The next day I woke up and was going to look around for that mare that I saw. First place I went to was the plaza, it made sense, that was the place I met her. She had to be there. When I got there it was the same as usual. Just regular ponies coming through, nothing out of the ordinary and no sign of that mare. I waited on a bench, walked around the shops, even played with some of the fillies that admired me. I waited pretty much all day, and no luck. I decided to take a break and get something to eat. I went to the apple stand that Applejack was running. She was just saying goodbye to yet another happy customer when she spotted me.

"Why howdy there sugarcube, what can ah do you for?"

"Hey there A.J., I just need like 4 apples. Hey you know what, yeah you can help me have you seen a yellow mare with dark blue hair and these emerald eyes?"

"Hmm, ah'm sorry I can't say that I have, I'll keep an eye out for ya If ya'll want me to." She looked at me with a concerned look, I guess she saw how crushed I looked.

"No, it's alright. How much for the apples?"

"Oh, uh 12 bits." I paid the amount and started walking off when she called me back.

"Hey Basswave, c'mere for a sec."

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? Ya seem kinda distressed. Is there somethin' the matter?"

"No no, I'm fine, really. I've just been running around so much lately. I guess I'm starting to wear myself out." She gave me another concerned look before she let me go. I don't blame her, we're practically family. See, my I never knew my dad and my mom and I were in the lower economic state. We moved around too much so I never really got to have any friends.

One night my mother had gotten me up and dragged me through the streets and kept telling me everything was going to be okay. I didn't understand we just kept running and running. Eventually we went into the Everfree forest and came across bridge. I looked behind me and found that we had been running from a pack of timber wolves. Their growls could be heard behind us as we crossed the bridge. When we got to the middle my mother turned and used a shield spell to block the timber wolves from crossing closer towards us, but she was weak she could't hold on much longer, so she turned to me and said her final words to me.

"Basswave listen to me not far from here is a village named ponyville you are to run there and don't look back or come back for me. I will always love you and I will always be with you." I had tears streaming down my face, I knew what she was going to do.

"No mom, don't do this we can make it, we can stay together don't make me leave!" All she did was take her favorite ring off and gave it to me. It was a stainless steel ring with a glowing black band around it. she gave it to me and pushed me towards the end of the bridge. "GO!" And I did. I ran all the way to the end of the bridge and got then stopped twenty feet from it to look back. She looked straight into my tear-filled eyes and with one final intent she took down the shield and shot a spell at the ropes to the bridge. "NOOOOOOOOO!" I slid to the edge to try to catch her but to no avail. She was gone, and there was nothing I could do.
That night I ran through all kinds of branches, thorn bushes, and brambles all the while clutching my mother's ring. Eventually I hit a clearing and found a farmhouse in the middle of an apple orchard. There I pounded on the door for some help then I realized one of my cuts were worse than the rest. I must have severed an artery or something because all I could see on my chest was red. .When somebody did answer the door I turned and it was Applejack. I looked at her and could only utter two words before passing out. "Help. Me." Then I fell forward and I saw black.

When I woke up my arms and legs and chest all had bandages on them. When I looked I saw Applejack rubbing a cool rag on my forehead. "Well hello there sleepyhead. You've been out for quite a while." She took the rag from my forehead and put it back in a bucket. "Mind me asking who the buck might you be?" I thought for a second if I should trust her or not. She seemed nice enough that I could trust, but would remain wary.

"Basswave. My name is Basswave."

"Nice ta meet ya Basswave, my name is Applejack." She stuck her hand out to shake and I reflexively put my guard up to protect myself. She looked at me with a confused expression, then she realized her mistake, she didn't take things slowly and gently the way you're supposed to when you come across a damaged person.

"Ah'm sorry there sugarcube, I'm just really tired." She sat down on the bed and looked down. "You see I have to buck all the apples in this here orchard. Every season and all day I work and work, but sometimes I forget my manners." I just stared at her for a while. It must have been about five minutes before she looked up and when she did, I looked into her eyes and she looked just as broken as I was. Almost as if she had recently lost someone, or someponies. We looked at each other and after what seemed like forever, she finally asked me a question. "Where are your folks?" My heart skipped as I suddenly remembered what happened last night and my mind had snapped. I rushed forward and she yelped but instead of hurting her, all I could get out was my wails of despair and anguish. She seemed awestruck as I lay there heaving and sobbing. Then she did the only thing she could think of, she pulled me into her arms and put my head on her chest to try to sooth me.

"Shhhhh, shhhh its gonna be alright. Calm down now." But I couldn't stop, they just kept flowing out like a river. At some point she started to sing and that's when I calmed down enough to listen. It sounded so sweet and innocent, as if all the weight of the world was lifted off of my shoulders. I was at peace again and everything was okay. As soon as she wavered I looked up and she too had tears streaming down her face. "You can stop, I'm fine now." My voice was strained and sounded cracked but I didn't care. I was not going to force her to sing a song that made her sad. She looked at me and collapsed in the same fashion as I had. I just held her and we sat there both sobbing and letting our emotions show, we let the world know of our loss. I never felt closer to her than that day. Since then I stayed at sweet apple acres until I could get a place of my own and helped A.J. with bucking season and still do whenever I can. We have been as close as brother and sister could ever be. Those were the best years of my life.

Author's Note

I based the lullaby A.J. sang to Basswave off this song that I heard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raKlUg13Sg8
Just try to imagine her humming or singing it. But anyway, next chapter will be the infamous Canterlot wedding and the invasion of the changeling army. Hope you got your love strapped down somewhere because we are going on a ride! Make sure if you like this story to leave a thumbs-up and possibly make this one of your favorites. Thank you and see ya later.
~BassWaveEX