The Great Crusade to Canterlot

Night had fallen over Sweet Apple Acres. The crescent moon hanging high in the sky was the only source of light over the sleepy orchard. The nights were growing colder with each passing day. Soon the pegasi would bring the winter months, and the snow-covered land would be bereft of all vegetation. Time was running out to finish the autumn harvest.

One pony still wasn't quite ready to call it a night though. Applejack poked her head out the front door and made sure nopony was around. She had her saddlebag stuffed with a blanket and a lunchbox. The sneaky mare grabbed the doorknob in her mouth and gently pulled the door shut.

Inside the barn, Reynard lifted an ear. An unexpected noise this late at night could mean trouble. He hopped onto Chase's stomach and yipped.

"Wha-, ugh... Go back to sleep." Chase pulled the blanket over his face, ignoring the unwelcomed bouncing.

Reynard yipped again and continued hopping on Chase. After a long groan, Chase tossed the blanket and fox from his body. The sleepy-eyed earth pony was finally standing at attention. Reynard knew the only way to stir his friend from slumberland was through obnoxious persistence.

"This better be good," Chase mumbled, while rubbing his eyes. Sleep had become somewhat of a luxury for the exhausted farmhoof.

Reynard scurried up a wooden beam and waited at the dirty window looking outside. A layer of filth and ragged spider webs were obscuring the view of the outside world. Chase slowly followed, steadying his clumsy legs as he walked up the beam. After clearing away the dirt with his hoof, he was able to catch a brief glimpse of a blonde tail vanishing down the main road into the orchard. The two friends turned their inquisitive muzzles toward one another.

"Was that... Applejack?"

Reynard nodded.

"Alright, fuzzball, stay here. I'll go make sure everything's okay."

. . . . . .

Applejack tossed her saddlebag onto the ground. An enormous tree was towering over her. Despite the age, it was still bearing fruit. Not quite the sweet apples that Equestrians were keen to these days, but ponies from days gone by weren't as picky with the quality of a harvest. When Ponyville was originally founded, the citizens were just hoping to have enough food to put on the table. Through years of taste testing and careful planting, the Apple family had all but perfected the formula for growing the best apple trees around.

"Still strong as ever..." Applejack rested against the base of the tree. She rubbed her back on the rough bark until she finally slid down with a satisfied grin. "And just as good for itchin' those hard to reach spots!"

Chase stopped short of the clearing containing the lone pony and hid behind a tree to observe AJ. "She seems okay... What the hay is she doing all the way out here? I didn't even know the orchard reached out this far..." His eyes grew wider. “Which means…? We still have more apples to buck! Ugh!” His front hooves quickly clamped over his lips.

"I got a bit too much on my mind lately. Needed to get away from it all. Just for a bit." Applejack flicked the faded, fleece blanket over her body. Her eyes closed as the thick fabric immediately trapped the heat against her fur. "It's been pretty crazy lately. Probably the most stressful harvest since... y'all passed."

Chase placed a hoof to his ear and attempted to listen to Applejack’s whispery voice. "Who is she talking to?"

"I always knew how to take a cluttered day and sort through it all. Then again, I had Mac workin’ all night just to meet the deadlines. With him and granny gone, I feel so alone. Alone and… tired. Not to mention I ain’t spendin’ nearly enough time with Apple Bloom! Shoot, now I understand why you two were always so busy outside. It really is a full time job..."

The sneaky stallion’s heart sank. His feeling of curiosity was replaced by a sudden pang of guilt. Eavesdropping on a forlorn Applejack was no way to show he cared. It was time to stop hiding and confront the troubled pony. She was obviously upset about something.

Chase knocked a hoof against the side of the mighty tree. "Is everything okay, AJ?"

Applejack snapped her head around and placed a hoof against her chest. "Ch-Chase! What are ya doin' here?!"

"Sorry, didn't mean to be a creeper... I saw you walking into the orchard and just wanted to make sure you were okay. We can’t have Sweet Apple Acre’s most valuable pony up all night!"

"That's sweet of ya, but I'm fine." She patted a foreleg on the ground next to her. "C'mon and take a seat."

Chase steadied a hoof against the trunk and plopped his rump onto the ground next to her. An unexpected gust of wind struck his body, sending a shiver down his spine.

Applejack snickered at his chattering teeth and lifted the blanket. "Here, scoot closer! I ain't gonna bite!"

Chase shifted over and was more than happy to feel Applejack’s warm flank press against his. The blanket came down over his legs and kept the two ponies close together.

"Ya probably think I'm off my rocker for talkin' to a tree."

"What? N-no, it's normal to-"

"I know when somepony's lyin’ to me," Applejack said with a burst of laughter. "Element of Honesty and what not." A wink was sent to the quivering stallion.

"Alright, it was a little strange to see you talking to a tree. There. Happy?"

"Guess I should explain myself. I don't want ya thinkin' we're all bunch of nutjobs..." Applejack took a deep a breath and exhaled slowly. "This tree has been here since I was a filly. It's been here long before that too. It's a Macintosh tree."

"Like your brother…"

"Well, he ain't no tree..." Applejack nudged Chase and gave a hearty chuckle. "But this here place is where my parents came up with his name. It's a real hardy apple tree. Seems rather fittin' for my brother..."

"You really miss him, don't you?" Chase wriggled closer to Applejack and pulled his hind legs against his chest.

"Ever since my parents passed away, he's always been there for me. All four of us have been together. Just workin' the fields or deliverin' apples. We always did it as a family. Now... well, it's just hard not havin' 'em around. Then when I read about the bandits hijacking the wagon I just felt this horrible emptiness in my body." She lowered her head and spoke into the blanket. "Like when my parents died."

Chase wrapped a foreleg around Applejack. Her limp neck was quick to find solace against the fur on his shoulder. "I'm sorry...  Skye and Reynard were the closest things to a family I had growing up. I never really knew what it was like to be held by somepony who loves you."

Applejack brushed her freckles against his shoulder and smiled a bit. "It's a lot like this actually..." She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry for worryin' ya. You're mighty kind to come out all this way just to check on me. I figured everypony was sound asleep."

"Curiosity always seems to get the better of me." Chase muttered.

"When I was just a filly, ma an’ pa would take us out here to celebrate Harvest’s End. We'd all cuddle up under a blanket and spend a night beneath the stars." Applejack reached over Chase and fiddled with her bag until she pulled out the dented, tin lunch box.  She unlatched the lid, removing a bag of cookies and a thermos. "We'd have hot cocoa and freshly baked cookies, reminisce about the year, and they’d even tell me and Mac stories about growin’ the orchard when they were just foals. Heck, it was under this tree I learned I’d be a big sister.” She exhaled and watched her warm breath meet the cold air. “It was our way of slowin’ down after the busy season. Ya know, so that ya wouldn't forget what really mattered."

Chase inspected the bag of cookies. "Ooo, chocolate chip!" He dropped the bag on his lap and chuckled nervously. “Sorry, I was listening! It’s just been a while since I had a homemade cookie…”

"Go on! You can have some! Here, take some cocoa too." Applejack spun the top of the thermos until the lid fell off and rolled down the hill. A swirling line of steam rose from the hot beverage and vanished between the faces of the two ponies.

"You go first!" Chase politely opened the bag and slid it under her nose. “C’mon, you know you can’t resist!”

Applejack accepted Chase’s polite offer and shoved her hoof into the bag. She rummaged until she grabbed one of the larger cookies. “I really can’t.” She bit down onto the soft dough and savored the milk chocolate morsels melting against her tongue. “Whew, good thing ya found me. I could eat this whole bag myself!”

“Just one of the many services offered when you hire Fox Chase and Company to work for you!” Chase squeed. His hoof quickly plunged into the bag. Applejack wasn’t the only pony searching for the biggest cookie.

“My mom was always bakin’ for us. Once Granny Smith started passing down the family recipes, ma would try to copy ‘em exactly. She was hopin’ to keep ‘em alive for generations to come.” Applejack raised her head skyward, hoping to send her troubles away on a shooting star.

Chase’s teeth sunk into the cookie and tore a piece away. He was lost in the twinkling lights reflected against Applejack’s eyes. The distant suns seemed even more beautiful when he was able to view them on the glossy green backdrops above AJ’s spotted cheeks. “I wish I could have met them…”

Applejack could only nod. Her eyelids closed and wiped away the twinkling dots. “Pa would have loved ya. He could be quite a goofball.” Her lips creased into a grin. “Maybe that’s why I had such a gut feelin’ about takin’ ya on as a new hire.”

The remainder of the cookie was tossed into the abyss of Chase’s stomach. “So… What happened to him? To them?”

A gust of breath entered Applejack’s trembling chest. Retelling the story was just as hard as reliving the memories of losing her folks.

“Pa was out in the orchard workin’ his tail off like usual. See, the orchard was a lot smaller back then. Still a fair size, but yours truly worked her hooves raw plantin’ and expandin’. Back then, ma and pa could handle the local shipments themselves. Buckin’, cartin’, plantin’; they really had everything down to a formula. Mac and I were on farm duty most of the time, and Granny made sure that all of us had full bellies every night before bed. It was a great upbringin’…”

Chase’s body tensed up as he watched Applejack raise a foreleg into the air.

“Those damned Timberwolves!” Applejack’s hoof struck against the ground and shook violently. Her bright demeanor vanished, replaced by only the dewy bud of a tear forming in the crease of each eye. “We was just about to finish the harvest. Biggest one we’d had… Pa was out workin’ late. We were all asleep, but he insisted on pushin’ himself to make this the most lucrative harvest the Apple’s had ever seen.” She removed her hoof from the dent in the ground. “He was attacked by a gang of Timberwolves. Even an earth pony has a hard time outrunnin’ ‘em, so he used his muscles to smack ‘em down. But not before gettin’ a few bites on his limbs.”

Chase felt his stomach twist. He wasn’t sure if hearing the rest of the story would do any good for either of them.

“Ponies and Timberwolves didn’t really interact much. We outgrew the borders of our land and expanded into their territory. Not like we knew it though! They attacked him because he was threatenin’ their safety.” Applejack took another shaky breath. “Their bites are poisonous, Chase. That’s another thing we didn’t know. We didn’t have our own personal alicorn princess runnin’ around savin’ the day back then. It was just us against the world. No easy way out.” She shook her head slowly. “Dang fool wrapped himself up and kept workin’ until every last cart was loaded and ready to be shipped. That only made the poison spread faster. Next morning he was slumped against the side of the barn with a half-eaten apple on his lap. That was it. I never got to say goodbye. I never got to say thank ya.” The beads of tears turned to a steady trickle down her face.  Applejack banged her hooves against her lap. “I-I…

"It's okay; you don't need to say anything else!" Chase handed her the thermos. “I’m sorry! I… I just wanted to know about them… You can-”

Applejack sniffled and pressed on. “Ma tried her best to keep the family together. She never once let us see her cry. Not once. I’ll never forget what she said when she finally explained what happened to pa. ‘Don’t waste your time mournin’ over what ya lost. Cherish what ya have and keep the memories alive in your heart.’ It meant a lot to me. All I wanted to do was cry and cry and cry.”

Chase’s ears lowered. “Yeah…”

“Problem was that she was strong on the outside, but dying on the inside. She thought hidin’ her feelings was the best way to keep the family focused on the good in life. But it wasn’t. She went peacefully in her sleep. Holdin’ my pa’s hat against her chest. She probably wanted to see him again… I was so upset at first. I felt like she abandoned me. I was feelin’ mighty heartbroken myself. Within a year my entire life changed.”

The wind rustled the thinning leaves above their heads. A few stray leaves alighted onto their blanket.

“Death is a funny thing. It can either break a person or make ‘em stronger. I never forgot my mom’s words about movin’ on after somepony dies, but I also made sure that I didn’t hold anything in! After losing ‘em, Mac and I decided that makin’ Sweet Apple Acres the best orchard in Equestria was the only way to honor our parents. Not only that, but also raisin’ Bloom too. We picked up the pieces of our family and built them into an even stronger household. Every apple I ship off is a tiny reminder of the love and resilience that went into buildin’ Sweet Apple Acres into what ya see in front of ya.”

“You are one incredible mare, Applejack.”

Applejack took a sip of the burning chocolate to singe the pain in her heart. The warmth spread from her throat down to her stomach. She wasted no time and continued the conversation. It was her only defense to deter her mind from stagnating on thoughts of her lost family. Her toned foreleg wiped the salty sadness from her cheek fur. Surprisingly, she was feeling better after sharing her past with the crumb-covered stallion pressed against her. "Enough about me though. Tell me more about yourself! It was just you and Skye growin’ up?"

"Yeah. I don't remember my mom or dad. They... weren't ready for a foal I guess, and put me up for adoption. At least, that’s what I was told." Chase lowered his ears. "So, yeah, I learned pretty quickly how to fend for myself."

“Ya did a fine job. I’m sure your little friend would agree.”

"Ha. Y'know, I'm still never sure what Reynard considers me. Friend? Family? Partner? We've been through a lot together. Some days I feel closer to him than anypony else."

"And it shows! Your cutie mark is a fox after all."

"That was a crazy day." Chase fidgeted against the tree. Even the comfort of Applejack's soft fur against him couldn't stave away the chill running down his spine. "Me and Skye got our cutie marks at the same time actually. Guess that's another reason why we feel like brothers."

"I wouldn’t mind hearin’ that story!" Applejack nibbled on a cookie and followed Chase's gaze up to the sky. "I mean, if ya wanna tell me. Don't mean to be nosey."

"Nah, you're fine! After everything you shared with me the least I can do is tell you about myself.”

“Alright, let’s hear it!”

Chase nodded slowly, processing the memories rushing to the front of his brain. "We were just colts, but we managed to carve out our own slice of life together. Skye dreamed of being a weather pony and I... well, I didn't know what to do with myself. When I was foal, I worked by scaring off the foxes and other troublemaking critters on the surrounding farmlands. Eventually I inherited the farm and Skye started hanging around more often." He snickered. "Cloudsdale never assigned a weather pony to our small village, so he was constantly messing with the weather to get my crops to grow. Two misfits teaming up to survive. It sounded good on paper, but I was miserable."

"Life on the farm can be a little restrictin’ at times…"

"Not only that, but I didn't like planting, watering, and harvesting all the time! Deep down I knew I hated it, but what other choice did I have? We needed to survive, and earth ponies were born to farm. So, I stuck with it and just grew unhappier every day."

It was unusual for Chase to remain somber for so long. Applejack was starting to worry about her troubled associate.

"Then one day a storm hit our town. A big one." Chase tucked his body deeper under the blanket. "It was awful, Applejack. I've never seen rain fall so hard. It felt like I was being stabbed by needles all over my body. And the wind... it peeled roofs off like they weren't even attached! Just debris and chaos everywhere." He swallowed and felt a glob of saliva forcibly push down his throat. "That was one of the first times I wanted a mother's chest to cry into."

Applejack placed a hoof on his leg. The past couldn't be changed, but she knew how rough it was to face the world alone. "Ya don't need to say anything else, sugarcube.”

"I survived, didn't I?" A familiar coltish grin spilled over his muzzle once more. "But at the time, Skye wasn't even sure where I was. Ponies could barely stay on the ground! I wasn't expecting him to look for me. It was every stallion for himself!"

"Were ya down hidin' in a basement or somethin'?"

"Basement? That would have been a much better idea. My dumb flank was outside!"

"In the storm?!"

"Eh... I had to keep an eye on some new friends of mine." Chase scratched the back of his mane. "I stumbled on a group of hungry foxes closing in on my chicken coop the one night. I couldn't just turn 'em away, so I threw a little shack together and told them to stick around until they were well enough to go out on their own. Poor guys were barely skin and bones!"

"And Reynard was one of ‘em..." Applejack's head nodded as the story came together.

“Sure was!” Chase proclaimed. “He was actually the worst looking of the bunch. I thought for sure the roof of that shack was going to be torn off at any minute. I figured I could probably survive getting banged up a bit by a stray plank, but those guys would’ve been furry pancakes.” Chase’s forelegs burst out from underneath the blanket. “I had to act fast! I grabbed a rope from their storage box and tied it around the main support of the roof. If that thing was coming off it would have to take me with it!” He gritted his teeth and continued. “Good thing I did too ‘cuz a few seconds later the roof came loose! I was straining every muscle in my body to keep that rope in my mouth. The wind howled so loud that I was afraid my eardrums were gonna burst!” Chase lowered his forelegs and sighed. “Then outta nowhere, the wind started to die down, and the rain turned to a drizzle before vanishing completely. I slumped over and felt a tingling on my flank. I figured it was just a pulled muscle, but it turned out that risking my life to save Reynard and his friends earned me my cutie mark.” He chuckled and smacked a hoof against his butt.

“Now that’s how ya earn a cutie mark.” Applejack passed the thermos back to Chase.

"Thanks!" He took a sip and wiped the chocolate from his muzzle. "But as exciting as all that was, I would have gladly accepted a cutie mark from picking carrots with my mom or something. I guess that's why I like being around here so much. It's really neat to feel like part of a... family." Another gulp of chocolate splashed down his throat. "Whew, still hot!"

"You're s'posed to sip it; not chug it! This ain't a cider race!" Applejack swiped the bag of cookies and happily indulged her sweet tooth again. "You really like this old place that much?"

“If I didn’t, I would have run to Canterlot as soon as it opened. I still have some loose ends to tie up here though.”

Applejack felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter more. It was bittersweet hearing Chase proclaim his love for the orchard only to leave soon. “Hate to say it, but I’m jealous of ya.”

“Jealous? Of me?” Chase blinked.

“Earth ponies generally stick to one area. Ya start a farm, ya keep it goin’, and then ya pass it down to your kin. Not you though. Ya earned a cutie mark without farmin’, ya set off on a journey to find your pal, and I just… I just envy that. It’s so hard for me to get away sometimes. Some days I wish I was a pegasus and could just fly wherever like Dash.”

Chase placed a hoof upon Applejack’s. “Don’t be jealous. You have roots here as strong as this tree behind us. I left New Jockey to find Role Play because even though it’s my home it doesn’t feel like a home without the ponies I care about.” He gently patted her hoof. “I’d sleep on a bale of hay every night if it meant I got to stay here with you.”

A blush spread over Applejack’s face. “Shucks, I-I dunno what to say to all that!”

Chase laughed and removed his hoof from hers. “I always thought I hated life on a farm. I guess what I hated was having to take care of it all by myself. It's amazing to watch your friends and family come together to help out. You're a lucky mare, Applejack. Don’t waste your time thinking I’m some romantic nomad. Deep down I’m still just a blank flank trying to find his way."

Applejack finished the hot chocolate and placed the empty thermos against a root bulging out of the ground. A pegaus of the Royal Guard flew overhead. Their heads both looked up in unison to find the source of flapping wings. “Guess that’s a good sign. The guards are patrollin’ the skies again.”

Still doesn’t get me off the hook with the bandits though… Ugh! I can’t stand this! I want to stay here! I want to stay with Applejack! I… Chase felt a single tear slide from his eye. He knew that he needed to confront the bandits in the forest. Even with the Royal Guard mobilized again, a single pegasus wouldn’t do much against a horde of bandits knocking down somepony’s front door! I have to tell her! I need to tell Applejack everything! She’s in danger!

“Applejack.”

She turned and stared at him. “What is it?” Her voice was as soft as the cookie held in her hooves.

The fragrance of the orchard, the lovely mare sharing a night with him, and the feelings threatening to spill out; it was too overwhelming for Chase to put into words. He was tongue tied.

“You alright? I’ve never seen this face of yours before.” Applejack leaned closer.

Her eyes quickly grew twice their normal size.

Chase pressed his muzzle against hers and pinned his ears back. Surprisingly, Applejack didn't push him away. After the initial shock, she closed her eyes and wrapped her forelegs around his shoulders.

It was easier this way. There weren’t enough words in the Canterlot Library to flesh out the emotions welling up in Chase’s heart. He could have said that he loved her a million times, but it meant nothing without finally doing something about it. Her embrace softened the turmoil surrounding his life until eventually the only thing on his mind was the end of this apple-flavored kiss.

The two pulled away slowly, each looking at one another in disbelief.

"Chase..." Applejack blinked.

"I'm sorry! I just had to! I can’t stop thinking about you, and Skye went on this rant about how I shouldn't hold back until it's too late, and you're just so warm and cuddly-"

"Whoa, easy fella! Slow down!" Applejack leaned back against the tree and tipped her hat forward. "Ya don't need to apologize, hun."

Chase slumped down further into the blanket. "Your brother would kill me if he knew what I just did.”

"Sugarcube, I've been waitin' to see how long it would take for ya to stop starin' at me and finally do somethin' about it!" Applejack slapped his knee and laughed at the blushing stallion.

"Ha. Ha. It's not as easy as you think to kiss a rough and tumble mare like yourself!"

"I'm only teasin' ya!" Applejack smiled. "I truly am glad ya followed me out here tonight."

"Why's that?" Chase felt the weight of her head fall onto his shoulder once again. The silky strands of her mane tickled his nostrils.

"'Cuz now I have one more memory to cherish under this tree.” Applejack’s heavy eyelids finally got the best of her. She felt her muscles growing limp.

Chase drifted back to the familiar grip of exhaustion only to be awoken by Applejack’s voice.

“And next time ya kiss me, make sure ya wipe all the crumbs off your lips!”

/) To be Continued (\