A gentle wind blew through the petunias I had just planted. It was an absolutely perfect afternoon to be gardening. I know it sounds cliché, but the sun was up and it wasn’t too hot. Of course I was going to be out gardening. I was sitting on the porch taking a breather; I had in my possession some fresh homemade strawberry lemonade and a grilled cheese sandwich. My boyfriend was with my son at the zoo, and all in all it was the perfect Saturday afternoon all to myself. I know I already said it was perfect, but I wanted to emphasize the point.
It was however, about to get a good bit weirder.
Suddenly, there was a wild howl, and this thing that looked like, I don’t know, a tiny tornado or something just right up and exploded in my garden. Blew my hat clean off. And when the dust from that happening settled, there I saw an orange pony with a goldenrod mane, squishing my petunias.
I was flabbergasted, I tell you. This pony right up and just materialized in my garden!
Well, I wasn’t much one for words at that moment. I just stared at this little horse, with its features all cartoony and stuff. It even had a hat! I don’t know why, but I figured she was a she. She just looked feminine I guess. I swear if I didn’t know better, I’d say she came right out of one of those Disney shorts.
She looked around, and saw me. "Woah nelly! Um, howdy there!" she said a bit tentatively.
She talked! I wasn’t sure then if maybe the communists really were fluoridating our water like my neighbor claims, and I was just hallucinogating something fierce. She certainly looked mighty real. I cautiously got up off the porch and crept a bit closer. I stopped perhaps five feet from her, me on my lawn, her on my flowers, and we stared at each other.
"Uh, you speak Equestrian?" the mare asked.
"You’re a talking pony!"
"That I am. And y’all’s a talkin’… hairless ape thing."
I’ve heard people called worse I guess. "I’m a human. You from around here? Or have the Soviets been training animals in their weird experiments?"
"So-vee-it? I don’t know what that is, but it ain’t me. I’m an earth pony, proud and strong! Oh my! I never introduced myself. Mighty rude a’me." She stood up and rushed up to me and stuck out a hoof. "The name’s Applejack!" she said enthusiastically. I reached down and carefully grabbed her hoof in my hand.
"I-I’m Claire." I was touching her!
She shook my hand like a ragdoll. "Howdy Claire! Glad ta' meet ya!" When she let go (or rather, I let go, since she didn't really have a hand), she was smiling, and my arm was smarting. I figured I might as well chat with this strange creature, so I sat down cross legged on the ground in front of her. Even with her still standing up, my eyes were only a might bit lower than hers. This was a little pony.
"So, um, Applejack, you lost?"
"Nah Twilight knew this might happen. I’ll be gone in a spell. Probably about five minutes I reckon."
"Twilight?" I asked.
"Yeah, she’s a unicorn friend of mine. Mighty fine spell caster if I can say so. Gets a bit touched in the head though sometimes."
Wow. She had friends who were ponies too? What a wonderfully weird day this was. Next I figured she’d be telling me Truman was gonna get relected!
"So you’re from another planet or something?"
"Probably. What’s this one called?"
"We live on the planet earth. This fine country we’re in is the United States of America."
"Earth? Can’t say I’ve heard of it. Must be a long way from Equestria."
"Equestria? That’s a cute name for a horse planet. Say Applejack, you said you’ve got magic in your world?" (I figured a talking pony ought to have some magic to go with it.)
"Sure do, sugarcube. Don’t they all?"
I raise my eyebrows. "I wish we had magic. Do you think maybe, since you’ll be leaving soon, you could leave some here?"
She lifted her hat and scratched her head with a hoof. "Well, I’m no unicorn, but I figure ah could work up somethin’. Ya got yourself any plant’s you’re mighty fond of? Anything with a real connection?"
I thought for a bit, and then my eyes grew wide. "Yes, yes I do. I’ll be right back."
I got up and raced into the house, praying she wouldn't up and disappear on me. I found what I was looking for and popped back out in a flash. She was still there, admiring my yardwork and thankfully, not eating my lawn. I figure all the DDT wouldn’t be too rich for her anyways, even if they swear that stuff is safe.
She looked up and frowned as I placed a decent-sized pot I was holding in front of her. "Miss, I don't mean to be rude, but that there sunflower is dead." It was true. The potted plant was brown and crisp; I had held onto it for sentimental reasons.
"I know," I replied, "but it means a lot to me."
"And what, if ya don’t mind my asking, makes this here plant so special?"
I sighed. It had been three years. I could do this. I could not break into tears every time someone asked, alien or otherwise. "My husband. This plant reminds me of him. He sent me sunflower seeds with one of his letters home. He died fighting the Nazi’s three years ago. He was a spy, and they hung him just a few weeks before liberation. It… it’s been hard on me."
She obviously could feel empathy, because she looked at me, right in my eyes, and it was a knowing look, like something had happened to one of her loved ones too. "The Naught-zees, Miss?"
"They were an evil group of people who did some mighty evil things and tried to conquer just ‘bout everthing. But," I say, smiling with wet eyes, "they didn’t. We stopped them. Just… as I said, not all our men came back."
She rushed forward, and I started to try and scramble to my feet, but before I could get very far, she wrapped me in a bone crushing hug. I mean it, this girl was strong! And this alien horse was just squeezing me with her forlegs, just squeezing, and she whispered in my ear, "I am so, so very sorry for your loss, miss." She spent a good minute hugging me, stroking my back with a surprisingly gentle hoof.
She finally untangled herself from me. "Better?" she asked.
"Yeah, better," I said, starting to laugh. I just got hugged by a little talking pony. "So, the plant?" I asked with a leftover giggle.
"Ahh, right. Raising the dead ain't easy, but I'm one of the best. You’re in for a treat." She put her front hooves on the pot and went all scrunch faced. I felt a weird tingling feeling in my body that I figured was magic doin it's work. I couldn't believe my eyes! There before me, as this vapor flowed from her body, the flower sprung to life again. It was an authentic revival if I'd ever seen one! Petals reappeared, and soon the plant was healthy as a... I can't even think of a saying, it was that healthy.
She finished and dismounted the pot, wiping some sweat from her brow. "Wooey! Haven't done that in a while!"
I had tears in my eyes. "Thank you so much Applejack, that's amazing! What ever did you do to fix it?"
She grinned, proud of herself. "As long as you love and remember him, this plant will keep on livin’. I rigged it to feed off your love. It’s a pretty nifty trick I taught myself after borrowing some books on changelings from Twi’. But I reckon you don’t need to know none of that. Point is, Claire, this flower’s gonna last as long as you do."
Well I was touched, I tell you. "Applejack, I’ll be honest. I wish more people treated each other as nice as you’ve treated me in the four or five minutes we’ve known each other."
"You've been apple dandy yourself," she said. "I'm glad I plopped down here for a spell."
Suddenly, she perked her ears up, as if a coyote was yipping or something. She started to get all shimmery and see-throughish. "Well, I’m fixin’ to be headed back home. You fare well Miss Claire. Stay strong. You hear me?"
"I hear you loud and clear, AJ," I told her. Then she sparkled a final time and she was gone. All that was left was a fine looking sunflower, and apparently her hat? Huh, I guessed I had a new Stetson then. A magical Stetson.
* * *
"That was many years ago," I tell the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren huddled around my hospital bed. "I get the feeling my time is near, so I wanted y’all to hear this tale, so you could know the truth about that plant o’er yonder." I point a wrinkled finger toward the light drifting into the room, and there on a little table in front of the window, is that same old sunflower, facing the sun like it always does. It’s been tenacious, but like me, it’s finally starting to wilt. I don’t blame it. The family turns and "ooh"s and "aah"s at it. A little boy, Michael, asks me how Applejack pulled it off.
"Explain it? Young’un, Lord knows I can’t explain it! Well, I can, but I have to use the M word. It was magic, plum plain and simple. Y’all know I’m a God fearin’ woman, and when I get up to heaven, first thing I’m askin’ Jesus is what that whole affair was all about. But I tell you what. When you sit there on Saturday mornings watchin’ that there friendship pony show of yours, you better rest easy knowin’ that that Applejack is the same one I ran into so long ago. I don’t know how she don’t age none. Maybe the cameras hide her age, I don’t know. But listen here. That pony is a good mare, you hear?"
"Of course Granny, she’s my favorite pony!"
I smile at him. "Damn fine choice kid."
That’s my story about the day I met Applejack.
Author's Note
If you haven’t figured it out, the first half of this story takes place in 1948.
