Author's Note

Were this an actual movie or special, I think that this song would suit the opening credits rather well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IIOTlXIagk

• Anyway, I'm excited to actually be writing a story for once! FiMFiction (or however you write that) is so full of creative talent and passion, and it branches off of such a groundbreaking series, that I couldn't help but get the urge to join in, regardless of how late to the party I am. It's also a chance for me to experience the highs and lows of actually creating something. If you stumbled upon this, sorry for the bother, but hopefully I can build it into something entertaining enough. One way or another, constructive critique is always welcome.

Act 1 — Chapter 1 - Among Orchards

Typically, the Apple Family looked forward to the fall season more than any other.
The cooler weather meant finishing up chores without getting so sweaty; the drier, firmer earth meant not having to trudge through as much mud; and the constant shedding of so many trees provided for a near-endless supply of leaf piles to dive into—with some spectacularly chromatic splashes to boot.
Most importantly, however, was that Sweet Apple Acres' namesake product was in full bloom around this time of year. Apples, both large and lustrous, were practically bursting from every tree on the farm right now. This season was looking to be particularly bountiful, and with that bounty came a whole slew of tantalizing possibilities...

Pinkie Pie could usually put it best:
“Apple butter, apple juice, apple cider, apple sauces, apple jams, apple dumplings, apple stroodles—oooh, apple streusels—apple turnovers, apple chips, apple pies, APPLE CAKES, MMMMMM!” just to name a few. And it was these products, as well as their resultant profits, that would help maintain and improve the farm year after year. It was a whole lot of hard work, but the dividends were almost always as sweet as the produce.

Yes, for one reason or another, the Apple Family always looked forward to fall, and most of them were enjoying it as much as expected; however, one such Apple wasn't quite as jubilant as the rest of the bunch, and her friends were beginning to worry about her.

Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy made their way down the path leading to Sweet Apple Acres' western orchards. Between clear skies and a refreshingly crisp breeze, it was certainly a lovely Saturday afternoon—perfect for spending some time with their best friends. Sadly, they were already down one of the usual group, and Applejack had passed on almost every opportunity to hang out for over a week now. Her excuse was always that there were chores to catch up on, but that was sounding less believable by the day. The cowgirl was a hard worker, no doubt, but rarely did her responsibilities ever keep her away for too long. Add onto that how distant and distracted she seemed as of late, and it all became a bit too much not to wonder about.

“I'm telling you, something is definitely up,” said a determined Sunset.

“Ohh...I don't know, Sunset,” Fluttershy chimed timidly. “Maybe Applejack's just fallen behind on her chores? This is usually the busiest time of the year for them, right?”

“Sure, but didn't you notice how the rest of her family was acting?”

Following the directions they were given from Applebloom, the two started to veer off toward the trees then. Applejack's younger sister had actually been the first person they encountered on this visit, and they found her just aimlessly putzing about. An unusual sight to behold, but it wasn't the only thing that seemed amiss around here.

“It's almost like...they're falling behind her. Like she's outworking all of them. How often is Applebloom just standing around with not much to do? And did you see Big Mac? He was lugging all those apple-bins like it was a marathon or something!”

“Well...I guess it is a little strange. Every time I help out around here, they always seem pretty coordinated with each other. And the animals are acting a bit more...uptight than usual.”

“See? Maybe it's nothing, but we should at least check to make sure she's alright. If nothing else, we could offer to help out. Better to work with friends than alone, right?”

The girls ventured deeper inward, hoping to track down their friend by following her trail—footprints, discarded apples, or even a line of fruitless trees—but there wasn't any to speak of. All of the nearby trees were stripped clean, but everything else seemed largely untouched. Did Applejack seriously have the time to harvest all of this and tidy up the aftermath without any help at all? Sunset and Fluttershy were having enough trouble just navigating these labyrinthine woodlands.

They tried calling out for their friend but to no avail. Fluttershy would've asked some nearby wildlife for directions, but the harvesting must've scared them all away for the time being. Eventually, as the options dwindled away and the orchard grew harder to navigate, the two were forced to rethink things for a moment.

“Ugh! I always forget how large this place is. How does AJ do it?”

“Should we head back?”

"Yeah... Maybe we can track down Applebloom again and—"

Before they could deliberate any further, however, the excited barks of a familiar little collie began echoing throughout the orchard. Moments later, Fluttershy spotted said pup bounding towards her, and before she could even react, it leaped into her arms and licked at her face enthusiastically.

“Why, hello, Winona!” she giggled. “How are you today? Oh, your coat looks so lovely! What? Oh! She's saying 'hello' to you too, Sunset!”

“Um, hey, Winona... Nice weather, huh?”
Sunset awkwardly patted the collie's head. Even with Fluttershy as a translator, she never quite knew what to say to most animals. What kind of small talk could you possibly make with a dog, after all? Still though, perhaps there was something that might be worth discussing with this one right now.

“Hey, you haven't seen Applejack around here by chance, have you?”

Winona replied with only a few barks, but they were enough to elicit a chuckle from Fluttershy before she interpreted them for her friend.

“That's so kind of you! She says she has, and she'd be happy to show us where.”

“That's great! Lead the way, girl!”

The collie launched from Fluttershy's embrace and started jogging along, with the girls following closely behind.
A couple of minutes and more than a few twists and turns later, they finally reached what was certainly a unique landmark to behold: a veritable pyramid of apple-bins. Each one was to the point of overflowing, and the entire precarious arrangement stood about as high as a tractor. Uninitiated though she may have been, even Sunset could tell that this was beyond an early fall day's worth of harvest—especially for one person.

“Whoa! No wonder Big Mac's running himself ragged! Can you imagine having to carry all these back in a day?”

“Especially when more are coming?” Fluttershy added, pointing to a nearby tree encircled with more bins—just as a few more apples fell into some already mounting piles.

As the girls walked up to get a closer look, they soon noticed the ladder also leaning against the tree, as well as the farmer perched on top of it. Her golden ponytail was littered with leaves, and her hat housed enough loose twigs to fashion a small bird's nest; however, debris or not, there was no mistaking who was rummaging through those branches then...and who was looking every bit as off as she had for the past week.

“Applejack?” they both asked, sharing a glance before approaching their friend.

Well, things certainly seemed alright with her, insane amount of implied labor notwithstanding. Applejack was always good at projecting a certain aura—one of stalwart dependability and confidence—the kind that reaffirmed her role as one of the most trustworthy people around. To the average observer, that's exactly who seemed to be atop that ladder right then: a hard worker just focused on her duties. But her closest friends saw more and knew better.

“Applejack?” Fluttershy called out lightly.
Their friend didn't respond. Instead, she just plucked another apple from the tree, gave it a serious once-over, and tossed it over her shoulder.

“...Bad,” she moaned, before reaching for another.

Sunset took a step closer.
“Hello? Applejack?”

The farm girl's sharp glare could've peeled the fruit she was inspecting then. It rotated slowly between her palms as she grumbled, her face twisting with a look somewhere between confused and upset.

"...Fer cryin' out loud," she mumbled. "Can't believe she—"

“APPLEJACK!”

“Gah!” she yelped, nearly tumbling down the ladder in a startle.
It took a moment more for Applejack to gather herself then, but having been jolted back to reality, she finally noticed her friends and regarded them with a slightly embarrassed smile.

“Oh, uh...howdy, Sunset! Fluttershy! Y'all gave me a pretty good jump there. What brings ya 'round these parts?”

“Sorry about that, AJ,” Sunset replied with a light chuckle. “We were just wondering what you've been up to. Haven't seen much of you around lately.”

“Heh, yer lookin' at most of it. Just gettin' a head start on this year's harvest is all.”

“Yyyeahhh...we noticed.”

Sunset looked back over at the apple pyramid, just in time for a pickup truck to pull up nearby. From there, a disheveled Big Mac stepped out and started wearily loading the truck with bins, all the while trying his hardest to keep both the pyramid and himself from falling over.
It's a shame they hadn't run into Applejack's brother first during this visit. He could've given them a ride, and they could've perhaps given him a moment to catch his breath.

“Umm, I'm no apple expert or anything, but isn't it still a little early to be this far into harvesting?”

Applejack readjusted her stetson, trying to hide how awkward she felt while fishing for an explanation.
“Oh, uh... Heh heh. Well, it's lookin' to be a pretty busy season this year, so me an' the family thought it'd be best to get a move on now, ya know? Early bird gets the worm an' all that.”

With that, she quickly turned back around and started ruffling through the branches again.

“Uh-huh... Speaking of, Applebloom told us you already took care of her harvest chores. And we couldn't help noticing Big Mac. Looks like he's really struggling to keep up with all the bins you've filled. Are they all from this morning?”

“'Course not, Sunset,” Applejack replied, tossing another couple of apples over her shoulder. She seemed to be moving a bit faster at this now.
“Reckon that's only about half a' everything I harvested so far today. An' don't you worry none 'bout Big Mac. Why, he practically lives for luggin'. Ain't that right, Big Mac!?”

“...Eee...yup!” the young man panted, all the while wobbling his way back with a bin balanced on his hunched-over back.

Sunset and Fluttershy couldn't help but exchange a worried glance—if not for their friend, then for the poor fellow who looked like he was about to keel over underneath a makeshift apple-bin tombstone.

“Well...sure was nice seein' y'all,” Applejack said rather hastily, “but I'd best be gettin' back to my work, so...”

Everyone had their tells, and hers were about as loud and unsubtle as Pinkie Pie announcing a party.

“...Um, Applejack?” Fluttershy said. “...Are you sure you're alright?”

“Huh!? 'C-'Course I am! What makes y'all think I ain't?”
Those apples were falling about as fast as she could pluck them now. When was the last time one actually made it into a bin?

“...Well... It's just... You haven't seemed quite like yourself.”

“And you haven't been around much lately," Sunset added, sensing her friend's discomfort over broaching the topic. "Is something wrong?”

“I...I-I just been busy is all. Shoot, between all the pluckin', gatherin', inspectin', an'—”

“Inspecting? I thought Granny Smith was in charge of that. Isn't that where Big Mac's taking those apples now?”

“Uh, well... I-I mean... Granny's just gettin' a bit older nowadays, an' her eyes ain't 'xactly what they used to be. So, I reckoned I'd help out a bit. They say the eyes are always the first to go!”

Applejack forced a weak laugh before tossing another apple aside.
“Take that lil' sucker right there. Ain't no way we can use it.”

Fluttershy picked up the apparently bad produce and looked it over.
“Really? But...this apple looks perfectly delicious. Why, I bet even Angel Bunny would love this, and he can be very picky with his midnight snacks.”

“Heh. Sure, that one looks mighty fine now—all shiny an' smooth-like. But maybe it's startin' to dry out, or it ain't quite ripe enough, ya know?”
Okay, now she was just launching apples straight from the tree.

“An' how 'bout when it's gone an' you don't know what's goin' on with it? Maybe it gets all bruised on the trip over to the barn.”
An apple landed right near Sunset's foot.

“Maybe it falls overboard, or gets lost when they're bein' unloaded!”
An apple flew dangerously close by Sunset's shoulder.

“Um, Applejack?”

“Or MAYBE it gets attacked by a gosh-darn worm, an' you ain't there to help it cuz it hasn't reached out to ya in—”

An apple bounced right off of Sunset's head.
“OW! Hey...”

Applejack stopped then and there, turning to see Sunset nursing the newfound bump on her scalp. The guilt almost instantly washed over her, and she quickly slid down the ladder as Fluttershy inspected their friend's head.

“Are you alright, Sunset?”

“Yeah...no biggie. Hey, maybe now I'll have an epiphany about Equestrian Magic or something, right?”

Seeing Sunset joke just made Applejack feel all the worse. Her friends came here to check up on her, and all she did in return was try to dodge their concerns and rain down red-delicious carnage. And all over something so stupid...
Enough was enough.
She pulled her hat off and held it close to her chest before speaking, all the while choosing her words carefully.

“...I'm mighty sorry, Sunset. To you too, Fluttershy... I...I know I've been actin' off lately. Truth is, I been feelin' a might off as well. That's why I started workin' so much 'round here, so y'all wouldn't have to put up with it, an' so I could get my mind offa my thoughts fer a while. And...I guess I was just a lil' embarrassed talkin' 'bout it...”

“Hey,” Sunset replied gently, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. “It's alright. We didn't mean to pry into your business. We just wanted to make sure you were alright, and see if we could help. You know there's nothing to be embarrassed about around us, but if you'd rather just handle things on your own for now, we totally accept that.”

Fluttershy nodded with a soft smile, and Applejack couldn't help but grin back at the both of them. She hated showing weakness, especially to the people that she cared about most. However, her friends always found a way to remind her of just how much strength it took to confide in those you trusted, and how much strength they could lend if you allowed them to. If Rarity were here, she'd say the same—

“...Heh... Reckon I've done just about enough on my own," " she said, before placing her hat back on and taking a deep breath. "Truth is...it's about Rarity... Actually, have either of y'all heard from her?”

“Hmm, nothing directly. But her Snapgab's been on fire lately. Seems like she's really having fun in Manehattan!”

“Oh, did you see her latest picture?”
Fluttershy pulled out her phone, fiddled with it for a moment, and showed Applejack. On the screen was an image of Rarity and her sister chowing down on a generously-sized ice cream sundae, their grinning mouths coated over with melted chocolate and vanilla. Sunset certainly wasn't wrong; she really seemed to be enjoying herself...

“...Aw, y'all know I don't really follow all that Snapgab hooey...”
Applejack couldn't hide the solemn look on her face then, or the slight slump in her shoulders.

“...Is everything alright?”

“Well... Y'all know how we had that lil' spat before she left, right?”

“Wait, you guys still haven't made up?”

“I ain't been able to!” she blurted out, before shaking her head in protest. “I mean, not like I have anything to apologize fer, but still...I ain't heard a thing from her...”

“Huh, that is a little odd. I know you two tend to argue a lot, but it's not like Rarity to just ignore you for too long. What were you two fighting about?”

“Aw, it was stupid!” Applejack huffed, as she started pacing. “Rarity promised to help me out with this year's harvest is all. I told her she didn't have to, but that gal plum insisted! Even seemed excited fer it... Then, she just up an' tells me she's goin' to Manehattan with her family A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE DAGGUM TRIP! No warnin', no nothin'! An' she says she don't understand why I'm so peeved! Can y'all believe that!?”

Sunset and Fluttershy were a bit taken aback then, but mostly by how upset Applejack seemed. After all, it wasn't often that something could upset her so visibly, let alone when it came to her best friend.

“Well, I mean... It was a chance for Rarity to spend some time with her family... She doesn't get to do that too often, right?”

“Yeah, and she is an aspiring fashion designer. From what I hear, Manehattan is supposed to be, like, the nation's clothing capital! Kinda hard to pass up an opportunity that could be good for her career, you know?”

“Don't y'all think I realized that stuff already?”
The farm girl sighed as her pacing slowed down. It was obvious that she'd been keeping this all bottled up for a while now, and being able to finally vent about it must've been as relieving as it was emotionally exhausting.

“At first, it just seemed like Rarity was ditchin' me to goof off in some fancy-pants city... I was so mad, I even said some things at her I prolly shouldn't have. But after she left, I got to thinkin' an'...realized 'xactly what y'all are sayin'. Doesn't make everything right, but it does make more sense. And I did promise her an' all...”

She stopped pacing and looked at her phone before continuing.
“So, I been textin' an' callin' to try an' clear the air, but...”

“...You haven't heard back from her?”

“And that's what's got you feeling so down?”

“Well, that an'...”
Applejack partially turned away. She could feel the warmth rising in her cheeks, and hoped her friends would just attribute it to all the hard work from harvesting.

“Aw, shucks... This is just plain silly...”

Sunset stepped just a bit closer.
“It's okay. You can tell us.”

Save for the light breeze rustling throughout, silence permeated the orchard as cowgirl's response stalled. Winona did let out an enthusiastic bark at one point, but it only prompted a giggling Fluttershy to reply with a gentle “shhh,” as well as a light head-scratching. Eventually, when Applejack did finally speak, she lead off with something rather unexpected.

“...Truth is...this is the longest me and Rarity've ever gone without talkin', an'—”

“Wait...seriously!?”

The farmer nodded.

“But, that can't be true, can it? What about when she worked at Equestria Land? We didn't see her for weeks!”

“Didn't see her, yeah. But we still talked an' texted plenty.”

“What about before Twilight showed up?... P-Princess Twilight, I mean, not the regular—er, the human Twilight... Back when Sunset was so mean and used all those awful tricks to break us apart? Oh, sorry...”
Fluttershy smiled sheepishly at a half-smirking Sunset.

“Eh, not gonna argue with you when you're right,” she replied, lightly punching her friend's arm.

“Well, actually...Sunset just fooled me into bein' mad with Rainbow Dash. I still talked with Rarity... Just not so much at school.”

The farm girl walked over and picked up one of the discarded apples, her half-glossed eyes settling on a massive bruise as she examined it in greater detail.

“...Point is, we ain't ever gone so long before without...well, any kind a' interactin'...an' I guess I... I just really miss her...”

“...Well, what's wrong with that?”

“Huh!?”
Applejack turned around a bit faster than intended, nearly crushing the apple within her grasp out of surprise then. She wasn't quite sure why that question caught her off-guard the way that it did, but at least her friends didn't seem to notice too much.

“You and Rarity are best friends!" Sunset continued. "You've known each other since elementary school! It's only natural you'd miss her. And we feel exactly the same way. Right, Fluttershy?”

“Oh, um...right! ...Exactly the same!”

The farmer's eyes shifted to the ground, unsure of what they were even scouring for. Everything Sunset said was technically correct. Missing a close friend was only natural, and of course it wasn't a feeling unique to just her. After everything that she and the rest of the girls had been through, it would've been strange otherwise.
And yet...something was off...like her friends didn't fully comprehend how she felt. She didn't blame them, though. How could she, when Applejack didn't completely understand it all herself?

It wasn't just one thought or emotion.
It was a whirlwind of them—a maelstrom of contradictions that increasingly plagued her mind and dogged her steps. She worked harder than ever, yet felt so much less motivated. Minutes away from her phone passed like hours, while hours waiting beside it flew by like nothing. She delighted in feeling unfettered of all the whining and prissy behavior, only to find herself reminiscing on those very qualities rather than enjoying their absence. She flipped between anger at every one of Rarity's wrongdoings—real or implied—to anxiety over whether or not she had done something to upset or even hurt the seamstress.

She did miss Rarity; that much was obvious. But it wasn't the right word. It wasn't the right feeling. It was more like...
Honestly, where was Rarity when Applejack needed an overly dramatic summation of things she didn't outright get?

Even with friends by her side, Sunset could see that the farmer was still feeling down, and she wished there was more that could be done to help out. However, while it had always been uniquely admirable, the bond that Applejack and Rarity shared was one that she just didn't have much experience with. Even with all of her progress in understanding friendship, something as old and strong as one from an early childhood was beyond her expertise.
Still, she had to try something...

“Hey, AJ?” she asked, bringing the farm girl out of her musing. “Mind if I see your phone for a sec?”

“Uh...sure, Sunset. Everything alright?”

“Yeah, just...wanna take a look at something real quick.”
Sunset took Applejack's phone and started perusing it. While she was busy with that, Fluttershy took the opportunity to inquire about something herself.

“Um, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, Fluttershy. Fire away.”

“Well... What was that promise you mentioned before?”

“Huh?”

“When you were talking about your argument, you said something about how you made Rarity a promise. I was just wondering what that was, but...if that's being too pushy...”

“...Oh! Uh, nah, it's fine. Just a promise I made her back when we first met.”

“Really? I don't think I've ever heard either of you mention that before.”

“Heh, I doubt that gal even remembers half a' what I say. And it ain't really that big a deal. Just something I try an' hold myself to, is all.”

“Um, AJ?” Sunset interrupted. “When was the last time you texted Rarity?”

“Hm? 'Bout an hour or two ago, I reckon. Why?”

Sunset double-checked her friend's phone before answering. It was hard to believe, but...maybe there really was a way that she could help out, after all.
“Well, you do know that message didn't actually go through, right?”

“...Beg yer pardon?”

She showed Applejack the phone and began scrolling up its chat log.
“Yeah. Actually, it looks like none of your messages have gone through for a while now.”

“Wait, WHAT!?”

Applejack grabbed her phone and frantically scrolled through it. Sure enough, at the bottom right of the last few dozen texts—displayed next to a small stop-sign icon—was the phrase “Message Not Sent.”
The farmer's eyes widened, and her cheeks practically mirrored the hue of the apples she'd been harvesting.

“...But...I... CONSARN NEW-FANGLED PHONES! Can't they make something like that more obvious!?”

“Maybe that's why you haven't heard anything from her, either. There could be something wrong with both your phones.”

“Wait...are y'all serious!?”

Applejack could barely hold back her shock, let alone the growing hope that Sunset was correct.
“Well, is there anything we can do about that?”

“Maybe Twilight could think of something,” Fluttershy offered. “She did help set up my phone and computer, after all. She even installed that game service you recommended, Sunset!”

“Hey, yeah! And I'll bet with all of us working together, we could easily figure out something as simple as tech support. How about it, AJ?”

For the first time in a while, Applejack was genuinely elated. Honestly, even if the opportunity to reach out to Rarity hadn't presented itself, it just felt good knowing how much her friends were there for her. Between Sunset's empathy, Fluttershy's kindness, and doubtless the many other ways that they all showed their support every day, she couldn't help but feel truly blessed at that moment.

With not a moment's hesitation, the farmhand replied with a hearty laugh.
“Maybe I could use a lil' break, if y'all still wanna do something.”

“Of course!” Fluttershy said.

“Absolutely! I think Rainbow Dash is still working her shift at the mall, but I'm sure we could all meet up for her break!”

“Well then, what're we waitin' for!? Let's get a move on!”

With that, the girls began making their way back to the farm's entrance; however, they only got a few steps away from the tree before Fluttershy raised one final concern.

“Oh... But...will your family be okay if you're gone for a bit?”

“Huh? Oh, I'm sure they'll make do. Something tells me Big Mac could use the break, anyways...”

She shouted over at her brother, who was currently lying on his back amongst a pile of spilled apples.
“Hey, Big Mac!? Y'all be alright without me fer a spell?”

Her brother managed to force a thumbs-up between pained gasps.
“...Eee...yup!...”

And with that, the chuckling girls once again started back towards the entrance. It was a lovely Saturday, after all, and a perfect opportunity to hang out with best friends.

Next Time: Among High-Rises