The Long Winter

There was a time when I couldn't visit them.

I couldn't explain it. Every so often Granny Smith and Big Mac would take a walk to the grave together. Granny would always invite me, but I always had an excuse. Sometimes I said that I wanted to keep an eye on Apple Bloom, even though she had a sitter already. Other times there were seeds to plant or trees to harvest, or chicken feed to buy or a screw loose on the barn door. Granny would always say "Oh, that's right. Well, you go ahead and get that done. You're a hard worker, Applejack."

Then she'd pause for a moment, like she wanted to say "Your ma and pa would be proud of you." But she didn't say that, because I didn't want to hear it. I never liked it when ponies talked about them like they weren't around anymore. I guess I had some foal's idea that it was all a mistake.

They'd been on a trip when it happened, aiming to visit a county fair about a hundred miles away. Then came the landslide and...well...can you blame me, for thinking they might still be alive? I knew it wasn't true of course, but...it was so easy to imagine that it was all a mistake, they'd gotten lost maybe, maybe they weren't there in that canyon, maybe it was somepony else, and maybe one of these days they'd walk right back onto the farm, wondering what all the fuss was about.

It was years before I visited them properly.

At first I could hardly tell you why I wrote to him. Somehow it just felt right. His name was Troubleshoes, and I'd met him at the Appleloosa rodeo. Once we'd sorted out all the misunderstandings (turns out he didn't fillynap my sister and her friends) and he'd had a chance to tell his story, well, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I'd said my goodbyes and taken the fillies back to Ponyville with me, but a week later I was still thinking about him, wondering why I was thinking about him. Finally I sent him a letter, thanking him again for how he'd helped my sister and inviting him up to Ponyville if he ever got the chance. I told myself I was just being polite.

Two weeks later Apple Bloom walked into the kitchen with a letter. "Big sis, this one's for you! It's from Troubleshoes."

"It's what?"

I nearly knocked the table over when I jumped up to snatch the letter from her. I tore it open and read it as quick as I could. My heart was pounding for some reason. "He says he'd...like to visit." I mumbled.

"All right! He can tell everypony in class how the Crusaders helped him with his cutie mark!"

I waved her off without even glancing at her. "That's fine, sugar cube. That's fine..."

When he finally arrived he was as gracious as any guest could be. We put him up in the spare bedroom, and I decided to give him a tour of the farm, just him and me.

It ended up being a very long tour.

He kept asking about everything we did here, and I kept giving him more than what he'd asked for. All the different kinds of apple trees, the different kinds of soil, the timber wolves, the zap apples, cider-making, fruit bats, family reunions...why we must've walked the length of the orchard a dozen times and more. And at some point I started asking him more about himself, about how he'd spent so many years with "bad luck" and a bad reputation to boot, until it all turned around one day.

"I wish I could have that."

I stopped. The words had tumbled out of my mouth before I could even think.

He noticed me staring. "Miss Applejack? Something on your mind?"

The wind gently blew my mane off to one side. I raised a hoof to steady my dad's hat upon my head. I took a breath.

"I don't mean to pry, Troubleshoes, but...are you doing alright now? What I mean is, you were so sad for so long, and I was just wondering..."

He nodded. "I was a sad, sad stallion for a long time. But I'm grateful to your family. I think I'm finding my way now. Learning to be a rodeo clown, making folks laugh, not being so hard on myself. Yes ma'am, I do think I'm changing for the better."

"Did you ever...did you think that maybe it would never happen? That there were some things you just couldn't change?"

He gave a wry smile. "I thought I'd been cursed to be unlucky all my life. But I was wrong."

I looked into the distance. "I'm sure you'll make a name for yourself in the rodeos. But I wouldn't mind...that is to say...do you suppose you'll visit us again?"

"Miss Applejack, there's nothing I'd like better."

His words stayed with me for a long time.