//------------------------------// // 6 - Acceptance // Story: Damaged Goods // by TobiasDrake //------------------------------// “Applejack, come over here and sit a spell.” Big Mac’s voice echoed in the waiting room for the Ponyville General Hospital. “You’re liable to wear a trench in the floor, you keep up like that.” Applejack couldn’t sit. She had too much energy pumping in her muscles. She felt restless, like she needed to be doing something, like there was some secret task she could find that would make this go away. But there wasn’t any task, and so her energy was put to use pushing her in a circle around an empty row of seats. At this time of night, the hospital was largely empty but for the Apple family. Big Mac lay out on a large brown sofa watching Applejack pace the room. Next to the door leading deeper into the hospital, Bright Mac sat on his haunches, never moving or shifting his gaze for a second. He watched the doors waiting for any sign of opening. Granny Smith had agreed to stay at home. They couldn’t bring Apple Bloom and if she woke up fussy, it was critical that somepony be present to see to her needs. “Applejack,” Big Mac said again. “Come on now, you ain’t helpin’ nopony fussin’ about like that.” “I can’t help it,” Applejack protested. “I want to be in there. What do you think’s happenin’ with Mama? Is she gonna be okay? Is she--” “Applejack,” Bright Mac cut her off. His voice oozed with worry. “Please.” Stepping away from the door, he approached his daughter and wrapped a hoof around her. “We’re all worried.” “Sorry, daddy.” Applejack sauntered to Big Mac and took a seat on the floor by him. Bright Mac resumed his watch by the doors. It would be another two hours before they opened, releasing a light yellow mare with a clipboard and stethoscope into the room. Bright Mac was on his hooves in an instant. “How is she? Can I see her?” “Your wife’s condition has stabilized,” the doctor answered. “She’s asleep right now, but she’s out of the critical zone. However, we’re still waiting on tests to come back. If this is what I think it is, then you need to start thinking about options.” “Options?” Bright Mac spat the word as though it were a curse. “What kind of options?” “This part is never easy.” The doctor said. She shot a glance at Applejack and Big Mac, then asked, “Do you mind if we speak in private?” “Of course.” With that, Bright Mac followed the doctor through the doors. Applejack looked up to Big Mac. “What do you reckon he meant by options?” Big Mac snorted. “Don’t mean nothin’. He’s just tryin’ to spook us so we’ll take his recommendation seriously. Mama’s gonna be fine.” “Yeah. Yeah, you’re surely right.” Applejack said.  “She’s just sleepin’ right now. How bad can it be if she can sleep through it?” She spoke without conviction; she suspected her brother did too, but there was nothing that could be done. She resolved to simply keep waiting. Rarity had taken a seat on the ground, staring mournfully at Applejack. “That’s when it started, then? I had no idea.” Applejack only nodded, saying nothing. Her parents were a touchy subject she rarely liked to talk about. To date, only Twilight knew the story of what had become of them and she hadn’t delved into the details like this then. “Do you know what happened? What she had?” Rarity asked carefully. “I mean, if it’s okay to talk about. I don’t mean to pry.” Applejack shook her head. “No, my parents were sure to keep it from us. I don’t think they wanted us worryin’ none. Mama came home a few days later smilin’ like nothin’ was wrong, but me and my brother, we both knew somethin’ was up.” “Can I take your plate, Mama?” Applejack asked at the breakfast table. Buttercup smiled sweetly to her daughter. “Applejack, I told you, I don’t need nopony fussin’ after me. Besides, you’re gonna be late to school, you don’t git.” She leaned over and kissed Applejack on the forehead. “Mama’s special little filly can’t be missin’ classes, now can she?” Applejack blushed. “Cut it out, I mean it. I’m worried.” “I’ll be fine. Your daddy and Granny Smith are here if anythin’ happens. You get on to school now. You got enough to worry about without addin’ me to the pile.” Buttercup stood up, shooshing Applejack away from the table. “Where are your saddlebags at?” “Up in my room.” “Well git on up and get them,” Buttercup insisted. “Go on, now.” With a little more coaxing, Applejack was out the door and on her way to school. She walked slower than usual, shooting a few glances back at the house before she was past the gate. She knew there was nothing she could do, but that was hardly enough to keep it from her mind. As she approached the schoolhouse, however, she was reminded of the other drama pressing on her mind. She saw Rarity first. Her eyes were always too easily drawn to her. There were times it seemed like time moved in slow motion, just to provide contours to Rarity’s every step and gesture. She flowed through the world as though it existed just for her, her grace matched only by-- “Um…” Rarity said with a blush. “…there is such a thing as too much detail.” “You were pretty, alright?” Applejack said flatly. “What do you mean, ‘were’?!” Rarity demanded in mock offense. “Oh, I’m sorry, is this awkward for you? ‘Cause it ain’t half as awkward as my special somepony runnin’ to you every time we have a tiff. Not even Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy.” Applejack frowned, looking down. “It always had to be you.” Rarity stepped forward, lowering her head to be in Applejack’s eyeline. Solemnly, she said, “In Twilight’s defense, I reached out to her, not the other way around.” “So did I.” Applejack closed her eyes, swallowing down the hurt once more. Rarity cleared her throat, looking around the barn for a quick change of subject. “So. You thought I was pretty?” Applejack chuckled. “Before everythin’ happened with Crystal, if you’d have had me, I’d have crossed the land and sky for you. I’d have moved mountains to find you those gems of yours.” She looked up to see Rarity’s face doing its best impression of Big Mac’s hue. “Uh…you okay?” “I’m sorry,” Rarity said quickly. She raised a hoof to shield her face, but the blush only intensified. “It’s just…that’s quite possibly the sweetest, most romantic thing anypony has ever said to me. I’ve waited years, years, to hear a shining stallion say something like that to me. But it came from you, so you’ll forgive my discomfort.” The barn echoed with the sounds of Applejack’s laughter. “You can’t tell me you never think about it. Maybe all your stallion problems keep happenin’ ‘cause stallions ain’t right for you. How many you been through now? Seven?” Rarity glared. “If you intend to start comparing, Applejack, I think you will find your plethora of broken hearts to have no ground to stand on. My disasters, at least, were over quickly. You left scars that…” Rarity felt herself getting heated, growling out her words. She turned away from Applejack, taking a few breaths to center herself. Generosity, Rarity. It is better to add to the world with kindness than to take from it with cruelty. Rarity turned back to Applejack. “I apologize. Can we get back to Crystal, please?” Applejack smiled. “I’m just bustin’ your chops. It’s true, though. Crystal helped me find things about myself I wasn’t ready for, but the main reason I kept comin’ ‘round all those years was you. You fascinated me. You were always pretty, and I liked bein’ ‘round that.” “So why did you never make a move towards me?” Rarity asked. “’Cause Crystal came at me first. You’re a nice fantasy, Rares. The kind of mare that’s nice to look at, great for thinkin’ about when you’re lonely, but a pony’d have to be feelin’ awful high and mighty to even try and take that leap.” Rarity stared blankly into space. After a few seconds, she elicited a simple, “Huh.” “Sorry, but that’s the truth.” Rarity waved a hoof. “No, that’s fine. Thank you. I just…what you just said explains a lot.” She cleared her throat. “Something to think about later. Anyways, Crystal.” Applejack saw Rarity first. Crystal trotted at her side, carrying her carousel in her teeth. Rarity was saying something to Crystal, who struggled to keep her grip through her laughter. For their part, it was Crystal who saw Applejack first. She jabbed her hoof into Rarity’s side and gestured in Applejack’s direction. “Applejack!” Rarity called out cheerfully. Applejack’s heart stopped for a second. Rarity’s voice sang to her ears like birdsong, resonating sweetly through her. Quickly, she broke into a gallop, racing towards the school. She couldn’t be around this. Not now. I do not like fillies. Applejack walked into the schoolyard, giving Three Point a wide berth. It evidently wasn’t good enough for her, however, because it didn’t take long for Three Point to lay in. “Hey Applejack, how’s--” “Not today,” Applejack growled. As she pushed past, she cast her eyes to the ground, refusing to let them take in Three Point’s athletic curves. Even as she did, however, her imagination betrayed her, painting a picture of her hind legs and powerful shoulders. I do not like fillies. Applejack tried to pay attention to her classes. Mr. Sketch was trying to say something about the historical notes surrounding the first Hearth’s Warming and the importance of separating the known facts of the era from the flowery tale. History was one of Applejack’s favorite subjects and she tried to focus on that, but her mind kept floating back to her mother. After class, she found Rarity and Crystal waiting for her outside the schoolhouse. “Applejack!” Rarity called out to her with a wave. Applejack tucked her head down and kept walking again, but this time Crystal was quick on her hooves. She darted in front of Applejack, forcing her to rear back. “Would you just talk to us?” Crystal pleaded. Applejack backed off a step and dropped her forelegs back to the ground. “I can’t do this right now,” she snapped. “I’m sorry I kissed you!” Crystal blurted out. “Would you hush up about that!” Applejack shot a frantic look around the schoolyard. Several of her peers were sending interested glances in her direction. Rarity stepped forward. “Applejack--” “Would y’all just leave me alone?!” Applejack shouted. She bolted pasted Crystal, racing down the path to the road that would take her home. This was the last thing she needed right now. I do not like fillies. “She hates me,” Crystal said. “Oh, she does not,” Rarity replied. She put a hoof to her friend’s shoulder. “She probably doesn’t know how to feel.” Crystal started walking back to the fence, where she’d left her carousel. “I shouldn’t have kissed her. Why did I kiss her?” “Because you like her,” Rarity answered flatly. Crystal hesitated a second, then closed her eyes and nodded. “But not every filly is going to be able to return your feelings. I’m reasonably certain she’s into colts. You know this. We’ve talked about it.” “I was just so sure. She asked me to meet her parents. You’ve seen the looks she was giving me.” “Perhaps she just liked your dress,” Rarity suggested. Crystal nodded. “Of course, I wasn’t the only pony getting those looks,” she muttered. Rarity shrugged. “Perhaps that’s just how she looks at ponies.” Crystal sighed. “I messed up. I’m sorry, Rarity.” A tense shadow loomed over supper at Sweet Apple Acres that night. Instead of the typical jovial chatter that occupied the table, a palpable silence permeated the room. Even Big Mac was uncharacteristically quiet, seated beside Applejack and sharing her concerned glances to their mother. Bright Mac sat closer to Buttercup than usual with one hoof snaked around hers. Occasionally, she would grimace from the pain in her head, prompting Bright Mac to squeeze her hoof, assuring her that he was there. Buttercup would return his gesture with a smile, but Applejack didn’t buy it and she was sure nopony else was either. Finally, as supper neared completion, Bright Mac cleared his throat. “Family. There’s somethin’ we need to talk about.” Buttercup took a deep breath. “My…condition…hasn’t gone away yet. The doctor did what she could, but it’s still there. She says it’s going to get worse if we don’t do something soon.” “What is it?” Applejack asked. Buttercup shook her head. “Never you mind about that. Only thing that matters is that we can still do somethin’ about it. There’s a treatment center in Whinneapolis that I’ve had recommended. Doctor says they’ll be able to fix me up.” “But that’s what we need to talk to y’all about,” Bright Mac added. “They’re gonna need Buttercup for the rest of the week. I’ll need to stay with her to make sure she’s safe. Mama, can you watch after Apple Bloom for us while we’re gone?” Granny Smith’s eyes opened wide. “Watchin’ after Apple Bloom’s getting’ to be a full-time job. Who’ll tend the farm while you’re away?” “I can,” Big Mac said quickly. “That’s a given,” Granny Smith replied. “But you can’t do it all on your lonesome. Nopony can. It’s a big farm.” Big Mac answered, “I’m a big pony. So long as Mama gets better, I’ll work all night if I have to.” “I could help,” Applejack offered. Buttercup looked to her daughter, eyes drooping. “Only after classes when your homework’s done. You’ve got a special chance in front of you. I won’t have you wastin’ it on my account.” “I….” Applejack shot a glance to her brother before she answered. He was full of confidence and pluck, but she knew he couldn’t handle the farm’s duties by himself. “Yes, Mama,” she reluctantly answered. “Good. Don’t any of y’all worry none. They’re gonna take good care of me and I’ll be home before you know it. I promise.” Rarity was awakened by a series of taps. At first, she blinked in the dark, then rolled over to try and get back to sleep. Another series of taps got her out of bed with a start. She squinted in the dark of night, trying to discern the source of the noise through the haze of sleep. Then three more taps against the glass of her bedroom window caught her attention. Rarity dropped from her bed and approached the window. With her magic, she slid it open. “Applejack?” she asked the barely visible figure outside. “Yeah, it’s me. Sorry to wake you, Rares. Can you come out for a second?” “What’s this about?” Rarity asked. “It’s personal. Please, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t important, I promise.” “Very well, but I will be expecting an explanation for your behavior today.” Applejack nodded. “Anythin’. Just please come out here.” With a sigh of frustration, Rarity left the window. She eased her bedroom door open and crept down the hall. When she reached the living room, she lit her horn for guidance. At the door, she opened it as quietly as she could, then slipped out into the night. Coming around the house, Rarity whispered, “Okay, I’m here. Now, do you care to explain why you treated Crystal and myself like an old fashion you’ve outgrown?” Applejack sighed heavily. She sat down against the side of the house. “I got a problem, Rares. I think there might be somethin’ wrong with me.” “Okay.” Rarity stepped around Applejack, taking a seat beside her. “Tell me about it.” “You remember Sound Stage? I told you about him.” “Vaguely.” Applejack looked down. “Life used to be simple. Sound Stage and I were gonna get married and start a family soon as we grew up. We never talked about it, but it was the honest truth and everypony knew it. Since we were little, we were meant for each other.” “I don’t think it works that way,” Rarity said sadly. “At least, my prince certainly hasn’t arrived yet.” Bitterly, Rarity added, “Still waiting on that prince, by the way.” Applejack sighed. “It don’t, don’t it? I was so sure of this.” “What happened? If I may ask.” “It’s this stupid rumor!” Applejack hissed. “Everypony started sayin’ I like fillies ‘cause I’m spendin’ time with y’all. It must have got to Sound Stage and made him act the way he did.” “What did he do?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow. “It’s nothin’,” Applejack said quickly. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s my fault. I should have been nicer to him. I shouldn’t have….” Applejack sniffed loudly, tilting her head back and squinting her eyes to try and keep the sorrow in. “It’s my fault, Rares. We were supposed to be together through heck and high water and we ain’t, and that’s ‘cause of me.” “Do you love him?” Rarity asked. Applejack opened her mouth to speak, but her voice betrayed her. She remembered her father scruffing his mane and laughing with him. She remembered him asking Granny Smith for more flapjacks. Remembered her mother laughing at some goofy gesture he’d made. After several seconds of contemplation, she answered, “I don’t know. I mean, I probably do. I’m sure I do. He was my best friend.” Rarity sighed. “Applejack, you know I’m not qualified to answer this for you.” “I’m still not,” Rarity added. “Not that this has stopped anypony.” Rarity continued. “There’s something I don’t understand, though. You’re saying that all of this happened because of a rumor? Because you’ve begun spending time with Crystal and me?” Applejack nodded. “That’s the gist of it.” “I’m sorry, darling, but that doesn’t make any sense. It seems like a rather extreme overreaction to somepony making new friends.” “Well, it’s what happened,” Applejack insisted. “Applejack, please do not get angry,” Rarity said carefully. “But I must ask. Do you like fillies?” “See? Even you’ve been listenin’ to this claptrap!” “Applejack, please. It’s just me. I’m your friend. I’m not making any judgments.” “No. No, I don’t. I told Crystal, I told Sound Stage, now I’m tellin’ you. I would never be that kind of pony. I wouldn’t do that to--” She stopped suddenly. Rarity reached out a comforting hoof for Applejack, but the farm pony pulled away. “Please don’t touch me right now,” she said. “I can’t deal with it.” “With what?” “With how it makes me feel inside when a pretty filly like you touches me.” Applejack looked up from the ground and Rarity could see the glistening in her eyes, illuminated in the moonlight. “There’s a poison in my blood, Rares, and it’s tuggin’ at me to go astray. Mama says to follow my heart, but I can’t. I can’t do it. I can’t be one of those ponies, I just can’t.” “I don’t think it’s something you can control. It’s just who you are.” Applejack swallowed hard. “I need you to do somethin’ for me, Rares. And don’t ask why. I just gotta know. Please.” “Of course.” Applejack took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh. “I need a hug.” Without saying another word, Rarity stepped forward and embraced her. Applejack raised a hoof, putting it around Rarity’s neck. She felt the familiar tingling sensation from when she’d embraced Crystal. She breathed Rarity’s scent and her body accepted it welcomingly. Her blood warmed and flowed, pushing her deeper into Rarity’s embrace. Her body craved Rarity’s touch. It wanted more. Her mind flooded with demands to go farther, to hold her, to kiss her, to-- With great force of effort, Applejack pulled away from Rarity. “I gotta go,” she said quickly. She turned away, but Rarity called out to her before she could leave. “Applejack! Are you okay?” “No, I ain’t. I’m broken.” With those words, she left, hooves beating the dirt down the road home. I like fillies. Applejack lay in bed, trying to think of what she was going to do. The sun had already started its rise over the horizon. She knew if she lingered any longer, she’d risk being late for school, but her muscles wouldn’t move. She couldn’t tell anypony, she knew that. She could hear Granny Smith screaming in her mind. “No granddaughter of mine is gonna spend her days chasin’ skirts! What’s the matter with you, child?!” Applejack rolled away from the sun, shutting her eyes tight against the light and trying to block out the phantoms, but her mind drifted to her father. She could hear the disappointment in his voice as he said, “If this is how you gotta be, then you’ve got no place in this family.” Applejack pulled the blanket over her head, but she couldn’t hide from the fears in her heart. In her mind, she saw her mother-- “Applejack?” Big Mac’s voice pierced the haze. “You still in bed? Rise and shine, girl. Mama ain’t been gone a day and Granny Smith’s liable to tan your hide, she finds out you’re skippin’ out on classes already.” After he didn’t get an answer, Big Mac’s voice turned to worry. “C’mon, Applejack, what’s got you like this all of a sudden? Is it about Mama?” Applejack peeled back the blanket, looking at the concerned face of her brother. She opened her mouth to speak, but once again the words failed her. I like fillies. “It’s nothin’,” she lied. “Don’t look like nothin’.” Big Mac took a deep breath and stepped over to the bed, taking a seat alongside it. “You’re worried about Mama. I know, I am too.” Applejack nodded. It’s true, she was worried about their mother, and that was close enough to the truth that she could settle for it. Big Mac smiled. “She’ll be fine, though. They’re gonna take good care of her up in that big city hospital in Whinneapolis. I’m sure they got all kinds of ideas they can try out.” “Ain’t you the one always says, ‘Ideas are well and good but you can’t plow a field with ‘em’?” Big Mac nodded sheepishly. “We ain’t talkin’ ‘bout plowin’ no field, though. We’re talkin’ ‘bout savin’ Mama’s life. I reckon any idea’s worth tryin’ right now. Family’s family through thick and thin, and there ain’t nothin’ more important than that.” Applejack sat up, smiling at her brother. “Reckon you’re right. Thanks, Big Mac. I ought to get ready for school.” “You best get a move on. I got to get to work. There’s a lot to do this morn’ and less time to do it in.” As Big Mac traipsed out of Applejack’s bedroom, she could hear her mother’s voice whispering in the back of her mind. It had been her turn to speak before she was interrupted, after all. But instead of accusations or admonishments, all she said was, “No matter what happens, no matter what you decide or who you love, you do it knowing that your Mama will always love you.” Applejack took a deep breath and raised her head high. The words still frightened her, but for the first time in her life, she said them. She said them quietly, afraid to be overheard if her brother was still around, but she said them nonetheless. “I like fillies.” “I like fillies.” Applejack said the words to herself as she cantered down the path towards school. “Mama, Daddy, I like fillies. Big Mac, I like fillies. Granny Smith….” She hesitated. Then she drew another breath and tried again. “Granny Smith, I like fillies.” “I like fillies,” she repeated to herself. “I like fillies.” Every time she said it, it felt like a vice clenched around her heart was loosening. There was something empowering about the words. They tasted like a kind of freedom she’d never even realized she was missing. “I like fillies. I like fillies. I LIKE FILLIES!!!” she shouted to nobody in particular. “Aww, that’s so sweet,” a pony across the road from her said. The stranger gave her a sweet smile, then continued on her way. Applejack suddenly felt very embarrassed for herself and hushed up, walking the rest of the way to school in silence. As she entered the schoolyard, Applejack heard the familiar voice of Three Point calling after her. “Good morning, Applejack,” she said in her usual snide tone. “How’s--” “I gotta know somethin’,” Applejack said, cutting her off. “You been makin’ jokes about me likin’ fillies for a couple years now. Why? I ain’t the only filly’s got filly friends. Why pick on me for it?” Three Point rolled her eyes. “You’re not serious.” “I am. I got friends. Why do you care so much about it?” “It’s not about your friends,” Three Point said. There was a palpable sense of disgust in her voice as she spoke. “I mean, yeah, we picked on them, but that’s just ‘cause everypony knew what you were. Sound Stage didn’t want to admit it, but we all knew, Applejack.” “How?!” Applejack demanded. Three Point breathed a sigh of frustration. “We’re not really doing this.” Three Point tried to walk away, but Applejack darted in front of her. “Why, Three Point? I need you to talk to me. What was it told you I liked fillies?” With a smirk, Three Point asked, “What, is this a confession, Applejack?” “I….” Applejack hesitated. For years, she’d heard the jeers and cruel jokes from the ponies that had once been her friends. She’d had to put up with suspicion from strangers and awkward questions from her peers that never failed to make her feel like she was lesser for being asked them. But at the same time, she felt a tug of power from the words. There was something strengthening about them, something that made her feel like for once in her life, she might have control of this. The questions and suspicions would never fade, of course, but she could meet them on her own terms, and there was something heartening in that realization. With her chin raised high, she recited the truth of her heart to another pony for the first time. “Yes, Three Point. It is.” Three Point blinked. She took a step back, the mask of cruel superiority falling instantly from her face. “Wait. What did you say?” “It’s true. It’s all true. It’s always been true, Three Point. I like fillies. I like fillies.” Applejack laughed. “That’s the honest truth and you can tell all them colts that. You were mighty cruel about it but you were right.” Three Point gaped in horror at Applejack’s confession. She looked flustered, as though struggling to find her words. “You…what am I even supposed to say to that?!” She started breathing heavily, fuming in anger. “You can start by answerin’ the question. Why’d you start sayin’ it? Was it Sound Stage? Second Fiddle? They liked makin’ jokes about me makin’ out with some other filly. Was that how this started? Some colt’s fantasy?” “What? No!” “Then what?!” Applejack demanded. At last, Three Point accused, “It was YOU, Applejack!” “…beg pardon?” “You’ve been ogling me for years!” Applejack lay out on a bench at the Ponyville Rec Center, waiting for Three Point to step out of the shower. Calling out across the shower curtain, Applejack said with a laugh, “So then my brother says, ‘I can explain most of this, but where all this confetti came from is beyond me.’” Three Point cracked up from the other side of the curtain. “Tell him I sympathize. Your brother got Pinkie Pied.” “Say what?” Three Point let out a few more chuckles before answering. “It’s okay that you don’t know her. She’s pretty new in town. Ponies have been talking for a few weeks. They say she’s more sugar than pony. She’s, like, the ultimate party crasher. It’s like she has a sixth sense for celebrations.” “You’re jokin’.” “Am not! Swear to Celestia. I heard that if you’re at a party, look in a mirror and say her name three times. She’ll appear in the reflection! With cake!” Applejack laughed. “Now, I know you’re makin’ fun.” She was answered by the sound of the shower turning off. Three Point pushed the curtain aside, stepping out into the locker. “I might be. Speaking of parties, Second Fiddle’s parents are going out of town this weekend. I might be thinking about throwing something.” Applejack wanted to ask if Second Fiddle knew she was planning this, but her voice caught in her throat. Three Point’s mane clung to the sides of her neck. The water from the shower clung to her skin as she stepped across the locker room. Applejack’s mouth suddenly felt very dry as she watched Three Point pick up a towel laying on the bench. Not getting any kind of response from Applejack, Three Point continued. “I think most of the others are free Saturday night. I just wasn’t sure if you could make it.” Applejack watched Three Point pick up the towel in her teeth and throw it over her back. As it soaked into her and began absorbing the water, she wrapped her mane in a second towel. Applejack’s voice hitched in her throat; her eyes remained glued to the sight in front of her, absorbing Three Point’s method of drying. “Uh, Applejack?” Three Point stepped closer to Applejack, who continued to stare transfixed. “Hey!” Three Point reared up and clicked her hooves together in front of Applejack’s face, shaking her out of her trance. “I’m listenin’!” Applejack shouted quickly. “…what were we doin’?” “Party, Applejack. Saturday night. Are you coming?” Bitterly, Three Point continued. “When I first met you, I thought, ‘Hey, cool, we’ve got another filly in the group.’ I thought you’d have my flank when the colts started doing what colts always do. But you were worse!” “...I’m sorry,” Applejack said. “I never meant to--” “Oh, don’t start,” Three Point retorted. “We are not having a moment. You’re a creep, Applejack. Just stay away from us.” With that, Three Point turned and left. Somehow, Applejack felt like she should be more dismayed at Three Point’s rejection. It seemed like exactly the kind of backlash she’d been afraid of, and yet she couldn’t help but feel powerful. Three Point was still a jerk and that was probably never going to change, but she didn’t have to feel ashamed anymore. With or without Three Point’s acceptance, it was still a relief to have this weight off her chest. She strode towards the schoolhouse doors more ready than ever to face the new day. I like fillies. Applejack strode through the doors of her school at the end of the day, still riding the relief she’d been feeling all day. She felt like she could take on the world. She felt like the look of consternation on Three Point’s face when she’d told her had made that whole mess worthwhile. In class, she’d caught Three Point scowling at her across the room. She responded with a coy smirk and a wink. Exactly as she expected, Three Point grit her teeth and furiously looked away. She knew it was petty, but she still enjoyed every moment of it. After the-- “Applejack?” She stopped walking, realizing that Crystal was standing right in front of her. Her carousel rested at her hooves per usual and her face dripped concern. “Please don’t run,” she said quickly. “I wanted to apologize to you for earlier. I might have made a few assumptions about--” Applejack interrupted her, quickly asking, “Hey, you want to go on a date this Saturday night?” “That seems a little fast,” Rarity commented. “You asked Crystal out on your first day of accepting yourself?” Applejack shrugged. “I don’t like to dilly-dally.” Rarity stared flatly at her. “Uh-huh. And how many weeks did Rainbow Dash say you ‘dilly-dallied’ about Twilight?” “…that was different.” “How?” “’Cause I knew Crystal would say yes. Land sakes, she’d already kissed me in the barn; it ain’t like she was gonna turn me down now.” Rarity nodded, accepting that answer. “Fair enough. So it was confidence born of a guaranteed answer, then.” “…well, when you put it like that, you make it sound sleazy.” “Weren’t you just telling me about how you flirted with another filly to make her uncomfortable and then spent the rest of the day patting yourself on the back for it?” Applejack blinked. “…is that bad?” Rarity hesitated. “You know, darling, it’s not really my place to say. I’d like to say it’s not what I would have done, but I’m not…I mean, it’s not something I ever have to worry about because….” She stopped for a second, trying to find the delicate way to explain what was lingering on her mind. “Because you ain’t a mare who likes mares,” Applejack bluntly finished for her. “Yes.” Rarity cleared her throat. “Shall we continue?” Crystal stared dumbfounded at Applejack. For several seconds, her jaw hung open where her voice had left it. Then she started to make noises that sounded like, “…I…you….” “You keep that jaw open any longer, you’re liable to start catchin’ flies.” “You mean, like, a date date?” Crystal finally managed to ask. “Eeyup.” “With me.” “I didn’t ask somepony else, did I?” “…and you.” “That’s the general idea.” Crystal sat down hard in the dirt. “But aren’t you…I thought you were….” Grinning to herself, Applejack simply walked away. “I’ll see you Saturday, sugarcube.” She couldn’t believe how good that had felt. She grinned to herself as she trotted down the road towards home. I like fillies. “I like fillies!” Applejack said eagerly at the dinner table. “Well, I should hope so,” Granny Smith replied, not looking up from her soup. “You and your friends ain’t grown yet and I ain’t about to have you gettin’ too big for your britches.” Applejack blinked. “No, Granny, I mean I like fillies.” “I like fillies too, you don’t see me jawin’ on it! Fillies are fine! We wouldn’t have mares without ‘em and then where would we be? Why are we even talkin’ about this?!” Applejack shot a glance over to her brother, who perched frozen over his soup bowl. His wide eyes and blank stare indicated that he’d gotten it, so she appealed to him. “Big Mac, would you--” In one swift motion, Big Mac lifted his bowl with a hoof and downed its contests. Dropping it back down on the table, he stood up quickly. “I got to get back to buckin’,” he said, not looking at anypony in particular, before shuffling out the door. “Big Mac?” Applejack asked quietly. His abrupt departure had left a stinging sensation in her heart she couldn’t place. Before she had a chance to think about it, Granny Smith chimed in. “Your brother’s workin’ his hind legs off in the orchard. If you’re done talkin’ nonsense, you should start fixin’ to lend him a hoof.” “It ain’t nonsense,” Applejack replied, frustration edging into her voice. “Granny, I’m talkin’ about love! I’m tryin’ to tell you I want to be with a filly. I want to--” “I know what you’re jabberin’ about,” Granny Smith snapped back. “You think I don’t pay attention to what goes on in this town? Life ain’t seen fit to strike me deaf yet and you’re gonna be waitin’ a long time before it does.” “Then why are you--” “I was tryin’ to be polite and let you think on the words comin’ out of your snout before you choke on them. Your poor brother already thinks you mean it!” Applejack reeled as though she’d been struck. “I do mean it!” she shouted across the table. Granny Smith rose to her feet. “In a pig’s eye, you do! You get on out there and tell your brother you were jerkin’ his chain before I get half a mind to tan your hide!” Applejack rose as quickly as her grandmother. “You can’t--” She was interrupted by the abrupt sound of Apple Bloom crying in the next room. “Now, look what you did,” Granny Smith hissed at her. She strode as quickly as she could to the living room, where Apple Bloom lay bawling in her playpen. “You get on outside and apologize to your brother,” she snapped at Applejack before putting on her sweetest smile for Apple Bloom. Applejack wanted to argue further, but Apple Bloom had to come first. Fuming, she stormed out of the house and began the march up the hill to where Big Mac’s silhouette could be seen looking out over the orchard. As she walked, she turned over Granny Smith’s words in her head. She’d never been so angry at her grandmother before. She hadn’t even given her a chance to explain; she’d just rejected Applejack’s revelation out of hand. Why wouldn’t she just listen? Applejack hadn’t expected everypony to appreciate this new information about herself, but she thought they’d at least accept it. The closer to Big Mac she got, the more nervous she became. The way he’d bolted from supper left her sure he was going to be angry too. She wanted to say that she hadn’t done anything wrong, but she couldn’t find the words that would make it convincing. As much as she hated to admit it, part of her agreed with Granny Smith. She’d spent all morning with her head in the clouds. Perhaps she’d deserved this. When she crested the hill, Big Mac turned his head to her. Above him towered a single apple tree, already bucked. The sun had just touched down on the horizon. Neutrally, Big Mac asked her, “Care to sit?” “I’d like that,” Applejack said just as carefully. She took a seat beside her brother and watched the sun go down. After a few seconds, Big Mac asked, “So. Fillies, huh?” Applejack couldn’t help but notice how uncharacteristically stoic he was being. It scared her more than Granny’s shouting. Shouting, she understood, but this somber quiet could mean anything. “Eeyup,” she told him cautiously. “Fillies.” “I don’t get it,” Big Mac admitted. “It ain’t complicated.” Big Mac was silent for a bit after that. Applejack followed his gaze out over the orchard. She’d been up this hill a few times, but never quite as the sun was setting. As the sun started to cross the horizon, its light began to dance across the apple trees below. The leaves lit up with beautiful reds and oranges, as though the fall had come to greet her. “No,” Big Mac said finally. “I guess it ain’t. Just weird is all.” “Yeah, well, you can deal with it. It’s a heck of a lot weirder for me.” “I always thought you and Sound Stage were gonna get married one of these days.” Applejack nodded. “I think we all did. I….” Applejack felt a spike of hurt jab into her heart. “I miss him. He might have turned into somethin’ of a wet hen at the end there, but he was my best friend for a whole lot of years. It ain’t easy to walk away from somethin’ like that.” Applejack sighed. “Now I went and got myself a date and I don’t know what I’m doin’. She’s gonna expect me to be gussied up and I scarcely know what that even means. What do fillies like? What kind of fillies do fillies like?” “Well, what kind of fillies do you like?” Big Mac asked. “I….” Applejack thought for a moment. “I don’t know. I ain’t never thought about it much.” “Seems to me you’ve got an unfair advantage,” Big Mac teased. Applejack chuckled. “Yeah, maybe I do.” She and her brother sat in silence for a couple more minutes. Looking out at the dancing colors on the orchard once again, Applejack became vaguely aware of the tears resting in her eyes, now blotting up her vision. She blinked them away so that she could see the light show Princess Celestia was putting on over her field. Silly though the idea was, there was a little part of her that almost thought the Princess was doing it just for her. After a few minutes, Applejack found the courage to ask the question weighing on her mind. “Do you hate me? ‘Cause of how I am?” “That depends,” Big Mac answered gruffly. “Can you still buck an apple tree?” “Of course I can. What kind of question is that?” “Can you plow a field?” “Faster than you can.” “Feed pigs?” “I’d like to see you stop me.” Leaning over, Big Mac pulled his sister into an embrace. “Then it don’t matter to me none.” Applejack sank into her brother’s forelegs. Something in his words seemed to unlock a special part of her heart and she could feel raw emotion flooding out. She felt loved but more than that, she felt accepted. It was as a feeling she’d never known she was missing until she finally had it, and it made the entire evening worthwhile. She’d still have to deal with Granny Smith, but that didn’t matter now. She had her brother’s support and that would surely carry her until her mother returned. Sitting beside Applejack’s hay pile, Rarity said quietly, “This is becoming quite personal.” “It was always gonna be personal,” Applejack replied. “You wanted answers. You’re gettin’ ‘em.” She sighed. “Besides, it feels good to finally get this all off my chest.” “You haven’t told Twilight?” Applejack shook her head. “I didn’t want her thinkin’ less of me. I wanted her to know my best side, to see me for….” Applejack closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I wanted her to like me. So I….” Applejack stopped again. She knew the words she needed to say but could scarcely bring herself to say them. It was a truth that, once spoken, could never be reburied. Rarity leaned out onto the hay pile, gritting her teeth against the hay she’d need to meticulously remove from her hide later tonight. She reached her hoof out and placed it on Applejack’s. “Go on,” she said quietly. “It’s just me. You already spent last night crying with me. You can tell me this.” Applejack swallowed hard. Then she said the words. “I lied to her, Rarity. I lied to all of them. I kept thoughts and feelin’s to myself they deserved to know. Locked my past away and tried to pretend it never happened when they were around.” Applejack bit back a set of tears. “Not just them, either. I’m a liar, Rarity. I lie. It ain’t just about hidin’ my feelin’s, neither. I lied to everypony after the rodeo. I lied to Spike when he swore me a life debt. I tried to trick ponies into buyin’ my apples at the Gala and I cheated at the Runnin’ of the Leaves and--” “Applejack!” Rarity shouted. Applejack feel silent at the shout. “I’m sorry. This is why I don’t talk about my feelin’s. Once the floodgates open--” “I understand,” Rarity told her. “Truly, I do. Again, I ask: have you ever told any of this to Twilight?” Applejack shook her head. “If she knew, she wouldn’t love me no more. She wouldn’t want to be my friend, she knew how much of a liar I am.” Applejack gave a short, sad laugh. “I got a reputation for bein’ honest and trustworthy. Reckon I lied well enough; even the Elements of Harmony couldn’t tell the difference.” “Oh, please,” Rarity said with a roll of her eyes. “Do you think you’re the only one who struggles with the value your Element placed on you? Why, just a couple moons ago, I slammed a door in Pinkie Pie’s face when she came to me for help.” “You did not,” Applejack said, jaw hanging open. “As a matter of fact, I did. I have also, on occasion, taken advantage of Spike’s infatuation. I try not to, but it can be difficult to resist at times. Once, I persuaded him to part with a large fire ruby he’d intended as a birthday present for himself. I knew I shouldn’t, but it was so beautiful I had to have it. Do you know where that gemstone is now? Sitting in my wardrobe somewhere, I think. I haven’t seen it in moons.” Rarity looked up, eyes distant in thought. “When the Diamond Dogs captured me, I could perhaps have been content with bargaining for my freedom, but I took them for everything they were worth. I’ve also been less attentive to my sister than perhaps I should be.” “And it’s not just me,” Rarity continued. “Rainbow Dash has been self-centered and even spiteful to those of us she loves on occasion. Pinkie Pie has lapsed in her love of entertaining. I’ve even seen Fluttershy turn downright cruel, lashing out at myself and Pinkie. The Elements of Harmony are not absolute values, and we are not mindless totems of those values. We’re ponies, each and every one of us. The most that can be expected of us is that we try.” Applejack closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she nodded. “I should have told Twilight the truth,” she said. “I should have told her how I felt about her becomin’ a princess, instead of keepin’ it to myself until everythin’ came out the way it did.” Rarity nodded in agreement. “I think that would have been best. Perhaps I shouldn’t have tried to shield her from the truth either, but…I don’t know. It’s a messy situation when it concerns two ponies you consider to both be your friend. Perhaps I should have pressured you to tell her rather than trying to do it myself or to keep it secret.” “Maybe,” Applejack said quietly. “Maybe there ain’t a right answer. Maybe life’s just complicated sometimes.” After a few seconds without an answer from Rarity, Applejack asked, “Do you want to move on?” “Oh, yes, please.” The days that followed were tense in the Apple household. Applejack tried to stay around Big Mac whenever she could, but she could tell he was struggling with the workload. She’d do her homework as quick as she could, usually while out in the field with her brother. Then, once it was finished, she’d help him work. There were still a lot of trees that needed bucking. Some of the other crop fields were ready for harvest as well, and keeping wildlife away from them was getting to be quite a job in and of itself. Two of the trees had come down with bark rot and needed tending to, but they had to be put off for the sake of getting the crops done. An awful lot of butterflies had been spotted in the south orchard, and that meant caterpillars were going to start being a problem in a few days. Granny Smith had a special powder made up of table salt and flour that could be used to protect the trees, but only if Big Mac had the time to spread it. With only a couple of hours from Applejack each day, he was working his hooves off yet still falling behind. But it wouldn’t be too long, Applejack knew. Her parents would be home soon enough. Her mother could take care of the pests and with all four of them bucking together, the apple harvest would be over and done with. All Big Mac had to do was keep the ball rolling until they got here. Relations between Applejack and Granny Smith were where the problem lay. Applejack tried to finish supper as quick as she could so as to not have to talk to her too much. Granny Smith had become inquisitive about what she was doing and where she was going at all hours, and she was also prone to dropping remarks about Applejack growing out of this “phase” she was in. When Saturday finally came, Applejack made no secret of it. She spent the morning tending the field with her brother, then came inside and tried to figure out how to gussy up. She didn’t have anything fancy to wear and wasn’t even sure if fancy would be appropriate. She settled for a single crystal flower tucked into her mane just behind her ear. She was just about to slip out when she spotted something. Hanging on the knob to her parents’ room was one of her father’s hats. She’d seen him put it on Big Mac a couple of times, but her brother didn’t seem to like it much. Ordinarily, she’d leave it where it was, but after the way her Granny had treated her, she was feeling rebellious now. She reached out with her teeth and bit it, then lifted it with her foreleg and set it on her head. It took a bit of adjusting, but she liked the fit. All she had to do was maneuver the crystal flower so that it was visible and then she was set. Granny Smith almost seemed to be waiting for her, rocking in her chair in the corner of the room. “And where are you off to?” she asked suspiciously. Applejack winced. She was tired of being questioned, and her frustration seeped into her voice. “I’ve got a date,” she answered bluntly. “With a filly!” “Like heck you do!” Granny Smith shot to her hooves. “Your brother’s bustin’ his hooves tryin’ to--” “I’ve been workin’ too!” Applejack shouted back. “If you weren’t so busy bustin’ my hide, maybe you’d see that!” “Don’t you start with--” “No, don’t you!” Applejack stormed out the door. “I’m goin’ on my date.” “Applejack!” Granny Smith called after her. “You get back here! We ain’t done talkin’!” “Try and catch me,” Applejack muttered under her breath as she marched for the gate. She passed the edge of the farm and kept walking. “Are you okay?” Crystal asked. Applejack walked beside her along the trail. Realizing she’d let her face slip, Applejack quickly replaced the smile. “Happy as a dead pig in sunshine, Crystal.” Crystal blinked. “Um…is that a good thing?” Applejack laughed. “You bet your biscuits, it is. Race ya to the crick!” Before Crystal had a chance to respond, Applejack broke into a gallop. She never heard Crystal’s response; her ears were filled with the sound of hooves pounding dirt, followed shortly by a second set of hooves thundering after her. Applejack hit a curve and took a sharp right, then took a glance back behind her. Crystal struggled to round the corner and seemed to slip on the turn, but she righted herself and kept on coming. Applejack hurdled a log in front of her, then diverted between two trees and down a muddy path, slowing to a canter. At the bottom, she heard Crystal shout, “Hey!” and turned her attention back up the hill. Crystal stood at the top, staring at the path. “I can’t make it!” she called down. “The mud’s too slick. I’ll fall.” “It’s easy!” Applejack called back up. “I’ll catch you if you slip.” Crystal grimaced, then put one hoof out on the mud. She pulled it back quickly when she felt it slide. “I can’t,” she said. “Sure, you can. You just have to hit it fast. Don’t give your hooves a chance to slide. Just pound the mud until you’re down.” Crystal took a deep breath, then called out, “I’m going to do it backwards. That way, I won’t hit my face if I slide.” “That ain’t a good idea,” Applejack warned, but Crystal seemed to have her mind made up. She backed up slowly onto the path, letting her hind legs hit it first. Her left slid, but she pulled it up and set it again, looking for more stable ground. Then, inch by inch, she lowered her front onto the mud. Just as Applejack expected, the mud quickly started to slide. Within seconds, Crystal was screaming as her whole body descended uncontrollably. Applejack moved quickly to the bottom of the hill and caught her, but the momentum scattered her and sent them both to the ground. As she and Crystal slid to a stop, Applejack found herself splayed over Crystals’ hindquarters. Her ears were assaulted by the continuing sound of Crystal’s scream. “Crystal?” Applejack asked, but Crystal paid her no heed. Applejack climbed off of Crystal and shook her gently. “Crystal!” she shouted again. “We’re down. You’re safe.” Still getting no response, Applejack opted to put her forelegs around Crystal’s neck and hold her, muffling her with her shoulder. The gesture seemed to convince Crystal to finally stop screaming, but after that, she started yelling instead. “NEVER AGAIN!” Crystal shouted. “I am never doing that again! Are you insane?!” Applejack only grinned. “Told you I’d catch you.” “Where are we even going?!” Crystal demanded. “You’ll love it, I promise. I used to come down here when I was little. It’s nice and cozy with cool water and pink lilies. Trust me, it’s pretty as a peach.” “Prettier than me?” Crystal asked with a smirk. “Ain’t nothin’ prettier than you,” Applejack replied. “Prettier than a speckled pup, you are.” Crystal grinned at that. She leaned into Applejack, whispering to her, “I still like the way you talk.” Then She took a step, but then stopped. A sadness fell over her face and she looked slowly back at Applejack. “Prettier than Rarity?” she asked. Applejack choked at the question. Before she had a chance to answer, Crystal looked away. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Applejack blinked. She wasn’t sure what had just happened, so she gave it a shrug and stood up. She started walking alongside Crystal, following the creek downstream towards the pond. As though nothing had just happened, Crystal smiled and asked, “Is that a new hat? I’ve never seen you wearing that before.” Applejack chuckled. “Nah, this is m’daddy’s. I just felt like wearin’ it tonight. Thought it might like good on me.” “It looks nice on you,” Crystal told her. “I think it really brings your look together.” Applejack blushed. “That ain’t all I got,” she said. She turned her head so Crystal could see under her ear. Crystal stopped walking, closely scrutinizing. “Is there something special about your ear?” “What? Not it’s…consarnit, is the hat coverin’ it again?” Applejack reached a hoof up raised the brim of her hat, showing off the flower. Crystal beamed. “Hey, that’s one of mine. I made a set of those for us to try and sell around the school. You’re wearing the tulip.” Applejack nodded. “I bought it off of Rares for tonight. Reckoned it’d be a nice touch for our first date.” “Well, here, let me help you with that.” Crystal leaned up to Applejack’s ear and bit down gently on the tulip’s crystal stem. Applejack could feel the heat of her breath brushing against her ear and the sensation made knees shake. Then the flower was removed and Crystal took her breath with it, ending the tremors. Crystal raised her foreleg and put a bit of pressure on Applejack’s neck, gesturing for her to lower her head. Applejack complied, letting Crystal tuck the crystal flower into the band of her hat. “There,” she said simply. “Now it looks good and you don’t have to worry about fighting for ear space.” “You and Crystal really hit it off,” Rarity said with a smile. “I remember, she was never happier than after you two started seeing each other.” Applejack gave a shrug. “We were okay. Neither of us had ever really been with anypony before, so we had a lot to learn from each other. I wouldn’t call us peas in a pod, exactly.” “A pod holds more than two peas anyway,” Rarity said. Applejack raised an eyebrow, so Rarity explained. “It’s something Pinkie Pie told me once. I can’t stop thinking about it every time I hear that expression.” “Uh-huh. Anyways….” The pond was just the way Applejack had remembered it, but Crystal appeared unconvinced. “Applejack,” she said delicately. “No good?” “No, it’s….” Crystal hesitated. She took a few steps around the side of the pond, watching the water lap against the rocks and mud. “It’s nice?” she offered. “I just thought when you said date that we’d…I don’t know. Eat dinner? Not hang out in mud and…are those cattails? This place has actual cattails?” Applejack took a few steps out onto the rocks, dipping her right foreleg into the pond and feeling the clean water lap across her hoof. “It’s a nice, quiet pond.” “It’s a swamp,” Crystal said grumpily. She sighed. “I’m sorry. Like I said, it’s just not what I was expecting.” Applejack frowned. “I’m sorry, sugarcube.” Crystal took a few steps towards the water, then sat down on her haunches beside Applejack. “It’s okay. You’re right, it’s pretty. Just…maybe let me pick the next date, okay?” Applejack nodded. “So….” “So?” Applejack asked. “We’re here. Pretty company. Pretty-ish scenery. Very…uh, sort of romantic here in the…swamp, I guess.” Coyly, Crystal grinned. “You’re not about to keep me waiting, are you?” Applejack’s face turned blank as her mind raced to settle on what, exactly, Crystal was asking. As though to settle it, Crystal sighed and stepped towards her. “I gave you my first kiss in the barn earlier. Don’t go getting shy on me now. It doesn’t suit you.” “Okay!” Rarity said quickly. “I don’t think we necessarily need to go over the details of your first makeout session with Crystal. I’m sure it was as lovely as you could manage while slobbering over another pony for the first time.” “Uh, sure, it was.” “Ow ow ow! You’re stepping on my leg!” “Sorr—ow! Stop! My pigtail’s caught in your necklace!” “I can’t reach it.” “AGH--don’t pull it!” Rarity sighed. “Of course. I suppose none of us can really claim our first attempts at romance were very spectacular. Thank Celestia we grow out of that.” Applejack grinned innocently. “Ow ow! Quit tuggin’!” “I think my horn’s stuck!” “Alright, slowly--OW OW OW! Twi, stop!” Rarity stared flatly at Applejack’s grin. “How you have so consistently managed to be the heartbreaker of every relationship is a mystery for the ages.” She cleared her throat. “So. Am I to assume that Granny Smith was less than pleased by your earlier display?” “Boy howdy,” Applejack answered somberly. “She didn’t say nothin’ for a couple days. My mama and daddy came home the next day, but they wouldn’t talk about what happened when we were listenin’. Granny barely spoke to me at all.” Days of tension and awkward evasion of the subject turned into weeks. Buttercup had to go back for treatment again and again, seeming to be gone every other week. Whenever she was gone, the topic of Crystal burned heavily among the family. Crystal wasn’t invited back for any further dinners and Granny never seemed to miss a chance to issue a barb about her. Applejack for her part, tried to act like everything was okay but each barb and jab from Granny Smith made her feel less and less welcome in her home. Finally, it all came to a head one night when Applejack was trying to get a cup of water from the kitchen. As she stepped down the hall, Applejack heard voices coming from her parents’ room. “You’d best do somethin’ about that filly of yours!” Granny Smith said. Applejack stepped quietly over to the door. It stood slightly ajar, letting her listen. “Y’all ain’t gone but a day and she starts ramblin’ nonsense about datin’ fillies.” “I still don’t see what’s wrong with that,” Buttercup said gently. “Course, you don’t! She surely gets it from your side!” Granny Smith accused. “Hey!” Bright Mac stepped in between the two. “That ain’t fair, mama. Buttercup belongs here same as anypony.” Buttercup answered the accusation with a shake of her head. “I ain’t heard of this happenin’ in my family.” “Well, she didn’t get it from ours!” Granny retorted. “Tell her, Bright Mac!” “It don’t matter where she got it,” Bright Mac said. “What matters is she has it. What are we supposed to do?” “That’s what I’m askin’.” Granny Smith replied. “She’s your daughter. You two gotta fix this!” Buttercup frowned. “I really don’t see why this is a problem. Couldn’t we just let her be how she is?” Granny Smith shook her head. “Nuh-uh, nothin’ doin’. She goes on like this, what’s to keep her from sleepin’ in the day and tryin’ to harvest crops by buryin’ ‘em deeper? She could decide the farm ain’t worth runnin’ or run off and be a drifter!” Rounding Buttercup, Granny said, “We took a chance lettin’ one of your kind into this family--" “MAMA!” Bright Mac shouted. Granny Smith continued, heedless of her son. “--and look where that got us. A filly who thinks she’s a colt; no granddaughter of mine’s gonna be lettin’ that nonsense rot out her brain!” Applejack choked on a sob. She hadn’t even realized she’d been crying as she listened to the argument. She backed away from the door, unable to listen anymore. She returned to her room to cry in the safety and warmth offered by her blanket. Her secret had destroyed her family, just as she’d feared it would. After a few minutes, she settled on what she had to do. If the family didn’t want her anymore, she could hardly see fit to argue. She located the old bindle she’d taken with her when she’d gone to Manehattan and removed the blanket, replacing it with the one from her bed. She piled a few family photos into the thing, then tied it closed. She slipped on the hat she’d worn on her date with Crystal as well. She knew she should have returned it to the door where she’d found it, but Crystal’s compliments made her reluctant to part with it. Balancing her bindle on her shoulder and back, Applejack stepped out the door. She could still hear fighting coming from her parents’ room, and it only served to reiterate the need for her to leave. She made it as far as the living room when Big Mac spotted her. “Applejack?” he called out from the kitchen. At his voice, she looked up at him, eyes stained from the night’s crying earlier. Before she could find something to say, before he could say anything that might discourage her from leaving, Applejack broke into a gallop and burst through the door into the night. She didn’t know where she would go or what she would do. She’d scarcely planned beyond this. She thought maybe she’d meet up with Crystal and liberate her from her awful home life. They could run away together and perhaps go to Appleloosa or Dodge Junction; somewhere far away from here where they could start a new life together. She was already into the west orchard when she started to hear the commotion from the house spill out into the night. Big Mac, Bright Mac, and Buttercup split up to try and pursue her in different directions. “APPLEJACK!” they called after her, but she hid herself from their voices and ran when she didn’t think they were near. She had almost made it to the farm’s west border when she was flanked by her brother. She darted between two trees and tried to cut away north, but he kept pace too easily. “Applejack, come back!” Big Mac shouted, but Applejack quickly bolted to the west again. “SHE’S OVER HERE!!!” he shouted into the night air before returning to the pursuit. Just as she reached the edge of the farm, her brother overtook her, grappling her with his huge bulk and forcing her to the ground. “Get off of me!” Applejack shouted, struggling against her brother. “I gotta do this!” Sternly, Big Mac answered, “What in tarnation do you think you’re doin’, Applejack?! You’re runnin’ out on us?!” Applejack managed to get a foreleg out from under her and reach out for her bindle, which had been thrown to the ground from the impact. When she couldn’t reach it, she tried to use her leg to press down against the ground, forcing her body upwards. Try as she might, she couldn’t break the pin. “You don’t gotta be like this, Applejack,” Big Mac told her. “I can’t change who I am,” Applejack growled back, biting back her tears. “I’ve tried, Big Mac. I tried and I tried but I can’t live a lie. I’ve had a taste of what happy feels like and I ain’t about to go back to pretendin’ my feelin’s ain’t real.” “Why do you gotta?” Big Mac asked. As if on cue, Granny Smith shrieked from the trees. “You!” she called out to Applejack. “You got any idea what time it is?! You’d best get your rump back inside that house before--” “Don’t act like you ain’t happy,” Applejack shouted back at her. “You’ve been ridin’ me for weeks about Crystal! You were just sayin’ I ain’t no granddaughter of yours!” “I’m ridin’ you ‘cause what you’re doin’ ain’t right! That don’t mean I want you to leave! We’re your kin, Applejack. There ain’t nothin’ more important than family. You think this deviancy of yours means more than bein’ an Apple?!” Still pinned beneath her brother, Applejack looked up at her grandmother through vulnerable eyes. She hated the question. She’d sat and listened to all of Granny’s tirades against her…her what? Her proclivity? Preference? She wasn’t even sure how to define it. It was just who she was; an integral piece of her identity. Stuck for an answer, Applejack asked simply, “Are you makin’ me choose?” “I--" Granny Smith fell silent all of a sudden. Her eyes softened and she stepped forward, walking past Applejack and Big Mac. She almost seemed to be recognizing something, as though drifting on the waves of memories long past. Applejack never knew what it was that touched her grandmother’s heart in that moment. She stepped out across the grass, her eyes transfixed against the dark shadows of the trees just past the farm’s west edge. Applejack had always known about the wild pear groves that grew outside that particular border, but had rarely spent much time in them. Granny had a longstanding personal disdain for the fruit those trees bore, and it had always seemed best not to ask what had become of the old farm there. Whatever it was, Applejack’s question seemed to drain all of the fight out of Granny Smith. Big Mac let Applejack up, both siblings sharing confused glances, and they waited several minutes before Granny came trotting back to them. When Granny spoke, it was with a softer voice, one tinged with nostalgic sorrow for days long past. “I’m sorry,” she said simply. Reaching out with her forelegs, she embraced her granddaughter. “I’m sorry for what I nearly drove you to, Applejack. I never wanted you to leave. You’re family no matter what, even if you ain’t all right.” It wasn’t quite the acceptance Applejack would have hoped for, but it was still more than she’d expected. She found herself feeling more relieved than ever when Granny Smith added, “Come on back home. I’ll mix you up some cocoa.” “I’d like that,” Applejack said with a smile. “Now, I still don’t rightly get it,” Granny Smith clarified as they trotted back towards the farmhouse. “Likely never will. But it ain’t worth losin’ you over.” “So,” Bright Mac said as he stepped outside. “Fillies, huh?” Applejack sat on the grass with her mug of cocoa, looking up at the stars. The events of the night were still trying to resolve themselves in her mind and in her heart. She’d wanted to be alone, but she also knew this conversation would have to happen eventually. “Eeyup,” Applejack replied. Bright Mac took a seat beside Applejack, setting down a cocoa mug of his own. “What’s that like?” he asked. “It’s like wantin’ to be with somepony, but it’s a filly instead of a colt.” “Well, I’ll be.” Applejack’s answer seemed to have blown Bright Mac’s mind. “So, you have a Special Somepony, then?” Applejack shrugged. “I’ve been spendin’ some time with Crystal lately. We ain’t talked about it, but I think she likes me well enough.” “I remember Crystal!” Bright Mac said eagerly. “So she’s the lucky lady. She seemed nice. You should invite her over again sometime soon.” Applejack smiled warmly. “I’d like that.” When her father placed a hoof on her shoulder, Applejack felt more at peace than she had in what felt like forever. All of the troubles from the past few weeks seemed to melt away. Her mother’s illness, the struggle to keep the farm afloat while they were away, her drama with Granny Smith, none of it seemed to matter anymore. “By the way,” Bright Mac said. “I see you swiped one of my hats.” Applejack blanched. She had completely forgotten that she was wearing it. She reached up to take it off, but her father stopped her. He pressed the hat back down on her head, then adjusted the brim for her. “There, now it’s perfect.” Bright squeezed his daughter’s shoulders before telling her, “It’s a good look for you, Applejack. When I was your age, all the fillies loved my hat. Course, I only had eyes for your mama, but any time I went to town, me and my trusty hat would leave all the little fillies rubberneckin’ to get an eyeful of us. You keep on wearin’ that and fillies will be all over you before you know it.” Applejack leaned into her father and closed her eyes. With a grin, she said, “You made that up.” “Every word.” Bright Mac laughed. Applejack took a sip of her cocoa. For the first time since her mother fell ill, she finally felt like everything was going to be okay. “So...which one of you is the colt?”