Winds of Change

Winds of Change

Chapter Four

Knock.

“Ah’m coming.”

Knock knock.

“Geez, where’s the fire?”

Knock knock BAM.

At this, Applejack ran to the front and opened it forcefully, half concerned and half mad.

“Maith!” Derpy yelled, her face two inches from Applejack’s and her words made nearly incoherent by the envelope she held in her mouth. The orange pony took the slightly wet envelope and went to the kitchen to fetch a muffin as a payment for her mail.

“Here ya go,” she said as he passed the muffin to the ditsy Pegasus. She grabbed it and gobbled in a matter of seconds.

“Thanks!” she said, and flew off with a enormous grin.

Applejack sat near the table and teared the envelope apart, careful to keep the letter intact. As she opened it she recognized Rainbow’s hoof writing style. She began to read the note from her marefriend. At first she was happy to receive mail but as she began reading her expression changed to a one of concern and sadness. When the letter was read Applejack’s face was overtaken by grief.

She stood up on shaky hooves, and a violent sob escaped her lips. A dam broke behind her eyes and tears started to fall uncontrollably. She ran to her room as fast as she could and landed on her bed, crying profusely.

“Why!?” she managed through heavy sobs as her body curled into a small ball, her hat landed on the floor, forgotten, “Oh Celestia, WHY!?”

The cold evening wind from the open door moved the letter slightly, and the contents read:

Dear Applejack

As you know I went on a short vacation to Manehattan. You must know that I am having a great time in here! All the bars, nightclubs and parties are making me crazy! But you know that this is my way of relaxing and resting from all the work on the farm. Guess what! I met this awesome stallion on a party. His name is Buckley and he is really awesome and cute! Imagine this: he told me that he was in Ponyville some time ago!! How could I miss him? Anyway he said that he was about to be married with somepony from Ponyville but she escaped at the last moment! What a lost chance! For her of course! Because this guy is really great. Anyway I wanted to write to you to say that I won’t probably be going back to the farm. This guy has a small apartment here and I’m already moving in. I think I love him!!! I’ll probably send a rented chariot to collect my remaining things.

Rainbow Dash

-«<♦>»-

Applejack woke up with a strong grasp for air and violently shifted into a sitting position on her bed. It was dark, the only light coming from the moon lurking in the window. She panicked and looked around, only seeing the outlines of furniture. She gently touched her face with a hoof to find her cheeks slightly damp. She felt like crying again, but overcame it and stood up. Suddenly a thought sprung to her mind. She needed to check something, fast.

The farmer slowly got up from the bed and stood on wobbly hooves. Applejack let out a quiet sigh that was filled with sadness. She started cautiously walking towards the door. When it was reached and opened by the orange mare, she looked down the corridor. The stairs leading to the kitchen were immersed in darkness. She stepped out and cautiously started walking without closing the door.

The gait seemed painfully slow, each step was a decade in Applejack’s mind. On top of that the thought was nagging at her, it’s strength increasing with every step taken. She could not take it anymore, tears threatening to fall again. She forgot about the rest of her slumbering family and ran downstairs. When in the kitchen, she hastily looked for the matches and a candle. It was almost too dark to see, but the matches and a candle were set directly under the window, so they would be easy to locate even in the night.

The small flame danced around, briefly illuminating all of Applejack’s features, and dimmed, threatening to die down but after two seconds it strengthened and stabilized. The cow pony directed the light to the table and scanned it. Apart from a candlestick and old vase with a single red flower in it there was nothing on it. The orange mare sighed in relief. No letter.

She put the candle on the candlestick and, feeling childish, looked under the table just to make sure the sinister letter wasn’t laying down there. It, thankfully, wasn’t. The farmer let out yet another sigh of relief, nearly all tension and anxiety escaping her. She felt a pang of guilt that she believed that this nightmare could be real. That she doubted Rainbow to even come back. How could she doubt in her friend... no, marefriend so much? Was it all from her recent behavior? That she left, almost without a word? Leaving the whole family in the midst of the apple bucking season? Applejack let those questions to stay in her mind for a second. Looking for answers in the depths of her mind.

Applejack could not be angry with Rainbow Dash. Not for long. During their whole relationship they did not have nearly a single argument and all of those over things so trivial as food or getting up early. Those arguments died off as soon as they started, because Applejack did not have the heart to argue with her love. Even if Dash’s mouth turned into even the slightest frown, Applejack’s heart wold immediately soften and the argument would be over.

Although Applejack was hiding behind a shell of ‘the strong farm pony,’ she was very hurt when Dash left to go on a vacation. She did not expect such behavior from her love. The Pegasus seemed to ignore her marefriend’s feelings back then.

Dash could clearly see in what state Ah was back then but she didn’t seem to care, Applejack sadly mused. The thought brought even more tears to her eyes. She did not want to think how the blue mare repaid her for her dedication and devotion.

Ah’m sure that Rainbow’ll be alright when she returns to th’ farm... Ah hope...

With that she walked slowly to the stairs and ascended them. She thanked Princess Celestia that none of the family members woke up. As friendly as Applejack was, she really didn’t want to see anypony at the moment.

The farmer quietly got to her room, shut the door behind and lay in her bed. As she laid her head on the pillow she felt that it was moist in one spot. Applejack deducted that she must have been crying harder than she thought she was.

-«<♦>»-

Six days passed and Rainbow was still gone. The apple buck season was nearly over. While it could be better with the help of the blue Pegasus, the Apple family still managed to make it pretty successful. Applejack found out that hard work was soothing her nerves and calming her mind. She spent hours on senseless bucking. The more time she spent on bucking, the less she spent on thinking about Rainbow.

It was the evening of the last day of the apple buck season. The sun would be setting soon, the sky already adopting an orange tint. The sun was casting long shadows on the orchard’s trees. The family was sitting near their kitchen table, waiting for their dinner to be ready. Their conversation was driven to the topic of apples, as usual. Big Mac was explaining how to make the best apple fritters in ponyville to Apple Bloom, who listened with a eager look on her face. She was absorbing every detail of it, as if it was the most enthralling story in the world.

Applejack managed to keep her mind off Dash for the past two days. She was so absorbed by the apple buck season that she seemingly forgot about Rainbow Dash leaving. However, that was not entirely true, because Applejack did not forget about her marefriend. The thought of her became so nagging and unbearable after her disappearance that she did her best to repress the memory of her sudden leaving. She almost succeeded, she nearly managed to forget. Although the thought still remained in the unconscious part of her mind. While it was repressed it was gathering strength and getting larger.

Applejack put a hoof to her forehead, the words of her big brother no longer being received by her mind. Her vision dimmed slightly and all of her brainpower concentrated on one pony. Rainbow Dash.

Ah forgot... Ah really nearly managed to forget about the only and true love in mah life!

The farmer got a horrible headache all of the sudden. She clenched her eyes shut, her mouth grimacing. The thought of her love, banished from her mind for so long, now was returning with doubled strength.

Applejack rose from her seat and all eyes instantly turned to her. She stood there for a second, hoof still pressed to her sweating forehead. The farmer slowly walked to the staircase and ascended leaving her bewildered family in her wake. She slowly walked inside her room and closed her door. She walked half way to her bed and stopped. The tension had become unbearable. Applejack stood in the middle of her room and bit on her foreleg to keep herself from screaming. Despite of all the effort, a long and horrifying scream escaped her lips, muffled only by her foreleg. She was biting so hard that a small drop of blood started flowing, staining her coat red.

She released her hoof and launched herself on the bed. She landed and shoved her face into her pillow and screamed again.

“Where are you Dash!?” She paused for a breath and continued.

“Come back to me! Ah need ya!” She yelled into the pillow, which only made her voice incoherent.

She felt forgotten. Left by her only love in life. She could not shake the thoughts of Dash finding somepony in Manehattan. No matter how strong she tried, she could not stop her mind from projecting visions of her beloved marefriend, finding some stallion in a club in Manehattan. The stallion was uncaring, ignorant and dirty, and Rainbow still preferred him over Applejack. He always had a very small, cramped and filthy apartment somewhere in the worst district in the city. Rainbow still chose this over living in the farm house of The Sweet Apple Acres. He was often jobless and Dash would have to work hard to keep their head above water. She still preferred this over the stability and security of the farm.

After being shoved aside, the thoughts became unstoppable. Without the ability to stop those projections Applejack was slowly spiraling into depression. She was scared that Rainbow Dash will not return, that she will send a letter similar to the one she was sending in Applejack’s nightmares.

-«<♦>»-

Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh exchanged concerned glances. The stallion let out a sigh and rose from his chair.

“Where are you going Big Mac? What is going on with Applejack? Is it about Rainbow Dash not returning for so long?” Asked Apple Bloom, her eyes getting teary. “Will sis be happy again?”

The red stallion went to her little sister and hugged her, “Ah’m sure Applejack will be okay,” he said while holding Apple Bloom close to his heart. “Rainbow Dash just needs to grab some rest and will come back. I hope by then Applejack will be happy again. Ah really need to go and talk with her.”

He released Apple Bloom. Her mood was a little better now. Her expression changed to a semi-happy one. The small pony looked at her brother and said, “Ah hope that what yer sayin’ is true... Ah really can’t stand the fact that my sis is not entirely happy. Go and make her feel better like ya made me feel better.”

Big Mac nodded, walked to the stairs and climbed on the second floor. He silently opened the door to his sister’s room and entered closing the door behind him.

He found Applejack laying on her bed facing up with a blank expression on her face. She was not moving, aside from blinking sporadically. Her breath was surprisingly steady, considering the fact that she was just screaming and crying. Her eyes were puffy and her coat was stained under her eyes; her battered hat was lying beside the bed.

Big Mac didn’t know what to say. He knew he had to ease her sisters stress and anxiety but he didn’t know how. Situations like this were rare in the Apple family and this was the first time he had to face one like this.

He scratched the back of his head with a hoof. The silence prolonged and the situation was getting awkward. The stallion managed, “hello sis,” and immediately scolded himself in his mind, but continued. “How can Ah help you?”

“Ah’m trying not to think about... her,” Applejack said, and shut her eyes. “And it was going quite well until now.”

“Ah know that the whole thing is about Rainbow Dash. But you shouldn’t get so worked up about her, Ah’m sure she will come back,” he retorted, trying to be reassuring.

“Ah don’t want to hear any of that right now. Ah’m going to sleep. Please, leave,” she said, her gaze still concentrated on the ceiling. Her face was neither a frown nor a smile. Somepony could say that all emotions were sucked from her. That’s how her face was: resembling no emotion.

“Don’t you think that it is a little ea-” her brother tried to retort, but was cut short by Applejack.

“Please just leave and let me think. Ah’ll see ya tomorrow,” she said, not moving a inch.

Big Mac looked at the floor defeated, cursing the fact that he was so inexperienced in handling such situations. He silently moved to the window and drew the drapes together. The room instantly became immersed in darkness. Though it was hard to see, Applejack did not make a move. Her brother then went to the door and through it. Before shutting it he whispered:

“It’ll be OK, ya’ll see.” With that he gently shut the door. He proceeded to the kitchen where a concerned Apple Bloom sat.

“How did it go? Did ya make her feel better?” She asked looking the stallion right in the eyes. From his face she sensed that not every thing went according to plan.

“Well, it didn’t go as Ah imagined, she went to sleep,” he responded to the first question, intentionally omitting the second one. “She is worried that Rainbow will not come back.”

“But she will, yes?” Apple Bloom asked, as if she expected her brother to know everything.

“Ah sure do hope so...” he responded and sat near the table in deep contemplation.

Soon after, they made themselves a dinner and ate it in silence. By the time they finished, Luna already rose her moon, it’s light shining gently through the kitchen window. When they got aware of the time, they got upstairs and washed themselves. After putting her sister to sleep Big Mac stopped by Applejack’s door and listened. He could hear very silent and irregular snoring. He only hoped that she didn’t have any nightmares, like she tended to in recent days.