9 Hours Before "Angel Kisses"
Young Applejack looked out her bedroom window at the land below. The wide open fields that provided so much room to run around in... the plants that thrived, the animals that grazed. All she could really see of anything, however, was the silhouettes- the sun had not yet risen, but she was awake.
The warm August air came blowing in gently through her open window, as if helping her to wake up. But she didn't need help- the excitement that was cooped up inside her was about to be released, and that caused even more hype.
A knock was heard on her bedroom door. Young Applejack quickly jumped back in bed and pulled the covers up to her nose. Closing her eyes, she heard another knock. Thump, thump thump. Before the little filly could move, the door squeaked open. Slow hooves were heard, getting closer to Applejack.
"Good mornin' there, sugarcube!" It was an older mare's voice.
Applejack pretended to yawn, and sat up in bed. "Mornin'."
"Ya' sleep tight last night? Eh see ya' left yer window open all night." The older pony went to close the window that Applejack had previously opened this morning.
"Oh, uh... yeah, I did." The sheepish looking filly replied.
"Well, you'd better git down there in the kitchen fer breakfast- today's yer first day of school, and I don't want ya' to be tardy!" The older mare smiled, heading towards the hallway.
"I will, Granny!" Applejack replied. As soon as the older mare was gone, she jumped out of bed as fast as she had gotten in it only minutes ago, and fixed the sheets. Afterwards she combed her mane and tail and put in her red hair ties. Then, she ran down the stairs and took her normal seat at the dinner table.
"I see you're up and runnin' quicker than ya' usually are, ya' lil' whippersnapper! How's pancakes fer breakfast?" Applejack's granny asked.
"I'd love some! Can I do the syrup this time?" Young Applejack rocked back and forth in her seat, anxious.
"You are a big girl, now ain't ya'? Come on over here." The older mare chuckled.
Applejack didn't hesitate in obeying. She hopped out of her seat and flew across the room to her granny. She watched with curiosity as the elderly mare poured in the batter and soon flipped it, revealing just how fluffy and golden it was compared to the light yellow liquid it was only minutes ago. After a few more flips, she scooted it onto a plate, buttered it, and then hoofed over the syrup.
"Now, do it jest like I showed yer'- nice an' easy, there." Her granny directed her.
Applejack focused, not letting anything distract her. She poured the light brown substance over the warm pancakes. As it landed on top of the yellow butter she watched as it drizzled down the sides and ran across the rest of the pancake. Lifting the bottle up, she had finished putting syrup on her pancake. "I... I did it, all on my own! By golly, I did it! Granny, did you see that?!" The young earth pony exclaimed.
"Yes, yes ya' did- now, Applejack, shush! You're gonna-" before the older mare could finish, a sound came from upstairs.
A high-pitched whine pierced through the building as the crying sound became louder and louder. Applejack's granny looked down at down with an angered face. The young filly cowered in her seat, smiling sheepishly.
"Like I was 'bout to tell ya'. You woke up your little sister now, see? Poor thang's probably as hungry as you, anyways. I'd better go git her." The elderly pony trudged up the stairs as guilty Applejack quietly sat in the kitchen, eating her pancake slowly. Her little sister had been born about a month ago, and ever since then, Applejack and her family had even more responsibility. Her older brother, Big Macintosh, Big Mac for short, had become like a father to the new member of the family. Applejack had also become a big sister. And their granny was more active than ever now with three growing grandchildren.
Applejack could never forget the day her parents left them behind. The pain, the horror- the guilt. She had never told them goodbye. She had never seen them move on, into their new lives. Her heart ached of the torture she had been put through when they left her... her brother, her new sister, and her granny- to survive, on their own. To run the farm. To be alone, from a mother's kiss or a father's hug. To be alone.
The young filly is torn away from her thought as her older brother enters the room.
"Mornin'." He says, not bothering to even stop walking.
"Mornin'. Are you goin' outside to work?"
"Eeyup."
"Well, I'd help ya', but today I'm going ta' school!" Applejack slides out of her seat and grabbing her plate, she carefully walks over and sits it in the sink. Before she can say another word to Big Mac, he is outside, staring his chores for today.
If only ma and pa hadn't ever left, we wouldn't be so overloaded with chores... Applejack thought. The older mare came down the stairs. Applejack had suddenly noticed that the crying had stopped.
"All she wanted was that darn binky... better than a diaper change, I suppose." The older mare chuckled to herself. "I've gotta make a pie fer ya' later to celebrate yer first day of school! But, I can't do that unless we git ya' to school, now, can I?"
Applejack sat in her desk nervously. School was almost over, and then a special thing the teacher called "recess" was about to happen. It was a sort of free time, play time- relaxation, even. The second hand on the clock above seemed to go as slow as it could possibly go, as if wanting to torture her- as if her parents leaving her behind wasn't enough in her life.
But then, it came. Little fillies and colts of all shapes and sizes ran outside- they invaded the swings, climbed up the slide, and just ran around, chasing each other. Some talked, some laughed- it seemed perfect, like Heaven- in a young child's mind.
The backstabbing hurts the most. Because that day- the day she finally felt free from her troubles about her parents, about everything that happened- ponies have to make it worse for her.
"You have a dirty, messed-up face!" A light-yellow earth pony with red hair teased.
"It must be a disease!" An orange pony with curly hair added.
"You're such a blank-flank! You're cursed face has more of a chance of being noticed than your cutiemark does!"
Ponies teased her- everything about her. Her parents going away, her freckle-covered face, her blank flank, her farm... her life. Everything.
"My little ponies! School's out!" The schoolteacher sung, smiling.
Applejack, with tears in her eyes, ran.
Author's Note
Want to find out what happens next? Check out the original story, Angel Kisses, as mentioned in the long description!
