Author's Note
Rated teen for mild language, mild sex reference, and some violence, no blood.
Proofread only by me. Re-written and re-formatted on March 7, 2014
Applejack was written as I think of her accent sounding only as far as I felt it didn't interfere with the clarity of the sentence as writing phonetically is clumsy to both the reader and the writer.
Peacemaker
Strong and Silent
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9
You want me to tell you ‘bout Big Macintosh? Now what can I tell you ‘bout my brother…
I’m sure’ ya already heard he’s shy?
Yeah, I thought so.
When ya pressed, did they say: “Well, he’s the strong and silent type.”?
Well, let me tell ya straight, they are sellin’ him short. They go about sayin’ how they see him, but they never get to knowin’ him. Hmm, let me see if I can think of a way to tell how he is without muddyin’ the waters more.
Well, I know! Let me tell you ‘bout the way he handled what could’a been a real bad situation. Applebloom, that’s my little sister if ya don’t know. Well she had gone an’ got herself a coltfriend by the name of Cash.
He’s the oldest of the Ledger family, know ‘em?.. No?.. Real nice family.
Anyway, Applebloom an’ Cash had gone on a couple of dates an’ wanted to go see this picture show. Now it was a late showin’ but we’d figured, (that’s Big Mac, Granny Smith an’ myself, our parents died when Applebloom was just a foal).
Thank you, I ‘preciate your sayin’
So, the three of us been mindin’ the farm an’ raisin’ Applebloom as best as we could figure, but her getting’ a coltfriend had come as a bit of a shock. Big Mac an’ I never had much time for datin’. An’ now our littlest Apple was needin’ guidance in the place we knew the least about. Granny was against them bein’ out so late. So was Big Mac, but he an Cash spent an afternoon gettin’ ‘quainted doin’ minor stuff round the farm, and I guess Cash kinda won ‘im over. As for me, I didn’ know what to think. But when Big Mac said that it was okay with him, well, I figured it was okay with me then too.
So then Friday night come ‘roun’, and there we were wavin’ g’bye to them as they headed down to town. Then of course, there was nothin’ to do but wait. An’ when the time you think they oughta’ be back is come an’ gon’, well, then you start to worry.
Let me tell you somethin’ I was a wreck. Big Mac was worried too, but not like me. I couldn’t sit still if ya went an’ buried me in bricks. So when we finally saw them a-runnin’ up the path well-after midnight, I was ready to tie Cash up by his left hind hoof an’ skin ‘im alive! I started in on Cash an’ Applebloom while they were still wide-eyed an’ breathless on the front porch. Big Mac went an' dragged me by my tail into the kitchen and told me to sit with Applebloom for a minute while he talked with Cash. Well, I was lookin’ for a reason to kill that colt. So I sat Applebloom in a chair and started givin’ her the third degree.
“Are you hurt?” I asked. She shook her head ‘no’.
“Did he make you do anythin’ you didn’ want to?" Again she shook her head.
“Did he touch your nethers?”
Yes, I did ask her that, an jus’ that way to.
Well, her eyes went wide as dinner-plates an’ she turned about as red as a pony could get without dye an’ said: “Applejack?!? NO!” Jus' as shocked an' embarrassed as she could be. I managed to calm down a bit then. She went on to say that the show wasn’t so good. An’ jus’ like that song, uh… “Wake-up, Little Ruby, Wake-up!” they had both fallen asleep in the theater! The next thing she knew, the show was over, the theater was closed an' Cash was shakin’ her awake. They left out the back door an' she said she tried to get him to go straight home as he lived in town, but he insisted on seein’ her home. An' that was that.
Well, you can be sure I was feelin’ a might-bit guilty then, thinkin’ such bad things about Cash when he was actin’ as responsible as he could be. So I jus’ gave Applebloom a great big hug an' told her how worried I was an’ how glad I was to have her back home safe an’ sound. Then we went into the family room where Big Mac an' Cash were.
Cash was sittin’ next to Big Mac on the sofa havin’ a talk, all civil-like. Big Mac see’s us come in an’ he gets up an' jus’ about smothers Applebloom with a hug.
“Applebloom,” He tells her after they separate, “you tell Cash goodbye and come upstairs.” Then He says to me, “AJ, you go outside and wait to take Cash home.”
Now, I don’ know how well ya know me, but I don’ take orders well. So why did I go an' do exactly as he said without sayin’ somethin'? Maybe it was ‘cause my feelin’s was still all a-jumble, an’ maybe it was ‘cause what he was askin’ made sense. But I think now it was owin' to jus’ how he said it. In a controlled, no-nonsense, an' don’-give-me-any-lip-‘cause-ya-know-it’s-the-right thing-to-do, kinda way.
So there I was, outside, pacing an’ tryin’ to find a level head while Applebloom an' Cash say their g-byes to each other, but it was no use. When Cash finally come out I said, “I really need to run, so I hope you can keep up!”
He kept up alright. An, the run done me good. When I stopped at the edge of town I was able to walk an’ talk the rest of the way to his house all civil-like. Good thing too. ‘Cause his sire was jus’ as mad as I had been. He told Cash to git his tail inside an' then he jus’ turned on me like I was tryin’ to ruin his colt.
Eh?... You want to know what he said?
Well, it was heated, an’ it ain’t worth repeatin’, but his insults was along the lines of me runnin’ a brothel outta our barn. Somehow I kept my head. But I couldn’t jus’ say nothin’ so I tell him that only a fool goes about accusing ponies without even trying to get facts. He didn’t take to kindly to that observation of mine, an' he called me a name that I’m sure he’s plenty ashamed of now, but he sure meant it then. Somehow, I managed to jus’ walk away, but he had made me so mad that I had to run again once I was outta sight of the house.
When I got home, Applebloom was in bed, and Big Mac too, but I still was all wound-up. So I went out to the barn an' wore myself out kickin’ the buckin’ bag. Ended up sleepin’ til dawn in the barn too.
Next mornin’ Applebloom was all a-fret about Cash an’ what happened to him when I got him home. “Applebloom, come sit here by me.” I said, tryin’ to keep my feelins level. “Cash’s sire was mad somethin’ powerful last night. An' he wasn’t listenin’ to me or Cash one bit. In fact, he was down-right insultin’.”
Applebloom butt in just then an says, “Tell me you didn’t say anything bad, Applejack! Tell me you behaved!”
Well don’t that little-un know me an my temper. “No,” I said, “somehow, I managed to keep my head an' hold my tongue, but I think it would be best if you didn’t go down to see Cash this weekend.”
She got all teary at hearin' me say that an' asked, “Are you sayin’ I can’t go into town at all?”
Now, I wanted to say jus’ that. I knew it would go bad if she went to Cash's house while emotions were still hot, but I also knew she was growin’ an needed to make some-a her own decisions. So I told her my thoughts and said it was up to her what she did this weekend.
Well, after her chores was through, she was a-scamperin’ off, an' I could do nothin’ but hope for the best.
When I saw her a-runnin back home with her eyes full of tears, my heart jus’ broke. I found her in her room on her bed with her face buried in her pillow. Her whole body convulsin’ as she cried. I eventually got the story from her. Cash’s sire had told her there was no way she would ever see Cash again. Then when she asked why, he said some-a the same nasty things to her as he did to me.
After hearing her out, I told her to rest an’ that she’d feel better when she woke. I rubbed her back till she was asleep and left her with Granny. I wasn’t even at the bottom of the steps yet an’ I was already thinkin’ about murder. Fortunately, Big Mac waitin’ for me at our front door.
“Outta my way, Big Macintosh!” I demanded, thinkin’ he would step aside, or that I would muscle my way through. But when I ran into him there, I was sure there were mountains that woulda’ moved more.
“Nnope.” He said. Firm and matter-a-fact like.
“Did you hear what he said to her! Did you hear her cryin’?” I said in a screamin’ whisper.
“Eeyup.” He said back.
I was kinda surprised at that, I thought for sure anyone hearin’ Applebloom heartbroken and cryin' would be out for blood like I was.
“Well, he said even worse to me last night.” I went on. “Now I can take a little insultin’, but now that he’s gone and hurt Applebloom, he’s done an’ gone too far!”
“Eeyup.”
“So, are you gonna let me by?”
“Nnope.”
Well, you can bet I had on my shock-face. I couldn’t figure him out. “Well, what are you gonna do then?”
“I’m going to go and have a talk with Cash’s family.”
“Fine by me, let’s go!”
“I said, I’m going. You are going to go upstairs and wait for me to get back.”
Did I say before I don’t take orders well?.. I did?.. Good, so then you can imagine then how mad I was. I was definitely fit-to-be-tied. I don’t know if what I said next was actual words, or just-a bunch-a angry, frustrated nonsense, but I’m sure it wouldn’t a’ mattered. He put a hoof on my chest and walked me back till I was in front of the steps again.
“Listen,” He said, lookin’ right at me like he had speared me with his eyes. “You’re mad…”
You’re damn right I’m mad. You don’ even need to be in this-here county to know I’m mad!”
He continued like he hadn’t heard me. “...and you will only make this worse.”
"Oh really?" I responded sarcastically. "Well you jus' wait, I'll show you! Imma gonna go down there an'...an'..." I realized then that I was goin' off half-cocked an' stuck for a plan. An' Big Mac is jus' standin' there waitin' for me to see what he already saw.
I sure do hate it when a stallion is right. Especially, when they’re related to me.
“Go upstairs and wait till I get back.” He said to me again, then he turned to Granny, who was watchin’ us from the bottom of the steps. “Granny, make sure she stays.” And then he turned and left, pausing only a moment at the front door to remove his work collar.
I stared at Granny and she stared back. “Jus' who in the hay does he think he is?" I said to Granny after my shock had worn off and my anger was back. "He can't tell me what to do!" I was stormin' for the door after him when I heard Granny call.
"APPLEJACK!" She yelled, and stomped her hoof. "You git back here and you git up those steps."
I reluctantly stopped an' walked back to Granny b'cause she told me to, not 'cause I wanted to. No amount of anger can make me want to cross Granny. "Granny," I asked in a pleadin' sorta way, "you're not gonna make Big Mac go down there all by himself are you?"
Granny didn't buy my change a' tone for a moment. "Don't you go an' try to twist what you say on me young'un." Granny seen through my bluff, an' now she was starin' me down. "Yer brother is right. You ain't got a level head an' yer jes' too stubborn to let him handle this."
I really wasn't in the mood jus' then to hear about my faults an' my temper flared up again. "I ain't stubborn!" I said a bit too loud, "I jus' know what's right!"
She shot a hoof out quick as a whip and snatched my ear. "Don't you raise yer voice at me, young mare!" She said to me in that tone that mothers use to remind us all who was the boss. Then she gave my ear a painful twist to give me a reminder of this conversation. "Now you go an' do as you been told and git up those steps!"
Well, I started up those steps jus’ like I would’a if I was Applebloom’s age again. “And do you want somethin’ to drink while you’re up there, AJ?” She called up after me. Chastened and chagrined, I jus' shook my head.
I went into Big Mac's room and watched him walk on down to town. I jus' couldn’t stand the thought of not bein' with him to face down Cash's sire. After all, I was wronged more 'an he was. I had a right to go!
“Applejack,” Applebloom inquired gently from the door, interrupting my angry internal dialog. “Where’s Big Mac goin’?”
I calmed myself down for Applebloom's sake. My sittin' up there an sulkin' wasn't goin' to help matters none. “Come here, Sugercube.” I said an' sat down on Mac's bed. She walked over an’ crawled into my lap jus’ like when she was a little filly. “He’s goin’ to talk to Cash’s family.”
“Is he going to fight Cash’s pa?” She asked in a nervous whisper.
“Not if he can help it.” I said to calm her, but I silently wanted the opposite.
“What’s he gonna do then?” Applebloom asked in the same scared tone.
I’m not sure what made me say it, but I somehow knew it was the truth. “He’s goin’ to make peace.” An' after I said that, somethin' inside me changed, an' I prayed for Big Mac to find the way to peace then too.
We sat there holdin’ each other for some time. We wondered about what was happenin’ in town between Big Mac an' Cash's sire. Then we shared our thoughts on what the future held in store for her an' Cash. We were so wrapped up in our fantasizin' that we didn’t even hear Big Mac come back home. When he called us down to the kitchen, we jus’ ‘bout tripped over each other gettin’ down the stairs and into the entryway. There we stopped short at seein' Big Mac sittin' at the kitchen table an' holdin’ a piece of ice wrapped in a hoofkercheif to a swollen lip.
“What happened!” we said together in shock.
“What happened is not important,” he said, “I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen.”
I don’t think me or Applebloom had a heartbeat ‘till he continued.
“Tomorrow is Sunday,” he began, “And we are going to have a good breakfast, and then I am going to take y’all in the wagon early to the late service at church so some of us can socialize between the services” Yeah, I guess havin’ Applebloom datin’ was makin’ him realize he needed to get offa the farm more. Anyway, he went on. “Then we are all going to Cash’s house where Applejack and Applebloom will cordially accept Mr. Ledger’s apologies.”
I admit, I was more curious than a cat ‘bout what really happened. Ya know, every detail. But he wasn’t playin’ my game an' jus' said nothin' else.
So, come Sunday, there we were, well fed an’ all in the wagon with Big Mac pullin’ us to church. I did notice he had some stuff under a tarp in the back, but by now, I jus’ knew better than to try to get any answers. Don’t even ask me what the sermon was or if the music was nice, I’m sure I was still inna daze through it all. After church ended, we were back in the wagon, an’ we didn’ stop till we were in front of the Ledger’s place.
Now, I’m sure I would’a remembered if there was a missing column on the front porch when I ran Cash back home, even if it was dark an’ I was tired, an’ all messed-up with emotions. So I was a bit surprised to see the roof over the porch with a noticeable lack of support.
None-a us dared to say a word. We all jus’ climbed out as Big Mac unhitched himself, an’ we followed him up to the front door.
Mr. Ledger answered Big Mac's knock an’ politely invited us in. I was tryin’ not to stare, but I knew Big Mac had a fat lip, an’ I couldn’t see a mark on Cash’s sire. But he was acting so… obliging… I jus’ knew Big Mac had made his point, but at that moment it was all a mystery to me as to how he did it.
Well, Mr. Ledger introduced us all to his family, an’ then he apologized to me in a way that sounded a bit rehearsed. I accepted his apology, but I admit I glanced over at Big Mac first. He was lookin’ right back at me too with a stern expression that warned me not to say anythin' rude in response. However, any mis-givin’s I had about Mr. Ledger's sincerity ended when he apologized to Applebloom. He got down on his knees, looked her directly in the eye, and spoke from his heart ‘bout how he was wrong an’ how bad he felt an’ how he hoped she could forgive him of all the nasty things he said. He choked up, then Applebloom started cryin’, heck, I think everypony was misty.
Yeah, even me.
So after He an’ Applebloom shared a hug, we all wiped our eyes an’ Mrs. Ledger offered us some cucumber sandwiches. Real tasty sandwiches too. The ice was broken, but there was still some tension in the room. But there was Big Mac surprisin’ me again. It seems he had planned for this.
“I noticed you are missing a porch column,” he said after his third sandwich. Now I'll have you know, he wasn’t bein’ a pig, Mrs. Ledger had jus’ cut ‘em small. “And I think I might have one you could use in my cart.” Said it jus’ like he didn’ know about the missin’ column ‘till jus’ then too.
So they go outside and start workin’ on the porch. Applebloom an’ Cash left to go off somewhere an’ then there's jus’ me and Mrs. Ledger together. Now, I knew it was goin' to be bad manners to ask her what the hay really happened last night, but for the life-a me I couldn’t think of anythin’ else. So I start makin’ conversation about sandwiches an’ probably soundin’ like I hadn’t anythin’ but air ‘tween my ears.
Fortunately, Big Mac called us all outside. He gave us all scrapers and told us to git to scrapin’ the paint on the porch, an’ the railing.
There is jus’ somethin’ ‘bout shared effort. He had us all workin’ together an’ actin’ like there wasn’t a thing ever ‘tween us. Then, after the new column was in and the paint was scraped, he hands Cash a bucket a paint an’ two brushes to Applebloom an’ tells them to get to work. Big smirk on his face too. They tried to protest, but we all jus’ went inside an’ left ‘em. Gave us adults and those of us in the adult role some time to…well…be adults and talk ‘bout the two ponies who might make us all a family.
Jus' as I begin to think about how good the afternoon is shapin’ up, we all hear angry voices out front. We all got up like we were one pony and ran to the front door to see Cash and Applebloom wrestlin’ around in the grass all covered in paint. An’ the porch floor was freshly painted and still wet, so we couldn't do a thing to stop them but yell at them to stop actin’ like foals an’ behave.
At least, that was all I thought we could do. But as Granny, Mrs. Ledger an’ I were screamin’ from the front door, Mr. Ledger and Big Mac had gone out the back and ‘round the side a' the house to the front. We didn’t know anything ‘bout it ‘till they turned on the hose.
Yep, we looked over to see Mr. Ledger opening the faucet and Big Mac holdin' the hose, both of them lookin’ all serious but you could see they was tryin’ to keep from laughin’ as they were sprayin’ Cash an’ Applebloom jus’ like they were tryin’ to separate fightin’ dogs.
Oh, you should'a seen it! I don’t know if I was laughin’ or if I was dumbstruck at the irony. Seein’ the two lovebirds paint splattered, screamin' an' fightin' while their feudin’ families were happily gettin’ along.
Well, they eventually got tired of bein sprayed an' stopped fightin’. Mrs. Ledger an I went ‘round with some old towels to get them dry while Big Mac an’ Mr. Ledger got the story. Seems Applebloom thought that Cash kept droppin’ paint in her mane an' tail on purpose. Cash insisted he jus' wasn't any good at paintin' an' that any paint drops was an accident. That’s how it started, exactly how it escalated from there won’t be known any time soon, as they just started to shout an' contradict each other. We got them to apologize and shake hooves.
Literally, one shake.
After that, it was clear to us all that it was time to say g'bye an’ go home. So Granny, Applebloom an’ I all loaded up on the wagon and Big Mac hitched up an’ took us all home. The whole way back Applebloom was goin’ on ‘bout how she never wanted to see or talk to Cash again. Not quite true. They never dated again, but he helped her quite a bit with her figures. I can do math alright. I can add, subtrac’ multiply an’ divide jus’ fine, but when they started puttin’ letters with the numbers? I couldn’t tell if it was math or if the textbook was swearin’ at me!
What’s that now?
Oh, yeah! I almost forgot! Yes, I did finally get the story ‘bout what happened when Big Mac went down to talk to Mr. Ledger. He went there an’ Mr. Ledger must’a been waitin’ for one of us to show ‘cause he met him on the porch. Big Mac told him our side of the whole affair and then asked for his side. It apparently went back and forth for a while. Mr Ledger was gettin' loud an' tryin' to browbeat my brother, but Big Mac never raised his voice through it all. I think Mr. Ledger jus' couldn't handle dealin' with Big Mac as an equal. So when Macintosh insisted Mr Ledger apologize to the both of us; Mr. ledger wasn’t budgin’. So Big Mac stepped onto the front lawn and called him down.
“I must insist that you apologize to my sisters.” Big Mac said, “Applebloom is a filly, in every sense of the word. And Applejack is also a filly, except by her age and maturity.” Sayin’ that, everyone in earshot knew exactly what had been said to bring Big Mac there an' call him out. “You come down here and hit me once, twice, even four times. Then I’ll hit you the same amount. We stop when somepony yields.”
Well, Mrs. Ledger was tryin’ to talk some sense to her stallion, as she had been listenin’ to the whole thing from the front door, but Mr. Ledger must’a thought he could knock Big Mac around like he was a colt who was all-hat-an'-no-farm an' send him home with his tail 'tween his legs. Well, He tried.
Mr. Ledger started by hittin' Big Mac twice in the face. Mac jus’ rolled with the punches. Then he switched tactics an' hit Mac twice in the gut. That’s a mistake, trust me, I know. He's so muscled there it feels like his gut hits ya right back. I twisted a hoof hittin’ him there once... Only once.... I only needed the one lesson. However, Mr. Ledger apparently wasn't as quick of a learner as I was. So he goes an’ tries another one-two on Big Mac’s hard head. I gotta hand it to him, I would’a given up at the gut punches an' sued for peace. But this was his first fight with 'Mac, so I 'spec he had to learn the hard way. Anyway, he got to ‘one’, then Big Mac caught his ‘two’ hoof mid-swing.
“I said the rules were from one to four hits, now I get five hits.” Big Mac said, jus' as calm as if he were only correctin’ Mr. Ledger on the rules of a no-stakes card game.
You don’t know how badly I wish I was there! I wish I could see the color drain from his face as he realized jus’ how badly he had underestimated Big Mac! But Mr Ledger didn’t yield jus’ then. He jus’ kinda swallowed and waited for Big Mac to give him his shots. I still shake my head thinkin' 'bout it. He had jus' done his best with no effect, an' after that he was goin' to let Big Mac hit him? A terrible thing is pride...
Fortunately, though for Mr. Ledger, Big Mac is a gentlecolt through an’ through. He walked up to a front porch column an’ hit it once. His second hit made the column crack, and his third hit split it clean through. Then he turned an' faced Mr. Ledger again.
“I still have two hits,” he said making it plain to even the blind that Mr. Ledger was about to enter a whole new world-a hurt. "...will you now yield to my demand that you apologize to my sisters? Or should I give you their regards?”
Now you tell me, can anypony deny that request when worded so nicely as that? Yeah, he couldn’t either.
I was told that Mrs. Ledger came a-runnin’ out answerin’ “Yes! He yields! He'll apologize!” for her husband as he could only at that moment nod dumbly. So Big Mac set his terms and then he left to come back home to tell us an' tend to his swollen lip.
Lookin’ back on it now, I’m so proud of my brother! He had a plan for every part of that situation. Not only had he kept his head in the heat of the moment, but he also thought about how to best approach the offenders, he had a plan to soothe sore feelin’s, an’ he didn’t try to avoid or gloss over a very sticky family to family conflict.
So, as you can see, he’s so much more than ‘strong an’ silent’. He’s also smart, brave, reliable, considerate, polite, fair, honest, an’…well… stubborn. But that comes with bein’ an Apple.
