Author's Note
This was written around the time of season five so Rainbow dashes parents were a mystery at the time.
The visit.
It was a sunny day on sweet apple Acres with all the members of the Apple family doing their chores. It was the summer season where the workload for them was the lightest. When the regular chores were done Granny Smith had gone to take a nap, Applebloom ‘s going to play with her friends and Big Mac going to do whatever repairs needed doing on the farm. He was fixing the frame of a window at the front when his Sister Applejack walked out of the front door wearing a pair of saddlebags. He gave her a smile when she spoke to him. “I’m heading out for my yearly visit.” She looks down. “It might take a while.”
He looks at her his smile fading for a small moment knowing but his smile returned when she spoke again. “You’ll keep an eye out for when Applebloom comes home right?”
He gives her a nod speaking in his normal tone. “Eyep” After that he got back to work on the frame trying to make it look right. His sister started to trot down the path to Ponyville not as fast as she normally would seemingly enjoying the apple trees on the path until she left the farm. “Might be too early to say but it looks to be a good harvest this year.”
After that, she made her way to Ponyville feeling the warm temperature of the summer air and sun around her. She eventually got to the Ponyville market where many of the smaller stands where even spotting where her stand would usually be when she was selling her apples and apple products. Right now it had bell peppers she walked by it giving a small wave where she wanted to stop was a permanent shop run by the flower sisters. She walks into the shop ringing the customer bell seeing Roseluck at the counter before Applejack could speak Roseluck spoke up. “Hello Applejack Its good to see you what can I do for ya.”
Applejack gave her a good smile. “Why howdy there Roseluck I’m just here for my order.”
Roseluck nodded and handed her a bundle of mixed flowers with her giving her a sad smile. “You enjoy your day Applejack and tell them I said hi.”
Applejack returns the smile and leaves the bits to pay for it. “Mighty kind of ya and I will you have a nice day as well.” She gives a small nod with her hat before leaving.
The sun was of its descent an Indication that Celesta was preparing for the afternoon. She’s watching it when she hears a crash nearby. She rushes to where she finds a gray mare with a blond mane and tail stuck inside a haystack. Applejack rolled her eyes and ran over. “Ya alright, Dizzy?”
The mare looks towards Applejack. “I’m… alright. Just… ran into a low flying cloud.”
Not asking anything more she helps her out of the hay and helps dust it off. “Dizzy I thought you managed to get past that.”
“I’m getting better! It’s just a slip up that all.” She says defensively.
“Well alright, you have a nice day now.” Applejack walks away. Dizzy waves back none the wiser to what Applejack was doing.
She walks through the town and waves to the ponies she passes giving a smile every time. Each one of her smiles gets a small bit sadder as she walks. She walks away from the town going down a path that leads away from it. A small bit away she gets to stone and metal fence. The black metal is decorated with vines and the iron bar gates having the name arch above it, Ponyville Cemetery. Applejack Pauses for a moment before opening the gates, walking on the path and doesn’t look at any of the graves. She makes a left near the back towards a shared tombstone. She stops in front of it giving a sad smile and leaving two bundles of flowers in the two vases there. “Hi mom, Hi Dad, I’m sorry I’m so late this year, lots happened not just on the farm but around Ponyville as well. Applebloom got her cutie mark earlier this year, the little filly’s been growing up and I’ve been learning a lot along the way understanding my limits.”
She gives a sad sniff. “My friends have been wonderful and I really hope you get to meet them one day it would mean a lot to me.”
She continues to sit there talking about her adventures over the past year and few months. She still giving a sad smile as she talks about all the adventures she’s had she lets out a small chuckle. “Wow, I’ve done a lot of traveling for a farm gal.” She looks up and see’s that the sun is starting to set. “I always lose track of the time on this day.” She gives a small chuckled and gives a sad smile to the graves. “Thanks for listening mom, dad, It was nice I best be heading back to the farm you have a nice night.”
She turns to leave but when she does turn she spots something among the graves. Something she never expected to spot here a rainbow mane peeking above the grave. Applejack was slightly annoyed about this, she didn’t want to deal with Rainbow Dash right now. She was trotting over to get ready to call her out on it. As she approached she noticed something. The Pegasus’ mare wasn’t hiding behind a grave she was sitting in front of one. Her usual demeanor was gone. She was only looking at the grave quietly with a very sad smile.
Applejack paused she knew that sad smile very well it was one that she wears every time she comes here. Her annoyance faded away in that instant and she simply approached. She looked at the grave and only got a glimpse when she heard her friend’s voice. “Hay Applejack what brings you here?”
Applejack looked down with a sad smile. “Just, visiting my parents how about you?”
“The same really I came to see my mom.” She says sadly.
“May I join ya?” She asks simply now looking at Rainbow noting that she hasn’t turned away. Rainbow nodded and Applejack sat next to her. They sat there in silence for a moment neither of them saying anything until Rainbow Spoke.
“I’ve never heard you talk about your parents, what where they like?” She asks like it was an everyday question and Applejack responded likewise.
“They were well like their namesake Apples to Oranges. Papa Mandarin Orange was a city boy to and though. He was looking to be a business pony and had the basics of running a farm already in his head at the time. He was also the one with the good head on his shoulders, something I got from my old man. My mom was the county gal and the farmworker, Momma Honeycrisp was a hard worker and a very loving mother but she wasn’t exactly a good business pony something that Granny Smith had to handle until my mom married my dad. The way they met is a story in it of itself.” Applejack said with a small laugh
“What do you mean?” Rainbow asked with a small bit of confusion.
“Ya know that story where the two families hate each other but their youngest members fall in love ending the conflict in the end.” Applejack says simply.
“I remember the ending being a bittersweet moment and well ya know,” Rainbow said
“Well change the ending to include a few years of a happy marriage with a few fillies and colt’s and that’s kind of what our families were like. We never openly fought but the animosity was always there and never really went away till well…” Applejack had a tear in her eye. “they…”
“AJ if it’s too painful you don’t have to say. I’m here for you but if it’s too much you don’t have to tell me.” She said putting a hoof on AJ’s shoulder getting a smile from her but she still looks at the grave.
“Ya know I’ve heard a lot about your dad but I relay haven’t heard anything about your mom. Could ya describer her to me.?.” AJ said rather curious.
“Me about a year ago.” She said laughing a small bit with AJ joining in.
“Really?” AJ said her mood lightened a bit.
“My mom was awesome an amazing flyer and a loyal friend.” Rainbow’s smile faded a small bit. “She was my hero.”
Now rainbow was ready to cry with AJ putting a hoof on her shoulder and they both gave each other small smiles for a moment. They remain sitting in front of the graves for a short while with Rainbow returning to her mother’s grave. They didn’t acknowledge each other after that simply sitting in front of the graves. They were like this for a few minutes reminiscing about the past with sad smiles. When the sun sets and the moon started to rise the two mares stand to face each other.
“You have a good night AJ,” Rainbow said simply.
“You to Rainbow I’ll see ya tomorrow,” AJ said with a small nod.
The two of them start to trot home but stop for a moment and return to their parent’s graves. They grab some of the flowers that they left Rainbow grabbing two and Applejack grabbing one the tow cross paths and give a nod with a smile. Rainbow leaves the two flowers on Applejacks parent’s graves and Applejack leaving one on Rainbow’s parent’s grave before retiring for the night.