Just One Wishby shysageChaptersCh. 1Ch. 2Ch. 3Ch. 4Ch. 6End NotesCh. 5Ch. 1I guess I do have a certain amount of notoriety... Well, a bunch of us do in this sleepy little town. I mean, if you was to wander across the oat fields and stumble into Ponyville, you wouldn't think much of it, just another ponytown. But we -- wow, we have our own Castle, our own Princess even! Notoriety, I don't care none for that. It doesn't really matter to me. My best friends, our Princess, we have been through a lot together, and really helped out, well all Equestria, a bunch of times, I don't know... To me that's just good ponies helpin' out, doing what we can to help against really bad ponies, which there are, sadly, way too many. But you can have that notoriety if you want; file it along with other big words that just don't mean much to me. My best friends, I like being around them. They don't mind that I treasure the truth, telling the truth, even when it is hard, or when nopony else even sees. Honesty... That is me; I live for that. And my best friends, they treasure that too, treasure that in me, too... That kinda' thing means more to me than a bunch of fancy words, ponies cheering, ponies stomping... I guess they mean well, but at the end of the day, after the latest angry pony fiasco or whatever is done... I go home to Sweetapple, walk the fields a while, be with kinfolk, maybe kick a few hay bales or apple trees around... I am content with that. Well, don't tell anypony, but I do have just one wish, hidden back behind a few hay bales in the barn... I ain't never told nopony, and probably never will. I think it is impossible anyway. But even if it never comes true, which I think likely... You can still have all that notoriety; enjoy it for me, I don't care. Summer is one of my friends. She is not officially part of our group (no Element), but, wow... She is quiet, a lot like her sister Fluttershy. But she is also, well the Phantom Alicorn, an' if that don't sound powerful... Well, that pretty little mare, I have seen her in action, helping us mop up bad stallions and such. I'm glad she's on our team. And I like this; when she ain't powerful, she's just a quiet, sensitive peace-loving mare, she and her Stallion both, good ponies. We get along just fine. And I still don't know what happened... We all believe in true friendship, but somehow, that broke, or something, and... Summer and Shysage got the worst of that. I still have no clue, even though I think they are allowed to come around again. And Summer, they have just tried to drop the whole thing, tried to forgive... One of life's un-answered, unanswerable questions though. But I really like being around them. Summer and I walked the fields some a few days ago, mostly just walked, chatted a little... We just spent time together enjoying our orchards, bein' together, even if we said little. But I knew I didn't have to say anything around her. Maybe that's why it was so relaxin'! Don't get me wrong; Princess Twilight, our little group, I love everypony so deeply. Rarity especially can quickly rub me the wrong way, but hey -- she is a part of the group, and accepting that, I accept her... We are all best friends, in this together, no matter what. I guess the Elements have seen to that. It seems the Elements selected us, so we really don't have much choice. Well, I reckon we really need each other, maybe even Equestia needs us to need each other. So, rough edges and all, we are all really close. And yesterday, Applebloom and I wandered into town. Applebloom led us to Rarity's boutique, then Applebloom and Sweetiebelle quickly ran off. It was ok; after finishing her sewing, Rarity took me to lunch, and we talked, and just enjoyed some peace. Well, maybe that is one difference... Horrible monsters, they scare me too, but I guess I am pretty tough inside. Rarity, on the other hand, she is pretty easily... Well, I think she pays a higher price than I do for what we have had to face together, maybe Pinkie too, I don't know. Aside from me having to tell Rarity a few times I didn't want her "sprucing up my mane", we had a nice lunch together. Afterwards, I stopped by the Castle, and visited with Princess Twilight a bit. I felt bad; I interrupted a magic lesson I think. But Princess was having "magic fun" she called it, with my new neighbor, also called Princess, that is her name. She is a good neighbor though. I don't know magic from a rock on the trail, but my neighbor Princess, also a Unicorn, has bailed me out a bunch using her magic. Such a nice mare, and her Stallion too, good neighbors as I said. Of course, we all hugged, chatted briefly, then I walked home. I don't worry too much about Applebloom. She is growing up, and our town is usually pretty safe. The first few times she didn't come home at night, I fretted, slept little, then found out the next morning she spent the night with Sweetiebelle, or something. I explained that once to my Equestria Girls Twin; she laughed and pulled out her cell thing. I don't think that would help me here. Applebloom, I have had to look after her for years, but I am learning to relax about that kind'a thing. It would be dark soon when I got home, so I found some sweets to snack on, then walked the fields at sundown like I often do, when it isn't freezing cold or really cloudy, anyway. Sometimes I snag Rainbow and have her clear me a hole in the clouds for a bit, if I see her flying over, or if she drops by for a visit. It is ok though, whether I can catch a shooting star or not. And after working hard usually since sun-up, I don't mind gettin' some sleep. Summer dropped by, well flew in, and landed near me, maybe halfway to lunch. I was kicking apples down, summer apples, and she would usually help me get 'em in the basket. But this time... Well, it, I sensed that something was up, I don't know. We hugged right away, then Summer said quietly, sounding like it was hard for her to even talk... "Please, you need to just trust me, and come with me to Princess Twilight's Castle." Of course, I would come; the apples could wait 'til tomorrow. We walked together into Ponyville. Little was said, except... Well, I had to know. "Summer, am I in trouble... or something?" Summer stopped, shook her head no, with tears in her eyes, and hugged me tightly. Well, ok. I would like to think that I am pretty used to handling suspense. And I knew, well Summer had never, ever lied to me. I was not alarmed at all. It was a nice walk into town, a nice warm, sunny day in Ponyville, an hour or two before lunch maybe. We headed past guards, into the Castle, to the Library. Summer led us right up to that Portal thing. Well, we usually use that Portal to go to the Equestria Girls world, and our Equestria Girls Twins can use it to come here too, from the other end. I am not real fond of my "people" form, but have come to terms with it, I guess. Wait... I do like playing soccer with Rainbow, and both our twins. Still, I have no clue how that Portal thing works or anything. But we can go back and forth via that Portal -- that is all I know. And, I guess Summer can go back to the past somehow with the Portal; I am not really clear on that part. Well, I guess Fluttershy has been to the past that way a few times, too. She told me once she met Princess Celestia many hundreds of years ago, and they became pretty close back then. I think that, with her sister Princess Luna banished, Princess Celestia needed all the friends she could get back then, and it sounds like ruling Equestria for over a thousand years all by herself... That does not sound fun. (See "Dark Melvain", sorry it is a long story...) As we walked right up to the Portal, Summer didn't say anything, but quickly changed into her Phantom Alicorn right away. Those huge white wings, that pearl white Alicorn horn, the low rumble -- well it all screams power if you ask me. I had no clue what was happening though, what was going to happen... Princess Twilight walked up just then, lookin' just a little alarmed. Summer told her basically the same thing she told me. Well, again, I doubt Summer has ever lied to Princess Twilight either. Wait, Summer added that she would explain to Princess Twilight in a minute. Maybe I would find out then too. Summer put one of her hands on my pony shoulder, then she wrapped her other hand around the smooth, wooden border of the Portal, maybe half way up from the bottom. I think she squeezed that border just a little... There was a bright flash, and Princess Twilight, Summer, the Portal... the Library... everything just... faded away... Author's Note Just One Wish is c2018 by... Sigh... Nevermind... Ch. 2That bright flash... Wow, I had no clue what was happ'nin... After that flash, it was like everything blinked off, then back on. And when everything blinked back on... It was dead quiet. Well, I realized right away I was about 4 feet up in the air, and that I started to fall. I just got ready, and landed ok. I have found myself up in apple trees higher than that, but don't ask... It was ok. Well, my hat was gone too; maybe it blew away or somethin', I don't know. And I landed on mid-summer, partially dry oats. Wasn't sure where I was though, and a quick scan for the spire of the Castle showed no evidence. I was near some small ponytown however; I recognized that much. It looked to be the same time o' day, a bit before noon in the summer. And the sun was where I'd expect. Ok, it was clear to me I had no clue where I was. Well, I wasn't in the Equestria Girls world, that was for sure. That place is so busy, and noisy -- houses crammed one right next to the other, streets with those noisy car things roaring constantly by... Wouldn't mind having one of them tractor things though. Well, I trusted Summer. I had no idea what she had just done to me. Dredging from my memories, I did see what I thought might be a familiar... well, landmark -- the outline of a very special large tree. It was, well it used to be Princess Twilights... well then it was just a Library, but so much... happened... there... I walked quickly towards it; it was on the outskirts of that town, not a long walk. And the closer I got... It was kinda' like a dream with memories floodin' past. Wow, lookin' at it from the front especially took my breath away... just like it used to be... After some delay, I walked in the door, inside. There, standin' in front of an old desk, an older Unicorn mare, readin' a book... she slowly tilted her head down to look at me over her glasses; she looked me over briefly. "Hello, can I help you?" I wanted to laugh, to cry all at once... I just said quietly "Ok, so this is where the Library is." The mare behind the desk smiled, then said quietly "Yes, but there can be an extra fee for cleaning up books after non-Unicorn use." That again... Oh well... "Thank you." That was all I could say as I turned a little too quickly and left... Must'a been the wrong Library. I sighed, then I turned, then wandered slowly towards the clump of buildings closer now, that looked like any ordinary ponytown. I wasn't hungry yet, but I was thirsty. Gettin' closer to the town, I did notice some sort of fountain or somethin', so I headed that way. I passed ponies of course, and said "Hay" to a few, but I didn't recognize absolutely anypony. I walked slowly through town to that fountain, up to it, and took a drink. Wow, it tasted just like the fountain in Ponyville, and my drink wasn't short. Then I looked up... The Mayors office was directly in front of me. Mearl's old barn, lookin' not so old, was at the end of town to my right. That would mean the Cakes should be... That building I easily recognized, turnin' ag'in, then... Rarity's Boutique... By then I was shakin' my head back and forth in disbelief. How in the world... Well, at this point, findin' anypony I knew would be... I walked slowly towards Rarity's first, and walked in right as another mare walked out. Right away I heard "Hello dear, how would you like your mane done today?" Well, ok, they could leave my mane alone. I asked slowly "I am looking for Rarity, is she here?" The mare looked down in thought briefly, then shook her head slowly side to side, then said almost apologetically "I... My family has worked this salon for generations, and I know of nomare with that name..." Then she smiled. "But we can spruce up your mane if you like!" I smiled back, thanked her, then turned and walked back out. Giving myself way too little time to think, I walked over to the Cakes, another building that is... a Ponyville landmark of sorts. All I had to do was look carefully through one of the front windows. Pinkie would not even be there, it was a barn supply store, sellin' stuff for houses, barns and such. There were no cup-cakes... Then I noticed through one of the windows in the upstairs, it must have been for storage. This was all very unsettling. As I shook off a few tears, I thought to myself "How could this be Ponyville, but without everypony that I have come to love so much?" I had to shake off even more tears as I walked slowly out to Fluttershy's cottage, well, where Fluttershy's cottage used to be, was supposed to be. Walkin' slowly up that hill, the big tree was there, I saw that right away, but maybe it was a bit smaller. I did however, notice a bunch of young ponies workin' on somethin' or other next to that tree, and one of them did look like Applebloom, from far away anyway. I walked slowly up, and tried to sound calmer than I felt. "How y'all doin' young-uns?" They all stopped what they were doing right away, turned and stared at me. I reckon they weren't too happy I was there. And it wasn't Applebloom. One of the other colts said loudly "This is our fort, and no big ponies are allowed here. And if you tell anypony else about our fort, we will... uhm, we will..." I smiled while wantin' to cry, then turned, walked slowly off, back down the hill. "Summer, what did you do to me?" I said this quietly, not really expectin' an answer. But I did realize after that... there really was only one more place for me to go, to try... Sweetapple... I looked over towards the Sun, and realized that I would probably get to the farm near sun-down. I guess I didn't think I had any more alternatives, so I headed there. It was a nice warm day, probably a warm night too, so I was not too worried about where I would sleep. It is just that... what? Why? I walked slowly because I really wasn't in a hurry... I was quickly deep in thought as I walked through this town that mysteriously looked like... oblivious to... "Hello miss, are you new to our town?" an older mare had been walkin' next to me, and she asked that. Honestly, I didn't know what to say. But this is what came out anyway. "Yeah... AJ is the name, and I just got here." She continued. "Well, this is a nice quiet town, I think you will like it here. You may need to spend a few nights in the oats, but soon enough you will find your niche in our pleasant little town. I have a tiny goodies shop hidden behind Mearl's, but I have my eye on Bernie's Barn Stuff. Rumor has it he is ready to retire, and return to Manehatten. His building is where I want my goodie shop to be, smack dab in the middle of town. And I can rent the upstairs." This came out slowly. "Ma'am, I didn't catch your name." "Isabelle Cake, been here about a year. If you can't find a place, let me know, and I will see what I can do. That's what Mearl did for me. We depend on each other in this little town!" She turned around and started to walk back into town. But I just had to know. "Ma'am, what is the name of this town?" "Why, Ponyville, dear. I like that name, actually. Some of the other names in the kingdom are just... silly." There was a brief delay, then she added "Remember, I am next to Mearl's if you need anything." I was glad she was walkin' away, because the look on my face... I was stunned... I am not the shiny-est apple in the basket, but I realized this much... I was in Ponyville, but, what, backwards in time, I guess is the way to say it. Summer had sent me back in time... Ok... But when? Why? I just kept walkin', tryin' to avoid cryin', yet realizin' I had few, well no ideas left... Most of the ponies I knew, and cherished in Ponyville, they were evidently not even here yet... I was shakin' a lot of tears away as I started up the gentle hill to Sweetapple, only there was no sign out front that said that... or anything for that matter... And the closer I got... The barn was there, lookin' nicer than I had ever seen it... The corral, the fences close to the barn, gates were right where they should be. The house looked... The corner room looked like a brand new addition... I... just... couldn't take it... I ran through the lower gate, out into the orchard... Well, it was just one stand of fairly small apple trees... I walked to the edge of that small clump of trees, expectin' to see acres more trees... I plopped down right there in endless oats, and... Yes, I cried... for a while... "Summer, what..." Well, I didn't cry for too long. It was a clear night, and warm, so I watched for shooting stars a bit, saw none, then fell asleep. Ch. 3I woke up at sun-up like I usually do, but started cryin' ag'in right away... I don't cry much usually, but... An' I noticed pretty quick that my mane, well it wasn't tied up no more, and wasn't since I got here as I realized. Well, it was in my face, guess it got there while I slept. But me cryin', it was makin' my mane wet. I put my nose up and shook my head to get my mane back ag'in, but that just got my tears in my ear, which itched horrible, so I put my nose back down, shook, but that just dumped my mane in my face again... Ya that felt about like... I left my mane in my face an' just cried... Well, I had no ideas. I... There was no way for me to even find that Portal thing, since Princess Twilight's castle wasn't even here yet. Twilight Sparkle wasn't even here yet... And nopony here even knew me... all my friends... I felt... I have never felt so alone... abandoned... Maybe my cryin', it... "Land sakes child, there, there now, lemme help you..." I looked up through tears to find an older mare lookin' so lovingly at me... Almost in wonder, I got slowly up, shook my mane away, and she hugged me tightly right away. Shimmering "yellow delicious" coat... she reminded me immediately of Applebloom, but that would put me, what, in the future? Aww, past, future, shux... I didn't know nuthin'... She hugged me for a little while as I worked on not crying. This older mare eased me away gently. "Young-un, what's y'ur name?" Tryin' to shake my mane back ag'in... "Name's AJ and I just got here... But I just don't know where..." This was absolutely all I could say... The mare hugged me a bit more, as I cried a bit more, then I tried to quit ag'in. As she eased me away a second time "A'm Granny Bloom, and you're welcome to come stay with us for a spell. We just finished ar' guest-room, and you can try it out for us, let us know how it fits!" Granny Bloom laughed after saying this much, then her whole tone softened. "Seriously child, you are welcome to stay with us. There will probably be chores involved, but --" I was grinnin' by then. Maybe she didn't know I loved chores... "Well then, git to it filly! See yonder bucket? Fill it with nice apples, so we can have some breakfast!" Well, that didn't take me long, and I brought the full bucket over to Granny Bloom. She sighed right away. "Mercy, I wish I had your gittyup, child..." We walked slowly back towards the farmhouse as I carried the bucket (rope around my neck of course). Little was said, but I did remember, without warning, almost like a lightning bolt... Summer had said once that when in the past, they had to be SO CAREFUL about what they said for some reason. Well, I didn't remember the reason, but I realized I probably had to do that... That thought made me sigh... Granny Bloom... she sighed too. "It's ok child. The past is sometimes best left alone..." I don't know where that came from, what she meant even. I carried the apple bucket into the kitchen, put it on the table, then Granny Bloom got to work. I just watched; she clearly didn't need any help for this part. Wow, she was good at cookin'. After some amazing smells filled the kitchen, a larger stallion walked into the kitchen. "Wow that smells good, Granny!" Granny Bloom smiled at the stallion "Just like you like it, son." There was a brief pause, then Granny Bloom volunteered "Jack meet AJ, AJ meet Jack." Granny Bloom chuckled, then said "Found 'er in the field crying this mornin'." Jack said calmly "Life on the farm will cure your turmoil, young lady! That's what my Mare told me when she brought me here!" Almost on cue, another mare walked out into the kitchen, and was briefly nose to nose with her Stallion. Afterwards, Jack said calmly "April, this is AJ. Granny found her in the field, crying. I told her farm life would solve everything!" Both laughed, then April walked over and hugged me. "We will do what we can to help you, dear. Just let us know." It was very hard for me to even stand there. I think my jaw was on the floor, and, for some reason, I felt like... a foal... all over ag'in... We were soon eatin' breakfast though, and I was hungry, an' the food was very good. When the stallion was done, he turned to go, then nosed his Mare briefly. "Jack Apple, you be careful at work today, please" his Mare, April said so lovingly to him, then he turned and walked out the door, probably heading into town. It was quiet briefly in the kitchen. I didn't know what to say, and just wanted to go cry hard somewhere, or somethin'... I tried this. "I think I'm goin' for a walk in the fields a bit, maybe clear my head." April and Granny both smiled. Granny said right away "The fresh air will help you feel better." An' April added "And let us know if... you need to talk, or if we can help in any way." I was soon out, past the small orchard, and into the endless oats. It looked the same really... But I... Granny Bloom looked just like Applebloom, well much older... And that stallion Jack looked just like Big Mac... What... Oh my goodness... Jack Apple... and April Bloom... my momma an'... Right there, right then, I fell to the ground, and just cried loudly. I scolded myself for not realizin' earlier, but... I was so young when I lost 'em, an' it hurt so bad... But now... I knew where I was... I knew who they were... But I... shouldn't, couldn't say... anything? What a twisted joke this was... I cried pretty hard for a while... Ch. 4Oh my goodness... Jack Apple... and April Bloom... my mom an'... Right there, right then, I fell to the ground, and just cried loudly. I knew where I was, I knew who they was... But I... couldn't, shouldn't say... anything? What a twisted joke this was... I cried pretty hard for a while... ...then I slowly realized... April was on her belly behind me, sort of curling around me, crying softly with me... I... laid my head back on her neck. She was a little smaller than I was, but I felt... like a yearling all over ag'in... Still, she managed to get one of her front legs around my neck, and was huggin' me... I just cried... Like I said, I don't usually cry much... An' in the past, well, for me, when somethin' really got to me... Maybe it was hopin' Applebloom would make it through the night with whatever sickness... Or somethin' far worse, like that Dark Melvain character; he an' a bunch o' other bad apples, they almost killed all of us... But I couldn't cry, well not much... I would choke all those tears off, and just say quietly, to myself really... "oh, momma...", sometimes addin' "wish you was here..." So many times, I hurt so bad for her, to be... well, for her to be with me... But she was gone, an' that was all I could say... Well, maybe I was storin' it all up, and it... I was leanin' up against my momma... I bawled like a baby for a while. I couldn't stop the cryin'... A long time later, in a lull in my cryin', April asked quietly "AJ, how can I help you?" I couldn't think, I didn't think... "Just let me stay here a spell..." And I cried some more... well, a bunch more, a while more... When the warm, summer sun was high, I think my crying, well maybe I was done, for now anyways, and it was quiet. April mentioned calmly "Let's go back to the house. Jack should be home for lunch soon, and I should be there for that." I got up right away. Of course, I didn't want to intrude. An' I did try to apologize as April got up too. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry like such a baby..." As we started slowly back to the farm house, April chuckled. "Do you feel better?" I sighed, said "Yup", even though she had no clue. And I didn't either, as these words just dribbled out... "Can you adopt me? ...just for a spell?" That even surprised me. But then, wow... "I think I just need my momma..." Sayin' that made me want to cry a bunch more all over ag'in... April, well it was so hard to not say "momma", which is who she was, an' how I felt... But she was in thought briefly, then said quietly "Something must have happened to your kin." Oh... wow... Then shortly after, she asked "Can we talk about that?" Well, I wasn't about to lie, even over somethin' like this. I told her the honest truth. "I... don't think I should talk about it..." then "I don't think I can say anything without bustin' everything..." I think Summer would have agreed with that too. Momma sighed, smiled, then answered "Well, ok." then after thinkin' some, she added "Well, I do have Jack to take care of... But you are welcome to... We can spend time together when we can. Mornings are usually free. You will quickly find out that afternoons at the farm can be busy." I guess she didn't know I loved chores either. She could find out. Lunch was good, of course, and Jack (...still wanna say 'daddy...') came home, and talked a bunch about work, town and stuff. Watchin' April and Jack "get along"... that was so amazing to me; they clearly loved each other deeply. I think I sighed a lot, ate little, and said nuthin'... Daddy was soon off, back to town again. Us marefolk did cleanin' chores, well momma and I did, while Granny Bloom took a well earned nap. We tidied up in the guest room where I would stay, and I helped momma with other chores. But with two of us doin', well, it was easier an' didn't take so long. Momma thanked me, we hugged... Oh my goodness, maybe we both had to work at not cryin'. I think she kept pretty busy of a day on the farm. But I did do the apple collection for dinner as she watched, smiling. "AJ you are a farm girl!" she said, laughing. If she only knew. Dinner was a lot like lunch, then we all helped Granny Bloom clean up after dinner, then Granny went to bed. An' I guess daddy, er Jack had a tough day at work, and momma put him to bed soon after. Sun was down by then, so we wandered some down the front path, and laid in the grass next to the road watchin' the stars and stuff for a bit. Little was said. An' I didn't watch for nuthin; I just enjoyed every second I think. I followed momma back to the farmhouse, an' went to sleep when she did. Well, I did a inventory first, and figured I didn't say anything I shouldn't. In fact, I decided to say as little as possible; that was probably the safest. I cried briefly, started to say "oh, momma...", then remembered... sighed... Then I fell asleep. I woke with the sun again, and headed to the kitchen first thing, to find Granny Bloom. "Oh good, its you. Come collect more apples for me. Think I need the help!" Then she laughed. Of course, I would help, and did. As she watched, well I had to scout further in the orchard for fresh apples, but I didn't mind. I often had to do that... Nevermind... We was soon back in the kitchen, and Granny cooked up different stuff, but the aroma seemed to draw daddy an' momma out. Daddy said soon after he was in the kitchen "AJ sounds like you are a big help. On behalf of my marefolk, thank you." Then he hugged me, an' I wanted to cry a bunch ag'in... An' of course breakfast was good. And watchin' daddy get ready for work that mornin', it didn't take me long to realize... Momma helped him tie his mane up ever mornin', a few different places, just like I usually do... Guess he needed that for his job; a flyin' mane and chores, hard work, they don't mix well. And he always tipped his hat from the stand, just right, so it fell into place on his head before he walked out the door. I think my jaw was on the floor as I watched all that happen... After daddy left for work, I spent a bunch of the mornin' with momma huggin' me. I cried a bunch ag'in, but was maybe finished with that a bit earlier, and just enjoyed where I was, who I was with... Still, I kept thinkin' of those scary "oh, momma" times, and would cry a bit more. I figured workin' through 'em all might take a while... Momma and I barely made it back to the farmhouse as daddy walked up the road for lunch. He hugged his Mare, then me, and we was eatin' lunch soon after. Daddy mentioned "Ladies, I'm taking tomorrow off, and we will start the north orchard." Momma smiled, but I think I smiled bigger. Oh, my goodness, gettin' to help with that! After a minute maybe, daddy volunteered "Well, things are quiet enough at work, and we need to get those trees planted before first cold." Yeah, I was on the same page with all of that. Daddy was soon off an' back to work, and momma and I did chores together most of the afternoon. We even collected apples together for dinner. That was just a lot of fun. And when we was done, she hugged me again. "AJ you are such a big help. Thank you so much!" Well, we both cried, probably for far different reasons. An' dinner was very good again, but I realized... I wasn't workin' as much as I usually do, well back ho--... I looked down and shook my head just a bit thinkin' that. But I needed to not eat so much, even though the food was so good... I tried to work on that... After Granny went to sleep, daddy, momma an' I went for a long, slow walk around the farm, through oat fields mostly. An' why did I end up in the middle? Daddy loved to talk, an' talked about a lot of different things, the Apple family, the Bloom family, Ponyville, goings on in the kingdom... Momma chimed in a bit, but she and I mostly listened, although I was learnin' a lot about kin that I didn't know. Some I knew, but a bunch... An' we got back at the farm house near dusk. It was a clear night, the first stars were out... I was tempted to watch for... But I had spent the evenin' with my momma an' daddy... I went to sleep when they did, still workin' at not cryin' buckets. Think we was all excited about expandin' the orchard, and were up with the sun the next mornin'. Granny and I left momma and daddy talkin' in the kitchen, while we fetched some apples for breakfast. That didn't take long. An' I think I might'a ate breakfast a little fast, but maybe I wasn't the only one. Granny started into clean-up and daddy led us to the barn. Well, first, momma helped him get his mane tied back. Well, it was still tied from yesterday, but momma checked 'em all. Then momma and daddy tied my mane back too! That made me want to cry buckets all over ag'in. Well, at least my mane was finally out of my face for a spell. And I realized that momma's mane was pretty short, well compared to mine and daddy's. Momma's mane really didn't need to be tied back I guess. Next stop was the barn, and daddy helped us all get these bucket harnesses on, bucket on each side... I use 'em for apples, but I didn't think... Daddy set the schedule. "First stop library, then to Bernies to get some seed." Well, the library, I don't know, but we would need seeds to plant trees. This country girl knew that much! An' I guess me helpin' with haulin' seed meant they could get a lot more trees planted today. I didn't mind. But wow... Me realizin' that a few days ago I was kickin' apples out o' trees I would help plant today... That thought fried my brain... just as daddy walked over with another hat just like his, and plopped it down on my head just right... ...then said "just like my little philly!" Momma and daddy both laughed, but I wanted to run... no wait... But I did want to cry buckets ag'in... Still, ok... mane tied up, hat on... That felt so much better... Daddy explained that flaxin hair, he called it, like his and mine, that meant a lighter complexion, whatever that was. Well, guess we can get sun burned easier. Guess the hat helped with that. Oh, so that was why... We was soon walking into town together. Daddy wanted to be in the middle, "to take care of his mares" he said with a chuckle. I had to shake away a few tears at that... But the walk was nice; it was a warm summer morning, and the birds were singin'... I sighed... Too early to look for Rainbow... An' walkin' towards Ponyville, well it looked like it always did... Well, no Castle spire yet, but still. And the detour to the library didn't take long, and the three of us walked in. Still, lookin' at it from outside as we walked up... took my breath away... Same older Unicorn mare, same glasses, same slow raising of her head from her book... She smiled though, "Hello Jack and April--" an' by then, she was lookin' at me. "I see you found your long lost kin" the older mare said, then she smiled. I didn't have a clue what to say, couldn't think o' something that wouldn't break everything, but I guess momma had trouble comin' up with the answer too. "Well, Jack and I haven't... don't... Well, I mean we have, and could, but..." Momma stopped at that point and just blushed. Daddy smiled. "Beatrice, meet AJ, a new arrival at our farm. We don't know of her kinfolk yet, but she is every bit a farm girl at heart." I smiled while wantin' to cry buckets ag'in... But at least I didn't break anything... Beatrice smiled. "Well, she does have your mane Jack, and her coat is only a few shades from April's." Tears came at this... I couldn't help it... Jack (daddy) sighed. "Well, when AJ is ready to talk, we will listen. Until then, we will make her feel at home. And she is such a hard worker!" It was quiet briefly, then the librarian... "Well Jack, you know the rules; we sometimes need to charge extra for non-Unicorn use of our books." Well, I had no clue why daddy even brought us here. But daddy spoke up right away. "That's fine Beatrice. I was actually hoping you could help us." I guess this was the right thing to say. Beatrice smiled, and put her book down. Daddy kept going. "We are starting another apple orchard today, and I just wanted to know if there was anything in your books that might suggest the best spacing for the trees." Well, I could'a told him that, but I'd probably break everything if I said anything. Beatrice was in thought briefly, then, using her magic, and without even moving, she pulled a book off a shelf from behind us, laid it on her desk, then opened it in front of her. She read the title "Equestria cultivated Fruit Tree basics" Then she said "let me have a look." After maybe a minute she said, probably read authoritatively "most feel 17 paces to be the optimum tree to tree distance for apple trees." Daddy said thoughtfully "Ok, so 17 paces it is." Then he smiled and said "Thank you Beatrice, you have been a big help." Beatrice smiled, then said "Any time, Jack." After a brief delay, she said "And nice to meet you AJ." Then we filed back out of the library. Except that, on the way out, I saw the shiny bucket that would become Princess Twilight's scrap paper pale... That was... We was soon back out in the morning sun, walking into Ponyville. And we did stop at the fountain for a drink. Bernies Barn Stuff was next, and it was just very different for me to go inside that building and not see any Pinkie, or any cupcakes, or anything to eat, really. Well, there was oat seed, but that... After daddy made the arrangements, we went through the door to the back, and they filled all six of our buckets with apple seeds. Daddy pointed out the buckets were full, so we had to be careful about jostlin' 'em around as we walked. We took our time, and we was soon back to the farm. Daddy walked us straight out to where he wanted us to start the new orchard. Still, he explained. "Our plan is to expand each orchard from the apple seeds from the previous year's apples. We have been doing that with the orchard at the house. I want to start another orchard though, so I just bought some seeds for that. But once we get this orchard going, we will do the same thing, expanding the orchard with last year's seeds." An' I could have told him about where the key tree should be, well where it was, would-- Oh, nevermind... All the rows would be based on the first tree planted. Daddy had to decide that, or I would surely break somethin'... Well, how did my Equestria Girls Twin say it: "plantin' trees ain't rocket science", even though I don't know what a rocket even is. Use y'ur hoof to work soil open, grab a few seeds from somepony else's bucket, spit them out in the hole, cover it back up... We did that, the three of us across, and we let daddy mark off the 17 paces. Well, I would have said 18 paces, and that's what they are, but daddy's pony paces are a little bigger than mine. But he paced the orchard out, and I figured it had to be that way. Still, layin' down seeds, the three of us walkin' a line, 17 paces apart, plantin every 17 paces, well we was out o' seeds in about 3 hours, and had planted an orchard twice the size as the small orchard we... they had. The winter rains would come, and the earth, the sun, the seeds would do the rest. An' we all huddled together and cried after we was done, but probably for far different reasons... Momma said "Thank you for your help AJ... Jack and I would have been out here past supper..." She and I hugged a bit, then daddy hugged me too. Still, daddy felt he should explain a bit more. "I really want a bunch more apple trees in our fields... What we have now is enough for us, but I want to be able to... well, help other folks, those in town. I don't mind makin' a few bits out of it here and there, but most ponies in town don't have room for trees. I want to have enough trees, enough apples to help Ponyville as much as we can." By then we was just standing next to the key tree, looking out across the north orchard. Just looking at it then... well, now... well, at the start... The hair stood up on my neck... Summer never said anything about that... Well, we talked some but mostly just looked out across 'ar... their new orchard. Momma mentioned that it would still be an hour or two before Granny would wake before dinner, so we helped each other take off the buckets, then we just laid down on our bellies right there in the soft oats, the warm sun. Of course momma laid down first, then daddy sort'a curled around her. I expected that. We just talked on and off. Smack in the middle of that, daddy sighed. "AJ, we don't know about your kin, or what you have been through, but I want to leave you with this. I am convinced that it is so important to tell the truth, to always tell the truth, even in little things, or when it was really hard... or even if nopony can say if its true! You don't need to stick it in ponies' faces or anything, but if the situation requires it... telling the truth... I think that is so important. Well, there are someponies in Equestria who will even resent that! But, well nopony likes to be lied to, so it is just bein' a good neighbor, bein' considerate. I want you to think about that." Wow... an' momma was noddin' in agreement as daddy said this. And as I recollected, this had already popped up a time or two before. Well, I agreed too, and maybe had a little better idea where... But I didn't think I should say anything so I didn't break everything. Well, I just smiled, said quietly "Yup..." After a bit, we all hauled our buckets back to the barn, then daddy ran into the house and got the cookin' bucket, and the three of us worked together to fill it up for dinner. That didn't take long. Then it was back to the house, try not to eat too much yummy food, help Granny Bloom with cleanin' up, then send her to bed... Daddy, momma and I walked the fields some that night. Daddy said we should stay away from today's plantin', and that made sense. I think we was all tired, so we didn't stay up late. But that night as we walked the fields together, talkin', I realized that, at some point, I may just need to leave the farm, Portal or no. I figured I couldn't stay here too long without running into myself one day, and that triggered the rest of Summer's comments. Meddlin' with the past can change the future... And no way did I wanna do that, undo that... Well, right here, I didn't wanna change anything. Spendin' all day with momma and daddy... amazingly... even miraculously... Nope... Didn't wanna change a thing... I went to sleep when they did. Why couldn't I spend every day with momma an' daddy both? Daddy had to work the next day, so he headed off to work after breakfast. Momma and I spent time in the oats, huggin' an' cryin... We went in to meet daddy for lunch, then we did chores, then collected dinner apples... Days began to slowly unwind that way, one day at a time. I just drank it all in. More often than I think momma was comfortable with, she would put daddy to bed after dinner too, he was that tired. When that happened, she and I would walk the fields near the house for a bit. She explained more than once that, daddy was big and strong, but that other ponies might be takin' advantage of that, of him. Momma sighed, shook some tears away... I guess there wasn't much she could do about it. Still, each passing day was increasingly more like a slow motion dream, 'cept I woke up ever' mornin'! Daddy had to work just about every day, which meant momma and I spent most of every day together. And the following days, it was so clear to me... Our days were pretty much all the same, But I was cryin' less, sighin' more... Maybe I was catching up or somethin'. But after 2 weeks maybe... Momma would start crying when I wasn't. A few days later, she volunteered. We was walkin' back to the house for lunch. Momma stopped, so I did too. She blushed, then said quietly "Granny thinks I'm expectin'. I don't know if it was you helpin' out or just the right time, but Jack and I... Well, I think we will have a foal soon." We started walking ag'in, and momma smiled and added "Jack is positive it's a filly, and wants to name her Applebloom, a cute name pulling together both our families." Momma was clearly in thought briefly, then she added quietly "But I think it is a colt. And we will name him Jack after his daddy." Well, her sayin' all that, now I wanted to cry buckets all over ag'in... for a bunch o' spells... I realized that my time to leave; well I had sort of a time-line now. That first foal would be Big Mac, I knew that. But still, I probably shouldn't be here, anywhere near... any o' that... An' I wanted to cry buckets because I didn't want to lose what I had wished for, the only thing I had ever wished for -- for so long... I finally, amazingly even miraculously had that, had them, and I just didn't want... "Not just yet" I said quietly to myself over and over ag'in that night, tryin' not to cry... I finally made it to sleep. Ch. 6When I started seein' stuff ag'in, well, I didn't have a clue where, or even when I was... I was surrounded by these huge trees, looked like a ring of 'em. They were all taller than I cared to look up at. But it looked about noon too, wherever I was. It didn't matter, I didn't care, I just fell into the oats. As soon as everything, my momma and daddy began to fade away, I cried hard. I was still cryin' hard, chokin', an' raspin... I didn't want... Every so often, well, pretty regular, I would cry, really cry out "No... no... no... I wanna' go back..." Guess that was how I felt. I cried for a spell, then heard other ponies; it was Summer and Shysage. Summer told me later, they felt some urgency to get to me so they actually flew tight circles on the inside o' that ring of huge trees, then landed as carefully as they could. Well, that sounded dangerous to me. But just like her sister Fluttershy, Summer felt probably a bunch of what, how I felt, and she was quickly in her belly next to me, cryin' with me. I felt so tore up inside, but it really helped to not feel that way alone. An' I thought about sayin' "oh, momma..." but that just made me wanna cry more... Still, I kep' sayin', really cryin' out what I was before, "No... no... no... I wanna' go back..." A bit later, I heard, felt a bunch of other ponies, well all my... Princess Twilight and her girls... Fluttershy on one side, guess her sister moved for her. An' Rainbow next to me... She was even cryin' with me! They was all... I so appreciated everypony around me right then. I cried a while more, still sayin' the same thing pretty regular... Well, I don't know, maybe at some point, somethin' just clicked in my head. I couldn't go back. I shouldn't go back... I probably left when I had to, in order to not mess up the future, so I didn't ruin the right now. My cryin' changed right then. Cryin' softer, I was just so thankful that I could even... That one wish, them three amazin' weeks with momma an' daddy... Yup... I was so thankful for even that. My cryin' wound down after realizin' that, and it was quiet when all I had left were some sniffless. Rarity said hesitantly "Applejack dear, I brought your hat and the straps I put in last week..." Guess me gettin' sent back, they dropped to the floor at the Portal. Well, I know she was tryin' to help, and that didn't bother me. But I just stared far beyond everypony, savored some memories, then slowly, quietly said this, soundin' sorta' amazed, I'm sure. "My daddy put this hat on me... An' daddy an' momma tended to my straps ever' mornin' I was there. I'm not takin' 'em off... ever." Think that brought sniffles to everypony else. But, after thinkin' a bit, I added this. "Rare, we can get those to the farm. These ones won't last forever, but for now..." Well, I couldn't say anything more for a bit. An' I used that special name for Rarity that Summer came up with, just so Rarity knew I wasn't upset or nuthin'. After that it was quiet for a while. I was just glad all my friends were here with me. Havin' to leave my one wish felt really harsh. My friends, havin' 'em all around me, that made for an easier landin' I reckon. It was quiet for a while ag'in, then Princess tried this. "Summer told us where... after you left, and..." Princess started bawlin', barely got out "Oh, Applejack, I just can't imagine..." My friends all cried a bit more at that; guess I did too. After we settled down ag'in... from behind us somewhere, well guess it was Shysage. "I could put together a record, or something..." Well, everypony loved that idea. I think my friends wanted to know what it was that I done, how everything went... I said quietly "Ok, ok..." after a bit of quiet... "Just not today, please." After that, I was wonderin' how I could even handle going back to the farm. That guest room was where I sleep, well now. And with all those memories from just 3 weeks crowdin' in... Pinkie fixed all that. "Sleep-over party at Applejacks tonight!" she yelled, then laughed as only she can. "I'll bring the cup-cakes!" Well, that is what we did. We all walked back from that circle of huge trees. I was amazed at how close it was to Ponyville (an hours brisk walk), and even to the farm. An' Rainbow said she didn't even know about it until Summer showed her. Well, there was plenty of food, plenty of goodies at the farm. Havin' all my friends close, that made that first night ok -- well, it was a lot of fun. Still, the first thing I done before the sun went down that night... As everypony watched, probably wonderin' if I'd lost my mind... I kicked apples outta' trees in the orchard I helped plant a few weeks ago. Then I sighed, deep and long. "Guess I don't have any wishes left... for now anyways." We all laughed a bit at that, then went in and had that party. End Notes Nopony knows for sure what it was that took Jack and April Apple and Granny Bloom from the farm, from Equestria, from three amazing children... and all within the space of 24 hours or less, leaving just Granny Smith to care for the young-uns... It was a great tragedy, and it seemed the whole town suffered through it. Doc Hooves had been in Ponyville less than a month when it happened, and he couldn't find anything... And he mentioned it didn't seem contageous, even though many thought it was Pony Pox. Well, historically, Pony Pox strikes the weaker, foals or older ponies. Well, April and Jack were not that, although April was clearly carrying another foal at the time. Still, Doc mentioned that he found himself face to face with death the first time out of school, and had to decide if he was willing to put his patient's well-being above his own life. He did. There was just nothing he could to do stop their rapid deterioration. Still, Jack Apple, huge strong stallion that he was, he worked in Public Works, working on large projects; extending the train line, building lakes, bridges over rivers, things like that. Equestria kept careful records of all such projects and the ponies that worked on them. This made it easy for me to track down 5 of the ponies still living that had worked with Jack so I could get their input on this question. Three of the 5 just cried. These 3 thought the world of Jack and April. Just like it was yesterday, they couldn't not feel this tragedy all over again. Just like the rest of Ponyville it seemed, they really had no clue what actually took their beloved pony friends away. I felt bad I had asked them about it. The other two, older stallions, well their story was the same, almost identical. They clearly resented Jack Apple for some reason, even though admitting he was a hard worker, consciencious... And when I asked what they felt had taken him away... eyes steeled, filled with a touch of anger maybe, heads slightly down... "Get out". They both did that, yelled that... I have been recording for a while. They don't have lie detectors in Equestria, but I just can't rule out... Applejack told me from the start of recording this... It had to be a stallion who ran all this past her brother Big Mac, and got his input. This was easily understandable; Big Mac was the oldest when Jack, April and Granny Bloom passed on. I was not especially looking forward to this, so I tried to get the other recorder tasks done first. Once the account was done (and Applejack was happy with it), I made arrangements to meet with Big Mac at the farm, out in the orchard at his insistence. I read the account to him. He was stone cold silent for most of it, but when I got to where Applejack was brought back... This huge, powerful stallion who seldom spoke, he broke down and cried loudly. It was a while before he could even talk. But when he could, haltingly, he said this, still crying hard. "Momma and daddy called me Jack after daddy... "An' when it was clear I would be big like daddy... "They always called me 'Big Jack'... 'Yo'ur our Big Jack, son...' "It made me feel so proud... of them... of who I was... could be... "I always tried so hard to please them, to be like them... to live up... [He cried a while here...] "But when I lost 'em... "It hurt so bad... "Like I lost... everything... "It was hard to say... anything... after that... [More crying...] "But I could never say my own name... that name... or even bring myself to... ever again... didn't wanna' even hear it... [More crying...] "...guess 'Big Mac' stuck..." It was the Keeper of Equestria who met us, in the big circle of Redwood trees, maybe 20 minutes flying time from Ponyville. He appeared briefly as we were resting in the grass, and commissioned Summer to send Applejack back in time to her family, but just for a spell... Summer knew what to do, how to do it, but also immediately understood, felt how much this would mean to our precious friend. We flew back to Ponyville, still early in the day, landed, then Summer flew to the farm, walked Applejack to the Castle, to the Portal, and sent her back right away. Then Summer explained to Princess Twilight what had happened. Of course Princess cried, and of course Pinkie showed up immediately, said she would round everypony up, ran back out... Then Summer and I flew back out to that circle of Redwoods. We were pretty sure that was where Applejack would come back... ~~~ Thoroughly researched and carefully written ~~~ ~~~ by Shysage, a Canterlot Recorder. ~~~ ~~~ Y.O.E. 1047 ~~~ I apologize; this one is hand-written. I thought I was done with the Just One Wish account, and had printed it carefully out. Summer and I were taking it to Princess Twilight's Castle, for the trip via Air Coach to Canterlot for printing into book form. The Keeper of Equestria stopped us in our tracks on the way. It is hard to miss this huge, all white stallion Alicorn... We bowed right away, of course, eyes closed... He said simply "You need to add this. The smallest wish of the pure in heart is not lost in heaven." Then he was gone... Ch. 5After daddy headed to work the next mornin', momma and I, we both cried together, huggin' out there in that field. There is no way I shoulda' even tried to say why I was crying, and momma freely admitted she didn't know why she was crying. She said Granny had warned her about this, but she just didn't know. But she said she was so glad I was here with her... I couldn't stop the tears after that... We headed in for lunch as usual, both of us still wipin', shakin' away tears. I think daddy understood his Mare, an' hugged momma for a few minutes, then he hugged me too. Oh my goodness, I melted, and wanted to cry a bunch more buckets all over ag'in. Daddy pulled a piece of paper out o' his sack, handed it to Granny Bloom. Granny spread it on the table, then carefully read it, then chuckled. Granny Bloom looked at me, sighed, then said calmly "Well AJ, young-un, looks like we need to find a new place for you to stay. It's just that Jack's granny, Granny Smith, well, it didn't take long, but she's plum fed up with Manehatten... she's comin' ba--" Everything around me began to fade away right then, right there... Guess it was time for me to go... An' I started crying horrible... But as everything faded, I heard April Bloom, my momma, say this... "Oh my goodness, Jack, she was an Angel... AJ -- Applejack!"
Ch. 1I guess I do have a certain amount of notoriety... Well, a bunch of us do in this sleepy little town. I mean, if you was to wander across the oat fields and stumble into Ponyville, you wouldn't think much of it, just another ponytown. But we -- wow, we have our own Castle, our own Princess even! Notoriety, I don't care none for that. It doesn't really matter to me. My best friends, our Princess, we have been through a lot together, and really helped out, well all Equestria, a bunch of times, I don't know... To me that's just good ponies helpin' out, doing what we can to help against really bad ponies, which there are, sadly, way too many. But you can have that notoriety if you want; file it along with other big words that just don't mean much to me. My best friends, I like being around them. They don't mind that I treasure the truth, telling the truth, even when it is hard, or when nopony else even sees. Honesty... That is me; I live for that. And my best friends, they treasure that too, treasure that in me, too... That kinda' thing means more to me than a bunch of fancy words, ponies cheering, ponies stomping... I guess they mean well, but at the end of the day, after the latest angry pony fiasco or whatever is done... I go home to Sweetapple, walk the fields a while, be with kinfolk, maybe kick a few hay bales or apple trees around... I am content with that. Well, don't tell anypony, but I do have just one wish, hidden back behind a few hay bales in the barn... I ain't never told nopony, and probably never will. I think it is impossible anyway. But even if it never comes true, which I think likely... You can still have all that notoriety; enjoy it for me, I don't care. Summer is one of my friends. She is not officially part of our group (no Element), but, wow... She is quiet, a lot like her sister Fluttershy. But she is also, well the Phantom Alicorn, an' if that don't sound powerful... Well, that pretty little mare, I have seen her in action, helping us mop up bad stallions and such. I'm glad she's on our team. And I like this; when she ain't powerful, she's just a quiet, sensitive peace-loving mare, she and her Stallion both, good ponies. We get along just fine. And I still don't know what happened... We all believe in true friendship, but somehow, that broke, or something, and... Summer and Shysage got the worst of that. I still have no clue, even though I think they are allowed to come around again. And Summer, they have just tried to drop the whole thing, tried to forgive... One of life's un-answered, unanswerable questions though. But I really like being around them. Summer and I walked the fields some a few days ago, mostly just walked, chatted a little... We just spent time together enjoying our orchards, bein' together, even if we said little. But I knew I didn't have to say anything around her. Maybe that's why it was so relaxin'! Don't get me wrong; Princess Twilight, our little group, I love everypony so deeply. Rarity especially can quickly rub me the wrong way, but hey -- she is a part of the group, and accepting that, I accept her... We are all best friends, in this together, no matter what. I guess the Elements have seen to that. It seems the Elements selected us, so we really don't have much choice. Well, I reckon we really need each other, maybe even Equestia needs us to need each other. So, rough edges and all, we are all really close. And yesterday, Applebloom and I wandered into town. Applebloom led us to Rarity's boutique, then Applebloom and Sweetiebelle quickly ran off. It was ok; after finishing her sewing, Rarity took me to lunch, and we talked, and just enjoyed some peace. Well, maybe that is one difference... Horrible monsters, they scare me too, but I guess I am pretty tough inside. Rarity, on the other hand, she is pretty easily... Well, I think she pays a higher price than I do for what we have had to face together, maybe Pinkie too, I don't know. Aside from me having to tell Rarity a few times I didn't want her "sprucing up my mane", we had a nice lunch together. Afterwards, I stopped by the Castle, and visited with Princess Twilight a bit. I felt bad; I interrupted a magic lesson I think. But Princess was having "magic fun" she called it, with my new neighbor, also called Princess, that is her name. She is a good neighbor though. I don't know magic from a rock on the trail, but my neighbor Princess, also a Unicorn, has bailed me out a bunch using her magic. Such a nice mare, and her Stallion too, good neighbors as I said. Of course, we all hugged, chatted briefly, then I walked home. I don't worry too much about Applebloom. She is growing up, and our town is usually pretty safe. The first few times she didn't come home at night, I fretted, slept little, then found out the next morning she spent the night with Sweetiebelle, or something. I explained that once to my Equestria Girls Twin; she laughed and pulled out her cell thing. I don't think that would help me here. Applebloom, I have had to look after her for years, but I am learning to relax about that kind'a thing. It would be dark soon when I got home, so I found some sweets to snack on, then walked the fields at sundown like I often do, when it isn't freezing cold or really cloudy, anyway. Sometimes I snag Rainbow and have her clear me a hole in the clouds for a bit, if I see her flying over, or if she drops by for a visit. It is ok though, whether I can catch a shooting star or not. And after working hard usually since sun-up, I don't mind gettin' some sleep. Summer dropped by, well flew in, and landed near me, maybe halfway to lunch. I was kicking apples down, summer apples, and she would usually help me get 'em in the basket. But this time... Well, it, I sensed that something was up, I don't know. We hugged right away, then Summer said quietly, sounding like it was hard for her to even talk... "Please, you need to just trust me, and come with me to Princess Twilight's Castle." Of course, I would come; the apples could wait 'til tomorrow. We walked together into Ponyville. Little was said, except... Well, I had to know. "Summer, am I in trouble... or something?" Summer stopped, shook her head no, with tears in her eyes, and hugged me tightly. Well, ok. I would like to think that I am pretty used to handling suspense. And I knew, well Summer had never, ever lied to me. I was not alarmed at all. It was a nice walk into town, a nice warm, sunny day in Ponyville, an hour or two before lunch maybe. We headed past guards, into the Castle, to the Library. Summer led us right up to that Portal thing. Well, we usually use that Portal to go to the Equestria Girls world, and our Equestria Girls Twins can use it to come here too, from the other end. I am not real fond of my "people" form, but have come to terms with it, I guess. Wait... I do like playing soccer with Rainbow, and both our twins. Still, I have no clue how that Portal thing works or anything. But we can go back and forth via that Portal -- that is all I know. And, I guess Summer can go back to the past somehow with the Portal; I am not really clear on that part. Well, I guess Fluttershy has been to the past that way a few times, too. She told me once she met Princess Celestia many hundreds of years ago, and they became pretty close back then. I think that, with her sister Princess Luna banished, Princess Celestia needed all the friends she could get back then, and it sounds like ruling Equestria for over a thousand years all by herself... That does not sound fun. (See "Dark Melvain", sorry it is a long story...) As we walked right up to the Portal, Summer didn't say anything, but quickly changed into her Phantom Alicorn right away. Those huge white wings, that pearl white Alicorn horn, the low rumble -- well it all screams power if you ask me. I had no clue what was happening though, what was going to happen... Princess Twilight walked up just then, lookin' just a little alarmed. Summer told her basically the same thing she told me. Well, again, I doubt Summer has ever lied to Princess Twilight either. Wait, Summer added that she would explain to Princess Twilight in a minute. Maybe I would find out then too. Summer put one of her hands on my pony shoulder, then she wrapped her other hand around the smooth, wooden border of the Portal, maybe half way up from the bottom. I think she squeezed that border just a little... There was a bright flash, and Princess Twilight, Summer, the Portal... the Library... everything just... faded away... Author's Note Just One Wish is c2018 by... Sigh... Nevermind...
Ch. 2That bright flash... Wow, I had no clue what was happ'nin... After that flash, it was like everything blinked off, then back on. And when everything blinked back on... It was dead quiet. Well, I realized right away I was about 4 feet up in the air, and that I started to fall. I just got ready, and landed ok. I have found myself up in apple trees higher than that, but don't ask... It was ok. Well, my hat was gone too; maybe it blew away or somethin', I don't know. And I landed on mid-summer, partially dry oats. Wasn't sure where I was though, and a quick scan for the spire of the Castle showed no evidence. I was near some small ponytown however; I recognized that much. It looked to be the same time o' day, a bit before noon in the summer. And the sun was where I'd expect. Ok, it was clear to me I had no clue where I was. Well, I wasn't in the Equestria Girls world, that was for sure. That place is so busy, and noisy -- houses crammed one right next to the other, streets with those noisy car things roaring constantly by... Wouldn't mind having one of them tractor things though. Well, I trusted Summer. I had no idea what she had just done to me. Dredging from my memories, I did see what I thought might be a familiar... well, landmark -- the outline of a very special large tree. It was, well it used to be Princess Twilights... well then it was just a Library, but so much... happened... there... I walked quickly towards it; it was on the outskirts of that town, not a long walk. And the closer I got... It was kinda' like a dream with memories floodin' past. Wow, lookin' at it from the front especially took my breath away... just like it used to be... After some delay, I walked in the door, inside. There, standin' in front of an old desk, an older Unicorn mare, readin' a book... she slowly tilted her head down to look at me over her glasses; she looked me over briefly. "Hello, can I help you?" I wanted to laugh, to cry all at once... I just said quietly "Ok, so this is where the Library is." The mare behind the desk smiled, then said quietly "Yes, but there can be an extra fee for cleaning up books after non-Unicorn use." That again... Oh well... "Thank you." That was all I could say as I turned a little too quickly and left... Must'a been the wrong Library. I sighed, then I turned, then wandered slowly towards the clump of buildings closer now, that looked like any ordinary ponytown. I wasn't hungry yet, but I was thirsty. Gettin' closer to the town, I did notice some sort of fountain or somethin', so I headed that way. I passed ponies of course, and said "Hay" to a few, but I didn't recognize absolutely anypony. I walked slowly through town to that fountain, up to it, and took a drink. Wow, it tasted just like the fountain in Ponyville, and my drink wasn't short. Then I looked up... The Mayors office was directly in front of me. Mearl's old barn, lookin' not so old, was at the end of town to my right. That would mean the Cakes should be... That building I easily recognized, turnin' ag'in, then... Rarity's Boutique... By then I was shakin' my head back and forth in disbelief. How in the world... Well, at this point, findin' anypony I knew would be... I walked slowly towards Rarity's first, and walked in right as another mare walked out. Right away I heard "Hello dear, how would you like your mane done today?" Well, ok, they could leave my mane alone. I asked slowly "I am looking for Rarity, is she here?" The mare looked down in thought briefly, then shook her head slowly side to side, then said almost apologetically "I... My family has worked this salon for generations, and I know of nomare with that name..." Then she smiled. "But we can spruce up your mane if you like!" I smiled back, thanked her, then turned and walked back out. Giving myself way too little time to think, I walked over to the Cakes, another building that is... a Ponyville landmark of sorts. All I had to do was look carefully through one of the front windows. Pinkie would not even be there, it was a barn supply store, sellin' stuff for houses, barns and such. There were no cup-cakes... Then I noticed through one of the windows in the upstairs, it must have been for storage. This was all very unsettling. As I shook off a few tears, I thought to myself "How could this be Ponyville, but without everypony that I have come to love so much?" I had to shake off even more tears as I walked slowly out to Fluttershy's cottage, well, where Fluttershy's cottage used to be, was supposed to be. Walkin' slowly up that hill, the big tree was there, I saw that right away, but maybe it was a bit smaller. I did however, notice a bunch of young ponies workin' on somethin' or other next to that tree, and one of them did look like Applebloom, from far away anyway. I walked slowly up, and tried to sound calmer than I felt. "How y'all doin' young-uns?" They all stopped what they were doing right away, turned and stared at me. I reckon they weren't too happy I was there. And it wasn't Applebloom. One of the other colts said loudly "This is our fort, and no big ponies are allowed here. And if you tell anypony else about our fort, we will... uhm, we will..." I smiled while wantin' to cry, then turned, walked slowly off, back down the hill. "Summer, what did you do to me?" I said this quietly, not really expectin' an answer. But I did realize after that... there really was only one more place for me to go, to try... Sweetapple... I looked over towards the Sun, and realized that I would probably get to the farm near sun-down. I guess I didn't think I had any more alternatives, so I headed there. It was a nice warm day, probably a warm night too, so I was not too worried about where I would sleep. It is just that... what? Why? I walked slowly because I really wasn't in a hurry... I was quickly deep in thought as I walked through this town that mysteriously looked like... oblivious to... "Hello miss, are you new to our town?" an older mare had been walkin' next to me, and she asked that. Honestly, I didn't know what to say. But this is what came out anyway. "Yeah... AJ is the name, and I just got here." She continued. "Well, this is a nice quiet town, I think you will like it here. You may need to spend a few nights in the oats, but soon enough you will find your niche in our pleasant little town. I have a tiny goodies shop hidden behind Mearl's, but I have my eye on Bernie's Barn Stuff. Rumor has it he is ready to retire, and return to Manehatten. His building is where I want my goodie shop to be, smack dab in the middle of town. And I can rent the upstairs." This came out slowly. "Ma'am, I didn't catch your name." "Isabelle Cake, been here about a year. If you can't find a place, let me know, and I will see what I can do. That's what Mearl did for me. We depend on each other in this little town!" She turned around and started to walk back into town. But I just had to know. "Ma'am, what is the name of this town?" "Why, Ponyville, dear. I like that name, actually. Some of the other names in the kingdom are just... silly." There was a brief delay, then she added "Remember, I am next to Mearl's if you need anything." I was glad she was walkin' away, because the look on my face... I was stunned... I am not the shiny-est apple in the basket, but I realized this much... I was in Ponyville, but, what, backwards in time, I guess is the way to say it. Summer had sent me back in time... Ok... But when? Why? I just kept walkin', tryin' to avoid cryin', yet realizin' I had few, well no ideas left... Most of the ponies I knew, and cherished in Ponyville, they were evidently not even here yet... I was shakin' a lot of tears away as I started up the gentle hill to Sweetapple, only there was no sign out front that said that... or anything for that matter... And the closer I got... The barn was there, lookin' nicer than I had ever seen it... The corral, the fences close to the barn, gates were right where they should be. The house looked... The corner room looked like a brand new addition... I... just... couldn't take it... I ran through the lower gate, out into the orchard... Well, it was just one stand of fairly small apple trees... I walked to the edge of that small clump of trees, expectin' to see acres more trees... I plopped down right there in endless oats, and... Yes, I cried... for a while... "Summer, what..." Well, I didn't cry for too long. It was a clear night, and warm, so I watched for shooting stars a bit, saw none, then fell asleep.
Ch. 3I woke up at sun-up like I usually do, but started cryin' ag'in right away... I don't cry much usually, but... An' I noticed pretty quick that my mane, well it wasn't tied up no more, and wasn't since I got here as I realized. Well, it was in my face, guess it got there while I slept. But me cryin', it was makin' my mane wet. I put my nose up and shook my head to get my mane back ag'in, but that just got my tears in my ear, which itched horrible, so I put my nose back down, shook, but that just dumped my mane in my face again... Ya that felt about like... I left my mane in my face an' just cried... Well, I had no ideas. I... There was no way for me to even find that Portal thing, since Princess Twilight's castle wasn't even here yet. Twilight Sparkle wasn't even here yet... And nopony here even knew me... all my friends... I felt... I have never felt so alone... abandoned... Maybe my cryin', it... "Land sakes child, there, there now, lemme help you..." I looked up through tears to find an older mare lookin' so lovingly at me... Almost in wonder, I got slowly up, shook my mane away, and she hugged me tightly right away. Shimmering "yellow delicious" coat... she reminded me immediately of Applebloom, but that would put me, what, in the future? Aww, past, future, shux... I didn't know nuthin'... She hugged me for a little while as I worked on not crying. This older mare eased me away gently. "Young-un, what's y'ur name?" Tryin' to shake my mane back ag'in... "Name's AJ and I just got here... But I just don't know where..." This was absolutely all I could say... The mare hugged me a bit more, as I cried a bit more, then I tried to quit ag'in. As she eased me away a second time "A'm Granny Bloom, and you're welcome to come stay with us for a spell. We just finished ar' guest-room, and you can try it out for us, let us know how it fits!" Granny Bloom laughed after saying this much, then her whole tone softened. "Seriously child, you are welcome to stay with us. There will probably be chores involved, but --" I was grinnin' by then. Maybe she didn't know I loved chores... "Well then, git to it filly! See yonder bucket? Fill it with nice apples, so we can have some breakfast!" Well, that didn't take me long, and I brought the full bucket over to Granny Bloom. She sighed right away. "Mercy, I wish I had your gittyup, child..." We walked slowly back towards the farmhouse as I carried the bucket (rope around my neck of course). Little was said, but I did remember, without warning, almost like a lightning bolt... Summer had said once that when in the past, they had to be SO CAREFUL about what they said for some reason. Well, I didn't remember the reason, but I realized I probably had to do that... That thought made me sigh... Granny Bloom... she sighed too. "It's ok child. The past is sometimes best left alone..." I don't know where that came from, what she meant even. I carried the apple bucket into the kitchen, put it on the table, then Granny Bloom got to work. I just watched; she clearly didn't need any help for this part. Wow, she was good at cookin'. After some amazing smells filled the kitchen, a larger stallion walked into the kitchen. "Wow that smells good, Granny!" Granny Bloom smiled at the stallion "Just like you like it, son." There was a brief pause, then Granny Bloom volunteered "Jack meet AJ, AJ meet Jack." Granny Bloom chuckled, then said "Found 'er in the field crying this mornin'." Jack said calmly "Life on the farm will cure your turmoil, young lady! That's what my Mare told me when she brought me here!" Almost on cue, another mare walked out into the kitchen, and was briefly nose to nose with her Stallion. Afterwards, Jack said calmly "April, this is AJ. Granny found her in the field, crying. I told her farm life would solve everything!" Both laughed, then April walked over and hugged me. "We will do what we can to help you, dear. Just let us know." It was very hard for me to even stand there. I think my jaw was on the floor, and, for some reason, I felt like... a foal... all over ag'in... We were soon eatin' breakfast though, and I was hungry, an' the food was very good. When the stallion was done, he turned to go, then nosed his Mare briefly. "Jack Apple, you be careful at work today, please" his Mare, April said so lovingly to him, then he turned and walked out the door, probably heading into town. It was quiet briefly in the kitchen. I didn't know what to say, and just wanted to go cry hard somewhere, or somethin'... I tried this. "I think I'm goin' for a walk in the fields a bit, maybe clear my head." April and Granny both smiled. Granny said right away "The fresh air will help you feel better." An' April added "And let us know if... you need to talk, or if we can help in any way." I was soon out, past the small orchard, and into the endless oats. It looked the same really... But I... Granny Bloom looked just like Applebloom, well much older... And that stallion Jack looked just like Big Mac... What... Oh my goodness... Jack Apple... and April Bloom... my momma an'... Right there, right then, I fell to the ground, and just cried loudly. I scolded myself for not realizin' earlier, but... I was so young when I lost 'em, an' it hurt so bad... But now... I knew where I was... I knew who they were... But I... shouldn't, couldn't say... anything? What a twisted joke this was... I cried pretty hard for a while...
Ch. 4Oh my goodness... Jack Apple... and April Bloom... my mom an'... Right there, right then, I fell to the ground, and just cried loudly. I knew where I was, I knew who they was... But I... couldn't, shouldn't say... anything? What a twisted joke this was... I cried pretty hard for a while... ...then I slowly realized... April was on her belly behind me, sort of curling around me, crying softly with me... I... laid my head back on her neck. She was a little smaller than I was, but I felt... like a yearling all over ag'in... Still, she managed to get one of her front legs around my neck, and was huggin' me... I just cried... Like I said, I don't usually cry much... An' in the past, well, for me, when somethin' really got to me... Maybe it was hopin' Applebloom would make it through the night with whatever sickness... Or somethin' far worse, like that Dark Melvain character; he an' a bunch o' other bad apples, they almost killed all of us... But I couldn't cry, well not much... I would choke all those tears off, and just say quietly, to myself really... "oh, momma...", sometimes addin' "wish you was here..." So many times, I hurt so bad for her, to be... well, for her to be with me... But she was gone, an' that was all I could say... Well, maybe I was storin' it all up, and it... I was leanin' up against my momma... I bawled like a baby for a while. I couldn't stop the cryin'... A long time later, in a lull in my cryin', April asked quietly "AJ, how can I help you?" I couldn't think, I didn't think... "Just let me stay here a spell..." And I cried some more... well, a bunch more, a while more... When the warm, summer sun was high, I think my crying, well maybe I was done, for now anyways, and it was quiet. April mentioned calmly "Let's go back to the house. Jack should be home for lunch soon, and I should be there for that." I got up right away. Of course, I didn't want to intrude. An' I did try to apologize as April got up too. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry like such a baby..." As we started slowly back to the farm house, April chuckled. "Do you feel better?" I sighed, said "Yup", even though she had no clue. And I didn't either, as these words just dribbled out... "Can you adopt me? ...just for a spell?" That even surprised me. But then, wow... "I think I just need my momma..." Sayin' that made me want to cry a bunch more all over ag'in... April, well it was so hard to not say "momma", which is who she was, an' how I felt... But she was in thought briefly, then said quietly "Something must have happened to your kin." Oh... wow... Then shortly after, she asked "Can we talk about that?" Well, I wasn't about to lie, even over somethin' like this. I told her the honest truth. "I... don't think I should talk about it..." then "I don't think I can say anything without bustin' everything..." I think Summer would have agreed with that too. Momma sighed, smiled, then answered "Well, ok." then after thinkin' some, she added "Well, I do have Jack to take care of... But you are welcome to... We can spend time together when we can. Mornings are usually free. You will quickly find out that afternoons at the farm can be busy." I guess she didn't know I loved chores either. She could find out. Lunch was good, of course, and Jack (...still wanna say 'daddy...') came home, and talked a bunch about work, town and stuff. Watchin' April and Jack "get along"... that was so amazing to me; they clearly loved each other deeply. I think I sighed a lot, ate little, and said nuthin'... Daddy was soon off, back to town again. Us marefolk did cleanin' chores, well momma and I did, while Granny Bloom took a well earned nap. We tidied up in the guest room where I would stay, and I helped momma with other chores. But with two of us doin', well, it was easier an' didn't take so long. Momma thanked me, we hugged... Oh my goodness, maybe we both had to work at not cryin'. I think she kept pretty busy of a day on the farm. But I did do the apple collection for dinner as she watched, smiling. "AJ you are a farm girl!" she said, laughing. If she only knew. Dinner was a lot like lunch, then we all helped Granny Bloom clean up after dinner, then Granny went to bed. An' I guess daddy, er Jack had a tough day at work, and momma put him to bed soon after. Sun was down by then, so we wandered some down the front path, and laid in the grass next to the road watchin' the stars and stuff for a bit. Little was said. An' I didn't watch for nuthin; I just enjoyed every second I think. I followed momma back to the farmhouse, an' went to sleep when she did. Well, I did a inventory first, and figured I didn't say anything I shouldn't. In fact, I decided to say as little as possible; that was probably the safest. I cried briefly, started to say "oh, momma...", then remembered... sighed... Then I fell asleep. I woke with the sun again, and headed to the kitchen first thing, to find Granny Bloom. "Oh good, its you. Come collect more apples for me. Think I need the help!" Then she laughed. Of course, I would help, and did. As she watched, well I had to scout further in the orchard for fresh apples, but I didn't mind. I often had to do that... Nevermind... We was soon back in the kitchen, and Granny cooked up different stuff, but the aroma seemed to draw daddy an' momma out. Daddy said soon after he was in the kitchen "AJ sounds like you are a big help. On behalf of my marefolk, thank you." Then he hugged me, an' I wanted to cry a bunch ag'in... An' of course breakfast was good. And watchin' daddy get ready for work that mornin', it didn't take me long to realize... Momma helped him tie his mane up ever mornin', a few different places, just like I usually do... Guess he needed that for his job; a flyin' mane and chores, hard work, they don't mix well. And he always tipped his hat from the stand, just right, so it fell into place on his head before he walked out the door. I think my jaw was on the floor as I watched all that happen... After daddy left for work, I spent a bunch of the mornin' with momma huggin' me. I cried a bunch ag'in, but was maybe finished with that a bit earlier, and just enjoyed where I was, who I was with... Still, I kept thinkin' of those scary "oh, momma" times, and would cry a bit more. I figured workin' through 'em all might take a while... Momma and I barely made it back to the farmhouse as daddy walked up the road for lunch. He hugged his Mare, then me, and we was eatin' lunch soon after. Daddy mentioned "Ladies, I'm taking tomorrow off, and we will start the north orchard." Momma smiled, but I think I smiled bigger. Oh, my goodness, gettin' to help with that! After a minute maybe, daddy volunteered "Well, things are quiet enough at work, and we need to get those trees planted before first cold." Yeah, I was on the same page with all of that. Daddy was soon off an' back to work, and momma and I did chores together most of the afternoon. We even collected apples together for dinner. That was just a lot of fun. And when we was done, she hugged me again. "AJ you are such a big help. Thank you so much!" Well, we both cried, probably for far different reasons. An' dinner was very good again, but I realized... I wasn't workin' as much as I usually do, well back ho--... I looked down and shook my head just a bit thinkin' that. But I needed to not eat so much, even though the food was so good... I tried to work on that... After Granny went to sleep, daddy, momma an' I went for a long, slow walk around the farm, through oat fields mostly. An' why did I end up in the middle? Daddy loved to talk, an' talked about a lot of different things, the Apple family, the Bloom family, Ponyville, goings on in the kingdom... Momma chimed in a bit, but she and I mostly listened, although I was learnin' a lot about kin that I didn't know. Some I knew, but a bunch... An' we got back at the farm house near dusk. It was a clear night, the first stars were out... I was tempted to watch for... But I had spent the evenin' with my momma an' daddy... I went to sleep when they did, still workin' at not cryin' buckets. Think we was all excited about expandin' the orchard, and were up with the sun the next mornin'. Granny and I left momma and daddy talkin' in the kitchen, while we fetched some apples for breakfast. That didn't take long. An' I think I might'a ate breakfast a little fast, but maybe I wasn't the only one. Granny started into clean-up and daddy led us to the barn. Well, first, momma helped him get his mane tied back. Well, it was still tied from yesterday, but momma checked 'em all. Then momma and daddy tied my mane back too! That made me want to cry buckets all over ag'in. Well, at least my mane was finally out of my face for a spell. And I realized that momma's mane was pretty short, well compared to mine and daddy's. Momma's mane really didn't need to be tied back I guess. Next stop was the barn, and daddy helped us all get these bucket harnesses on, bucket on each side... I use 'em for apples, but I didn't think... Daddy set the schedule. "First stop library, then to Bernies to get some seed." Well, the library, I don't know, but we would need seeds to plant trees. This country girl knew that much! An' I guess me helpin' with haulin' seed meant they could get a lot more trees planted today. I didn't mind. But wow... Me realizin' that a few days ago I was kickin' apples out o' trees I would help plant today... That thought fried my brain... just as daddy walked over with another hat just like his, and plopped it down on my head just right... ...then said "just like my little philly!" Momma and daddy both laughed, but I wanted to run... no wait... But I did want to cry buckets ag'in... Still, ok... mane tied up, hat on... That felt so much better... Daddy explained that flaxin hair, he called it, like his and mine, that meant a lighter complexion, whatever that was. Well, guess we can get sun burned easier. Guess the hat helped with that. Oh, so that was why... We was soon walking into town together. Daddy wanted to be in the middle, "to take care of his mares" he said with a chuckle. I had to shake away a few tears at that... But the walk was nice; it was a warm summer morning, and the birds were singin'... I sighed... Too early to look for Rainbow... An' walkin' towards Ponyville, well it looked like it always did... Well, no Castle spire yet, but still. And the detour to the library didn't take long, and the three of us walked in. Still, lookin' at it from outside as we walked up... took my breath away... Same older Unicorn mare, same glasses, same slow raising of her head from her book... She smiled though, "Hello Jack and April--" an' by then, she was lookin' at me. "I see you found your long lost kin" the older mare said, then she smiled. I didn't have a clue what to say, couldn't think o' something that wouldn't break everything, but I guess momma had trouble comin' up with the answer too. "Well, Jack and I haven't... don't... Well, I mean we have, and could, but..." Momma stopped at that point and just blushed. Daddy smiled. "Beatrice, meet AJ, a new arrival at our farm. We don't know of her kinfolk yet, but she is every bit a farm girl at heart." I smiled while wantin' to cry buckets ag'in... But at least I didn't break anything... Beatrice smiled. "Well, she does have your mane Jack, and her coat is only a few shades from April's." Tears came at this... I couldn't help it... Jack (daddy) sighed. "Well, when AJ is ready to talk, we will listen. Until then, we will make her feel at home. And she is such a hard worker!" It was quiet briefly, then the librarian... "Well Jack, you know the rules; we sometimes need to charge extra for non-Unicorn use of our books." Well, I had no clue why daddy even brought us here. But daddy spoke up right away. "That's fine Beatrice. I was actually hoping you could help us." I guess this was the right thing to say. Beatrice smiled, and put her book down. Daddy kept going. "We are starting another apple orchard today, and I just wanted to know if there was anything in your books that might suggest the best spacing for the trees." Well, I could'a told him that, but I'd probably break everything if I said anything. Beatrice was in thought briefly, then, using her magic, and without even moving, she pulled a book off a shelf from behind us, laid it on her desk, then opened it in front of her. She read the title "Equestria cultivated Fruit Tree basics" Then she said "let me have a look." After maybe a minute she said, probably read authoritatively "most feel 17 paces to be the optimum tree to tree distance for apple trees." Daddy said thoughtfully "Ok, so 17 paces it is." Then he smiled and said "Thank you Beatrice, you have been a big help." Beatrice smiled, then said "Any time, Jack." After a brief delay, she said "And nice to meet you AJ." Then we filed back out of the library. Except that, on the way out, I saw the shiny bucket that would become Princess Twilight's scrap paper pale... That was... We was soon back out in the morning sun, walking into Ponyville. And we did stop at the fountain for a drink. Bernies Barn Stuff was next, and it was just very different for me to go inside that building and not see any Pinkie, or any cupcakes, or anything to eat, really. Well, there was oat seed, but that... After daddy made the arrangements, we went through the door to the back, and they filled all six of our buckets with apple seeds. Daddy pointed out the buckets were full, so we had to be careful about jostlin' 'em around as we walked. We took our time, and we was soon back to the farm. Daddy walked us straight out to where he wanted us to start the new orchard. Still, he explained. "Our plan is to expand each orchard from the apple seeds from the previous year's apples. We have been doing that with the orchard at the house. I want to start another orchard though, so I just bought some seeds for that. But once we get this orchard going, we will do the same thing, expanding the orchard with last year's seeds." An' I could have told him about where the key tree should be, well where it was, would-- Oh, nevermind... All the rows would be based on the first tree planted. Daddy had to decide that, or I would surely break somethin'... Well, how did my Equestria Girls Twin say it: "plantin' trees ain't rocket science", even though I don't know what a rocket even is. Use y'ur hoof to work soil open, grab a few seeds from somepony else's bucket, spit them out in the hole, cover it back up... We did that, the three of us across, and we let daddy mark off the 17 paces. Well, I would have said 18 paces, and that's what they are, but daddy's pony paces are a little bigger than mine. But he paced the orchard out, and I figured it had to be that way. Still, layin' down seeds, the three of us walkin' a line, 17 paces apart, plantin every 17 paces, well we was out o' seeds in about 3 hours, and had planted an orchard twice the size as the small orchard we... they had. The winter rains would come, and the earth, the sun, the seeds would do the rest. An' we all huddled together and cried after we was done, but probably for far different reasons... Momma said "Thank you for your help AJ... Jack and I would have been out here past supper..." She and I hugged a bit, then daddy hugged me too. Still, daddy felt he should explain a bit more. "I really want a bunch more apple trees in our fields... What we have now is enough for us, but I want to be able to... well, help other folks, those in town. I don't mind makin' a few bits out of it here and there, but most ponies in town don't have room for trees. I want to have enough trees, enough apples to help Ponyville as much as we can." By then we was just standing next to the key tree, looking out across the north orchard. Just looking at it then... well, now... well, at the start... The hair stood up on my neck... Summer never said anything about that... Well, we talked some but mostly just looked out across 'ar... their new orchard. Momma mentioned that it would still be an hour or two before Granny would wake before dinner, so we helped each other take off the buckets, then we just laid down on our bellies right there in the soft oats, the warm sun. Of course momma laid down first, then daddy sort'a curled around her. I expected that. We just talked on and off. Smack in the middle of that, daddy sighed. "AJ, we don't know about your kin, or what you have been through, but I want to leave you with this. I am convinced that it is so important to tell the truth, to always tell the truth, even in little things, or when it was really hard... or even if nopony can say if its true! You don't need to stick it in ponies' faces or anything, but if the situation requires it... telling the truth... I think that is so important. Well, there are someponies in Equestria who will even resent that! But, well nopony likes to be lied to, so it is just bein' a good neighbor, bein' considerate. I want you to think about that." Wow... an' momma was noddin' in agreement as daddy said this. And as I recollected, this had already popped up a time or two before. Well, I agreed too, and maybe had a little better idea where... But I didn't think I should say anything so I didn't break everything. Well, I just smiled, said quietly "Yup..." After a bit, we all hauled our buckets back to the barn, then daddy ran into the house and got the cookin' bucket, and the three of us worked together to fill it up for dinner. That didn't take long. Then it was back to the house, try not to eat too much yummy food, help Granny Bloom with cleanin' up, then send her to bed... Daddy, momma and I walked the fields some that night. Daddy said we should stay away from today's plantin', and that made sense. I think we was all tired, so we didn't stay up late. But that night as we walked the fields together, talkin', I realized that, at some point, I may just need to leave the farm, Portal or no. I figured I couldn't stay here too long without running into myself one day, and that triggered the rest of Summer's comments. Meddlin' with the past can change the future... And no way did I wanna do that, undo that... Well, right here, I didn't wanna change anything. Spendin' all day with momma and daddy... amazingly... even miraculously... Nope... Didn't wanna change a thing... I went to sleep when they did. Why couldn't I spend every day with momma an' daddy both? Daddy had to work the next day, so he headed off to work after breakfast. Momma and I spent time in the oats, huggin' an' cryin... We went in to meet daddy for lunch, then we did chores, then collected dinner apples... Days began to slowly unwind that way, one day at a time. I just drank it all in. More often than I think momma was comfortable with, she would put daddy to bed after dinner too, he was that tired. When that happened, she and I would walk the fields near the house for a bit. She explained more than once that, daddy was big and strong, but that other ponies might be takin' advantage of that, of him. Momma sighed, shook some tears away... I guess there wasn't much she could do about it. Still, each passing day was increasingly more like a slow motion dream, 'cept I woke up ever' mornin'! Daddy had to work just about every day, which meant momma and I spent most of every day together. And the following days, it was so clear to me... Our days were pretty much all the same, But I was cryin' less, sighin' more... Maybe I was catching up or somethin'. But after 2 weeks maybe... Momma would start crying when I wasn't. A few days later, she volunteered. We was walkin' back to the house for lunch. Momma stopped, so I did too. She blushed, then said quietly "Granny thinks I'm expectin'. I don't know if it was you helpin' out or just the right time, but Jack and I... Well, I think we will have a foal soon." We started walking ag'in, and momma smiled and added "Jack is positive it's a filly, and wants to name her Applebloom, a cute name pulling together both our families." Momma was clearly in thought briefly, then she added quietly "But I think it is a colt. And we will name him Jack after his daddy." Well, her sayin' all that, now I wanted to cry buckets all over ag'in... for a bunch o' spells... I realized that my time to leave; well I had sort of a time-line now. That first foal would be Big Mac, I knew that. But still, I probably shouldn't be here, anywhere near... any o' that... An' I wanted to cry buckets because I didn't want to lose what I had wished for, the only thing I had ever wished for -- for so long... I finally, amazingly even miraculously had that, had them, and I just didn't want... "Not just yet" I said quietly to myself over and over ag'in that night, tryin' not to cry... I finally made it to sleep.
Ch. 6When I started seein' stuff ag'in, well, I didn't have a clue where, or even when I was... I was surrounded by these huge trees, looked like a ring of 'em. They were all taller than I cared to look up at. But it looked about noon too, wherever I was. It didn't matter, I didn't care, I just fell into the oats. As soon as everything, my momma and daddy began to fade away, I cried hard. I was still cryin' hard, chokin', an' raspin... I didn't want... Every so often, well, pretty regular, I would cry, really cry out "No... no... no... I wanna' go back..." Guess that was how I felt. I cried for a spell, then heard other ponies; it was Summer and Shysage. Summer told me later, they felt some urgency to get to me so they actually flew tight circles on the inside o' that ring of huge trees, then landed as carefully as they could. Well, that sounded dangerous to me. But just like her sister Fluttershy, Summer felt probably a bunch of what, how I felt, and she was quickly in her belly next to me, cryin' with me. I felt so tore up inside, but it really helped to not feel that way alone. An' I thought about sayin' "oh, momma..." but that just made me wanna cry more... Still, I kep' sayin', really cryin' out what I was before, "No... no... no... I wanna' go back..." A bit later, I heard, felt a bunch of other ponies, well all my... Princess Twilight and her girls... Fluttershy on one side, guess her sister moved for her. An' Rainbow next to me... She was even cryin' with me! They was all... I so appreciated everypony around me right then. I cried a while more, still sayin' the same thing pretty regular... Well, I don't know, maybe at some point, somethin' just clicked in my head. I couldn't go back. I shouldn't go back... I probably left when I had to, in order to not mess up the future, so I didn't ruin the right now. My cryin' changed right then. Cryin' softer, I was just so thankful that I could even... That one wish, them three amazin' weeks with momma an' daddy... Yup... I was so thankful for even that. My cryin' wound down after realizin' that, and it was quiet when all I had left were some sniffless. Rarity said hesitantly "Applejack dear, I brought your hat and the straps I put in last week..." Guess me gettin' sent back, they dropped to the floor at the Portal. Well, I know she was tryin' to help, and that didn't bother me. But I just stared far beyond everypony, savored some memories, then slowly, quietly said this, soundin' sorta' amazed, I'm sure. "My daddy put this hat on me... An' daddy an' momma tended to my straps ever' mornin' I was there. I'm not takin' 'em off... ever." Think that brought sniffles to everypony else. But, after thinkin' a bit, I added this. "Rare, we can get those to the farm. These ones won't last forever, but for now..." Well, I couldn't say anything more for a bit. An' I used that special name for Rarity that Summer came up with, just so Rarity knew I wasn't upset or nuthin'. After that it was quiet for a while. I was just glad all my friends were here with me. Havin' to leave my one wish felt really harsh. My friends, havin' 'em all around me, that made for an easier landin' I reckon. It was quiet for a while ag'in, then Princess tried this. "Summer told us where... after you left, and..." Princess started bawlin', barely got out "Oh, Applejack, I just can't imagine..." My friends all cried a bit more at that; guess I did too. After we settled down ag'in... from behind us somewhere, well guess it was Shysage. "I could put together a record, or something..." Well, everypony loved that idea. I think my friends wanted to know what it was that I done, how everything went... I said quietly "Ok, ok..." after a bit of quiet... "Just not today, please." After that, I was wonderin' how I could even handle going back to the farm. That guest room was where I sleep, well now. And with all those memories from just 3 weeks crowdin' in... Pinkie fixed all that. "Sleep-over party at Applejacks tonight!" she yelled, then laughed as only she can. "I'll bring the cup-cakes!" Well, that is what we did. We all walked back from that circle of huge trees. I was amazed at how close it was to Ponyville (an hours brisk walk), and even to the farm. An' Rainbow said she didn't even know about it until Summer showed her. Well, there was plenty of food, plenty of goodies at the farm. Havin' all my friends close, that made that first night ok -- well, it was a lot of fun. Still, the first thing I done before the sun went down that night... As everypony watched, probably wonderin' if I'd lost my mind... I kicked apples outta' trees in the orchard I helped plant a few weeks ago. Then I sighed, deep and long. "Guess I don't have any wishes left... for now anyways." We all laughed a bit at that, then went in and had that party.
End Notes Nopony knows for sure what it was that took Jack and April Apple and Granny Bloom from the farm, from Equestria, from three amazing children... and all within the space of 24 hours or less, leaving just Granny Smith to care for the young-uns... It was a great tragedy, and it seemed the whole town suffered through it. Doc Hooves had been in Ponyville less than a month when it happened, and he couldn't find anything... And he mentioned it didn't seem contageous, even though many thought it was Pony Pox. Well, historically, Pony Pox strikes the weaker, foals or older ponies. Well, April and Jack were not that, although April was clearly carrying another foal at the time. Still, Doc mentioned that he found himself face to face with death the first time out of school, and had to decide if he was willing to put his patient's well-being above his own life. He did. There was just nothing he could to do stop their rapid deterioration. Still, Jack Apple, huge strong stallion that he was, he worked in Public Works, working on large projects; extending the train line, building lakes, bridges over rivers, things like that. Equestria kept careful records of all such projects and the ponies that worked on them. This made it easy for me to track down 5 of the ponies still living that had worked with Jack so I could get their input on this question. Three of the 5 just cried. These 3 thought the world of Jack and April. Just like it was yesterday, they couldn't not feel this tragedy all over again. Just like the rest of Ponyville it seemed, they really had no clue what actually took their beloved pony friends away. I felt bad I had asked them about it. The other two, older stallions, well their story was the same, almost identical. They clearly resented Jack Apple for some reason, even though admitting he was a hard worker, consciencious... And when I asked what they felt had taken him away... eyes steeled, filled with a touch of anger maybe, heads slightly down... "Get out". They both did that, yelled that... I have been recording for a while. They don't have lie detectors in Equestria, but I just can't rule out... Applejack told me from the start of recording this... It had to be a stallion who ran all this past her brother Big Mac, and got his input. This was easily understandable; Big Mac was the oldest when Jack, April and Granny Bloom passed on. I was not especially looking forward to this, so I tried to get the other recorder tasks done first. Once the account was done (and Applejack was happy with it), I made arrangements to meet with Big Mac at the farm, out in the orchard at his insistence. I read the account to him. He was stone cold silent for most of it, but when I got to where Applejack was brought back... This huge, powerful stallion who seldom spoke, he broke down and cried loudly. It was a while before he could even talk. But when he could, haltingly, he said this, still crying hard. "Momma and daddy called me Jack after daddy... "An' when it was clear I would be big like daddy... "They always called me 'Big Jack'... 'Yo'ur our Big Jack, son...' "It made me feel so proud... of them... of who I was... could be... "I always tried so hard to please them, to be like them... to live up... [He cried a while here...] "But when I lost 'em... "It hurt so bad... "Like I lost... everything... "It was hard to say... anything... after that... [More crying...] "But I could never say my own name... that name... or even bring myself to... ever again... didn't wanna' even hear it... [More crying...] "...guess 'Big Mac' stuck..." It was the Keeper of Equestria who met us, in the big circle of Redwood trees, maybe 20 minutes flying time from Ponyville. He appeared briefly as we were resting in the grass, and commissioned Summer to send Applejack back in time to her family, but just for a spell... Summer knew what to do, how to do it, but also immediately understood, felt how much this would mean to our precious friend. We flew back to Ponyville, still early in the day, landed, then Summer flew to the farm, walked Applejack to the Castle, to the Portal, and sent her back right away. Then Summer explained to Princess Twilight what had happened. Of course Princess cried, and of course Pinkie showed up immediately, said she would round everypony up, ran back out... Then Summer and I flew back out to that circle of Redwoods. We were pretty sure that was where Applejack would come back... ~~~ Thoroughly researched and carefully written ~~~ ~~~ by Shysage, a Canterlot Recorder. ~~~ ~~~ Y.O.E. 1047 ~~~ I apologize; this one is hand-written. I thought I was done with the Just One Wish account, and had printed it carefully out. Summer and I were taking it to Princess Twilight's Castle, for the trip via Air Coach to Canterlot for printing into book form. The Keeper of Equestria stopped us in our tracks on the way. It is hard to miss this huge, all white stallion Alicorn... We bowed right away, of course, eyes closed... He said simply "You need to add this. The smallest wish of the pure in heart is not lost in heaven." Then he was gone...
Ch. 5After daddy headed to work the next mornin', momma and I, we both cried together, huggin' out there in that field. There is no way I shoulda' even tried to say why I was crying, and momma freely admitted she didn't know why she was crying. She said Granny had warned her about this, but she just didn't know. But she said she was so glad I was here with her... I couldn't stop the tears after that... We headed in for lunch as usual, both of us still wipin', shakin' away tears. I think daddy understood his Mare, an' hugged momma for a few minutes, then he hugged me too. Oh my goodness, I melted, and wanted to cry a bunch more buckets all over ag'in. Daddy pulled a piece of paper out o' his sack, handed it to Granny Bloom. Granny spread it on the table, then carefully read it, then chuckled. Granny Bloom looked at me, sighed, then said calmly "Well AJ, young-un, looks like we need to find a new place for you to stay. It's just that Jack's granny, Granny Smith, well, it didn't take long, but she's plum fed up with Manehatten... she's comin' ba--" Everything around me began to fade away right then, right there... Guess it was time for me to go... An' I started crying horrible... But as everything faded, I heard April Bloom, my momma, say this... "Oh my goodness, Jack, she was an Angel... AJ -- Applejack!"
