“You can’t keep doing this, Applejack.”
I insisted that she should stop. I tried to make her understand, really I did. But she just wouldn’t listen. She was never really good at listening, after all. I learned that early on - on the day I met her. She insisted I have a meal with her and her family. How could I have said no? That mare was as stubborn as a mule—no offence to any mules out there—and just about as hard-headed as a rock. So I tried to tell her again. “Stop it.”
But Applejack persisted. She kept going, even though I had told her time and time again to stop. “Naw, I can’t stop. Ain’t nothin’ bad gonna happen, don’t worry.” Her tired, lined eyes told a different story. One that I had seen one too many times.
First, it was Rainbow who went. She had always seemed to be able to fly away from age, her prismatic mane flowing behind her as she sped away from the truth. All of a sudden, though, it crept its way to her. When she wasn’t looking, that’s when the age hit. Her wings started slowing down, the creases under her eyes deepened, and she started to lose stamina. In an attempt to turn back the clock, she even cut her mane, but if I’m being honest, that made her look her age even more.
And then, after just thirty years, Rainbow Dash halted to a stop. Barely pushing fifty.
The doctor said it was because of her extreme lifestyle. You see, Wonderbolts aren’t known for their longevity of life. In normal circumstances, being active is good for you. But at that level? Well, too much of anything will kill you.
What if the same thing happened to Applejack? Even after Rainbow Dash had left the farm in her and Apple Bloom’s hooves, Applejack insisted on doing it mostly by herself. It was a shame they never had any foals. Poor Applejack had felt she had to do it on her own.
That’s why I went to the farm. I was generally busy in Canterlot doing all of my royal duties, but I just had to make an exception for Applejack. She was working too hard, her nose on the grindstone. One that never stopped. “You have to stop, Applejack. It’s getting late and you look exhausted.”
Applejack huffed and bucked another tree. Some of the apples fell into the buckets, but I knew that there was a time when Applejack could have done it in one kick. “I ain’t exhausted.”
Sweet Celestia, was she stubborn. Probably one of the most stubborn ponies I had ever met. As I studied Applejack closely for a moment, I noticed her legs shaking under her. She trembled, but her face remained resolute. Eyes squinted, she didn’t take her gaze off me. “You are exhausted, I can tell. Come on, at least stop for tonight.”
“I said I’m fine, Twi!” Applejack turned her back to me, and I could see the fur bristling on her shoulders. It was tinged gray; no longer the vibrant orange coat of a young mare. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got more apples to buck.”
I frowned. Applejack was leading herself down the same path Rainbow Dash had made for herself. I shut my eyes, horn glowing magenta, and popped in front of Applejack. “Look, AJ, I get it. You feel the need to work hard. Trust me, I understand!” I tried on a pleading smile, hoping that would get through to her. “But you’re going to hurt yourself. You’re not as… Physically capable as you were thirty years ago.”
Applejack scowled, flicking the blade of grass in her mouth to the other side. “Are you sayin’ I’m old and weak? I may not be as young as I used to be, but I’m still plenty strong.” Her voice was rough–rough and low. It definitely matched her appearance.
But still, I had to convince her that I was right, and I couldn’t do that by scrutinizing her. “I’m not saying that, but I am saying that you need to rest, Applejack. What’s one day going to do? You’ve already harvested most of the trees, and between you and Apple Bloom, you can continue tomorrow.”
Applejack’s eyes flicked away, and her entire demeanour dulled. The setting sun framed the scene a bit too perfectly. It was as if Applejack’s hope disappeared right along with it. “Only reason we even finish the harvest is ‘cause we got rid of most of the trees on the other side of the orchard.” She frowned and looked down. “If we don’t get all the harvestin’ done in time, we miss the deadline and then we won’t have any money to pay back our debt.”
She was never really a soft-spoken mare, but the way she talked then reminded me of Fluttershy. She seemed small, which was certainly saying something. Small and defeated; two words I would never describe Applejack as being. But there she was, being those two words. I didn’t know about the debt, I didn’t know about the trees or the loss of income, so I was definitely taken aback. I cocked my head. “What?”
Applejack sighed and sat down slowly with a grunt of effort. Had even sitting become hard for her? Her mane was messy, with strands sticking out of the loose braid she kept it in. The hat still rested on her head, although it was now old and faded. I guess that hat aged with her. “After Dash… passed, we lost out on the endorsement money from the Wonderbolts. They used to send us money for havin’ her appear at events and shows and things like that, especially after she got hurt and retired. It wasn’t a lot of money, what they’d send, but it was enough to cover the cost of hired help and maintaining the farm. Keepin’ all those acres of trees ain’t exactly cheap.
“But when we lost that, we didn’t just lose out on the bits, we lost Dash. I lost Dash,” she croaked. Applejack paused for a moment. She didn’t seem any closer to crying than her voice had suggested, which I think was worse. “I just couldn’t work for the longest time. We had the workers stay and do more, but that meant payin’ them more money. Eventually, we couldn’t afford it anymore and they left, too.”
Applejack sniffled once. That was about as close as she got to crying, but I knew that was enough. I closed the distance between us and wrapped a wing around her. “Why didn’t you tell us? We could have helped you.”
“I didn’t wanna admit we got financial trouble. My family’s always tried to be secretive about it. It ain’t anything new for us to have to take loans from business ponies like Filthy Rich, we’ve been doin’ it since I was a filly.” Applejack groaned and rubbed her snout with a hoof. “It was so easy back then. Them business deals were just that - business deals. A good way to pay some bits to make more bits.”
“So what happened this time?”
“Well, we had to ask for a loan from somepony called Deep Pockets. Seemed fair at the time, nothin’ too different from the type of deals we’ve been makin’ for years and years. ‘Cept of course this time, he asked for collateral. Made us swear half our orchard to him. If we couldn’t produce the bits to pay him back, he’d take the wood from the trees and sell ‘em to construction companies. Of course, I agreed. What choice did I have? But when the time came to pay it back, we didn’t have enough.”
The sun had completely set by that point, and Applejack shivered. I never knew if it was from the cold, exhaustion, or the memory, but I assumed it was all three. I did what I could to keep her warm. “So that’s where your trees went…” I whispered into the night. Applejack nodded meekly, a strange sight to see from the once strong-as-iron mare. “You could have come to me, Applejack. We have plenty of bits over at Canterlot that I could have given you.”
“But that’s just it, Twi. We didn’t wanna take anypony’s money like that, that’s why we made a deal with Deep Pockets. Fair’s fair.” Applejack frowned and looked down. “Besides, are ya even allowed to do that?”
Really, I could do whatever I wanted. There were laws, but I am the law. For Applejack’s sake, though, I went with the answer that followed the law as it was written. “Seeing as how your family founded Ponyville and has been living here for generations, I could have allocated those funds for historic preservation. In my eyes, Sweet Apple Acres deserves to be recognized and protected as a historical location, and that includes everypony who lives there.”
My tone was plain, simple, and to the point. Applejack seemed to appreciate that. I could tell she was cautious but intrigued. “Really? That’s really a thing ya could do?”
I nodded. There was never a moment in my friendship with Applejack, especially in the later years, that involved me lying blatantly to her face. “Yes, it is. And I can do it if you’re willing to accept my help.”
Applejack hesitated. She looked blankly into the grass below us, and then at the bucket half full of apples in front of her. Some of the apples hadn’t fallen into the container and instead lay strewn about along the side. “I don’t think I can refuse, Twi. Dash always told me to ask for help if I needed it. I should follow her advice, don’t ya think?”
It was funny, kind of. In a morbid way. Rainbow Dash telling Applejack to ask for help. I guess Rainbow Dash knew what could happen if she didn’t. She experienced it first hoof. “I think that would be smart of you. And this way, you don’t have to worry about paying anypony back. There is a budget set aside for this sort of thing, it’s about time I got to use it.”
Comfortable silence. Applejack leaned against my hind leg, and I wrapped my wing around her tighter. It always seemed to escape me how much I had grown. My friends got older; they aged. All I seemed to do was grow. It wasn’t easy, watching the first one of us go. But something I learned very quickly from that experience is that you have to make every moment count.
So we sat quietly together, pressed side by side and looked over the orchard. It was quiet, save for the leaves rustling in the wind. I thought Applejack had fallen asleep until she finally spoke up a good while later. “I think I’m just bidin’ my time at this point.”
I flicked my ears and looked down at Applejack, who stared straight ahead. “What do you mean?”
She chuckled, but it seemed mirthless. “Look at me, Twi. I’m old, I can barely buck trees anymore, and I barely kept the farm runnin’ after Dash died. I’m just wastin’ away. Apple Bloom is the one doin’ most of the chores around here—her and her friends. Sometimes I feel like she’s all grown up and don’t need me anymore.”
I shifted to a better position; one meant to have us sitting face to face. “Applejack, that’s not true.”
“But it is.” Applejack stated it as if it was a fact. “I’m just wastin’ time here. Time and resources.” Something about the way she looked up at the sky made me bite my tongue. “I miss Dash. I wanna be with her. It’s been almost ten years since I saw her last, y’know.”
“I know.” What more could I have said? She needed to talk.
“That’s too long. I haven’t even seen the others much since she died. They’re all off livin’ their lives, but I’m just here waitin’. I’m waiting ‘til I can see her again.” Applejack sighed and looked at me. With the way she sighed, I half expected her to be pouting, but when I turned to look at her, she was smiling. “If ya do decide to help us with the money, that’s one less thing I gotta worry about.”
The wind picked up for a moment. Applejack shut her eyes and ducked her head, letting the wind blow her fur the wrong way. I shuffled closer to her and wrapped my hoof around her in a half hug. “You won’t have to worry about anything anymore,” I whispered. “I promise.”
