princess made me your job," he snaps back. "Don't go blaming me." His teeth start to chatter.
Things had largely settled back to normal on Sweet Apple Acres, and since Applebuck Season had just started, 'normal' means 'extremely busy'! Big Macintosh, medium Applejack and even little Apple Bloom are rushing around the orchards, bucking the trees and carting harvest back to the barn as fast as their tired hooves can carry them. Applejack is dragging a train of FOUR carts piled high with the harvest back to sort and store them when she catches sight of the visitors. She pays them no mind, lost in mental calculations about cultivars and prices when she realizes who the visitors ARE and stops short, causing the last cart to wobble a bit and spill a few apples. "Oh horsefeathers!" she mutters under her breath, and stands still to meet the stallions.
"My job was to get you straightened out. Come on! This isn't rocket science. It's not even bureaucracy... look. Try it this way." Marble truns to face Blueblood. "You face the lady, and say, simply, 'How do you do?' That's it. No batting of eyelashes, no holding up your hoof for someone to kiss, and NO talking about yourself. Ask her how you can help and keep your opinion to yourself. And help."
"She doesn't even WANT me to help!" Blueblood hisses. "Nopony here wants me to help! I'm unwelcome, unhelpful, they all hate me, I hate all of them, and even YOU can't find one nice thing to say about me! So tell me what is the point of- oh no she's looking this way!" Marble is enveloped in magic and forced in front of Blueblood, who grabs Marble by the withers and hides behind the scrawny pegasus. Then very slowly, he starts to push Marble along ahead of him like one would carry a concealing bush, peeking over Marble's shoulder. "You go first. I can't do it."
Applejack stares, watching the approach of Prince Blueblood failing to conceal himself beneath a bureaucrat, and hoping he doesn't try for inside. Her ears droop a bit when she hears the things Blueblood is saying. They're not EXACTLY true, but they're true enough to be painful. She clears her throat. "... Howdy, Mr. Marble. Prince Blueblood. What can we do fer ya?"
"That's not true. I've said before I have belief in you, I'm jus-- Oh, hello Applejack!" Marble flails and tries to turn around to face Blueblood. "Come on, these are good honest ponies!" He sighs. "I'm trying *again* to make this work, good friend Applejack. Just got to work past some self-esteem issues..."
Blueblood slowly scootches out from behind Marble, slinking like a scolded puppy. He has his head down and everything. Staring at Applejack like she's going to turn and buck him. All of a sudden he stands up straight, eyes wide open. "How. Do you. Do?" he says through gritted teeth. "I am told. That. Marble. Spoke to you recently."
Applejack nods slowly. "Uh. Hay there. Yeah, he did." She fidgets a bit, and makes a show of unhooking herself from the carts by way of stalling. "Ah'm, uh, gonn be straight with y'all. We can't take Blueblood back here. We can't AFFORD it."
"3000 bits a week for four months." Marble says, straight face, eyes not leaving Applejack. Well, there begins his negotiation. He's got to convince Applejack! He's got to!
Blueblood's ears droop. Not only is he unhelpful, he literally causes costly disasters wherever he goes. Twilight and her friends seem to do that a lot too, but they get PRAISED for it because they learn how to be friends and - then he hears Marble's offer. Blueblood's jaw drops and he turns back to Marble to stare like a fish. "That's a lot," he whispers under his breath. That's the crown's money he's using - wait a minute, no it isn't! "That's MY money you're using, isn't it?!" he blurts out, suddenly feeling anger overtake fear again.
Applejack nods and looks away for a moment, embarrassed, then continues. "It's Applebuck Season now, y'all KNOW how busy we get, an' with th' loss o' productivity, we need ta make sure we got enough put by ta last us... until, uh..." AJ trails off as Marble's words register. She stares at Marble and Blueblood for a moment, then digs a hoof into one ear an' shakes her head out. "There's no way Ah heard that right. Did y'all seriously offer us THREE THOUSAND bits? Per week?" Then Applejack takes a step back at Blueblood's outburst. "Wait, IS it his money? That ain't right, makin' somepony pay ta work!"
"Nope, probably not right at all, but the Princesses put me in charge of his finances, and his money isn't doing anything productive anyway. If it helps I can sweeten the deal with some of my own independent wealth. Five thousand bits per week. Three from his budget, two from mine." Marble can afford it. It goes to show how much he wants this to work with Blueblood. "Think of this as a... uh... vocational course."
Blueblood grunts like a cavepony, flailing his forehooves. "You can't- but I- she- wha-!" He drops onto his haunches. He's going to come out of this abused AND poor! He turns back to Applejack, squinting curiously. Why would she even care? That's all farmers care about right - the bottom line? Feeling quite left in the cold, he droops his head. "Oh, fine," he grumps. "Luna would probably *throw* it at you like she threw me at Marble anyway."
Applejack's expression darkens rapidly when Marble agrees it's not right. "Marble Memory," she says, in a quiet tone that her family would recognize as a very special and dangerous kind of angry, "If'n Ah am understandin' y'all correctly, yerself an' their Highnesses have ordered th' Prince here ta work, an' now yer offerin' me HIS money ta let that happen? Y'all know what that is? That there is SLAVERY. Maybe not fer long, maybe even fer a good cause, but Ah ain't havin' nothin' ta do with it! He may be a pompous jerk, but that ain't no kinda justification fer *this* treatment. Th' answer ain't 'no', it's 'HELL no', an' Ah would take it as a kindness if'n y'all gave me a good reason not ta throw yer kiester offa mah farm fer even thinkin' fer a second we Apples would go along with somethin' like THAT." She has been approaching the bureaucrat during this and now pokes him in the chest with a hoof. "Y'all might be willin' ta do stuff that ain't right, Mr. Marble Memory, but that is NOT how we do things on Sweet Apple Acres, ya hear me!?"
Well this was a grave misstep above all others. Marble whimpers as Applejack start poking at him with a hoof. Well, so much for trying to throw money at a problem. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow." Marble steps back as AJ advances on him. But certainly Blueblood is enjoying the show, MArble figures. "Well what *will* it take?"
Blueblood is almost as terrified as Marble. The anger of an Apple is truly something to behold, but one thing doesn't escape him - it's not being directed at him! He scoots out of the way so her death glare doesn't brush him by accident. He blinks rapidly, still uncertain if he should be grateful or not. *I mean... she does still hate me,* he rationalizes. *It's the principle of the thing. But she /can/ take all this money and get her revenge, but she won't...* He finds himself intensely curious, as not a few weeks ago, he'd take such an offer in a heartbeat. "Yes," he says quietly, staring intently at the farmer. "What *will* it take?"
Applejack glares silently at Marble for a moment. "Nothin'. Ain't doin' business with y'all nohow, less'n yer buyin' apples." Then she hears Blueblood and whips her glare at him... but it softens quickly. "Reckon it'd take a sincere desire ta help. We COULD use another pair o' strong hooves here, 'specially this time o' year. It's honest work, rewardin', but it ain't easy." She looks away for a moment, then back. "Y'all realize there's a whole town over there, right? Ain't just us could use help. Ain't even just us farmin'. Could even be any number o' THEM might take yer slave price, though Ah'd HOPE not." - she glares at Marble again for a moment. "But fer us, th' price o' workin' is workin'. An' meanin' it. Anythin' else wouldn't be right."
"Well... yes. We do have all of Ponyville. But who amongst all the Ponyvillians would be most willing to give Blueblood an honest chance to improve *and* prove himself to be more than that slob at the gala a few years back?" Marble asks. Yep. That's Marble's vote of confidence for Blueblood: He might not be a slob.
Blueblood slowly rubs his hoof over his foreleg. Probably a bad time to mention his stint as a waiter ended in him insulting the food, the customers, his co-workers, and the state of the labor market in general before being kicked out. He is totally silent for a time. "...... For the record I didn't *want* to fail," he mutters in a very quiet voice, like he can't even believe he's saying it. "It just happened. Like it does everything else. And, um... I- I'd like... I supppose if you're in the market... you seem like a very fair employer. So if a second... second chance is at all possible... I won't say you're the only one who might have me, but you are, and..." And he can't stop. He really can't. He's rambling.
"And you're the only place /Rarity/ might not hunt me down," he adds with a haunted look in his eyes. To his credit, he uses her name and not an insult.
Applejack lays a hoof on Blueblood's shoulder. The same one she poked Marble with, which has a bit of orchard mud on it, but this time it's entirely gentle. "Ah know, Ah know - shh, sugar, it's okay. Heck, maybe we weren't as fair as we shoulda been th' first time neither. Hmmm! Y'all got a refined palate an' an eye fer imperfections, maybe it'd work out if'n yall took a turn at sortin' our apples fer quality?" She steps aside and points at the wide open barn doors. "Come on in, Ah'll show ya what ta look fer. Then if ya help with th' buckin', we'll put yer dickie away so's it don't get dirt on it, 'kay? Maybe Mac's got somethin' that'll fit." Having said this, Applejack gives Marble two deeply meaningfull looks when Blueblood is looking elsewhere. The first is a resigned nod; the second a glare ending with making pointy eye gestures at the farm's main gate. 'Okay, we'll do this. But YOU... leave.' "An' don't worry 'bout Rares none. Ah'll have a talk with her."
Marble stares as Applejack orders him off. He steps back a little, then turns around and leaves the acres. Oh, Applejack will get over his misstep. He hopes. Maybe he should just fly out of here. Yeah, that's a good idea. The bureaucrat thus takes wing and flies away from the acres.
Blueblood takes the opportunity to immediately break down and cry on Applejack's shoulder. But in the midst of all his blubbering and self-important narcissism, Applejack can discern two very important words: "Thank you."