In my heart, there was hope for a sense of normality after my friends and I parted ways from that party. It was a foolish hope. Yet, I felt it and it carried me through the upcoming days. As is the funny nature of time, of course, days slowly but suddenly turned into weeks. Before I even knew it, those weeks had transformed into two whole months. All throughout, my parents and I did everything in our power to support Sweetie Belle as she pursued the betterment of her voice.
It wasn't hard to convince her to take voice lessons from Lyra Heartstrings and Octavia Melody, who both picked up tips and tricks from their gathered years in the entertainment field. They were such dears to take Sweetie under their tutelage, and for such a meager sum, though I took it upon myself to promise them future discounts on items from my boutique.
So, my sister had her lessons and I had my work to keep us warm as Winter came barreling around the corner. Once the first blanket of snow settled upon Ponyville, activity slowed to a near-halt. It wasn't a surprise; many ponies, myself included, usually stayed indoors the first day or two of the first snowfall to enjoy the serenity and beauty it brought. Then, as soon as the novelty wore off, activity picked right back up where it left off.
Ponies came together to open the Winter Market, so they could sell canned goods, blankets, and other such items, while colts and fillies of all ages spent their free time playing in the snow. The careless joys of the season, however, weren't enough to bring Applejack back to us. For the most part, she remained on the farm, where she buried herself in a variety of chores. She left sales and shopping to Granny Smith and Big Macintosh.
My friends and I tried multiple times to contact her, but with varying success. She gave excuses not to see Twilight and Rainbow Dash, and few words were spoken to Pinkie Pie, who made trips to the farm every few days to deliver freshly-baked pastries. Applejack always accepted them, although Pinkie couldn't confirm whether or not she actually ate any of them. Fluttershy was the most successful; Applejack didn't hesitate to seek her out when Winona sprained one of her legs after slipping on a patch of ice.
Unfortunately, as is the very nature of Fluttershy, she didn't press our mutual friend into speaking with her. She asked only a few questions, which Applejack answered in a simple... and grouchy manner. Fluttershy also feared she hadn't been sleeping. I recall her comparing her exhaustion to the same that plagued her during the harvest season she stubbornly worked alone.
As for myself... I was the least successful. Whenever I ventured to the farm, Applejack slammed the door in my face. If I approached her at any other time (and I tried multiple times), I was either ignored or she would shoo me away with as much hostility as possible. So, I regretfully ceased my attempts—thinking the hostility would come to an end so long as I kept my distance. After all, she made it perfectly clear she wanted nothing to do with me.
I thought wrong, and realized it only when Sweetie Belle—accompanied by both Scootaloo and Cheerilee—came home early from school one day... crying. Scootaloo was on the verge of tears herself, and Cheerilee was just as upset as she told me what happened. The head of the school board, an earth pony named Spoiled Rich, caught wind of some apparently nasty rumors (which I didn't even know about until that moment) surrounding Apple Bloom's accident. And, instead of taking the time to find out the facts, Mrs. Rich approached Cheerilee as she was teaching class and loudly voiced her concerns in front of Sweetie and all her peers. She didn't want her precious little Diamond Tiara in the same class as a set of “dangerous miscreants,” which was such a shame, specially since it seemed that my sister and her hoped-to-be-former bully had been getting along as of late.
Needless to say, I was absolutely livid, because Spoiled Rich wasn't the first pony in Equestria to believe such a ludicrous idea.
Cheerilee and I took the girls to see Twilight. I couldn't help but feel satisfaction to see she was as furious as I. She gave us her word she would have a word with Spoiled Rich. Truth be told, and I told Twilight as much, the words and beliefs of Mrs. Rich didn't concern me in the least. What did concern me, however, was the fact that Applejack had resorted to the cowardly, foalish tactic of spreading rumors. I told Twilight that as well.
I didn't think she'd believe me. Yet, as we stood together in the sizable chamber of her library, I was struck by how much her pupils shrank in response. “Do you really think Applejack would do such a thing?” she asked, ever so softly.
There was no hesitation on my part. “I'm positive she's the culprit! Who else would bother? Rainbow would never do that to Scootaloo. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy don't have a single malicious bone in their bodies, and your rationality eliminates you as a suspect. Who else, Twilight?!” It wasn't until the end of my exclamation that I realized I was shouting. I covered my muzzle with a hoof and I looked over my shoulder to see Scootaloo and my sister hiding behind their teacher's forelegs.
Guilty for scaring them so, I asked, “Cheerilee, would you be a dear and please take them into the other room for a moment?”
“Of course, Rarity.”
I held my tonge for a minute or two as the fillies were lead away. Once they were out of sight, I sighed and returned my attention to Twilight. Before I could apologize for my outburst, she held up a hoof to stop me. “I... I think you may be right, about Applejack,” she said with a grimace. Stars, I could tell it hurt her to admit it. That obvious hurt, however, turned into nervousness as her eyes then shifted to random spots around the library. “I think you may be right, because... Well, follow me.”
Together, we walked to the nearest table, where she motioned for me to have a seat whilst she wandered off to retrieve something. I waited, and when she returned I immediately took notice of the papers she carried. It wasn't a large stack; it was only two or three sheets of paper. Still, she looked nervous as she set them before me. “Take a look a these,” she said. “Please.”
My curiosity peaked, I used my magic to lift the top page. Despite the parchment, they were far from official documents or anything of that sort. Even so, my blood ran cold when I saw Applejack's mouth-writing. And it was her writing, because it never failed to baffle me how neatly she scribed. Plus, it clearly showed her signature at the bottom. I quickly checked the other two letters; they were also from her. Just like that, a sneaking sense of dread settled into my belly.
That dread, thick as it was, boiled into anger once again as I began to read.
Applejack had been trying to convince Twilight to punish Sweetie and Scootaloo for Apple Bloom's death. Thrice she tried!
I was so distraught I was trembling. Slamming the papers onto the desk, I gathered the courage to look at Twilight. “You... You're not taking these seriously, are you?” I asked, my voice shaky as I struggled to keep it even.
To my relief, she shook her head. “No, don't worry,” she quickly replied. “Even a thousand letters can't, and won't, change the fact that her sister's death was an accident. But...” She bit down on her lip. “She's so stubborn, even in her despair, and she's still hurting. I-I sent a letter to Prin—Celestia, just in case.”
“Do either Granny Smith or Big Mac know?”
“No. They're just letters. I tried talking to Applejack face-to-face, but she... didn't want to talk to me after I told her to stop seeking punishment against the girls.” Her gaze lowered and, for a few seconds, she stared at the table. “I didn't think this would escalate.”
I reached across the table, covering her hoof with mine. “It's not your fault, dear, but we can't let this continue. If Applejack is still hurting to the point of retaliation...” Oh, I couldn't bring myself to say anything more. Applejack was my friend! Yet, in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but wonder how her sense of grief and misplaced betrayal would warp her. If rumors didn't work in her favor, what else would she do?
Twilight's face contorted into a grimace. Surely, she was having the same thoughts as I. “You're right,” she whispered. “We have to get her to talk to us.” Her eyes lifted to focus on me. “We need to host an intervention.”
I couldn't agree more. It was obvious Applejack needed somepony to drill the truth into that head of hers. An intervention sounded like just the thing, and so Twilight and I quickly threw a plan together. The night after, we met with Rainbow, Pinkie, and Fluttershy at Sugarcube Corner. It wasn't anything grandiose, but we came to a decision. We would approach Applejack as soon as Winter Wrap-Up was over and done. Though that was only a few weeks away, preparations had already begun all over Ponyville.
We didn't know what would happen if we did it before then, and we didn't want to risk the timely coming of Spring. It wouldn't have been fair to the other townsponies. Time was against us, sadly, and we spent those last few weeks of Winter preparing for its departure.
Through work, those terrible rumors were forgotten. Despite all our work, when Winter Wrap-Up finally arrived Applejack was nowhere to be seen. Big Macintosh took over his sister's position as team leader for the Green Team, once he informed us of the situation. Applejack simply didn't want to participate, and neither he nor Granny Smith wanted to push her.
Rainbow Dash was the most displeased. Albeit, “displeased” is a much too kind adjective. “Nearly foaming at the mouth,” is a much better description, though she dutifully lead her own team without missing a beat. She knew better—we all knew better—than to go against Twilight's carefully-prepared schedule. Thanks to it, we once again wrapped up Winter on time.
Yet, our mutual friend's absense remained a heavy weight upon us. It was a good a time as any to stage our planned intervention. Big Mac was more than willing to let us follow him back to the farm once we explained it to him. Given his sister's mood, he insisted that he supervise us. It was a fair arrangement.
Though I dreaded Applejack's reaction to our arrival, it was fortunate Granny Smith was the only one in the house when we got there. Applejack was organizing equipment in the barn, she told us. It was only right to tell her what was going to happen and, like her grandson, she wanted nothing more than to help us help her grandaughter—especially after Twilight came clean about the letters.
It became a waiting game after we seated ourselves in a circle in the living room. Granny Smith tried to cheer our spirits with cups of apple cider and strudels. The snacks were appreciated and they did help some. At least, until Applejack finally walked in through the front door. “Hey, Granny, have you seen my—?” She saw us, and she froze as still as a statue. Then, in a monotone voice, she asked, “What are y'all doin' here?”
Cautously, Twilight rose. “It's normal for friends to check in with each other every once in a while, isn't it?” she softly inquired. “And it's been a while since we've been together like this.”
She wasn't swayed. “Why are y'all here?”
Granny Smith frowned. “They're here to set ya straight!” she snapped. “Git yer behind in here, now!”
Yet, Applejack didn't budge, until she shocked everypony by turning around and walking back out the door. “Applejack!” called Granny, so dumbstruck by the action my heart ached for her.
And it set off Rainbow Dash like a firecracker. In a flash of color, she chased after Applejack; we, of course, followed suit, whilst Big Macintosh stayed behind to comfort his grandmother. We caught up in time to see them yelling at each other. “Just what the hay is your problem?!” screamed Rainbow as she hovered in the air like an enraged hummingbird.
Applejack was obviously offended by the question. “My 'problem' is that you won't mind your own business!” she yelled in reply.
“Oh, yeah, you'd know a lot about minding your own business, wouldn't you Ms. Crazy-Saddles?”
“Excuse me?”
“Yeah, we know it was you who started those stupid rumors!” I assumed either Twilight or Scootaloo told her about that incident. “We also know about those letters you sent to Twilight!” she added, furthering my assumption.
Applejack glanced our way. “What about 'em?”
Twilight stepped forward. “We're worried about you!” she exclaimed. “You never used to do such underhoofed things, especially against any of us. It's not like you at all!”
“Like what?” the farmer spat, making Twilight wince. “Ain't it like me to tell the truth? Did y'all forget I'm the stinkin' Element of Honesty? Because none of y'all seem interested in what the truth is!”
“No, Applejack. You managed to convince yourself of what you believe is the truth, but it's not the truth at all!”
Rage made our friend turn red in the face. “They admitted it!” she screamed. Spittle flew freely from her mouth. “Those little rats admitted it right to my face! You even knew before I did, and yet you did nothing!”
In the blink of an eye, Rainbow was in her face. “Admit what?! That they felt guilty? That they were unfortunate to have been there when Apple Bloom died?”
“They deserted her! There was a chance for her to live and they abandoned her like garbage!”
“You don't know that! You weren't there!”
“Neither were you! I want justice for my sister and, gosh darn it, if I have to scream the truth to all of Ponyville to get it, then so be it!”
“Yeah, because Apple Bloom would totally like you tormenting her friends when they did nothing wrong! A real sister wouldn't disrespect her memory by acting like a complete psychopath!”
Stars curse her big mouth... We knew she'd gone too far the moment Applejack, while balancing herself on her front hooves, spun around. Unfortunately, not even Twilight's magic was quick enough to stop her powerful back hooves from colliding with Rainbow Dash's muzzle.