Chapter 1 (Changed up a bit)
Once there was a girl named Applejack, she had one of the most wonderful families ever. She had a mother, a father a brother and a sister. One day they were playing out in the orchards, everything was going fine, they were playing a game of catch. The ball flew past Applejack who reassured her family that she would go get it. After about 3 minutes Of endless looking, she came across the everfree forest.
She ventured a little further until she found the ball in a thorny bush. She could hear her father calling her from a distance, she called back about finding the ball and being there soon. Sadly her call didn't only bring the attention of her father but a bunch of timber wolves. Applejack had her hand half way in the bush and was about to touch the ball when a growl erupted.
She called out in alarm when a timber wolf tried to tackle her to the ground before she moved, moving so quickly and thoughtlessly caused her to scrape her arm on the many thorns in the bush. Luckily her father was still close enough to hear the distressed call. He managed to tackle the timber wolf mid-air before it could land on his daughter who was laying on her back, crying, clutching her arm in pain.
She watched in horror while calling for her mom until her voice was scratchy and hardly hearable, by the time she gave up calling, the timber wolf had her father pinned. She didn't want to leave him, she couldn't do anything to help and calling for help did nothing. She watched as the timber wolf leaned in for the kill, but before he could, Applejack's father found the timber wolf was unaware of the possibility he had set to kill him. Applejack's Father knew he would not survive this, for he had lost too much blood.
Using his only chance left to protect the rest of his family, he rocketed his left hand out from under the beast’s claw and before the timber wolf could even think of what was happening he felt a pain like nothing else as his green life source was ripped out from behind his wooden chest. The green glow faded from the eyes as the beast falls dead, as he hits the ground sticks and twigs scatter all around.
Applejack, finding the coast now safe, ran up to her father. Seeing him in such a state brought new fresh tears to her emerald eyes. He looked at her with his own emerald eyes before speaking his death wish.
"Applejack." He spoke in a whisper. "This barn, it's been ‘ere fer as long as th’ family ‘as lived. Yer sister ‘s way too young t’ even comprehend what ‘s goin’ on an’ what she will need t’ do. Yer brother, though he ‘s older than ya, Ah've never seen more bravery an’ leadership an’ responsibility in ya, than even ‘im." He took a slow shuddering breath causing Applejack to start sobbing again. "Ah've always dreamed o’ this moment, though Ah wasn' this young." He chuckled lightly cause his daughter to give a weak smile and do the same. "Ah'm handin’ over farm responsibilities to you. When yer mother can not tend to ya any-" He was interrupted by a terrible coughing fit causing Applejack to clutch him tighter. "Any more, Ah want ya t’ take over. Keep th’ farm alive an’ keep yer siblings safe, promise me that- just that’s all Ah'm askin’."
Applejack didn't even hesitate when agreeing as she held her dad tighter and sobbed into his chest. He gently stroked her silky blonde hair as she did. "I love you." She sobbed over and over again until he replied as his last words.
"Ah love ya too my dear Jackie, and same goes with your mother and siblings." The last letter of the word 'siblings' was extended as he closed his eyes and his last breath left him. Applejack stayed there and cried until she was found by her mother who went searching after noticing that her husband and daughter still had not returned. She gasped at the sight before grieving with Applejack a bit and taking her home, her father's body in tow so they could give him a proper burial. The only thing that was missing from the body was his signature hat that now adorned the small girls head as she wore it lovingly.
Three years had passed since the funeral. Applejack had taken her role her father had given her as the most important thing in life. Whenever her siblings needed her, she was on it before they could even call. Applebloom was three and was already talking and walking. Granny Smith was getting old but still had enough kick to take care of the youngest. Big Mac was fifteen and was doing more chores outside than inside while Applejack was twelve and was trying to take care of her mother while helping her big brother with inside chores. The reason for her mother not being able to do her regular everyday things was because she wasn't doing well herself.
Ever since her husband died, Applejack's mother was finding it harder to live each day. She had stopped eating for a couple of weeks until Applejack convinced her to start back up. She has also spent a lot of time in bed yet not being able to sleep. She lasted about two more years, with the help of Applejack until her body finally gave to the lack of energy, sleep, and food. Her funeral brought as much grief as the last one did, Applebloom, Big Mac, and Applejack was allowed the week off from school so they could grieve in peace.
It took a full two and a half years for everybody to get settled in. Big Mac shared outside chores with Applejack while Granny Smith and Applebloom worked the inside chores, now that Applebloom was eight and old enough to know how things went. It wasn't long before Granny Smith too gave out, though to old age.
The grief was even more horrendous than before. This time, things did not settle very well at all. Everybody has a breaking point, for a normal person, losing both parents would normally be that point but the Apples were stronger.
Sadly, not strong enough though.
"Ah can' do it no more Applejack." Mac sighed, he sat at the dinner table, thumbs moving every which way to keep him distracted.
"Can' do what?" The girl called back over the roaring waters of the kitchen sink, her eyes narrowed as she put extra muscle into working out an extra hard stain in the metal pot.
"Can' live 'ere no more."
The next few seconds was silence besides the running of water and endless scrubbing before it all stopped. There was a clang of a pot being set on the stove before Jacqueline's voice spoke back up. "Big bro, get yer rump in here."
Big Mac got up from the table and walked through the open door, into the kitchen, where his little sister was pouring noodles into the steaming water filled pot. He leaned back on the yellow colored counter and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting patiently until his sister was done. After turning on the stove to medium, the blonde turned to her brother.
"Sorry big bro, Ah think Ah misheard ya'. Ya'll wanted t' leave?" She asked, hoping she really did misshear his statement. Sadly, she didn't and she could immediately tell by the guilt on his face.
"Ya didn' misshear." He confirmed. "We're not stayin' here."
Applejack did a scan of his face, trying to detect any kind of clue to indicate that this was a joke. She found none. "Now hold up." Her voice suddenly very stern. "What do ya'll mean by 'we'?"
Mac grunted. "Me, ya, an' Applebloom 'er leavin' fer Manhattan tomorrow mornin'." He stated matter of factly but Applejack wasn't going to have it.
"Ah'm not leavin', correction, we're not leavin'." Proving her point by stomping a foot. Her eyes widened as she jerked herself back over to the stove, she made sure the noodles didn't get too gooey before adding flavoring. "This is mah home, Mac. Our home, 'er ya'll gonna leave it jus' like that?" She asked as she stirred in the mix.
Mac shook his head. "It's gonna be hard leavin' it, but it'll be harder t' stay."
Applejack felt her heart pound at that. Her brother was wanting to leave it all behind and try to start new. That's what she had tried to do, when the farm life became to hard, she left for Manhattan, though she ended up coming back. "Ah ain't leavin'" Applejack turned off the stove with a flick of her wrist. She turned to the side and opened the wooden cabinets to fish out three wooden bowls. Big Mac watched as she poured soup into each bowl before putting them on the table, the table that used to fit a family of six. "Soups on!" She called.
They both quietly sat in their seats and waited for their sister. Said sister came walking down the stairs, her head low, her tear stained cheeks were visible even in the shadows, same could be said with her bloodshot eyes. She sat down, her usually bow missing from her head.
"A-alright." Applejack spoke, her voice shaky. It hurt to see her sister like this, her face once filled with joy until she realized what had happened to this family. "Let's eat!" Once she touched her fork the small form in front of her stood up. "Applebloom?" The girl didn't say anything, her only answer was to take her bowl upstairs. "Ya'll better come down 'ere an' eat with yer kin!" Her only reply was the sound of a door slamming shut.
Applejack sighed.
"Ah already bought our apartment." Mac continued as Applejack groaned in frustration. "It has two rooms, ya an' Applebloom will share."
The blonde had her head in her hands as she growled into her palms. "Ah. Ain't. Leavin'."
"An' why the hay not?!" The boy growled back.
"Cuz' Ah made a promise!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, her blood was boiling.
"T' who?!" Mac shouted back, anger flaring as well.
"Pa!"
The two went still. Nothing moved. Mac glared angrily at his sister while she glared at the table. She took a shaky breath before continuing. "Ah promised pa Ah would take care of th' house an' family. It seems ya'll will only let me keep one."
A tear escaped her eye as she closed them. "Yer old enough t' care fer Applebloom yerself." That was the last thing she said before storming up the stairs. She was no longer hungry and didn't even give a second thought to the untouched food that she left in her wake. The only sound was the shutting of a door and the small click of the lock.
The next morning Jacqueline woke up late. She would have cared but now, nothing really mattered. The house was completely quiet. She slowly unlocked and opened her door but before she took a step out, she looked down and picked up a piece of paper at her door.
Dear Applejack,
Our apartment name is: Inspace. Apartment number is: second floor #26. I left enough money for you to get a train ticket. Find us when the clouds clear out of that thick skull of yours.
Mac and Bloom.
Applejack glanced down at her feet to see twenty dollars. She folded the paper and put the money in it and threw it onto the dresser. She opened her window, something she always did to get her fresh start. She gently pushed up the window and the fresh air hit her like warm water to the face. She breathed in deeply through her nose, taking in the sweet smell she grew to love. They'll come back. She did, they will too. They just need a bit of time away before they realize it, she had her time to experience, now it was their turn. All she had to do was keep the farm going until they did and they would work together to get through these troubling times.
She slowly opened her eyes- and wish she hadn't. Applejack gasped, the anger immediately went to boiling point at the ‘for sale’ sign on the front lawn. She had to take immediate action.
Quickly shutting the window and closing the blinds, Applejack tossed clothes everywhere trying to find some jeans and shirts that didn’t have any holes in them. Once her tasked was accomplished, she ran outside and pulled the for sale sign out of the ground, gently laying it on its back. Quickly, she tied her hair in a loose ponytail before running down the road and into town.
~♥~
Applejack sat down and took a cool down from her long run. Making sure her breathing was slowed, she walked up the steps to town hall. She opened the door to meet the Mayor at her usual spot at her desk. She smiled gently as the girl walked in.
“Oh, Applejack! So good to see you!” The mayor beamed before a confused look crossed her face. “I thought you and your siblings were leaving, the train left an hour ago.” She shuffled through the some papers before fully turning around to face the younger girl.
“Ah ain’t leavin’” She said simply. “Ah came here t’ see if Ah could buy mah farm back.” The mayor shook her head sadly. “A-Ah’m seventeen an’ a half! I’m close enough t’ be able to keep a home right?!”
“I’m sorry Applejack but, you’re still under age.”
“Please.” She begged. “Ah promise Ah can keep up th’ taxes up. Jus’ let me keep th’ farm, mah family has been livin’ in fer generations.” She pleaded, hands folded tightly as she awaited her answer.
The mayor sighed, she adjusted her glasses before looking through some drawers. She shuffled through the papers and took out a few. Looking through them for a while before nodding in conformation. She put the old papers back in their spot before pulling out another paper, a newer one. “Your family helped found this place and used to be well modeled citizens. I know you are one of the most responsible people who live here. As long as you can keep up, I can see if I can pull a few strings here and there.” She gestured to the chair in front of her and Applejack took a seat, the mayor then gently pushed a paper over to her and handed her a pen. “If you can follow the rules of owning a house, you can keep it. But the catch is, if anybody comes and offers to pay more for the house, we will have to give it to them.”
Applejack didn’t hesitate to sign the paper, sure she should have looked through the fine print first but when it comes to her home, she would do anything. She ended her signature by doting her ‘j’. The mayor continued to stamp the paper before putting it back into her drawer. “Thank you Applejack. I wish you good luck, and bid you good day.”
“Thank ya so much, Mrs. Mayor.” She thanked. “Ya’ll jus’ made mah day.” With that, she ran out of the building and back to the farm. She worked harder than ever and everything was going fine. She worked all day either in the fields, or in town selling. She would hardly go inside, when she did it was for sleep and eating or just a short break. Every morning she would wash clothes from the previous day and at night she would throw it in the dryer.
This was her daily routine, she would sometimes mix it up by buying stuff at the market place from time to time. She had sent a letter to her sibling telling them what was going. She received their letter three days after she sent hers. They had wished her good luck and said that everything was going fine for them. It was a relief to hear that. Things went fine for the most of her summer. That was before she got a call from town hall.
*Ring*
*Ring*
*Ring*
*Ring-
“Hello?” Applejack spoke through heavy breaths. She had just ran in from the porch after just barely hearing the phone.
“Hello, Applejack. It’s the mayor. I fear I bring troubling news in this call.”
The girl frowned. “Well, hit me.”
“I’m afraid somebody has offered more money for the house than you pay in taxes.” Jacqueline frowned harder and her eyebrows furrowed. ‘Who would want her far-’ “They are on their way, I just sent them. They are coming to take a look and determine if they are sure they want it. I truly am sorry.”
Applejack sniffed, holding back tears. This wasn’t the end of it yet, they still needed to look. “A-alright, thanks fer the heads up…” She croaked before hanging the phone back on the wall. She spent the last five minutes putting on clothes that were not covered in dirt. She also did a quick over with her hair so it looked at least presentable before putting it back up in her loose ponytail. Not a minute after the doorbell rang throughout the mostly empty house. “Comin’” She shouted.
Walking through the living room, she stopped at the door and took a deep breath before answering. “Howdy, wel-”
“Yes, yes, yes, hello, let’s skip the greeting shall we? I want to get a sneak peek at our new home.” She said as she pushed her way past the teen and into the large house.
“Our?” The blonde repeated in confusion. Before hearing other voices outside.
“Move out of the way Slam!” Shouted a cranky and rough but feminine voice.
“Hey! Off my foot!” Came a more collected man’s voice.
“Will you guys stop fighting?!” Came a more normal voice, another man’s voice.
“It’s not like you don’t!” Shouted the snootiest voice Applejack had ever heard, and she lived in Manhattan for a whole month.
Applejack turned around to see four other teens, they all looked her age, though slightly older. They all stopped their bickering when they caught sight of her. “...Who's that?" The girl with the red hair whispered to the girl with short blue hair.
"I think she is the previous owner." The girl whispered back, they seemed to be completely oblivious that she was right there, looking at them, and that they were hardly whispering.
"She looks so... Plain." The boy with the solid brown hair whispered to the blue and white haired boy.
The blue haired boy nudged him before chucking. "Like you?"
"HEY!"
"Will you two just-"
"STOP!"
Applejack rolled her eyes and made a nasty face. So far, she was not enjoying their visit. She turned around and was about to assist the lady inside until she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. "So you work on this farm?" The brown haired boy asked.
"Uhm... Yeah? Why?"
The girl with the blue and green hair looked around in disgust before setting her eyes on the blonde. "Well no wonder you look the way you do! Your skin and hair are covered in dirt! Who did your last haircut and who made that hair style a thing?! I will sue them!"
Just listening to them made her not like them more and more but she wasn't like them. She was kind, she was brave, and she was going to get through this.
"Yes! Yes! It's wonderful!" A loud voice came from within the house, startling Applejack. All this craziness outside made her almost forget about the person still inside. "We'll take it!" She said in a sing song voice as she posed in the doorway, after that statement little cheers went all around.
Applejack felt her eyes starting to sting as they started to walk back into town. Applejack followed.
"Why do ya'll want this house s' badly?" She asked the lady as the other bickered behind them.
The lady merely glanced at her before answering. "Because, dear. This is the biggest house that has enough rooms to house my children." That was the worst excused Applejack had ever heard considering the housing in Ponyville.
"But there 'er plenty o' houses that would be enough fer you an' yer kin!" She protested, earning an eye roll and an irritated huff from the lady.
"What? Do I not want extra rooms? Besides, you look a bit young to own a house and do all that work yourself, don't you think?"
Now Applejack was getting mad. "Ah may be a bit underage but Ah can assure ya'll that Ah've been doin' exactly what ya'll jus' said fer the past summer!" Applejack didn't notice the mischievous glint in the women's eye. "Ah have worked too hard t' let mah family’s farm jus' get bought out o' th' blue like that!"
The women smirked. "Oh really? You seem to care a lot about that farm of yours. Why's that?"
"Cuz Ah made a promise t' mah pa, and Ah plan on keepin' it! So please, let me keep th' farm, Ah'll do anythin'!"
"How about we make a little deal, hmm?" Every part of Applejack screamed at her that this was a bad idea.
"What do ya'll have in mind?" But she couldn't bring herself to break her promise.
"We buy the farm." The girl frowned. "And as long as you... help us out around the house, you can stay here and keep an eye on your little farm. We get what we came for, and you keep your promise to your 'pa'."
'No way, what if Big Mac and Applebloom come back? They'll think I sold it! But if I don't agree, they'll kick me out and that'll be even worse!' She thought. 'But if the family is keeping the farm taxes up, I can save the money I get when selling apples, and when Mac and Bloom get back, we can try to buy it back! "Alright." She sighed.
"Excellent!" The woman clapped her hands together in joy. "Then we'll just settle this with the mayor of this fine little town and be on our way!"
Applejack nervously laughed. "Yeah, alright."
Soon the papers were done and the family, plus the farm girl, we're back on the newly owned property. That's when Applejack started to realize what she really had agreed to.
"Applejack dear!" The snooty voice called. "Where do you think your going?" Applejack was walking back into the orchard when that voice had interrupted her.
"Uhm, Ah'm gettin' back to work... Uh... What do Ah call ya?" She realized she really hadn't caught the woman's name and if she were to be living with her, it would be essential.
The lady chuckled and held out a hand as if to shake but when Applejack reached out to return it, the lady pulled it back before she could. "Bleak Heart is the name!"
"Uh... Alrighty then!" She then turned to walk off...
"Ahem."
...And then turned back to see what else was wrong. "What?"
"Do you mind helping us with our things?" Bleak heart asked, clapping and hands, trying to look hopeful.
Applejack really just wanted to get back to working in the orchards. The earlier she started the more work she got done. She took small glanced between the lady and the orchards, well Bleak Heart did let her stay to work on the farm, it's the least she could do. Then she thought back to the deal. "Alright fine." It wouldn't take very long to get the remaining stuff from Applebloom's and Big Mac's room into the attic.
"Wonderful!" The woman clapped her hands together in pleasure before turning around to her kids who were tossing around a football except for the girl with blue and green hair who looked to be playing on her phone. "Kids! In a few more minutes we're going to start packing!"
Taking this as her queue, Applejack rushed inside to start moving stuff. She first started in Applebloom's room, moving the bed and the dresser. She cleaned up all the toys on the floor and gently put them into the toy chest before taking that upstairs and into the attic. Once the room was done, she moved onto Mac's. He had less stuff in his room, she never really knew why but he was a simple man. All he really had was a bed, dresser, and other little essentials like that. It didn't take much time to clear it out. Applejack didn't even bother with Granny's and her Parent's room, they had been cleaned out after they had... passed.
Walking out, she called to Bleak Heart who called her children to start packing in. The rest of the day was most uneventful. While the others were getting settled in, Applejack worked in her orchards, picking apples and tending to the crops and animals. It was quite a surprise to her to see how a family could fight so much! Even from deep within the orchards she could hear them yelling, though it sounded like whispering she was so far she knew they could only be shouting.
Applejack really wanted to spend as less time with the family as possible. Who in their right mind wanted to be there anyway? She worked until the sun had started to set, when the sun started to set, she closed everything up to get ready for the night. Sometimes she would take a walk though the orchards or a stroll in town at night, just to kind of get away from the stress. Taking such responsibilities at such a young age really took it's toll on her, but she was an Apple and Apples don't break easily. Tonight though, she walked through the cold night in town.
What she liked most about this place was how small it was. As Applejack walked through the streets, she looked at the little houses. This was a kind of place where everybody knew everybody making it easy for people to notice when somebody new was in town or when somebody leaves. You also don't have to worry about a goon coming after you at night, you still have to be caution when walking along like this in the middle of the night but it's most likely not to happen. One of the down sides to being in such a small town is that gossip gets around quickly and so does news, not that all of that is bad. Right now, the talk of the town was that a local party friend had left.
A new family had also moved into town, a rich family of a wife, husband, a son, and a daughter. Pinkie Pie was able to say 'Hi' before she had left. Applejack was really going to miss her, she would always throw a party and try to make her feel better when something bad happened. Applejack had been walking for a while now and the houses were starting to drop away as more trees began to come into view but they weren't apple trees. The last time Applejack had come here, she had forgotten her guitar and now she was kind of glad she did. White Tail woods was always a nice place for when you wanted to relax and be by yourself, hardly anybody went there except for when they are getting ready for the running of the leaves. Sometimes she would run into a few other kids racing or adults having a picnic but other than that, it was mostly vacant.
The blonde approached a large tree, large enough for two people to hug it on either side and only be able to touch each others finger tips. She had found this spot a long time ago, when she was little. This big tree used to previously house many different animals so there was a large hole in the tree. Applejack had taken some bark off of another tree and used it to cover up the hole. Usually she would come here and play guitar to calm herself when she got mad or sad, if she felt like it, she would put her guitar in the tree and take a small run through the woods. Applejack kneeled down and took off the piece of trunk off the tree, revealing a wooden guitar. The strings were sturdy and the carving was nice, though it looked like it had been repaired more than a few times. Even in that condition, it was one of the most beautiful things to Applejack.
Taking the guitar from out of the tree, she brushed it off and made a quick check for any chips or injuries before getting in position and played.
Author's Note
Alright, when I read stories, I see some people make indents when they make a new paragraph, even when the character is talking, should I try to start doing that? You people won't tell me what you don't like about my story except for detail, I'm trying with that, that's a flaw I'm working on to fix... But, I may have to ask you guys... so.......... .-.
TELL MEH SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER MY QUESTIONS! 
Edit: Changed the names. The next chapter will have more details.
also because I don't know what to ask... 
Edit: Here is the four siblings, I didn't draw Tiana though:
First: Starla. Second: Agatha. Third: Nick. Fourth: Nathan.
