The Apple Family

Chapters

Questions, Questions, Questions
Bad Timing, and Good Timing
Speaking Your Mind
No Last Chances

Questions, Questions, Questions

The Apple Family

Chapter 2

Questions, Questions, Questions

The years were far kinder to Big Macintosh than they were to Granny Smith. She could still work alright, but nowadays she felt like her strength was a single stray thread threatening to unravel an entire tapestry. She had witnessed that last hint of gold in her mane fade into silver, and started wearing her hair in a simple bun. It made it easier to manage if she didn’t have to think about what to do with it.

It also made it easier to keep up with Big Macintosh in the morning if she didn’t fuss too much over her appearance. In her way, Granny Smith was still a lovely mare, and every single wrinkle told a fascinating story about her life. Big Mac could swear that if he focused hard enough; he could read these special stories.

He had grown over the years; he was a pretty decent living analogy of a mole hill turning into a mountain. The colt had inherited his father’s size, and it made him very handy to have around the farm. He grew to enjoy his work, not because it was especially fulfilling and not because he enjoyed productivity (which he did) but because he got to spend this time with Granny Smith.

She wasn’t a mare of abundant conversation, but she had a story or two to tell. She had led quite an amazing life, and gave it all up to raise two daughters. Daughters? That reminded him of something.

“Granny Smith…?” he began, simply hoping to catch her attention.

He did, and her gaze drifted from the apple tree to her grandson. She was curious to know what his question would be, although she had a pretty good idea.

“Where are my parents…?” he asked.

Now that was a question with a regrettable answer, one she didn’t think he was quite old enough to understand. Still, it wouldn’t help matters in the long run if she started lying to him now. No, she’d better go ahead and just say it.

“Colt, yer folks’r gone the way of the sky.” She replied. It was an expression she had heard once from a zebra she once knew. It was their belief that the spirits of the deceased ascended to the heavens, in order to give way to the miraculous displays that nature in their region created.

He blinked, staring at her in silence while contemplating what she had just said. He had no idea what it meant for anypony to go the way of the sky. No, he needed further explanation if he was going to understand this one.

“Wha…?” he spat out, realizing he didn’t quite know how to ask Granny Smith for elaboration and remembering just what a futile practice that usually ended up being.

She sighed. “Come on, foller me.” she said quietly. She began trotting toward the northern field, passed one of the older barns on the property. It smelled like damp wood that was only minutes from buckling under its own weight, and the long stored bales of hay it held inside. She carried on trotting to the very edge of the field, until she came upon a ring of bushes which surrounded an especially vibrant patch of grass.

It wasn’t huge, just about the right size to fit a few ponies, but it was no place for anypony to enjoy playtime. He followed her onto this small patch of grass and noticed at once that it was so vibrant because it was intermixed with small pinkish red flowers that smelled a lot like the fruit they harvested day after day.

“Yer mama’s under here.” She said. She was blunt as a mallet, but somehow her voice made it sound better than it was. You couldn’t really escape her particular brand of soft-spoken smacks in the head, and no matter what, it was hard to be offended by her.

He looked at the thoughtfully treated patch of grass, and saw the worn down bottom of an apple barrel nestled in the flowers that threatened to consume it. He had to squint in order to read the fading carving on the face of it. It wasn’t elaborate and especially dramatic; it was four simple words that just seemed to speak everything that would ever have to be said. May Celestia Guide You.

“I… I don’t…” he began, stammering. He felt his heart hammering in his chest. He was still pretty young the last time he could remember seeing his mother and he couldn’t entirely remember what she looked like. He thought he remembered a mare that closely resembled his youngest sister.

“She died, sprout. I’m sorry.” She said “Ya were a lot younger then; don’t reckon you’d have much memory of her…”

He looked at Granny Smith; she was never one for displays of emotion other than the occasional crankiness. She was more often than not somewhere between strict and aloof, never really committing to a reprimand so much as trying her darndest to yell without yelling. Even so, she never found much occasion for a reprimand with her young’ns.

“She was young yet, full of life… but she was weak. Always a frail thang… never was afraid of the world though, suppose she never thought of herself as vulnerable to it. She enjoyed life, y’know? Worked this very farm when she was your age, took a lot more breaks though. It was your pa that made the difference around here.”

“He was a big stallion, like you, and a hero to boot. He sacrificed himself for a trainload of ponies he’d never even met. The papers gushed about it fer a few weeks after. Yer mama didn’t much like the attention, and declined to ever comment on the matter. She preferred a quiet life… Always confounded me that she went looking fer a quiet life in Phillydelphia.”

“She was happy though, tweren’t nothin’ more important than that she was happy. But, then she was carryin’ yer baby sister ‘n she didn’t make it through the delivery… frail little thing couldn’t handle it again.”

Big Macintosh’s mind was abuzz with a swarm of questions too frantic to let him decide. He was filled with a mixture of sadness and empathy for his mother, he might not have had the chance to know her during a time he was better able to appreciate her presence, but he liked to think that he made her feel loved in her time.

“Colt, where’s yer head at…?” Granny Smith snapped. She could see the questions and feelings written all over his face like she was playing connect the dots with his freckles and coming up with a clear picture of his heart.

“Sorry… I was just thinkin’… she… was she alone…?” he asked timidly.

“Sure shootin’… but then she was like me… stubborn foal… rather go it alone than ask fer a lick a help. I swear, sometimes I think my girls turned out too much like me…”

He trotted up to his grandmother, and gently nuzzled her under her chin. He was big, but only just nearing Granny Smith’s height and he could see that while she absolutely refused to show any mist for it, she was sad. Still, his nuzzle did little to actually comfort her. It wasn’t for her nature though; she just felt he had more to be sad about than she did. At least she had gotten to properly know the mare in her lifetime.

• • •

She sighed miserably as she lay on the floor in front of the unlit fireplace. The house was entirely silent except for the occasional soft breathing of her infant sister. She had been tasked with taking care of that filly, and she was just a little filly herself.

She actually understood why, sort of. Granny Smith and Big Macintosh were out of the house, kicking those dang trees around trying to make them apples fall into the baskets. Booooring!

Really though, it would likely have served as better entertainment than sitting here waiting for Apple Bloom to wake up. She could at least manage some fun out of playing with her baby sister, even if she was too small to really return the favor proper yet.

She was really going to pull every strand of her beautiful mane out of her head if she had to stay here any longer. She really just wanted to leave, to go find someplace a bit busier and less spacious. It was far too boring around the farm, though that was mostly owing to her being unable to leave the house because she had her responsibilities.

• • •

Months of the same old routine carried on, with the only meaningful changes being in the weather. She had gotten bigger, and so had Apple Bloom now, although she was still tasked with looking after her sister. Now, at least, she could tend to that responsibility while outside. She had Granny Smith’s blessing to step outside once in awhile and enjoy the atmosphere. After all, Apple Bloom could handle it now.

Atmosphere? Granny Smith was crazy; the whole place reeked of old harvests and seasons upon seasons of lilting flowers. It didn’t necessarily smell awful, but it was overpowering and generally reminded her too much of what she was missing outside of watching her sister.

Now, Apple Bloom was a touch more carefree and less bored than Applejack was. She genuinely loved her sister’s company, and so appreciated in her own little way every moment she got to spend with her. Applejack didn’t exactly share the sentiment, but neither did she dislike her sister. She started to imagine scenarios unlikely to actually occur.

In the thick of a muggy jungle not fit for pony travel, the silence was shattered by the soft but unmistakable scream of Apple Bloom coming from a point somewhere in the distant northern hills. Caves sprinkled the grassy hills that seemed not to understand the meaning of having a limit to the variety in flora and fauna. Applejack the Brave knew this whole jungle very well, and could safely assume that based on the direction and movement her sister’s scream revealed that she must have been fillynapped by the rock-skinned ogrebeasts who made their homes out that way. She heard this, and without hesitation she darted in the direction of the alarming shriek, intending to fearlessly rescue her beloved baby sister.

As the dense wilderness gave way to a clear path to the green hills that made up the Beastlands she had grown to loathe, she narrowed her eyes and scanned the entire scene for any clue as to the specific location of her little sister. The only thing that stood out was one of the caves; it was illuminated with the dull glow of a distant fire.

“Oh no! They’re going to eat her!”

And then, another scream. Louder this time, more urgent in volume and purpose. She must hurry if she is to rescue Apple Bloom. No more hesitating. She started at a brisk gallop and quickly hit her amazing super adventurer speed in her quest to save her sister. She seemed to simply glide across the landscape if viewed from a distance, her leg movements were simply much too quick for the naked eye to perceive now. She had only seconds to spare, and this time the danger was far worse than she had faced before. She was Applejack the Brave though, so danger would not sway her.

As she slipped into the poorly lit cave unnoticed, she ceased her gallant stride in favor of a more subtle approach, though still quite careful not to waste her time in moving ever forward. The cave wall gave away two enormous dancing shadows, and she knew these must be the evil fiends who dared try to rob her of her precious sister.

She moved gingerly, careful not to nudge any stray rocks or pebbles about the cave floor, for this would create noise that would surely alert the dangerous monsters she intended to face on her own terms.

She was careful as she slipped her head slowly around the bend in the cave, and there she saw them. Two, as she gleaned from the shadows, enormous creatures. Neither of them was facing her, but she could still see their thick rock-like skin that covered their entire mass. She had to pinch her nose gently for a moment, for these foul things were not familiar with bathing and so this cave was especially strong with their indescribably pungent odor.

One deep breath, that was all she required for this. It was not easy to take a deep breath with the air so thick with ogrebeast fragrance, but she managed it. It was more impressive that she had done so without gagging. Now it was time, she must make her heroic move!

She took one step forward and…

“Uh… AJ?”

She blinked, one of the ogrebeast’s had turned to face her and begun to speak. The voice was not what she had expected of such a frightening visage, in fact, she thought it sounded a lot like her brother.

“Applejack…?” he repeated.

She snapped back into reality, and looked up at her brother. She must have wound up resting on her side while she was busily lost in her imagination.

“What?” she asked. Miserably grounded in real life once again.

“Time fer lunch.” He said.

• • •

What a day, she felt her hip ache as she eased into her rocker. The house was never much of a sight, but it was touched up since she had taken her grandchildren in. She had managed to secure a few extra bits of furniture for the place, which she had up until the point of her grandchildren’s arrival made comfortable enough for one resident and really any number of temporary guests. She now had the remaining upstairs rooms ready for three ponies that would surely be wanting their own in due time.

The living space was better set now, an area rug made for a comfortable spot to lay down on during any kind of night. The fireplace was for more than show, and was suited to huddle around during the winter and autumn nights. She had two rockers, one set on the porch outside for the days she didn’t feel up to working. None of those types of days had actually arrived yet.

There was a simple table and couch set there, if anypony cared to use them. None of her grandchildren had discovered the use for furniture yet, other than their own beds and crib. She was not the least bit disappointed by this. Let the young’n’s be young’n’s. Yep.

A kitchen was established in the far end of the first floor, divided by a thin wall. It was the only other proper section of the first floor, as the bathroom was an outhouse just behind the house. The kitchen wasn’t much, but it suited the simple needs of these farmfolk. It had a stove, old as the house itself and made of durable but weathered iron, it was designed for burning wood.

All in all, the house was a home, for what it lacked in memories for the young’n’s. Ah, but those will come by naturally, and they will fill this place. She knew that. She watched Applejack regale her siblings with some fanciful story about a trek through the jungle, and smiled at the sight of it.

Still, Big Macintosh, she noticed, looked just a bit sadder than she’d seen before. He now knew about his parents, and what that meant to him or how it would affect him was a mystery that only time could really shed any light on. She was going to have to be prepared, she was sure that not only had he not asked the last of his questions but that he would not be the last to have them. It worried her some, but for now, she was happy to see them happy.

• • •

It wasn’t exactly an unusual day; certainly nopony would have ever thought so. The sun in the sky, the clouds sparse, the breeze just about perfect. Big Macintosh was hammering away at the trees of the south field today, and Granny Smith had decided to check up on him. He could get awfully engrossed in work and lose track of time, sometimes he’d miss lunch. This she frowned upon.

She trolled up behind him, and raised an eyebrow as she approached. She smiled, at first, and then she changed her expression to appear more firm. She took a breath, puffed out her chest, and cleared her throat almost simultaneously.

Big Macintosh blinked and pulled back on his most recent kick, electing to switch his attention to his grandmother. “Granny Smith? Something wrong?”

She looked at him through narrowed, fiery eyes. “Sure is.” She said. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw her wrinkled lips form a very brief smile.

“Did I do somethin’?” he asked. He was honestly searching his mind for any instance of a mistake he had made earlier in the day, but he was drawing blanks all over. He had managed the remainder of the west field, and fixed up the plow his father used to pull. He was up plenty early; the sun hadn’t even nudged the horizon yet.

“Yep.” She said. She certainly wasn’t looking to be very clear today, it confused him while it worried him.

“Colt.” She said, “Ya went and got yerself carried away again, didn’t ye?”

“What?” he asked, more than a little confused by this. Even a bit offended, he liked to work and he was good at it. He couldn’t recall a single day when his work ethic constituted a problem for his grandmother.

“Hmph.” She shook her head slowly and trotted up to him, poking his flank firmly. “I’ll bet ya didn’t notice that there?”

He turned to look where she was pointing, and was surprised to find that there was a large half of a green apple adorning his previously bare flank. He felt he should get excited about it, but what did it mean to him? He was so lost in his work that he didn’t feel the thing appear.

“I reckon that there represents yer size and strength, and how ya put that ter work fer ya. Yer as full and strong as a properly ripened apple.” She said. Unlike Big Macintosh, she was beaming with pride and joy. It must have made her proud to see one of her grandchildren get their cutie mark.

• • •

The years had not been the kindest to Granny Smith, who’s back now bore a distinct dip as she trotted about. She wasn’t as handy with the farm labor as she used to be, but she hadn’t decided to call it a day yet either. Today was special for her, she’d decided that Applejack was now old enough to shoulder bigger responsibilities around the farm and that Apple Bloom could tag along with whichever family member she liked.

It was going to make things easier around here, and she looked forward to that too.

The house was open, as was often the case because there was really nothing threatening in the area here or immediately surrounding Ponyville. It wasn’t one of the nicer days of the year, but it was suitable to start teaching Applejack the trade.

“But! Ah don’t want none of that!” she cried, her voice was quite small but her conviction was not lost on Granny Smith.

“Well then, squirt, whaddayer want?” she asked. It wasn’t mean, or angry, just sort of disappointed. If any of these qualities meant anything to Applejack, she might have noticed the one that was present. Right now though, she was just determined to stand her ground.

“Ah… ah I wanna go someplace else.” She said. She had not one clue where that place might be, she’d never ventured farther than Ponyville, although while there she did pick up on some stray conversations about Canterlot and Phillydelphia.

Granny Smith gazed at her, formulating a plan.

“Right, That can be arranged.” She said. It caught Applejack off guard to hear it. She had expected a fight, a struggle, a battle of wills. But that? Granny Smith just… folding? She didn’t know that was even possible.

Granny Smith was never one to stand in the way of those trying to find their way. She never tried to stop either of her daughters from leaving for their lives. She might not admit it out loud, but she was quite proud of Orange Blossom. She had met a decent stallion with good money, settled herself down, and managed a very stable life. Only thing she didn’t really like was the snobby airs she put on ever since.

“Ah…wha?” was all she could muster. She had really been preparing for a far more stubborn Granny Smith than this. It threw her off, and she was having great difficulty recovering.

“Yep. Don’t worry none sprout, I got a daughter in the big city. She’ll put ya up.” She said, matter-of-factly. It wasn’t especially hard to believe that this was an actual side of Granny Smith. For all her rough edges and rugged daily routine, she sure could come across mighty soft.

“Really??” inquired Applejack, who was suddenly testing the scene to be sure she hadn’t gotten lost in another fantasy. Sure enough, this was reality.

“Ya heard me.” She returned. It wasn’t really in Granny Smith’s nature to say something more than once. So you knew that if she ever did, you were in for it.

• • •

She had already been in Manehatten for a month, but she just couldn’t get used to hustle and bustle of the place. The noise was overwhelming for her ears after she had grown so accustomed to the relative silence of the farm. During quite a few nights, she simply couldn’t manage much sleep.

The entire atmosphere just threatened to swallow a filly whole if she didn’t mind herself. It was always very busy on the winding streets and around the many store fronts. It wasn’t as though she’d never seen a busy town before; it was just that she had never seen one so dang big. It was a city though, not a town, and she had a habit of letting that slip from her mind.

She had sort of regretted coming out to stay with her Aunt and Uncle Orange. Neither of them was very down to earth or friendly, and they made her feel very unsophisticated and uncouth. In all the times she could remember with Granny Smith, she never felt very self conscious of her mane or her coat or really any part of herself.

Aunt Orange was very scrutinizing though, and always had a comment handy about her freckles or her accent. One of the first things she had ever commented on was the way Applejack spoke; she had a drawl and used a set of mannerisms that were altogether alien in Manehattan. It was odd, she’d thought back to Ponyville almost straight away, and how nopony there ever had an ill word to say about her.

Now she was living the cultured life, learning all about eloquent elocution and the proper order to eat her meals and how to carry herself. Aunt Orange had fussed over her mane from the first morning on, and changed it so that it resembled her own. Applejack absolutely loathed it; there was no sense to it. It was all big and clumsy and it just fell apart at the slightest failure in posture and composure.

The whole dang lifestyle was absurd; it wasn’t comfortable and felt so insincere. Like every moment she was there, she was living a huge lie. It was what she was reflecting on in her bedroom that night as she gazed out the window, and allowed a few tears to escape her bright green eyes. It wasn’t much more than a speck on the horizon, but she knew at once she was looking at Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres. She suddenly felt a deep heaviness in her heart, and wished she had some sign or guidance about the right thing to do.

It was in that moment that the sky erupted in the most intrusive display of color and sound that had ever been seen. It was an explosion like nothing anypony had previously witnessed, it was so many colors and so bright that she nearly got lost in it. She noticed something though, the streak of colors did not end with the enormous burst in the sky, no, there was a stream of colors marking a clear path back towards Sweet Apple Acres.

She blinked a few times, to be sure this wasn’t her vision playing tricks on her; and no matter how much she blinked, she still saw it. It was magnificent. It was exactly the motivation she needed to go home and apologize.

• • •

Granny Smith was surprised to receive a letter, and more surprised to see that it was from Applejack. She wondered what was to be said in there? She didn’t get much correspondence from her daughters after they left other than to let her knew when she was being blessed with another grandchild.

Dear Granny Smith,

I’m sorry for the way I behaved. I would like to return to Sweet Apple Acres, if you’ll have me back. Please write me as soon as you can.

Love,
Applejack

It was short, it was sweet, but dang it was honest and to the point. Granny Smith wept a single tear of joy as she hugged the letter to her chest. Right after that, she commenced to penning her reply.

Squirt,

You silly filly, what makes you think you have to ask to return home? You go on, get on home just as quick as you can. We’ll be waiting for you.

Love,
Granny

• • •

Granny Smith and Big Macintosh stood at the arch to the farm, and in the distance they recognized a figure. Applejack was galloping up to the farm, she looked happy for it too. Granny Smith was very glad to see her granddaughter return, it had broken her heart to see her go, but there was no way that filly would have figured out where she needed to be if she didn’t go where she ought not to be first. Granny was definitely very wise.

Big Macintosh was very happy to see his sister, jumping out of view and then back into view excitedly as Applejack cleared the last slope to the arch, and as she finally arrived she nuzzled her grandmother and her brother. It was a very warm feeling, returning to her family and knowing that she was only really happy when she was here. It was where she belonged, and she wanted more than ever to get to work.

In that single moment, she felt so clear about herself that she couldn’t stop smiling for the sheer joy of such a wonderful moment. She felt another warmth she wasn’t expecting, and she turned to see that her flank was marked with three apples. She supposed it must have been a mark that reminded her of her brother and sister and grandmother, and how they belong together. The three apples that, with her, made up a proper bushel. It was the most honest she had ever been with herself.

• • •

After a few weeks, Applejack had really gotten into the swing of things. However, it was under the tutelage of Big Macintosh, and not Granny Smith. She didn’t know why that was, but neither she did make a lot of fuss about it. She had a very patient brother, who was more than willing to help her build up the strength in her legs.

It was a lot of work, but she realized what she’d been missing as she focused more on it. It wasn’t a bad thing, and it wasn’t as boring as she’d lead herself to believe. No, in fact she was quite enjoying herself just working at building up her hind legs in time for her very first Applebuck season.

It was only weeks away, so she didn’t have much time to prepare. She spent nearly every waking moment just working her hind legs in the barn on the heavy bag. She was going to work hard, and she was going to make her Granny proud. If nothing else, she was going to make sure this family was taken care of.

• • •

Granny Smith headed into town one day, intending on finding the proper gift for Applejack. She was a growing mare, turning fifteen soon. That young cowpony needed something, and Granny Smith had herself an idea of what that something was. She heard tell of an up and coming tailor in Ponyville, this particular tailor recently occupied a little building near the far side of town. She had decided to offer her business to this up and comer, whoever that might be.

She strolled through town, feeling the soreness in her hip as she went. It was getting mighty difficult to walk so far nowadays, but this was certainly worth it. The building wasn’t much to look at, a little circular thing that was dwarfed by every other building in Ponyville She had been staring at it for awhile, it was quite dull and didn’t really offer anypony any real reason to approach it. She smiled to herself; this one had a lot to learn.

She was surprised as she stepped inside. What it lacked in character on the exterior, it made up for sufficiently on the inside. It was a bit messy, as fabrics and ribbons and thread were being unpacked by an elegant looking young unicorn. She had a pristine white coat, and a meticulously groomed purple mane, and a cutie mark shaped like three pale blue jewels. She was clearly a fussy little thing, but this certainly did not speak fully of her inner character.

“’scuse me…” she spoke up, attempting to get the unicorn’s attention.

“Hm?”

“Ah said ‘scuse me.”

The unicorn spun around and saw Granny Smith standing there, a bit wobbly but holding herself up just the same.

“Oooh! Hello! Welcome to Carousel Boutique! Where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique!” she said, she was positively ecstatic for her first customer.

“Thank ya kindly, deary.” Replied Granny Smith.

“I am Rarity, Fashionista!” she said excitedly. She was trying to compose herself, but she was still just setting up shop, and was happy to have a first customer so soon.

“I’m lookin’ fer a hat.” She said, simply.

“Ooh, a darling little chapeau? Oh yes, I have the perfect one! You will look simply marvelous!” she cried as she rushed off to fetch a rather large yellow colored hat with a green ribbon and plopped it right on Granny Smith’s head.

“Ain’t fer me.” She said. “It’s fer my grand-daughter.”

“Oh! Delightful! Let me see what I have…”

“Make it plain. It’s fer a hard worker.”

“A… A hard worker?” Rarity repeated, sounding a bit dumbstruck at the odd request of her high fashion enterprise.

“Yep. Just lookin’ for a hat, proper cowpony type.”

“I… I can put something together.” She said. She certainly did not want to lose her first customer, and while she did not agree with the elderly mare’s fashion sense, it wasn’t her place to argue the particulars when she hadn’t met the mare it was meant to crown.

“Thank ya kindly.” Said Granny Smith, who had decided to sit on her haunches and wait.

• • •

She left Carousel Boutique with a box that contained a hat that was, after much deliberation, made to order. (“But! The ruby gives it such charm!” “Nonsense. That thing’ll just weigh her head down and get dirty.”)

Now, Applejack should have a proper party. She didn’t get a proper party for her cutie mark, in fact, neither did Big Macintosh. This realization caused her brain to churn out a new idea. Applejack would get her birthday party, and so would Big Macintosh. She had already got him a proper collar to keep his back strong, now it just a matter of properly celebrating her grandchildren getting their cutie marks.

“HIIIIII!!!” a bubbly voice seemed to come from nowhere, but was clearly directed at Granny Smith, who was promptly startled by an explosion of pink hair and blue eyes pushed against her snout.

“What the!?” sputtered Granny Smith, she’d been all around the world and seen and done things nopony had experienced, and it still didn’t prepare her for this.

“I’m Pinkie Pie! What’s that you got there? Is that a present for somepony? Oooh! Is it a birthday present? Is it somepony’s birthday? Are they having a party? I love parties! I’m the best at them!”

Granny Smith stood, staring blankly at the bright blue eyes of this mare. She was following every word, although she had grown tired of listening at the point Pinkie had officially gone into her third chapter of questions and speculations. She was pretty calm about it, she liked this mare, but that talking needed to stop right away. She closed her eyes, and spoke in a way she hadn’t in years.

“Pinkie?” she said, her voice was stern and sturdy. Not a trace of hostility to be found, only a desire to communicate.

Pinkie stopped talking almost at once, which to anypony else would have seemed extraordinary. Granny Smith was not anypony else. “Yer the best at parties?”

“Oh! Yes! The best ever! I love parties! Oh, this one time I threw a party for my family after I saw this amazing rainbow thing in the sky that had so many colors I couldn’t count them all but that’s okay because I was all happy and I wanted to share that and so I started thin-…”

“Care to help me out?”

“-king about what to do to spread that amazing joy that I felt and then it occurred to me that I could bring color and music together in a really cool way that would make anypony happy!” She paused, remembering that Granny Smith said something while she was talking.

“Help you out? How?”

Granny Smith smiled, “Throw a party. It’s fer two. It’s to celebrate mah granddaughter’s birthday in 3 days, and to celebrate her getting’ her cutie mark. It’s also to celebrate my grandson getting’ his cutie mark.”

Pinkie Pie looked like she was ready to explode and Granny Smith supposed that if she did it would amount to quite a fireworks display. In an instant, Pinkie Pie darted off and left a Pinkie sized cloud of dust behind.

Granny Smith shook her head, and took a step forward, and was startled again as Pinkie Pie reoccupied the space where the Pinkie sized dust cloud was left. “Oh! I forgot to say that I’ll do it!”

“Mmhm.” Said Granny as she chuckled “Ya can use one of our barns.” She said

Pinkie blinked, “Barns?” she asked. She knew perfectly well what they were, but she was curious just which pony she was talking to in this town. She was busily trying to meet everypony, and she had already made friends with half the town. Although she had stepped on one or two hooves along the way.

“Yep. Sweet Apple Acres has a few of ‘em. You can use the north one, it’s empty right now.”

Pinkie grinned broad and darted off again.

Granny Smith thought for a moment, and decided against taking a step just yet. It was hard to say whether or not that pony was going to return.

Bad Timing, and Good Timing

The Apple Family

Chapter 3

Bad Timing, and Good Timing

It really shouldn’t have come as such a surprise that such an energetic pony could throw such an amazing party. It was truly huge, spectacular, and many other adjectives that simply didn’t want to occupy her mind. Applejack was thrilled at the surprise of it, and she was even more thrilled when she saw the size of the cake that was prepared. Granny Smith couldn’t remember asking for one, but that didn’t stop her from appreciating it all the same.

“I’m so glad you like the party!!!” she said, in a voice that saw its energetic presentation eclipsed only by its volume. It startled Applejack, actually that was an understatement.

“And look at that cake? Isn’t that awesome? Looks like you got some presents too!! Ooh! I wonder which ones are from your parents??!!” she was so overcome with excitement that she couldn’t stop herself talking.

Granny Smith’s eyes filled with alarm as she heard Pinkie Pie utter her last words. Applejack hadn’t really asked after them, and Granny Smith wasn’t even sure she understood that she had HAD parents.

Applejack felt her insides lurch uncomfortably south. She looked around the barn, at her family and at her celebration. It was for her and for Big Macintosh. She couldn’t hear anything; it had all just filtered into a strange murk. It was like she was far below the water, whilst somepony attempted to read her some clumsy bed time story. None of anything around her made a lot of sense.

“My…” she heard her own voice ring inside of her head. “My… parents…?” she blinked. She looked at Pinkie Pie, who looked quite concerned and suddenly less bubbly. She couldn’t face this; she had no idea what to do. It was a celebration of her birthday, her cutie mark, and for her brother’s cutie mark. She was feeling an uncomfortable ache creep up her chest and into her throat, threatening to strangle her and wrench every last bit of feeling from her eyes.

It was no good, she couldn’t stay here. She turned, and galloped out of the barn. She had no idea where she was going; she wasn’t paying the most careful of attention to that. It was moot though, at least to her it was. The whole point was to get far from here, nothing more and nothing less than that.

• • •

Granny Smith ushered Apple Bloom into the house, and gave Big Macintosh a sympathetic gaze. She didn’t want him out too much longer, but she certainly wouldn’t try to force him inside. She just couldn’t do that, she knew he had already lost too much. No, no denying him the right to search.

• • •

It was a cool night, the air was filled with humidity as the scheduled rainfall readied overhead. It was too cloudy to see any stars, and she wasn’t looking that way anyway. She had cast her gaze out over the open fields of grass outside of Ponyville. She had considered galloping across, and never stopping. She figured that with all her work at the farm, she must have developed some impressive stamina, but the thought of leaving her family behind gave her the necessary restraint.

She elected, instead, to rest on all fours as she continued her gaze over the field. It wasn’t much more than a lot of grass and small flowers just about as far as the eye could see, which meant less at night, since the eye could see a far shorter distance. With that in mind, she decided to close her eyes.

“Hi.” Spoke a voice, it was familiar but it seemed to lack certain energy.

Applejack kept her eyes closed, deciding to pretend she had fallen asleep.

“I… I talked to your Granny…” continued the voice.

“She told me about your parents… I’m so super sorry!” the voice pleaded.

She took a breath through her snout, and opened her eyes half way. “Ya didn’t know…”

“No, I’m sorry they’re gone.” Said Pinkie, her voice touched with a delicate sympathy that didn’t imply any pity.

“Ah can’t really remember ‘em…” she replied. Which, while true, didn’t make it especially easier to deal with.

“Granny Smith said you were really young when it happened.” Pinkie took a calming breath; it was never this hard for her to speak. Actually, it was hard for her not to speak.

“Ah… Ah dunno…” she replied.

Pinkie changed her mind about talking, it wasn’t helping at all. Instead, she moved closer to Applejack, and nuzzled her gently.

Applejack blinked, and continued to stare off into the distance.

Suddenly, more words came to her and she realized what needed to be said.

“Say… why aren’t you crying?” Pinkie asked.

“Wha…? Crying?” asked Applejack, caught off guard.

“Well, yeah. When you feel so sad, it really feels wonderful to laugh. But, that can be hard to do unless you cry a little first.” She had really only just begun her thought “I know you can’t remember them, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t mean something to you, right?”

Applejack sighed; this wasn’t a conversation she was ready to have with a stranger. She closed her eyes, and answered. “Ah don’t understand…?”

“Well…” she began “You have a little sister, right?”

Applejack nodded, wincing at the thought of what Apple Bloom will go through when she finds out. When she understands.

“Well, she’ll never get to know her parents. Granny Smith said that your mama died when she brought Apple Bloom into this world.”

“That means that you were around for a bit before your mom passed away… that you had some time with her… even if you can’t remember it.”

“So, you had a little time with your mom. I know that you don’t remember it, you were too little. But, if you think back… I’ll bet you can remember her smiling at you.” She concluded.

Applejack strained her mind, pushing as far back as her memory would allow, and she did find an image of something. An image of a cream colored mare with an apple red mane and bright green eyes looking down at her. She could remember something else too, there was a stallion there. He was enormous, and looked a lot like Applejack. She remembered this giant being very gentle with her, giving her rides on his back and playing games with her like peek-a-boo. It amused her, to think of this stallion in her mind acting like that.

It was as though the night air had lost all ambience and the wind was afraid to move as she heard a voice so clear in her mind that it almost caused her to open her eyes and look around. Almost. She drew in a deep breath, listening to the voice. It was tender and loving, like hearing it was akin to wrapping a thick warm blanket around herself as she lay near the fire place on a cold winter night. It caused her to smile. A brief smile, lasting just long enough to cover the sound of the dam crumbling.

”I love you my little Applejack…”

Pinkie was never one to worry about social cues so much as what felt like the right thing to do (or at the very least seemed like it would work). It was for this reason that, even though Applejack was still basically a stranger to her, she moved herself closer to the orange mare.

Applejack felt the warmth of Pinkie’s body brush against hers, and didn’t recoil. It was true that she hadn’t met this pony until today, but it was equally true she hadn’t met any ponies close to her age. She was never really a social pony; she had become too invested in her work. Somehow, that seemed to matter less now. Pinkie had gone looking for her, and found her, and talked to her. For a pony with such bad timing, she certainly had a way of doing things right.

• • •

If you had asked her three months ago whether or not she would have a friend who was in many ways a contrast to herself, it is unlikely she would have taken the question seriously. Today, she would tell you she was thankful for that friendship, and that those glaring differences were actually helping her grow as a mare.

Pinkie Pie had taken to showing up at random times on the farm, and far more unsettling was the vast number of unlikely spots she would pop out of. After awhile, Applejack (and the rest of the Apple family) resigned to allow the unexplainable to exist without scrutiny. Pinkie Pie deserved that much for how far she had gone to right her wrong.

Pinkie Pie, as anypony would tell you, was far from finished. Applejack couldn’t remember worrying too much about having fun from the time she got back from Manehattan. She had become so deeply invested in her work that she had lost track of her growing years. Pinkie Pie was determined to correct this, because her friend needed to have more fun.

The sun peaked in the sky, and this told Applejack it was noon. She used a hoof to wipe sweat that had begun beading on her brow and stifled a heart attack when Pinkie popped out of a bushel of apples that had just been bucked to capacity.

“Hiii!” she chirped. Pinkie Pie never sounded anything less than overjoyed, and while Applejack found this to be an endearing quality, she also found it impossible.

After recovering herself from the shock (which was taking less and less time every time Pinkie popped out of somewhere) she replied. “Howdy.”

“Whatcha doing?” Pinkie asked enthusiastically. It wasn’t as important to her as what she thought Applejack should be doing.

“Ah’m workin’” she replied, feeling that ought to have been obvious.

“You’ve been doing that every day since I met you!” she said with a mixture of shock and purpose.

“Yeah, because th’ fam’ly needs this done.” She replied.

“How can you go so long without having fun?” she cried.

Applejack blinked, and pulled her hat from her head in order to fan herself. “What in tarnation are ya talking about?”

Pinkie’s face shifted into a huge grin, and before Applejack had any opportunity to object she found herself being pulled away from the apple orchard and towards she knew not where. It could be downright frightening at times, but she had learned to trust Pinkie Pie to keep her safe. Mostly.

• • •

She breathed the air of nature and the aroma of creatures that surrounded her home. She’d been down here since she was small and had fallen from Cloudsdale. It suited her just fine to be this close to the ground and surrounded by all kinds of creatures. She loved them; and there was nopony she felt more comfortable speaking to than her animal friends.

She had just finished her start of the day rounds of feeding and nurturing, and was taking a break. A look up the path leading to town told her that it was going to be a very short break as a blur of pink moved to her house at speeds she knew only one other pony to be able to accomplish. This made her very nervous, and she promptly began to search for places to hide.

It was no use; nopony could really hide from Pinkie Pie. She swallowed, the nervousness causing a lump in her throat as the pink blur sped right up to her. As soon as Pinkie stopped, she noticed a somewhat nauseas looking orange mare had been dragged along with Pinkie Pie.

“Um… hi…” she said. She had a very quiet voice, which was ideal for her vocation but made her just a bit socially awkward.

“Hi Fluttershy!” said Pinkie Pie in her typically explosive greeting voice.

This caused Fluttershy to recoil, and take cover under her mane. She had known Pinkie Pie for some time now, and sometimes silently regretted the shopping trip that brought them together. That regret never lasted long, because Pinkie Pie really was a good friend, even if she was just a little loud for her tastes.

Fluttershy’s reply came across as little more than a whimper, and Applejack would swear she sounded like a kitten when she did it.

Applejack got to her feet after shaking off the dizziness one develops from Pinkie travel. She looked at the pink mane hiding the obviously delicate pony behind it. She had a coat that was just a bit softer in color than her sister’s, and she also had to note, wings. Applejack had never had the pleasure of meeting a Pegasus before, but she owed that more to being lost in work than not seeing any around Ponyville.

“Howdy.” She said. Fluttershy was no less timid than before in her response, and once again Applejack swore she sounded like a kitten.

“Fluttershy, this is Applejack. I brought her here to find an animal friend!” Pinkie chimed.

Now, if there was the slightest hint of introvert in Fluttershy, it had vanished the instant Pinkie uttered the words ‘animal friend’. Applejack was surprised at both Pinkie’s reason for coming here, and Fluttershy’s reaction to it.

Applejack felt herself being dragged off again, only this time by a pony she could only have described as overly timid just seconds earlier. It seemed like now it was all she could go to keep from bursting.

“Oh my gosh, an animal friend! How exciting, but you’ll take care of him or her won’t you? Oh you have to promise to bring them back too, so I can check up on them, and…”

Applejack found herself standing in what seemed like a carefully reconstructed wilderness that surrounded the delicate mare’s cottage. It was really something.

“Oh, now let me see… why don’t you tell me about yourself? That is, if you don’t mind… If… If you want to…” she began. It was a transformation she could hardly believe, how had that mare gone from sounding like a kitten to outright investigation? Well, sort of.

“Uh…”

“She works really hard on her family’s farm! You know Sweet Apple Acres?” came a familiar energetic voice from behind.

Fluttershy looked up at Pinkie Pie, hanging on each word.

“But she needs to have some fun now, she’s working waaaaaaaaaaaaay too hard!” she added

Fluttershy had gone into some deep thought, or at least that was how it looked to Applejack. Suddenly, she zipped away into her cottage, emerging moments later holding a little brown and white puppy in her front hooves as she glided gracefully back to Applejack.

Applejack blinked, looking at the puppy, then at Fluttershy, then at Pinkie Pie. She was starting to get confused.

“I think she’ll be perfect for you.” Said Fluttershy, as confidently as Fluttershy ever sounded in the few minutes she had known Applejack.

“Whoa, whoa… Simmer down sally!” she cried out. “What’s goin’ on here? Y’all got mah head spinnin’ yer movin’ so dern fast!”

Fluttershy was the first to speak, “Oh, I’m sorry… Were we moving too fast for you? I’m so sorry”

Pinkie Pie was less apologetic and more explanatory. “Oh Applejack! I thought that if you had a little pet to take care of, you would have a good excuse to take a break from the apple trees and just have a little fun! It’s important!”

Applejack sat on her haunches and contemplated this for what seemed like an eternity to the pink-maned ponies. It could be good for her, and for Apple Bloom too, if she got an animal. She could have some responsibilities and that would be good for her. Oh, but what if she and this animal don’t get along? Well, what critter wouldn’t like Apple Bloom anyway? Shucks, might as well.

Applejack looked at Fluttershy with her vivid green eyes and smiled a gentle and reassuring smile. “So, tell me more about this critter?”

• • •

Apple Bloom had grown into a pretty adventurous filly, still a bit too young to start school but old enough to work about the farm, or just explore and have fun. She often chose the latter, favoring her adventurous ways to the toil of the family business.

The farm, being so large it could easily accommodate Ponyville, was a great place to explore. Even with all of her previous exploration under her belt, she still hadn’t seen every part of it. It was her hope that she would discover some wondrous amazing secret that could change the fortune of the family. She had never found such a thing in all of her previous attempts, but somehow today felt different. Something was going to go her way.

She had drawn her best attempt at a map of the farm when she first started her amazing journey. It at least served her purposes, even if nopony else could possibly benefit from it. Today, it was time to explore the southwest end of the farm, just past the edge of the orchard where there was a conspicuously bare chunk of land. She had explored a lot of the farm, and up until then, she had never run into an area without trees. Certainly not an area that looked plenty fit to hold almost a whole new orchard.

There was nothing else to decide and she had all the supplies she needed with her in her saddle bag. She started her journey southwest, weaving through trees and feeling the crunch of autumn leaves beneath her hooves. It was actually a fairly mild autumn day, so she didn’t need any cold weather gear to protect her. The appearance of the leaves on the trees she passed told her that the harvesting season was going to slow down, which meant she would soon be able to play with her brother and sister as they found their schedule suddenly more open.

She always looked forward to this, it was important to her to have time with her siblings. She often found they were so busy working that it felt like they had forgotten she existed. Of course, she would remind herself that the fourth setting at the dinner table told a very different story from her imagination.

She didn’t really have a grasp of the family’s financial situation, partly because she was much too young to appreciate the value of a bit and partly because she was not kept in the loop on these matters. Applejack insisted on this, it was important that Apple Bloom was able to just enjoy herself and grow up without worrying too much about work on the farm.

So, Apple Bloom was doing just that. She was acting her age, and going on adventures and exploring interesting places and playing games. She never had much to worry about in her life, her big sister kept her shielded from the woes and lows of life.

Finally, she made it to the southwest end of the farm, and the open stretch of field lay there threatening to swallow up the horizon. As she trotted across it, carefully examining the ground underhoof, she noticed that there was a curious circular mound of dirt about every twenty feet. She continued to trot about the field, investigating each mound in the hopes of coming to some grand revelation about the nature of this part of the farm.

Granny Smith watched her granddaughter from the edge of the orchard that bordered this empty section of the farm. She wore a smile on her face, and though the rest of her body had faded, her eyes lost none of their fire. She was still just as tough today as she was as a young’n.

Apple Bloom carried on her investigation, until she noticed a pale green elderly mare resting on her haunches at the edge of the field and took off like a bullet to greet her. She greatly admired her grandmother, in part for how wise she was and in part for all the amazing stories she told about her life.

“Granny Smith!” she cried as she approached her elderly relation.

Granny Smith smiled, and nodded at the filly. In her winter years, she was becoming quieter and even more reserved than she used to be. She had begun to lose her mind though, nothing so significant she couldn’t keep track of her grandchildren, although names did escape her from time to time. Apple Bloom never seemed to care about that, this was still her grandmother, and she still loved her very much.

“Hello there silly filly.” Called Granny Smith, unable to pull the name of the filly from the depths of her mind. It was still there, she just couldn’t retrieve it just then.

Apple Bloom dashed up to her Granny, and nuzzled her gentle. Granny Smith smiled and patted her on the head. “Well, yer mane is a mess again I see.” Said Granny Smith, noting the disheveled state of the filly’s apple red mane, a state she found to be fairly commonplace. She had been considering a way of keeping this one’s hair tidier. She may have been a farm filly, but that was no excuse for looking a mess all the time.

“Granny, why is this field here…?” she asked.

“It’s the Zap Apple orchard.” She replied. Of course this immediately piqued Apple Bloom’s curiosity.

“Zap…Apples…?” she repeated slowly, attempting to piece together the mystery in her head before her Granny could even answer. No luck though, she wasn’t sure what that meant.

“Well sure, ain’t I told ya about ‘em before?” she asked, surprised at herself for not having done so. These were an important part of family tradition and the family business, and although she hadn’t seen a proper harvest in a number of years, she knew she hadn’t seen the last of them in her lifetime.

Apple Bloom shook her head, her huge orange eyes painting a clear picture of her wonder and curiosity. Granny Smith found this very amusing, and patted her on the head again, this time rustling her mane.

“Well then, let’s get to the story, shall we?”

Granny Smith explained that the Zap Apples were a magical fruit born of the Zap Apple trees, and that unlike the rest of their farm, these trees and apples were very particular about how the harvest was performed. There was careful timing to everything, and signs to keep you in the know. She explained how the Timber Wolves would howl just before the trees would bloom.

Now, these were magical trees after all, and so they didn’t work like normal trees. These trees grew in an instant, from nothing to a trunk aged more than fifty years in the blink of an eye. It was quite a sight to behold as the magic drew in a localized storm that caused a surge of blue arcing magic to stimulate the trees’ growth.

The signs were very uniform, always the same order and always meaning the same thing. The other thing about these trees and apples is yet another difference between them and ordinary apple trees. The fruit these trees bore was only available for one day, and if you didn’t harvest them all in that day then what remained on the trees vanished into the ether from which they came.

Still, this magical harvest time was only the beginning of the tale. Granny Smith mentioned Zap Apple jam, which she had perfected in her youth. It was a lot of trial and error, so it didn’t happen all at once, but she eventually learned how the magic of this wondrous fruit could be made into a delicious jam.

That, Granny Smith said, was a tale for another day though. She had a surprise for Apple Bloom, and needed her to return home right away. Apple Bloom was immediately excited at the prospect of a surprise, and did not hesitate to return with Granny Smith.

The house was looking very worn down, and old. It was, in fact, the oldest building in Ponyville. It housed Granny Smith when she was just a filly, and the farm was still without its vast orchards. If that house could talk, it would have quite a few stories to tell.

She led her granddaughter into the house, and had her take a seat in the living room.

“Now, I can’t rightly give ya yer surprise until yer cleaned up a bit.” She said.

“But Granny!”

“I ain’t hearin’ back talk am I?”

Apple Bloom looked at her Granny with two huge fiery orbs and smiled. “No, of course not Granny.” She replied as she trotted off to clean herself up.

Granny Smith smiled, glad of her granddaughter’s good behavior and cooperative nature, at least it was there today.

After a few minutes, Apple Bloom returned with her coat and mane cleaned and groomed. Granny Smith was pleased at the quality of her work, it was better today than it normally was.

“Good work. Ready?” she asked.

Apple Bloom nodded with enthusiasm, and Granny Smith beckoned her over.

“Close ‘em” she said. Apple Bloom complied and closed her eyes, more curious than ever what the surprise was.

With that, Granny Smith pulled a length of pink ribbon from the pack she had left on the table, and carefully tied it into a large bow around Apple Bloom’s mane.

She felt the ribbon weave through her mane, and tighten gently to hold it in place. She still didn’t know what it was, but now she knew what purpose it served. When she was told she could go ahead and have a look, she galloped up the stairs and into her bedroom to look into her mirror. She was delighted at the site of it; it looked like a ribbon that could really endure.

Granny Smith smiled, she was beginning to like the snowy unicorn from the dress shop, and after all, she had good taste.

• • •

Bark! Bark!

Applejack threw the stick far across the stretch of grass in Ponyville Park. Pinkie watched in amusement. She was glad to see that Applejack was taking the time off of work to have fun. Applejack was always quite thankful for it, but not very vocal about it.

Applejack had developed a whole new set of skills just from playing with this growing puppy. She could handle a lasso better than anypony out there, she had developed a very impressive land speed, and she had developed an extraordinary stamina to go with all of this. If there was anypony who thought they were better than her, they were welcome to try to prove it.

“Go Winona! Get it!” cried Pinkie, who was watching the entire thing unfold and feeling proud of Applejack for breaking away from the farm for even a little while. She amused herself with thoughts of Winona becoming a proper farm worker with Applejack. She supposed this wouldn’t really be a stretch, and wondered how long it would be until that actually happened.

A blue pony with a polychrome mane watched this scene from a lazily drifting cloud, she was curious about these two. She had even met the pink one once, but found her just a bit too annoying to spend time with. Still, she was friends with her friend Fluttershy, so she’d have to tolerate her existence. To an extent.

Still, she hadn’t been introduced to Applejack yet and that filly looked like she might be a worthy challenge. It couldn’t hurt to introduce herself, could it? Nope.

No more thought, time to move. She darted from the cloud to the ground with a single broad streak of colors illuminating her path. She landed next to Pinkie, with almost as much subtlety as Pinkie usually managed.

“Hey.” Spoke the blue pony. She had beautifully kept wings, in stark contrast to her unkempt mane that just hung down the back of her neck with little care taken to manage its shape.

“Hi Dashie!” cried Pinkie. Rainbow Dash winced at the use of this name, but no matter how often she asked Pinkie not to call her that, she didn’t seem know how to stop.

“Who’s the orange pony you’re watchin’?” she asked.

“Applejack” replied Pinkie, with a huge grin on her face. “She’s my newest best friend!” she added. She had lots of friends, all over Ponyville, whether they knew it or not. She considered her best friends to be those she spent the most time with and had the most fun with, and Applejack had fallen under that category a year ago now.

“Huh… Applejack…” she repeated to herself.

“Oh yeah! You and her should totally be friends! She’s like you! She’s athletic and she’s competitive! Ooh, you two should have a race someday! That would so exciting!” said Pinkie, in an uncharacteristically short sentence.

Winona ran the stick back to Applejack for the tenth time, and Applejack took it with her tail and threw it far into the distance once again. “Good job, girl!”

“She can’t fly though…” said Rainbow Dash, whose own passion was rooted in flight and speed.

“She’s still really fast and really strong! You should see what she can do with her lasso! It’s always so amazing to see!” Pinkie cried, there was no hint of frustration in her voice, just the intention to hammer as much of Applejack’s awesomeness into Dash’s head as she could.

“Yeah?” she said, some interest had sparked in her at the news of Applejack’s athletic prowess.

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically.

“Cool” said Rainbow Dash.

Applejack trotted up to Pinkie with Winona by her side after a few minutes, Winona was looking tired but Applejack seemed perfectly ready for another round.

“Howdy there!” she said to Rainbow Dash, lifting a hoof and tilting her hat as she did. She had been wearing that hat since the day Granny Smith gave it to her. It was the day after her birthday, because she had run out on her own party, and Granny Smith had declared that Applejack wasn’t a proper cowpony yet. Applejack remembered the disappointment that flooded her being as Granny Smith’s words dug into her head and her heart. How could she not be a proper cowpony yet?

Only after what felt like an eternity did Granny Smith present Applejack with the circular box that contained her gift. It took her by surprise to receive the hat, and she loved it right away. It felt just right, not too heavy and not too light, the material was durable and the hat itself was just the right shape and appearance for a cowpony such as Applejack.

“Hey, what’s up?” replied Rainbow Dash.

“Not much, Ah was jus’ playin’ fetch with Winona here.” She gestured to the pup.

“Yep, I saw that. You don’t even look a little tired!” remarked Rainbow Dash, who had a special place in her heart for long naps. She was, herself, one of the most athletic ponies in Equestria but she didn’t find that she could hold up for as long as this mare just did.

“Nah, I work on a farm… So, this is nothin’” she replied. It was the absolute truth, her farm work constituted a large amount of exercise and endurance training as she hauled massive loads of apples from the far ends of the orchards to the barns nearer the middle of the farm. It was a lot of work, but work she was always proud of.

• • •

The day drew to a close, and Celestia brought forth the night. The pale silvery light of the moon highlighted the farm in a dull shade of blue that seemed to defy the sheer brilliance of the lunar orb. There was still light in the Apple house, as the elderly matriarch of the family eyed her grandchildren. Admiring their growth and progress into their ever increasing years.

“You young’ns make me proud.” She said. “Mighty proud”

Each of them eyed her curiously. She had called a meeting of the family, something she hadn’t done in years. Not since she let them know that Applejack was going to be leaving for Manehattan. None of them had any idea why she wanted this meeting, or what she intended to tell them.

“I ain’t myself anymore. Startin’ to get tougher to remember things.” She said. It was a somber resignation to her age, although it didn’t sound like she was giving up, it did sound like she was done trying to act like nothing was wrong.

Big Macintosh was relieved to hear this, he had been correcting for mistakes that Granny Smith would sometimes make, and he would do so very quietly. He had to, he never wanted her to feel self conscious about herself, and he couldn’t accept that she wasn’t all of the mare who raised him. Still, she certainly wasn’t lacking any of her wits, that much was always clear. She was still wise, and still capable of teaching valuable lessons in all areas of life. What hurt him was that he couldn’t remember the last time she had called him by name, she always called him colt or pipsqueak for the sake of irony. He had, at first, chalked it up to Granny Smith being a mare who preferred to maximize time. He had begun to lose certainty as he witnessed her never using the names of either of his sisters, either.

The only comforting thought for him was that she was still as warm and loving as she had always been, never faltering in her responsibilities as their grandmother and guardian. She’d been the backbone of the Apple family since he was a newborn, and now she didn’t have a strong enough back to manage the heavy work on the farm. It made him sad to think that such a strong mare was reduced to this. He knew though, that if Granny Smith ever knew any of these thoughts went through his mind, she’d give him a proper talking to and remind him that she wasn’t helpless at all.

It wasn’t really a question of her involvement in the heavy work, ever since he turned nineteen he was plenty big enough to manage the very worst of the farm work, and pull the heaviest equipment on the farm. He was just worried about what her lapses in memory all meant; after all, what if that meant her time left could be counted in months? Or days?

He tried to push this all to the back of his mind as he gazed at her eyes, which had lost none of their luster and spark in all of her years.

“Ah ain’t fit to manage the farm no more. Last time I was in town to sell apples…”

“You’re fine, Granny Smith!” cried Apple Bloom.

“Easy now, easy.” She said. She hadn’t spoken that softly in a long time. It was never really needed; everything she ever said to them was full of love and understanding. It just went without saying that she cared, and she’d support them in whatever they wanted to do.

“Listen, I reckon it’s time I gave the farm to more capable hooves.”

The eyes of each of her grandchildren widened.

The farm going to more capable hooves? Who’s hooves? Big Macintosh did not like this at all. The farm belonged to the family, so how could Granny Smith have considered giving it up to somepony else?

She looked into the face of each of her grandchildren, and smiled.

“I’ve had this on mah mind for quite some now… It wasn’t an easy choice to make, but it was the right one.” She continued

“Now, I finally figured out who can run this farm the right way. Took some doin’, mind ya, but the farm’ll be just fine, I know it.” She took a deep breath, and looked at Applejack with intent in her eyes that nopony had seen before.

“Squirt..” she began “Ya been working this farm like you owe it yer life fer quite awhile now. You don’t owe it yer life, you owe it her best job at running it.”

He was dumbfounded. Granny Smith had just passed over him, and gave the farm to Applejack. How could she do that? He’d been working that farm ever since he could kick a tree, and Applejack didn’t even want anything to do with it at first. She had to run away before she realized what she was missing, but he already appreciated what he had and he always worked his hardest to keep things running smoothly.

She started losing her mind a long time ago, becoming ever more forgetful as the years went by. He had given everything to the farm, and now what did he have to show for it? No, this was too much. He’d had enough, he’d given enough. It was time to move on.

He took a deep breath, and stood from the floor. He didn’t say a word to either his sisters or his grandmother, and instead walked silently to the front door. He opened it calmly, and stepped outside, turning and pulling the door closed behind him.

• • •

The night sky had dominated the landscape for hours, for each minute of each of those hours Applejack had been searching Ponyville and the its surrounding areas for any sign of Big Macintosh. It wasn’t like her brother to up and leave, and it certainly wasn’t like him to run from the farm. He’d always been there, no matter when it was, and she couldn’t remember a single day she didn’t see that red coat gleaming in the sun as he bucked apples.

She couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing him there. He was her brother, he’d always been there. There for her, there for Apple Bloom, there for Granny Smith. He stayed in the background if he could help it, but he was the glue. She closed her eyes as she galloped, thinking back.

He had surprised her one particularly lonesome afternoon with a tree house he had put together in an isolated part of the farm. It was looking pretty good, if a little rickety, but she could see that it wasn’t going to fall apart. She was elated, it was a place to escape and just get lost in her imagination. She so loved her brother for her it, she didn’t know she could love him more than she already did, but to see how much work he put into something for her showed her how much he cared.

She could see the care in every detail of the place, there was a ramp set with carefully fastened strips of wood to make it easier to ascend. He had built a porch that covered two whole sides of the house, and made for a great place to see and watch nature. Even to take a nap would have been comfortable there. Every detail was thought out for her comfort and convenience. She couldn’t remember if she had ever even thanked him, or if he had given her the chance.

She took a deep breath, and proceeded to fall over as a bubbly voice chimed from right beside her out of nowhere.

“Hi!!”

She grunted, and got back to her feet. “Pinkie, why did you do that?”

“Do what?” she asked, puzzled.

Applejack opened her mouth to respond, and then thought better of the idea of trying to resolve Pinkie Pie with futile logic. She just looked at Pinkie Pie with pleading eyes.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“It’s Big Mac, he’s gone missing…”

“Really? We’d better find him!” she said.

Applejack blinked. Did she just say ‘we’d’?

“I’ll go see if Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy will help” she said, before zipping off in a blur of pink and confusion.

Applejack was relieved to hear about Pinkie’s plan, and glad to know she wasn’t alone in this. She told Apple Bloom to stay home and told Granny Smith that she wasn’t in shape to be galloping all over town. She had chosen to go out on her own, never once considering that her friends might be willing to help her. It was, to say the very least, a breath of fresh air.

• • •

The dampness of the ground was not related to the weather, as it was a dry night with a clear sky. The stars in the heavens flickered and danced an unnoticed cosmic show as he gazed down at the worn wood of the bottom of an apple barrel. The carving had faded as the wood aged and warped, but he had no problem remembering what it said.

He hadn’t spoken since he arrived, but he needed to say goodbye before he could leave. He wondered if she had had the chance to say it to him, although he couldn’t find the relevance of the thought. It was all very confusing to him. The farm was his life, it was everything he had ever done with his life. He never bothered to leave, to try to find himself elsewhere. He had never thought to. Applejack did, she thought about it so young that she needed family to stay with when she left for Manehattan.

Would Apple Bloom be the same way? Needing that adventure across Equestria just to realize she belonged at this farm? Why was he the only one who could see that from the start? Or, was he the only one who didn’t realize he could have a life outside of all of this? No, he wasn’t the odd one out. Was he?

He shook his head, trying desperately to clear his mind and find the words to say farewell. He wanted so badly for his mother to be there, to say something to him. To reassure him that he had done well, and worked hard, and he was worthy of thanks for it. He didn’t necessarily need the thanks, but he hated to think that he’d done all of that and no one noticed.

Granny Smith couldn’t have gone all that while without noticing. She had even praised him on many occasions. She even threw him a belated party to celebrate his cutie mark. So, why did she overlook him for the farm? It just didn’t make sense. He couldn’t work it out in his head no matter how many different angles he approached it from.

It was ridiculous to think that he didn’t have what it took to run the farm; he knew the ins and outs and all the details of every operation of this farm. He could run this farm in his sleep if he really wanted to; there was nothing about it he couldn’t handle. He was built like a locomotive, strong and durable. He could probably a move of house under the right motivation, at least the idea seemed plausible in his head.

He closed his eyes, and tears began to stream delicately down his cheeks and drip to the ground once again. At this rate, the night could go on forever.

• • •

Through the night sky flew a blue mare with a polychromatic mane. She carefully surveyed the landscape below her, looking for any sign of Big Macintosh. The trees of the Whitetail Wood were veiled in the dull blue luminescence of the moon. It didn’t make the scene clear, but gave it enough detail to expose any movement she might see.

He wasn’t here, or she would have spotted him by now. It wasn’t looking very hopeful anymore, she thought she’d find him in no time at all but instead she was having no luck at all. Perhaps she should go talk to Applejack about it.

• • •

It was an hour before they all met at Ponyville Park. It looked serene in the moonlight, like a somber poem that kept half its meaning hidden away while teasing the imagination with vague details that could just barely be perceived.

“Anypony see him?” she asked. She couldn’t conceal the alarm in her voice as she spoke, and that seemed to meet everypony’s expectations.

“No…” replied Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie just shook her head, hating to let a pony down.

“I’m sorry…” said Fluttershy, her voice trailing off into the night air. None of them could see very well, and they were all getting tired.

“Why don’t y’all head home? Yer lookin’ mighty tired…” suggested Applejack, who had no intention of going to sleep herself, but felt guilty keeping everypony else up so late.

“I’m not gonna leave ya hanging!” said Rainbow Dash, almost immediately. Pinkie had come to expect this of the rainbow racer, for she was certainly the most loyal pony she had ever met.

Applejack took a deep breath, and then exhaled it slowly before speaking again. “Ah appreciate that, ah really do… but…”

“Nothing doing AJ, I’m not gonna stop.” She asserted, interrupting Applejack.

Applejack sighed, “Alright”

• • •

She was galloping hard, almost afraid to breathe for fear it would break her rhythm. She couldn’t believe how long it had taken her to realize where he would be, and why. It made perfect sense in hindsight, but it bothered her a great deal that she didn’t know her brother well enough to get here sooner.

She raced passed the archway leading to the farm property and weaved through tree after tree moving through the orchard rather easily. Even in the dark, she navigated the place like she had placed each tree herself.

He had to still be there, he couldn’t have gone yet. Please be there. Please.

Speaking Your Mind

The Apple Family

Chapter 4

Speaking Your Mind

The carefully kept clearing at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres contained the resting place of his mother. It was his only reason for going this way when he departed the house. He had wanted to say something to her before he was gone, some manner of farewell or something to at least let her know he would miss her.

However, wanting this and doing this proved to be two entirely different processes altogether. He couldn’t form any words; he didn’t want to let her go like this. He had already had to accept he’d never see her smiling face and loving eyes ever again, but to actually leave her behind? It was nearly unthinkable. He hated himself for that alone.

Of course, it wasn’t as simple as that either. He was also faced with the thought of abandoning his little sisters. He had no trouble believing that Applejack would get along just fine, given enough time to quell her anger and disappointment. Still, putting her through that at all seemed terribly unfair. He hated himself even more.

After that, there was Apple Bloom. She was a mass of unapologetic energy just looking for a direction to go and an activity to do. She might not always have been entirely aware of everypony around her, but that was true of him once too. Still, he had come to learn of his mother and the pain of losing her. He couldn’t put Apple Bloom through that.

Finally, his thoughts drifted to Granny Smith. She’d always been there for him, she had never let him down and she certainly would never think of leaving him or his sisters for anything. He actually pitied death, for it would certainly have a difficult time taking her away. Still, for all of her strength, she was still fading away in other ways. She didn’t have all of her mind any longer, and had begun to forget things more often. It didn’t stop her from being wise and knowing what to do in all kinds of situations. It was more like her train of thought simply derailed midway through its trip. She’d settle on the use of a wide variety of nicknames to cover it up, but he supposed she couldn’t keep that up forever. If he left, not only would his sisters be short a big brother, he couldn’t be sure Granny Smith would be able to take care of them for very much longer.

He stared through misty eyes at the wooden circle that was his mother’s grave and shook his head. He’d acted in haste, and it was a foolish thing to do. It didn’t change how much it had hurt him, and how aggravated it left him at his grandmother. It certainly didn’t change that words needed to be said.

• • •

If she had any fears that he wouldn’t be there, they were gone the instant she saw his large frame as a silhouette against the night bathed clearing. She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to choose words that would cause him to rethink leaving, that would make him stay. He was her big brother, and he was important to her.

The thought of her losing him due to inaction was more than enough to drive her forward. She stepped carefully the rest of the way through the bush and cantered to his silhouette before dropping her rump to the ground and sitting on her haunches next to him.

Silence filled the night air for the next several minutes, neither one really feeling able to talk. She screwed up her courage, and decided to just be honest with him. “Ya can’t leave us, Mac… It ain’t right!”

He winced at her pleading tone, but she didn’t notice. He maintained his silence, having decided to let her say her bit before he offered anything in return.

“Ah mean… I’d miss ya somethin’ fierce… and ya just know Apple Bloom would miss ya too… and I know Granny Smith’d be real sad if’n ya never came back” she said, her voice deflating with every word to pass her lips. It was as though she couldn’t keep it all inside or the pleading wouldn’t work.

He looked at his sister. He looked at her green eyes, and her freckled cheeks, and her messy mane. She was sort of a runt in his eyes, but he’d never seen a stronger runt in all his days. She could buck a tree better than any stallion, well except maybe him. He was proud of her, he’d taught her to do that and she picked it up so quick it nearly made his head spin.

He saw in her eyes the same dread he felt the day she left for Manehattan. He thought of how deeply that had hurt him, and how angry he was at Granny Smith, not just for letting her go, but helping her too. As he continued to look into her eyes, he saw the day she came back. He remembered the relief that he felt at seeing her coming up the path, and how happy he was to have his family complete again. He remembered each and every day that she wasn’t there, and how lonely the farm felt for it.

He swallowed a lump that had begun building in his throat, and opened and closed his mouth a few times while words simply failed him. He had questions; things that still were disquieting to his mind. He closed his mouth, resigned to the silence he couldn’t find the strength to break.

Applejack found herself looking away from him and towards her mother’s grave after a moment. The silence was profoundly heavy, almost suffocating as she waited for any indication that he wouldn’t leave. Any sign that he’d follow her home, and in the morning be there in his own bed ready for the day ahead. She inwardly prayed to Celestia for this outcome to come true.

• • •

Granny Smith beamed at Apple Bloom, who returned her fiery gaze with the same brilliantly orange eyes.

“Dontcha worry none Picklepear, they’ll be back soon” she remarked, somehow feeling the question in the air before Apple Bloom could voice it.

“But… How do ya know?” Apple Bloom replied, not questioning her grandmother’s wisdom but curious about the conviction in her statement.

“Ah… well… ah know mah grandchildren, pipsqueak” she replied, and to any Apple that was a thoughtful response.

Apple Bloom just nodded and smiled.

“Say… I ever tell ya about mah pa?”

Apple Bloom tilted her head, suddenly struck with more curiosity. Granny Smith hadn’t talked a lot about her childhood, and what little she did share always seemed to be very happy.

“I s’pose I musta mentioned him somewhere along the way, yeah?” she asked, but she didn’t wait for any response, “still, ain’t never told ya this here story, I reckon!”

Apple Bloom stood and moved closer to Granny Smith. She enjoyed Granny’s stories, and she told herself that this was something she would never forget. She rested on her haunches just in front of Granny Smith, and looked up with rapt attention.

Granny Smith smiled back and began.

• • •

A filly, no older than Apple Bloom herself, sat at the feet of a pale brown stallion with a dark brown mane that drifted casually over one of his eyes. She was a mare, pale green with straw colored hair held into twin braids that caressed her neck on her side whilst a bonnet topped her head.

He looked down at her with a kindness she would never forget. She had run away from their caravan. She had been tired of not having a home, and she wanted a place to just stop for awhile. She wanted to not have to move so much. Just once.

She had asked him about it, but he neither declined or agreed to what she was saying. He was forever neutral, making it clear at least that so long as she was with family, she was home. She didn’t really understand the sentiment and the words only made her more determined to get away.

So, two days prior, she had packed a small bag with some seeds and food and a photograph and just ran. She ran in the direction their caravan had just arrived from, wanting to be sure she wouldn’t be followed.

In her haste, she had lost herself in a wooded area and found herself wondering which direction would take her back to her family. It was a feeling she’d never forgotten, but had up to that point never experienced either. She’d always been with her family. Her mother would sing her to sleep at night, while her father, uncle, or brother kept the wagon in motion.

It was a rare thing indeed for them to stay any place for very long, but now she’d thrown even that away. She wasn’t with them anymore, and she didn’t bring very many supplies for her journey. She hadn’t thought this out very well at all.

It was getting to be dark out, and she didn’t want to be stuck in this place through the night so she turned around and started to walk back in the direction from which she came. The night sky overtook the area rather quickly, covering the world in shadows and playing tricks on the eyes. Everywhere she looked she saw dangers that weren’t there, and missed dangers that were. She was afraid.

She continued on her journey to the caravan. She made her way through the darkness, even when it had become all but impossible to see anything even inches in front of her face, she kept moving. She was sure she’d come upon the clear path that the caravan had gone down if she just kept going.

It didn’t take her very long to realize that she’d never be sure of where she was if she didn’t have the ability to see where she was. She had to find a place to settle, somewhere safe until morning.

It was a blur of thought after she found that hollowed out tree trunk, and the next thing she could remember was Celestia’s sun cutting through the darkness and lighting up the woods. She could see now that there was a way back to the main path and she hadn’t been very far from it.

Groggily she stood and galloped towards it, then followed the path along the same route as the caravan. It took her no time at all to reach it, for it hadn’t moved since she left. The only pony there was her father.

Now, she was sitting here, in front of him. He was smiling at her.

“Ah knew ya’d be back” he said, calmly, not a hint of anger in his voice.

“Ain’t nothin’ keeps our family apart, y’hear? Ya had to figure that one out on yer own though…”

“But…”

“We’ll just wait here until mama and Uncle Tune get back” he interrupted her, his voice was gentle but still clearly the product of years of travel and hard work. There was a certain roughness to it that added an endearing charm to the softness he managed.

“Yer brother’s fixin’ ta get us some mornin’ vittles… so just set awhile”

She blinked, attempting to process her surprise at his lack of anger. He wasn’t reprimanding her for running away, for scaring the family. He wasn’t glaring, or even giving a mild frown. He was perfectly calm, and with every word she could hear a wellspring of patience in his voice. These observations lead to a question.

“Why aren’t ya mad?”

He smirked at her, leaning forward and squashing her bonnet down over her face. She adjusted it quickly, still looking at him and trying to stifle a giggle.

“Oh, just happy to see ya back safe ‘n sound…” he replied, “seein’ ya comin’ back, well that took all the anger right outta me!”

She blinked, and scratched her head. Somehow that felt like less of an answer than she had expected.

“Well… ya had given us all a right fright, won’t deny that… but it has to happen sometime”

“What?”

“Missy… Y’all can’t chain down what ya say ya love, y’hear? Ain’t no good. Gotta let ‘em run free, they’ll figure out where they wanna be. Ain’t no good ta try ‘n force a pony to look at the world through yer eyes.”

“Huh?”

“Well, when did ya start ta think of comin’ back?”

“When it started getting’ a might dark”

“What’d ya think about then?”

“Well, how I missed y’all and I felt bad that I didn’t have y’all ta talk ta when it got dark.”

“Mmhm… and?”

“I thought I wanted ta go…” she blinked, the final word came at her so sneakily that it caught her off guard when it passed her lips, “…home.”

He just smiled at her, and nodded.

• • •

Apple Bloom was confused. She loved Granny Smith’s stories, but she did often find she had trouble understanding the point to them when she was done hearing them.

“So… Yer pa was okay with ya leaving?”

“Nah, he was fit ta be tied… but he was happy ta see me safe after a night of worrying hisself sick.”

Apple Bloom cocked her head, only marginally closer to an understanding of what she was talking about.

“Point is… Ya gotta be willin’ ta leave what ya have behind to realize what ya got and how bad ya don’t wanna leave it behind!”

Apple Bloom simply blinked, feeling a bit clearer for the last statement but still not entirely sure of what Granny Smith was getting at.

• • •

The farmhouse crept into view as Applejack and Big Mac slowly trotted back, silence still the overwhelming theme of their meeting. It was quite strange; Big Macintosh was never especially short on words. He’d always talked his grandmother’s ear off whenever he got back from a day at market. She never scolded him for it either; she just always listened to everything he had to say. He knew that because she could always tell him what he’d said without missing a beat.

Now, he was lost for all words. He was going back with Applejack, and he could see the relief in her trot without her having to say it. He was glad to be going back, even if still hurt and confused by things. He wondered if he’d find his voice at the sight of Granny Smith or if he’d remain quiet forever.

Applejack was no less lost in thought, but her silence had come for another reason entirely. She didn’t want to risk pushing him away, and she didn’t want to say anything to him but the truth. She had resolved to find the truth, somehow. She wanted to know why Granny Smith had done what she did, probably as much as Big Macintosh did.

It was as though the door had no sympathy for them for how quickly it had appeared before them. There was no time left between their arrival home and their meeting with Granny Smith now. Big Macintosh reached up and turned the latch on the door before pushing it gently inward and stepping through. Applejack followed him inside, staying quiet.

Granny Smith just looked up and smiled at him, there was warmth in that old mare’s smile that he didn’t expect. He also didn’t understand it, for what he thought she thought of him at the moment no amount of warmth made any sense. He was quiet, although words had finally started to form in his head. Applejack could do nothing but survey the scene quietly, daring not risk Big Macintosh’s presence on the farm with whatever feeble words she might come up with.

She nodded at him before returning her attention to Apple Bloom, “Off ya go, squirt.”

Apple Bloom obeyed Granny Smith’s wishes and departed the main room, ascending the stairs to find her way to her room.

Granny Smith turned to face Big Macintosh again, her smile somewhat lessened with Apple Bloom upstairs. “Get on in here now, don’t leave the door open.”

“Oh” he said as he turned around and closed the door. He suddenly found he couldn’t turn back, that he couldn’t face away from the door. It had become the single most important object in the world in that moment. He stared at the door as he began to speak.

“Granny Smith… I don’t mean ta say that AJ can’t handle the farm or nothin’ o’that sort… but… I wanna know why ya just… ya gave it ta her…”

“She knows where she wants to be” she replied simply.

“What?”

“She left the farm, remember?” she asked.

“Eeyup” he responded. He knew that was not a time he’d ever forget.

“Right… See…” she began, “y’all never tried to git. How d’ya know you wanna stay here if’n ya ain’t never left?”

He blinked. He was so lost in this conversation, and the only one that could make it clear for him was the one throwing the confusion around.

“I…”

“Listen, runt, you ain’t tried to leave. Not ever. I am plum grateful for yer help, don’t get me wrong. Still, ain’t you ever gonna do somethin’ fer yerself?”

He had no idea how to respond to that. It was true though, he hadn’t thought much about life outside of the farm. He had never considered leaving Granny Smith or Applejack or Apple Bloom behind, and he had certainly never considered what else he might like to do outside of farming. He had always been content here, no more than that, he had always been happy.

“Granny, Ah’ve already done that!” he cried, feeling absolutely sure of what he was going to say next.

She simply raised an eyebrow and leaned back, smiling at him.

“Ah’ve always wanted to be here, to work the farm and be with mah family! That ain’t ever gonna change!”

She nodded at him, still smiling. It was what she had expected to hear, although she had prepared herself for any number of alternate scenarios, this was the one she expected to play out. She knew her grandchildren very well, well enough to know that simply talking to Big Macintosh about this was never going to get him to understand.

Applejack looked relieved to hear what Big Macintosh had said, but she couldn’t shake that he hadn’t yet said he was going to stay. He said he had always wanted to, and he did say that it wouldn’t change, but as of yet he hadn’t said whether or not he’d intended to stay now. It was this thought that brought the worry back to her face, and Granny Smith noticed that right away.

“Alright then, runt. Ya go ahead’n tell me… what do ya want done about this here farm?”

“Granny, this here’s a family business, right?”

“Absolutely!”

“Well, I want it ta stay that way then…”

“And how’s it gonna do that?”

“Give it ta all of us… AJ can manage the crops, figure out what goes where and all that… We can all handle labor… Ya know I done well in math class, so I can take care of the books…”

She listened, prouder than ever to hear what he had to say.

“…when Apple Bloom gets big enough, we can start teachin’ her how to tend the farm…”

“Alright then, I reckon we got us a plan.” Granny Smith interrupted.

“Really?”

“You betcha” she replied.

Big Macintosh smiled, and sighed with relief. He was home, and that was where he would stay. He suddenly felt a pair of sturdy forelegs wrap around his neck and squeeze him tight. He wrapped one foreleg around Applejack and squeezed her back.

“Ah’m stayin’” he said, simply.

• • •

At the head of the stairs, a set of tiny hooves rests. Fiery eyes close involuntarily, and a filly drifts off to sleep. She is comforted by the last things she heard. She knows now that her brother will not leave, and that her family is not fighting. She knows now that there is peace in the Apple household. It is enough to sooth her frail emotions, and makes her happy once again.

A strong stallion kneels down and picks her up, gently maneuvering her onto his back before carrying her safely to her room and gently setting her down on her back and tucking her into her covers. He looks at her and a smile curves his lips.

“Sweet dreams, squirt” he says quietly as he leans down and kisses her forehead before turning and leaving the room, quietly shutting the door.

“Out like a light, huh?” asked Applejack.

His smile didn’t leave his face as he nodded to her. He felt so glad to be home, and to know that things would be okay. He had his family, and his family had him. He swore to himself, then and there, that his sisters would always be taken care of. He would never let them go without. Never.

• • •

Granny Smith found herself gazing at the stairs, following them to their head slowly. She was glad to see her grandson return. She’d never admit it, but she was worried that she had gotten it wrong that time.

She wore a warm smile as she rocked back and forth in her chair, her back creaking more than the furniture on which she sat. Age was catching up with her, and she didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to help out around the farm.

A sudden sadness replaced what joy there was in her heart as she thought of these things, and she found herself drawn to the orchards. Slowly and uneasily she moved from the chair to the door, and quietly she departed the house.

On aging legs she travelled quietly into the north field, carried by a sense of necessity she’d never explain to anypony. She had barely focused on her heading at all, allowing her hooves to take her where they intended and before she knew it she stood over a familiar wooden disc that she had placed many years earlier.

It was a strange sort of peace that washed over her, and embraced her. She hadn’t seen this place in years; she had avoided it with an unintended purpose for too long. Now, she was here, facing her daughter’s grave. She had no difficultly remembering the day she buried her.

“Oh Lil’ Blossom…” she said through a shuddering breath. For a moment, she could see a brand new foal looking curiously at her through brand new eyes for the first time in her life. Granny Smith swallowed, and turned away from the grave but remained seated on her rump. She’d not run this time, she was better than that.

“You know… Them foals sure do take after ya…” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper and strained against an unforgiving hoarseness.

“One of ‘em was in a real hurry ta leave the farm…” she said quietly, “an’ I just knew ya’d never stop her doin’ that. Just like I didn’t stop ya when ya left.”

“Ya’d be right proud of ‘em all, I reckon. Yer boy… He’s gotten big, reckon he’ll be ‘bout as big as his daddy one day… maybe even bigger!” she said, sniffling delicately and allowing a tear to roll down her cheek.

“Ya never rightly met the little’n… well she’s just a bundle o’ energy and curiosity… growing up mighty fine with her brother and sister to help her learn… and that there school is a dandy place for her too, she’s doin’ some fancy learnin’ there! So different from the one ah went ta!”

“I never got to say it to ya before… before ya went on back to the sky… but… I…” she felt her throat tighten and her breath seize as she attempted to put thoughts and feelings into words, “I’m sorry… I…”

A sudden breeze pushed through the clearing, ruffling Granny Smith’s bun and pushing tears across her cheeks as it helped her words flow more easily.

“I was proud of ya, Apple Blossom… Always was…” she spoke through another shuddering breath. It had been a long time since she allowed herself to revisit these memories. She had wanted to pretend that it never happened, to leave it behind. She hadn’t forgiven herself for how things had ended between them, but she had always wanted to apologize.

• • •

A beautiful day, Celestia’s orb was long past the peak of its ascent and so it shone especially intense on Sweet Apple Acres. A beautiful cream colored mare, face adorned with freckles, with an apple red mane and brilliant green eyes stood at the edge of the farm locked in heated conversation with an equally lovely green mare with hair colored straw with a hint of incoming silver, fiery eyes, and an apple pie on her flank.

“Mama, I ain’t meant fer this! I can’t stay! I just can’t!” cried the cream colored mare in a show of frustration. She just wanted to be understood, and to have her mother’s blessing. She had watched her older sister leave on far less ceremony than this, and that alone made her question her mother’s motivations.

“Now if’n ya go, where ya gonna end up?” she asked. It was not her policy to hold her children back or try to force them to do something they didn’t want to do. She had never been held under any such restrictions in her own youth, so why should she hold her children to any? Still, it was not going to be easy to let this child go. Doing so would leave her alone on a huge farm that needed tending on a daily basis.

The farm didn’t have enough money to hire on extra hands, so it meant she’d have to take on the work herself. She knew she was being selfish and short sighted, but she really couldn’t make herself care as much about that as keeping the farm alive and at least part of her family still together. It scared her to think that her children both would leave her, but she had to admit she had always known it would one day happen.

More than that, she knew that she’d never be ready for it.

“Me n’ Rough are gonna do just fine!”

“Yeah? What about Macintosh? Hm?”

“He’ll grow up fine too mama! You know ah’ll raise ‘m right!”

Granny Smith stood there, quietly conceding defeat. She found no further words, and no further motivation for standing there. So, she turned around and walked back to the farmhouse and let Apple Blossom go on her way.

• • •

“I shouldn’t’a let ya go without tellin’ ya how much ah loved ya…” she choked through a sob. It was liberating, to free these tears that had remained ever withheld since the day she buried her daughter. She had so quickly resolved to just push those feelings aside, and focus on the farm and her grandchildren, that she never properly mourned her daughter’s passing.

Unrestrained tears challenged her to breathe as she collapsed to the ground. She couldn’t hold it in any longer, and now that it was out, she saw no purpose in trying to suppress it. She internally berated herself for denying the emotions so long ago, for what good it would do her now.

It felt like hours, but truthfully it was probably only minutes that passed while she openly wept for her daughter. She had lost her mother when she was young and her father while she was gone adventuring with her husband. She had adventured around the world, only to come back home and bury her husband and the father of her children. She had buried her youngest daughter long before her time, and now she was raising three ponies she was desperately afraid of clinging to and pushing away at the same time. She wanted only to love them, and for them to grow up strong and proud and into the ponies they wanted to become.

She just wasn’t sure if she was going about leading them down that path the right way, although it occurred to her that they were turning out just fine. She really hadn’t done a terrible job of it after all. Still, in her mind and in her heart all credit was due them for working so hard to learn and grow right.

The night pressed on, and she felt it in her bones. Fatigue was no friend to her; it dragged her down more than ever in recent days. It was time to go back home, to return to her life. In the morning she would have no trouble standing straight and raising her grandchildren another day. It would be as if this night had never happened, and as if she never had a moment of weakness.

A brand new day, for her and for her family.

No Last Chances

The Apple Family

Chapter 1

No Last Chances

It was a beautiful, sunlit day in the young town of Ponyville. She was a beautiful young filly with a green coat and long blonde mane kept tame in a braid. She wore a bonnet, and walked with a sense of purpose wherever she went. She was a member of the family that helped found this little up and coming town.

It didn’t make her arrogant or particularly self important. It just gave her confidence as she moved about town, today she was selling some of her famous Zap Apple jam. It wasn’t going to take long, the stuff pretty much sold itself ever since Stinkin’ invested in it.

It made her day easier than most, since she barely had to make a pitch to get her product moving anymore. She was quiet as she set up her stand, and the moment she stood behind it and opened up for business it was all she could do just to keep ponies from knocking the whole thing over with enthusiasm.

She was nearing the last of her stock for the day when a young gentlecolt approached the stand with a few bits in his mouth. He was looking to buy the last of the jam, and it was a good thing he was in line at his place or he wouldn’t have had the opportunity.

He stopped in his tracks, and his gaze went blank as he looked at Miss Smith. He had never seen such spirited eyes before; they were fiery orange and full of life. He admired her golden locks which flowed majestically down her bright green coat. He admired the delicious looking apple pie that adorned her flank.

He was absolutely lost in her presence. He couldn’t remember what he was going to say, or why he had even shown up at this whatchamacallit stand in the first place.

“Ya okay there…?” she asked, her voice was quite strong. She might have looked like a delicate young thing, but that betrayed her natural resilience and determination. She was not the least bit fragile, and he could hear all of that in those three words. He was taken with her, all at once, and he had to find a way to speak again or else he may never get another chance.

“Oh, yes.” He replied. He was better than okay, he was in love. He set his bits down on the stand. “I’d like whatever you have left, please.” He said with an air of false confidence in himself. At this moment, he wasn’t the least bit sure of himself and he was more than certain she was out of his league.

She smiled, and happily obliged him with the remaining five jars of Zap Apple jam and a warm smile. “Enjoy!” she said, filing away the newly earned bits. She then started to pack up the Jam Stand.

“Excuse me?” he said in as manly a tone as he could muster. “Would you like some help?”

“Oh, well thank ya kindly. I surely won’t turn down the offer.” She replied, with the same warm smile. He felt his heart flutter as he proceeded to help her, and as soon as she was packed up completely she started pulling the cart back to the farm. He watched her go, and smiled stupidly to himself.

• • •

Well, he was certainly a nice stallion. It was kind of him to help her; nopony ever did that for her before. It was quite refreshing for her to receive some kindness during the day. For such an important mare in town, she certainly wasn’t the best at making friends. She was much too inward for that, invested in the family’s business and always figuring out new ways of doing things.

It was no small accomplishment, as an earth pony, to so clearly understand the mystifying properties of a magical harvest such as the Zap Apples. Earth Ponies typically left such matters to the Unicorns, as it was their particular area of expertise. Miss Smith was never such a pony; she didn’t resign to limits simply because somehow they had become unwritten rules in society.

She was more than happy to take on the challenge. Any challenge would do; really, she was that kind of pony. She dared to defy whoever told her something wasn’t possible, and she usually proved them completely wrong. She had become lost in these thoughts, wondering if that was keeping her from making real and lasting friendships.

Well, she was very focused on her work at the farm and exploring the Everfree Forsest most nights. It was certainly plausible that this was impacting her social life something fierce. She reckoned she ought to tone it down a bit.

• • •

It was only weeks into their friendship, but he had seen a distinct drop in her demeanor. She wasn't the same mare he had met at the roadside Zap Apple Jam stand earlier; she wasn’t even close to that. She seemed, well, quite distant recently.

“Lady Smith, what’s the matter…?” he asked, hoping this conversation wouldn’t be a struggle. He wanted her to open up and just talk freely, but she almost never did.

“Well… Ya see… Ah don’t rightly enjoy sittin’ still or none of that… I’m a might more at home doin’ excitin’ stuff and… y’know… having adventures.” She confided in him, far easier than he had anticipated.

“Oh, so why don’t you go and have adventures…?” he asked.

“See… Ah jus’ made this real nice friend… and I wouldn’t wanna leave him behind…” she said.

“What makes you so sure you would have to?” he asked with a smile.

“What?” she returned, confused.

“Lady Smith, I would love to share adventures with you. I’d follow you to the ends of Equestria and far beyond that.” He said, it came out perfect and he was very pleased with himself. Even more so upon seeing her eyes spark with that same fiery enthusiasm he had fallen for in the first place, she was happy and excited.

“Oh! Really? You ain’t pullin’ ma chain or nothin’?” she asked.

“Of course I’m not pulling your chain. I mean every word.” He said right back. He was excited to see where her adventurous spirit was going to lead them. Out there was an entire world to explore and understand, and he wouldn’t want to share that with any other pony in the world.

She eyed her friend, his well groomed deep red coat and gentle green eyes betrayed an adventurous spirit as wild and restless as her own. She could see this was going to be a truly wonderful friendship now; she didn’t have to be somepony she wasn’t in order to make him happy. And that made her happy.

“Gentle Hooves…” she began “Thank you.”

• • •

It was in a desert land far from home that she and Gentle found their way into a peculiar encampment. Neither of them knew what to expect here. It was very hot and very dry here, and they were absolutely parched. She had to stop and ask for some help, there really was no choice now. The arid climate was simply too overpowering not to.

She moved slowly towards one of the larger tents, and cleared her throat as she began to speak slowly. “Mah name is Lady Smith… Ah’m here with my husband, Gentle Hooves… We were wonderin’ if’n anypony here would be kind enou-“

The flap of the large tent she’d been speaking near suddenly flew open. Out from this tent stepped a black and white striped creature, built similarly to an earth pony but just a bit larger. She hadn’t seen anypony like this before.

She stood, quiet. She didn’t want to upset this creature, she only wanted some help.

“Yes, it is water you seek? Perhaps you would benefit from our creek.” Spoke the creature, pointing her just past the opposite end of the encampment, where a small patch of fertile green trees and shrubbery sat. It really had no earthly business being there.

“Go on now, and have a drink. It will help you to clearer think.” The creature ushered her off.

She, and Gentle, trotted off to the lush vegetation and each took a good helping of the cool clear water held in the tiny creek. It was amazing how it stayed so full, and there was no discernable source for this water. She trotted back to the encampment, more than a little curious how this was possible.

“I trust you found our water there, and now you wish some time to share?” asked the creature.

“Ah… Well, Ah have a question fer ya…” she began, “What… what are ya?”

“A question I will answer true, if you will answer one about you?” spoke the creature. She had a strangely deep voice; it was curious how soothing her voice was. Especially for how little she knew about these creatures.

“Uh, I sure will!” she replied.

“A Zebra, dear, is what we’re called. Why is it you are so enthralled?” returned the Zebra.

“A Zebra? Ain’t never heard a’yer kind. You seem a right friendly sort though.” She offered.

The Zebra nodded.

“Ah’m-…”

“Lady Smith, you have already said. I am Zekreh, this tribe’s chosen head.”

Lady Smith smiled, and they traded questions and stories throughout the night. Gentle Hooves couldn’t help but admire her tenacity. She might have been a bit uneasy at first, but she treated this Zekreh like she was no different from herself. He knew a pony or two who wouldn’t have been half as nice or brave as that.

The evening passed into morning, the sun stretching out over the arid desert land. In the morning light it was clearer that there were patches of vegetation sprinkled throughout the landscape, and the zebra tribe became that much more impressive to her. She started to understand some of their traditions and symbols, like the masks that hung from the individual tents that expressed an invitation to their homes.

What a marvelous culture this was. She talked to Gentle about it, and it didn’t take a lot to get him to agree to stay. So they did stay, and they learned much about the zebra culture. Every last bit of it was fascinating, from their curious brews to their penchant for speaking in rhyme. She learned that Zekreh had a granddaughter who had become interested in ponies while Lady Smith was staying with them.

She admired that young zebra’s spirit right off, and wished her well. They had stayed with them, all told, for nearly a year before they were on the way to the next great adventure.

• • •

“It’s a girl” said the doctor, and Lady Smith was elated.

“A girl, ya say?” she asked.

“Yes ma’am.” He said, placing the bundle in her arms.

“Looks like Orange Blossom got herself a little sister, eh?” she smiled, looking into the face of this little cream colored filly with a shock of red mane. “What do I call ya, hm?”

She looked into the enormous green eyes of this tiny little filly, and smiled “I think Apple Blossom will do.”

She sighed, content to just hold Apple Blossom for the remainder of her life. She had made a promise to Gentle Hooves not to slow down or stop adventuring because he was gone.

She’d never forgotten the day they came back to Ponyville. She was with child and the adventuring seemed not the best lifestyle for a young’n. So, they decided it was finally time to settle down after ten years of exploring Equestria and all of the lands beyond.

She had learned of her father’s passing when she returned, and she was to inherit the family farm. It was a blessing of sorts, since it meant she would have a proper place to raise her young’n.

If only Orange Blossom had been more inclined to enjoy the life style of the farm, but she was bored sitting around that quiet seventy acres of land and she wanted someplace less quiet. Someplace busier and more alive during more of the day. Miss Smith sure didn’t understand that, where was the fun in living in some crowded city somewhere?

She remembered the last time she saw Gentle Hooves. He had never stopped smiling, not once in all the time they had been together and shared their lives, but that day he was weak from illness. He couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer, and she was once again with child. She didn’t fancy the idea of facing the world without him, but she sure didn’t reckon she couldn’t handle it.

He spoke for the final time on the final night of a Zap Apple Harvest. He only had three words to share before he drifted off into eternal slumber.

“I love you” he said through weakness and strain to his beloved Lady Smith.

• • •

Well, Orange Blossom came of age and departed the farm without a second thought. She was determined to make it in the city. All well and fine, thought Miss Smith, I hope yer happy out there, and don’t ya hesitate to come on back fer a visit.

On the other hand, Apple Blossom was a growing filly with an appetite for adventure much like her own. It amused her to see what troubles the filly would get herself into, and even more to help her out of those jams. She loved both of her daughters, but she related much more to Apple Blossom.

Miss Smith didn’t know it, but Orange Blossom took after her father, Gentle Hooves. He was a city pony himself, who had only visited the countryside on business. He had no idea he was going to meet his true love that day. Neither did he have any idea that he was going to throw his former life away, and start on this new adventure.

Still, whatever Orange Blossom wanted to do with her life, she had her mother’s blessing. It was not her wish to mold her children, so much as to help them shape themselves.

• • •

It was a strange occasion the day that Apple Blossom brought home Rough Stuff. He was a big stallion, but he was mighty respectful of Mrs. Smith. She had no trouble at all warming up to him once he started talking and she could get an accurate measure of his character.

She found out he was a hard worker with a very strong back, and that he was more than willing to help out around the orchards. He wasn’t particularly business savvy, but he was definitely ambitious. He was part of a huge family, many of them apple picking ponies themselves. She was glad to find somepony who was already like family before he even joined it.

He saw potential in the apple treats that Mrs. Smith baked, moreso than she realized there was herself. However, each attempt he made on his own to market and push the fine product usually ended up wildly backfiring.

Apple Blossom, on the other hand, had a knack for handling it. She wasn’t quite as ambitious as Rough was, but she was supportive of him. It warmed Smith’s heart to see that her daughter was truly happy with this stallion.

• • •

The wedding had been very lovely, and she felt honored to walk Apple Blossom down the aisle. She reassured her daughter that there was no way that Gentle Hooves had missed this wedding. It made the day feel that much more special to think that she was sharing it with both of her parents.

She looked at her stallion with loving eyes, he wasn’t much in the brains department but he still had a lot of drive and energy. He put all of that to use on the farm full time after the wedding, and she often found herself watching him work in the hot summer sun. The sheen of his orange coat and shine of his sandy colored mane made his green eyes pop much more vividly.

Mrs. Smith could see her daughter getting lost in thought, and found herself much of the time having to snap the girl back into reality.

“Now come now ya lazy daisy, pick up the pace.”

• • •

She thought she had experienced the greatest joy in the world the first time she held Orange Blossom in her hooves, but she had been wrong. She felt the same immense joy the day she held Apple Blossom in her hooves. How could that possibly be topped? It was when she was introduced to her grandson, a colt her daughter had named Big Macintosh for his size and color, that she felt it once again.

He was big, like his father, but he looked more like his grandfather. She wondered what kind of a pony he would turn out to be. He looked at her with enormous green eyes, and freckled cheeks, and yawned. She felt her heart melt many times over.

She was starting to show age now, her blonde mane was taking on bits of grey and her coat was dulling in the prolonged hours in the sun during the harvest time. She had taken to wearing her mane in a simple bun nowadays, so it wouldn’t get in the way whilst she bucked apples out of trees.

But looking at this colt, she glowed. She supposed Gentle would have told her it was like she had forgotten to age, and she would have blushed at that. For now, she was lost in her grandson’s eyes, they reminded her so much of Gentle’s.

• • •

It finally came, the day she would have to say farewell to her daughter. Apple Blossom wanted a different life for Big Macintosh, and for whatever siblings he might have. She decided to leave Sweet Apple Acres and raise her family somewhere a bit different. Somewhere that wasn’t in Ponyville, and didn’t involve a load of farm work.

She had chosen a life not unlike her sister’s, but in Phillydelphia. It was a busy town, with plenty to do and jobs to be had. Rough Stuff was quick to find work and keep a roof over his family’s heads, and Apple Blossom found herself a bit of work as well. She had a talent for selling the pastries down at the corner pastry shop.

• • •

Mrs. Smith spent a lot of her time working the farm, her age was catching up to her and she felt it in her joints every day. She was slowing down and it was becoming obvious. She had to let a lot of the farmhands go because she couldn’t afford to keep them around. She was shouldering more of the workload every day, and it was becoming an awfully dull routine. Perhaps it was time she retired from this; then perhaps she could rest her weary bones and reflect on her life.

She wished her daughters would visit her more often, but she understood that they were each far off and the travel was not the best for her grandchildren. Yep, she had been blessed with another grandchild. A filly, who looked a lot like her father with an orange coat and a blonde mane, but with her grandfather’s eyes. She had only seen this filly once, when she travelled out to Phillydelphia to help take care of the children whilst Blossom recovered from the delivery.

It was of great concern to Mrs. Smith that Apple Blossom was so worn out from this delivery. She didn’t fuss about it too much, and Apple Blossom didn’t want to talk about it either. She found it more productive to fuss over her grandchildren, and that she did. She was very fond of them.

• • •

It was years later that Mrs. Smith heard the news; she was being blessed with a third grandchild. It was sad to her though, that this little one would never meet their father. Rough Stuff had started to run the trains out of Phillydelphia, heading through Dodge Junction and to places beyond.

It was during a particularly rough night; a sandstorm had kicked up and made it very difficult to run the engine. It wasn’t like seeing was entirely necessary; they ran on a track so the direction was set and never varied other than the difference between coming and going. Nevertheless, if you were moving too quickly you risked jumping the tracks at points where they curved.

Rough Stuff was a strong stallion, who could move very quickly, and he was moving that engine through the storm as quickly as he could in order to reduce the amount of time the crew was spending in it. He didn’t see the curve of the track, and he didn’t realize how fast he was going until he felt the engine lean sharply to the right, he would swear the wheels had lifted from the track. He tried to slow it down and get it to stabilize, but it was too late for that, it had already begun its descent along the other side of the tracks.

He resolved to do the only other thing he could do, and save the rest of the train. He had the engine disconnected from the rest of the train, and then he promptly ran it off the track himself. He had the other stallions bail out of their harnesses, and he moved quickly to keep the thing going. It had enough momentum that pulling it wasn’t so hard.

He knew already that he couldn’t possibly stop the thing on his own, and he was going to have to stop galloping sooner or later. He couldn’t free himself from his own harness though, and he could see he was approaching the town. He gritted his teeth, and with every last bit of strength he had left in his body he pulled that thing off its course.

It moved lazily to the north, and he kept it going towards a plateau in the near distance. He ran the engine right into the plateau in order to stop it, sacrificing his life to save everypony else’s. He was the only casualty of that accident, other than the engine. He was considered a hero for it, but Apple Blossom decided to just let it die down, keeping a clipping of the first article to print.

• • •

It was a terrible night, there was a distinct chill in the air and the rain was falling especially heavily. Mrs. Smith was waiting at the edge of her farm; she’d heard some terrible news and was told to expect somepony to deliver something to her. All she knew for sure was that it had to do with her daughter.

A flash of lightning revealed the sturdy stallion pulling the carriage behind him toward the archway of Sweet Apple Acres. It looked worn and overused, signs of age and disrepair evident even in the haze of the storm.

“What’s happened? Where is she?” she cried, she was panicked but calm enough to manage the questions and hear the answers.

“She didn’t make it, I’m sorry.” He replied, still pulling that slightly damaged carriage behind him. “But… Her daughter did.” He added.

“Oh my dear… Let me see.” She said, walking weakly around the carriage and peaking inside. There, in silence, lay three young ponies. Big Macintosh lay in such a way that he was protecting his sisters while he slept, if indeed he knew he had another little sister.

Applejack was between Big Macintosh and her little sister, her orange coat was not dulled even by this weather. It was the littlest of them, the newborn filly, which interested Mrs. Smith the most. She looked just like her mother, and a quiet little yawn revealed that she had her grandmother’s fiery eyes.

“Mrs. Smith” he began “What are you going to do?”

She took a deep breath, and stepped back from the carriage, then she looked at the old barn house and the sprawling farmland. “I’m going to take care of ‘em, that’s what.” She replied, as though the question were utterly foolish. How could she not? These were her grandchildren.

He stepped out of the harness, and helped her fasten it so she could take the children the rest of the way. Tonight, she would take her grandchildren with her. Tomorrow, she would bury her youngest daughter. When she would ever tell them what happened, she didn’t know. For now, they had to grow up healthy.

• • •

As the sun rose into the morning sky to greet the ponies who were preparing for their days, Mrs. Smith couldn’t bring a smile to her lonely face. In her house, there were three sleeping young’n’s who had no idea what had happened.

And here she was, in the lonesome dew laden cool of the burgeoning day shoveling the last bit of dirt onto her daughter’s grave. She hadn’t shed a single tear, or even let a single hint of her real feelings manage their way to the surface. It wouldn’t do to dwell on, so she said a few words.

“Farewell kiddo. Ya lived a good life, and ya enjoyed it. Sorry ya had t’leave so soon. Say howdy to yer Pa fer me.”

She took a deep breath, and dragged the worn bottom of an apple barrel over the mound of dirt and carved a simple message into it. May Celestia Guide You. That’ll do.

She had led quite a full life, and it did break her heart to think that her child wouldn’t have the same opportunity. Well, it wasn’t worth thinking about too long. She had three young mouths to feed and that meant she had to start working again.

• • •

As the days carried on, she got back into the rhythm of working the farm. It wasn’t something that should have come to easy to her, but she was driven to take care of her grandchildren. It just made it easier to put them at the forefront of her mind and forget all else.

She kept count of the trees as she hammered into their trunks with her rear hooves. She needed to manage at least 75 of them to get the bushels she needed. She would take all but one of them into town in order to sell them. The one she didn’t take, she would bake into some foods for her grandchildren.

That was her entire day, up before the sun and kicking the trees that still had apples. It would take awhile, but she’d manage the entire crop in a few weeks time and that would be a welcome respite. She didn’t exactly like to think of enjoying a break, but then she could spend some proper time with her grandchildren during one.

• • •

Sales hadn’t gone very well, the night wasn’t absent of them altogether, but she felt she could have done a lot better. She was well enough respected in town to be heard when she made her pitch, but that didn’t seem to make much of a difference anymore.

It was true that Sweet Apple Acres provided the very sweetest and juiciest apples, but then it took her so long to harvest them that roughly half the bushels had turned before she had a chance to start selling. Unfortunately, one bad apple spoils the bunch, and even bunches that hadn’t completely turned didn’t meet Mrs. Smith’s approval. So she took with her only 5 full bushels and 1 half that was the most recently harvested.

She didn’t have much product to sell, and using them in treats was going to wear out her supply in literally no time at all. She had to sell them whole, and unfortunately they weren’t as popular that way. In fact, most ponies wondered why Mrs. Smith hadn’t baked up a bunch of her special treats; they would have bought those happily.

She was completely exhausted as she made her way back to the farmland, and up to the worn down house. She stopped, hearing something familiar off in the distance. It was late, who would be kicking trees at this hour?

She changed direction, and headed for the west field and as she drew upon it the noises became louder and more distinct. She stopped when she saw that red-coated colt banging away at one of the trees, but he wasn’t meeting with much success.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. Well that was fine, the whipper snapper was going to get himself sucked into this life now, was he?

She marched up behind him, and cleared her throat before speaking “And just what in blazes do ya think yer doin’?” she bellowed. She was a tough lady, and Big Mac knew that from the start. He hadn’t gotten to see much of her before now, his mother never really came to the farm much but when they did visit you could be sure that Granny Smith had a story or two to tell. He was never sure how much truth there was behind any of them, but that never stopped him from marveling.

“I… uh… Well, I was jus’ tryin’ to get the apples o’ this here tree…” he said quietly. When she talked about work, she was the most intimidating mare in the world.

“Well, ya ain’t gonna make a dang one of ‘em fall thatta way.” She said stiffly. “You ain’t that strong yet.”

“But…”

“Yet.” She repeated.

Big Macintosh wasn’t sure how to take that. He just started backing away as she approached him.

“Ya see, ya gotta work out them hind quarters of yers… Gotta learn to tense up them leg muscles o’ yers and pound the daylights out of the tree. Treat the dern thing like it just spoke ill o’ yer family.” She said. He hung on to every single world, realizing that she wasn’t reprimanding him, she was instructing him.

“But it’s late now, colt. Go on now; get on back to the house. I’ll be there lickity split.”

She watched him gallop off to the house, and sighed, looking at the tree he had been kicking. “Colt barely caused ya to tremble, huh?” she asked the tree, eliciting a response nopony but she could hear.

She shook her head, and sat on her haunches and gazed at the night sky. Is that colt really going to do this? He is the right size to be working the fields, after all. I… I could use the help around here..

She felt guilty for thinking that way; her grandson was not to be thought of in terms of labor. She couldn’t help it though, she wanted all of her grandchildren to feel like they were helping out and being productive, but at the same time she wanted them to lead their own lives. In much the same way her father let her lead her own, and if it weren’t for that, Ponyville might not even be around.

It was a tough couple of weeks leading up to this moment, and she was exhausted. She looked out over the fields littered with apple filled trees, and sighed to herself. Well, he’ll learn to work it. I’ll start with him tomorrow.