CHAPTER 32
A LIAR'S APOLOGY
OK...You can do this...You can do this...You can do this...You can do this...You can do this...You can do this...
That was what Ironhead kept telling himself as he trudged along the dirt path that led to Sweet Apple Acres. Being the middle of the afternoon, the Apple's were most likely busy with farm work. Granny would be rocking in her chair, Applebloom would be tending to the chicken coup, Big Mac would be plowing the field and Applejack...
He sighed and quickened his pace.
The farm eventually loomed into view, but all that did was make Ironhead feel even more nervous. How could he possibly face them again after all he did? Would they ever forgive him? Would Applejack forgive him for all the lying he did to her? She looked so hurt when she found out the truth.
As he neared the front gate, he spotted somepony familiar balancing a large basket filled with more apples than it should on her head. The basket teetered dangerously on Applebloom's head as she swayed from side to keep it from falling. Unfortunately, she tripped on a rock and fell with a yelp.
To her surprise, she didn't land on the ground but one something tough and warm. She looked down a saw saw that it was something covered n a dark brown coat. "Watch yourself kid." a familiar voice said.
She gasped. "Ironhead!"
The latter grinned as he let her down. "Lemme get those." he said spotting the apples scattered around. He gathered them together and placed them back in the basket before carrying it across his back. "I'll carry these in. Next time, don't put so many apples in this thing."
Grateful, the filly nodded. "Thanks." She said following Ironhead into the house; he was being much more careful. "Hey Ironhead, where've you been? I heard ya ran off right after the fire."
He sighed and gulped. "Uh...yeah. I had to uh...help out my brother."
"The how come ya never came back?"
"It's...complicated." He opened the front door and headed inside. "Did you ask your sister?"
"Yeah. She jus' said she didn't wanna talk about it. She looked real sad too."
Upon hearing that, Ironhead stopped, closed his eyes tightly and sighed as the guilt of hurting Applejack coursed through him once again and causing him grief. "You OK Ironhead?" Applebloom asked worriedly.
"Y-yeah. Look, I don't wanna talk about it either." he answered. Applebloom thankfully didn't ask any more questions. Silently they made their way to the kitchen. "So where d'you want these?"
"Just leave'em there sonny. I'll 'ave Big Mac deal with 'em when he gets back from town." Ironhead turned around at the voice and saw an elderly mare step into the room.
"Granny..."
She just smiled at him as if they just saw each other yesterday. "Been wonderin' where ya ran off to."
"Um...Yeah...I had to do something really important." Ironhead scratched the back of his head. "And well uh..."
"Ya should've seen 'er." Granny continued walking up to him. "A lil' after ya ran of, she went after ya. Never seen her so worried 'bout anythin' b'fore."
"R...Really?"
"You bet yer flank. I also remember 'er comin' back lookin' downer than a a tree in a heat wave."
"O-Oh..." Ironhead bowed unable to look at her. "Look, Granny I-"
"I know yer sorry." she told him. "An' I know yer here ta make things right. And even though I wanna give ya a big ol' smack fer makin' mah granddaughter upset," Ironhead gulped a little. "I know ya didn't mean to. I know how much she means to ya, so lemme tell ya, she's in the north field."
His ear perked up as he raised his head and met Granny's gentle smile. "What're ya still standin' around here for? She's waitin' for ya."
A grin quickly broke out on his face. "Thanks Granny." he thanked before galloping outside. Granny Smith watched him leave and chuckled a little.
"Hmm...That filly's more stubborn than ya think. Good luck out there sonny."
As he approached the northern apple field, he could already hear the familiar thud of hooves striking against a tree. After passing over a hill, he finally spotted Applejack hard at work. She didn't seem to have noticed him seeing as she moved to another tree once he arrived.
Ironhead began to freak out a little. He slowly back away but stopped himself before he could get too far away. I gotta do this. She deserves an apology. he thought with gritted teeth. He took a deep breath and trudged forward.
"Uh...Want some help with that?..."
It was only then that the mare noticed him. Applejack's face momentarily showed surprise before shifting to a neutral expression. "H...Hey there AJ..." Ironhead said nervously.
"Ironhead." she replied with a nod. "And no thanks; I got everythin' handled here."
He sighed as he watched her tip a basket full of apples into a nearby cart. He sighed and approached her. "Look...I'm sorry OK." he said quickly. "I'm sorry I lied about...well, everything."
She wordlessly began to pull the cart back towards the barn. "H-Hang on!" Ironhead caught up with her. "C'mon Applejack, I said I'm sorry. Don't be like that..."
The farm mare stopped in her track and took a deep breath. "I poured my heart out to ya. I was completely an' totally open with ya, and you pay me back by lying to me?"
"Wha-" He was caught off guard. "Y-you can't blame me. I had a perfectly good reason to lie."
"There ain't ever a good reason to lie to somepony." she told him sternly before looked aside. "'Specially ta sompony ya care about...Considerin' if ya ever cared about 'em in th' first place."
"Applejack," He looked at her pleadingly. "I do care about you, honest!"
She turned to him. "That comin' from the 'Strength of Deceit'?"
"Aww, that's just some fancy title thing Scar made up 'cause he though it sounded cool." Ironhead explained with a wave of a hoof. "I'm not Deceit or anything like that."
"So yer sayin' ya didn't lie to me since the day we met?"
"W-Well...No..."
Applejack sighed and continued one past him. "Wait!" She stopped again. "Applejack, I didn't lie about everything y'know. I wasn't lying when I told you about Scar being my brother. I wasn't lying when I said I loved spending time with your family...I wasn't lying when I said I missed my sister." He gulped and fought off the pain. "Because I loved her just as much as you love Applebloom."
Hearing the word "loved" intrigued her. Applejack set the harness of the cart aside and turned around to face him. She saw him standing before her looking determined to make things right, to make everything better. She briefly flashed back to that terrible moment when the fields were aflame and saw that same face on him as he worked to save the farm.
"And I swear I wasn't lying when I said I liked you...That's why I came all the way here to say...I'm sorry..."
Silence followed after admitting that during which a tensed Ironhead watched Applejack do some thinking; it was waiting to hear if she liked him back during their first date all over again only this time, there wasn't any cider around to dull the pain. Once he saw a deep breath, he put on a straight face even though his mind was panicking.
"Do ya really...like me like that...?" she asked him quietly. "Yer tellin' me that wasn't a lie?"
He took a deep breath. "I-I swear I'm honest; how can you think I'm not?"
"Because you were already plannin' ta lie yer way through anythin' just to get the Elements." she said bitterly. "I trusted you, and now..." She sighed and turned away. "Now I don't even know what's true 'bout you an' what's not...The only thing I do know is that title of yers's fittin'. You were ready ta lie ta me and not just me; you were gonna lie ta anypony you met that day..." She took a deep breath and turned around. 'An'...I'm gettin' tired of the lies..."
Grief and fear consumed him as she put the harness back on and trotted away. He took a step forward but didn't have anything to say in his defense. His heart crushed, he sadly watched the mare that had captured it leave without another word while falling on his haunches.
He couldn't believe this; she liked him back didn't she? He apologized and meant it, but why didn't she believe him? Why didn't she let him explain that his lies had no malicious intent?
Why didn't she trust him anymore?
Ironhead's thoughts were interrupted by a coughing sound in front of him, a coughing he recognized. "Did she tell you about what I did?"
"Eeyup."
"I'm sorry I hurt her OK?"
"I know you are, and boy did you hurt her bad." Big Mac commented with a nod.
Ironhead sighed and looked up at the pony before him. "So I guess you're pretty pissed at me too huh?...I don't really blame you; I'd feel the same if it were my sister..."
"She's got a good reason to be upset y'know." Big Mac told him. "She told me how she felt getting crushed like that right after your little date." The other stallion winced a little before getting up.
"If wanna hit me or something, don't. Seriously; you'll just hurt yourself." He walked towards the barn but stopped right beside Big Mac. "Besides...one Apple hating me's already too much."
Ironhead then began to drag his hooves away from Big Mac, away from Sweet Apple Acres...away from Applejack...
"Listen," Big Mac said before he could get too far. "Cider season's comin' up, an' we'll need all the hooves we can get. Technically, you still work here, so you better be here again tomorrow to prep up. We're gonna need everypony here."
Brown ears perked up as Ironhead turned around. "Wait, you're not kicking me out or anything?"
"I'm givin' you another chance." Big Mac told him. "And this'll be the last one too. Break her sweet little heart again," He gave him a death glare and pawed the ground.
But Ironhead didn't feel threatened, and not because Big Mac couldn't cause any bodily harm to him. It was strange to see the calm, reserved Big Mac make a gesture such as that, and that made Ironhead smile a little. Maybe there was hope for him and Applejack after all.
"Thanks Mac." he thanked before walking away feeling a little better than before. This was his chance to make things right again, to make Applejack trust him once again.
Yes, hope, no matter how small, was still there.