Chapters It was evening at Sweet Apple Acers. It had been a long day. Applejack had helped Rainbow Dash with a big stunt, she had help fix a house that the cutiemark crusaders destroyed in a freak bunny stampede, and had helped Twilight organize her books after Spike's Phoenix, Pipsqueak pulled all the books off the shelves in the Golden Oak Library. All in all, it was a really hard day. Granny smith, Big Mac, Applebloom, and Applejack were in the living room an were just about to finish up the day.
"Granny Smith!" Applebloom cried out, "Can we look through the family photo album again!"
"Sure young'un! It's always fun to look through memories." Granny Smith replied as she slowly and shakily walked towards her rocker. She opened the photo album and Applebloom hopped in her lap.
"Big Mac and I want to join too!" Applejack said. "Yup!" Big Mac replied with enthusiasm. She loved to listen to Granny Smith tell stories about their family. Ever since she was a filly she would long for a good Granny Smith style story. They both trotted over to the rocker and looked over her shoulder.
"Oh, look!" Granny exclaimed, "There is a picture of your great auntie Applerose and I playi'n in Manehatten with our cousins! Look how young we were." Granny Smith sighed.
They saw so many other pictures, some from the reunions some from other events or times. As they flipped through Applebloom piped up, "Who are those ponies?" she asked as she pointed to a picture of a mare and stallion with the young Applejack, Big Mac, and a baby filly that resembled Applebloom. All of these emotions came rushing back to AJ.
What! I-I, where did that picture come from? I-I can't believe this, I, oh.
Applejack looked at the photo with tears in her eyes. She grabbed it and ran up to her room, sobbing.
"Wait young'un! Come back!" Granny called after her but it was no use, she couldn't hear her over her crying. Applejack ran into her room, locked the door, and fell on her bed crying. This photo had come as such a shock to her. The timing was horrible she already had enough on her mind right then. She stared at the picture of the mare and stallion.
"Why, why did you have to leave me?" she asked through tears. The mare was beautiful. Her mane was in a perfect braid to the side and the stallion was so strong. Big Mac obviously took after him.
There was a scratching at the door of her room followed by whimpering. AJ slowly got up and walked over to the door. She opened it. "Oh, hi Winona." she sniffed. Winona barked and placed a paw on Applejack's hoof, "You can come in."
Winona hopped up on her bed. AJ flopped herself on the bed and started sobbing again. Winona Whimpered and pawed at AJ's shoulder.
"What is it?" Winona pawed at the picture and cocked her head, "Oh, you were probably to young to remember them. You were just a puppy at the time." she sighed, "They, were, my parents."
...........
The next day nobody had seen AJ. She had left a note that said she was going to be out. The only problem with that was that she was gone for the entire day so far and no matter how hard anypony looked she couldn't be found. Rainbow Dash was helping look for her. She flew over Ponyville scanning for any sign of the orange pony. She finally found the Cutiemark Crusaders who were a part of the search.
"Hey CMCs!" she called out.
"Hey Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo exclaimed happy to see her hero.
"Hi, have you seen any sign of AJ. Anything at all?" she asked.
"No sorry dash. Looks like our pony finding cutiemarks are out. Nopony has seen her! It's almost like she disappeared!"
"She hasn't disappeared," she said trying to convince herself, "she probably is in the outskirts of town and Nopony has seen her. I'm going to check there." With that she took off and flew towards the hills near the Everfree Forest. She saw a small orange dot on the tallest hill.
"APPLEJACK!" Rainbow let herself free fall towards AJ. Then at the last minute she swooped up and landed by her PFF's side, "AJ! Everypony has been looking for you! we were so worri-" she then saw that her friend was crying. "What's up AJ?"
"I-I don't wana talk about it." She replied bluntly.
"Please, let me know, I want to help yo-"
"No, just, leave me alone."
"Please! I just want to-"
"My parents died alright! You wont understand, you always had your parents."
"Actually, no I haven't." Rainbow said with a tone of sadness in her voice.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I will tell you this as long as you promise never to tell anypony or bring it up." this was obviously really big if she was taking this conversation this seriously so AJ nodded her head. "When I was little my mother died in a flight accident. I was heart broken and actually didn't fly for an entire month! I just want you to know that since you are obviously grieving, if you need somepony to talk to, I'm always here." with that she flew off. Applejack just sat there.
She doesn't understand. At least she has one parent. I was left with none and had to live on this farm with Granny Smith. she thought. The conversation with Rainbow didn't really make her feel better. She looked up in the night sky. Two shooting stars flew across the dark blue abyss leaving a trail of stardust as they went. Applejack sighed. She slowly walked back home as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"You want to do WHAT!?" Twilight said dropping a book on the floor in astonishment.
"I want to go back in time and I need you to help me." AJ repeated. She knew she had to try this crazy idea to see if it worked, "I know you, Spike, and Pinkie found a time spell in the Star Swirl the whatshisname archives. I just want you to help me out."
Twilight was still sitting there, mouth agape. She shook her head to get her out of shock mode and into deal with the problem mode.
"No! Never, I will not help you with this CRAZY idea!" she was obviously never going to change her mind, "There is one thing that I didn't tell you when I went back in time. I did the exact thing that future Twilight did to make me panic! I completely ruined past Twilight's week because I did that!"
Applejack looked at her like she was crazy. She was just rambling on and on and her hair was starting to go frizzy.
"It's ok Twi, if you wont help me well then that's ok."
Twilight calmed down pretty quickly as she noticed that Applejack looked more sad then she usually is, and it wasn't because Twilight denied to help her.
"AJ? There seems to be something bugging you. Whats wrong?"
"I, I really don't want to talk about it!" she ran out of the Golden Oak Library with tears streaming down her face.
........
As she ran the cooled fall wind froze her freckled cheeks. Why did everypony have to be so nosy? She took to much of a risk asking Twilight to help her. She should have known that Twilight could tell that there was something wrong! Now she was going to ask everypony and Rainbow would tell her! She started sobbing even louder and harder. She burst into her house and ran up to her room.
She grabbed her saddle bags from the floor by her bed. She tore through her closet and grabbed a coat, some galoshes, and a few apples. It was harvest season so there would be more food to gather. She would get as much as she could before the winter snow. She would figure out what to do for food after that.
She grabbed a piece of paper and pencil. She scribbled on the paper as a tear fell off her freckled cheeks and onto the paper. She grabbed it in her mouth and tip toed down the stairs. She made sure nopony was there and placed the paper on the table. She trotted out the door tears streaming down her face.
Applejack awoke in on the cold dirt floor of a dark desolate cave. She felt so alone, but it was all for the best. She shouldn't have gotten her friends involved. Maybe she should have run away sooner, her friends might have not suspected anything if she hadn't let so much on. What will she do now? She can't just keep running, that doesn't change the past. Her actions cannot be changed, the past is irreversible.
"I just wish I could see them again." she whispered to the still air around her. She knew she had to find another solution to her problems but for now she would just keep on running.
Applejack slowly got up and put on her coat. She shivered for the draft from the mouth of the cave felt like it was biting at her, slowly gnawing at her until she ran out of energy. Despite the cold, she walked towards the entrance of the cave. Looking out she saw the dim light of the morning through two hills. The orange and yellow sunrise was the only beautiful thing she had acknowledged since she had started remembering the past events. She sat down and watched as the bright colors faded into the bright blue sky of the day.
Maybe this indecent will end like that. she thought, Maybe I will just get over this and my emotions will melt away into nothingness. No matter how intense the emotions get, it will all pass. Applejack pondered this idea for a while until she hers a faint sound of somepony yelling.
"APPLEJACK! APPLEJACK! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Applebloom? she gasped, "APPLEBLOOM!" she felt the weight of her parent's death on her shoulders melt away. She still had her living family and she should have realized that they were trying to help along with her friends sooner. She should be aloud to grieve but she should not let it interfere with her life.
She trotted to the top of a hill approaching the hollers of her little sisters saddened voice. She saw her looking around and then finally looking at the top of the hill. She could see the light in her sister's eyes sparkle like the stars at night.
"GRANNY SMITH! BIG MAC! I FOUND APPLEJACK!"
The next morning was harvest day and the entire Apple Family had to work or else the harvest would be a disaster.
"Hey, Big Mac!" Granny Smith Yelled from the house, "Have you seen Applejack at all this mornin? She came back last night but I haven't seen her since."
"Nope" Big Mac replied with his typical shy fashion.
"Hmm, hey Applebloom! Can you and our friends go look'n for AJ?"
"Sure Granny!" Applebloom replied with enthusiasm, "Maybe we can have another go at those 'Pony Findi'n' cutiemarks!"
"Go for it Half Pint!" Granny Smith replied with enthusiasm but on the inside she was extremely worried about Applejack. She knew why she was upset. It would be heart wrenching to realize that your parents have been gone for so long that your little sister doesn't even remember them any more. I just hope that she will get back to normal soon. We have apples to harvest and she can't just live like this forever.
.........
Applejack was up on that same hill, looking out into the distance. She wish she could go back, back to the time that her parents were alive, when her mom and her would sit up on that hill and look at the stars.
"Look at that clump of stars," she would say, "that is the constellation is the Ursa Major. It stays up there while more of its kind live here in Equestria. See that one right next to it? That is Ursa Minor." she loved the constellations. She said before she had met her father she wanted to go into astronomy. She had almost got a job as an astronomer but then she met her dad and went back into farming.
"How big are the Ursa Majors and Minors that come down to Equestria mommy?" she would ask.
"They are huge. If you didn't know any better you would think that an Ursa Minor was an Ursa Major!"
Applejack adored listening to her mom telling her about the stars. Now if she wanted to know anything about the stars she would have to ask Twilight or check out a book on the subject. It just wasn't the same as her mother's soothing tone at night almost lulling her to sleep. How she wished she could see her. Talk to her and hug her. She always thought her eyes sparkled like stars, the irises dark blue coloring reminded her of the night sky.
"Why did I have to get in the way of that carriage, it's all my fault they died." Applejack told herself, "Why did I have to be so stupid?! I wish I could go back in time and just stop myself from doing that." just then she remembered, Twilight's time spell that she, Pinkie, and Spike found in the Starswirl the bearded wing. She could go back in time and stop herself from crossing the road!
She got up and ran to Twilight's house knowing what she had to do.
I have to get away. Applejack thought, I was so stupid to ask Twilight about going back. It was an improbable idea any way.
She just kept running, not looking back thinking about nothing but her parents. Her legs hurt and her face was stained with tears. She came to the edge of the Ever Free forest. It was dark and she could smell a faint stench of timberwolf breath. She knew if she went in there she would ether be seen by Zecora and have to go back or attacked by timberwolves and we all know that can't be good. She turned around and walked the other way. The sun was setting in the far distance and she could see a faint blue glow of Princess Luna's magic as she flew over Equestria, raising the moon. She slowly walked in the direction of the fading blue glow and went on her trek.
............
"She what!" Granny Smith yelled, "Big Macintosh! Can you please read this aloud I want to make sure I am reading this right."
Big Mac walked over. He wasn't as shy around his family so he was glad to do it. The note read:
I'm sorry, but I will not be coming back for a while. I just want to go on a bit of a trip. Take care of Winona for me.
AJ
For a minute they were all dumbstruck. Applejack, leave! That just wasn't possible. Applebloom turned to Granny Smith tears welling up in her eyes.
"Does this mean that Applejack, isn't comi'n back?" Applebloom was on the verge of crying.
Granny Smith looked at Applebloom. She wished she didn't have to tell her the truth.
"I'm afraid so honey, I'm afraid so."
Epilogue: The Family Reunion
A few months later, all of the Apple family came for their annual reunion. All of the Apple family came, from Appaloosa to Manehatten. The rest of the Apple family had been kept in the dark about Applejack's remembrance and of the past events. Only the Ponyville branch of the Apples knew anything about it. By now Applejack acted like nothing had happened. She was as enthusiastic as ever, organizing the events, helping with baking apple fritters, she was as energetic as ever. She maybe was a bit to energetic, but by the end of the day, after they rebuilt the barn, she was still peppy.
After all of the other Apples had left Big Macintosh trotted over to Applejack.
"Hey, AJ?" He said in his shy low voice.
"Yeah Big Mac? What's up?" Applejack replied.
"Uh, ah was wonderi'n if you, ur, were over our parents, you know," he stuttered trying to find the words to say.
"If I had gotten over them dying? Yes I am over that."
"But, are ya sure you ain't just putti'n on an act? It just seems like you ta do somthi'n like that just to make us think your all right." Big Mac was always so protective of his younger sister.
"Big Mac, I learned a lesson when I was runni'n away so stupid like." she said with a sigh,"Just like the sunset at night all of those burning emotions will melt away. I still have livi'n family and I should have appreciated that, I'm alright, I promise."
Big Mac looked out at the sunset wrapping his arm around his sister in a caring brother hug. "Yah AJ, I guess your right."
