As night fell I shivered from the growing cold, I wrapped myself tighter in the quilt for warmth. I stroked the hat patch of my once beloved Applejack. Tonight was the night, it had been a year since I'd left the farm and it was time for us to finally come face to face. All I had left to do was wait for her now and follow her into the woods to the pond. My memories of her were all I had tonight and after tonight... maybe not even that. I closed my eyes and drifted into a catnap, I just needed a little rest before I went to talk to her. There wasn't any dream, only a dark silence. I was awoken a short while later by a soft creaking sound.
I opened my eyes and saw Apple Jack coming out of the back door of her old barn. She looked up at the windows to see if there had been any lights turned on, just so she could make sure nopony had woken up or would follow her. Nothing, all the lights were off. She continued into the thick trees on her monthly visit to the pond. I waited a few minutes before I would go in. I had to at least give her time to settle in and get comfortable. I also give myself some time to think what I would say, after so long I still couldn't find the words I needed. Finally I got up and I let the blanket billow off as I got up. I slowly made my way down that familiar path that— for only a few months of my life— had been a happy walk with somepony I cared for, and shared so very much with.
...
Meanwhile, Big Macintosh in his room sound asleep. He heard the soft creaking of that old hinged door of the back if the barn opening, he rose from his sleep. Being a farm pony he'd become accustomed to listening for things that posed a threat. He kept his lights out and looked out the window, he calmed down seeing that it was only AJ, sneaking off into the woods again to her special pond. After so long she still went down there, something was different tonight though. He couldn't quite place his hoof on it but something was strange tonight. He didn't know what it was but he stayed by his window for a few extra minutes. Finally a shadow appeared out of some brushes out left of the field, he could barely make out the figure in the dark but he knew that trot. There wasn't anything to worry about. Big Mac smiled as he saw who it was, after a year away he still knew it was Applebuckin' season. More importantly though he was still was looking for Applejack, he walked back to his bed and went to sleep.
...
I followed the path trying to think of something to say but I couldn't. What could I say? There was no telling how she would react to the sight of me, much less anything I would say. As I made it to the clearing I saw that familiar teal-blue water glistening on the surface radiating its blue aura up into the canopy of the apple trees. I saw AJ staring into the waters edge, right next to her was a small sprout just a year old. I smiled, the Heart Apple had sprouted and grown up. I walked out of the brush a small rustling sound followed me, I knew she heard it because her ears pricked up but she didn't say anything. I slowly walked over and sat beside her, both of us keeping away from the sight of the other.
Finally I glanced over to her, after a year of rehabilitation it looked like she was finally able to walk again. I looked back down and smiled at my little fighter, I knew she wouldn't give up that easily.
"Ah... Ah got better." She started the conversation still not looking up but I saw her eyes start to fill with tears. "Ah can walk now."
"I see that." I replied.
We were quiet for a little longer.
"Ah shouldn't have done that to ya." She said. "Ya didn't deserve it, Ah'm sorry."
I smiled and finally looked up from the surface of the water and saw for the first time in a whole year those breathtaking emerald eyes again. Although they were full of apology and sadness I still couldn't believe how much they'd captivated my attention. She was so beautiful, even being sorry like she was.
"You were just angry that's all." I told her comfortingly, smiling to make her feel better.
"That don't make it right." She said. "You saved me." She stepped closer but still careful of the sprout on the floor. We both looked down at it, the tiny plant was doing well for itself here at the waters' edge.
"Where've you been all this time?" She asked sitting back down, it was just like old times. Sitting here at the lake, telling stories until three in the morning, only barely getting back to the farm before sunrise. I took a breath thinking of where to tell my story.
---
After leaving the farm I didn't have any place to go, I wasn't sure what to do. At least this time I had a little money and food, but it wasn't exactly a plan and it didn't last long. I stayed in Ponyville for a while before finally deciding to leave. I started east again as my plan was to do before I got sidetracked by everything that'd happened. Every day I was gone I thought of that mare, even more so once a month when I'd look up to see Luna's full moon in the sky. I reminisced on my times in Ponyville when— for once in my life— I was happy. It was a long way into the next town and I knew I'd run out of food long before then. Money was useless out here and there were no shops on the way there. What I'd give for a haybacon and cheese sandwich right now. I kept moving by trying out some of the plants I found along the way. Some of them were good, some were bad and some were really really bad. Not gonna get into the details of what happened to my body though.
Somehow I reached the next town, found a store and walked through the door. Dirty and grimy again, I poured the contents of what I had on the counter and told the waiter to give me something hot and delicious. He came back with a cup of coffee and a daisy and tulip cheese burger. It was divine after so long of being hungry, after my meal I got what was left of my money and rented a motel for the night. I got cleaned up and got a really good nights rest. The next morning I went to a local gym to try to get a job as a trainer, I had to make money somehow, and I wasn't about to step in the ring myself.
And with just my luck who should be there but Dirt, he happened to run the gym. I was in some town called Haymill some small town on the other side of the Everfree. In fact it was so small you can toss a rock across it if you wanted to send a message to somepony, at least that's what Dirt had said. I started by training a couple of boxers, one of them was a peppy young foal name Rocket. He was good, really good. In a way he sort of reminded me of myself. He went on to go to the junior division championship but he was knocked out in the semifinals but I was still so proud of him. Although his father wasn't.
As the fifth round of his match began I watched his father yelling at him to give it more to keep pushing. I could see the exhaustion setting in, I knew he wouldn't last much longer. He was after all the youngest in the whole division. I didn't expect him to win, I was surprised he'd even gotten this far. I'd only trained him for eight months. Suddenly I heard the crowd roar, I looked up to the ring and saw Rocket was down. The reff began the count.
1...2...3...4...5...6...7
His eyes opened a bit, he wasn't going to take much more even if he did get up, he looked at me. I smiled and nodded my head at him.
"GET UP!" his father shouted. "GET THE BUCK UP AND KEEP FIGHTING DAMMIT!" His father shouted.
9...10!
"THAT'S IT MATCH OVER!" The reff held up the winners hoof.
His father was swearing and raising Tartarus all over the place. I got up and pressed my muzzle to his.
"Cut. It. Out!" I warned him.
"Or else what?" He shot me a menacing glare.
I gave him a good hoof to the face which sent him flying back into a couple of chairs. He was out cold. I went to the ring to congratulate Rocket, even though he didn't win he was still a champ for putting up with that plot-hole. I got into the ring and picked him up he stirred a bit as he looked up to me.
"Did I win?" He slurred.
"Ya kid." I told him. "You won the whole thing."
...
After I left the arena I began to walk home, somepony tapped me on the shoulder so I turned around expecting to see Rockets dad. Instead I saw my own. I stared at the old man for the first time in what seemed like forever. Once again it was like a movie scene.
"I saw what ya did to that kids dad." He said.
"Ya?" I told him raising an eyebrow at him totally prepared to do the same to him.
"I just wish somepony woulda snapped me out of it like that all those years ago." He told me.
Again silence.
"I've been talking to ya mother again." He said trying to strike casual conversation. "We're uh... thinkin' about gettin' back together."
I turned away, unable to give him eye contact anymore, I nodded. Silence.
"Well it's been nice seein' you son."
He said turning to walk away.
"Dad." I told him, I hadn't called him that since I started hoof-boxing when I was seven. Back then it was always coach or sir.
He turned around also surprised by me calling him that.
"Yes?" He asked turning around,
"I forgive you dad." I told him after a brief silence, I heard a small thunder roll and it began to rain. Good thing now too because now he couldn't see my tears coming down.
He just smiled and nodded to me. "Thanks son." He smiled and turned to walk away, I never saw him after that.
A few weeks later Rocket stopped showing up for practice, I found out that he was sent into foster care. It broke my heart, I didn't want to see the little guy go. There wasn't much I could do though. I looked up at the sky that night and after a long time of putting it out of my head I realized that the full moon I'd shared with that orange mare were still going on. It was almost an entire year that had gone by since I'd seen her, I wondered how she was doing. So I made up my mind that night, in the morning I headed back to were I knew I could go. As I started westbound to Ponyville, I walked right past Sweet Apple Acres. That's were I saw her, I remembered it was summer again... Applebucking season, and there she was, buckin' apples just like her old self.
---
"So I watched you and your family for the next few days." I told her. "Waiting for just the right moment," I told her looking up at the sky, "waiting for the moon to hit just the right spot."
I smiled and looked back at her.
She smiled back at me.
"Just like old times, huh?" I told her.
She gave me that famous country girl guffle again, I missed that. "E'yup," she replied, "just like old times." And there it was that old sparkle in her eyes that only came around when she was happy.
I swiped off her hat. "HAY!" She said, I tossed it on the ground jumped into the water.
"C'mon," I shouted to her invitingly.
She got up and jumped in after me. This time, we didn't wrestle we didn't splash we just floated there. Gazing into each others eyes again. I felt so happy, happier than I ever had before.
"Maybe you can come work on the farm just like old times, too." She said.
"Ya." I said drifting closer a to her, we were just inches away now. "Maybe I could."
I rested my forehead on hers and looked into her eyes, into the jewels that had captivated my attention for so long. She smiled at me and I smiled back. This was the most blissful I'd been in a long time, I was so grateful for this moment.
The End