Apple Pie
Apple buck season was upon the apple family again. Big Mac and Applejack would spend all day out in the fields. While normally Applejack would have a few free hours from work, this season she had no free time. One of the helpers, Caramel, had broken his leg and was currently sitting this season out. So Applejack was working harder than ever to keep up with the work. Although she knew she should ask for help from the girls, the fact that Mac had not once complained drove her to continue.
She hadn't seen her friends in over a week. The last time she was with them was at a party, thrown by pinkie, The pink mare had been especially random and seemed to want to spend all of time with her. She barely spend any time with anypony else because of Pinky's antics. Not that any of her friends minded, in fact some seemed to push Pinkie off on her. No one said a word as the pink party pony walked her home (against her own wishes). The thing that bothered AJ the most was that on the walk Pinkie became quiet. Also she would catch Pinky staring at her from time to time. Once she arrived at her home, Pinkie tried to tell her something about balloons and rainbows and sunshine. But when AJ didn’t get her point, Pinkie sighed, smiled and left.
AJ was brought out of her thoughts as an apple hit her head. A pink apple.... She quickly picked it up and looked for the pony that threw it at her. When she found that she was alone, she looked over the apple. “Bite me!” was carved into it. AJ shrugged and stuffed the apple into her saddle bag before returning to apple bucking.
Pinkie waited behind the door of Sugar Cube Corner; she was prepared to surprise the guest of night, the birthday girl, and Applejack(she was lucky, because all three were the same pony). All of the rest of her friends were already mingling around the storefront. Applejack should have been here three hours ago, but Pinkie knew she would come. She would wait for her to come, in this very spot. Today was the day, she would tell her...everything... Her mind drifted to the letter in her saddle bag that Twilight helped her write. The letter would explain her feelings for the apple pony much better then she could with her words. She knew that Applejack wouldn't understand her, almost no pony understood her when she started jabbering, but she couldn’t help it, she liked to talk allot, and it was hard to control her thoughts and sometimes they would get mixed up, like that time.... Pinkie thoughts were brought to a halt as a cup of apple juice floated in front of her. “But cups don’t float, you silly filly.” She said to herself before turning to the purple mare standing to her right.
Twilight had thought about what pinkie said for a couple seconds before shaking her head. “Pinkie,” she changed the subject,” I don't think she’s coming and it’s starting to get late. I know you were going to tell her tonight...but the sun has already gone down.” Twilight put a forearm around Pinkie.
“Twi, am I a silly filly?” Pinkie said as her eyes shifted towards the door. “The tingles won't go away until I tell her.” She sighed softly. “Okay. Dokie. Loki. I can tell her another time... Let’s get this party started!” She faked a smile and bumped her flank against Twilight. “Never let a good party go to waste.” She slipped from Twilight's hug and walked to the record player. She put on her favorite record and lost herself in the music.
While she returned AJ's gifts back to their givers at the end of night , she had a brilliant idea. After everypony left, Pinkie began working on her master plan. If Applejack wouldn't go to her own surprise birthday party, then Auntie Pinkie would take the party to her. Even if she had to do it on her own. She spent all night and part of the morning working on a giant present box large enough to hold a pony, and sealed to be sound proof. This was going to be the best one day late surprise party ever!
Pinkie looked around Applejack's room. There was a banner that said 'Happy One Day Late Surprise Party Apple Jack' hanging on the wall, but the first thing Applejack would see was the giant present setting in the middle of the room. Pinkie laughed and hopped around the room excitedly. Applejack would never figure out how she got the big box into her room. It was a good thing that all the ponies on the farm had their hoofs full or they might have caught the pink pony dragging the heavy box into the house.
“Its time! Its time!” Pinkie exclaimed as she stared at the drawn on watch on her left foreleg, both of the hands were pointed to party. She quickly got into the box and closed it. “This is going to be so great!” She said to herself, humming a birthday song. At first she tried to keep it low, but then she remembered that it was also sound proof, so she started singing her heart out.
Pinkie had lost track of time after she had run out of songs to sing. The box was hot and it was a little hard to breath. Pinkies eyes were heavy, “I'm going to rest my eyes.” She said to anypony who would listen to her. She giggled as she remembered that no pony could hear her. She slumped against the side; her late night finally caught up to her, she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
What pinkie didn't realize was that she had done an amazing job making this giant present. Not only was it sound proof, it was sealed, cutting off her supply of oxygen. She would have laughed at her mistake, if she wasn’t passed out and gasping for breath. It wasn't long before the mare's struggles were over.
Applejack had spent the last two days in the cellar collecting and separating apples. There were apples all over the floor, the shelves and even the roof! How Apple Bloom and her friends managed to make these messes was beyond her. She sighed, looking over the cellar, it was almost clean....and it only took twenty hours of work. She sighed before she turned to leave for the night.
As she was making her way up the stairs she noticed the pink apple she found yesterday morning, on one of the stairs. She picked it up at read it again. “Hmmm. no point in letting a good apple go to waste.” She bit into the apple and quickly dropped it, the apple had a blue rubber core. As the apple hit the floor, it exploded and a yellow balloon, with her cutie mark printed on it, rose from the apple debris. Attached to the bottom was a card. 'I need you to come to the Sugar Cube Corner at five, I have something important to tell you.' It was signed pinkie, but it looked too nice to be written by that hyper mare.
Then it clicked, that was from yesterday. “Oh hay feathers....” Applejack said as she rushed out of the cellar. “Ah'm a day late!” She quickly ran into the house, running past Grannie smith who was complaining to Big Mac about something hopping around upstairs all afternoon.
She headed straight for her room and quickly threw open her door. She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the poster on the wall across from her. She smiled at the familiar party pony's signature handwriting, chicken scratch. Her eyes shifted from that to the giant present. She was speechless; the colors of the paper matched her perfectly. “Aww Pinkie Pie,” she said softly. She looked around, making sure she was alone, then she approached the present. “I wonder what she got me.”
AJ opened the lid and peaked inside. She jumped back at the sight of Pinkie sleeping at the bottom of the gift. “Pinkie Pie! You scared me.” She said and waited for the pink pony to respond. After a minute of silence she walked back up the present. “Pinkie...Wake up pinkie.” She stuck a hoof in and prodded the sleeping pony. When she didn't respond, AJ started to panic. “Nononono.” She said quietly as she pulled the cold body from the present. “Pinkie...Pinkie wake up.” AJ began to sob softly. “I’m sorry I missed you yesterday, I promise to make it up to you...All you have to do is wake up please.” After a couple minutes of prodding AJ realized that Pinkie had passed away, and it was her fault... She started to cry.
It was almost midnight and AJ was at front of her favorite tree, between her and the tree was a freshly dug hole in the ground. AJ was sitting at the edge of the pit, she stared down at the body of the pink pony. “If they found you... they would blame me...and my family needs me... I'm so sorry Pinkie.” She looked over Pinkie one last time, getting ready to bury her. A white envelope caught her eye. AJ quickly retrieved it and slipped it into her hat. She filled up the hole and said a prayer to Celestia and Luna.
“Time heals all wounds.” AJ would never come to understand that saying. Although lately Twilight seemed to quote it allot. A year had passed since that day, and it seemed to go by quickly. At first ponies seemed to question AJ about Pinky mysterious disappearance (especially her friends); she would only respond with tears. Eventually everypony stopped asking.
It was after midnight. She was walking home from her birthday party. It thrown by Twilight, who began following in Pinkie's hoof steps a couple months ago. Twilight insisted that she walk AJ home, claiming that she had something to show her. “Ya know Twi, the more you say that the less ah understand it.”
Twilight sighed. “It just means that... she will be back eventually. Or... that...we'll move on.” Twilight shook her head. “That's why I started throwing parties; I don't want to forget her. She'll come back, eventually. She would wait for anyone of us.”
AJ sighed; Twilight was the only pony who still talked about Pinkie. “If ya say so Twi. So what was this thing ya wanted to show me?” AJ asked trying to change the subject.
Twilight gasped. “I almost forgot.” She stopped and slipped her snout into her saddle bag and pulled out a sealed letter. “Pinkie wanted to give this to you. But, I don't think she had the chance. This is a copy I helped her make.” She turned and headed back towards Ponyville. “Goodnight Applejack.”
AJ waited until Twilight was out of her sight before opening the letter.
'AJ,
I love you. I have for a long time now.
Signed,
Pinkie Pie <3
P.S. I'm probably still babbling about something, you should shut me up. Maybe with a kiss!'
The letter was short but AJ couldn't even finish it before she started crying. She ran the rest of the way to her home and then straight to the tree she buried Pinkie under. As she approached it she noticed something different about the tree. The apples were pink. “Why are you Pink!” she yelled at the apples. “And why did ya have to do something so stupid!” She kicked at the fresh grass over the grave. “Why didn't ya tell me. Ya stupid filly.” She threw herself on the ground and let every emotion flow out.
AJ sighed, once again in the apple cellar. She had collected all of the pink apples and hidden them deep in one of the corners. She was sure nopony would ever see those apples. The thought that they even existed only forced her into a depression. “At least here in the cellar they will rot away," she thought to herself as she left the cellar. Little did she know, that somepony was watching her from a window in the house.
Apple Bloom, having seen the pink apples was keen to explore the cellar the next morning. She called her two best friends to assist her in finding the apples. Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell and she were standing at the entrance. “Aren't we not allowed down here after last time?” Sweetie Bell said nervously.
“Yeah and it’s kind of dark and hard to fly down there.” Scootaloo quickly added.
Apple Bloom laughed. “That was so long ago, I’m sure my sis don't even remember it. And, its not like you need to go very high Scootaloo.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes,” Besides do you want everypony to call you chicken again?” She said playfully.
“Shut up!” Scootaloo yelled out as she rushed into the cellar. The other two fillies followed behind her.
They were down there for nearly two hours before they found the basket with the pink apples. “Whose gonna try one first?” Scootaloo asked.
Apple Bloom shrugged. “Rock, Paper, Hoof for first to go?”
“Lets do it at the same time!” Sweetie Bell suggested. The other two fillies nodded in agreement. They each grabbed an apple. “On the count of Three. One. Two. Three!”
They each bit into the apple, each on was sweet and juicy. They tasted more like candy then apples. Suddenly Apple Bloom and Scootaloo began to laugh, as a joyous feeling washed over them. Sweetie Bells horn glowed a light blue and she began to laugh louder than either filly, she even snorted.
After the three calmed down they looked at the apples. “They remind me of Pinkie,” Sweetie Bell said.
“We should share these with everypony.” Scootaloo added.
“Ya know what that means girls!” Apple Bloom said happily.
“Cute Mark Apple Salemares!” all three shouted in unison.
It was almost sundown when Twilight left her library. She was headed towards the market. There was another party in a few days and she was running low on supplies. “How did pinkie ever manage to keep up with this?”
When she entered the market she noticed the three cutie mark crusaders sitting in front of a basket. “Hello girls! What are you three up to today, staying out of trouble I hope.” She smiled and stopped in front of the fillies.
“We're salesmares!” Sweetie Bell said.
“And good ones at that! Only have one apple left.” Apple Bloom chirped in.
“So you should buy it. Hint Hint.” Scootaloo finished.
Twilight smirked. “Okay how much.”
“Ten bits.” They replied in unison.
“Why so much for an....” Twilight looked at the last apple in the basket. “Its...pink.” The girls nodded.” Okay then...” She pulled 10 bits from her bag and gave them to Apple bloom. She levitated the apple up to her mouth and bit in. The sweet candy flavor was powerful! Suddenly her vision went black.
When twilight opened her eyes she was staring at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie was hunched over a drawing board, designing a giant present. Then as if someone pressed fast forward, time speed up. Pinkie built the box, and then wrapped it. She dragged it all the way out, and in some way that Twilight could not comprehend, she got it into AJ's room. Pinkie made a banner and put in on the wall and then got into the present.
Twilight was suddenly in the box, but despite the darkness she could see Pinkie. She heard Pinkie sing and talk until she had fallen asleep. She heard her breath until she stopped. She heard pinkies heart beat weakly until it stopped. Twilight was crying, but she couldn’t move, she couldn't talk, she couldn’t make a sound.
Suddenly the box opened and she saw AJ. She watched as AJ slowly figured out what happened. She watched her drag Pinkie across the farm. She watched as AJ dug a hole and pushed Pinkie in. Then everything went dark as AJ covered Pinkie in dirt.
Twilight suddenly woke up in the middle of the street. Three fillies were talking to her, but she couldn’t focus. She had just seen her friend die... And she had another friend that she had to talk to...
Author's Note
Quick Story that I had stuck in my head. Started as a simple ship but (due to a friends influence) turned into something so much more...sad. Also I had no clue how to write Pinkie or AJ. This is also a one shot. Let me know what you think, and you should also rate it, because your awesome.
