Requiem
A gentle wind danced between the apple trees, all spaced perfectly like rows of soldiers. Their branches hung low with the ripe fruit of a young mare and her family's efforts. The breeze swayed these beautiful red orbs as it danced hand in hand with the cool night’s chill. The mare who tended the orchard pulled of her trademark stetson and closed her eyes. The playful breeze took the chance to switch it’s partner and take her hair in a short dance before whisking away the sweat of the morning work. The mare smiled and smelled the cool morning air before glancing around for the helper that had promised to arrive soon.
The stout earth pony mare placed her hat back on her head and turned towards the entrance of her farm. “Where is he now? He should be here by now.” A small bit of movement caught her eye and she moved her head to get a better look. The one who had given his word to help had moved past her farm and was making his way towards the Everfree Forest at the border of the town. “Well that’s a mite odd.” Applejack rose to her hooves and trotted off in the direction she had seen him go. In moments she saw him again, turning away from the Everfree and off towards the Whitetail Woods, a much quieter and safer place.
The object of the Applejack’s fascination approached a hill and paused, his head tilted back as he looked up at the top of the hill where a large oak tree sat. The gentle breeze from earlier blew by and Applejack grabbed her hat before the wind took it and watched the guy she had followed ascend the hill. He took a seat at the base of the tree and pulled to glasses from his pack. Gently they were placed on the ground in front of him and filled with a drink he had pulled from his bag with them.
Confusion pulled at Applejack’s brow as she turned away from the curious spectacle and began to walk back towards Ponyville proper. She began compiling a mental list of ponies who might be able to tell her more about what he was doing up there and why he would skip out on helping her. Her first thought was Berry Punch, she had seen him hanging around her yesterday and few times in the past but she wasn’t sure how close they were since it was only the market that she saw them talk. She scratched her head and shook it, that was no good. Who else might know, someone she could be more sure of their relationship.
Applejack stopped walking and pulled herself from her thoughts long enough to catch her bearings and instead found herself looking at a large crystal door. She smirked, of course Twilight would know, she was the first one to have met the man. She had been away on business in Canterlot and returned with him.
Applejack lifted her hoof to knock and was startled as a voice sounded out beside her instead of from the other side of the door. “Morning Applejack.” Twilight smiled warmly at Applejack as she turned to look.
“Howdy Twi.” Applejack tilted her hat. “Twi, can I ask you something about Tom?” Twilight nodded. “Today he was supposed to help me out on the farm but I saw him pass me by. I followed to talk to him but he went up on this hill out by the Whitetail Woods, it felt kinda personal so I left him be. Know anything about that?”
Twilight fidgeted for a moment. “Umm, yea I know about it. I didn’t realize it was today though. I didn’t even think about it, sorry. I can help in his place if you want.”
Applejack shook her head. “It’s okay but what’s he doing up on that hill?”
Twilight sighed and skirted the question as best she could. “It’s really personal, you should just ask him about it.”
“You sure he won’t mind?” Twilight nodded. “Well, I guess I’ll head back then.” Applejack turned away. She paused for a moment and turned to ask Twilight another question but the mare had already entered her home and closed the door. With a slight shrug she turned back and began her way back to the place she had left Tom. Her walk brought her near the Carousel Boutique just as it’s owner was leaving. The orange mare picked up her pace, catching up to the white mare with ease. “Hey Rarity, where you heading?”
Rarity paused to point towards Whitetail Woods. “To visit a friend, give him my condolences.”
Applejack’s steps lined up with Rarity’s and there hoof beats created a duet as they walked side by side towards Whitetail Woods. “That friend wouldn’t be Tom would it?” Rarity stumbled a little, the duet broken and lost forever. Rarity nodded slightly, a look of discomfort creasing her features. “What’s he doing up there?”
Rarity slowed a little and sighed. “It’s not my place to tell.” She picked up the pace again, trotting past Applejack “I know you haven’t been around him much but if you just ask him I’m sure he wouldn’t mind telling you himself.”
Applejack watched Rarity trot past before resuming her walk at a sedate pace beside the fashionista. “I see, well mind if I walk with you then?” Rarity smiled and they walked together, a new duet forming in the sound of their hoof beats against the path. Neither said a word to the other, both lost in their own thoughts. Before long they neared the hill again and Applejack came to a slow halt at the base of the hill. At the top of the hill sat Tom and beside him was Princess Luna, both nursing a glass of whatever had been in the bottle Tom had opened earlier. The air was still and sadness rolled down from the pair atop the hill in little waves.
The sound of hoof beats snagged Applejack’s attention and she watched her fashion minded friend climb the hill and exchange greetings with the two at the top. No sound reached the bottom of the hill but watching the three at the top there were no smiles or cheery looks, instead they exchanged pleasantries with subdued smiles and curt nods. A third glass was pulled from the pack and Tom filled it then topped off the two other glasses. The three glasses lifted into the air and paused before touching one another and came back down to be emptied quickly. The glasses were refilled and the three sat together for a time.
Rarity wrapped a hoof over Tom’s shoulders and then turned away. Tom reached out and tapped her side causing her to turn back to him. He returned the hug and a sad but thankful smile was offered before Rarity came down the hill. She smiled at Applejack. “Don’t be afraid Applejack. He’s really quite nice.”
Applejack stared up at Tom and shook her head. “I think I’ll wait a little longer before I join him.”
“Suit yourself dear.” Rarity looked back up the hill. “He could use all the friends he can get today though.” With that said she trotted off towards her boutique again.
Applejack’s attention turned back to the hilltop and she saw Luna give Tom a quick nuzzle. He wrapped his arm over her withers and then Luna jumped into the sky and left with a powerful stroke of her wings. Tom’s hair flapped a little and he sat back down, refilling the glass Luna had left behind. A white speck appeared in the sky and moments later Celestia touched down gently by Tom’s side. The two glasses were offered to the sky again before they were downed quickly. Another set of drinks were taken from the container and the two sat in a comfortable silence as they sipped at their beverages. It wasn’t long before Applejack saw Celestia excuse herself and Tom gave her a half-hearted salute goodbye and once again he was left alone with his thoughts and audience at the bottom of the hill.
Applejack stared up at him, her mind a roiling sea of questions. What was he doing and who or what was he toasting? She had never seen him talk to royalty beyond Twilight before and now the two monarchs were joining him for a glass of something on top of a hill at the border of Ponyville. The two she had asked for information about it had been closed lipped and it left her with more questions. Part of her disliked him because when he did talk about things it often felt like he was lying and that irritated Applejack, not just as the element of honesty either. Applejack knew he didn’t mean anything by it and just preferred his privacy but it bothered her nonetheless.
Her thoughts were interrupted as a rainbow streak colored the sky overhead. Said streak arced towards the hilltop and turned blue before landing beside the tree and Tom. A glass was presented to Rainbow and the ritual of lifted glasses was repeated but instead of drinking them the two left the shelter of the tree together. They took a few steps from the tree base and approached something invisible to Applejack from her vantage point. Both glasses were overturned and the contents fell to the ground. The two returned to the tree and refilled their glasses and while Tom sipped his Rainbow downed it in a quick gulp. Tom reached out and patted Rainbow Dash on the back and the ghost of a smile danced across his face. Rainbow glanced around and dashed in to give him a quick hug with her wings. As quick as it had happened she had darted into the sky only to pause turn and wave then dart off again.
It wasn’t long before a bright light gathered on top of the hill and Twilight appeared. Tom appeared momentarily startled but quickly recovered and offered Twilight a glass. They didn’t raise them they instead stared at them for a moment before putting them down. Twilight stepped in and wrapped Tom in a tight hug before curling up with her front half resting on Tom’s legs. .A small pang of something tightened Applejack’s chest while she watched the intimate act but it quickly fled in the face of the farmer’s curiosity.
The beverages sat forgotten for a while and Tom ran his hand gently down Twilight's neck and though Applejack could see his lips move she had no idea what they spoke of, only that the time was deeply personal for the two and it made her feel a little guilty for watching. She had never seen them act so intimate in public before but she knew that all her friends had secrets and so it was reasonable to believe Tom did as well. Movement caught the earth pony’s eye as Twilight stood up and approached the spot Tom had poured out a drink with Rainbow Dash. She brushed her wing across the ground and turned away. Twilight picked up the glass and tapped it against the other one before downing it and vanishing the same way she had arrived.
Suddenly Applejack found her vision obscured by something very feathery and quiet blue. “Hey there AJ, whatcha doing down here peeping on Tom?”
Applejack stumbled back and sputtered as she tried to find an answer. “I’m not...I wouldn’t ever, what makes you think I’m peeping on him?”
Rainbow chuckled and folded her wings up. “It’s cool AJ, I kinda did the same thing the first time I came across him on this hill” She smirked. “You gonna visit him?”
“I don’t rightly know yet. Do I really have the right to interrupt him?” Applejack looked up the hill.
Rainbow shrugged. “I don’t know but he doesn't seem to mind visitors when he’s up there. Personally I think it kinda helps him. Heck even Pinkie visits him.”
“Yeppers. It’s not really my kinda party though, to much of a downer.” Pinkie leaned on Applejack. ”But he seems to appreciate my efforts.”
Rainbow shook her head and looked around. “Where the heck did you come from Pinkie?”
Pinkie looked at Rainbow quizzically. “Have your parents never told you of the birds and bees Dashie?”
“What?” Rainbow looked at Applejack and then she smacked a hoof against her forehead. “Not what I meant Pinkie.”
Pinkie chuckled. “Oh, I came from the bakery. It’s past lunchtime for Tom and if I don’t give him a cupcake he won’t eat anything today.” She smiled and started bouncing up the hill.
Applejack looked at Rainbow who shrugged. “Don’t ask me, ask him. I gotta go, Cloudchaser is out sick and I need to cover her shift.” Rainbow took off and Applejack turned back to the hilltop she had been observing all day.
Tom wasn’t smiling and Pinkie looked subdued. It wasn’t unhappy but it wasn’t happy either even though Pinkie seemed to be trying to get a smile out of Tom. Pinkie pulled out two cupcakes and handed one to Tom before placing the other at the mysterious spot the others had approached. Tom ate the cupcake quickly and then offered Pinkie a drink. They toasted again and Pinkie patted Tom on the shoulder before heading down the other side of the hill. Tom finished another glass before and shifted his gaze down the hill. “You can come up you know, I don’t bite.”
Applejack jumped a little and blushed. She made her way up the hill and found a glass waiting for her. One sniff told her it was her family's famous whiskey. Not as popular as their cider it was a well known beverage of the family made out on the west coast. As she picked up she looked at Tom. “Sorry for watching you all day.”
“It’s no big deal. I heard I was supposed to be helping you on the farm today. Sorry about that.” He raised his glass, catching the rays of the sun in the crystal structure. He stared at the rainbow dancing in the amber liquid for a bit before bringing the glass down and gulping down the whole thing and pouring himself another.
Applejack swirled the drink around in the glass before taking a sip. “So um, what are you doing up here?”
Tom looked over to the cupcake and the stone it sat beside. “Thinking about things long gone.” With a quick motion he tossed the alcohol back and left his head leaning against the tree. “Thinking about what might have been or could have been.” His glass was filled quickly and drained just as quickly. “Lamenting the cards I was dealt and wondering if I would change them if I could.”
Applejack was silent as she walked to the spot she had seen the others approach and found a simple carved stone resting in the grass, a simple epitaph carved into it, To things we have lost. Applejack clinked her glass against it and poured it out next to it. She went back to Tom and poured a new glass. “So who’d you lose?”
Tom looked at her and smiled sadly. “My daughter, my wife and my son. It’s a little ironic really, here I am in a whole different world and now I often think about how much would give to see them again. I’d lost them before I even came her but there was a chance to get them back but now...” He picked up the bottle and took a big swig leaving his sentence unfinished.
Applejack downed her glass and took the bottle and took a big drink. “I’m sorry, I can kinda relate. Lost my mom and dad when was tyke. I miss them pretty bad some days but as time goes on it gets less and less frequent.” Applejack looked down at her glass as it was refilled. “Not to say I don’t miss them now but it’s just, I guess I kinda got used to them being gone. It’s like granny says, time heals all wounds.”
Tom chuckled dryly. “And she’s absolutely right. Someday I’ll be able to come up here with a smile on my face and cheer in my heart but right now...” He swirled the amber liquid in his cup, memories flashing through it in his mind’s eye. “Right now I can’t help but wonder what I would give up to see them again. Would I risk the friends I made here, the life I am building for just the chance to win them back.”
“How’d you lose them, if you don’t mind me asking.” Applejack pulled her hat off and put it down beside her as she laid down next to Tom.
Shaking his head Tom put the glass down and leaned back. “I wasn’t there for them like I shoulda been.” Tom watched the clouds overhead as he thought about his old life and who he had been. “I had my fair share of demons from my soldiering days and I wasn’t the best of folks. I’m ashamed of how I treated them.” He glanced at Applejack and patted her on the shoulder. “Nothing like that. I never raised my hand to them but that was also kind of the problem. I never raised my hand to them for anything at all.”
Applejack’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean by that?”
Tom closed his eyes and sighed. “I didn’t raise it in love, anger, sadness, nothing. I was distant. I kept my family and friends at a distance because I was afraid of what I thought I was. As a soldier I did some damned shameful things and I carried those things with me and those things wouldn’t let me get close to anyone.” His head dropped and he stared at the glass of whiskey lost in thought.
Moving closer, Applejack nudged his shoulder with a hoof. “But now you know what you did wrong so you can fix it.” A single tear. That was the only warning Applejack had before she felt herself pulled into a hug and Tom cried into her shoulder. Startled Applejack did the first thing that came to mind and patted him on the back like she did with Apple Bloom.
He cried for several minutes before pulling away and wiping his face dry on his sleeve. “Sorry about that.” He sniffled and gulped down the whiskey that he had left in the grass beside them. “The thing is Applejack, I can’t now. I’m stuck here, no going home for me.” A pregnant silence fell over the two of them and Applejack found herself shifting uncomfortably in the wake of the silence.
“Oh.” Was all she could muster after several long moments.
“Yea.” Tom chuckled sardonically. “But I guess in a way it’s for the better. They can find someone they deserve and I can make a fresh start of things here in this world.” He poured a new glass for both of them and raised it in the air. “Would you make a toast with me Applejack.”
Applejack took the glass and raised it. “To the future.”
Tom smiled and raised his glass. “To the past being in the past.”
They clinked their glass and Applejack put it down without drinking before heading down the hill, leaving Tom to watch the sunset alone. Her friends were waiting at the bottom of the hill and they nodded. “Some years are better than others.” Twilight looked out into the woods. “This isn’t his worst but it’s not one of his better years.”
Applejack looked back up the hill, her ears twitched slightly. “You can almost hear his sorrow.” She looked at her friends. “I can only imagine how hard it’s been for him.”
Rarity sighed. “I joined him on the third year he did this. He was far worse off, he had finished four bottles by himself by this point already.”
Twilight shook her head. “His first year was the worst. He chose this spot that year because he could scream and rave as much as he wanted. It was the first time I ever saw someone punch Luna. He didn’t blame her, he was just so angry. Celestia calmed him down and he apologized but he spent most of that time screaming in rage and sorrow.”
Rainbow looked up. “His second year he cried the entire day. I watched him the whole day out of curiosity, sort of like you AJ. Joined him in the night, tried to comfort him but I just have no way to relate to what he’s going through.”
Applejack noticed a pink mane coming up the other side of the hill. “Is that Fluttershy?”
Pinkie nodded. “She came with me two years ago. She found Tom’s old locket in a crow's nest while visiting the Canterlot Gardens. I recognized it from a picture of Tom’s daughter and brought Fluttershy to return it. It was pretty calm, he was real quiet but the sadness was really heavy.” Pinkie’s mane drooped a little. “I offered him a celebration but he declined, saying he preferred his celebration.”
Applejack moved towards the hill. “I think, I’ll spend the night here with him. I don’t know him like you guys do but I can relate to what he’s going through more than I would have thought. Let my brother know I’ll be back in the morning.” She trotted up the hill and sat next Tom on the opposite side from Fluttershy. Together the three watched the sun set and the stars come out. The drank in silence and drifted off late in the night. Tom felt himself smile for the first time in a long while on this anniversary as he leaned up against Applejack and Fluttershy placed a wing across his back.