“Woo-wee! Sunny, if ah had known how much applebucking talent you had I would’ve hired ya years ago!” Applejack hopped in enthusiasm, the barrel full of apples on her back not dropping a single one.
“Aw, thanks AJ. We had an apple tree in the schoolyard when I was growing up. It was my job to pick ‘em!”
“Applejack! Applejack!” Spike came running next to Pinkie, both looked petrified. “The house is on fire!” He screamed, jumping up and down.
“Whoa, whoa, hold yer horses, Spike. Whose house?” He turned to Pinkie who nodded and brought out two symbols.
“Yours!” AJ froze and showed no signs of ever moving again. Pinkie then let out a long whistle before crashing the two symbols together.
///
“Now Applejack, you remember that?” The little filly nodded eagerly.
“Yeah! Ya gotta get it just right or you could sprain a hoof!” She bounced up and down in excitement. “Can ah try it now, daddy? Please, please?” The tan stallion laughed and gave her a light noogie.
“You got it, sweet pea!” He looked up at the apples in the branches before giving her a nod.
The orange filly set her back hooves on the trunk, lining it up just right. She pulled herself forward onto her front hooves and brought her back ones right back to the trunk in a strong kick. She smiled when four apples fell off of the branches.
“Yay!” She jumped around in a circle with a large smile on her face. “I did it, daddy! I did it!” He snatched her up in a large hug.
“That’s my little sugarcube!”
“Do ah get ice cream?” Hard Cider bumped her with his flank playfully.
“Sure thing, sugarcube.” She smiled and continued trotting beside her father as they made their way back to the house.
She was so excited to tell Big Mac all about it! She would be bragging for weeks! She would also tell Granny, and Trip and Fluffs! She was stopped by her father’s hoof.
“Stay back, Applejack!”
“Hard Cider! Thank Celestia you’re finally here!” Granny trotted over as fast as possible, which wasn’t very fast. Cider met her halfway.
“What’s going on Ma? What happened!?”
The house was engulfed in flames and there was a faint barking coming from inside. The fire reflected in Applejack’s eyes as her face grew terrified.
“That damned dog knocked over some of my vegetable oil! I was trying to clean it up but my cookies caught on fire! It spread like wildfire! Wildfire I say!” AJ ran over to Granny Smith with a worried look.
“Where’s Fluffs, Granny?” The old mare turned to the house.
“Both them dogs are still in the house!” A tear rolled down Applejack’s face and she sniffed as she prepared to cry.
“Those darn dogs!” Hard Cider snatched his hat off and dropped it onto AJ’s head before running into the house.
“Granny, where’s pa?” Granny Smith squinted her eyes as she tried to see inside of the house.
The bulky stallion was holding up a blazing wooden beam as the dogs limped through. He strained and just when the second dog had passed his coat caught on fire. He screamed in pain and nipped at it, but the weight of the board knocked him to the ground.
“DADDY!” Granny Smith snatched Applejack up before she could run into the burning house.
“He’s gone, hayseed. He’s gone.”
///
“Applejack? Hello?” The orange mare shook her head violently before turning to Sunny. “Are you okay, AJ?” She narrowed her eyes before pulling back with a frightened expression. “Are you crying!?”
“What?” She wiped her tears off with a hoof before turning in the direction of the house. “Ah…ah just remembered something.” She ran off towards the house and the two ponies and dragon quickly followed behind.
“Granny! Is everypony out? Oh, please tell me nopony has to go in there!” The old mare turned to Applejack with a sad frown.
“Ah’m sorry, AJ. Apple Bloom got trapped and Big Mac went in after her.” Applejack felt her eyes swell with tears.
“No, no, no, no! Not Big Mac!” She dropped to the ground as the waterworks started. “As if it wasn’t bad enough already!”
“AJ, what are you talking about?” The farm pony grappled Sunny’s shoulders and shook her as she started to panic.
“My pa! My pa went in there and died! Big Mac can’t go too! He’s the only other stallion on the farm! We need him! AH need him!”
“AJ, calm down! Big Mac can take care of himself.”
Suddenly a booming voice called out from the upstairs bedroom. “AAAAJAY!”
She froze. She couldn’t go in too. No. The fire reflected off of her eyes as she stared out at the flames that covered the house. Apple Bloom was in there, Big Mac was in there…but she wasn’t. She wasn’t going to be in there. It was too dangerous. That fire claimed her pa but it could not claim her!
“Stay here, AJ! I’ll go help them!” Sunny took off for the house and squeezed her way into the building. Applejack blinked as she tried to comprehend what just happened.
Sunny was terrified of fire. She had to sit five feet away from a campfire just to feel safe. She was scared of pretty much anything that caused pain! She refused to use the stove unless she had some other pony’s supervision. She refused to use any knife that wasn’t a butter knife…so why was she going into a burning building?
Sunny Days groaned as she carried Apple Bloom out on her back, Big Mac holding a rafter up so she could get through. It was all too similar.
“Hurry up, Macintosh! Don’t let it take you too!” Applejack screamed, pounding her hooves against the dirt. He let it slip off of his back and he ushered Sunny out of the house. She turned back at him with a scowl.
“Hey! I wanna be in there as much as you do!” He snorted and walked back to AJ to help her calm down. Sunny was going to set Apple Bloom next to Granny Smith, but the mare shook her head before pointing to Applejack. Sunny shrugged and walked back over to her friend.
Apple Bloom’s eyes fluttered open and she looked up at Applejack. She was smiling, just happy that nopony died.
“Applejack…?” The little filly grabbed her big sister in a hug. “You saved me!”
“Actually, AB…” She looked up at Big Macintosh who shook his head. She then looked at Sunny who tilted her head to Apple Bloom. She looked back at her sister with a soft smile. “…ah only helped.”
