(Inform me of any errors.)
“… And so we threw a party. And boy, was it one heck of a party.”
“Storm did all that?”
“All that, and more. I still don’t know everything that happened to him, but that’s what I know.” You let out a low whistle as you process everything Applejack told you about Storm. Through Applejack’s recollection of Storm’s story the two of you had moved out of the cellar, and into the orchard, where the two of you had simply wandered aimlessly.
You glanced at the sky above, trying to gauge the time of day, but the harsh light of the sun prevented you from seeing just how high it was. When you finally looked around, after unsuccessfully getting the afterimage from your eyes, you saw Applejack had taken a seat on the crest of the hill you had been walking up. A quick look around confirmed that it was the same hill that you had sat upon while you confessed your story to Applejack.
You take a seat next to her, and she leans into you just a bit. Several minutes pass by in silence, and you are thankful for the fact that you can use the silence to arrange your suddenly chaotic mind. The fact that Applejack was leaning on you threw you for a loop, and you were struggling to put together a coherent thought. Finally, though, you managed to arrange a thought, but Applejack beat you to the punch.
“Are you feeling better now that you’ve talked some about your past?” Her question seems straightforward enough, but you can’t shake the feeling that there’s another question buried beneath that one.
“I think I am, AJ. I feel… I don’t know; liberated, maybe? There’s so much more I can do now that I have this whole thing off my chest. But, I do have a question for you. One that Storm brought up.” You risk a glance at Applejack, and she’s looking at you, and if you aren’t mistaken there’s a blush on her cheeks.
“Oh? And what did that pegasus say that you would take seriously?”
“Well, considering that we were outside the farm the topic was you. And, well, your feelings.” You pause, and drop your gaze. “Your feelings about me, to be specific.”
She starts to speak, but you jump in, your nervousness propelling your mouth faster than your mind. “Storm was saying that you talked about me a lot, and then Storm thought it was funny that I was the stallion you were talking about. But now I don’t know if your feelings have changed, since you know more about me than you did before. I’m also, just now, realizing that I have no idea what I’m saying, so I’m just going to stop…” You can feel the heat radiating from your cheeks, and if you could you’d like to have a horn, just to cast an invisibility spell on yourself.
You feel a hoof brush your cheek, and you turn your gaze from the ground to the mare next to you. There’s a blush on her cheeks that can almost rival yours, and you feel your heart skip a beat. You find your eyes drawn to Applejack’s emerald pools, and in them you can see so much, and yet none of it scares you. You feel safe with her, and you know that she has so much compassion, and a desire to share it.
“Well, I have to say that I do have feelings for you, and I’d be lying if I said that they haven’t changed since yesterday.” You want to look away from Applejack, but her eyes have yet to release their hold on you. You suddenly feel a pressure in your chest, and you realize that you’ve been holding your breath since you started looking into her eyes.
As you exhale you notice that you can look away from her eyes, and you do, but only reluctantly. “But have they changed for the better?”
A quick peck on the cheek answers your question better than words ever could, and you look back to Applejack, and you willingly lose yourself in her jade colored eyes.
Much of the rest of the day was spent talking about nearly everything you and Applejack could think of. Now you, and the rest of the Apple family, are eating dinner in their dining room.
“… So, the girls and I crested a hill near the mountain, and there was Storm, protecting the Crusaders with his outstretched wings. As soon as he saw us, though, he dropped his wings, and then he dropped like a rock. I swear I’d never seen Rainbow quite that upset before. Storm, though, didn’t disappoint, and eventually he topped his stupid record time, and time, again. But those are different stories, for another time.”
Applejack’s story had filled most of the meal, and now you were simply letting the meal settle before cleaning up the table. You had heard that specific story before, but considering that it involved Apple Bloom directly you could imagine that she’d want to hear it a bit more often. Several minutes pass in relative silence before Big Mac pushes back from the table, signaling to everypony present that it was time to clean up.
In a matter of minutes the table is cleared, and you and Applejack are left to clean all the individual dishes, and utensils. You are drying everything, while Applejack is taking care of things in the sink. The two of you work in silence, and you let your mind wander, but you put limits on how far you’re willing to go. The window in front of you gives you a nice view of the orchard and even a bit of Ponyville in the distance.
Your thoughts latch onto the visual cue, and you find yourself thinking about Ponyville, and its inhabitants. It’s so different from Manehattan, and nearly every other town that you had spent time in. There were nice ponies to be found in Manehattan, there was no disputing that. But they were few and far between, and meeting one was a blessing. But here in Ponyville?
Ponyville was the epitome of kindness, and small town hospitality. When you had first gotten here you had a party thrown for you, and you had made your first friends within hours of arriving. And now, just five months later, you were beginning to open up. Only to a single mare, but everything has to start somewhere. But were you starting too late? What if they won’t accept-
A wet object lands on your face, covering both eyes, and elicits a laugh from the mare next to you. “I’m no fashionista, but I have to say that you wear that rag like a king.” You pull the rag from your face, and you were ready to hurl it back, but when you look at Applejack you find your desire for revenge gone. “You had that look on your face again, and I’m not going to let you act like that anymore.”
You look down at the rag you had in your hoof, and you let a mischievous smile form on your lips. You bring the rag back, as if readying to throw it, and Applejack’s smile flickers for just a moment. You quickly drape the rag across the top of your head, allowing it to soak your mane. “Everypony whose anypony knows that the wet dish rag is worn like this.” You maintain a regal position for just a moment, before you double over with laughter, and Applejack joins in. “However, as the king of the dish rags, I command you to finish the rest of the dishes on your own. Such is my decree!” Your laughter is only intensified by your acting skills, and the rest of the dishes fly by in a haze of laughter, and merriment.
As the last of the dishes are put in their respective places Applejack motions for you to follow, and you do so. She leads you out to the barn, and then up into the loft, and over to a ladder. The two of you are soon sitting atop the barn, and looking out over the orchard at the distant setting sun. You don’t say anything, not wanting to ruin the moment, and Applejack doesn’t speak either, allowing the silence to exist undisturbed.
Your train of thought leads itself to the same spot it was yesterday morning. Much like the rising sun, the setting sun was an undeniable beauty. The color of the sky turned a most magnificent shade of red and pink. The clouds added to the beauty, turning other shades of red, creating a wonderful vista. One that you would gladly share. Despite what your instincts, and more primal desires, told you, the view you enjoyed here wasn’t just Applejack, but also the bountiful views of nature.
Suddenly, the color of the skies, and where you were clicked in your mind, and you couldn’t keep the small chuckle from escaping you. You didn’t see it, but you knew that Applejack was looking at you. “The sky, it reminds me of the farm. But more than that, the apples, specifically.”
“The color of apples. My father would often say that.”
“It’s beautiful.”
The sky slowly turned darker red, and then, to a magnificent shade of violet as the sun finally dipped below the horizon. You shifted your gaze upwards, to watch as Princess Luna decorated her night sky with all the stars, and the moon itself. You could never see this while in Manehattan. The city never slept, and it never got dark enough to see the stars. The moon was almost always visible to some degree, but the stars were difficult to see, if not impossible.
You leaned back, adjusting your position to allow you to just watch the sky. As the last of the stars dotted the sky you saw the glow of the moon, but not the moonrise itself.
After watching the stars for a few more minutes you propped yourself up, and then you pushed yourself into a sitting position, next to Applejack, who had never lain down at all. You look at Applejack with a curious expression on your face, but she continues to look ahead and slightly up. You followed her gaze, but all that was out there was the stars and the sky. You were about to say something when a single shooting star streaked across the sky. It lanced across nearly the entire sky, starting around where both you and Applejack were looking, and disappearing from sight as it passed ‘over’ the barn.
You quickly make a wish, and it’s a simple one. The confidence to face your past.
“Make a wish AJ.”
“I did. And this one was one that I really hope comes true.”
You stand, getting ready to head back down, and then head home, but Applejack stays seated. You move up behind her, and you nuzzle her neck a bit, and then you move your hooves onto her back, and you begin massaging. Her back is incredibly tense, and it takes you quite some time to feel any progress, but your tenacity is rewarded when a small groan of satisfaction escapes the mare.
“Lie down, AJ. On your belly.” She complies, and you continue your massage. You take your time, making sure that the entire experience is enjoyable for her. You make sure to spread your attention evenly, and you lose track of time as you work all the kinks out of her muscles. You finally finish when you reach the bottom of her back legs, and you take a small step back to admire your work. Even with your incredible endurance it was hard work to make it through some of Applejack’s hardened muscles.
Noticing that you were done Applejack attempted to stand, but the sudden lack of tension in her muscles threw off her balance, and she found herself unable to stand. She attempted it a few more times before she let out a frustrated grunt.
“Well, this is quite the situation I’ve put you in, isn’t it. You can’t seem to stand, and you’re trapped on the roof of the barn. Seems like you need some hel-”
“I don’t need your help. I can do this on my own.” Applejack cuts you off abruptly, and you allow her a few more attempts before you stop her.
“This is stupid, AJ. I’m going to help, and you can’t stop me.” True to your words, you scoop Applejack onto your back, and you make your way to the ladder. After several precarious minutes you are making your way out of the barn, and towards the farm house. Quietly, so as not to wake the other members of the Apple family, you make your way upstairs. You stop when you reach the top, and you look down the hall in either direction, suddenly realizing you don’t know where Applejack’s room is.
“Um…”
“Second door on the left.”
“Thanks.”
You quickly turn down the hall, and open the door to Applejack’s room. You can’t make out much in the dark, but you do see the bed, and so you go there, and place Applejack on her bed as carefully as you can. She slowly moves herself under the covers, but her hat remains on her head. You take it off of her head and you place it on the small table next to her bed. She gives you a small smile, and you return it.
“So… I guess this is goodnight.” If awkwardness was a tangible substance the room would be filled with it right now.
“Yeah, that’s how it seems.”
You start turning to go, but before you do you lean in, and give Applejack a quick peck on her nose. Your cheeks begin burning, and you quickly turn to leave.
“Good night, AJ.”
Your final words to Applejack ring through your ears the entire trip back to your home, and continue to bounce around in your mind as you sit, and write out the latest entry in your journal. As you finish the entry you heave a massive sigh, and then you crawl into bed. Your final thoughts before entering the land of the sleeping are all of great importance. The letter, Applejack, and your life within the town of Ponyville.