Apples Can Cry

"Ah'm not yer big brother Applejack."

Big McIntosh Apple spoke softly, his voice rough as tears spilled from his emerald eyes. He looked at Applejack, knowing that she couldn't see the tears in the dark. "It's a lie, all a lie. Ah'm not yer big brother Applejack and ah never have been." The words blasted a hole through his heart, but it was true. He wasn't her big brother and the realization that he had just said that smacked him like a tree falling on top of him.

Applejack's whole body froze, her muscles tensed and her jaw gaped. She slid off of Big Mac and stood before him, green eyes wide. "Y-Yer not mah brother? What do ya mean yer not mah brother!?" Her voice got high-pitched and louder in fear and a glow of pain entered her grass eyes. "Big Mac... What's goin' on?" She struggled to control her voice as she looked at him, hidden in the darkness of the night but his eyes glowed with unbelievable agony, pain and sadness. She felt her heart twisting and breaking inside her chest and tears rolled down her face. "Tell me!" She begged.

McIntosh took a deep, shuddering breath. For a moment he vanished into the darkness as his glowing eyes closed, but he opened them again and sighed. "Ah guess yer ready for it... But ah have ta tell ya the whole story, or it won't make sense ta ya whatsoever. Here's the whole story, the good and honest truth. Ah'm tired of all the secrets and lies." Tears started leaking from his eyes as he looked at Applejack. "Ah'm sorry AJ."

Applejack sat back on her haunches and listened, the rivers kept flowing down her face and she didn't make an effort to stop them. "Ah'm ready Big McIntosh." She murmured, her voice taught with pain and husky like the wind blowing over the rocks. She wiped the tears off her face and fought to control the trembling in her body. Her legs wobbled slightly and she let a shudder ripple up her body.

Big Mac cleared his throat and began,

"Ah've always been older than ah look. Believe it or not, ah'm in mah fourties. Remember when ya went to Manehattan and came back with yer cutie mark? Y'all were just three, an itty bitty filly. Ah was twenty then, but we never told ya. We always told ya that ah was a few years older than ya, but ah'm not. I'm much older than ya.

When ah was sixteen, ah got made fun of. Ah hit puberty late and never finished, that's why ah look so young. But everypony made fun of me, called me a foal and said ah should go back to kindergarten. Ah wanted to end it all, ah hated mah school and everypony hated me.

That is until ah met her.

She was a beauty Applejack. She had a coat the color of honey and a mane that was as black as a bee's stripe, her cutie mark was a honeycomb dripping with golden honey. Her name was Honey Suckle, she was the daughter of the honey seller 'round these parts.

Anyways, she saw me being beaten up by some bullies. She told them to get the hay out of there before she got involved, boy was she a fighter. She helped me up, told me her name and we became friends. After a while, ah developed a crush on her and she felt the same for me. We started dating and we dated for a while, despite what the other ponies said.

We dated for 'bout a year. When ah turned seventeen, we had huge bash here at the barn. Course ah invited her and she came.

But the party got out of control, some stallions snuck booze in and spiked the punch.

Ah'd promised Papa Apple and Granny Smith that ah wouldn't have alcohol at the party, when ah found out ah bucked those stallions out mahself. Ah replaced the punch and the party went back to normal, sept the few ponies who had gotten drunk.

Ah was feelin' a bit dizzy mahself, but ah ignored it. The shame of it Applejack, ah realize now that ah was drunk as a pony with a cider addiction.

Ah guess somepony thought it'd be a funny prank, some idiot who thought it would be some sort of accomplishment to do it, who knows but they did it. Somepony managed to sneak some of the toughest cider around in mah drink. Course ah didn't know until ah'd downed the glass I was do darn thirsty, but sure enough ah got so drunk ah wasn't even aware of mah actions."

Big Mac started crying. The tears were like twin waterfalls as they soaked into his fur. He wiped the tears from his eyes and controlled his shaking body before he found his voice.

"Honey Suckle was drunk too. She had been spiked with alcohol, but she didn't even know. Ponies started leaving because they were tired or too drunk to carry on partying. It was a mess liked ya'd never believe, vomit puddles, blood from fights and spilled drinks. Ah'll never forget it.

It... it was so awful. Honey Suckle was under the influence this was her house and since ah was drunk, ah believed her. We went into mah room and... Applejack ah'm so ashamed. It was the worst thing ah've ever done in mah life, ah wish ah could take it all back. Ah never wanted any of it to happen, but it did.

We continued seein' each other, not paying any attention to what we had done. Ponies started warmin' up to us and we made a whole new group of friends and we just let the events pass us by.

But it was a couple of months later when ah got the word... Honey Suckle was pregnant. She was pregnant with mah foal. MAH foal. I had given her a foal.

It was the worst day of mah life.

Ah was seventeen and ah was gonna have a foal. Ah was and am so ashamed to this day of what ah did. Yer never gonna feel pain like that Applejack. Horror, fear, agony, pain and regret just mix in and it blasts yer heart into a million pieces. Ah'll never forget the look in her eyes, the realization of what we had done.

What AH had done.

We told our parents, it was a day ah'll never forget. Granny Smith stared cryin', Pa started cryin' it was the worst moment of mah life. Ah had to tell 'em that ah had made a mare pregnant when ah was seventeen. Imagine the shame AJ, the regret and the sadness. It hurt so bad.

We kept it a secret from our friends. Sure enough, Honey got ridiculed and made fun of for being obese when it became noticeable. We were there to support each other trough it, we were there for each other when we just couldn't bear to go to our parents.

It was the worst nine months ah ever did go through.

But she gave birth. A beautiful little filly, the color of fresh oranges with a straw colored mane. The coat color of pa with Granny Smith's mane, back when it was yellow. She was a fighter, right from the start. Her eyes opened and they were mah eyes, blazing little grass green irises looked around the room. She was the most beautiful foal ah'd ever lay mah eyes on. We celebrated the birth, the birth of Applejack Smith Apple.

We weren't gonna give ya up for adoption, not after what we'd been through. We gave ya to Pa and raised you like mah younger sister, telling you that Ma had passed away, which was true. Mah Ma passed when ah was just a little colt. When y'all were old enough to talk, ah introduced ya to Honey Suckle, we never told ya that she was yer mother.

Pa remarried a few years later to a mare named Key Lime. We told ya when y'all were a wee filly, but since y'all were so little ya just assumed she had given birth to ya.

We let ya believe it.

Apple Bloom is still yer sister. Honey Suckle gave birth to her when y'all were fifteen, but you were on a trip. We told ya that Key Lime gave birth during the trip. Honey Suckle never left her side, ya were confused but ya didn't mind, ya just ignored it. It tore her heart into pieces to see you like that, but she soldiered on.

We were there for yer first steps, there for yer first words. It ripped mah heart in half to hear ya call mah Pa yer Pa. We were there when ya started school, ah picked ya up everyday and ya kept asking why Pa didn't pick ya up. Ya had no idea who ah really was.

We left it that way."

Big Mac stopped telling the story and started sobbing as the memories flooded him.

The first time he met Honey Suckle, the day they started dating her and he told his parents. The pride in their eyes, the warm feeling in his heart. The party rushed over him and he saw the mare laughing, kissing, pulling him closer. The dizziness of being drunk and the agony that took over him that night. The shame washed over him, the tears in Granny and Pa's eyes. Then seeing Applejack for the first time, seeing her wave her hooves and open her eyes, those beautiful green eyes. He saw her grow up in his mind's eye, saw Apple Bloom's birth.

He saw it all.

He looked back up at Applejack. The sight of her scared him. Her eyes were wide, her jaw gaped and the tears flowed down her face. His eyes drooped and he collapsed, crying. "Ah'm so sorry AJ..." He sniffled. "Ya must hate me now... ah understand. Ah lied to ya for twenty years and ah wish ah hadn't." He got back to his hooves and looked at her, trying hard to fight a fresh wave of tears.

"Ah'm yer Pa Applejack."

Applejack stood stock still. Tears were soaking the hay below her, puddling around her hooves and soaking her orange fur. She looked at him, she looked at Big McIntosh as he sobbed. The words he said snapped her out of it. Her hooves flashed forwards and she charged into him, shoving her head under his chin and wrapping her forelegs around his neck. "Shut up Big Mac!" She snapped, hugging him tighter. "Ah kin never hate ya, ever. Yer mah Pa and ah love ya!" Her sobs filled the quiet air.

Mcintosh rested his chin on her head. "There there Jackie. Ah love ya too." He whispered, brishing her back with a giant beige hoof. Tears leaked from his eyes, but these were tears of joy.

Granny Smith had hobbled out of the barn to leave them. She felt a smile grace her face and a few small tears drip onto her frail hooves. She got up and limped away, deciding to leave them alone for the night.

~~~

The sun rose, shedding light into the barn. Applejack and Big McIntosh were curled up on a pile of hay, fast asleep.

Applejack was curled up in his forelegs, pressed against his belly. Big McIntosh opened his eyes and looked at his precious daughter, letting a few tears slip down his face as he smiled at her. The mare in his arms opened her eyes and loked up at him, the look he gave her mirrored on her features. She snuggled closer to him and hummed a soft tune. Big Mac hugged her closer, letting more tears fall.

He finally had his daughter back.