Till Death Do Us Part

by Brian Jacko

Rating: teen
Tags: Sad, Main 6, Applejack, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Romance, Tragedy, Slice of Life
Length: 13523

Applejack struggles in life as she faces many obstacles that she must over come in order to achieve her dreams and passions in life.

Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh have left Sweet Apple Acres and have moved on in life. Applejack is struggling with Granny Smith to keep the dream of keeping Sweet Apple Acres running. However, problems do arise and Applejack has to adapt and find a way to continue her dreams.

Published 2013-07-24 19:50:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-10-24 05:24:48 UTC

Applejack's Wish

A loud thud could be heard as a crate full of apples landed at the hooves of Applejack.

"There you go A.J.," her Pegasus friend said. "If you need any more help you can always rely on the element of loyalty to be there to lend a helping hoof! I don't know how you do all this work by yourself now that Big Mac and Apple Bloom have moved to another place to live."

Applejack sighed and said, "Thank ya so much sugar cube. I'm so grateful to have such a good friend like you. It's so stressful for me to do all this work on my own. Granny Smith is supposed to start those new workers here soon."

Rainbow Dash nodded in understanding and said, "Well, I guess I'll be going now. I'll see you tomorrow!"

Applejack looked around nervously as if she was afraid somepony else might be listening to them. "Say sugar cube," the farm pony said. "Ya ever feel lonely in life?"

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash said. "What do you mean A.J.? We always have each other and we're always with our other friends."

Applejack shook her head side to side. "No, no, no," she said. "I mean like relationship-wise lonely. Have ya ever wanted to just settle down in life and find a somepony special fer yerself?"

Rainbow blushed a bit. "Ohhhhhh! I know what you mean now! I already have my eye on the pie in the sky. I know I'll be asking Soarin' out in the future, and you know he has to say yes to me because how could anypony deny such an awesome pony like me? Do you have a somepony special on your mind A.J.?" Rainbow Dash asked as she playfully banged her hips against Applejacks side.

Applejack took off her hat and said, "Well, no. I don't have my sights on anypony yet, but I really want to find somepony to love and it's just really hard for me doing all this work by myself. I was wonderin' if you knew of any hard workin' stallions that might be out there."

Rainbow Dash put her hoof to her chin in thought and replied, "No, I really don't. Not at least a pony who is involved in the farm business like you." She suddenly wrapped her front leg around Applejack's neck. "Hey listen to me, I'll help find you a somepony special just as long as you keep it a secret that I'm a bit obsessive about Soarin'. Don't tell the other girls about it because I'm sure I'd get teased quite a bit for it. I only told you my true feelings because we seem to be the closest friends out of our little group. Deal?"

Applejack stuck out her hoof and shook Rainbow's hoof. "Yer on R.D.," the farmer said. "I appreciate you lookin' out for me like that. It means a lot to me. I love ya sugar cube." Applejack suddenly gave a playful punch on the jaw of her friend and continued. "Just don't set me up in a situation that can be a bit too romantic'. I think I might be a bit shy when it comes to romantic feelin's and situations."

Rainbow giggled and said, "Hey! Don't you worry about it. I might not be the romantic expert like Rarity is, but I think I know a thing or two on how to get a couple together. Just have some faith! I got to go now! I'll catch you later!"

Applejack smiled and said good bye as she waved her hoof at her friend. Suddenly, she turned around and let out a deep sigh. "I hope she can find him soon," she said. Applejack then began to drag the crate full of apples back into the barn. Her day was over for now and it was time to get some supper and then hit the hay.

Applejack's Romantic Day

As time went by, Applejack and her date continued to meet each other several times for dinner. They would sit by the same lake as they had dinner and talked. Applejack happened to get to their special spot first today. She wondered why her date was late because he always was the one to get there first. Applejack began to day dream as she stared at the fish in the pond. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and there stood her date.

"Sorry I'm so late," he said. "I just had to pick these for you." He brought a beautiful bouquet of wild flowers that he picked himself. As he bent down and put them into the hooves of Applejack, he kissed her on her forehead.

Applejack's face turned bright red, mostly from blush, but also a bit from embarrassment as well. She never thought there would be a day in her life when a stallion would bring her flowers. She never wished for these kinds of things to happen to her. This kind of treatment was something a pony like Rarity would crave. Applejack studied the flowers and smelled them. She looked back up to the stallion and said, "I thank ya so much for this beautiful bouquet ya made. It's gorgeous! Nopony has ever given me flowers before!"

The stallion bent back down and picked out a colorful dark purple flower from the bouquet and placed it carefully into Applejack's mane. "You're so very welcome Applejack," he said. "You're worth it and such a pretty girl like you deserves it."

Applejack was shocked at the word he used to describe her. Nopony had ever called her pretty before. She was a pony who didn't wear makeup and got down and dirty in the mud. She was a tom-boy, like her friend Rainbow Dash. "I thank ya kindly for those words. That means a lot to me," she said.

Both ponies began to stare into each other's eyes for a bit. The sounds of both of their stomachs growling made them lose their focus and look at the baskets full of food.

"Maybe it's time we dug in," Applejack suggested.

Both ponies set their eyes on the basket in the middle of them. They were both craving foods rich in protein and they knew that the basket carried the foods that they craved. They both drove their heads down towards the basket. They almost collided together. They stopped just a few inches a part from each other. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. They then both closed their eyes and kissed. When they finished kissing, Applejack pulled her head away and looked shyly away from her mate. She felt a bit awkward when it came to romantic feelings and situations, but she really did enjoy her first kiss. She had a smirk on her face that she was trying to hide that confirmed that she enjoyed it.

Her date nuzzled the basket of food over to her. "Ladies first," he said.

Applejack's heart went pitter patter. This stallion seemed to really be interested in her and she was just as interested in him as well. She smiled at him and then drove her head inside the basket. She pulled out her food and began to devour it.

The stallion also helped himself to the goodies inside the basket. They were both consuming the foods at such a fast pace that it almost appeared as if they were in an eating contest. Neither of them ever suffered with indigestion because their stomachs were used to how they ate their food. Upon rampaging through each basket, they both made it down to the last piece of food that was inside. A slice of apple pie. They ended up sharing it together because they were both still starving. As the sun began to set, Sun Rise scooted over closer to Applejack and wrapped his front leg around her neck and drew her near to his side. Applejack willingly laid her head on his chest and sighed in contentment. They spent quite a while together as they watched the sun set.

When it was time to go home Applejack got up and stretched her limbs. "I guess it's official now huh? We are officially each other's somepony special." Applejack shyly looked away from him and continued. "I reckon you wouldn't be interested in givin' me another..." she paused for a moment as the awkwardness took over.

The stallion leaned in closer to her and whispered in her ear, "I'd love to." He then wrapped his front legs around her body as he passionately kissed her under Princess Luna's shining moon light. When they broke free Applejack stared lovingly into his eyes and said, "I know it's probably too early to say this, but I love ya."

The stallion smiled back at her and said, "I love you too. I need to get going now, we need to spend more time together. I'll catch up with you later."

Applejack nodded her head yes with her eyes shut proudly in agreement. As the stallion began to walk away, he stopped and looked back at his mate and said, "Oh and Applejack, you're gorgeous! Don't let any pony tell you differently."

Applejack hid her face in her hat hoping that he wouldn't notice the blush on her face. "I don't know what to say. Thank ya fer the compliment. Yer a fine and handsome stallion yerself," she said.

The stallion smiled at her and then began to walk away. Applejack watched him walk off in the distance until she could see him no more. She felt this love sickness that plagued her mind. She now fully understood why Rarity was so crazy for romance and how nice it is to have a somepony special in your life. Applejack turned away and began to head home. As Applejack cleared the bushes to step through, she heard a familiar giggle. She turned to see Rainbow Dash who was hiding in the bush close by. "Rainbow! What are you doin' here again!? I thought I told ya that I'd like some privacy!" Applejack said.

Rainbow Dash stopped giggling and said, "I'm sorry A.J., but I got finished with clearing the skies early and I just had to come check up on you to make sure that he's treating you right. I didn't know you were quite the kisser."

Applejack's face turned red with embarrassment that her friend had seen her in her most personal and romantic moment yet. "Ya mean to tell me ya saw that happen? Good gravy, I don't even know what to say!"

"Relax, I'm not going to make fun of you. I haven't checked up on the two of you in quite a while and I just got curious. Sorry if it bothers you," her friend said as she crossed her front legs.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess it's not a terribly big deal. I still owe ya everythin' for helpin' me on the farm and for introducin' me to my date."

Rainbow Dash nodded her head in understanding and said, "A.J., do you need a lift? I know you must be tired from all the work you did today and I bet you'd already be in bed at this hour anyway." She turned her back to her friend and squatted low to the ground.

Applejack didn't hesitate. She was exhausted from staying up so late. She hopped onto her friends back and wrapped her front legs around her neck.

Rainbow Dash took off to Sweet Apple Acres and dropped her friend off. They waved good bye to each other.  She didn't even have time to take a longer shower. She just got wet, lathered herself up, and then rinsed off as quickly as she could. Applejack hurried on upstairs and walked over to her room. Once she entered her room, her body screamed at her to get under the covers because her muscles were so sore and she needed rest. Applejack plunged herself into bed and began to fall asleep, thoughts of her somepony special and that special kiss ran through her mind which relaxed her. She fell asleep with another pillow in between her front legs imagining that it was her love.

The Bad News

Applejack awoke the next morning. She hurried down the stares for breakfast. "Mornin' Granny Smith! I see ya got a good hearty breakfast goin' there. I can't wait to dig in! I got a lot of work cut out for me today. When are those new workers supposed to start?"

Granny Smith let out a sigh and said, "I'm sorry to break your heart dear, but I'm giving up this farm and moving to a retirement home soon."

Applejack's mouth hung open for awhile. "What in tar-nation's do ya mean Granny? This farm has been the Apple family's farm fer generations!"

"I'm getting too old to take care of this farm and I want to live out however many years I have left in peace. It's just too much work for me now that Apple Bloom and Big Mac have moved on."

Applejack still couldn't believe what was being said. "Who is goin' to take over this farm then?" she asked.

"Flim and Flam. They are very wealthy and offered quite a bit of money for this farm," Granny Smith said.

Tears flooded Applejack's eyes. "No Granny! Please! We can't do that!"

Granny Smith shook her head in sorrow several times and said, "I'm so sorry my dear, but it's time to move on in life. I hope you can move in with that stallion you have been dating."

Applejack did not want to leave this farm. She spent her entire life here aside from that one time when she moved into the city for a short while prior to getting her cutie mark. There were just too many memories and so much hard work she poured into this land. However, Applejack was outright disgusted by the farming practices of the Flim and Flam brothers. Their workers wore hazardous protection suits and they sprayed the crops with deadly chemicals to keep the parasprites and other insects away. The brothers offered Applejack a high position in the job, but she declined and left Sweet Apple Acres for good. The only place she had left to go was Sun Rise's farm. He understood her situation and took her into his own home. They would work on the farm together where they bucked pears off the trees. Applejack understood how he got his name and cutie mark. He would always wake up before the sun rise so that he could watch it. He was never late to see the sun come up. His striking blonde mane also gave her the feeling as if had been kissed by the sun. The work was really hard on the farm, but it wasn't as time consuming as when she was at Sweet Apple Acres. This stallion was a work pony to the core, and he could even out perform Applejack when it came to strength and stamina.

Applejack stayed by his side often. She still spent much of her time with her friends, and she seemed to have even more free time now that she had such a strong and hard worker. The farm they worked on was much smaller than Sweet Apple Acres, but they were always planting more and more crops and buying more land because ponies were beginning to realize that the food from Sweet Apple Acres, now run by the Flim and Flam brothers, was causing massive health problems from those who ate from that farm often. Ponies began to flock to Sun Rise's new farm.

Two Hearts Becoming One

They've been together about a year now. Applejack was beginning to get desperate. She often had very personal talks with Rainbow Dash about bringing up marriage, but she could never seem to mention it to her stallion.

One day, Applejack invited her mate out to that special spot where they first met. It was here and only here that she could really open up about her deepest feelings and thoughts since this place was so special to her. Whenever they came here, they always had dinner here or at least some kind of snack. They were both very food oriented ponies because of the kind of labor they did.

Sun Rise placed the picnic basket next to Applejack and sat down next to her. They both dug in and devoured the food within no time. Sun Rise looked over to his somepony special. He noticed that she didn't quite look the same. "What's going on inside your mind Applejack?" the stallion asked. "You can tell me anything."

Applejack gulped and looked worried. She was really shy about this topic, but she gathered the confidence and spoke up, "Have ya ever considered us gettin' hitched in the future?" There was a look of pain and sorrow on her face as soon as she said that. "I'm awfully sorry if I brought this up too soon."

The stallion smiled back at her and said, "Applejack, I have been wanting to talk about this for the longest time, but I wasn't sure if you'd be ready. I'm kind of surprised after all these months that you failed to realize the little box that I planted inside our picnic basket. I always put it on your side of the basket too."

` Applejack immediately opened up the basket and looked inside. She couldn't believe it. There at the bottom of the basket on her side, was a small golden box. She must have overlooked it so many times in the past before because she was so excited about the food. Applejack wasn't exactly a pony who paid attention to small details like her friend Rarity, especially when it came to eating.

Sun Rise took the little box out of the basket. He came closer to Applejack and got down very low before her. He opened the box and there was the most gorgeous ring Applejack had ever seen before. "Will you marry me?" he asked.

Applejack took off her hat and hid her face behind it. Only her two eyes could be seen. She was in total shock.

The stallion looked up at Applejack with a bit of a confused look on his face. "Applejack, are you ok?" he asked.

Tears flooded her eyes as she took her hat away from her face and got down low to the ground with her partner. "I really didn't expect this to happen today. I'm sorry, I'm just in a bit of shock right now. Of course I will marry ya!" she said. Applejack suddenly wrapped her front legs around her mate and forcefully shoved him to the ground. She kissed him passionately. Applejack broke free from the kiss and picked her head back up. She kept her hoof on his chest and they both stared into each other's eyes for a very long time without saying a word. Finally, Applejack broke the silence. "I guess we got some plannin' to do don't we?

The stallion grinned and nodded his head yes in agreement.

Applejack soon told her friends that she planned on getting married very soon.

All of her friends wanted to help with her wedding in some way or fashion.

Rarity wanted to see them get married in a palace or some other fancy place in Canterlot, but Applejack wanted to get married outside in the country area of Ponyville. She wasn't all that crazy about the upper class and she wanted there to be fun farm games, lots of food, and of course, the option for ponies to get down and dirty in the mud.

Rarity protested at her idea, but she realized that this wasn't her wedding, and she had to respect Applejack's decision. She was in charge of designing her dress and Sun Rise's suit. That would be enough for her to worry about.

Fluttershy would be in charge of the music. She was teaching her birds to sing beautiful wedding music. She also found musicians who would play Bluegrass music for the after wedding party.

Pinkie Pie would be making the wedding cake as well as many other tasty treats for the ponies.

Rainbow Dash would be making sure that the weather was perfect. She even convinced Princess Celestia to move the sun back just a tad bit back from the earth so the weather would be just perfect for her friend's special day since they were currently going through a heat wave.

Twilight Sparkle was helping out with the decorations and making sure that everything was going as planned.

Once that day had come, the girls stood back and looked at the place. Everything was set and everything went according to their plans. This was going to be such a special day for their friend and they wanted to please her as best as they could.

The place was flooded with ponies, most of them being from Applejack's insanely huge family. The wedding was a success. Applejack and Sun Rise said their vows and officially became hitched. After the great feast and the dancing, it was time for Applejack and her husband to be alone. Neither of them wanted to go anywhere fancy. Home was where the heart was.

When the carriage dropped them off at their house, Sun Rise got out quickly and opened the side door where Applejack was sitting. He scooped her up in his hooves and walked to the door of their home. Before he set her down to open the door he asked her, "Applejack do you really mean that you'll stay by my side through thick and thin? Will you promise to never leave me?"

"Of course!" Applejack said. "What do ya think those vows were about? I promise that I will never leave yer side and I will be with ya for as long as I live no matter what happens between us. Ya know I'm bound to my word being that I represent the element of honesty, so don't ya fret sugar cube."

Sun Rise smiled as he gently put her down and opened up the door. The both of them quickly headed to the bed room. Right now they had some newly wedded couple business to take care of.

Applejack and Sun Rise had such a beautiful and wonderful marriage together for many years now. They had survived many struggles and worked hard trying to keep up with the demands of their customers because of the horror stories that were told about eating the food from the Flim and Flam brothers. They also started planting many other crops as well, such as apple trees.

The Freak Accident

Sun Rise was sitting at the table, devouring an apple pie that Applejack had baked for him.

"I gotta do some organizin' in the barn sugar cube," Applejack said. "Maybe after I'm done we can work on that gutter that needs fixin' on the side of the house. It might be a good idea to stay out of the barn for a bit. I might be makin' some chaotic organization in there."

The stallion nodded his head in agreement as he continued to shove pie in his face. Within a few moments, he felt guilty about that gutter that needed fixing on the side of their house. He also had many other chores he wanted to get done. Sun Rise was a pony who couldn't stand sitting still and doing nothing. He was a work pony and he wanted to get a lot of things done on the farm today in his spare time. He left the house and made his way over to the barn.

Applejack swayed back and forth as she tried her best to balance herself on her hind legs while attempting to move the very tall ladder near the entrance of the barn. She aligned the ladder just right to the spot where she wanted to get up to, and began to climb. She got up to the top and climbed onto the platform. "There's just so many boxes up here and we have so many tools and farm equipment that need to be sorted through," she said to herself. Applejack didn't know where to start. She opened up the box that was closest to the ledge. It was kind of teetering on the edge of the platform. There was farm equipment inside, but the equipment was very heavy and she would need Sun Rise in order to get it down because he was much stronger than her. Applejack looked back to the box behind it. There wasn't much distance between this box and the one in front of it. She opened it up and realized there were lots of farm tools that could be put to good use. The box was quite heavy, but it wasn't as heavy as the first box she went through so she decided to take this one down with her. She couldn't get on the other side of the box because there was so many other boxes behind it. She grabbed a hold of the box she wanted to take down with her and began to back up.

Sun Rise walked into the barn looking for Applejack. "Applejack, where are you?" the stallion called out.

Applejack continued to pull at the box and called back, "I'm up here sugar cube." As Applejack continued to pull the box out, she didn't notice that somepony had left a tool unpacked. She tripped over the tool and fell backwards. She landed hard against the box that was closest to the ledge. The box fell off the platform.

Before the stallion even had the chance to look up, the box landed directly on Sun Rise's back, crushing him.

Applejack got up and looked down. She put her hoof to her mouth in shock. She was terrified that he was dead. That box was extremely heavy and fell a long distance down. She quickly hurried down the ladder and with all her strength, she was barely able to get the box off of Sun Rise.

He was still alive, but he looked like he was in bad shape, she was terrified that he might die from internal injuries.

Tears flooded Applejack's eyes as she raced out of the barn calling for help. Thankfully, there were two Pegasus ponies who happened to be flying by and came to her aid. Sun Rise wasn't exactly a pony that was easy to carry. He had a lot of muscle and weighed quite a bit. Thankfully, between the two Pegasus ponies, they were able to carry him, and fly him to the Hospital.

Applejack stayed by his side the entire time. She had the farm temporarily shut down. Many of her most loyal customers were very upset, but she made a vow to never leave her stallion's side.

After some testing, the Doctor came in the room. Applejack had crossed her front legs on top of her husbands chest and was sobbing into her front legs. She was deep in prayer that her mate would be okay and that he would not die. Applejack suddenly picked her head up after sensing that another pony was in the room with them.

The Doctor was now half way in the room and half way in the hall way. The way his body was positioned, it looked as if he wasn't sure if he should enter the room right now after seeing Applejack in prayer.

When her eyes met the Doctor's eyes, the Doctor cautiously stepped into the room.

Applejack picked herself up from the bed and stared at the Doctor with worry written all over her face. She had her two hooves together as if she was begging him to tell her good news.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "I have some good news and bad news. The good news is that Sun Rise should survive his injuries. The bad news is that the X-rays showed us that he has severe damage to his spine and that he will never recover from the damage that has been done. He'll also most likely be suffering from chronic pain for the rest of his life and will be needing to take the most potent pain killers. I cannot imagine him being able to return to the farm and working again. He will probably need to be on disability for the rest of his life."

Applejack bowed her head in shame. "I thank ya fer tellin' me the news, Doctor."

The Doctor nodded his head and left the two ponies alone.

Applejack looked back to her love. He was in so much pain that he couldn't speak and was drugged up with very dangerous pain killers. Applejack took off her hat and burrowed her face in it as she cried. She also felt guilty that all of this was her fault.

Within time, Sun Rise was able to leave the hospital. There wasn't much rehab they could do for him since his injuries were so severe. He basically learned about what he can do and what he shouldn't do at the hospital.

The carriage pulled up to their house and dropped them off. Applejack gave the pony pulling their carriage a nice tip.

Out stepped Sun Rise very slowly. Applejack came over and he put his front leg around her body. Together, they slowly made it up to the house. As Sun Rise began to climb the stairs, he let out a spew of swear words in pain. The stairs killed his back.

Applejack froze in fear that the stairs may have caused more damage to his back. "Easy there sugar cube," she said. "Just take it one step at a time, very slowly. I won't have ya do the stairs for a very long time, but I need to get ya in bed so ya can rest up and I can get ya sometin' to eat.

The stallion puffed his cheeks out in frustration as he mentally prepared himself to climb the rest of the stairs. Each step he took was followed by an onslaught of profanity that he yelled out.

Eventually they made it to the bed. Very slowly, Applejack helped him lay down. She pulled the blankets over him and kissed his forehead.

"Applejack," Sun Rise said. "What are we going to do about our nightly routine?"

"Huh?" Applejack said. Then it suddenly hit her by what he meant by that. "Oh, I don't think we can do any more pony poundin' fer now. I'm not sure if we'll ever be able to do that again, but don't ya worry about it. I'll take care of that desire in other ways that won't hurt yer back. I'm gonna get started on supper. Ya just take it easy there handsome."

The stallion sighed in depression. He was upset not just over the fact that he wouldn't be able to make love to his wife, but also about the farm and not being able to work, being that hard work was very important to him in his life.

Shattered Glass and Hearts

Applejack did everything she possibly could for her mate. She was over worked between the farm business and providing care for her spouse. She didn't ask Rainbow Dash for help because she felt tremendously guilty. She felt that all of this hard work would be punishment for her accident in the barn.

Sun Rise was eventually able to walk on his own again, but the pain in his back seemed to flare up randomly during the day. One thing was true, that the pain would always be unbearable to him whenever a storm would come or there was high humidity in the air. The pain killers alone were not enough to satisfy the stallion. He began to experiment with alcohol in order to forget his pain and to dull his senses. Applejack didn't like the idea of him drinking. He started off with just a few drinks, but started to become more and more dependent on the liquor.

Applejack noticed that her stallion was starting to become more aggressive. He couldn't hold his liquor very well.

Applejack carefully put down two steaming bowls of vegetable soup that she made. "C'mon sugar cube. Ya gotta come and git it yerself. The Doctors said that ya gotta still move every now and then."

Sun Rise took another sip of his beer. He grinded his teeth in agony as he got up off of the couch and slowly hobbled his way over to the dinner table. He placed his bottle of beer next to the bowl of soup.

Applejack smiled that he was able to get off the couch for the first time without her help.

Sun Rise dug into the bowl. Suffering from chronic pain made him very hungry and he still kept his voracious appetite even though his body was not very active anymore. He suddenly picked his head up from the bowl and looked at Applejack who was blowing on her soup in order to cool it off. "Applejack, did you bring in the crates from all of the pears you bucked off the trees today?"

Applejack stopped blowing on her soup and looked up at him, she had a worried look on her face. "Uh, not yet sugar cube. I was so busy cookin' dinner and cleanin' up that I wasn't  able to bring the crates in yet. I don't think I'll have time to bring 'em in tonight."

The stallion took the last few sips from his bottle of beer and squeezed it tightly. He felt sudden rage boil over him and he hurled the empty bottle at Applejack's head with all his might.

Applejack ducked and the glass bottle shattered against the wall. Shards of glass fell into her bowl of soup.

"You idiot! What did I tell you about leaving the crates of fruit out over night! You know that we don't use pesticides and Parasprites will consume most of the food if we don't bring it into the barn! Get out there now you lazy good for nothing pony!"

Applejack sat there for a moment in shock. She slowly got up out of her seat as if she were afraid that he'd hurl something else at her. Never in her life had she imagined her stallion becoming abusive both verbally and physically. He could have seriously hurt her if she hadn't ducked the projectile. She was starving since it had been a while that she eaten, but now her dinner was ruined and she didn't have time to prepare another meal since she still had many chores ahead of her to do. She was suffering from stomach pains because of the hunger. "I-I-I," Applejack stuttered. "I'll git right to it. I'm awfully sorry about that."

The stallion put both of his front hooves to his head in agony and Applejack quickly left the table and went outside. Applejack backed her flank up to the side of the house and slid down to the ground against the wall. She took off her hat and began to sob uncontrollably into it. The life that she had happily dreamed of was now starting to become a nightmare. She heard thunder in the distance and sensed that a mighty storm was headed her way. She would have to move fast if she wanted to get her job done before the storm would strike.

As Applejack pushed in the last crate, torrents of rain began to pour from the sky. Applejack got soaking wet and rushed inside the house before any lighting would be a possible danger to her. Applejack grabbed a towel and dried herself off. She cautiously walked through the house hoping not to upset Sun Rise anymore. As she was about to walk into the kitchen, she noticed that Sun Rise was standing at the refrigerator with yet another bottle of beer. Applejack quickly tried to hide her body behind the corner, but Sun Rise already caught glimpse of her.

"Applejack! What are you doing?" the stallion demanded to know.

Applejack took a deep breath and slowly turned the corner. "I just finished bringin' in the pears, hun. It's gettin' really late and we should hit the hay. Do ya think that maybe ya might consider quittin' alcohol? I think it may be gettin' to ya. I'm really scared of what it might be doin' to ya right now."

Sun Rise became filled with rage. "I can quit any time I want to!" he cried out. "I just don't feel like doing it now! You're not going to bed until you finish the dishes!"

Applejack looked over at the sink that still had quite a few dishes in them. She tried to do as many as she could after cooking dinner, but it was just so much work. "Hun, I just don't have it in me to do them right now. Please let me do them tomorrow, my body is aching in pain from the work and I'm starvin'. Please don't be angry with me. I'm doin' the best I can."

Sun Rise came over and looked down at her. "Do what you're told Applejack!"

Applejack noticed that his body was shaking. It could have been from the pain, or it could have been from the rage. Maybe it was a combination of both. She gulped and began to wash the dishes, even though she was so fatigued and that staying up any later would seriously set her back for tomorrows work.

Sun Rise leaned over and said in Applejack's ear, "I wouldn't have any problems or anger issues if it wasn't for you ruining my life."

Tears began to form in Applejack's eyes. As if she didn't feel bad enough for the accident that happened in the barn, this made her feel that much worse. She took off her hat and burrowed her face in it for a moment.

Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering could be heard and Applejack fell to the floor at the hooves of Sun Rise. Sun Rise had become so enraged, that he was out of beer that he smashed his glass bottle over her head. Blood gushed from head and she couldn't move. She never would have guessed that this day would come where he would hit her. She laid there dazed on the floor surrounded by broken glass and she did not get up. Her head was killing her, but she refused to move because she was afraid that he might hit her again.

Sun Rise looked down at the fallen pony in disgust and then stomped out of the room and went to bed.

Meanwhile, at Sugar Cube Corner, Pinkie Pie tossed and turned in her sleep. She was having a terrible nightmare. She suddenly shot up out of bed and began to cry. Her Pinkie senses told her that Applejack was in major danger and she was being hurt badly. Suddenly, her mane and tail lost the puffiness and flattened out. Pinkie Pie rushed over to the window and looked out of it as she put her hoof on the glass. "Applejack, I'm coming for you," she said with tears in her eyes.

Eventually, Applejack picked herself up and cleaned up the mess that Sun Rise had made and then she finished washing the dishes. When she looked at the clock, it was already morning and she only had a couple of hours to sleep before she would be forced to get up and work the fields again. She simply washed the gash in her head and put some bandages on the wound. The last thing she wanted to do was get their bed stained with blood and give him another reason to lash out at her. Applejack slowly opened the door and peeked inside. Her partner was already fast asleep. She tip-hoofed over to the bed and very quietly laid down and got under the blankets. Under the moon light she could see Sun Rise's face. It pained her heart so much to look at him. She knew that deep down inside that this wasn't the real him. The real Sun Rise was a sweet and loving pony who loved her unconditionally. She turned her body away from him and looked up at the moon. She said a prayer, hoping that somehow, Sun Rise would be able to stop drinking and that his pain would go away. Applejack softly cried herself to sleep. In a couple of hours would be the start of another traumatic day.

I'll Always Love You No Matter What

The next day Applejack found herself back to bucking Pear and Apple trees on the farm, even though she only had a couple of hours of sleep last night. Her body protested with pain and fatigue and her tree bucking skills had diminished. Applejack was very dizzy and she could hear voices in her head because her brain was so disoriented, not just from the abuse, but mainly because of the lack of sleep. Applejack stumbled around a bit and shot her back legs out as she attempted to buck the tree behind her. She was so disoriented and tired that she actually missed the entire tree. She fell to the ground and she fell asleep.

Applejack awoke when she felt the nuzzling of somepony. She shook her head several times. "Sun Rise is that you?" she asked. She turned around and was shocked to see Fluttershy and the rest of her friends standing behind her.

All of her friends gasped in horror when they saw Applejacks face. She still had the bandage on her head from last night and she also had a very dark black eye from being hit earlier today.

Pinkie Pie was the first to move. She raced over and wrapped her front legs around the orange mare. "Oh, Applejack, I had a horrible Pinkie sense last night that told me you were being hurt. Tell me it's not true Applejack, is it?"

Applejack turned her head away and shut her eyes tightly. Two tear drops trickled down her bruised face. "I can't tell a lie to ya'll. Sun Rise got hurt really bad and has been sufferin' with chronic pain and has been drinkin' in order to fergit about his pain. He's become very angry and he often lashes out at me and hits me. It's entirely my fault. I should have known that movin' those boxes in the barn was unsafe without his help."

Rainbow Dash got low to the ground and hugged her friend. "Applejack, you need to get out of here and come home with me. Your life may seriously be in danger and I can't let my best friend suffer like this. You're coming home with me now."

Applejack looked away from her friend. Suddenly, the painful memory replayed in her head again. The words echoed through her mind of that day when her stallion brought her home in his hooves on the day of their marriage.

"Applejack, do you really mean that you'll stay by my side through thick and thin? Will you promise to never leave me?"

"Of course!" Applejack said. "What do you think those vows were about? I promise that I will never leave yer side and will be with ya for as long as I live, no matter what happens between us. Ya know I'm bound to my word bein' that I represent the element of honesty, so don't ya fret sugar cube."

Applejack snapped out of it. She looked back to her friend and drew a line in the dirt as she dragged her hoof across the ground. "I can't do it girls," she confessed.

All of her friends looked at each other with confusion written all over their faces.

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked. "You can't stay here any longer. Just look at you! You're in terrible shape."

Applejack looked up at Rarity with sad eyes and said, "I made a special promise to him that I would never leave his side no matter what happens between us. I can't sin and break my word. I represent the element of honesty."

Just then she heard her stallion calling her name. "Applejack!" he cried out. The tone of his voice sounded like he was very, very angry.

Rainbow Dash felt the anger overwhelm her. "No one messes with my best friend like that! I'll show him a thing or two," she said. She dragged her hoof across the ground several times like an angry bull getting ready to charge and then took off into the air towards the house. She suddenly felt a tug at her tail and she was pulled backwards and fell to the ground.

Applejack had grabbed her tail with her mouth. She let go of her tail and shook her head in disapproval. "It's no use R.D.," Applejack said. "Arguin' with him is only gonna to make his anger worse and I'll end up payin' more for it. It's best to just let it go."

Twilight Sparkle shook her head several times in disbelief. "Applejack, this is crazy! You could die if you stay here any longer. Please come home with one of us. I even have an extra bed upstairs in my house that you can have."

Applejack looked back over to her and said, "It's my job as a wife to be submissive to my husband. If I die from the abuse, then I'll die bein' faithful and kind to my husband. I am the one who got us into this whole mess in the first place. I should have never moved anythin' in that barn without his help."

Pinkie Pie fell to the ground and begged Applejack to come home with her. The shade of her coat turned very dark.

Sun Rise screamed out her name again. This time he sounded even more angry.

"I'm sorry girls, but I already explained the situation to ya'll. I need to go now before he gets even more angry. I appreciate the offer, but I just can't accept it. Take care."

Applejack turned her back on her friends and walked slowly over to the house. She had her head hanging low and her ears were flat, as she mentally prepared herself for the verbal and physical abuse that was about to happen behind closed doors.

Her friends watched her in disbelief. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash's emotions began to run wild and she prepared to chase after Applejack.

Twilight Sparkle put her hoof to Rainbow's chest in an attempt to block her and said, "We have to let her go, Rainbow. We have to respect her decision to be honest and loyal. All we can do is pray for her."

When her friends saw the door slam behind Applejack, they turned around and began to head home. They were weeping and mourning for their friend. They could only imagine the horror that was going on behind the walls of the house.

After getting screamed at, Applejack got ready to go out again. She needed to go to the pharmacy to pick up more pain killers for Sun Rise. Before Applejack left the house, she noticed the newspaper that was on the dining room table. She quickly read the headlines. The story was about how after numerous studies and testing from no other than Twilight Sparkle, she was able to prove that the food from Sweet Apple Acres was in fact killing many ponies and reaking havoc on the ponies health, that ate the food long term. Upon reading the results of Twilight's discovery, Princess Celestia came to the barn, full of wrath, and burned it down to the ground along with all of the genetically modified crops. She banished the Flim and Flam brothers to the Everfree forest. Applejack couldn't believe it. She left the house and walked over to where Sweet Apple Acres once stood. Tears flooded her eyes at the charred remains of the barn, house, and the fields. It pained her to see the place that once filled her heart with such happiness now destroyed. She could no longer bare to look at the death of this place. She moved on to the Pharmacy and picked up the prescription. When she got back home, she got out a quill and a scroll and began to write a letter to Princess Celestia. Some of the ink was running down the page because Applejack couldn't control her emotions and the tears dripped off her nose and onto the letter. She placed the scroll in her mailbox and walked back inside.

A few more months went by and Applejack's body was breaking down very quickly. Her spouse became more and more abusive as time went on and she found herself being hit multiple times a day, instead of once. Each time he connected his hoof hard to her body, she would shake tremendously from the pain. Applejack stayed submissive and loyal to him just like she promised. Every time he tried to do some farm work on his own, he would end up getting hurt and taking it out on his wife. He exploded in rage that he ran out of alcohol and that he also couldn't get a refill on his pain medication because he had been taking more than he should have been. Applejack cowered in the back of the kitchen, near the stairs that led to the basement. A spew of swear words and put downs came out of the mouth of Sun Rise. He walked over to her and began to beat her as hard as he possibly could. Applejack took the hard hits without even lifting a hoof to defend herself. In between the hits, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said in a quivering voice, "I know this ain't the real you, and I forgive ya fer what yer doin' to me. Please know that I'll always love ya no matter what."

Sun Rise suddenly stopped the assault and turned his back to her. He put his front hooves to his head in distress over the words that he just heard come from the battered mare.

Applejack very slowly got up to her hooves again. She stumbled around a bit. Her whole body was quivering in pain.

Sun Rise was still very much under the influence of alcohol. He suddenly became filled with anger in his heart once more and he gave her one final buck. Even though he hadn't been working his back legs too much, he was still an incredibly strong kicker. His back hooves landed so very hard against the side of Applejack's body that she went tumbling down the stairs. Her head smacked hard against the cement wall behind her and she lost consciousness.

Sun Rise slammed the door behind him and went out to pick up some more liquor.

Rainbow Dash sped on over to Applejack's and Sun Rises's house. She felt horribly guilty in her heart for what she was about to do, but she represented the element of loyalty and she could no longer sleep knowing that her friend was suffering from such terrible abuse. Rainbow Dash noticed that the door to the house was unlocked. She bucked it open and hurried inside. "Applejack! Applejack!" the cyan colored Pegasus called out, but there was no response. She frantically searched the house for her friend. She ran into the kitchen and noticed that the place was a mess. Pots, pans, and utensils were scattered across the floor as if a war had just occurred. Rainbow Dash continued to the back of the kitchen and looked down the stairs. There she saw Applejack laying unconscious on the cold, hard cement floor. She tried to shake her awake, but there was no response. Rainbow Dash scooped her up in her hooves and flew as fast as she could to the hospital.

Once inside the hospital, Applejack was rushed to intensive care. Rainbow Dash was asked to sit in the waiting room, but she became extremely hostile towards the Doctors and demanded that she stayed by the side of her best friend. With enough arguing, she finally got her way and she was allowed to enter the room.

Applejack was awake, but she was having trouble breathing.

Rainbow Dash kept an eye on the heart rate monitor making sure that her friend was still hanging in there.

Applejack finally was able to speak. "R.D. I just wana tell ya how much I love ya and I thank ya fer bein' so kind to me all my life. We shared the closest bond together, and I want ya to tell the other girls that I said thanks for all their friendship and love."

Rainbow Dash looked puzzled. "Huh? What do you mean by that A.J.?"

Applejack coughed up some blood and continued, "I think I'll be goin' home now R.D., thank ya for blessin' me with yer friendship. It was so very special and magical to me."

"Going home?" Rainbow asked. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

Applejack's eyes began to slowly close and she said her final words before she passed on. "Mom? Dad? It's so good to finally be home with ya'll."

A loud ringing could be heard and Rainbow Dash looked up at the heart monitor. The lines that were spiking up and down stopped and there was nothing but a flat green line. Rainbow Dash had realized that A.J. had just passed on. She threw her front legs around her friend and sobbed into her chest. "Why did you have to go A.J.? Why did this all have to happen?" she cried out in distress.

The Doctors soon had discovered that she died from internal bleeding and organ damage.

Applejack's Final Wish

Applejack's friends and family all met together at her wake. Most of the ponies there were deep in mourning when they heard the stories of how she died. Whenever a pony tried to be positive by sharing good and wholesome memories of the orange farm pony, it always ended up in more tears and frustrations because of the tragedy that had happened.

Suddenly the door to the funeral home swung up with such force that everypony stopped and looked. Sun Rise came bounding through the doors and ran over to the casket where his wife's former body was laying. He got down low to the floor before her and let out the most painful and agonizing moan anypony had ever heard before. He realized that his sins were responsible for the death of the pony who loved and took such good care of him. He got up and threw himself on top of Applejack's former body and sobbed heavily into it.

Many of the ponies became furious that he had the nerve to show his face after what everypony heard about what he did to Applejack.

Rainbow Dash's emotions ran wild. She suddenly ran over and forcefully shoved him off of the casket. "Don't you dare come here looking for sympathy because you're not going to get any here! You're nothing but a murderous scoundrel and you took the life of our closest and best friend!"

Sun Rise fell back to the floor. He looked up at the five other mares who were glaring down at him with such anger. "Please, I am so sorry for what I have done. Will you please forgive me?" he begged hoping that there would be mercy.

Rainbow Dash raised her hoof in the air as if she was about to strike him. "Murderers like you don't deserve forgiveness. You caused us so much emotional trauma and pain and you deserve punishment for what you did. You better get out of here now!" she demanded.

Sun Rise stumbled to his hooves and ran back out the door. His heart weighed heavy with such a strong burden of pain and suffering that he couldn't take it anymore.

Big Mac and Apple Bloom weren't in the funeral home during Sun Rise's visit. They were both standing out side mourning, because they couldn't handle seeing Applejack's former body in the casket. If Big Mac happened to be there during that scuffle with Sun Rise, then things would have gotten physical for sure.

The time had come and her friends and family sobbed heavily as the casket was placed deep in the ground and the cemetery worker ponies began to cover the casket with dirt to bury it.

After the funeral, Applejack's family headed out for the repast dinner.

The rest of Applejack's friend's didn't go because they couldn't leave Applejack's grave. They were hungry, but the pain and suffering was too great for them to even consider eating. They all sat there at her grave and wept for the loss of their friend.

Suddenly, a large shadow appeared before them. The girls turned around to see that Princess Celestia was standing before them all.

Rainbow Dash was the first one to speak up. "Princess Celestia! Sun Rise had the nerve to show up at the wake! You need to banish him permanently to the Everefree forest!"

All the girls nodded in agreement, except for Fluttershy. She didn't agree with them, but she also wasn't speaking out against the idea either.

"Oh?" the princess replied. "What exactly did he have to say?"

Rainbow continued, but with more anger in her voice. "He had the nerve to show his face at the wake and ask for mercy, but none of us wanted to ever see him again."

"And did you forgive him? The Princess asked.

Rainbow Dash fumed. "Of course not! How in Equestria could any of us forgive a pony who was so ruthless and brutal. He ended up taking the life of our best friend! You need to punish him now!"

Princess Celestia sighed. "Girls, the magic of love and forgiveness needs to be extended to all. We can't single out ponies who have done something wrong, even in extreme cases like what Sun Rise did to Applejack. Hatred will only stir up more strife, but love will cover all offenses. Do I need to remind you all about the story of what happened with my sister Princess Luna? Do you all remember how we forgave her even though she could have killed so many in her anger? Do you all remember how Fluttershy was able to reach into Discord's troubled heart? We can't forget these stories about grace, love, and forgiveness, and we have to continue to practice compassion and mercy even to those who had evil intent and wanted to do harm to others."

Twilight couldn't believe what the Princess was suggesting. "How come you banished the Flim and Flam brothers to the Everfree forest, yet you won't banish Sun Rise?" she asked.

Princess Celestia looked over to her most prized and faithful student and said, "The Flim and Flam brothers have showed no sign of changing their ways and I will welcome them back when I see true repentance in their hearts. I brought a very special letter for all of you." Princess Celestia used her magic and hovered a scroll into the air. She read the words out loud.

"Dear Princess Celstia, things aren't going well for Sun Rise and I. He has been abusing me daily and I don't know how much more punishment my body can take. I told him that I would never leave his side, no matter what happens between us. I want to be a good wife who is submissive and faithful to her spouse. I know that lying lips are an abomination to our Creator, but those who act faithfully are blessed and are in His delight. I was asked by my friends to leave him, but I just can't do it. I can't break my word even if it costs me my life. I want you all to please forgive his offenses. He only became this way because of the chronic pain and alcohol use. I'm trying to do what I can for him, but it's so very hard. If I end up not making it through, then I want you all to show love and compassion for him. I love him with all my heart and he loves me as well. He just fell victim to liquor to drown out his sorrows and pain instead of seeking healthier alternatives. I love you Princess Celestia and I hope that you all may be blessed. Yours truly, Applejack."

Princess Celstia rolled up the scroll and gave it to Twilight Sparkle. "I want you to keep this as a reminder of your friend and her final wish."

The five ponies began to weep at what they had just heard. It was all very hard for them to say anything.

The Princess cleared her throat. "Girls, I'm sending you on a mission. You all need to go visit Sun Rise and show him compassion and mercy. You do want to make Applejack's final wish come true now don't you? I must go now, but I hope that you will pull through and do the right thing. Peace be with you."

Princess Celstia spread her wings and took off into the sky.

The girls all held onto each other and continued to mourn for their friend.

Twilight Sparkle broke free from her friends and said, "Come on girls. The longer we wait to do this, the harder it's going to be for us. We need to do this not just for the Princess, but more importantly, for Applejack."

The ponies all got up and headed over to the farm where Sun Rise lived. Upon approaching the door, they noticed that it was left ajar.

Rainbow Dash led the way inside the house. What they saw horrified them.

Sun Rise had his head in a noose and was standing on a crate. He looked over to the girls that had intruded into his house. "Go away!" he cried out. "I want to put myself to rest for good! You are all right! I do not deserve forgiveness and I am a monster!"

Fluttershy was the first pony to step forward. "Please wait, Sun Rise! We have something to show you. Twilight Sparkle, please read him the letter Applejack sent before she passed on."

Twilight Sparkle used her magic and brought out the scroll. She opened it up and began to read it to the stallion out loud.

When Twilight Sparkle finished reading the letter, the remorseful stallion took his head out of the noose and stepped off the crate. All four of his legs began to shake violently and he suddenly fell into the hooves of the girls. They caught him before he hit the ground. "Do you all really forgive me? he asked. "Is it truly possible that you have love somewhere in your heart for a wretch like me?"

"We forgive you," Rainbow Dash said. "We'll be here for you to help you through your struggles." Each and every girl said that they forgave the stallion for what he had done. The stallion continued to mourn and all of the girls became very emotional and wept over him as they prayed for him.

When the prayers ended, the stallion got up and looked at the girls with tears streaming down his face. "I don't know what I'm going to do with my life. I need to kick the booze and I'm addicted to these painkillers."

"I can help you with that," Fluttershy said. Ponies seem to have forgotten about the powerful healing herbs and foods. A bowl full of tart cherries and some turmeric may greatly help relieve your suffering. I think I may know of a few other natural herbs that can heal your pain too."

Twilight Sparkle butted in, "And I have a lot of books in my library that can give you some great advice when it comes to kicking the habit."

Even though Pinkie Pie had been going through so much emotional trauma, her mane and tail became puffy again and her coat became a lighter shade of pink at the fact that they fulfilled the final wish of Applejack. She was  hesitant, but offered to help the stallion out, as did Rarity as well. They would all work together to change his life around.

The smell of rain filled the air as the storm began to come in. A strong wind blew past the two ponies in the cemetery. Soarin' held tightly onto Rainbow Dash as she sobbed into his chest. He gently rubbed her back in order to comfort her. She picked her head up and looked into his eyes and said, "I'm so afraid of commitment because of what happened to Applejack. I want to see us married some day, but I'm so scared of any strife or problems. I want to be a good, honest, and faithful wife like my friend was, and you know I can never leave you because I represent the element of loyalty. Sun Rise seemed like such a perfect stallion for Applejack and I feel this was my fault for hooking her up with him."

Soarin' hushed her and said, "Rainbow, You will turn out to be a wonderful wife. I am so deeply sorry about Applejack. I love to hear you tell stories about her, and you need to continue to tell other ponies about her stories too. It's not your fault for what happened to Applejack. What happened to her was out of your control and you were such a good and wonderful friend to Applejack. I can't promise that there won't be any strife or arguments because I am not a perfect stallion, but I promise to never purposely hurt you in any physical way.

Rainbow's voice quivered a bit. "Do you really mean that?"

Soarin' wiped the tears away from her eyes and kissed her rainbow colored mane. "I promise," he said. "I love you Dash."

Rainbow Dash embraced the stallion and said, "I love you too." Rainbow Dash broke free from the hug and walked over to the headstone. She put her hoof on the part of the headstone where Appeljack's name was engraved. "I miss you so much A.J. I can't wait to see you in heaven. I can't ever forget about your love and what you have done." Rainbow hugged the headstone and cried.

Soarin' came over and put his hoof on her shoulder. "Dash, I know this is hard for you, but we have to get going now. We'll come back and visit Applejack as often as we can, but right now we have to get dinner."

Rainbow Dash let go of the headstone. She wiped the tears away and nodded in agreement. They both left the cemetery and headed out to eat. Rainbow Dash continued to talk about memories of her friend as they ate together.

Sun Rise was somehow able to turn his life around, thanks to Applejack's friends. He gave up the addiction to the pain killers as well as the liquor. He would live out the rest of his life as peacefully as possible, even though he often suffered with terrible guilt and shame. He would also spend much of his time in prayer at the cemetery. Sun Rise refused to find another somepony special even when others asked him about it. He was dedicated to Applejack and he often travled to Twilight Sparkle's library in order to read the letter Applejack wrote to the Princess. Twilight had it on display in the center of her Library. Inside the display case lay Applejack's element of harmony necklace. The Princess also sent that to her as a precious reminder of her friend.

Rainbow Dash's Surprise Stallion for Applejack

Some time went by and Rainbow Dash continued to provide help for her over worked friend as much as she possibly could. After they were done with the apple collecting, Applejack wiped the sweat off her brow and said, "Thank ya so much fer yer help again. Would ya like to come in and have some supper? I might not be a very good cook, but I'm sure I can whip somethin' up."

Rainbow Dash began to giggle a bit

"What in tar-nations are you gigglin' bout girl? My cookin' isn't exactly gourmet, but it ain't that bad! Or is it?" the orange mare asked.

"You won't be needing to have to make dinner today," Rainbow replied. "I already set up a special date for you today. I found you a somepony special. We need to get going now because he's already waiting for you. Come on!"

Applejack was stunned. "Wait? What!? Are you bein' serious R.D. or are ya pullin' my leg?"

Rainbow Dash refused to answer her. She grabbed Applejack by her hoof and they traveled across town.

"Where are ya takin' me R.D.?" Applejack asked.

"You're going to like it A.J., I promise! I made this special set up just for you!" her friend replied.

They made it to the woods and followed a path that seemed to meander deep into the woods. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash left the path and started making her way to a place where there was a group of bushes.

Applejack followed closely behind her.

"Pssst! Look over there," Rainbow said as she poked her friend who happened to be looking around the woods.

Applejack turned her head and saw in the distance that there was a stallion sitting on a checkered blanket. His coat was a light colored brown and his mane and tail was striking blonde. There were baskets of food and bottled beverages. Rainbow Dash had made them both a picnic to enjoy.

Applejack shot her head back to her friend. Her face was as bright red as a tomato with blush. "Rainbow Dash! I told ya not to go over board with the romance!"

Rainbow giggled and said, "Come on A.J. It's not that bad! I bet you'll do just fine if you go over there now and introduce yourself! I also made sure to pack an abundance of food because I know how you like to eat!"

Applejack took off her hat and said, "My goodness! I didn't even prepare myself for such an occasion! How does my mane look? I never thought I'd ever ask this, but do I look pretty?"

Rainbow Dash put her hoof to her chin as she studied the mane of her friend. She suddenly stuck her hoof on top of Applejack's head and began roughing her up as she rubbed her hoof in her friend's mane. She stepped back and noticed that she just made a complete mess out of her friends mane. It also didn't help that the humidity in the air was rather high today which caused her friends mane to stick out quite a bit. "Uh. I think it looks good enough," she said. "Just go on over and be yourself. You'll do fine!" Rainbow Dash suddenly put her head to the flank of her friend and pushed her out of the bushes.

"Ok, ok, ok! I git it! I'll go over and have some conversation with him," she said hoping that Rainbow would stop pushing her closer to her date.

Rainbow Dash stopped pushing her friend and hopped back into the bushes.

Applejack looked back at the bushes with a nervous and worried expression on her face.

Rainbow Dash popped her head out of the bushes with a slightly angered look on her face. She pointed her hoof over to where the stallion was sitting and waved it as if she were shooing a fly away.

Applejack sighed as she put her head down and walked over to the stallion. She took note that his cutie mark was of the sun rising in the morning. She sat down on the blanket and gave a very awkward smile at her date.

"Uh, howdy partner. My name is Applejack. It's awfully nice to meet ya. What's yer name?"

The stallion smiled and replied, "My name is Sun Rise. It's a pleasure to meet you, Applejack."

Applejack's stomach began to growl in hunger. "Well, I reckon this food ain't gonna take care of itself on its own. Let's dig in!" she said.

Her date didn't hesitate. They both plunged their heads into the baskets and began to devour the food.

Applejack took some bites of a sandwich and began to chew loudly. She looked over to the stallion who had his head back in the basket for seconds and said, "Say, what part of town are you from and what do ya do for a livin'?"

Her date pulled his head back out of the basket with another treat in his mouth. He put the treat down and said, "I just came to Ponyville not too long ago. I started my own small farm on the other side of town."

"No way!" Applejack said. "Ya mean to tell me that yer involved in the farm business too?" Applejack suddenly put her hoof to her chest proudly. "I work on the best known farm in all of Ponyville. None other than Sweet Apple Acres!"

Her date smiled and said, "I have heard so much about it. Your Pegasus friend wouldn't stop talking about the farm and how hard you work. She practically begged me to come here."

Applejack's ears shot up and replied, "WHAT!? She didn't force ya to come here did she? I'm awfully sorry if she did! She can be really pushy sometimes."

"Nonsense," the stallion said. "I was a little bit hesitant at first, but she talked me into coming here. I have been wanting to meet more ponies in this town anyway."

Applejack wiped the sweat off her brow and said, "Phew!" She then looked at the pony with suspicion. "Ya don't use G.M.O.'s or pesticides on yer farm do ya?"

Her date laughed and replied, "Nope! My farm is purely organic. I wouldn't even consider allowing my customers health to be harmed in order to make a few more bits."

Applejack grinned with enthusiasm and then went back to shoving more food in her mouth. If Rarity happened to be there watching the two ponies eating together, she would be horrified at their table, or more like, picnic manners. Neither pony seemed to mind the sounds of each other chewing loudly or the food that was smeared across their faces. They were both farm ponies who had voracious appetites and digging into their food was not a problem for either of them.

Applejack finished the last bit of food and used her front leg to wipe off the food that was on her face. She seemed to be very happy because she noticed that her date had quite the appetite as well and he was able to put more food away in his belly than she could. She knew that was a sign that he was a good, hard worker.

They both talked to each other as they watched the sun begin to set in the colorful sky.

As crickets began to chirp loudly, Applejack's date looked around and said, "I need to get going. You know how important it is to get to bed early when doing farm work early the next morning."

Applejack nodded her head in agreement and said, "I understand. It was awfully nice to meet ya." Applejack stuck her hoof out and shook hooves with the stallion.

Her ears lowered a bit in depression and she lowered her head as the stallion turned to leave her.

Suddenly, her date stopped and turned around. "Applejack?" he asked.

Applejack's ears perked up a bit. "Yeah?" she said.

"Do you think we could do something like this again? Maybe have another picnic. I really had a good time with you and I think I'd like to get to know you better."

Applejack's heart began to race. "I sure as sugar would love to spend more time with ya! Thank ya for takin'  the time to meet me. I had a great time too!"

They both made another date and time to meet at this exact same spot and then parted ways.

As Applejack made her way through the bushes, she banged her face hard against Rainbow Dashes head. "Ouch!" Applejack cried out as she rubbed her nose with her front hoof. Applejack became horrified that her friend was watching her with her date the entire time. "R.D.! You couldn't at least give me some privacy with my date?"

Rainbow Dash giggled and said, "Oh A.J., You know I had to keep an eye on you. How come you didn't kiss him?"

Applejack looked even more upset than before and shot back, "Rainbow! I just met him! I'm not that kinda gal who rushes into things like that! I need to take things slow!"

Rainbow Dash kept giggling and said, "Aw, come on A.J. I didn't think you'd be able to resist. He's quite good looking isn't he? He's got quite a nice flank too!"

"Rainbow!" Applejack yelled out loud.

"Ok, ok, ok. Did you at least score another date with him?" Rainbow asked.

"I did," her friend replied. "I'll be meeting up with him again for another picnic at this very same spot."

Rainbow closed her eyes proudly and said, "Hah! I knew I could hook you up with somepony!"

"I thank ya for helpin' me out so much, but don't go tryin' to make me rush into things. I just met the fella today. Also, I'd appreciate it if ya wouldn't watch over us like a hawk."

Rainbow Dash laughed and said, "Can't make any promises on that, but I'm glad you like him! I guess I'd better get going now. I'll catch you later!" Rainbow Dash took off at full speed leaving her friend alone.

Applejack traveled back home. She took a quick shower and then leapt into bed. The warmth of the covers made her body quiver with pleasure as they relaxed her over worked muscles. Her mind began to calm down as she thought about her date and what possibilities might happen with him.

At the Gates, an alicorn Waits

The time had come and it was time for Sun Rise to leave this world. He took his last breath and departed from this world. Suddenly, he found himself on a golden road in the clouds that led to an enormous gate that was filled with giant pearls and precious jewels. At the center of the gate, Applejack was sitting patiently waiting for his arrival. The stallion almost didn't realize who she was because her body was so perfect and new and she now had wings and a horn. She was also wearing a crown on top of her head. The stallion stumbled over to her and fell at the ground by her hooves. "I am so sorry for what I have done to you, Applejack. Please! Tell me that you forgive me and that you still love me!"

Applejack bent down and put her hoof to his chin and aligned his head with hers. She wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "I already told ya that I forgive ya sugar cube. I will always love ya forever." She smiled at him and stared lovingly into his eyes.

"How did you do it Applejack!?" the stallion asked with desperation in his voice. "How did you manage to stay so faithful and loving during your time on Earth?"

Applejack smiled again and said, "It had nothin' to do with me sugar cube. Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. I couldn't have done it on my own. I prayed every night for the strength of the Holy Spirit to help me through my struggles. All praise and glory belongs to Him." Applejack gently helped him stand to his hooves. "Come with me and enter the gates and receive your crown! We are going to have a party and celebrate our new lives together as we worship Christ, our Lord and Savior."

The stallion got up on his hooves and followed Applejack into the gates. The moment he stepped through the gates, he lost all the painful memories that he held onto for so very long and could not feel any regrets or hurt in his heart. He would be at peace for all of eternity.

Applejack continued to keep an eye on her friends on Earth. She watched them grow wiser and practice more love and forgiveness just as she had wished. She was so very proud of them. She waited patiently for that day to come when they would all enter Heaven's gates and would hear the words from their Creator. "Well done you good and faithful servant."

The end.