Sleepless in Ponyville.

The sun sets on a beautiful sun-soaked Ponyville, but for one pony it was like it never began. AppleJack is stuck in a nightmare, a nightmare full of apples and the truth of her place in Equestria.

Twilight is now the new ruler of Equestria, watching over it for thousands of years to come.

Rarity is now THE pony of fashion in Equestria, mares and stallions alike crossing mountains just to have a piece of Rarity in their wardrobe.

Rainbow Dash has achieved her dream and more, not only being apart of the WonderBolts but becoming it’s captain.

Pinkie Pie is happily married to Cheese Sandwich, fostering a kid together as the perfect family.

Fluttershy finally has her fantasy sanctuary, saving and caring for more and more animals every day.

AppleJack herself has gone Equestria-wide with the Apple family business, finally being the successful business she’s always wanted. But is this her life purpose?

Is she cursed to work day in and day out, doing the same thing over and over again? Bucking the same trees, making the same cider, baking the same pies? The same daily grind until she’s as old as granny Smith was when she died?

She too, granny Smith, had done the same for so long until her very last breath. AppleJack knew it would always come but she never expected to feel so lifeless after. Like all purpose and drive had left her body all at the exact same moment.

Her work around the farm had too quickly lost its value that it once had. She bucked apples because she didn’t know what else to do, as opposed to before when she did it for her friends and Ponyville.

Without her many apple included foods and drinks she made for Ponyville, it would be bland and flavorless.

Sure, Pinkie Pie supplies all of Ponyville with her many treats and candies, but did Pinkie Pie make Equestria’s most delicious pies?
Or the greatest hand made cider?
AppleJack knew she didn’t, and as hard as Pinkie Pie could try she could never replicate the same taste AppleJack put into her work.

AppleJack ached inside, her heart and her mind were in constant battle.
Keep up the family tradition, because it’s what granny Smith would’ve wanted.
Or, do whatever she wants. Whatever that is, she doesn’t know, but isn't it worth it to try?

Ponies had started to notice that she wasn’t herself anymore. AppleJack lost her country flair and exuberance that made AppleJack the pony she was. Even with all of the Mane 6 having a busy life they still made time to catch up with each other. AppleJack has skipped out on the last two meetings. The rest of the Mane 6 even stopped by Sweet Apple Acres to see if AppleJack was okay. They knocked for 5 minutes before Rainbow Dash tore the door down.

They assumed the worst and galloped to Sweet Apple Acres when she hadn’t shown up for a meeting twice in a row. They found her safe and sound in her house, drunk off of her own cider dozing around her kitchen. Empty bottles of cider lay around the countertops and floor. Mixing bowls were spilled over and ingredient bags left open, it seems she had tried to make apple pie while drunk.

The Mane 6 couldn’t believe their eyes, they had all denied the truth for far too long in hopes that their dear friend was just feeling a little low. The normally strong willed and full of life country pony was falling apart and how they didn’t notice it sooner all crushed their hearts.

Rainbow Dash flew in front of AppleJack as she was downing another bottle of cider and screamed in her face. RD smacked the bottle of cider out of AJ’s now clumsy hooves. It broke RD’s heart that AJ hadn’t said anything or spoke to her about what AJ was going through. Especially since her and AJ were so close, like sisters.

Rainbow yelled at AJ for forever, “How could you do this to me?” and “What would Apple Bloom think of you right now?” were among the many questions RD spouted at AJ. It seemed to stick to AJ for only a couples seconds before the cider kicked in and it bounced off.

The rest of the Mane 6 were obviously worried as well and felt betrayed in a certain sense that after everything they’ve been through together, AppleJack hadn’t even thought to come to them for help? Her closest and deepest friends in all of Equestria.

After 10 minutes of RD’s yelling Twilight pulled her back from AppleJack and they all had their fair share of turns talking to AppleJack. None of them expressed as much of what they were truly feeling inside as much as Rainbow Dash did but it wouldn’t have mattered anyways, AppleJack wasn’t even listening.

She wanted to, she wanted to listen to them so bad. To listen to them and acknowledge what they were saying, take action and change herself. Tell her friends what was really going through her mind but she just felt so dead inside. Something had crawled it’s way into her mind and heart and sucked the life out of her.

It broke her heart as much as it did Rainbow’s. She needed to get ahold of herself. She needed to get out of the house and not work for once, not immediately do what needs to be done around the farm.

Not long after the girls had said what needed to be said, walking out on her leaving her alone and drunk, had AppleJack left the farm and trotted around Ponyville.

She was looking for sign, a sign to remind her of her purpose. Tell her why she must keep going, or tell her why she must stop.

Stumbling around Ponyville, she looked at all the houses and thought about the ponies who lived in them. All of them contribute and are apart of the daily life here in Ponyville. All of them matter to somepony. All of them fulfill a role. If a single one were to be gone, it would throw off the the whole vibe of ponyville.

Except for AppleJack, if she wasn’t here everything would be the same she thought. Who would really miss the cider she made every year. Who would really care about a lack of apple pies?

She felt so broken inside. She knew she didn’t belong here, here in Ponyville. She didn’t belong at all.

It’s not like she’s the only one in Equestria who knows how to work with apples. She’s not the only apple in her family, someone else could come in to substitute for her if she had decided do something other than apples for once in her life.

There were so many thoughts and questions that ran through her head, Rainbow Dash was right, she needed to talk to somepony.

She trotted over to Rarity’s for some strange reason, maybe she knew Rarity would be the only one who would be awake at this time, planning her next lineup of dresses and suits. Maybe she knew Rarity would know just what to say to help her out.

After tapping Carousel Boutique’s door for a couple minutes, Rarity finally answers.