It's A Magical Life

A rabbit was scurrying along the sideline of a dirt road, trying to scope out a good attacking point in the crop-stridden field that was Granny Smith’s garden. Granny Smith was nowhere in sight, but the rabbit still knew to be cautious because there were two other ponies who lived on the farm besides her. Fortunately, they too did not pose a threat to the rabbit at this time, so she decided to go for it. Zipping under the fence with ease, the rabbit began munching away hungrily on a vulnerable celery plant.

Applejack was walking with Big Macintosh on an errand back from the market. Big Macintosh, who was only a colt, struggled as Applejack continued bare-backed beside him. It was late in the day, whereas the sun was about to set soon. All kinds of birds chirped gleefully in the fruit-filled trees around Sweet Apple Acres. It was perfect weather to be outside on a peaceful stroll.

“…But Auntie and Uncle Orange have already said yes!” whined the young filly Applejack. “She can’t make me stay here! Ah won’t!”

“You aren’t a city slicker, AJ,” said Big Macintosh in his slow voice.

“Not yet ah a’int! Will be once ah get off this stupid ol’ farm…”

“Pwfft,” snickered Mac, not believing any of it.

“Aw whaddya you know, Mac,” said Applejack, annoyed. “Ah’ll be more grown up as a city slicker than ah’ll ever be here in Sweet Apple!”

“Nnnnope,” smirked Mac, annoying her sister in return for making him carry all the groceries.

“Nnnnope,” mocked Applejack, screwing up her face to insult her older brother.

“Grown up ponies help others,” said Mac, eying the load of groceries.

“Grown up ponies help others,” mimicked Applejack again, whipping her blond mane towards her Cutie Mark-less flank.

Mac rolled his eyes and ignored her, continuing to struggle under all the weight of the groceries. They were almost to the front gate of Sweet Apple Acres, which was wide open. Granny Smith was standing under the wicket arch over the gate, holding the mischievous rabbit by the ears in her right roof. Unbeknownst to the rabbit, Granny Smith had been looking into the garden out of the window of her barn-like home the whole time. Not even the quick steps of a rabbit were any match for her eagle-like eyesight.

“It’s about time!” she called to Applejack and Mac, who were still bickering with each other childishly. “Ah was beginnin’ to worry!”

“We’re fine, Grammy,” mumbled Applejack, arriving at the gate with Mac. Granny Smith closed the gate and locked it. She put the rabbit up to her face and gave it a menacing look, then threw it over the fence and into the trees. The rabbit tore away without looking back, making sure to put as much distance between her and Granny Smith as possible. She mumbled indistinctively to herself and the three of them walked back to the house, which was connected to the barn.

As they entered the house, an extremely pleasant smell wafted through the air, undoubtedly Granny Smith’s cooking. Applejack and Mac smelled the air appreciatively.

“So…can ah go, Grammy?” Applejack asked with an innocent smile.

She had been bugging Granny Smith about leaving the farm and living in Manehattan for over a month, but she had never gotten a straight answer. Granny simply didn’t believe Applejack would last a day in the big city, ensuring herself that ‘fillies will just be fillies’. Applejack figured that if she would badger her grandmother enough, she would finally give in and give her some freedom.

“Help your brother set the table, dear,” responded Granny Smith, who was checking to see if the vegetable soup she was cooking was ready yet. The soup was bubbling gently in large blue pot decorated with apples and flowers in the fireplace. Applejack groaned frustratingly and stomped the ground with her hoof, but she did what she was told.

Applejack hurried up to her room to get the tulips she had picked earlier that day to put in the vase on the table. Mac was in charge of setting the table with the actual dishes every night, and Applejack’s duty was to pick the best assortment of flowers she could to decorate the table. Applejack had carefully arranged the pretty assortment of flowers into a simple glass vase.

“By golly, Applejack, your selection is simply…wonderful,” she said airily to herself, admiring her work. She had visited her aunt and uncle in Manehattan a couple months ago, who always had a beautiful assortment of flowers on their orange-strewn table. Applejack gained a strong liking for their life: the conversations they had with other proper ponies; the beautiful dresses the mares wore, which Applejack had seen in picture frames all over the walls; the crisp, clean feeling of everything…it was wonderful. Applejack liked to pretend she was one of those high-status ponies, rather than a simple farm pony who did chores all day long. Her dream had come true when her aunt and uncle, whose last name was Orange, had understood her plea to leave the farm and allowed her to come and experience life in the big city. All that stood in her way was her grandmother…

Applejack grabbed the flowers and hurried back downstairs. Mac had the table ready to go with bowls and glasses. A pitcher of ice cold carrot juice sat on the table as well. She tipped the flowers into a larger, pink vase and stood patiently at the table, waiting for the soup to arrive. Less than a minute later, Mac carried the large pot over to the table and Granny started dishing all of them up some over her soup.

“Them flowers are fit as a fiddle, Applejack, where’dya find ‘em?” asked Granny, glancing at the tulips Applejack had picked.

“The meadow by the entrance to the Rock Farm,” Applejack replied, sipping her soup delicately, which was very hot. The tang from the broth was very welcoming. She could feel the warmth spread down her throat.

“Best stay away from that place,” Granny warned, passing Mac a basket of huge rolls. “Sr. Pie will bust you a good’un if you trespass anywhere near their…fields.” She ended with a bit of sarcasm in her voice. The Rock Farm was basically a barren area of dirt and pitiful trees with rocks scattered everywhere.

“Yes, Grammy.”

Applejack didn’t understand the Rock Farm either…it was a weird place. She had met Sr. Pie’s daughters before, and they were definitely not a lively bunch. They just stared at her like she was some kind of alien, not bothering to say a single word. Granny didn’t have to tell her twice. Applejack continued to sip her soup like she was one of the rich ponies of Manehattan, who always ate their meals really slow for some reason. Mac, however, was already halfway done with his second bowl, grimacing at Applejack every so often to make fun of her haughty manners.

Ignoring Mac, Applejack decided to break the silence by asking Granny again about moving to Manehattan. “So do you have an answer yet, Grammy? Can ah go? Please?” she asked, as politely as she possibly could.

Granny didn’t reply immediately. She took, what Applejack believed, to be the longest drink of carrot juice ever drank before saying anything.

“Manehatt’n’s a big city full of rude ponies, dear. Ah just don’t think y’all would fit in. You're too much of a good filly to mix with the likes of ‘em.” Granny looked at her thoughtfully. “Ya just don’t compare.”

“Ah’ll be okay!” said Applejack. “Ah’ll make tunnsa friends and make you and Mac proud of me, ah promise!”

“Ah’m already proud of ya, Applejack,” Granny said with a sigh. “As an Apple.”

“Ah know, but…I’m just not happy here. Don’t you want me to be happy?”

Granny didn’t reply, but Applejack took the silence as an ‘I’ll think about it’ notion. The remainder of dinnertime, Granny and Mac talked about the day’s work and Granny’s plans about the next day. Applejack decided to drop her careful manners and finish her bowl of vegetable soup as fast as she usually did so she could leave the table. She carried her bowl over to the sink and looked up out the kitchen window, towards the direction of Manehattan. The sky was growing darker with each passing minute of the evening. From her small stature, she could only see the top of the hills outside the farm, the highest points in Sweet Apple Acres. From up there, Manehattan could be seen far off in the distance. Applejack remembered the first time she asked Granny about the towering skyscrapers, or ‘big houses’, which she used to call them. If Granny let her go, those hills were the first place’s she would stop on her journey to her Aunt and Uncle Orange’s apartment.

That night, Applejack had quite a frightening dream. She was walking along the streets of Manehattan with Mac, looking up at the sky. The skyscrapers went on forever, no tops in sight. All over the street she was walking on, ponies were making all kinds of noise. Many were shouting in provocative tones, like they were all staring right at her. Mac continued to walk along the concrete floor of the steel jungle without taking any notice of the thousands of ponies around him. She had to get out of there!

Suddenly, the ground turned to wooden flooring and she was back at home with Granny. She smiled gladly at Applejack’s return but Applejack turned sharply away. She felt defiant, and Granny was a fool. She was never going to listen to what she had to say about where she should stay…

Poof!

She awoke in her bed in the middle of the night, staring wide eyed at the ceiling. The clock on her wall, a brand new cuckoo clock Granny had adorned on her wall last week, showed it was just before four in the morning. In about two hours, Applejack would be getting up to go do a grounds check with her brother before letting out the chicken from their coops. She decided right then and there she would be doing chores on this muddy farm for the last time, whether Granny liked it or not. The dream had indeed rattled her head a bit, but she shook it off and went back to sleep.

☼☼☼☼☼

“CROCK-A-DOOOODLE-OOOOOO!”

Applejack didn’t stir.

“CROCK-A-DOOOODLE-OOOOOO!”

Big Macintosh arose from the next room. His hooves thumped slowly down the

hallway.

“CROCK-A-DOOOODLE-OOOOOO!”

“CROCK-A-DOOOODLE-OOOOOO!”

“CROCK-A-DOOOODLE-OO—”

“CAN IT, you stupid rooster!” Applejack shouted angrily in her bed, flailing her legs around in her bed covers; she was fully awake now, thanks to her living, breathing alarm clock. She groaned and rubbed her eyes sleepily as she recognized the dim light in her room from the slowly rising sun. She hastily made her bed and turned on her nightstand lamp. On the nightstand was a framed photograph of her Aunt and Uncle Orange on their balcony in Manehattan. She looked over the photo for a minute or so, mulling over how she was going to get past Granny when a knock rapped on the door. Putting the frame quickly back on her nightstand, she answered the knock sleepily, “I’m awake.”

Granny opened the door, still in her nightgown. She always made sure Applejack was up in the morning, because lately Applejack had been sleeping in. Applejack wanted to spend as little time working on the farm as possible, so she got away with what she could.

“What do you want for breakfast this morning, dear?” she asked Applejack, who exaggerated a huge yawn. “You’ll need a purdy decent meal before your trip to Manehatt’n today.”

Applejack dropped her surly attitude and brightened up at once. “Yay! Thank you Grammy! Thank you thank you thank you!” She hopped up and down and hugged her grandmother tightly, filled with joy. She ran out of her room and down the stairs, eager to rub everything in Mac’s face. Remembering she forgot to answer Granny about breakfast, she ran back upstairs at lightning speed chanting,“Flapjacks! Flapjacks flapjacks flapjacks!” She took off for a second time and flew out the front door as fast as her miniature filly legs could carry her. Granny chuckled at Applejack’s energy.

Mac was investigating each of the gardens, saying “Eeyup” to himself each time everything checked out. He turned around to see Applejack making a beeline for him, who was clearing all the tomato plants like hurdles with precise coordination.

“Guess who’s gonna be livin’ in Manehatt’n now, big brother?” she called excitedly.

Mac said nothing, but gave Applejack a disbelieving look. Applejack walked up to him and grinned. “Granny’s fixin’ flapjacks for breakfast, by the way, Mac. How cool is she?”

“’Grats, city slicker,” Mac replied, frowning. He obviously wasn’t excited as much as Applejack was. He continued to patrol the gardens as Applejack ran back towards the house, doing jumping tricks over the obstacles in her way.

After breakfast, the sun was well above the horizon and all the animals were out on the farm. The sky was cloudless, brilliant blue; a perfect day for traveling. Applejack had taken the portrait of her Aunt and Uncle Orange off her nightstand and put it into an orange pouch, decorated with a single apple on the front. She tied it to a strong stick and slunk it over her shoulder, ready to take on the day’s journey. She had never been so excited!

Granny Smith was in a strangely good mood. She offered to make some blueberry muffins right after breakfast for Applejack to take on the journey, trying to stall her departure as long as possible. Applejack then reminded her grandmother she had to leave early if she wanted to make it to Manehattan before nightfall.

“O’course,” she replied sarcastically, rolling her old eyes.

Applejack was in the kitchen with her, Mac still out in the gardens. She felt a little sad, knowing that only Mac would be on the farm to help her for a while, but tried to push the worrisome thoughts away and focus on the task at hand. It wasn’t like she was leaving them forever…she would visit every so often, write them letters and all. As much as they annoyed her at times, Applejack loved Granny and Mac very much. She just didn’t belong here as a mud trackin’, chicken catchin’ farm pony. Granny was crazy thinking she wouldn’t belong in the city.

The three of them walked to the front gate of the farm. Granny and Mac seemed to be moving as slow as possible, but Applejack decided she could stand a little more patience. When they finally reached the gate, she turned to both of them to say some departing words.

“Ah’ll be okay, Grammy, ah promise,” Applejack said timidly, giving Granny a hug. Granny closed her eyes, embracing her only granddaughter tightly. After what seemed like ten minutes, she let go, looking nervously down the road Applejack was going to be traveling soon.

Mac picked up her little sister and gave her a death-gripping hug, nearly breaking Applejack in half. He softened his embrace when he realized he went too far, unaware of his own strength. Applejack giggled as Mac made a remark about the situation and put her down.

“Listen here, AJ,” Granny said, instructing Applejack with a bowed head, “You are to stick to that road and follow it ‘til it reaches a fork. At the fork, make a right and y’all will eventually wind up in Manehatt’n. Remember: stick to the road.”

“Follow the road—take a right at the fork—got it!” recited Applejack.

“Ah will be expectin’ a phone call from your Aunt and Uncle when you arrive, dear.”

“Okay Grammy—”

“Don’t speak to anypony unless it’s for directions.”

“Ah will, don’t worry—”

“Did ah explain how to get there? You just take this road that way—”

“Ah know!” yelled Applejack, raising her voice. Ah love you, Grammy. Ah will be just fine. Love you too, Mac,” she added, giving Mac a meaningful glance.

“Ah know, Applejack,” she smiled weakly. “Just remember, when you’re out there, frolickin’ among them uppity folk and expensive stage shows, to tell the truth. Not only to yourself, but to other ponies. The bitt’rest truth is always better than the sweetest lie.”

Applejack nodded impatiently, but understood her all the same. She bid them a final farewell and turned away from them, starting down the dirt road, her destination painted vividly in her mind. She was free!

Granny put a hoof on Mac’s shoulder, and whispered to him wisely, “Don’t fret, Macintosh. She a’int gonna last two days with them.”

“Nnnnope.”

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

It was a while before Applejack realized she had forgotten to climb to the top of the tall hill she had been planning to visit. She had already walked over a mile, so she would have to back track a little bit. Granny Smith’s warning whispered through her ears gently, nudging her to keep following the path. Applejack fought with herself for a few minutes, pacing around the area until she made up her mind. She was a city pony now, and city ponies were tough. She could climb to the top of that hill all by herself! She could easily see the path from all the way up there and find her way back to it with no problem. Thinking quickly, she scratched an arrow in the dirt, pointing her towards Manehattan, in case she somehow managed to get back to the trail and go the wrong way. She was in a thick forest, so misjudging her direction would be quite easy. Hiding the pouch she was carrying behind an apple tree adjacent to the path, she took off towards the hill.

“YaHOO!” she yelled gleefully. Challenging herself, she raced around trees and ducked under branches. A two-trunked oak tree came into view, with a short, filly-sized tunnel underneath it. She gave it all she had and slid all the way through the tunnel, landing on her hooves on the other side. A few unsuspecting bluebirds took off to the skies, narrowly escaping Applejack’s stampede. She had always been full of stamina, much like Mac. As she continued to charge through the trees, she felt a small stab at her heart when she thought of her brother, knowing she wouldn’t be seeing him for a long time. But when she saw the incline of the ground start to rise sharply, the thought of Mac vanished from her mind.

After a few minutes of strenuous climbing, she finally reached the top of the tallest hill in Sweet Apple Acres. And was it worth the climb!

Applejack could see thousands upon thousands of apple trees growing in the valley, all full of fruit and soon ready to be picked. A river far below the hill flowed slowly and peacefully, completely silent because of the hill’s great height. Out to the west she could make out the sandy plains of the Mild West, where the majority of her family lived and worked. A warm breeze blew from the plains, lifting up Applejack’s bleach blond ponytail behind her. She took a few minutes to take in all the beauties of nature, peace in her mind.

Then she changed direction and looked out towards the northeast, where the unmistakable skyscrapers of Manehattan loomed above sprawling villages and suburban neighborhoods. It looked bigger than she ever imagined! The excitement was too much to handle; she just had to jump and celebrate. She sprung off her hind legs and caught a gust of wind, which made her lose her balance.

Down the steep hill she tumbled, toward the city. Trying her hardest to keep her balance, she dug her hooves into the earth to slow her fall but it was no use; the ground was simply too steep. She flew off a ledge, screaming all the way, and fell hard onto the ground again, nearly breaking her neck. Amazingly, none of the trees hit her; they just seemed to be jumping out of the way to avoid giving her sustaining serious injury. But Applejack wasn’t feeling lucky at all.

CRASH! Her graceless fall down the hill ended in a shower of leaves and twigs, inside a large bush. She lay there for a minute, checking to see if everything was working alright, and jumped to her hooves, fully uninjured.

“Well that was fun,” she mumbled to herself, shaking all the twigs and leaves out of her mane and tail. She was in a thick of some dry pine trees, along with hundreds of rocks and millions of pine needles littering the ground. She was also lucky to not have hurt herself on the sharp edges of any of the rocks from her landing. Just when she was about to consider herself the luckiest pony alive, an eerie rattling noise sounded in her ears. Her eyes locked on the source of the noise: less than seven feet away from her was a rattlesnake, clearly disturbed from Applejack’s noisy landing. It glared at her suspiciously as it sounded its tail in warning.

Applejack froze, whimpering to herself at the sight of the extremely dangerous snake. She stepped backwards slowly towards the hill she had just fallen down, ensuring the snake she meant no harm. But as she backed up, another rattlesnake slithered out of a hole in some of the jagged rocks. The snake started rattling its tail as well, making Applejack jump in increased horror. A couple more rattlesnakes on either side of her emerged from behind some bushes, hissing at her viciously. Applejack started to tear up in fear, unable to escape in any direction. This was why she didn’t belong in a snake infested area like Sweet Apple Acres…

She scanned for a stick or rock to defend herself, but couldn’t reach a single one. They were all too close to the rattlesnakes. The snakes, sensing Applejack’s fear, closed in on her and reared for attack, ready to make her pay for disturbing their peaceful slumbers. Their harsh whispering hisses was the last thing she would ever hear…

“Aw no you DON’T, you slimy little varmits!” shouted a male voice, ringing through the trees. Two ponies were approaching quickly towards her, one of them a pegasus. The rattlesnakes craned their heads towards the one who had insulted them, who was only a young colt.

“Whattttt are you going to doooooo about ittttt…partner?” One of the rattlesnakes hissed at the colt, whose head was bowed like a rhinoceros ready to charge.

The colt picked up a couple rocks and held them up in the air, showing them off, like he was going to throw them. “Take a gander at these rocks, rattler,” the colt said. “This is flint. You take one more, sneaky little slither towards her and I’ll create a spark that’ll light these pine needles, sendin’ all these dry pine trees up in flames.”

The snakes hissed angrily, furious at the colt’s threat.

“Youuuuu wouldn’t dare...,” the snake hissed again.

“You’re right, I wouldn’t,” confessed the colt, smirking. “But me and my pegasus friend here will throw them at y’all, and I can sure guarantee you won’t be botherin’ anypony ever again if we do.”

The rattlesnakes backed away fearfully, realizing the colt had an upper hand in the situation. The colt threw up a couple rocks to the pegasus, now armed as well. They then started banging the rocks together provocatively, sending a few feeble sparks into the air, making them retreat even faster. Once they had all cleared the area, the colt dropped the rocks and ran over to Applejack, who was trembling with shock from the rattlesnake encounter. The pegasus followed behind him.

“We were walkin’ down the main road when we heard ya screamin’ and crashin’ down that big hill there, filly. You ok?” asked the colt, in a friendly voice. He looked to be around the same age as Applejack, perhaps slightly older. He had long, shaggy brown hair and a black leather vest, over sandy-colored fur. His eyes were a weird color, grey, but on the purple side. He sounded like Mac, but talked much faster. He could have been her brother and never known it.

“Yea ah’m okay, thanks,” Applejack said, relieved but still staggering. “Ah’m Applejack! Who are y’all?”

The colt smiled. “That’s a cool name. ‘Name’s Mudflap, but you can call me Mudflap. This here is Soarin’, and he’s my best pal. You can just call him the ‘Wannabe’.”

Applejack giggled at the colt’s humor and waved at the pegasus, who touched down on the ground and scowled at Mudflap.

“More like ‘Gonna Be’!” Soarin’ said, raising his head heroically. He had sky blue-colored fur with a spiky, midnight mane. His green eyes were full of confidence, making him quite convincing. He was even older than Mudflap, almost a head taller.

“See, Applejack, they call him Mudflap because he catches everypony’s dust. Isn’t that right, my noble steed?” He punched Mudflap in the shoulder jokingly, who turned to him with an amused look.

“Who’s grounded from going to Summer Flight Camp because he left home after dark to sneak into a Bridleway show?”

Soarin’ laughed. “And who’s supposed to be at home in Manehattan, but ten miles away in Sweet Apple Acres instead?”

“An idiot?” said Mudflap.

Soarin’ laughed again. Applejack interrupted the two friends’ bickering, “Wait, y’all live in Manehatt’n?!”

“Haha, yup!” he said, still amused. “Just me though, Mudflap is from Saddlebrook. I’ve lived there my whole life. Why?”

“Ah need to get there before dark, to visit my Aunt and Uncle.”

“You’re going there by yourself?” asked Mudflap, amazed. “You must have some purdy buckin’ parents to trust you on walkin’ all the way to Manehatt’n by yourself.”

“Nah ah live with my Grammy and brother back near Ponyville,” Applejack said, pointing her hoof back up the hill. “Over that hill. But yeah, they sure are the greatest!”

She thought of Granny and her legendary cooking, her heart throbbing again. Not wanting to reveal there was a problem, she retained her smile and continued the conversation.

“Why are you ponies in ol’ Sweet Apple? Are y’all alone out here?”

Mudflap laughed nervously. “Well it’s a funny story, really…I’m stayin’ the summer in Manehatt’n with ol’ brainless here. I was gonna go back to Saddlebrook the other day, but seeing Soarin’ is grounded now, I’m gonna stay another week.” He high-hoofed Soarin for the fortunate turn of events. “But this mornin', Soarin’ has this bright idea that he’s gonna fly alllll the way to Summer Flight Camp outside of Cloudsdale and surprise everypony. Ya know, just ‘cause ‘he can’.”

“What can I say, I’ve got to live up to my name, Mudflap,” said Soarin’, shrugging with a grin. “I’m totally not going to live my life as ‘Sittin’’.”

“So,” continued Mudflap, “I told him I was comin’ along and there wasn’t anything he could do about it—”

“I was going to come back the same day you know,” said Soarin’ in a dumbed down voice. You were supposed to cover for me back at my house.”

“You weren’t gonna fly all the way to Cloudsdale and back in a day without gettin’ in trouble again and y’all know it,” said Mudflap, shaking his head.

“Yeah I suppose you’re right,” said Soarin’. “But it’s a good thing I’m crazy, or else we never would have saved Applejack from those rattlesnakes.”

“Yup,” said Mudflap.

They all looked at each other for a moment in an awkward silence before Applejack spoke up, “So…we should probably go now. Aunt and Uncle will be pretty upset if I’m late.”

“Yeah, sure—let’s go,” said Mudflap, leading the way back from where they came through the trees. They walked for barely a minute when they came across a main road, which was bordered by more apple trees. Mudflap led them to the right, which eventually led to a fork in the road. He and Soarin’ were just about to take the path going left when Applejack stopped them

“Wait—ah left some stuff back here a bit—” said Applejack, taking the third direction instead, back towards Sweet Apple Acres. Searching for the arrow she had drew in the dirt earlier, she galloped for several minutes. The roll down the hill was definitely a long one.

Finally, panting, all three of them reached the arrow. Applejack rummaged behind the trees next to the path and reunited with her pouch, which was untouched. She slung the stick back over her shoulder and rejoined Mudflap and Soarin’ on the path.

“Is that your Aunt and Uncle?” asked Soarin’, pointing at the proud looking ponies in the photograph.

“Yup, that’s them, my Aunt and Uncle Orange!” said Applejack fondly.

“The Oranges? You are related to the Oranges?” asked Soarin’, amazed, taken aback by Applejack’s Southern appearance. “They’re like, one of the richest families in Manehattan. Are you…?”

Soarin’ did a double take. “You’re an Apple, aren’t you?” he said, fully realizing the whole connection. “And your family owns Sweet Apple Acres…”

“Well, yeah...,” said Applejack modestly. “But ah’m sick of living on that muddy ‘ol farm. Ah’m going to be living with them now.”

Soarin’ let out a long whistle. “Boy, you’re so lucky…”

Mudflap didn’t say anything, but gave Applejack a disapproving look, much like the one Granny Smith had been giving her the last month whenever she mentioned going to stay with her Aunt and Uncle. Applejack looked away embarrassingly, understanding Mudflap’s frown. But once she filled her mind with all the fun she was going to be having with her Aunt and Uncle for the indefinite future, her spirits rose again.

The three of them turned around and began walking again. They reached the fork in the road a second time, taking the right path toward Manehattan just like Granny had said earlier. This was it—the final stretch!

“Next stop, the City of Lights!” said Soarin’.

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

After the run-in with the rattlesnakes in Sweet Apple Acres, the rest of the trip was quite uneventful. Mudflap barely talked to Applejack the whole way, still rather cold towards her after she had told them about leaving her home in Sweet Apple. Applejack didn’t really become too bothered by this. He may have saved her life and lived in a ranching town like Saddlebrook, but he had no idea what she had gone through. Soarin’, on the other hand, was being really nice to her and wouldn’t stop talking.

“…Bridleway, the Mustang Stadium, Three Hooves Arena, Pony Island…,” he listed, naming as many places of interest he could think of. Applejack could barely keep up with it all.

“…Stampetey’s…ooh. Ooh! Oh you’ve got to go to Stampetey’s. Best all you can eat restaurant you’ll ever visit, I guarantee! They have more kinds of pie than you can shake a feather at! Ugh, now I’ve made myself hungry…”

Applejack giggled. If Soarin’ was from Manehattan, the other ponies in Manehattan were bound to be as fun as him! Feeling rather hungry herself, she made a mental note to ask her Aunt and Uncle if they could go there once she got settled in.

As the sun started to slink below the horizon, they arrived in the outskirts of Manehattan. Houses and small businesses turned to office buildings and big stores, as the hoof traffic became more and more crowded. The lights inside the buildings began to become visible, suiting the magenta-colored evening sky perfectly. Her Aunt and Uncle lived towards the heart of the city, so she had a ways to walk before her journey’s end.

Soarin’ and Mudflap pulled Applejack aside from the pathway onto a street leading into a suburban neighborhood, leading them away from all the hoof traffic.

“Well, Applejack, or should I say, Orangejack, this’ll be where we split up,” said Mudflap, taking interest in speaking to her again. “Soarin’ lives out this way, so we won’t be able to walk ya through the noisiest part of the city.” He scowled up towards the towering skyscraper farther in the city, clearly not appreciating the city life like Soarin’ and Applejack did.

“It’s okay, ah’ll be fine,” assured Applejack. “Listen, thanks…for savin’ me. You and Soarin’ are real heroes.”

“I just know my way in the forest, that’s all,” said Mudflap, kicking a hoof into the ground in slight embarrassment. “But you just said some dangerous words to Soarin’. Me might just do somethin’ even stupider tomorrow.” He said sideways to Soarin’, whose eyes lit up at the mention of ‘hero’.

Applejack giggled again as Soarin’ flexed his thin forelegs over-confidently. “So will ah see y’all again?

“Maybe,” said Mudflap. “I’ll be going back to ol’ Saddle next week, so after that it’ll be just Soarin’ for a while. I don’t know my way around this city that much, so y’all will hafta ask him about directions to his house—”

“12943, Tumbleweed Avenue said Soarin’, reciting his address by heart. I’m sure your Aunt and Uncle Orange will be able to lead you here when you decide to come play with us.”

Applejack said the address over and over again in her head so she would remember.

“Later!” said Mudflap, raising a hoof of farewell. “Don’t go off on your own in this town after dark, ya hear? It’s no Ponyville!”

“Put in a good word to your Aunt and Uncle Orange for me, will ya?” called Soarin’, hopeful.

“You got it!” called Applejack back to the two of them, waving. “See ya!”

Applejack watched the two friends turn another street and vanish behind a wall. Applejack looked up at the sky and saw that it was even darker now, so she hurried back off the street and towards the heart of the city, her Aunt and Uncle’s greeting now in her mind.

As she walked through the heavily lamp-lit streets, she couldn’t stop staring up at the skies. All kinds of beautiful, tall buildings loomed up in the sky, making her feel like an ant. But on the contrary, she felt inspired rather than fear, wowing at the great architecture. She needed about twelve more eyes to see it all, for there was just too much to take in.

She had her head fixed on a long, intricately decorated building Soarin’ had called Bridleway when a passing pony knocked her out of the way.

“Wh—what are you doing here, brat? Get out of my way!” said the top-hatted pony, annoyed. He raised his head proudly and stormed away, straightening the tie on his suit.

All around her were earth ponies and pegasi hurrying along, like they had somewhere extremely important to be. Not one of them took a single moment to glance up at the wonderful views above the lampposts, or at each other passing by. They all seemed to be in their own little worlds.

Slightly offended, she continued to walk down the street, hoping not to get in anypony else’s way. The sky was now completely dark now, but the light given off from all the stores and carriages didn’t make any difference. Applejack was beginning to get anxious about getting lost when she came across a red building with a green roof, where her Aunt and Uncle lived. The building was very nice and welcoming, much less like the other city ponies had made her feel. She went inside.

An orange gate inside the building was preventing her access to the upper level. A couple of important looking ponies walked up to the gate on the other side.

“My, my, who is this? Are you Applejack?” said one of the ponies airily.

“Y’all bet ah am!” said Applejack excitedly.

The pony looked a bit taken aback by her accent but opened the gate anyway, noticing the photograph in the pouch on her back.

She went through another doorway and into a hallway, with abstract paintings on the walls. Two staircases, one going up and the other down were on either side of the hallway, an elevator right in the middle. Applejack took the ascending staircase.

She let out a sigh of relief when she came across a door with the Orange family crest on it, realizing she had finally arrived where she truly belonged. She rapped hard on the door and two rich looking ponies answered the door.

“Auntie Orange! Uncle Orange!”

The two ponies smiled at their niece and allowed her over the threshold.

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

When she had first walked through that doorway and noticed the crisp, orangy perfume smell of the apartment, Applejack knew she was nowhere near home. Her Aunt and Uncle were very nice, and even were amused with her accent, but they quickly saw to it Applejack learned their way of language so she would be able to mix better with their friends and neighbors. Her old apple-picking, mud stomping self was completely masked in a matter of a couple hours.

Her Aunt Orange scrubbed her whole body with soap to get rid of the all the dirt and debris she had collected earlier, and then some while Uncle Orange talked on the telephone with Granny Smith about Applejack’s arrival. After the makeshift bath, Applejack’s mane had to be ‘done’. Her mane, which had used to be tied in a simple ponytail, was soon towered high like a melting cake, matching her Aunt Orange. She was then hit with a cloud of other pointless makeups until she felt like she was going to a party in Canterlot. Her Aunt told Applejack her first lesson about life in Manehattan, “Always look your very best, because you never know who might be looking at you!”

After Applejack broke free from Aunt Orange’s attempts to make her look any frillier, she toured the apartment. Aunt and Uncle Orange’s place was certainly exquisite, with its pretty paintings, expensive sculptures and many exotic potted plants. The marble floors were so shiny; they looked like they were made of glass. Applejack then noticed a magazine sitting on a table by a squashy little red couch, with a very old, bespectacled stallion on the front cover. Proper Pony read the title. Before she could open the front cover, a loud siren coming from outside the apartment broke the crisp atmosphere like a gunshot.

“My, my…that was interesting,” muttered Uncle Orange, pulling back a curtain, almost indifferent to the noise. His eyes followed something down the street.

“What was that?” asked Applejack, anxiously.

“Oh, ha ha, not to worry, dear,” laughed Uncle Orange. “That was simply the law pursuing the scum that tends to cause trouble in our streets. Nothing of our concern, I assure you.”

The scum? Applejack thought that was a bit harsh to call somepony. Applejack had been in trouble before, and she certainly wasn’t referred to that way.

“Wh-what do you think they did?” she asked, unable to think of what they could have possibly done.

“Oh a robbery most likely, maybe even a standoff—”

“It’s nothing important dear,” interrupted Aunt Orange, giving her husband a dirty look at his bluntness. Applejack didn’t know what her Uncle meant by “standoff”, but she had heard of robberies before. Granny absolutely loathed thieves.

“Would you like to see the dining room dear?” Aunt Orange said, getting Applejack’s mind off the sirens. She motioned towards a door. “No Apple has ever dined in a place like this—”

She led her through the door and they beheld a long, beautiful orange table with many china plates and goblets, all placed neatly along a silk tablecloth. Along the walls were several doorways, some leading off onto balconies, some to other rooms, and a couple to the kitchens. Applejack could hear the clanking of dishes and chatter of chefs behind the door. It was more or less a mini restaurant rather than a dining room. The table alone was as long as Granny’s whole kitchen!

“Oh I can’t wait to show you off at dinner!” Aunt Orange said excitedly, straightening Applejack’s bangs unnecessarily.

Applejack, staring hungrily at the doors to the kitchens instantly thought of Soarin’s suggestion on going to Stampetey’s. She had never eaten with her Aunt and Uncle before, but she was certain there had to be as much scrumptious food as Stampetey’s, if not more. Her stomached growled impatiently as she and her Aunt walked back into the sitting room to greet the guests, who had just started to arrive.

One thing was for certain: none of them were anything like Soarin’. Expecting them to be as fun and wild and Soarin’, they were rather boring; they walked like their bones were made of glass and greeted each other in a strange fashion. They all did a peculiar handshake then did a sort of air kiss over each pony’s shoulder. Applejack simply gave each of them a friendly “Hello!” and left it at that.

The stallions and mares definitely cleaned themselves up nicely, with their flowery dresses and crisp suits. But Applejack couldn’t help but notice they looked uncomfortable, which would have explained their walking. Applejack started to walk the same way and noticed her hair didn’t bug her as much, but she still felt out of place.

Applejack just didn’t understand why everyone was so obsessed with themselves. All they wanted to talk about was money: how they earned it; where they earned it; how they spent it; where they spent it; what they spent it on; and most importantly, how much they had. One pony asked Applejack about how she liked the life in the city.

“Oh it’s simply divine!” she exaggerated, gaining the approval of her aunt and the other ponies. She then proceeded to talk about her old life back at Sweet Apple Acres, hoping to impress them further with her dialogue. Horrifically, they stared at her like they had no idea what she was talking about, (what’s a rrrooster, m’dear?) making Applejack panic.

“Dinner is served!” said an high voice.

Applejack let out a sigh of relief as the ponies diverted their attention towards the catering ponies, who were holding domed platters. Applejack let out another sigh of relief, aware she hadn’t eaten since that morning. But once the food was revealed, Applejack noticed there was nothing worth dreaming about. It was like the chef ponies had prepared a meal suitable for rabbits instead of ponies! Applejack thought it was a joke, but all the other ponies seemed to be heartily pleased with their food. Applejack felt her stomach rumble dejectedly as she stared frustratingly down at what appeared to be just steamed carrots with pineapple sauce.

Not wanting to give in just yet, she began to eat her pitiful supper as slow as possible, mimicking the other ponies. Surely all this trouble would be worth it soon…

Applejack was the first one to leave the table at dinner, making up an excuse she wasn’t feeling well to her Aunt and Uncle so they wouldn’t make her partake in any more humiliating activities with the house guests. She hurried to her room and flopped face-down on her new bed, which was large and poofy. The frame of her Aunt and Uncle Applejack brought now hung on the wall.

She had never fibbed like that before. Never before had she suppressed herself so much just to impress other ponies. The feeling made her feel terrible, like she was pretending to be somebody she wasn’t. How was she supposed to stand out among the millions of other ponies that lived in the city if she acted like a sheep?

Granny Smith had always referred to the sophisticated ponies in Manehattan as sheep, because they all walked and talked exactly the same. Applejack had just learned from first-hand experience that Granny was right on the mark.

Applejack flung her hooves through her mane and messed the elegant styling up, causing it to fall back to its original state. Starving, yet exhausted, Applejack then yawned softly and snuggled up to the pillows on her bed, which were also very poofy, and drifted off to sleep.

Applejack revisited the same dream she had experienced the previous night, except she was walking with a couple of the house guests she had met earlier that evening. They were throwing bits all over the place in celebration of their wealth, causing the gold coins to rain down on the passing ponies in the street. Applejack tried to copy them, but for some reason she couldn’t raise a hoof. Her legs were made of iron, steering themselves down the street like a machine.

The dream shifted. Mudflap was now with them, yelling about everything from the people hanging out the windows far above the street to Applejack, who was simply minding her own business. Applejack felt like she going to cry, wanting to explain to Mudflap she had been horribly long all along but she couldn’t say a word. Her mouth wouldn’t open. Mudflap just continued to shout away at everything until the dream shifted yet again.

Applejack and Soarin’ were flying above the trees of Sweet Apple Acres, laughing at how small everything looked below. They saw rattlesnakes look up at them angrily, now posing no threat at all. They continued to laugh until they came across Sweet Apple Acres, which was more beautiful and pure as ever. They touched down, their spirits still singing melodies in their peaceful souls, and looked over the fence into the farm. Granny Smith and Big Macintosh waved at them happily, like they were next door neighbors. But as Applejack desperately desired to run to the gate and join her family, Soarin’ pulled her back and they were up in the air again, back towards Manehattan. The breeze became cooler and cooler until…

Poof.

Applejack awoke from her poofy bed, shivering. The window she had opened a crack before falling asleep was now closed shut, and a filly-sized quilt was half covering her body. A pegasus clock on the nightstand beside her table showed it was just before 6am, the time she usually woke up back at Sweet Apple Acres.

Then all at once, it hit her. An overwhelming feel of the worst homesickness grabbed a hold of somewhere inside her chest and squeezed very hard. The squeeze caused guilt to flow into her mind.  The guilt of leaving her wonderful grandmother and noble brother to live a life with a bunch of self-centered, fake ponies was worse than the guilt she felt from any lie she ever told. It had been less than a day, yet she already missed them very much. All she wanted to do was smell those apple trees and that honest old farm again.

A cold sun began to rise over the summer hills of Equestria, shedding a new light on the jungle of skyscrapers of the city. Applejack got out of her bed, sobbing, and opened her window to hear the sounds of the early morning, hoping to fill the emptiness inside her.

No birds chirped. No trees could be heard rustling. Not a single humble creak could be heard from the building. All Applejack could hear was the noisy and irritating sounds of the city. She closed the window sadly with a ‘snap’ and continued to stare at the window, watching the sun rise.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo…” said Applejack in a downcast voice, mimicking the rooster back at Sweet Apple Acres. Golly, did she miss that place…and the ponies who made it great…

BOOOOOOM! A cannon exploded somewhere in the distance. Or else, that’s what Applejack thought it was. Looking up in the sky, she saw a rainbow stretching all the way out towards Sweet Apple Acres. A rainbow? The sky…there had been no rain…

The claw that had grabbed a hold of her insides had released, nullifying all the pain she had previously felt. A warm, peaceful feeling swept over her body, to the tips of her ears and all the way down to her shaking hooves. But she wasn’t shaking with fear…it was joy. An amazing joy—a surefire emotion she should have recognized a long time ago.

She made the bed she had slept in quickly, grabbed the stick and pouch that held the picture of her Aunt and Uncle, and ran out of the bedroom, adrenaline pumping through her veins. Her Aunt and Uncle were in the living room in their sleeping gowns, gazing open mouthed at the rainbow that filled the sky.

“Some rainbow, a’int it?” asked Applejack happily to them, not bothering to talk in her Manehattan voice in front of them. “I reckon it goes all the way to ol’ Sweet Apple!”

Her Aunt and Uncle were startled by Applejack’s sudden appearance.

“Go on back to bed dear, this--er--happens all the time in cities like Manehattan—just a quirky kickoff of some event, most likely,” lied Aunt Orange, trying to make sense out of the situation. Uncle Orange nodded absentmindedly in agreement, continuing to peer out the window like a suspicious neighbor.

“No it don’t!” said Applejack. “It was meant for me!”

They both chuckled lightly. “You farm ponies are so humorous aren’t you?” said Uncle Orange, winking at his wife.

“Watch your contractions in your sentences dear,” said her Aunt, pointing out the flaws in Applejack’s accent.

Applejack snorted frustratingly.

“Ah’m being serious! It’s like it’s pointin’ my way back home!” she said.

“Oh?” said Uncle Orange jokingly. “Are you leaving us already?”

Applejack scowled, looking away, annoyed.

“Please go back to bed, dear,” said Aunt Orange. “We Manehattan ponies don’t ever act rashly, even in unexplainable situations like these!”

Applejack started towards the front door, ignoring her Aunt.

“Young lady, I will not ask you again,” warned her Aunt, her tone suddenly changing. You will return to your room and I will get you ready for breakfast in about two hours.”

Applejack stood her ground, scowling away from them at the door.

“Applejack, listen to your Aunt,” said Uncle Orange sharply. “You are acting completely out of Orange behavior.”

Applejack thought about Granny Smith had told her a couple nights ago at dinner. She turned around to face them, not afraid.

“That’s ‘cause ah’m an Apple,” said Applejack, turning the knob on the front door. “And my Grammy once told me y’all can never compare Apples to Oranges.” She opened the door, took one last look at her Aunt and Uncle’s dumbstruck faces, and then slammed the door behind her.