//------------------------------//
// Prologue  
// Story: The day she didn't come back 
// by AJapple 
//------------------------------//

	Applejack sat on the porch, her hoof wrapped around a mug of foaming cider, eyes focused out on the sunset. Big Macintosh came up beside her. 
“You alright?” he asked quietly. His sister guzzled some of her drink and wiped her mouth. 
“Jus’ thinking.” she said. Big Mac nodded. He often spent his time thinking, but Applejack was all movement. If she stopped to think so deeply...it must be bothering her something awful. 
“Tell me.” he softly commanded. Applejack’s shoulders slumped and she leaned into Mac’s side.
“Sometimes...Ah get this feeling...like ah’m not gonna see this again.” she gestured to the fields around her. “With all this saving the world...Ah’m scared I’ll fail and…” her voice broke. Big Mac tensed. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if Applejack failed her mission. 


What would happen if she didn’t come home. He worried about that stuff enough, but now Applejack needed him. She needed his strength, which was rare. The orange pony was usually a force to be reckoned with, her unlimited strength was admired by many.  It was the way she could keep going even when she was tired or hurt.The way she would drop everything to lend a helping hoof to her friends that made her so strong. Now that strength was wearing thin and she relied on him. 



Big Macintosh wrapped Applejack in a hug. Her body shook and he waited for the sobs. None came. He held her at arm’s length and stared into her emerald green eyes. 
“Let it out.” he said and her bottom lip trembled. It was hard for her. Applejack wasn’t used to showing so much emotion and Big Mac could see she didn’t know how to release the fear and sadness pent up within her. “Just let it out sis.” he said again, more quietly. Slowly sniffles broke the silence and tears slid down her cheeks. 
“M-Mac. Ah...Ah don’t want to leave this place. Ah don’t want to,” she gulped. “Die.” Mac’s heart skipped at that word. Death. 


Death was what happened to the animals who were too old and sick. Death was when the crops shriveled and hunger wore skin to the bone. Death was blood and disease that spilled over abandoned cities. Death was the cruel thing that had taken his parents in it’s cold grasp, dragging them down into the earth, forever to stay entombed in the bloody mud. Applejack let out a gasp her breathing picking up. “Ah can’t...Ah keep seeing ‘em. Lying there...cold and there was so much blood.” she sobbed nestling into her brother’s shoulder. “Ah could die like that.”  Big Mac closed his eyes, he didn’t want to think about his parents. How they had died at the jaws of timberwolves.
“Shhh. That won’t happen.” Big Mac said even though he knew it was a shallow hope. Who was to say she wouldn’t be torn up by some monster. 


“It might…” Applejack said her breaths rapid and hot against his skin. “Applebloom…You, Granny…” she muttered. Big Mac hugged her tighter. 
“You ain’t gonna die! You just ain’t! You’re mah sister and there’s nothing that has ever defeated you. Not to mention you got a whole posse of your friends to back ya up.” Her hat slipped from her head as she lifted her face to stare at her brother.
“Ah hope you’re right.” she said, rubbing at her red eyes and setting her stetson back on her blonde mane. “Ah won’t leave ya. Never.” she exclaimed sharply. “Ah’ll always come home. I promise.” 
“Okay.” Big Mac reached out to her one last time. “Ah love you.” 
“Ah love ya too.”