Irises Identical

by Cloudswirl

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other
Length: 9576

Applejack finds a photo album with a picture of a strange pony inside.

Applejack has found a mysterious photo album in the depths of her basement. While looking through it, she discovers an unfamiliar pony. With the help of Twilight Sparkle, Applejack discovers a new connection with the closest family member one can ever have: a twin.

Published 2013-02-09 01:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-05-10 03:26:11 UTC

Breakfast Talk

Bright sunlight streamed through the window of a lavender unicorn’s book filled home. Twilight Sparkle was ready to go about her daily duties as Ponyville’s librarian. Twilight’s faithful assistant, Spike, was still snoozing in his wicker basket upstairs. She was just starting to make some apple cinnamon pancakes when she heard a hard rap on the door.

"The library isn’t even open yet!" The unicorn shouted with usual morning grumpiness, "Can’t ponies ever read the sign on the door!?” Still, she trudged to the entrance, expecting Ditzy Doo to be there. The poor pegasus usually had trouble remembering the library’s hours. Instead, Twilight opened the door to find her orange earth pony friend.

“Good morning Applejack.” She yawned, as the country mare stood there with her signature stetson and green saddle bags.

“Good mornin’ to ya Twi!” Applejack said cheerily. “Sheesh, ya seem more tired than Rarity workin’ on a new fancy outfit! Late night?”

“Yeah, I had to do some research for the princess on protective military armor for the Canterlot guards. Took me most of the night. Come on in!”

“Thanks Twilight!” AJ replied, wiping her hooves on the doormat. “It smells mighty good in here! Whacha cookin’?”

“Apple cinnamon pancakes, I let Spike sleep in today. He went out yesterday on a hunt for more gems,” Twilight giggled at the thought, “he still needs to make that jewel cake.” The two ponies casually walked into the librarian’s small kitchen. The unicorn stationed herself by a griddle and the earth pony sat at her friend’s breakfast table.

“Ah still can’t figure why he ate the ones we paid him with that one time, he seemed really excited ‘bout that cake.”

“Neither can I!” The unicorn laughed, flipping some of the golden-brown pancakes with her magic.

“So what brings you here at such an early hour? If you’re not here for breakfast, that is.”

Applejacks stomach rumbled loudly. She gave a blush of embarrassment as the unicorn levitated two navy blue mugs from a nearby cabinet.

“Naw, you don’t need ta feed me sugarcube, I just had a question for ya and then Ah’ll be outta yer mane.”

“Nonsense, I have plenty of pancakes to go around!” Twilight brought a freshly brewed pitcher of coffee over to the table along with the mugs. “Want some?” she asked.

The aroma of the black beverage made the orange pony give a relaxed sigh.

“Alright Twi, Ah could use a pick-me-up. None of that cream or nothin’, just black, thanks.”

The lavender pony smiled as she poured the coffee for Applejack, also taking the pancakes off the griddle and sliding them onto a plate. The thick flapjacks smelled delicious, the cinnamon and apples were combined perfectly. A sweet orchard smell wafted to the farmer to make that sweet smell she was use too.

“Mmmm,” Applejack inhaled the familiar scent, “Ah didn’t know you could cook Twilight!”

This time it was the unicorns turn to blush as she sat down with maple syrup, plates, and silverware.

“Thanks! It’s my mom’s recipe, she taught me when I was little. Help yourself!"

Applejack wasted no time in putting three steaming pancakes on her plate, then drenching them in syrup.

“I can see that somepony’s a little hungry.” Twilight teased as she added sugar to her coffee.

“Why doncha cook more often?” The earth pony mumbled around a mouth of pancakes.

“Well, I’m usually busy with work from Princess Celestia, I finished that ontology assignment last night though, so I really don’t have much today. And usually Spike cooks meals for me, but he’s still asleep.”

“Asleep?” AJ chuckled, “I can hear the feller snoring from all the way down here!”

True to form, the baby dragon was making sounds like a bear, dreaming of a certain damsel in distress, and the brave knight who was sure to rescue her.

“Yeah, he does tend to snore pretty loud.” Twilight remarked, taking a bite of her pancakes.

“Anyway, these pancakes are awful good!” Applejack complimented."If ya didn’t get yer cutie mark in magic, a good Plan B woulda been baking!”

Twilight smiled at her friend’s kind words. “Thanks AJ, now really, why are you here so early? It isn’t even eight yet,” she said, glancing at the clock.

The orange pony shifted uncomfortably in her seat and swallowed the last bite of her breakfast.

“Well Ah- Ah wanted ta talk ta ya about somethin’ Ah found in the basement yesterday.” Applejack began to dig something out of her saddlebags. “Ya see, Apple Bloom wanted to bake a pie with me, and we were out of flour for the crust in the kitchen. I went down to our basement ta see if we had any extra, and while I was pokin’ around, Ah came across this big ol’ thing.” She finally hauled a large and dusty book onto the table. Twilight recognized it immediately.

“A photo album?” She asked, examining the cover. The leather album’s cover looked pretty plain. It had simple stitching and binding, and was in great condition, except that it was a bit dirty. Small cursive hoofwriting had been scrawled across a piece of paper and put inside a plastic covering. The label read simply, Apple Family Memories.

“Yeah, and this looks a whole lot like Granny’s hoofwriting.” The farmer indicated the title. “Ah looked through here a little bit last night.” She began to flip through the album. “Most of the pictures were taken when Ah was just a little filly, like right after Ah got my cutie mark.” The photo showed a small orange filly, her eyes filled with tears and three red apples on her flank. An older red colt stood close by her side, beaming with pride at his little sister.

“Ah remember Granny takin’ that picture. Or this one, when Mama and Pop brought Apple Bloom home from Ponyville Hospital.” The next picture showed yellow baby filly, comfortably swaddled in a pink blanket. Holding her was a very pretty golden mare with a caramel-colored mane.

“That’s my Mama.” Applejack told Twilight proudly.

“I’d assume that’s your dad then.” The unicorn smiled, pointing to a dark maroon stallion with a mane the color of straw. He held a stalk of wheat between his teeth as he gave a wide grin. “He reminds me a lot of Big Macintosh, except the eyes. You both have your mother’s, you know.”

“We got compliments about that a lot.” The earth pony said sadly as she continued to flip through pictures, “ponies always say that Apple Bloom has Granny's eyes too, but in my opinion AB's are lighter. What I really wanted to show you was this.” AJ stopped at a section near the back of the album were there was a small piece of writing that said:

In Memory of Snow Apple
Who may have left our farm
But will always be in our hearts
R.I.P.

“Snow Apple?” Twilight questioned curiously, “Who is-“

“Ah don’t know,” Applejack sighed, staring at the writing, “Ah’m pretty sure no ‘Snow Apple’ has ever come ‘round Sweet Apple Acres. An’ Apple family funerals are huge events, like a weddin’ or a reunion! The whole dang family comes out! How come Ah don’t remember it?”

The lavender unicorn gasped as she saw a few pages filled with pictures of the same young filly. She had a bright off-white coat with a golden-brown mane. But what really shocked Twilight was the pony who accompanied her in most of the pictures.

“It’s… you.” She finally spoke.
“Ah know,” Her friend said flatly, “that’s why I’m so confused, Ah haven’t seen hide nor hair of this pony my whole life.”

“Well, you look pretty young,” Twilight observed, “You probably wouldn’t remember much of her. She might’ve been a playmate, or a daughter of your parent’s friends.”

“Does this say ‘friend’ to you!?” The frustrated pony jabbed her hoof at a picture of two cribs. Applejacks mom was tucking in the same white filly, across the room, an orange filly was sound asleep. “Fillies don’t have sleepovers at that age Twi; ya see how young we are!”

“Maybe she’s just another member of The Apple Family?” The unicorn suggested, taking the plates and mugs to the sink.

“We Apples know every other Apple in Equestria. There’s somethin’ special about this ‘Snow Apple’, and Ah’m gonna figure it out if it kills me!” She began to shove the large book back into her saddle bags.

“Applejack, I can see how important this is to you, but this is just some pony!” Twilight wrapped a hoof around friend kindly, “Why do you want to find out about her so badly?”

Applejack looked at her friend solemnly, “Ah get this… this vibe when Ah think about her, like somethin’ just ain’t right, like, I should know her, but Ah can’t place where!”

“You probably just forgot about her, and the pictures reminded you. Don’t worry about it,” the unicorn gave the confused pony a gentle hug, “I’ll let you know if I think of anything else.”

“Ah sure do appreciate that Twi, and thank ya kindly fer breakfast.” The orange pony shrugged on her saddlebags and started to the door.

“Anytime,” Twilight said, opening the exit, “and if you feel the need to talk about it again, you’re always welcome here.”

“Ah’ll probably talk to Granny about it when Ah'm done with my chores, but if she doesn’t give me anything, Ah’ll definitely stop by again.” The orange pony trotted out of Twilight’s home with a lighter heart. “See ya Twi!” she called back.

“Bye Applejack!” The unicorn quietly shut the door behind her and headed to the kitchen to do the breakfast dishes. Meanwhile, a sleepy baby dragon noisily came downstairs.

“Good Morning Spike!” Twilight shouted as her assistant entered the kitchen.

“Hi Twilight,” Spike grumbled, rubbing his eyes, “was somepony here? I heard the door shutting."

“Sorry, did it wake you?” The unicorn dried off a plate and put it in its rightful place.

“Yeah, but I was already awake.” The dragon seated himself at the table.

“Oh, yes, Applejack stopped by; she had a question for me. What do you want for breakfast? I made pancakes.” Twilight stood over her creation proudly.

“Sure. I’ll have five.” Spike marveled at the delicious looking pancakes.

“How does three sound?” The librarian levitated Spikes breakfast over.

“Sounds terrible,” The baby dragon moaned.

“Sorry, but I can’t have you getting a stomach ache.” Twilight put away the last mug.

“Ugh,’ Spike said, cutting into his pancakes, “What did AJ have to ask you?”

“Oh, something about a…” The unicorn paused, “A friend.”

“A friend? One of your friends?” Her assistant had already eaten two pancakes.

Twilights eyes widened at Spike’s plate, “No, a friend she had when she was a filly. Wait...” Twilight stopped. She remembered something from the photos Applejack had shown her.

The filly’s eyes were the same exact color as Applejack’s.

Edited by:kingtiger666

Fragile Fix

Applejack’s mind raced as she walked back to Sweet Apple Acres. She had hoped that Twilight would help her figure out who in Equestria Snow Apple was, but she had seemed just as confused as she was. She had thought about talking to Fluttershy about the situation, but the shy pegasus just didn’t have the same resources as Twilight. So, she had discarded the idea and headed home.

“Watch out!” A voice behind her yelled. The farmer glanced back to see an orange filly on a scooter about to crash into her. Applejack avoided the collision and dodged the vehicle just in time. Unfortunately, Scootaloo swerved off the road and straight into some bushes.

“Scootaloo!” The grown mare cried, going to the filly’s aid. “Are ya all right? Ya ain’t hurt are ya?”

“Relax Applejack, I’m fine.” The small pegasus popped her out of the leafy plants, her head spinning, “I’m just a little dizzy.” Scootaloo checked her precious scooter at once, making sure there were no dents or scratches on the woodwork. The woodwork was in great condition, but the handlebars... not so much.

“Aw horseapples,” she spat, holding up the handlebars, “I can’t believe they broke off! This is gonna cost me two months allowance to get fixed!”

After Applejack gave a closer inspection to the rest of the scooter, she chuckled and said, “Shucks sugarcube, it didn’t break off, it just came apart, look.” She pointed to a few stray screws littering the ground.

“Well I’m pretty sure I don’t have a screwdriver on me,” Scootaloo remarked, scratching the back of her head.

“Tell ya what,” Applejack said kindly. “Ah got some tools back in my barn at Sweet Apple Acres. Why don’t ya come with me and Ah’ll get yer scooter fixed up?”

The filly’s face lit up in delight, “Really!? Oh thank you Applejack!” She threw her hooves around the earth pony’s neck in a quick hug. “I was going to see Apple Bloom anyways!”

“Why were ya gonna see her? Are ya two goin’ crusadin’ this mornin’?” The country mare grasped Scootaloo’s helmet in her teeth, the crusaders hat had gone astray during the crash. Scootaloo swiped up the nails and put them in Applejacks saddlebags for safe-keeping.

“Yeah!” The filly said enthusiastically, “We’re gonna meet up with Sweetie Belle and try our hooves at painting!” Scootaloo jumped on the remains of her scooter and started to ride it like a skateboard. The two started off toward Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack eyed the idea skeptically, “Are ya sure that’s safe Scootaloo? I don’t want any more accidents.”

The pegasus rolled her eyes, “It’ll be fine,” she decreased her speed purposely, “See? I’m going slow.”

“Humph,” The farmer grunted, “Alright then, but if ya crash into another bush, Ah’m not responsible!”

“Deal.” The two orange ponies high-hoofed on it and kept walking toward the farm.

...

Applejack had to suppress a laugh as Scootaloo smashed blindly into one of her red delicious trees. After the dizzy filly stumbled onto safe ground, she gave an annoyed glare at her companion.

“That wasn’t funny.” She said accusingly, giving up on riding the whole mechanism and pushing it along with her hoof.

“Sorry sugarcube,” The farmer said apologetically, “but at least your ‘skateboard’ didn’t get hurt!”

“Yeah, right, ‘skateboard’.” Scootaloo narrowed her eyes at Applejack as the Element of Honesty continued to laugh inside.

“Look, we’re almost there!" The earth pony pointed at the red barn that was occupied by all of the farms equipment. “Let’s fix up that scooter!"

"You mean 'skateboard'." The owner said, smirking as they entered their work space. Scootaloo explored the room with her eyes curiously, she swore that the rafters were higher up the last time she visited the barn. Applejack brought over a large yellow toolbox from the back of the building.

“Right, here's our weapon." The mare pulled out a simple, but old, black screwdriver. "Can ya get the screws and handlebars from my saddlebags? I set them by the doors; they should be in the left pocket."

"Did you put a new coat of paint on the barn Applejack?" Scootaloo asked, her eyes wandering as she dug in the saddlebags, "it looks way nicer than it did before."

"Didn’t Applebloom tell ya Scootaloo? This is a brand new barn!"

“Really?” The orange filly brought over the needed parts, “what happened to the old barn? Did it explode? Was Rainbow Dash the one who blew it up?” Scootaloo was filled with excitement.

“Hold yer horses there ponygirl!” Applejack chuckled at her antics, “No, it didn’t blow up, it uhh…” The mare suddenly remembered how her old and faithful barn came to nothing, “it got destroyed sugarcube. Ah accidently ran a wagon into it at this year’s Apple Family Reunion.” The farmer tightened the first screw on the scooter, heat rising in her cheeks.

The pegasus’s eyes went wide with shock, “YOU ran a wagon into the barn? How did that happen?” Scootaloo gave Applejack the second screw.

“It’s a long story Scootaloo.” The country mare chuckled at the memory of the many fruit bats that had swarmed the wagon, trying to eat Aunt Applesauce’s edible hat.

“Anyway, the whole Apple Family helped to make this one here. Ah think it was the best reunion we’ve ever had!”
“When you say the whole Apple Family, do you mean every single Apple in Equestria?”

“Well,” she sighed, putting down her tool, “Ah don’t think every Apple in Equestria helped put that barn up, let alone every one of ‘em come to the reunion. I think only one Apple wasn’t able to make it.”

“Who? Who was it Applejack?” Scootaloo demanded, practically staring into the farmer’s soul. Applejack froze, her hoof hovering over the scooter. She had forgotten about the supposed Apple, the mysterious one from the photo album. Should she keep it a secret? She didn’t really know Scootaloo all that well, but she was fixing her scooter anyway. May as well keep up the conversation, she thought.

“Her name is Snow Apple.” She grunted, “Ah think yer scooter’s ready to ride now!” Applejack tried to drop the subject, “Ya wanna give it a shot?”

“Nah, I want to know more about Snow Apple,” the filly has lost complete interest in her possession, “How come she wasn’t here? Where does she live? Baltimare? Fillydelphia? Ooh, what about Manehattan?”

“Umm,” Applejack swallowed awkwardly, “She lives outside Equestria, that’s why she couldn’t make it. Now how about that scooter?” Applejack couldn’t imagine why the filly was showing so much interest in a simple pony, she was practically drooling for information about her!

“Is she your cousin?” Scootaloo ignored the mare’s previous question, “What about your aunt?”

“She’s umm… umm…” Applejack could’ve given Scootaloo a generic answer and torn the mystery pony from her thoughts. She could’ve gone on living as any Apple would. Snow Apple could’ve been anypony, a friend, a neighbor, maybe some distant cousin of Applejack’s parents. But deep down inside, the country pony knew this filly wasn’t just anypony. In her heart, Applejack was now positive that Snow Apple was… family.

Edited by:kingtiger666

Confession

Twilight inhaled sharply as she skidded to a halt in front of The Apple Family barn, the contents of her light blue saddlebags rattling.

“Hurry up Spike!” She yelled over her shoulder as the baby dragon trudged after the unicorn, weak with exhaustion.

“Well *pant* it’s not like its everyday that you… *gasp* you go bolting out of the library for no good reason,” Spike collapsed on the dirt in front of the building. “What’s going on Twilight? All you’ve been doing is pouring over the same stupid book for the past fifteen minutes.”

“Because it’s the only book that talks about Apple Family History,” Twilight levitated the slim red book out of her bag, “I looked through my entire pony history collection!”

“Why?” Spike asked, “do you have a book on every single pony in Ponyville? Cause if you do, that’s kinda creepy.” He took the book from the pony and started flipping through it curiously.

“I do not!” Twilight argued, “A few months ago Applejack loaned it to me when I asked her how big The Apple Family was. She didn’t say anything; all she did was pull this out. Apparently her great aunt wrote it, she was a surprisingly accomplished author! Did you know she once wrote for- Spike, are you even listening to me?”

The dragon was staring at Twilight with a dazed look, “What?” He said, suddenly bored out of his skull, “Oh, sorry Twilight, what was that?”

The unicorn gave a frustrated moan and knocked on the wooden door. The two waited for a few seconds until Big Macintosh answered the door.

“Good mornin’ Miss Twilight, what can Ah do for ya?” The stallion gave a friendly smile at the two visitors.

“Good morning, is Applejack around?” Twilight noticed a yellow filly appearing in the hallway.

“Hey Big Mac, is that Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom asked, a piece of toast in her hoof. “She said she was comin’ by around 8:30.”

“Nope, it’s jus’ Twilight Sparkle and Spike. Ah think Ah saw Scootaloo and Applejack headin’ to the barn,” Big Macintosh said, turning back to his sister’s friend.

“Thanks Big Macintosh,” The lavender pony started toward the barn as the red pony closed the door.

“C’mon Spike, let’s go find Applejack.” Twilight took the history book from her assistant with her magic, putting it back in her saddlebags.

“You never even told me why we came here in the first place,” Spike accused, plodding after the book nerd unenthusiastically.

“Spike, if all goes well we’ll both figure out what’s going on.” The unicorn slid the opening aside with her hooves. “Applejack! Are you in here?” She noticed Applejack sitting next to a scooter, with Scootaloo on the other side of her. The country mare heard Twilight shout and turned her head.

“Hey sugarcube!” She said quickly, “what’re ya doin’ here? Didja think of…” she looked at Scootaloo nervously, “this year’s sales already?”

“Farm profits? Is that what this is about?” Spike asked, his arms crossed, “seriously?”

“Umm… yes!” Twilight could detect Applejack’s lie and decided to play along, “Applejack needed to calculate the sales from last year, but she’s not very good with mathematics. I offered to do it for her instead.”

“Oh yeah?” The dragon raised an eyebrow, “what were the profits then?”

“Be quiet and you‘ll find out later!” The unicorn whispered, putting on a cheesy smile.

“Scootaloo! There ya are!” Apple Bloom appeared in the entryway, a huge grin plastered on her face.

“Hey Apple Bloom! Are you ready for some crusading?” The orange filly jumped up and put on her purple helmet.

“You bet Ah am! Let’s get going, Sweetie Belle’s waitin’ for us at Town Square!” Apple Bloom left just as quickly as she came, with Scootaloo trailing behind her.

“Sheesh Twi,” Applejack wiped sweat from her brow, “Ah was beginnin’ ta think Ah’d be stuck with her forever. Thanks fer that. So, Whadja find out?”

“First off, I think this is yours,” Twilight brought out the thin book. “second, I want us to talk with Granny Smith.”

“Granny Smith? Why do ya want ta talk to her about it?" The earth pony gave her friend a confused look, "This is really personal Twi, Ah'm not sure 'bout this."

"Yes Applejack, it’s really personal. She’s your grandmother. If anypony has answers on Snow Apple, it’d be her."

"Snow Apple?" Spike asked, "Who’s Snow Apple? Is she a member of the Apple Family?"

"Shoot, why did I have to say that?" Twilight mentally punched herself, "Sorry about that Applejack."

"That's okay sugarcube, Ah can trust him," Applejack waved a hoof at the matter, "Ah just don't feel right talkin' about this with my family."

"Please Applejack," The unicorn begged, “I promise you they'll have the answers if we just speak with them."Applejack looked between her friends pleading eyes and Spike, who was very confused. Did the country pony really want to talk to her kin about the possibility of having another...?

"Alright Twi," She sighed, getting to her hooves, “Ah guess we could give it a try, follow me."

The mare trotted over to a simple wooden door, Spike and Twilight followed suit inside the Apple Family's living quarters. Granny Smith was lounging in her rocking chair in the small area, fast asleep.

"You two can sit here,” Applejack whispered, pointing to a small pink couch. "Granny?" She shook the elderly mare gently. "Wake up Granny."

"Wha? Who's there?" Granny Smith awoke from her doze, confused. "Oh hiya young'un, what'd ya need? Is Uncle Apple Strudel here yet?"

"Uncle Apple Strudel?" The country mare was now equally puzzled, "Granny, he's not comin' for another two weeks. Ah got Twilight Sparkle and Spike here, we wanna ask you something."

"Aw, well go right ahead darlin's, Ah ain't goin' nowhere in a hurry." The green mare reclined further in her seat, prepared to speak.

"Thank ya Granny, but first Ah gotta go get Big Mac, Twilight wants ta talk ta him too." Applejack disappeared into the kitchen, a few seconds later to return with her older brother.

"What's this about, Miss Twilight?" Big Macintosh asked, "Applejack said somethin' about a... family member?"

Grandmother and Grandson exchanged curious glances as Twilight took two books out of her saddlebags. Granny Smith gasped in horror and shock at the sight of the photo album. Tears welled in the elder’s eyes while Big Macintosh stared at the same book in disbelief.

"Whydja keep it Granny?" He asked quietly, "Ah thought ya threw it out..." The stallions eyes wandered to the ceiling.

"Ah meant to sonny, Ah really did," The green pony grabbed a tissue from a nearby side table, "Ah just didn't want to lose... memories of her."

"I'm assuming you both know who this little filly is," Twilight flipped to a picture of Snow Apple, playing with Applejack.

Granny Smith burst into tears when she saw the picture, the red earth pony just hung his head and wept silently.

"What’s wrong?" The orange pony asked, frustration growing despite the pained expressions of her family, "Who is she? Why didn’t anypony tell me about her?”

The elderly mare looked into her granddaughter’s eyes solemnly, "Now Applejack, Ah need y’all to remember, Ah’d never do anything that wasn’t for yer own good. Ah’d prefer this book had stayed hidden forever, but Ah suppose it was only a matter of time till someone found it. Ah’m jus’ glad it was you instead of Apple Bloom. The story Ah’m about to tell you, it ain’t exactly the happiest one in the world. Ah can only hope, when Ah’m through, you’ll understand why we kept this from you.”

"Eeyup," The red pony said sadly, fighting back tears.

Granny Smith took a deep breath and began her tale, " After yer Ma and Pop had yer brother here, they wanted another foal. They had… So much love to give, they jus’ wanted to share that. Time went by, and yer Ma started showin’. Well, after nature took her sweet course, they had two beautiful fillies ta share that love o’ theirs with. Ya couldn't spot a happier family in all of Equestria than the one they had. One day, yer Pa decided to have a nice little picnic. One of the fillies, the youngest by a minute, wasn't bein' watched," The mare gave a hard swallow, "We was packing up, and yer Ma looked all around an’ realized her foal was gone. Next thing ya know, we hear a wail comin' from the Everfree Forest." Granny once again began to cry, “By the time they got there, it was too late, we couldn’t find her.
We searched day in day out, Apples from all over Equestria came to help look fer their missing kin. We spent weeks scouring that forest. Nuthin’. Couldn’t even find a body. In the end, we called off the search an’ said our goodbyes. Prolly, some timberwolf or manticore got ‘er. Ah’m sorry we lied to you. Ah’m so sorry.”

Applejack, Twilight, and Spike all stared at Granny Smith with a look of sadness and shock. Silent tears rolled down Applejacks cheeks; she didn't believe a single word she was hearing.

“Snow Apple," The green pony finished, "wasn't with us anymore."

"So that's it then?" Applejack said quietly, outraged, "Ya'll been lyin' ta me all these years!? And for what?! Knowin' I would never ask about her!?"

"Applejack," Twilight whispered, “They were just trying to protect you."

"Protect me!?" The country mare’s blood came to a boil, "PROTECT me!!? From knowin' that Snow Apple was," She gulped, "That she was DEAD!?"

"We just didn't want ya growin' up sad, sugarcube,” Granny said. “We didn’t want ya to spend forever grieving over your twin sister.”

“Ah don’t wanna hear it! Y’all lied to me about my own sister!” Applejack got up and stormed out the front door.

“Applejack! Wait!” Twilight shouted.

It didn’t matter. She was already gone.

Memories

Applejack let out a stressed sob as she stumbled in front of her parents graves. The tombstone was simple, a cobblestone slab that sat in between two braeburn apple trees. The engravings on the stone read, in simple type:

Mr. Apple Cider and Mrs. Orchard Harvest
Rest In Peace Under The Fruits of Your Labour
Sweet Apple Acres Will Always Remember You

The country pony looked to the fruit trees above, the last ones her Ma and Pop planted before they passed away. A stray leaf fluttered down in front of Applejack, a beautiful shade of green. The apples on the trees were just starting to turn red, harvest time was in a few months. The mare anticipated the annual ritual of picking the braeburns and then baking them into a pie, at remembrance of her parents. The pie would then be eaten, the tin discarded, and the Apples would move on with their lives until a year in advance.

Applejack always loved the ritual, but it was always a little grim and haunting. Her brother had quietly admitted to her one time that he wished they didn't have it, and Apple Bloom was a bit reluctant about eating the pie. Granny Smith was the only Apple who truly appreciated it, she thought it was a good, memorable way to remember her son and daughter-in-law. The elderly mare was torn in pieces when she found out the horrible news.

"Why would they lie to me, Ma?" The exhausted mare whispered, "I had a right to know, she was mah twin sister for pony’s sake! I thought Apples were supposed ta be honest with each other! And to know that Granny and Big Mac have kept this from me, Pop, what do Ah do?"

A lone breeze drifted by, ruffling Applejacks straw blonde mane. She removed her Stetson, holding it close to her heart, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"What do Ah do?"

"Applejack!" Cried Twilight as the lavender pony raced across the orchard, searching for her heartbroken friend. She couldn't help but feel responsible for the sudden outburst, having been the one who had wanted to talk to Granny Smith in the first place.

"Where is she?" Twilight muttered to herself, her eye's roaming the many trees. As she continued the hunt for the country mare, she noticed where Applejack had bucked some apple trees in frustration. Bruised apple littered the soil around their bearers, some even appeared to be stomped on.

For as long as Twilight had known Applejack, she had never seen her get so angry as this. But, for her being The Element of Honesty, she could see why this could frustrate her.

After ten minutes more of scanning various apple trees, the lavender pony finally spotted Applejack, crying beside what appeared to be rocks.

"Applejack!" She called, yelling over the landscape, galloping over to her friend, "what in Equestria are you doing out here!?"

"Please Twilight," the country pony sobbed, burying her head into her hooves, "Leave me alone."

"Applejack, I know you're upset, but he least we can do is talk about this," She set a hoof on the sad pony's shoulder, "there was a reason why Big Macintosh and-"

"Don't you DARE bring up mah family right now!" Applejack snapped, turning around to face her friend. "They LIED to me all these years! Ya don't know what it feels like Twi! Ya just don't know!"

"Actually, I do Applejack. It might not have been as severe as something like this, but it was still pretty rough on me. It happened a few weeks after I became Princess Celestia's protégée..."

"Don't worry Twily, I'll be back soon," Shining Armor ruffled his little sister's mane, giving her a final hug. "I'm just going to Fillydelphia for a little while, that's all."

"But why can't I come with you?" Twilight looked up at her brother innocently, holding tightly onto his leg. "I'll be good, I promise! I won't play any jokes, or tease you, or-"

The white stallion gave a gentle chuckle, "I'm afraid that's not going to make a difference Twilight. Besides, you need to stay here and learn as much as you can from Princess Celestia!"

The student sighed, "I guess you're right." She frowned, her eyes filling with moisture, "I just won't have anypony to play with, that's all."

"It'll be ok, I'm sure you'll make some new friends that'll be even more fun to hang out with then me!"

Twilight giggled, "No one’s as fun as you!" The filly gave her brother one last hug, "You'll come back soon, right? Promise?"

Shining smiled at his sister sweetly, "I promise."

"Months passed, and I started to get worried, he never specified just how long he would be gone." Twilight rested in front of Applejack, telling her story. "I continued my studies with the Princess, but she could tell something was nagging me..."

A young filly dozed in a cushy chair at The Royal Library, a thick stack of books on a side table next to her. She had fallen asleep after a hard day of study, and the white alicorn didn't want to wake her. But, her parents would be anxiously awaiting her arrival home for the night. The Sun Princess walked gracefully over to her student and rested a hoof on her shoulder, murmuring softly.

"Twilight, it's time to wake up, you have to go home soon."

The unicorn bolted upright, shaking herself awake.

"Then you must aim your horn at the target and focus all of your energy... Wha? What happened?" She rubbed her eyes blearily, blinking rapidly.

Celestia chuckled, "You fell asleep Twilight, I found you here dozing."

Twilight inhaled sharply and rushed to put the stack of books back in there rightful places, "I'm so sorry Princess Celestia! I was tired and closed my eyes for just a second-"

The ruler held up her hoof, "It's okay my faithful student, there's no need to apologize. Go and get your things while I finish returning these books, and then I’ll escort you home. It's very late." The Princess glanced out of the thin stained glass window, the night sky visible outside.

Twilight sighed, "Okay Princess, thank you." She began to make her way to the exit, dragging her hooves.

"Is something wrong, Twilight?

"Well, its just that... My big brother usually walks me home after my studies, but he's in Fillydelphia right now."

The alicorn began to levitate books to their shelves, "Well I'm very sorry to hear that Twilight, please tell me, what is your brother’s name?"

"Shining Armor, Princess."

"Shining... Armor?" Celestia said thoughtfully, Starswirl The Bearded's Guide for Beginning Unicorns floating in mid-air.

"Is there a problem?" Twilight asked curiously, walking over to her mentor.

"What is your brother’s business in Fillydelphia?" The Princess continued to return volumes to the cases.

"He didn't say, he never said when he would be back either, and I really miss him."

The royal white pony finished her task and retired by the flickering fire.

"I think I know what he’s doing. Have a seat and I’ll explain."

"The Princess told me that since Shining Armor had decided to enlist in the Royal Guard and he would be gone for training exercises in Fillydelphia," Twilight's voice faltered, "for two years."

"Fillydelphia?" Applejack questioned, "why wouldn't they just hold the camp in Canterlot? Considering that's where Guard works an' all."

"There’s no room in Canterlot for training exercises, so they had to construct it in Fillydelphia." Twilight sighed, looking to the cloudy sky. "My parents admitted the next day what Princess Celestia had told me, and as you can imagine, I was furious."

The earth pony’s face froze. Her eyes widened, eyebrows lowered, and Twilight was sure she was about to snap at her. Then she started laughing.

“Pfffbwahaha!” She doubled over backwards and fell on the ground, “Aha! Hahahaha!”

The unicorn was stunned. A moment ago Applejack had been crying her eyes out, and now she was laughing like a hyena. ‘Wow, that’s kinda racist,’ she thought. Now tears were beginning to form in Twilight’s eyes. All she had done was try to help!
Applejack was still down on the ground, rolling as she split her sides.

“T-Twi, that’s... That’s... Bwahaha! Er, Ah mean, Ah’m sorry, it’s jus’... Well, yer brother came back to ya eventually, right?” She finally say still, propped up on her elbows.

“Yes...” Twilight said, wondering where she was going.

“An’ Snow Apple, is she comin’ back too?”

“No, she’s dead, why would she..? Oh. OH.” She quickly stepped over and held Applejack’s hoof in hers to help her up, “I am so, so, so sorry! I shouldn’t have said that, I mean, compared to losing a sister forever, it’s like-”

Applejack cut her off. “It’s okay, Twi. Ah know you were only tryin’ to help. Cheer up, Ah’m the one who’s supposed to be sad here, not you!”

The unicorn smiled, "Thanks AJ, I guess I don’t really know what you're going through right now. You must be stressed."

Applejack turned back to the gravestones, touching the one on her left. "Ma always told me to be honest, not just with other ponies, but mahself. That's how she raised me and mah siblings. After this, Ah just don't know who ta trust."

Twilight's eyes caught the slabs, her pupils widening, "Your parents, what were they like? You've never really... talked about them."

"Why d’ya think?" The country pony's voice was very grave.

The librarian dropped her gaze, suddenly becoming interested in a pebble on the ground. "I just... was curious."

The farmer let out a long sigh and turned back to the farmhouse. " Ah, Ah really don't wanna talk about it right now."

Twilight followed her friend cautiously, "I'm sorry Applejack, it'll all turn out ok, I’m sure."

Applejack looked to the grey sky, watching a lone crow fly by, calling to a flock of others ahead. "Ah sure hope so Twilight, Ah sure hope so.”

Author's Note

Yes, I haven't forgotten about this! Sorry for the long wait, but I finally have the fourth chapter up! It's kind of a filler chapter, I'm sorry to say, but at least it's a chapter.

Edited by: kingtiger666

Emotions and a Conclusion

The walk back to Sweet Apple Acres was unsurprisingly quiet. Neither Applejack nor Twilight wanted to discuss their conversation by the gravestones. Twilight was still embarrassed about her attempt to make her friend feel better, and Applejack was still confused about her twin sister. The country mare was the one to break the silence when they reached the barn, "Well, here we are." She said awkwardly, staring at the red stained boards.

"Umm, should we go...?" Twilight faltered as Applejack gave her a pleading, begging look.
'I don't want to go in there.' It said, not wanting to face the dishonest family members that the house held.

"AJ, you're going to have to go in there-" The unicorn was abruptly cut off.

"No! Ah'm not gonna go in there! Ah'm not gonna go sit through who knows how long of guilt talk about mah dead twin sister!" She finished with a note of firmness, nopony was going to talk her out of this decision.

So instead of arguing, Twilight devised a second option. "How about I go talk to them? I could sit through the hard part for you, ask the questions you don't want to ask."

"Uhh... is that really a good idea Twilight?" She shot her friend a questioning look, "Ah mean.... what good is it gonna do me if you're asking questions?"

The librarian dropped her head, "Oh yeah, right." Her eyes suddenly brightened, a imaginary light bulb appearing over her head. "Ooh! What if I come in with you for support?"

Applejack smiled, "That's a much better idea sugarcube." She swallowed hard, "Ah just... don't know if Ah'm ready. What if they're mad at me?"

"Applejack, why would they be mad at you?" A confused look came across Twilight's face, "If anything, you deserve to be mad at them!"

The farmer let out a long sigh, "Ah guess, Ah'm just frustrated about this whole darn thing."

Twilight embraced her friend, " I promise it'll be alright, and I'll be right there with you the entire time."

Applejack smiled, an expression of relief on her face, "Thanks Twilight, Ah really appreciate this."

She trotted to the side entrance, beckoning with her hoof for the unicorn to follow her. As she opened the door, the deep voice of an enraged stallion burst from inside the house.

“Ah’ve reminded ya a million times and over, we shouldn’t have ever told her! Now mah sister’s gone!”

The two friends froze, struck with absolute shock at Big Macintosh's boiling temper.

"She was gonna find out sooner or later Macintosh!" Granny Smith's voice came into the picture. "If we hadn't ta told her now, think how much angrier she woulda been in five! Ten years!"

Applejack and Twilight crept slowly into the household, silently closing the door behind them.
"She'll never forgive us Granny!" The red pony's voice boomed from the kitchen. "Do ya expect her to jus' toss it over her shoulder like nothin' happened?! Buck, she's the Element of Honesty!! How long do ya think its gonna take before she trusts us again?!"

The unicorn peered around the corner of the living room, just in time to see Big Macintosh slam his hoof down on the dinner table. A few seconds later, Applejack joined Twilight by the doorway.

"You watch your tongue Macintosh!" Granny Smith shouted with a fire in her eyes that the orange mare had never seen before. "Ah'm still your grandmother and Ah deserve more respec-" She abruptly stopped as she noticed the two mares standing under the door frame.

"Um, hi y'all." Applejack said awkwardly, a nervous, cheesy smile plastered on her face.

"Dear Celestia AJ!" The earth pony stallion bolted over to his sister, giving her a bone crushing hug. "Ya had us worried sick!"

"Ah’m jus' fine Mac!" The mare choked, her face turning crimson, "now will ya please let go of me!"

"Oh, uh, sorry." He released the country pony, giving an embarrassed smile.

Granny Smith approached her granddaughter, her mouth slightly open, as if she were about to speak.

"Granny, Ah-" Applejack was cut off as the green pony burst into tears once more.

"Ah'm so sorry Applejack! Ah should've never kept the truth about Snow Apple from ya! I can't believe that I...I-"

The farmer pulled her grandmother into a hug, "Shush, it's alright Granny, Ah overreacted, Ah'm the one who should be sorry."

"But Ah'm the one who lied to ya all these years darlin', this is all mah fault!" Granny accepted a tissue from Big Mac and dabbed her eyes.

"It's neither of your faults." Twilight spoke for the first time since entering the humble little kitchen. The trio turned to the unicorn, expecting an explanation.
"Applejack, you were very upset and shocked, anypony would expect you to react as you did. Granny Smith, you were trying to protect and spare the emotions of your granddaughter. I would imagine it was killing you to keep it from Applejack, but you just couldn't bring yourself to confess to her."

The two mares smiled, Granny Smith went over to the lavender unicorn and placed her hoof on her shoulder, beaming. "Miss Twilight, wouldja like ta join us for lunch? We would be plum grateful!"

"Oh, thank you for the offer Granny Smith but I don't have much of an-" She was interrupted by a noisy rumble, the sound clawing at her stomach. Twilight sighed, "appetite."

"C'mon sugarcube!" AJ encouraged with enthusiasm, "yer the pony who gave me breakfast this mornin', so we owe ya one! Please stay."

The unicorn blushed, "Honestly, I appreciate the invite but Spike wanted to-" She paused, then widened her eyes in remembrance. "Oh horseapples! Where is Spike!?"

Five minutes of searching later, Spike was found sleeping in the Apples’ barn, snoring loudly on a pile of musty straw. Twilight smirked, lowering her head and igniting her horn. One zap and the lazy dragon was on his feet.

"Ok, so first you bolt out the door this morning leaving me clueless. Then you leaving me wondering what the hay is going on, and looking like an idiot in front of Granny Smith and Big Mac. Now, you wake me up in the middle of my nap! What the heck Twilight?!"

"Oh, you be quiet, you weren't even up until 8:15!" Spike climbed onto Twilight’s back as the group exited the barn, rolling the heavy door shut.

"Quit yer fussin' you two, " Applejack chided, "we got some lunch ta eat!"

"AJ, I already told you, Spike and I need to-" The unicorn glanced at the baby dragon with a confused look. "What did you want to do anyway?"

Spike rolled his eyes and groaned, "C'mon Twilight! I wanted to bring those brownies you made on Wednesday to Rarity, remember?"

"First of all, I'm the one who made those brownies. And second, we're not going to Carousel Boutique so you can try to win Rarity over with googly eyes and treats!"

The assistant sighed, "A dragon can dream, can't he?"

Applejack gave a smirk, "So if you’re not gonna take brownies ta Rarity... Ya'll might as well stay for some grub!"

Twilight took a deep breath and scoffed, "I guess we really don't have any excuse now do we Spike?"

Spike grinned, and with a perfect imitation of Big Macintosh he drawled, " Eeyup."

"...And so then when Applejack was helplessly caught in between two rocks, I very bravely chucked the stone into the the gigantic timber wolf’s mouth! Oh, and did I tell you guys about the time I saved The Crystal Empire?"

"Spike!" Twilight scolded, taking a bite of her crisp salad, "it's not polite to brag!"

"What? I'm only telling the truth! Right Applejack?"

The country mare chuckled, "I'm pretty sure ya didn't slash his legs off with a tree branch sugarcube."

"Ok, maybe that part was a little bit exaggerated..." Spike blushed slightly.

Granny Smith and Big Macintosh laughed. Twilight and Spike had been quite the guests, they even helped prepare lunch and offered to stay to assist them in washing dishes. By the time Granny had brought out her famous apple pie for dessert, Applejack had one question on her mind.

"Uh, Granny?" She asked, passing around a slice to Twilight, "what was... Snow Apple like?"

The room went dead silent, and the unicorn looked to her friend and nodded slowly, pride in her eyes.

"Well, " the elder mare said slowly, swallowing a bite of pie. "Snow Apple was a good filly, not unlike yerself actually.Ya'll loved playin' together."

"Did she have any hobbies?" Applejack pursued determinedly.

Granny shook her head solemnly, "Too young ta tell darlin'. It was not long after The Reunion where you ate all them fritters."

Applejack sighed, prodding at her dessert with her eating utensil, "I can't believe Ah don't remember her, it feels like Ah should."

Her grandmother looked at her kindly, "Ah'm sorry Applejack, Ah really am. But Snow's gone now, and Ah afraid nothin's gonna change that."

Twilight rested a hoof on the orange mare's shoulder, giving a sympathetic smile. Then her pupils suddenly shrank to tiny pinpricks, and just as rapidly widening, giving off a small twinkle.

Applejack glanced at her, confused, "You all right Twi?"

"Aha!" The student shouted loudly, causing the others to cover their ears.
"Granny Smith," she said excitedly, in an almost giddy tone. "When Snow Apple...wandered into The Everfree Forest, did you ever find a body? Or remains?"

The elder gave a puzzled look, then turned to her grandson, "I don't recall findin' anything youngin', Macintosh?"

The stallion shook his head, "Nope."

Twilight pursued, "Did you ever hear any sound? Like shrieking or screaming?"

"No...why are you asking us these questions Miss Twilight?" Big Macintosh glanced at the unicorn earnestly.

"Because," The lavender mare beamed upon The Apple Family, "There is a possibility, that maybe, just maybe, Snow Apple might still be alive."

Enraged About Everfree

Twilight's most recent theory resulted in looks of doubt and disbelief from every Apple (and dragon) in the room. It was as if she had just said Celestia had been replaced as Princess by Derpy Hooves, who planned on having every day be Muffin Day. Twilight continued to smile at them as if they would understand any second now, but none of them let up.

"Umm, Sugarcube?" Applejack looked at her with an extremely painful smile. "What didja just say?" All the others in the room knew she was just trying to be polite to Twilight...

Except for the aforementioned pony.

"Snow Apple, your sister, might still be alive!" Twilight said brightly, oblivious to the awkwardness. "Did I not just say that clearly?"

"Yer fine, Twi." Applejack looked at her empty plate, avoiding Twilight’s gaze. "Completely fine."

"Yeah, uhh..." Spike trailed off, now staring at the woodwork of the dining table. "That's great, Twilight. How did you, uh, get that idea?"

Twilight scrutinized the occupants of the room, who were trying immensely hard not to look at her. Her expression of delight then changed to one of annoyance.

"Alright," she huffed, "Spit it out."

"Tha' idea is plum ridiculous!" Shouted Granny Smith, who then covered her mouth with her hooves in shame.

Big Mac looked at Twilight sympathetically and said, "Eeyup."

"Sorry Twilight," Applejack tore her gaze away from the plate, "It just ain't that realistic of an idea. Yer sayin' that that little filly, no bigger than Winona, was able to get past cockatrices, manticores, timberwolves, and Celestia knows what else, and survived? Spike wasn't in there for two seconds without runnin' into trouble!"

"She's right Twilight," Spike chimed in, looking gratefully at the country mare, "As much as I hate to admit it, I was pretty much Timberwolf meat if she hadn't shown up."

"What!?" The unicorn gaped at the others in the room. "Seriously, all I'm saying is that if you never found a body or any evidence-"

"There could be a million reasons why we never found nothin' Miss Twilight." Big Macintosh raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. "She could have drowned, fallen off a cliff, a Timberwolf coulda gotten her and dragged her ta a cave, or tons of other things! It just don't make no sense."

Applejack glanced at her brother, then her friend. She agreed wholeheartedly with him, but part of her longed to believe in Twilight's crazy theory. She wanted Snow Apple alive more than any of them. She took a shaky breath, then said nervously to her brother,

"Big Mac? It still couldn' hurt, ta, ya know, take a peek around there, now would it?"

The stallion gave his sister a hard, stony look. "Don' you start talkin' nonsense too."

"Hey!" Twilight said, offended.

"Applejack," Big Macintosh used a very serious tone, "If y'all think that there's somethin' in that forest, if Snow is alive- and Ah'm not sayin' she is." He added abruptly, "Then there's nothin' y'all can go lookin' for. And if she's dead, her remains would be long gone. Ah'm sorry Sis."

"Who says Ah can't go look?" Applejack shot back, "What's the harm in lookin', Mac!?”

"Ah don' want my lil' sis gettin' hurt! Yer the one who said earlier all the dangerous stuff out there! An' Ah wouldn' want ya gettin' eaten by a Manticore now would Ah?"

"For Pete's Sake, Macintosh!" The earth pony shouted, "Ah'm a full grown mare! Ah can take perfectly good care of mahself!"

"Y'all need ta settle down!" Said Granny, flustered.

"Ah'm supposed ta protect this family!" He slammed a hoof on the table. "Even if ya been in there before- fer the Elements o’ Harmony an' all that, those were pretty close calls!"

"Well," Applejack grit her teeth, "If yer so brave, why doncha go in there yerself? Ah'm sure after ya meet a timberwolf-"

"Don' ya dare talk to me-"

"Y'all?" Came a quiet voice from the door, "What’s goin' on?"

There, in the door, stood Apple Bloom, obviously back from crusading. Her face was scrunched up, like she was very close to tears.

"Why were y'all arguing?" She sniffled some, "Apples don' argue like that. Ever."

The demeanor in the room instantly changed as Apple Bloom stood there, expecting an explanation. Big Macintosh, who was closest to Apple Bloom, dropped to his knees in front of the filly.

"Apple Bloom," He said quietly, "We're, Ah'm- it's just- Ah'm so sorry, Ah'm so sorry. We didn' mean ta start arguing like that."

The small yellow pony's tears started to subside. "What were y'all arguing about? I've never seen ya look that angry Mac."

Everyone in the room gave each other a very nervous look. Finally, Granny Smith smiled kindly at the filly and said,

"Have a seat darlin'. Ah reckon we've got some explainin' ta do."

"Wow," Apple Bloom said about ten minutes later, "So, Ah've got another big sister? And she's twins with Applejack?"

Big Macintosh swallowed hard and gave his sister a smile, "Eeyup."

"That's so cool!" She squealed, a huge grin on her face, " Ah can' wait ta tell Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle!"

"Actually AB," Applejack said nervously, "Why don't ya just keep it ta yerself for right now okay? Ah mean, she's probably not even alive."

At this, Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "Um, yeah."

"Oh," The filly looked crestfallen, "Alright Applejack. Ah understand."

An awkward silence followed, but was relieved when Twilight stood up from the table.

"Well, this has been a fantastic lunch," she paused, slipping on her saddlebags, "but Spike and I better get going. Thanks for letting us stay, Granny Smith."

Granny Smith waved a hoof at her modestly, "Anytime darlin’. Our house is yer house."

Spike spoke up, "But Twilight-"

"Spike," the lavender mare said sternly, "We have things to do."

"Oh," Spike looked very confused,"Okay then?" He hopped down from his chair.

"Thanks for stayin', Twi!" Applejack said brightly, in a good mood again.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh nodded politely, all traces of the earlier argument were gone.

Spike was already out the door. Twilight turned, about to follow him, when suddenly she heard Applejack from the dining room.

"I forgot ta tell her something 'bout cider season, Ah'll be right back."

The dragon glanced at the librarian expectantly, to which she replied, "You go on ahead, I'll catch up."

He shrugged and continued down the Apples’ road.

Meanwhile, the unicorn frowned thoughtfully as the country mare came into view.

"Listen Twilight, can ya do me a favor?" She looked oddly uncomfortable.

"Sure, I guess, but if it's about cider season then-"

"Gosh darn it Sugarcube!" Applejack hissed, frustrated at her friend. Her expression softened as she saw Twilight’s reaction. "Ah mean," she cleared her throat. "It's about Snow."

"Oh, what about her?"

"Couldja do a little pokin' around in Everfree?"

"What!? But your brother, if he knew he'd-"

"Flip out, Ah know," The earth pony glanced back toward the kitchen, "that's why Ah'm askin' ya now. I just would feel a whole lot better if Ah knew fer sure what happened ta her." Her expression was one of concern, "You understand, doncha?"

Twilight stood there, pondering the subject. She'd be more than willing to go to The Everfree Forest for her friend. But after the way Big Mac reacted to the situation, she wasn't sure the stallion would take kindly to the adventure. He was, after all, certain Snow Apple was dead. But if it was just Twilight going in there...

"I'll do it AJ."

Applejack beamed at her, "Thanks a bunch Twi! Ah owe ya one. When ya do, just lemme know whatcha find out, okay?"

"Spike and I have some cleaning to do at the library today, but I'll probably be able to check it out tomorrow morning. I'll look through some of my books to see if I can find anything I can use that would be helpful."

Applejack gave her friend a warm hug, "Be careful out there."

"I will. This time I'll be well prepared." She chuckled to herself, "No more getting turned to stone by cockatrices. And I'll leave Spike at home, I don't think he wants to see any more timberwolves for a while." She stepped out the door, "Bye, Applejack. Tell Granny thanks again for me."

"No problem Twilight. Hopefully ya manage to find somethin' in Everfree."

The two ponies waved goodbye and Twilight rushed to catch up to Spike. She was panting by the time she reached the baby dragon. He looked at her skeptically.

"Sheesh, what took you so long? I thought you'd never catch up."

"Applejack- wanted- a favor." The unicorn panted, dragging her hooves.

"What kind of favor?" Spike asked casually.

"I have to go to The Everfree Forest."

Author's Note

Hello Everypony! I finally have a new chapter up for you! I'm such a lazy butt, I'm pretty sure its been a whole year since the last chapter. Stupid me.

Edited by: kingtiger666