Applejack's Run

The familiar dream faded as Applejack awoke to the predawn darkness. With a comfortable stretch of her legs, she slipped out from under her sheets, fully awake and alive with anticipation for her run.

She longed to feel the wind blowing around her body and to run among the trees, dashing and diving through the underbrush. Sometimes she ran because it made her feel stronger and more agile, but, most importantly, she ran to visit her friend.

Rarity had declared that these forest runs were a ghastly affair at best and an exercise in morbidity at worst, though both sounded equally bad. Fluttershy had been distressed as well, though at first she had been supportive. On occasion, when she summoned the courage, she shared her concerns, suggesting Applejack was hurting herself and might do better to move on. Rainbow Dash alone had seemed to understand. Maybe as a fellow athlete, she even respected the practice. Or maybe it just appealed to her sense of loyalty. Pinkie probably did not know she still made the run each morning.

Applejack retrieved her cowpony hat from the bedside table and positioned it atop her dirty blond mane. Maybe it was well past time she disposed of the old, battered hat, yet she knew where she would have to go if she was to replace it. It would be rude to go anywhere else. She smiled to herself. The past would not blight her high spirits this morning.

The run, as physically strenuous as she paced it, was the highlight of her waking hours. Sleep was the only better experience. When she slept, she dreamed. She filled the remainder of her time with hard labor. She had taken to working the orchards until dusk. And why shouldn’t she? Apple Bloom demanded less tending these days.

Applejack’s toil on the farm had been profitable, but she had not earned enough to replace Granny’s bad hip before she was gone. The passing had been saddening, yes, but not depressingly so. She had been a good mare who had lived a good life, one lasting well beyond what was to have been expected. Such things could not be helped. This was not what saddened Applejack.

She stepped gingerly through the quiet blackness of the old barn-house, taking thoughtful care not to wake her sister. She might as well have stomped up and down the length of the hall if it was only her brother who was still in bed at this hour. He slept deeply and woke only when he was good and ready. Despite all the years they had grown up together, Applejack still chuckled to herself as the muffled sound of his snores drifted through the walls.

Feeling sentimental for a moment, she turned and quietly moseyed into Apple Bloom’s bedroom. The filly had once again neglected to snuff out last night’s candle. The flame had burnt almost to the bottom. Streams of soft wax spread across pages of homework, the casualties of procrastination. The dimly flickering flame illuminated a sight which warmed Applejack’s heart. Her little sister lay haphazardly among tangled blankets which hung off the bed at odd angles. She had grown too large for the little bed-frame, yet she had not complained to have it replaced even when she had to curl up in a crescent to keep her long and gangly legs beneath the covers.

Her peaceful face was only partially visible beneath her dark green cowpony hat. She treasured that hat of hers to the point of insisting upon sleeping in it. Rarity had fashioned the gift from alligator leather, darkened by resins painstakingly applied. Pinkie had provided the materials after following Gummy around for a week to collect his scales whenever he shed them. When they presented the gift to Apple Bloom, they had it covered in so many ribbons that it took her half the cute-ceañera party to unwrap it.

Applejack nuzzled the hat aside to give her sister a small kiss on the cheek. Apple Bloom smiled in her sleep and rolled over onto her side, causing one of her blankets to slide to the floor. Quietly retrieving the tattered blanket, Applejack gently draped it back over her sister before creeping out of the bedroom to make her way through the barn-house and down to the front porch.

Darkness loomed thick over Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack trotted a few paces, savoring the feel of the cool dew soaked grass under her hooves. She began to run. The brisk morning air cut into her body, but this failed to bother her. A pettier pony might have complained about the cold, but Applejack welcomed the discomfort as part of the challenge. Familiarity was comfortable.

Full of fresh energy, she longed to sprint wildly ahead, yet she maintained her steady pace, exercising discipline. The sun rose smoothly over the hills of the Everfree, filling the cloud scattered sky with a brilliant strawberry glow. The light drifted lazily down through the forest canopy, shining upon Applejack’s dew drenched coat.

Forgetting her discipline, she began galloping hard, purposely weaving back and forth to make her run more interesting, if less direct. She smashed through thickets of undergrowth, not flinching at small branches as they snapped against her face, sides, and legs. Occasionally she would charge at these branches only to deftly dodge beneath them or spring over them, feeling triumphant, as if she was having her way with the forest. Sometimes she crashed into bushes and branches on purpose. This reckless habit left her mane and tail full of twigs, leaves, and burs. Unanticipated blackberry thorns would slash at her sides, causing small trickles of crimson to run through her orange coat. Just scratches. Heartbreak stings far worse. Well, in a different sort of way, she thought.

Her route was never exactly the same. There remained numerous unseen rocks, meadows, streams, and cliffs to be  appreciated, at least to the extent that they could be appreciated while maintaining a respectable pace. She reached a steep uphill section and dove into it, accelerating to bring herself higher, toward her destination.

A crystal clear brook splattered down between ridges of the hill. With a bound and a few strides, she splashed through it, coming out with her face, hooves, belly, flanks, and tail sopping wet. The stark coldness of the water almost caused her to shiver. She could nearly taste the adrenaline.

All at once there was nothing before her. She could have died there, rushing and falling headlong over the edge. Stopping just short enough to avoid this fate, she caught a glimpse of the deadly tumble which had awaited her. Ain’t that just like life? Her heart pounded even harder as she stood there panting. The morning sun glowed pleasantly upon her, much at odds with the dark thoughts racing through her mind. She bit her lower lip and gave a nervous laugh. Why not laugh in the face of death?

Cautiously at first and then more carefree, she resumed her run, blazing a new trail over the hill-scape. Again breaking into a gallop, she realized her wet tail was fluttering and flapping wildly. Her red hair-tie had apparently torn loose and was now lost somewhere. Nature had a knack for stealing things away. She stopped and admired her tail, full of leaves and twigs as ever. It looked beautiful and free. She gave a shake and watched her tail dance momentarily in the breeze before flopping back down. “Aw heck, Ah’m easily amused.” She laughed to herself and galloped onward.

She crested a dazzling meadow ridge, trampling grass and daisies as the young plants pushed forth from the earth. She could see Ponyville nestled between the hills and fields far below. It looked tiny and even uninteresting. Applejack had fewer reasons to go there now. She felt big up here, as if the world was hers. She imagined she had it all, but she might never have what she suspected she wanted. Was she being dishonest with herself? That would be shameful. What had happened to The Element of Honesty? That seemed like an unreal past. The heaving of her chest and the pounding of her hooves were the only things now. For a few well savored moments, worry and doubt were absent from her mind.

She ran through another tract of dense forest. Trees loomed up around her, casting cool, dark shadows over her body. She realized she not was pacing herself well. Her heart hammered harder and harder. For whatever reason, she had kept her crazy pace. She never made this easy on herself, but this time was somehow different.

The terrain was unfamiliar and an oppressive sense of doom closed in around her. She was lost. Doubt loomed in her mind as it had at times before. Her misgivings were not about running. The doubt rested upon her destination, always the same. It had been years now. Why was she still doing this? Ah’m just bein’ stubborn. Easier to think this than face the truth.

“No, Ah need this,” she confessed quietly in an almost breathless voice. Casting about to regain her bearings, she realized where she was. How quickly the miles had disappeared. She was almost there. She caught sight of it. Ahead in the forest clearing, the terrified tombstone awaited her.

Applejack approached the grey unicorn statue. The ever-present expression of terror greeted her, dead and unchanging, always the same, always heart stopping, always heart crushing. Her resolve and resilience faltered as the excitement of the run abated. She felt weak despite her strength. Tears begin to well and slide across her cheeks as she peered across the clearing and into those lifeless stone eyes. They stared back, so full of unending fear.

Taking off her hat, she slumped upon the ground heavily, defeated, her chest still heaving. Yet the strain of the ascent was nothing. Facing Twilight was the difficult part for Applejack. Burying her face in her hooves, she sobbed into the grass and earth. The intensity of her mourning brought some comfort. Familiarity was comfortable. Amid her sorrow, an excitement and a renewed sense of hope also grew. Applejack did not know what she hoped for. Crying could not bring Twilight back, otherwise she would have come back long ago.

Applejack might have laid there in her sorrow for a shamefully long time, as she had so many times before, but she felt something poking into her stomach, unsanctimoniously interrupting her grief. She rolled over on her side. At first there appeared to be nothing, just soft grass, glistening with her sweat and tears. Then she saw a sharp little fleck of rock, out of place amid the green.

She eyed the stone, noting its peculiar shape. Climbing to her hooves, now more curious than overwhelmed, she scrutinized the statue, squinting at it through the morning sunlight. There, at the tip of Twilight’s horn, that was where the fleck had chipped free! The notch could even be seen in Twilight’s shadow. Who in tarnation would take the time ta knock a piece out of my monument? It clearly was not the work of an animal. Nor was this the result of erosion. As she stepped closer to her friend, excitement flooded through Applejack's mind, though she was unsure if it was hope or anger.

The contradictory mix of emotions was familiar, though her hopelessness often outweighed the hope. She had mostly stopped wondering about the cause of the catastrophe. Nopony knew. Even the princesses had been at a complete loss to understand it. They had expended considerable magical energy in numerous attempts to dispel the curse, if that is even what it was. Maybe this was just a statue and the real Twilight was elsewhere. Applejack doubted that. This was the real Twilight and she was dead.

Yet, what was this fleck? Glancing about, she noticed dozens of similar stones of various lengths, all sharp and smooth like little daggers. Her heart began beating faster as she explored her friend’s body, all the while finding places where the chips must have come free. There seemed to be many more little grooves in the surface of Twilight's body than would be accounted for by the number of shards she could see scattered around. Crouching down and mussing the grass a bit, she realized there were many more flecks, some very small, some overgrown, some partially buried in the dirt as if they had fallen to the ground months or even years ago. She was falling apart!

Soon there would be nothing left of Twilight at all. Applejack knew she was no trained archaeologist or geologist or whatever pony it was who studied these sorts of things, but it was clear that the statue would soon be gone. The first piece she had discovered—the one from the tip of the horn—was the largest piece. It had also fallen the farthest from the statue.

Applejack felt a shudder run through her body. Once this final reminder of her best friend had shattered into a million deadly pieces, what would she have left in her life? Her other friends were gone, except Fluttershy, but the little pegasus had become even more reclusive. Macintosh was a great brother and all, but he had very little to say. Apple Bloom was busy with school, friends, and recently with dating. She was growing up and showing an independent streak. There was no doubt about it.

“Ah have nothing,” Applejack whispered to Twilight as a torrent of desperation and loneliness washed over her.

Still, a strong feeling of hope remained and she hugged the terrified statue of Twilight. She felt more love for her than ever before, yet at the same time, she almost wished Twilight to implode into a million pieces so she could be done with this charade and its pain. The embrace had warmth. Maybe it was just the warmth of her own body. After a long moment, she released Twilight, almost expecting to see her in the flesh, standing in front of her with a warm smile.

Such foolish wishing did no good. Why was she doing it? It was just stone, devoid of life, the sun beating down upon it. The loneliness felt as terrifying and disturbing as the dead face staring back at her.

In times past, it had not always been lonely up here. After Fluttershy had discovered Twilight’s fate, the five of them, along with many others, would take the time to visit her in the woods. It had to be that way, because nopony could move the statue.

Rarity would bring artfully arranged flowers while Fluttershy would bring seeds, grains, and vegetables, so little woodland creatures would congregate around Twilight when no ponies were there to keep her company. Rainbow Dash used to accompany Applejack on her run each morning, but not anymore. She said it had gotten too weird. Pinkie took the whole tragedy worse than any other pony. She was only there for the funeral.

Why am Ah still comin’ here every morning? It’s been over three years. A pony might be expected to visit the grave of a friend or loved one on a birthday or similar occasion, but every day? She had to be out of her mind. She could not lie to herself any more. She loved Twilight. Not just as a friend, but also… well, as an admirer. It was like a silly crush, but how silly could it be if it compelled her to run all this way and go through all this grief each morning? She would have run anyway, running made her feel alive, but she could have run away to other places. She knew she loved Twilight, whatever kind of love it was.

She often longed to kiss those terrified stone lips, but never found the courage. She rarely drew close to the statue at all. Coming near Twilight got her hopes up and she always felt crushingly disappointed when she left. Tentatively, she reached out and touched her hoof to Twilight’s stone muzzle. It felt warm to the touch.

Cracks began to run through the stone. Dozens of razor-sharp shards broke away, falling to the ground. Jagged fissures split her cheek while her horn crumbled away. Applejack flinched back and forced her eyes shut, unwilling to witness this death. There came a gasp, but it was not her own. She opened one eye and squinted, half expecting to be blasted by a hail of biting stone fragments.

A dark cloud had drifted in front of the sun and cast a shadow upon the clearing, yet the grass and trees swam with white light. Twilight’s horn poked through where a moment before had only been stone. It glowed as fiercely as Applejack had ever seen. Twilight’s mouth was exposed amid the chipped stone. She must be alive.

Twilight sighed wearily as the radiant aura vanished from around her horn. She inhaled a deep breath and seemed to savor it. She licked her lips and stretched her jaw as best she could within the confinement of her stone casing.

She cleared her throat and called out. Her voice seemed to come from another world and another time, but it was still Twilight’s voice with its cheerful lilt. “Hello? Is there anypony out there?”

“Twilight, Ah’m here! It’s me, Applejack!”

“What?” Twilight shouted. “I can hardly hear you!”

Realizing her friend’s ears were still encased in stone, Applejack leaned in close and yelled. “Hey, how about this! Can ya hear me?”

“I can’t tell what you’re saying,” Twilight shouted back. “Please don’t leave me. I feel way stronger with you here. Sometimes I can barely find it in me to keep fighting against this enchantment if you’re not here with me. You’re the one who’s been coming aren’t you? I really wish I could hear you. I’ll try to get the stone off of my ears, but I’m pretty exhausted... Have you ever realized how good air tastes?”

This was something so wonderful Applejack could hardly believe it was happening, yet her heart sank. If she had been here more often maybe Twilight could have broken free years ago. It was tragic, but she had no time for these thoughts. A better thought came to her mind. She searched around for a twig. Finding one, she returned and traced the tip of the twig under Twilight’s exposed chin.

“What are you doing? That tickles,” she exclaimed. “Wait, are you trying to spell something? Start over.”

APPL—

“A-Applejack!” Twilight stammered with delight. “It’s been you all this time?” She was still talking way too loudly.

YES STOP YELL—

“Oh, sorry,” Twilight overcompensated in a voice far too quiet. “You can stop stroking me with whatever it is you’re stroking me with.” she whispered. “I really want to talk with you. Just give me a second… or maybe an hour. I’ll try to break more of the stone.” Her horn burst into brilliant white light once more.

The magic flashed and sparkled about Twilight’s horn for what seemed like an hour. It might have been ten minutes. She gritted her teeth and breathed hard with the effort. Applejack almost wished she would stop trying to break the stone so they could continue their conversation, even if it would be one-sided. With full force, she realized how much she loved Twilight. Her heart leapt. She was almost shaking and her knees felt weak beneath her.

Storm clouds had blown in and done away with the bright morning. Every so often, a few flecks of stone fell away from the statue at places, but not around Twilight's ears. It became increasingly apparent that her strength was draining away as her light gradually dimmed and flickered. Applejack began to worry that Twilight might be hurting herself with the magical strain. Spells and their workings remained a mystery to Applejack, but it would be just like Twilight to try too hard and kill herself from exhaustion in an over eager attempt to break free.

Applejack reached out with the twig to touch her struggling friend. She would have warned her not to die, but the white light faltered and blinked out, leaving the clearing in a dim overcast. Twilight whispered weakly. “It’s no use. It’s taken me more than a decade to get to this point as it is. How can I expect so much all at once? Wait, how long has it been? Trace the answer on my chin. I’ll try not to sneeze on you.”

3 Y—

Twilight gasped in disbelief. “Only three years! I thought that a decade was a conservative estimate. I wouldn’t have been surprised if two decades had passed. I lost track of time. I haven’t been able to sleep since I’ve been made of stone. All I can do is think forever and ever. I went crazy twice and had to restore my sanity both times. Do you know how hard that is to do? I wanted to cry almost all the time, but I couldn’t cry. I should have realized you were coming every day. The intervals seemed regular. I figured it had to be once a week or so, since nopony would visit a grave every day. Wait, that means you were coming here every day for over a thousand days. Wow, I can’t believe it. I wouldn’t want you to do that if I was dead. You should have gone on with your life and been happy.”

At some point the rain had begun battering down upon them. Applejack was drenched from head to hoof, but she stood oblivious to her senses, leaning in close to Twilight’s muzzle, hanging onto her every whispered word.

“AJ, it’s raining and it’s cold. You should get some shelter if you don’t have an umbrella or something. Don’t worry about me. I’m sure I can break out now. It just might take a few weeks… This rainwater tastes good. It’s so amazing to have my senses back… You should get some shelter under a tree though. There should be trees. I think we're in a forest clearing, unless somepony moved me.”

Applejack could think of nothing worse than trotting off to hide under some stupid tree when she could be here, listening to Twilight pouring out her thoughts. She’s been cut off from everypony for three years, why should a little rain keep us apart?

Applejack made for shelter. It was right in front of her. She crouched to the ground and crawled under Twilight’s stone body. It was hardly drier beneath her, but maybe this would suffice. Applejack did not want to be sent away. She wanted to be with Twilight and help her through this.

“Okay, I guess that works,” Twilight’s voice came in a whisper, hard to hear above the storm. “Hey, I feel stronger with you closer to me,” her voice rose with excitement. “Try hugging one of my legs or something.” Applejack awkwardly clung to one of Twilight’s front hooves. She tried to imagine channeling her strength while white light flashed out into the bleakness once more. Flecks of stone fell away. Some rolled off of Applejack’s back while other shards caught in her mane.

“Wow, I can hear! It’s like I’ve never heard anything before,” Twilight exclaimed as a larger section of stone fell away from her head. Despite her enthusiasm the exhaustion was heavy in her voice. Applejack could feel how tired she had become.

“Twi, now that ya can hear, I just wanted ta say that everything’s gonna be alright. I’’ll be here for you.”

“Thank you, AJ, but even with your help I’m too tired. I’ve never pushed myself so hard in my whole life.” Twilight gave a sigh.

Applejack crawled out from under her friend and into the cool rain. Patches of lavender showed through cracks in Twilight’s soaked stone body. Most of the statue had crumbled away from her tail and one of her ears poked awkwardly through the stone.

Applejack faced Twilight and bit her lower lip hesitantly. “Ah think Ah know how this works,” she said, staring Twilight in her unseeing stone eyes. “You’re gonna have ta trust me though,” she stepped forward, closing her eyes, and touched her lips to Twilight's. It was just a loving nudge really, but, as she leaned in, it became a long and passionate kiss. Twilight’s teeth and tongue tasted vaguely like toothpaste. Maybe she had brushed shortly before she had been turned to stone. When their lips finally parted, Applejack opened her eyes and found herself staring into Twilight’s real eyes. All the stone had fallen away. The white glow of Twilight’s horn faded from the clearing and they found themselves staring at each other awkwardly, both deeply exhausted and drenched by rain. A pink blush spread slowly across Twilight’s cheeks.

Was that mutual or was that just me bein’ foolish? It felt mutual. Applejack nudged Twilight with her hoof as if to verify that she was real. “Let’s get under a tree and wait out this rain,” she said, cantering over to retrieve her soaked hat from the ground.

Together, they ran through streaming rivulets of cold water that flowed across the forest floor. They brushed through thickets of dripping ferns and soon found themselves under a Grand Fir which provided a dry bed of old pine needles. It smelled earthy and pleasant. For a few moments, they sat there side-by-side, peering out into the rain.

Applejack began to shiver. She had been in the cold for too long. She felt a warm rain soaked body press against her. Twilight was hugging her. As their heads inclined toward each other, she kissed Applejack once more. They rolled over each other in the pine needles a time or two before Applejack hit her head on a root. It hurt, but the pain existed in a different world entirely.

“Are you alright, AJ?” Twilight was lying on top of her.

Applejack laughed and planted a small kiss upon Twilight’s nose. “What are we doing?”

“I don’t know,” said Twilight. She bent down to whisper into Applejack’s ear. “I could tell you loved me all of those times you came to visit. I could cast a spell from inside the stone that let me to feel the emotions of others around me. Visitors came a lot at first, but eventually it was just you. I imagined you were a beautiful stallion.” She giggled.

Applejack’s heart sank as she peered up into Twilight’s eyes. “Ah’m sorry to disappoint ya, but Ah’m neither beautiful nor a stallion Ah don’t think.”

“I’m not disappointed at all,” Twilight said reassuringly. She brushed pine needles from Applejack’s mane where it flowed from under her shabby hat. “You’re more beautiful than you think you are and that’s part of what makes you beautiful. More importantly, I love you for coming here to be with me, every day, for all of this time. Even when I was at my lowest, I knew I could always count on you,” she paused. “Did you always love me like this? I mean, even before I was turned to stone.”

Applejack felt the warmth rising beneath her cheeks, unsure if she was blushing from the question, the compliments, or the tender awkwardness of having Twilight on top of her. “Ah just thought of you as a friend before ya died… Well, Ah mean ya didn’t die, but we thought ya had more or less. Ah kept thinking about how much Ah missed you. Ah’ll admit it. Ah built an, uh, admiration for ya above and beyond what Ah felt before. Ah always felt like we were best friends, the two of us. We led the group. We were the ones who kept our heads, even when situations got messy.”

Twilight laughed. “Maybe you were the one who kept it together more than me. I did my share of freaking out about things, most of them insignificant now that I look back on it." She rolled over and cuddled against Applejack's side, keeping them warm.

Applejack wished the moment would never end. It would end though. Maybe she would wake up and start her morning run, but even if this was a dream, it was her best dream yet. She bit her lip just enough to make it hurt and the pain told her it was not a dream.