You stared at a bowl of plain white rice for a bit, then decided to get off your ass and try going outside instead.

You'd been rather surprised at how much better you felt once you were outside. Your house may be a minefield of painful memories, but as you walked through Ponyville everything blurred together too much to remind you of anything specific.

Aside from Lily's florist shop, that is. Daisy smiled and waved at you cheerfully as you passed, but your mind was flooded with thoughts of Applejack and the daffodil Lily gave you and your attempts at a friendly response were awkward at best.

Still, aside from that mine hiccup, you had made it all the way to the market without much incident and even managed to seem fairly normal as you picked out some groceries--though you could help but think about how much of the food in the store was grown at Sweet Apple Acres.

As you wrap up your shopping and approach the counter, you almost automatically kneel to avoid towering over the poor pony at the register. She's a pretty orange mare with an orange and white striped mane who smile nervously up at you, then silently begins tallying up your groceries.

Your mind begins to wander while you wait and you turn to look idly around the store. It seems fairly busy, at least, as far as you can tell--for all you know ponies do their groceries daily and this is just par for the course. You watch as a stallion and mare do an awkward little dance with their carts as they try to go around each other and keep choosing the same side. They both stop, laugh merrily, and the stallion steps back and graciously waves the mare through, who nods appreciatively and continues walking. Another mare near the end, seeing her approach, hastily swivels her cart out of the middle of the aisle and they murmur politely as they pass.

Such a minor interaction, total inconsequential, and yet nopony hesitated even for a second. You think back to the oblivious, rude, and even hectic shoppers of Earth and can't help but sigh in appreciation. The more you watch these ponies, the more you realize they simply default to being polite and considerate, as if it's so deeply ingrained there is not even an alternative to consider. With that in mind, everypony must be much more afraid of you than you originally thought to justify them being so rude to you.

The mare at the counter behind you talks quietly to herself.

You wonder if trying to be more understanding and showing ponies more directly that you're safe and nice is worth trying. Maybe, just maybe, you can avoid being sent back to Earth after all.

The clerk pony murmurs under her breath again and you start to worry she might cause a scene... Well, no sense in jumping to paranoid conclusions, you'll just deal with that if it comes up.

Your thoughts wander back to the polite exchange you just witnessed and you idly wonder if being such good people is truly in pony nature, or if it's just a product of their society. If it's the former then there's probably little hope, but if it's the latter, maybe that means humankind could one day also--

You jerk as a hoof brushes your shoulder, startling you. Your head whips around and the pony at the counter cringes back, eyes wide and muzzle trembling.

"Sorry! S-So sorry, sir!"

You turn to face her and try to smile warmly without showing too many teeth, "It's alright girl, no worries. It's my own fault for not paying better attention.

Her ear twitches nervously and she continues in that same faint murmur you were hearing before, "I, um, finished ringing you up, and--"

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry!" You interrupt, "You've been trying to get my attention this whole time, haven't you?"

"N-No, it's quite alright sir! Your t-total is... is, um... thirty-seven bits."

You furrow your brow. Thirty-seven seems awfully cheap for how much stuff you bought. As you reach for your pouch of bits, you sneak a glance at the notebook she used and see she actually wrote your total to be fifty-eight bits.

Is she afraid to charge you too much?

You smile gently as you pull out sixty bits--most of the money you had left, to be honest--and place them on the counter.

"But s-sir--"

You pick up your bag and wink at her, "Just call me Anon."

As you turn and walk away you just barely hear her whisper, "T-Thank you..."

Maybe you were wrong to assume humans were mean-spirited by default. After all, you're a human, and you certainly appreciate kindness and selflessness. Smiling to yourself, you push open the shops door and step outside.

You freeze.

Not ten feet in front of you stands Applejack. You take an involuntary step back as you lock eyes. Her ears fold back, her tail flicks and her eyes narrow. You open your mouth to say... well, say what?

Then the door smacks you in the back.

You stumble forward and drop your bag, spilling your groceries all over the ground. You hear a faint "eep!" behind you as the orange cashier pony rushes to pick up your fallen groceries.

"Omigosh, I'm so sorry, sir! I didn't think... I-I was trying to catch up because I just wanted to thank you properly..." She trails off when she realizes you're just standing there and staring at Applejack.

Applejack snorts and, with a lazy flick of her uninjured foreleg, kicks a small bag of mushrooms that landed near her toward you. Then without a word, she turns and walks away, ears still pinned back angrily.

"W-Wait! Applejack, please!"

She stops in place without looking back.

You hesitate, not really knowing what to say, before finally saying somewhat lamely, "I'm s-sorry. I... I only wanted to help."

She just scoffs, flicks her tail, and continues walking.

You stand there and stare after her, a cold chill running down your back.

"...Sir? Um, A-Anon?"

You feel something touch your knee and numbly look down at the orange pony. She tilts her head, looking concerned, "Um... are you alright?"

You rub your eyes and take a deep breath, trying to maintain your composure, "I'll... be fine."

Slightly dazed, you kneel and begin scooping everything up off the ground and, after a moment's hesitation, the clerk pony continues helping you.

"I'm sorry I spilled your groceries..."

"It's fine," you mutter.

"I was rushing 'cause I thought you'd have already walked away and I wanted to thank you properly." She sets a miraculously undamaged carton of eggs in the bag, then sets a hoof on your forearm, making you stop and look at her. "I'm sorry for being afraid of you. I think... Princess Twilight was right about you and I'm glad you're here with us. Will I see you here again soon?"

You can't help but scoff, "Pff, doubt it."

She gasps and jerks her hoof away, ears folding down.

"N-No, sorry, I didn't mean it like... like that." She eyes you suspiciously and you sigh, "I'm just broke, alright? I've only got like... I dunno, ten bits left, and I was just fired yesterday."

She rubs a floppy ear thoughtfully, "Surely Princess Twilight--"

"She's given me enough charity already, I'm not about to ask for even more money."

"Well... then what will you do?"

You sigh again and move to pick up the last few items off the ground, "Try and get another job, I guess. Nopony trusts me though, so I dunno how that's gonna work... but it's all I got."

She picks up the last item, a small bag of potatoes, and drops it in the bag. As you lift the bag into your arms, she looks around, "It's about to be dark. Do you live nearby?"

How anypony knows when it's going to be night or day, you could never tell, "Yeah, just by the path to the Ponyville School."

"Oh... okay."

You hesitate, not sure if she was going anywhere with that, but she just stares at you with wide eyes.

"Uh... well, thanks for the help I guess."

She only blushes faintly and looks down, so you stand up and turn away.

"Um..." You stop and look back at her, "M-My name is Valencia Snow."

You try to smile, "Nice to meet you, Valencia." She responds with a shy smile of her own.

Walking away again, you get an odd feeling after a few steps and turn to look behind you. Valencia skids to a stop behind you, her ears swiveling back as she looks up at you.

"...Yes?"

She shuffles her hooves nervously, eyes downcast, "Um... j-just wanted to... to make sure you got home safely."

Why is she so concerned for you? You drop to a squat, making her flinch at the sudden movement.

"That's sweet, but I'll be okay. You should probably get back to your shop, right?"

She sighs and droops her head pathetically, "Okay... s-sorry I bothered you."

"Hey now..." You stop her from turning away with a hand on her cheek and her startled face turns to you, "You're not a bother, promise. It's just I'm pretty sure I can handle the one or two minute walk home."

Her muzzle quivers and her tail flicks nervously. She opens her mouth to speak, then closes it again, eyes darting side to side. She seems reluctant to leave, though you can't figure out why she cares so much.

"Um... but I, uh... I guess I would appreciate the company...?"

Her eyes light up and she smiles up at you, then she looks back down at the ground nervously, "If... you don't mind."

You rub the side of her neck, stand and turn to start working. You look over your shoulder to see her still sitting there and looking pitiful. Smiling, you gesture with a tilt of your head.

"Coming, then?"

She squeaks and scrambles to her hooves, rushing to your side. As you start walking again, you gently stroke her mane with your free hand.

"What about the shop? Surely you're still working, right?"

She hums happily and presses her head against your hand, then suddenly stops and seems self-conscious about it.

"Oh, um, Sunny Flights said she can cover the till for me... we were just about to close anyway."

Just then, the sun begins smoothly lowering to the horizon, exactly as Valencia said it would. You chuckle and look down at her.

"Alright, I've gotta know. How on earth do you ponies know when the sun is about to set?"

She gives you an odd look, "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna move the sun and moon at the same time every day. You... did know that, right?"

"Oh sure, and if I'm near a clock I know when it'll happen, but you ponies always seem to know no matter where you are! I'm dying to know, how do you do it?"

Her muzzle quirks in thought, then she shrugs her shoulders helplessly, "I just sort of... do?"

You groan and scowl playfully, making her look up and wince when she sees your face, "Ohhh, I'm sorry I can't be more help! I wish I could explain it better..."

"It's okay girl," you say, relaxing and patting her head, "I'm not actually angry, just playing around. I've been curious but it's not a big deal."

She looks down again, sighing in relief, "Well... it's hard to explain, I just kind of... feel like it's supposed to happen soon." She falls silent for a moment, her orange and white mane falling over her face as she looks down in thought, then she gasps and looks up, her eyes bright, "Ooh, I know! It's like when you put a kettle of water to boil then go do something else while you wait. After a while you just sort of 'know' it should be boiling by now, right? It always takes the same amount of time, so you get so used to it you can time it without even really thinking about it!"

"Ah, okay! That makes a lot of sense actually."

Valencia beams up at you, then her ear flicks and her eyes glance at your hand. Catching the hint, you chuckle and give her some ear scritches as thanks, making her coo contentedly. You turn the last corner and walk toward your house together.

"Weeeell now!" Granny's sharp voice cuts through the rapidly dimming light and Valencia freezes in her tracks, eyes wide and ears at full attention, "No wonder y'ain't answerin' yer door, ya weren't even in there!"

With a high squeak, the clerk pony twirls on a hoof and bolts back the way you came.

"N-No, wait! Valencia!" Either she doesn't hear you or is too startled to care as she darts around the corner and her hoofbeats rapidly fade into the distance.

You rub your eyes and let out a deep, pained sigh, "Hi, Granny..."

"Yeah, yeah, howdy ho an' all that. C'mon ya big mope, git inside."

You look up and grimace, "Can't we just--"

"Nope."

"--do this tomorrow?"

She just stares at you, so you groan and step forward, shoving your door open and shuffling your way inside. As you dump the bag of groceries onto your counter, the old pony steps through the door and casually closes it behind her with a kick of a hind hoof.

You glare at her, "Thanks for scaring off my new friend."

Granny hops up onto your couch and waves a hoof dismissively, "Bah, lil' Val scares near as easy as Fluttershy used to, but she ain't one to hold it against ya. She'll be back 'fore ya know it."

"Wait, you know her?"

"Fiddlesticks, Anon, 'course ah know 'er! Din't ya notice darn near everythin' they got came from Sweet Apple Acres?"

You did, of course--and mentally smack yourself for not figuring it out yourself sooner. Changing the subject, you turn and start putting away your groceries."

"Alright then, what do you want?" You ask sourly, "You gonna offer to let me fuck you too?"

"T'weren't mah first thought, no, but if'n yer askin' ah'm sure we--"

She stands up on your couch, tail raised high, and you hastily wave your hands, "No no! I'm not! Nevermind!"

She pouts as you awkwardly turn away to put some milk in the fridge, "Well then why'd ya go an' get m'hopes up by askin'?"

You freeze. 'Get her hopes up'? Surely not her too!

You whip around and stare at her, and she cackles gleefully, "Unknit yer knickers, Anon, ah'm just teasin' ya. Ah expect mah flankin' days're loooong gone."

You hesitate for a long moment before slowly resuming your actions and put away some more groceries.

"Though ah'll admit to wonderin' why ya asked that particular question." When you only grimace and don't respond, she continues, "Oh, lemme guess--them two party fiends... whasser names, Rare and Pie? They offered to help ya 'relax'?

"Uh..."

"An' that Rainbow gal hinted at doin' just the same, eh?"

Your face scrunches up with feelings of confusion, surprise, and suspicion as you turn to look at her, "How could you possibly know that?"

She snorts derisively, "Anon, ah helped found this 'ere town. May not be the Mayor m'self, but she's a dear old friend o'mine an' together we try an' keep an eye on anythin' what might affect this 'ere town." She eyes you critically, "Especially strange creatures from another world that decide they're better off livin' here with us."

Your mind reels with implications and you struggle to keep yourself from jumping to conclusions. You lean forward and stare at her over the kitchen counter that separates you from your living room.

"What are you implying?"

She tilts her head questioningly, "Eh? Implying" Ah ain't implyin' nothin' ah din't figure was already obvious. Yer a clear source o'disruption in the town, just ain't sure whether it's fer good or fer bad yet." She rubs the back of her head, then shrugs nonchalantly, "Ain't like there's some secret government of old ponies what got a say over things that happen 'round here. Ponyfeathers, even Mayor Mare ain't got as much power as she used to, now that lil' Twilight's a Princess now." Granny snorts and gives you a carefree smile, "Not that she minds havin' less work to do. That ol' gal's always bee a lazy one an' now she's gettin' old an' tired to boot. Ah don't doubt she's more'n happy to let lil' Twi take some o' the load off 'er withers."

You speak up before she can go off on another tangent, "Alright, alright... let's just get this over with."

"Hmm?"

You sigh, turning to put away the carton of eggs, "Come on, we both know why you're here. Let's just move on."

"Oh... ah ain't here to talk 'bout Applejack if that's what yer thinkin'."

You turn around and frown, "I find that extremely hard to believe."

She gives you a languid shrug in response, "Ah mean, we can talk 'bout her if'n ya want, but ah ain't 'bout to force it on ya."

"Well then why are you here?"

She shrugs again, "Ain't got a specific reason, really, was jus' worried 'bout you an' wanted to check in on ya. From what Mac told me, y'all were hurtin' pretty bad last night."

You grunt and toss some bread into the cupboard with more force than strictly necessary, "Oh, I'm doing just swell." You turn and pick up the last couple items from the bag.

"Apple Bloom misses ya somethin' fierce, y'know."

You falter for a moment, then grimace and set the groceries in a random cupboard, "Now what's the use in telling me that? It's not like I can do anything about Applejack at this point."

"An' how ya even know that without even talkin' to her?"

You whirl around, almost snarling at the old mare, "Because I did! By some cruel twist of fate she was standing right there after I got my groceries, but she wouldn't even TALK to me, Granny! I apologized and was gonna try to explain myself, and she just fuckin' walked away like I didn't mean nothin' to her!"

Granny looks up at you with old sad eyes, "She jus' don't know how to handle herself, Anon, specially what with 'er cycle. She don't hate ya an' she certainly don't--"

"Don't give me that shit!" you snap, "You were standing right there when she was yelling at me!"

"An y'all weren't there to see ju's how upset she was after ya left."

You throw up your hands, "Why would I want to know she got even angrier after I left?"

"Not angry, Anon," Granny replies quietly, "Well sure, she was angry alright, but she was hurtin' somethin' awful too. She hates what she did an' kept beatin' herself up over it all that night."

"Bullshit."

The old mare narrows her eyes at you.

"How the fuck are you gonna tell me she regrets what she did and then she refused to even talk to me today? And if she feels so shit about it, why can't she come over here and talk? Why is it you and Big Mac coming over here trying to tell me everything'll be fine and dandy, yet she can't hardly even look at me?"

Granny smiles gently and pats the couch with a hoof, "Anon, come over 'ere an' talk, please." You just sigh and rub your face silently and she adds, "C'mon now, ah asked nicely an' everythin'."

You groan in exasperation, "Why even bother!? What's the point?"

"Now now, Anon. Don't make me come over there an' make ya."

You scoff and roll your eyes, "Now that I'd like to see."

"If'n ah can still wrangle McIntosh into submission, y'all best believe ah can handle you." Her voice drops to an ominous murmur and her eyes pierce into you, "Don't test me, foal."

Something in her voice makes the back of your neck prickle and you feel your gut clench. Suddenly you're too nervous to even move and the two of you stare at each other for several seconds. The corner of her muzzle twitches.

Then you startle as she throws back her head and roars with laughter, slapping her thigh with a hoof and instantly shattering the tension. You sigh and lean forward onto the counter, both relieved and embarrassed.

"Bah golly, Anon!" She giggles a little more and wipes a tear from her eye, "Teasin' y'all is more fun than a day at the rodeo!"

You smile nervously but are still hesitant to approach the couch.

"Aw, git over 'ere for pony's sake! Ah don't bite unless ya ask!" She waves a hoof at you with a wink, still snickering.

Slowly, you walk around the counter and up to the couch. Granny rolls her eyes at your careful approach and pats the cushion next to her. After a brief pause, you finally sit down beside her and she smiles warmly at you.

"Thank ya, dearie. Ah was gettin' mighty tired of shoutin' across the room like that." She shuffles, turning where she sits so she can face you more easily. "So, anywho... y'all okay?"

You shrug your shoulders, not really feeling like talking now.

"Aw, Anon... Ah'm sorry. Ah din't mean to hurt yer feelings or nothin'." Was just tryna relax the atmosphere a bit."

You cross your arms and mutter, "Got a hell of a way of doing it."

Granny nickers and turns away, leaning back against the couch. When you eventually turn to look at her, she seems to be deep in thought and her ear barely even twitches at your movement. You'd rather avoid more thoughts of Applejack right now, and you're finding it hard to think about anything else in the presence of her granddam. So instead you just try not to think of anything at all.

The two of you sit there in silence for some time.

You fidget awkwardly. You want to tell her to get out, to leave you alone, to let you wallow in your misery... but whether out of respect, out of fear, or something out of a desire to be near an Apple, you can't quite bring yourself to tell her to leave. So, you just sit there.

For several minutes the only sound is the old mare's breathing. Then, in a slow and somber tone, Granny begins to speak.

"When Pear Butter married m'colt, Bright Mac, t'was the happiest day o' my life. Her joinin' our family was the best thing ever did happen to my lil' farm... even with her sire bein' a real plothole 'bout it." She smiles herself with the memories and continues, "Then, o'course, they had a foal. Moment he left the womb an' we saw he weren't but the biggest darn colt Ponyville had ever seen, ah knew he was gonna be the strongest, toughest earth pony around. Bright an Pear had already decided to call him McIntosh 'fore he was even born, but when Bright laid eyes on him, first thing he says is 'Hey there, Big Mac,' an' just like that, the name stuck."

Granny pauses briefly before continuing and you begin to realize this is no simple tale of days gone by.

"T'were a good long while 'fore Pear was with foal again, but Princess have mercy, when that filly was born, it's like a bit o' sunshine dripped straight off'a Celestia's horn an' fell to the soil. She was so beautiful, so perfect, Bright and Pear darn near jumped on each other right then an' there to try again. Ah says, 'Wait, give 'er time to grow a bit like ya did with Mac 'fore ya bring another foal into this world.' An' so they did."

She becomes more animated, gesturing with her hooves as she talks, "Now Mac was strong of body, but lil' Applejack was strong of heart, an' she poured that heart into everythin' she did. Mac respected the farm an' worked it happily enough, but Applejack din't just work the farm, she loved the farm. Some days we'd be tearin' her away from the crops just to get 'er to go to school, an' the second that bell rang, she was right back 'ere doin' what she loved best."

You turn in your seat and face Granny with an air of respect, feeling the story deserved it.

"She an' Mac got along alright, but without spendin' any extra time at school, she got lonely for filly friends an' started askin' Pear when she was gonna get a sister. Don't ask me how she knew where foals come from, ah got no clue to this very day! Anywho, she was still awful young, so we told 'er we were planning on waiting a while yet 'fore they had another foal but, well... You know how she gets. Weren't long 'fore we couldn't say 'no' no more an' gave in."

Granny's wide gestures suddenly cease and she falls silent for a long moment. Finally, she continues in a low voice, "From the very start of the pregnancy, somethin' weren't right. Weren't right at all. Started out small... throwin' up a little more'n usual, feelin' tired an' not thinkin' straight... then the pain came. That started small too--just a little twinge in the belly, she said. Nopony thought anythin' of it. Couple times she'd wince an' we'd ask if she were alright... she'd just shrug it off, say it was her belly hurtin' again. Ah was a mite worried, but everythin' was so happy an' perfect, ah never really feared somethin' could go wrong." She closes her eyes and her head droops, "Then one night ah wake up to screamin'."

Granny shudders and you absentmindedly reach out to comfort her, gently stroking her back.

"I'll spare ya the details, but let's just say y'all can still find some bloodstains if'n ya know where to look." She takes a deep breath before continuing, "Thank Celestia harvest had been good an' we'd some money saved up, so when the local Doc said he couldn't do anythin', we paid the big bits for a Medicorn to come out 'ere. He must'a spent near an hour standin' over Pear, his horn a glowin' but never sayin' a word. Finally he stops an' says a whole lot o' bit words that din't make much sense to none of us--probably just tryna show off to us lowly country ponies--'fore he finally admits the foal is fine."

You release a breath you didn't realize you had been holding.

"'Course, that was just the good news. Praise be that he had the good sense to keep Mac an' AJ outta the room 'cause the bad news next was that Pear weren't fine... weren't fine at all. Said somethin' 'bout an ulcer or tumor or somethin' an' told us she'd be lucky to live long enough to give birth. Said the best plan is to take the next train to a Manehatten hospital and give birth by magic, then go from there."

She shudders lightly before picking up the tale again, "Well 'course we were alls truck dumb by the news, but ain't no one took it harder'n my poor Bright. Everypony left the room an' left the two by 'emselves for a bit an' when he came out again, he had this sorta... dunno, fire in his eyes. He started packin' up to leave an' when ah asked where he thought he was goin', all's he said was he can't let this happen."

She heaves a great sigh before she speaks again, "Should'a stopped him right then an there, but ah was too upset m'self to really put up a fight. Pear din't seem surprised when ah said he left but wouldn't explain nothin'. When we broke it to the foals, Big Mac was upset as you'd expect, but Applejack... but oh, dear little Applejack..." Granny shakes her head slowly and rubs her muzzle with a forehoof, "The Medicorn told us the illness weren't cause by the pregnancy, but at the time lil' AJ wasn't in the room to hear that. Took me a long while to figure out that Applejack blamed herself for what happened, 'cause she asked for a sister an' Pear got sick with the foal. Still, that lil' drop of sunshine was so full of hope an' love, we couldn' hardly imagine anythin' might happen 'cept Pear gettin' better."

You hop up to fetch a couple small hand towels for Granny's budding tears--just Granny's of course, you're not getting choked up at all, oh no.

"T'was over a week 'fore Bright finally returned... an' he had a Zebra with 'im. She says her name's Zecora an' talked with a funny accent, but Bright was adamant she was a doctor who could help. Ah asked him what it would cost an' he just waved it off like it weren't even a worry... 'nothing mistake on my part."

The old mare slumps against the back of the couch and takes a few deep breaths, "Well, the zebra brews some odd smelling soup or somethin', carves some shapes into these lil' wood slivers she has, chants somthin' nopony understands while holdin' Pear an' Bright's hooves, then splashes 'em both with the soup. Nothin' happens, but Bright don't seem worried so ah don't ask. Few hours later, she doesn't it all again, an' then again 'fore we go to bed. The next day she does it three more times an' still nothin' happens."

She breaks off with a cough and you realize her voice was starting to get kinda scratchy, so you hop up to fetch her some milk to sooth her throat. She takes a few sips and even gargles the milk a bit, then smacks her lips and says, "Ah, thank ya dearie. Now what was ah' sayin'?"

You start to remind her but she immediately talks over you, "Oh right, the Zebra! Well after the third day doin' all that chantin' an' soup splashin', she says she's done an ah just can't take it anymore. Ah shout at her, 'y'ain't even done nothin' ya scammin' hack!' Figured she'd defend herself or get angry or somethin'... shore din't expect my dear colt Bright yankin' me back and lookin' right furious, tellin' me to give her the respect she deserves!" She chuckles humorlessly, "'Course, if I'd a known the truth about what she'd just done, I'd a prolly given her a buck in the head or ten, but ah trusted my colt an' backed down an' waited."

She raises her forehooves in mock prayer, "An' lo, praise be! Pear mysteriously makes a complete recovery! She gives birth to the most adorably lil' precious bean you ever did saw an' names her Apple Bloom. Everypony is happy an' nothin' ever goes wrong again. The end."

She slowly lowers her hooves and you're holding your breath again.

"Least... 'til somethin' goes wrong again. Bloom's first birthday comes around an' Bright Mac is awful tired the day after. We just chalk it up to the exertions of the party. By the time her second birthday comes around, Bright is lookin' awful wrinkly for his age. Weren't much longer 'fore it becomes obvious Bright is aging 'fore our very eyes."

She sighs and takes another sip of milk before continuing, "Well, ah start insisting he see a doctor but he keeps sayin' he's fine. Ah KNOW he ain't fine, so ah stand my ground... an' he finally decides to let loose an' explain. So he sits down with Pear an' me a-and--"

Granny suddenly chokes and almost silently begins to cry. You scoot close and comfort her as best you can, rubbing her back as the gentle sobs overcome her. Slight tremors shake her body and she brings the little hand towel to her muzzle.

Then, just a minute or two later, she lowers her hoof and takes several slow, deep breaths. When she speaks again, he voice is steady, but noticeably quieter than before, "...So we sits down an' he tells us just what the Zebra did. 'Parently what he told Pear was he gave up some of what Zecora called 'life force' to heal her, but that weren't the whole truth. What Pear had couldn't be healed by anypony--she was already dead. Instead, Zecora linked his life force to hers."

Her voice gained strength as she went on, as if that one little cry was all she needed, "Basically, so long as Bright Mac lived, Pear Butter couldn't age or die... but anythin' that would injure or age her would drain his life force instead. Problem was, Zecora had no way to know how much life force he had left or how fast Pear's sickness would drain it." She shudders slightly, "Zecora told him it might be anywhere from one to fifty moons 'til he started showing sighs of aging earlier than normal. Obviously it's been a lot closer to one than fifty, so he's 'a mite disappointed,' he says."

Granny scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Well anywho, Bright figured his time was up an' he wouldn't live to see Bloom's next birthday, an' when he died, Pear's remaining life force wouldn't last much longer. Poor Pear Butter was near hysteric, demandin' he cut the connection so he could life longer for the foals 'stead of leavin' them orphans--and ah was right there with her--but he said it couldn't be undone. Hay, ah even took the train to Canterlot an' petitioned to Princess Celestia to see if she could do anythin'.

She flicks a hoof dismissively, "Celestia was different then, 'fore Twilight came around an' Luna returned. Said she'd look into it but couldn't promise anythin' an' then ah never heard anythin' from her again. Tell the truth ah din't really expect her to help in the first place." She sighs again, "Well... t'weren't long 'fore the foals noticed somethin' was wrong. We tried explainin' as best we could, but ah think Mac was the only one old enough to understand... all Applejack knew was this was still connected to Pear's pregnancy, so 'course she kept on blamin' herself--though ah still didn't know it."

"Anyways, don't matter if they understood it, 'cause t'weren't long 'fore Bright looked like this ol' green husk talkin' to ya now, an' a few mornings later he... he just didn't wake up."

Granny chokes up again and you expect her to start crying again, but she hurries on in a husky voice, as if trying to get it behind her. "Even knowin' it was comin', me an' Pear were devastated, but it was made all the worse seein' how the foals suffered an' knowin' it wouldn't be long 'fore Pear went too. She lasted a lot longer'n Zecora guessed, but shortly after Bloom's third birthday, Pear started showin' signs of wear. Rather than put the foals through the pain o' that there slow decay, me an' her decided we'd tell them Pear was goin' off to find an' make amends with her parents."

She rolled her eyes disdainfully, "We already knew that was no use, 'course, t'was just a cover. Them rotten pieces o' manure had already refused to talk the first time she was dyin'. Still, we told the foals she'd be gone for a few weeks, maybe months, sayin' we weren't sure where her parents had gotten off to... an instead checked her into the clinic right 'ere in town. Each an' every night, no matter how tired ah was or how bad the weather, ah went down there to visit her."

The old mare sniffs and wipes her muzzle with the hand towel again, "Brought her news of the foals, copies of homework, plants they'd grown, things they'd drawn, even pictures when ah could get 'em. An' every night she looked older'n the night before, but dammit if she din't always look happy." She looks down at her own wrinkled fetlock, "Hope when my time comes, ah can manage half the grace an' cheer that mare had in her last days..."

You just stare at her in silent horror until she eventually continues.

"Now, it's gettin' pretty clear we're nearin' the end an' Pear won't last more'n a few more days, when all o' the sudden one night Big Mac an' Applejack stop me at the door as ah'm leavin' an Mac says the worst thing ah ever did hear: 'We wanna see her,' he says. Ah tried playin' it off, but somehow they just knew, so then ah tried convince 'em they shouldn't see her, that it'd just hurt 'em to see her like that. Hay, Applejack even agreed with me! But they just couldn't stand knowin' their dam was dyin' not a mile away an' not seein' her."

Granny shakes her head sadly, "'Course ah couldn't just tell 'em no, so we head down to the clinic an' ah tell 'em to wait outside Pear's room while ah go in an' warn her... an' she's plain horrified, an' rightly so! Says if they see her now, like this, all the time she spent away woulda been in vain! There's a bit o' back an' forth ah don't really need to get into, but eventually Big Mac goes in while Applejack waits outside. She clearly thinks that's a mite unfair, but it's really all too somber to get upset."

She takes another sip of milk, then slowly says, "When Mac finally comes out... he's in a bad way. Shaken, scared, hurt, an' miserable, an' ah give him the biggest hug ah can manage. Then Applejack asks if she can see 'er now. Quick as a whip Mac says she shouldn't--he regrets it, she'll regret it, Pear'll regret it... he straight up begs her through his tears not to go in, to remember her as she was. Applejack stares at the door for a long while, then she finally steps inside."

You can't help but let out a groan and Granny nods sadly, "It ain't but a minute 'fore she's stumblin' back out that door, Pear callin' her name as she gallops away. Mac goes after her an' ah go in to ask what happened... Pear says the first thing outta Applejack's mouth was 'I'm sorry.' an' after a bit o' talk we finally realize AJ's been blamin' herself for what happened the whole time." She rolls her eyes, "Took us long enough, eh? Well ah rush off to explain the truth to her, but as soon as ah start talkin', she won't listen. Cuts me off, runs way, covers her ears an' says 'lalalalala!' ...Anythin' she can do to avoid the conversation."

"Next night, Mac goes with me to visit though it plainly hurts him, but ah think in the end they were both glad he did. He goes again the next night and the Doc stops me as we arrive an' says he don't expect her to make it to morning. Mac goes in while ah gallop back home to get Applejack."

She pauses a bit awkwardly, stretching her neck this way and that before continuing.

"Now ah know she'll just cut me off soon as she knows what ah'm sayin', so when ah open her bedroom door, first thing outta my muzzle is, 'she's dyin'' an' poor Applejack freezes 'fore her hooves can even make it to her ears. Glad ah finally got 'er to listen, ah say somethin like 'it's time, it weren't yer fault, y'all should be with her...' an' so on. She just lays there, still an' silent as stone. Ah try an' get her to say somethin' or at the very least look at me, but she just jerks away from my touch. Eventually ah got no choice but to just leave 'er."

You let out a forlorn sigh and Granny just shakes her head.

"Well, when ah get back to the clinic, the doc explains to me, Mac, and Pear that we got three options. He can keep everythin' the same an' let her pass when her body finally gives out, he can cut off life support after she falls asleep so she passes quietly, or he can cut it off now so me an' Mac can be with her as she goes. We talk 'bout it for a time an' Pear decides she wants to do it now, so me an' Mac can be with her as she goes. The doc says he'll give her an hour to make sure she's really sure, an' we just talk about the farm and the foals to pass the time. Then the doc comes back and Pear ain't changed her mind. So he just... flips a switch an' says it'll only be a few minutes. Pear asks if it'll hurt an' he says it'll be just like fallin' asleep."

She hesitates for a brief moment, wincing as if reluctant to say the words.

"So we sit with her an' just... keep on talkin' like nothin's wrong. Me an' Mac makes jokes an' tell stories an' talk about anythin' we can think of while we pretend not to notice how her eyes droop or how each breath comes slower than the last. Mac tells a story 'bout somethin' silly Bloom did that day. Halfway through, she don't breathe again an' Mac stops dead, mid-sentence... just stares at the trace of a smile still left on 'er face."

Granny clenches her eyes and whispers, "Then Applejack walks in."

You gasp, hand flying to your mouth, then moan as if in physical pain.

She nods slowly before continuing, "She...weren't never the same after that. She threw herself at the farm like it was all she had left in life. Learned to care about other stuff over time, but she always treated the farm like it was precious beyond anythin' or anypony... 'cept maybe Apple Bloom."

"So when I tried to stop her from working..."

"Ya had 'bout as much luck as if ya tried gettin' her to buck Apple Bloom in the snout."

The two of you sit in silence for a moment before you quietly say, "Well... now I understand why she got so mad." Granny only grunts in response and you continue, "But... Granny, none of that changes the fact that she's mad in the first place. What am I supposed to do with her?"

The old mare snorts, "Do what ya want. Ah ain't some ancient sage of wisdom with all the answers. Ah'm just an old coot that grows apples."

She hops down from the couch and you stare at her, stunned, "You mean... you spent all that time talking and don't even have a suggestion to help?"

She shrugs, "Ah got ideas, sure, just ain't got a clue if they're any good." She slowly walks away, "Just figured ya might wanna know the whole store 'fore ya act, that's all."

She opens your door, then pauses and glances over her shoulder, giving you a reassuring smile. "Ah don't doubt you'll do right by her soon enough."

Then she leaves you to your thoughts.

Author's Note

Welp, that's all I have pre-written. From here on I'll be writing the chapters fresh, so expect slower updates from here on. I'll try not to let Factorio delay me too much (like it did this chapter lol).