Tick-tick-tickticktick-tick
The sound of snow pattering on the glass pane filled the room, the winds outside causing it to rattle in its frame. The farmhouse creaked, planks of old wood whining from the stress of the blizzard outside.
Applejack sighed, gazing out into the dancing whiteness, layers upon layers of snow blanketed as far as the eye could see, with more being added every moment. The front gate to the farm was just barely visible in the distance, with the beginnings of the orchard off to the side, trees barren of all but more snow.
This year's harvest had not gone well.
A particularly strong gust of wind sent unsettled snow flying, creating waves across the ground and giving both the barn and the house sparkling capes of powder. Drifts swirled in the air, giving an odd sense of calmness, for there was nothing else outside except for the weather.
Touching a hoof to the glass, Applejack felt the stark chill, she let the temperatures equalize and exhaled. The window fogged up, but as she removed her hoof an imprint of it was left clear, allowing her a smaller view of the outside.
“Applejack?” Her name was called, coming from downstairs
Her ears flicked, but she didn’t immediately answer, she was much more content with just watching the snow fall.
“Applejack?” The voice came again, “Can ya come down please? Ah need yer help.”
She let out another sigh, fogging up the rest of the window, and stepped down from the sill. Her room was a mess, things were haphazardly strewn about, various winter gear was all thrown into a pile by the door, her bed remained unkempt, the rug was scuffed, and a bunch of paper and books were stuffed into her bedside drawer. All of it went ignored as she walked to the door.
It took a bit of effort, her bedroom door was always sticky this time of year, but she eventually got it open and ventured out into the hall. The unpolished wood floor creaked in tandem with the rest of the house, it was colder, darker too, as there were no windows to illuminate the hallway. Several other doors lined it, and at the end a warm glow emanated from down the staircase. On the other side though, shrouded in darkness, was the door to…
That room.
Applejack’s breath hitched in her throat. Her eyes began to heat up with the beginnings of tears before she tore her gaze away, shutting her eyes tight. She breathed in deeply, then moved to the stairs. Along with the light came the smell of something cooking, and soon after a wave of heat. Descending the first few steps, Applejack could see the well lit kitchen, a fire crackling in both the fireplace and stove. Granny Smith stood over a steaming pot, stirring it every once and a while.
“Could ya set the table? Dinner’s almost ready,” She said,
Applejack blinked, “Sure.” She made her way down the rest of the stairs.
Grabbing three bowls from the cupboard, she went about placing them around the table, then she went back to get two more, only to stop part way through. She winced, and closed the cupboard.
“How are ya feeling?” Granny Smith asked,
Applejack moved over to the silverware drawer, “Fine.”
“We’re having stew tonight, is that okay?”
“Sure.”
Granny Smith looked over with a worried expression, but Applejack just finished with the spoons and pulled out a chair to sit on. She stared at her empty bowl, eyeing the countless utensil marks before losing focus completely.
A whimper came from off to the side, followed by some whining, and soon enough the whole kitchen was filled with the sound of crying. Applejack’s half lidded eyes never left her bowl.
“Could ya get her dear? Ah’m a little busy at the moment.”
She blinked, and waited for a few moments before finally stepping off of her chair. Moving over to the crib on the other side of the kitchen, it grew warmer as she got closer to the fire. Applejack leant up on the side of the crib and peered into it.
“Hey, Applebloom,” she greeted the wailing foal, using her whole body to start a gentle rocking motion.
The crying persisted, but after a few moments of the repeated rhythm, Applebloom was eventually lulled into a calmer state. Applejack then reached in to feel her temperature, and carefully pulled the crib away from the fire so that it wasn’t so hot.
“Thank ya dearie.” Granny Smith said from across the room,
Applejack sighed, then made her way back to the table, “Where’s Mac?”
Granny Smith pulled the pot off the heat, then moved to begin cutting up a small loaf of bread, “He just went out back to get more firewood. They say this darn blizzard’s only gonna get worse. Ah don’t know what them pegasi were thinking having it today of all days.”
Applejack snorted, “Seems as good a day as any.”
That got her a side-eyed glance.
“Oh come now, ya don’t really mean that. Ya can’t have Hearthswarming without snow, though ah don’t know why we need so much…”
The front door opened, and a chill breeze flowed into the house. Big Mac quickly stepped in, a bundle of logs on his back. Closing the door behind him, he brushed his hooves on the mat and moved closer to the fire.
“Dinner’s ready,” Granny Smith announced, “Put the wood down and come eat.”
Big Mac nodded and did so, sitting down across from Applejack. Granny Smith then brought the pot to the table and ladled a portion into each bowl along with a slice of bread and an apple. Applejack simply stared at the food in front of her as Granny Smith took her seat.
The other two started eating, but Applejack hesitated. There was nothing wrong with the food, try as hard as she might to find something. The stew was hot, wisps of steam rising from the bowl, it looked to be made with celery, onion, and carrots, nothing she didn’t like. The bread was fine, having been baked just yesterday, it was far from stale. The apple was crisp, not a single bruise or imperfection on it.
Yet Applejack didn’t want any. She simply wasn’t hungry, even though she didn’t have lunch today and hardly ate any breakfast.
“Does everything taste okay?” Granny Smith asked,
“Eyup,” Big Mac responded,
Applejack mumbled, stirring her bowl slightly.
“Were y’all days good?”
“Eyup,”
Applejack mumbled, sliding her bread slice across the table, watching as crumbs flaked off.
“Are y'all ready for Hearthswarming tomorrow?”
“Eyup,”
Applejack mumbled, rolling her apple around under her hoof.
A moment of silence broke up the repetition, where only the crackling of the fire and the slight noises from eating could be heard.
“Look,” Granny Smith began, “Ah know this’ll be our first Hearthswarming without…” She trailed off, her voice choking up, “But let’s try to keep the spirit of it alive, it’s what they would’ve wanted, and…” She paused to take in a shaky breath, “We have each other, and that should be enough.”
“Is it?!” Applejack blurted out, slamming her hooves on the table.
They both stared at her in shock.
“W-wha-?”
“This don’t feel like Hearthswarming! None of this does!” She continued,
“Applejack.” Granny Smith tried, “That-”
“This don’t feel like nothing! Ah don’t feel like nothing!” She interrupted, accentuated by another slamming of the table, her spoon clattered to the floor.
“Applejack.” Granny Smith repeated, voice free of any anger or sternness, she got up from her seat to go over to her. “We-”
She reached over, only for Applejack to smack her hoof away.
“Ah want ma! Ah want pa!” She cried out, tears openly streaming down her face.
Applebloom started crying again, which gave pause to everypony else. Applejack looked over the table again, her outburst had tipped her bowl, spilling stew everywhere. Then she looked at Granny Smith, who was staring at her in shock. The realization of what she did slowly came over her, and before anypony else could act she leapt out of her chair towards the front door.
“Applejack wait!” Granny Smith called out,
She continued, thrusting the door open and bracing against the biting cold.
“Applejack!” A new voice spoke.
She stopped, and looked back, seeing Big Mac out of his chair and looking at her with a pleading expression. She bit her lip, then turned away and dashed off into the blizzard.
“Applejack!” Somepony called out behind her, but she didn’t dare look back again.
She didn’t stop until she was well past the front gate. The distant outline of the farmhouse only visible due to the light from its windows, and even then it was partially obscured by the barn. Off in the distance ahead of her was the rest of Ponyville, several faint lights revealing it in the blizzard.
Applejack started off in that direction, only for a chill wind to blow in her face, forcing her to avert her gaze against the onslaught of snow. She shivered, and realized she wasn’t wearing anything to protect her from the cold. Looking back, there was no way she was going home just to get something.
A light separated from the homestead, and her breath caught in her throat. She jolted back into movement, only to trip in the deep snow. Flailing around, she coughed and sputtered before eventually standing back up, snow sticking to her fur and mane. Her face grew damp, and she quickly resumed wading through the snow towards Ponyville, only to realize another thing.
Her tracks. They would lead them right to her.
Turning off to the side instead, Applejack struggled off the path and into the nearby treeline of the woods. Weaving between bushes and shrubs, she tried to make her tracks as difficult as possible to follow, thankfully the barren trees caught some of the snow, and it became easier and easier to walk as the canopy grew thicker overhead. The winds dulled, the snowfall depleted into a light dusting, and soon enough she found a moment to rest underneath an evergreen.
It was still cold, cold and growing colder ever still. Applejack shook off as much snow as she could, but the chill air remained, and she started shivering constantly. There was no way she could spend the night outside, she needed to find some place to get away from the blizzard. Ponyville seemed like a safe bet, but she didn’t know where exactly to go or what to do when she got there. There was no way she was going back home, she didn’t want to.
At least not yet.
That left only one other option.
Applejack’s eyes turned back towards the farm, but not in the direction of the farmhouse. She didn’t want to go there either, but it was guaranteed shelter, and it wasn’t home either. Before she could begin heading over however, a noise from behind caught her attention.
It sounded like a sniffle.
She turned around, looking at the bush where the sound had come from. It rustled, causing her to flinch, then it started weeping. Applejack watched it for another second, then slowly approached it, the snow barely making a sound under her hooves. She flinched every time it moved or made a sound, but every so slowly she crept up on the crying bush.
A streak of blue was visible through the snow covered twigs, and Applejack ducked down to get a better look. A pile of snow obstructed her view however, and she reached out to brush it away, not expecting it to be soft and squishy.
The bush yelped.
“Woah!” Applejack exclaimed, jumping back.
“Please don’t eat me!” The bush said, shaking wildly.
“Ah’m not-” Applejack paused, tilting her head and frowning.
She walked up to the bush again, which was rustling uncontrollably now. Peering back under, the squishy snow pile had moved, and the streak of blue was now taught against the stem of the bush. Following it with her eyes, Applejack squinted into the dark underbrush, and was met with a pair of bright blue eyes staring back at her.
“What the…?” She asked, taking a step forward,
The eyes widened, and with a squeak a dirty white hoof touched down into view, sliding across the dirt in an attempt to get away. Whatever or whoever was under the bush was clearly backed into a corner somehow.
“Ah’m not gonna hurt ya,” Applejack explained slowly, taking another step, “Just… What’re ya doin out here?”
The sapphire eyes stared at her for a moment, then another white hoof touched down into view.
“I’m uh… Lost?” The filly in the bush said,
“Lost?”
“Mm-hm,”
“Do ya… want to come out of the bush?” Applejack tried,
“NO!” The bush filly exclaimed, “The bush is safe, I like the bush,”
Applejack raised an eyebrow, “Aren’t ya cold?”
“M-maybe…”
“It’s gonna get pretty dark soon, ya gonna spend the night in there?”
The bush filly’s eyes blinked,
“If I must.”
“Okay…” Applejack said, turning to leave, “Goodbye then,”
“Wait!”
She turned back around, where two white hooves pawed at the ground just outside of the bush.
“Where are you going?” The bush filly asked,
“Uh… somewhere that ain't here.” Applejack answered,
“Take me with you!”
“Ah thought ya liked the bush?”
“I…” The bush filly paused for a moment, “Can I be honest with you?”
“Sure.”
“I don’t like the bush. I just don’t know where else to go.”
Applejack rolled her eyes and sighed, “Fine, ah guess ya can come with me.”
The bush filly didn’t respond,
“Well? Are ya coming or what?”
“My uh… My tail’s stuck,”
“What?”
“M-my tail’s stuck,”
Applejack just stared at the bottom of the bush as the filly’s hooves danced around sheepishly.
“Ya got stuck under there didn’t ya?”
“Ye-” The filly stopped herself, “Maybe,”
“Do ya want my help?”
“Yes. Please.”
Another eye roll.
“Here,” Applejack reached back under the bush, “Grab my hoof,”
The bush filly tentatively wrapped her hoof around Applejack’s.
“Ready?”
“For what?”
“To pull,”
“Oh, um… Okay.”
Applejack planted the rest of her hooves deep into the snow, trying to get as much traction as possible.
“Alright, three, two, one, pull!” She commanded, yanking back with her hoof.
The bush filly pulled back, though not very hard, and it soon became apparent why.
“Ow, ow, ow, OW, OW OW OW!” She cried out, “Stop, stop!”
“What?” Applejack stopped, “Why?”
“It hurts!” The bush filly answered, voice wavering.
Applejack let go of her hoof, “Well how else are we gonna getcha outta there?”
The bush filly remained silent for a moment.
“Can you untie my tail?”
“Untie?” Applejack repeated, “What did ya do down there?”
“I uh… Tried to untangle it myself, it… didn’t work out very well.”
Applejack sighed, “Alright, let me see,”
She crawled back under the bush, and the filly inside stepped to the side so she could see her tail. The blue streak from earlier was thoroughly wrapped around the stem of the bush, knotted and tangled into its rough bark. A neat little bow of hair accented it nicely, but it was immediately clear that the only way to get the tail free was to cut it.
Despite that, Applejack tried her best to work around the mess, pulling strands loose and undoing the unnecessary knot on top. It quickly became obvious that it wasn’t going to work however, as her grip became shaky, and her hooves became numb from the cold. She stopped to breathe on them a few times, but the result was the same, she couldn’t get the bush filly’s tail free.
“Ah don’t suppose ya got anything to cut this do ya?”
“What the bush?”
“No, yer tail,”
“WHAT!” The filly exclaimed, she shifted around a bit, “You are not cutting my tail.”
“Well ah can’t untangle it. What else do ya want me to do?” Applejack asked,
“Just… Keep trying.”
“Ah can’t,” She repeated, exasperated, “Either we cut it, or ya spend the night here.”
The filly humphed, “Fine! But I don’t have anything to cut my tail with, so there.”
Applejack just rolled her eyes, then turned back to her tail, and promptly bit down on it.
“What are you doing?” The filly asked curiously,
“Don’t worry ‘bout it,” Applejack responded through clenched teeth.
It took some time, but eventually she got through enough hair that they could probably pull the rest of it free. It didn’t taste too bad either.
“Alright, ah think we’re good to go.”
The bush filly shifted, “But my tail’s still stuck,” she said worriedly,
“Ah know, ah uh… loosened it a bit, it should pull free now.”
“Okay…” She said, “If you say so,”
Applejack ducked out of the bush, turning to grab the filly’s hoof again.
“Ready?” She asked,
“Will it still hurt?”
“Not as much,”
The filly whined, but still braced, Applejack took that as a go ahead, and she pulled hard. Something snapped under the bush, and with a yelp the filly came flying out, sending the both of them sprawling through the snow. They landed in a heap a fair distance away, a good amount of snow settling on top.
“I’m free!” The filly was the first to get up, shaking the snow off her coat.
“Get offa me.” Applejack grumbled, stirring below her
“Oh sorry,” she stepped off, “It’s just… Thank you.”
“Yeah, yer welcome and ah’m leaving.” Applejack shook the snow off of her coat as well, then she looked over.
The mostly snow white unicorn was gazing around in awe, her eyes going over the entire woods. Applejack looked to her flank, which was bare, just like hers.
“Ya still coming with?” She asked,
“Yes of course.” The filly responded, turning to look at her. “Where to?”
“Follow me.”
She nodded, quickly following Applejack as she began making her way through the forest. A cold breeze blew over both of them as they walked, causing them to shiver.
“Brrrr, it’s cold,” the filly stated,
“Weren’t ya already cold?” Applejack asked,
“Yes well I wasn’t rolling around in the snow under the bush. When will we get to where we’re going?”
Applejack looked up into the cloudy sky, a cascade of snowflakes falling above the canopy.
“We’ll get there before it gets too dark,”
“Too dark?” The filly repeated nervously.
Hidden in the back of the orchard, a fair distance from anything besides trees, including any prying eyes, was a simple treehouse. It was held by a sturdy apple tree, lifting up just high enough so that nopony could reach, save for those flight capable. Of course it was covered with snow, along with everything else in the orchard for that matter, but it would provide them with protection from the blizzard for the night.
It had steadily gotten worse over time, the once thick canopy giving way to the even orchard along with the strengthening storm making it nigh impossible to walk in a straight line. Applejack never got turned around however, she knew where to go by heart, no matter how much it hurt.
“We’re h-h-h-here!” She shouted over the wind,
“W-W-W-What?!” The filly responded, though her voice quickly fell to the storm.
Applejack grunted, turning back to gesture with her hoof before trudging onwards. The cold fought back with every step, stinging her legs and underside and making her joints feel stiff. The snow was unyielding, both above and below them, and yet they continued, climbing the first few steps of the ramp.
The deck was of course covered with snow, but they were used to it, and Applejack made her way to the door. She paused as she put her hoof on the handle, her clubhouse hadn’t been used in a while, she hadn’t been here ever since…
Since…
She winced, then shook her head, turning the handle and pulling, only for the door to remain closed. She tried harder, but it didn’t budge against the heavy snow blocking it. Grunting, Applejack yanked the handle back, and the door cracked open an inch. She did it again, and another inch was gained. A third time, but the snow around it was getting thicker.
“C-C-C-Come on!” Applejack groaned, maneuvering around to begin pushing instead.
It only worked for a moment, and the door slowed to a stop against the snow piling behind it, leaving just a sliver open, too small for them to fit through.
“J-J-Just a b-bit further!”
She kept trying, hooves sliding on the snow beneath her, the door held still. They would have to clear the snow bunched up on the other side. Before Applejack could do so, a sparkle of blue light illuminated the figure of the filly, her silhouette barely visible against the blizzard, her coat almost melding with the snow she was standing in.
The door came loose, and swung a bit further outwards, allowing Applejack to push it the rest of the way open.
“Th-Th-Thank-ks,” She nodded at the filly.
The both shuffled into the clubhouse, quickly closing the door behind them and leaving them in stark silence against the blizzard outside. It was far from warm inside, but at least they were out of the storm. Applejack coughed, the cold air tickling her throat from when she exerted herself earlier. The filly sniffled, the faint light from her horn bobbing wildly up and down as she shivered.
Applejack was shivering too, they would need to warm up, and soon.
“C-C-C-C-Can you s-s-start a f-f-fire?” The filly asked,
“N-N-No,” She replied, “B-B-B-But th-there’s b-b-blankets.”
She stumbled across the room and flipped open a trunk, then struggled to pull out a folded quilt. The filly came up beside her to help, and together they managed to get it out and onto the floor. The next blanket came easier, so did the third, but the fourth remained stuck at the bottom of the trunk, they couldn’t get enough leverage to lift it out. What they had was enough however, and they both quickly wrapped themselves up as best as possible, not even bothering to shake off any snow.
Now huddled together in the middle of the clubhouse, Applejack finally felt a semblance of warmth return to her. While good in some places, it brought aches and pains to others. The tips of her ears stung as feeling returned, along with her hooves and legs. Her coat grew damp as residual snow melted, but at least it was warming up.
The filly next to her sniffled,
“I’m cold,”
Applejack paused, holding her breath for a moment.
“Me too,”
“And tired,”
“Me too,”
“And hungry,”
…
“Me too,”
“And thirsty,”
“Met too,”
“And sad…”
She blinked, turning to look at the filly, whose eyes were fixed to the floor. She sighed, her breath visible in the dim light.
“...Me too,” Applejack responded,
They looked at each other for a moment, before shuffling closer together. Listening to the storm raging on outside.
“So what were ya doing underneath that there bush anyway?”
“I got lost, remember?”
“But how’d ya get lost in the forest in the first place?”
The filly shifted, “I… ran away.”
Applejack stared at her, “Me too. Why’d ya go and do that?
“My… My parents are gone.”
Her eyes widened for a moment, before shutting closed, “Mine too,”
The filly gasped lightly, but didn’t immediately respond,
“What happened, if ah may ask?” Applejack eventually said,
“They just left, leaving me at home with my sister and a sitter,” Her expression turned frustrated, “This isn’t even the first time they’ve done it. They’d much rather spend Hearthswarming out on vacation than with me…” Tears started to gather in her eyes, “They even promised this year, saying ‘it would never happen again,’ but where are they now?! Off celebrating in the city for the week…” She started sobbing,
“Oh.” Applejack began, “Yer parents are still here…”
“What?” The filly paused, “No they’re not, I just said that they won’t come back until the end of the week.”
“Yeah,” Applejack retorted, “Mine don’t get to come back.”
“Oh,” The filly responded, “Oh…” She realized,
They both fell silent for a moment, only the dulled whistling of the wind kept it from going completely quiet.
“Sorry,” The filly eventually mumbled,
“It’s fine,” Applejack sighed, “Ya said you had a sister?”
“Yeah, a baby sister,”
She closed her eyes, “Ah’ve got one also, an older brother too.
The filly humphed, “At least you have somepony to spend Hearthswarming with, without my mom and dad I’ve only got a sitter I barely know and a foal.”
“Ah’m sure it aint like that,” Applejack reassured, “Is there a reason why yer parents are away?”
“They always say it’s for my daddy’s work, but they never seem to pack for work, not like they’ve ever told me what his job is.”
“And ya got no other family to be with?”
“Not nearby,” The filly pouted, curling up tighter under the blanket, “What about you?”
“Huh?”
“You ran away too, why?”
“Ah…” Applejack paused, “Ah don’t know.”
“Did you not want to be with your family?”
“What? No.” She responded, thinking, “No, ah just, didn’t want to be… home”
“Why?”
She paused again, taking a much longer time to respond.
“Home… Don’t feel like home no more. Like they’re trying so hard to make something that just ain’t there no more.” Applejack eventually said, “Ah do wanna go back to my family, ah just don’t wanna go back home.”
“Because of your par-” The filly stopped herself.
Applejack looked over, “Ah don’t wanna talk about it, Ah’m tired,”
The filly looked down, “Me too,”
They both fell silent, letting the noise of the storm take over. It was too dark outside to see anything, but the rapid clicks of snow against the windows told them enough. The frame of the clubhouse groaned, as opposed to the solid foundation of the farmhouse, the tree they were in shifted and bowed with every turn of the wind, making it hard to stay settled.
Despite being wrapped in several blankets, and feeling quite warm at that, Applejack shivered. She couldn’t get comfortable, not in here, and not just because of the weather. The memories were heavy upon her mind, and soon enough she started to tear up. Her body went slack, and Applejack just laid there, resting her head on the floor and shutting her eyes, forcing the buildup to flow down her face.
An unknowable amount of time passed, whether it was a few moments or a couple hours Applejack didn’t care. A light stirred her out of her rest, the faint orange rays dancing along the ceiling, coming from somewhere outside. They dragged across the wood, pulling the shadow of the window with them, meaning the source of the light was getting closer.
Something stepped onto the ramp outside, causing the whole room to reverberate, jolting the filly beside her awake. She gasped lightly, before staring up at the growing light on the ceiling. Snow crunched out on the deck, and the jingling of metal came through the door. Something bright orange lit up the frosted window for a moment, then disappeared from view.
The door then shook, and the handle jiggled as it was pulled open.
“Oh thank Celestia,” Granny Smith said as she peered inside the clubhouse, immediately spotting Applejack in the center.
She pulled herself out of the heap of blankets, the chill air immediately obvious against her damp coat. They stared at each other for a moment.
“Ah’m sorry!” Applejack exclaimed, running up to Granny Smith and hugging her tightly.
She returned it, then stepped fully into the clubhouse to close the door behind her.
“It’s okay,” She set her lantern down, “Ah’m just glad yer alright. We thought ya got lost in the woods.”
Applejack pulled away, rubbing her eyes, “Ah’d never get lost there,” She sniffed, “She did though.”
“Who?” Granny Smith asked,
Applejack simply stepped to the side, revealing the filly behind her, who had just sat up.
“Oh!” Granny Smith began, “What’s yer name little one?”
The filly carefully stepped out of the blankets as well, looking over with wide eyes.
“Rarity.”
