The Start and End of Apple Stories
“Discord! Put down Applebloom this instant!” There she was, my delicious golden apple. Sure took her time getting ready for the festival today.
“Aww come on AppleJack, he wasn’t hurtin’ nothing.” Bloom the little filly she was pouted as I set her back on the ground along with the other assortment of various items I had been idly twirling around while we waited. Snapping away the particular items that didn’t belong, everything was once again back in order as it should be.
“Finally ready to go my dear beloved apple~?” Naturally such a comment drew out the reaction I wanted and I smiled watching AppleJack blush pulling her hat down to hide her face.
“Don’t you go buttering me up sugarcube, y'all know I don’t like y'all using magic on family or the farm Discord.” Despite her being upset she is still smiling, a pleasing sight if you ask me. So easy to fluster and so beautiful all the same. “But yes I’m all ready to go, Granny wants to talk to you though Discord. Don’t y'all go messing with her none either you hear? She needs her rest so try and keep it short and come catch up with us. Come on AppleBloom”
I watched them turn around and head down the dirt path to town giving a light wave, “Bye my golden apple, I love you~!” AppleJack pulled her hat down again as they walked away and I just chuckled to myself heading back into the simple quiet little homestead my apple and her family called home. I’ve been here enough to know where Granny’s room is, and that she spent more and more time there these days.
Speaking of which Granny Smith, the matriarch of the apple family, is a force to be reckoned with. Bold and unfaltering, she isn’t one you want to trifle with. That was certainly a lesson I learned the hard way back when AppleJack and I started dating. I did have a feeling I knew what this talk was about and that it wasn't a day to be up to my usual antics, and with that in mind I walked in.
“AJ take Bloom to the festival yet?” My quiet nod was all she needed to continue as the old mare looked at me with a squint. “Sit down sonny, got a lot to say so y'all listen good.”
With a snap of my talon I sat myself on a chair with no legs, my chaos was something Granny didn’t notice or just didn’t care about as she didn’t seem to be bothered in the slightest when something was amiss. “And you’re looking as lovely as always Granny, hardly look a day over sixty.”
She smiled at me and shook her head, “Y’all save that flattery for my granddaughter now, Celestia knows y'all butter her up like she’s a biscuit.”
I certainly would love to eat her like a biscuit, but that wasn’t going to be something to tell her Granny now was it?
“How long have y'all been together now? Two years, three?” Granny reached for her cane by the bed and with what strength she had it came down on my head. The strike wasn’t strong in the slightest, the old mare didn’t have the strength to put force behind it anymore but I winced all the same for her sake. “I know that didn’t really hurt you, but thanks anyhow. Don’t think that will distract me from the fact that y’all ain't marrying my granddaughter yet. I’ll whack y’all again if you don’t hurry up.”
So I was right, this was what the talk was about. There was definitely more to come, an inevitable discussion but I was right this was the start. “Actually Granny, I was going to propose today as a matter of fact~” I flashed my best snaggle toothed smile as I snapped up a green apple shaped box and upon opening it revealed a silver bracelet with a golden apple gem in the middle. The best part was the band would change metals each time you looked, from stainless steel, to gold, platinum, and several other very expensive choices. The gem however, that would stay the same. AppleJack was my beautiful golden apple after all and this was a reminder of that fact. I could make it into a necklace if she prefers but that was for a later discussion with my mare, likely during bedtime snuggles.
Granny Smith nodded in approval at it smiling as she rested back with her head against the pillows letting out a soft sigh. “Good that's good, then y’all can start workin’ on foals next. Y'all done took too long to get married already, she ain't getting any younger you know.”
“Now Granny aren’t you supposed to be trying to stop me from sleeping with your granddaughter? Why, if she could hear you planning our future.” The cane came down on my head again and once more I winced to play along.
“Ain't got time for them games Discord, y’all know we apples have a big family and that ain't stopping any time soon. Four or five outta do it.” She nodded at that while sternly looking at me as if to challenge her on her decision, a fact I couldn’t help but smile at.
“As many as she wants, I promise~” Of course I wouldn’t turn down the idea of being intimate with my golden apple, she knew how to ride and ride very well after all. Foals was just something we would have to discuss later.
“Now don’t y’all go hurting her either Discord, AJ is a strong girl but she’ll need support and y’all better be there to keep her up you hear? Y’all ain't normal, any pony can see that but y’all best be ready to do what it takes to keep her happy.” The burst of energy was certainly nice to see, it was the most energy Granny showed in the past week, but just as fast as it came it was gone and she was back to laying back on the bed.
I moved her hoof into my claw just softly petting it and smiled, “Of course Granny, I’ll protect her with my immortal life. No harm will come to her or the apple family under my watch. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
I did all the necessary motions for such a promise and Granny smiled once again at me gently content with the promise. At least for now, “She aint immortal though, but y’all know that don’t you? No apple is meant to last forever, eventually they’ll spoil. Sometimes an apple spoils before it’s time.”
This was it, the real talk Granny wanted to have. The inevitable talk of mortality, the coming and going of pony’s lives. “Then I’ll enjoy my apple while I can and-”
Granny didn’t let me finish butting in before I could say another word, “No fear in it Discord, they grew up fine. They didn’t have their ma and pa, they had a real tough time. But, they had each other and it was enough, it had to be. I did my best to raise them up right, make sure they lived a good long life.” The way she accentuated the long it was clear she was hurting, and it wasn’t hard to know why, she missed them dearly. I had heard stories, tales told to me from Mac and AppleJack about their parents, the lives they lived and friends they made. Granny had it hardest of all, raising her grandfoals alone and it was clear she thought of her son and daughter in law often. How life could have been different had things been different.
“You raised your grandfoals perfectly Granny my dear. My beloved apple is worth her weight in gold and then some, Big Mac standing tall and proud, married to his dear Sugarbelle, and little Bloom is definitely so strong with her friends together they can take on the world.” My paw stroked the cheek of Granny, wiping away the tear that was forming at my words. “But all that work is tiring, you’ve earned your rest and more than earned your trip to the apple family reunion to come.”
Granny sighed gently closing her eyes with my paw on her cheek, her breathing was slowing down as she nodded. “Your foals wont have grandparents to take care of them if something were to happen to AJ, or Mac, or Bloom. Y'all watch over them so nothing happens you hear me?” Her eyes opened for just a moment looking right at me, “I’m trusting ya’ll with the future of the apple family. Y’all better not disappoint.”
I just smiled keeping her hoof in my claw gently stroking it. I watched her close her eyes again, “I’ll take care of the apple family for generation after generation Granny, now it’s time for you to go to the reunion.” She was close now, I could sense it when I walked in, she was holding out long enough to say what she needed to and this was likely it.
"Thank you, that's all I needed to hear," She smiled, a soft tired smile laying there with me beside her watching as her breathing slowed. She was ready, this much was obvious now. It was why she wanted to talk to me of course, why she sent the others on ahead. They needed to enjoy the festival today, a day to enjoy before the inevitable emotions to come.
And finally she was still and gone, but I kept my claw around her hoof for the moment. It was going to be hard on my dear Applejack, and the others of course. I’ll be there to support them as I can, help them through the loss but they’ll be strong. Time will move on and one day, one day my Applejack will be in a position just like this. Looking at me with love, tiredness in her eyes, and no regrets to the life we will share together.
I’ll offer her immortality of course, to be with me forever and ever. But, she will deny it, say it isn’t right for a pony to live forever. She’ll thank me for offering of course and apologize for saying no but still her answer will be no, and just like Granny she will be gone. Leaving me alone with the family we started until they too are gone with generations of apples coming and going.
Some might say it would be insane to fall in love with a mortal as an immortal being, knowing the inevitable hurt and pain that would come from it later. Logically it was better to end things now before they got too far, before the pain had a chance to happen. It just didn’t make sense to do this. To keep going along with it knowing the heartache it would bring.
But then again…
What fun is there in making sense?
Author's Note
Short and simple but an idea I had in my head for several years. There's a lot to say about this but I wont bore people with those details. I know it's not anything great but just wanted to get it out. Story was also partially inspired by the song "Apples of My Eye" by Feather, Rhyme Flow & Legion
I originally wanted to do a pairing for AJ and Discord and how they got together, but one it isn't unique enough I think and two I'm not creative enough for something of that magnitude so I settled on a much smaller piece such as this.
I know this isn't the typical Discord people would expect, but I like to believe that Discord as an eternal being is smart. Smart enough to know how to read the room, he'll very often choose to ignore it but does know when to pull back on his chaos and get serious. The passing of one generation of apples and knowing the start of another was to come is one of such moments.
