Dark grey clouds hung low overhead Sweet Apple Acres. As uncommon as darkness and gloom was in Equestria, almost everypony in Ponyville would agree that they were fitting for today's circumstances.
Nopony could've anticipated the weight of the crate that subsequently fell out of the little grey pegasus's grasp. As prone as she was to being rather ditzy and accident-prone in her duties as a delivery pony, everypony knew that she took extra care when handling heavier objects. She didn't expect that her screw up would lead to the death of one of the most notable, as well as gentle ponies in all of Ponyville.
Living in a land nearly free of any and all contention, Big Macintosh saw no need to have his guard up as he went into town to buy supplies for the farm. Why would he? Nopony had any issues with anypony else, and whomever did wouldn't even consider crossing Big Mac. Not that he wanted to quarrel with anypony else. He was large in stature, but he was also very kind hearted. Everypony knew this. He was one of the most respected ponies in all of Ponyville. Was.
The entire population of Ponyville had gathered at Sweet Apple Acres to pay their respects to the humble workpony, now departed. The whole Apple family had come into town as well. Applebloom cried the most as the kind words were spoken by those who were in attendance.
The fact that Granny Smith had recently passed did not help the little grey pegasus's guilty conscience. Granny Smith's old age had caught up to her, and she had died peacefully in her sleep not two months earlier. Princess Celestia had called for a National Day of Mourning for one of Ponyville's original founders.
Poor Derpy Hooves sobbed openly and held nothing back as she watched the funeral from far off on a cloud. A few ponies on the ground noticed her incredibly distraught spirit, but nopony said anything. What could they say? What could they do? Nothing could've helped her cope with what had transpired because of a series of unfortunate events leading to her accident. Which is all it was: an accident. Everypony knew it, and nopony blamed her.
Nopony except Applejack.
Derpy Hooves wanted to talk to the farmpony and tell her how sorry she was and how, if she could, she would do literally anything to prevent what had happened. But she just couldn't bring herself to do so. As she looked down from her dark raincloud over the funeral, Applejack met her gaze a few times, eyes burning red with tears and utter hatred. Derpy simply shyed behind her cloud and sobbed harder each time.
The funeral progressed, ended, and everypony gave their condolences to the family. Eventually, ponies began to depart. Only Applejack remained by her big brother's gravestone long after it was over. Her tears hadn't stopped flowing as she stared at the new addition to Sweet Apple Acres. Her mother and father, preceded by Granny Smith, were laid together side-by-side. Now Big Macintosh had joined them in the world of spirits. She just couldn't physically grasp that she was now the eldest of the Apple children.
As the sun began to set, Applejack cast a long, lonely shadow across the fields of Sweet Apple Acres. She didn't want to move. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare that she was trapped in. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening to her and her family. One by one, they were leaving Equestria and ascending to the world unseen by mortal pony eyes.
It wasn't fair. What had she done that was so bad that Celestia felt the need to continue to ignore her sorrows and heartaches and only add more trials and tribulations on her already weakened soul? Why was she and her family the continued subject of emotional bullying and trauma? The answer was absolutely nothing. She and her family had been the best ponies they could’ve possibly been to all of residents of Ponyville. They didn’t deserve any of this. She didn't deserve any of this.
The evening dusk had finally come. It started to rain slightly, but Applejack was still sitting there. Her eyes were still red, but her tears were gone. They had all been used up. Twilight was the only one who had remained behind. She slowly approached her from behind and sat in silence behind the distraught farmpony. She felt so sorry for her. She wanted to help, but she didn't know how.
"Applejack..." she began. "I... I'm so sorry."
Applejack didn't seem to acknowledge her in any recognizable way. She merely stayed frozen where she was. Twilight gulped and looked around helplessly before taking another few steps toward her.
"I don't know what to say, Applejack." she said. "I know that this is hard right now, but you need to be strong."
Applejack continued to stay silent and still.
"Your friends are here for you. All of us are. We'll help you get through this. Everything will be alright."
Again, Applejack said or did nothing.
Twilight gulped hard. She was at a complete loss for words. Nothing she would’ve said or did would’ve helped console her distraught friend and she knew it.
“Why us, Twilight?” Applejack finally said, not turning around.
Twilight looked up at her friend. “What?”
“Why us?” She asked again. “Why is this happening to us? Why now?”
Twilight didnt speak for a long moment. “I, uh... I really dont know, AJ. Maybe... Maybe its just supposed to be this way... Everything happens for a reason...” It was apparent that she was trying to find a response.
Applejack remained where she was, completely still. Twilight walked forward and sat down right next to her. Glancing over at her, she could clearly see the stains of recently shed tears on her cheeks. Her eyes did not meet Twilight’s. They only continued to stare at Big Mac’s gravestone.
The sight made Twilight’s eyes water. She sniffed as she closed her eyes to blink the tears away and turned her gaze to the gravestone as well. They both sat there in silence for several minutes. Applejack did not turn to face Twilight the entire time.
“I’m done with this...” Applejack said softly.
Twilight looked at her. “What?”
Applejack shut her eyes and took a deep breath. “I said that I’m done. I’m done with looking for a positive side on everything that has happened lately.”
Twilight shook her head in confusion. “Wh- What do you mean, Applejack?”
Applejack’s lip quivvered as she opened her eyes, fresh tears beginning to roll down her face again. “Just life in general. Celestia, Luna, mercy, glory, all that hogwash. The way I’ve seen and experienced everything that’s happened, the only reason behind it all is that the Princesses hate us.”
Twilight gasped. “Applejack, don’t be rediculous! Princess Celestia and Princess Luna do not hate you!”
“It aint rediculous, Twi. It’s the truth.” Applejack spat, finally glaring at her. “I dont see nopony else around here that is goin’ through even a little bit of what we’re goin’ through right now. Its just us. The Princesses are so powerful and so protective to everypony else in this town, but we Apples are bein’ left out of the picture on purpose.”
Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She couldn’t mentally grasp the concept of somepony, especially a pony like Applejack, feeling dissapointment and anger with a pair of ponies like Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
Applejack turned away again and shut her eyes. “I know that you’re gonna try and defend her, Twi. You’re gonna try and convince me that its not true and its all in my head. I know that isnt true at all, but I accept it as your point of view. I dont expect you to see it my way, because you havent experienced it my way.”
Tears continued to fall down both of their cheeks. Twilight was at a complete loss for words. She had never dealt with a situation like this before in her life. She sniffled and gently put her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. Applejack jerked herself away and reflexively smacked Twilight’s hoof away with hers, hard enough to hurt her.
Twilight cringed for a second before glancing up at her friend. Applejack was glaring angrilly at her. “Dont. Touch. Me, Twilight.” She growled.
Twilight gulped nervously. “S... Sorry.”
Applejack stood there another moment. She was visiblly and audiably breathing heavilly. Twilight could tell that she was now obviously very angry also.
She had read in a pony psychology book somewhere that, on average, there were five emotional stages of dealing with the death of a loved one that a pony would feel. First, they would feel complete denial, like they refused to accept reality as it was. Then they would feel anger, because reality was moving in a direction that was out of their control. then they would bargain, either with themselves, or with somepony else. They would be willing to sacrifice something they had in order for the situation to remain the same instead of change for the worse. Then they would experience extreme depression. They would just break down into uncontrollable sobs because there is literally nothing else they can do. Finally, they would feel acceptance and at long last press onwards. The time it took for their emotional state to change and the order in which they did change was varied, but nearly everypony would feel most, if not all of these emotions, at least once during their coping period.
Twilight had no doubt that Applejack was feeling denial earlier in the day. It’s only natural. But now, Twilight could see that her emotions were changing into ones of complete and total anger. For the first time in her life, Twilight was legitimately afraid of Applejack. She slowly got to her hooves and backed away from the enraged farmpony.
“Twilight, I need you to leave.” Applejack seethed.
“Applejack... I’m sorry... I’m so sorry...” Twilight said slowly.
Applejack gulped and took a few slow steps toward her friend. “You know what? I’m just too dang worked up right now to even think about listenin’ to anything you have to say.”
As Applejack continued to advance, Twilight continued to back up away from her in fear. The moist ground caused her to slip and trip over a rock and she fell backwards. She silently cursed her clumbsiness and looked up at Applejack who was now towering over her. Applejack looked down at her menacingly. A flash of lightning followed by a nearby thunderclap behind her made her rage-filled eyes look all the more terrifying. Twilight brought her hooves and wings up underneath her eyes to try and protect herself while she gave a small wimper that sounded very close to Fluttershy.
“Twilight, please...” Applejack said. “...I’m askin’ you, not for my sake but for yours, to please go home and leave me alone.”
Twilight continued to stare up at her with a terrified, hurt expression on her face as she silently cried and shook with terror on the ground. “B-B-B-But... I... I just...”
Applejack stomped her hoof on the ground, hard. “JUST GO! GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!” She screamed.
Twilight yelped in fear and hid her face completely as Applejack’s hoof landed right next to her head. Another flash of lightning followed immediately by a thunderclap intensified her terror tenfold.
“Please, Twilight...” Applejack repeated, this time with sadness and fear present in her voice. “Please go before I do something I know I’ll regret.”
Twilight sat there, quiverring on the cold ground for another moment before she slowly brought her face out from behind her hooves and wings. Applejack was no longer standing above her.
Twilight sniffed and turned her gaze toward the barn. She saw Applejack slowly walking away from her. Her head hung low and she heard Applejack sobbing heavilly with every step she took. She had never heard her cry like that before. She would never forget it.
Twilight wiped her eyes before she slowly got back to her hooves. She turned toward the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres and slowly shuffled back toward Ponyville. She continued to cry silently as she walked.
From behind her, she heard an enraged wail followed by the sound of shattering glass. She whipped her head around toward the source to see one of the windows in the side of the supply shed had been shattered. A large log was rolling away, which suggested that it had been thrown from the inside. She heard what sounded like wood splintering, and hard objects impacting other hard objects. She also heard Applejack’s voice screaming, wailing, and sobbing angrilly as the commotion continued.
Applejack was letting her anger out in a secluded place that was away from anypony else. It was wise on her part, but Twilight couldnt bear listening to it for a second longer. She turned tail and ran away from Sweet Apple Acres as fast as her hooves would carry her, choking back her sobs as best as she could.
As she neared the front gate, she heard another sound from above her. She stopped and looked skyward to see the blonde-maned gray pegasus clutching the dark raincloud she was on as tight as she possibly could. She had to have been watching the entire time. She was sobbing loudly as well, only her sobs had no sign of anger at all. There was only depression in its purest form present.
Twilight stood there for another moment longer before poor Derpy Hooves released her cloud and flew back toward Ponyville as fast as her wings would permit. Twilight heard her sobs echo through the night and fade off in the distance.
Twilight looked down to the ground and let her sobs go. "I'm sorry, Applejack. I'm so, so, sorry." she shakily whispered.
With that, she turned back toward Ponyville and slowly walked back to her library. She had to begin writing one of the hardest letters she would ever have to write.
And she really didn't want to...
