The air was cooler as the sun began to set, casting brilliant shades of oranges and yellows across the clouds above the land known as Sweet Apple Acres. The atmosphere was clear all around, not another living soul in sight. It truly was beautiful, even if you wouldn't normally find yourself participating in such an activity. Back home, you never really had much time to do anything with being a college student. It was all homework this and homework that, yet now that you have left all of that behind, you could finally see what all the fuss was about. You had to admit, if this is what a sunset looks like from a vantage point such as this, you wouldn't mind watching it again, day by day.
You were sat on a hill on the farm that belonged to the Apple family, the highest point there was on the rural land, which was only occupied by a large apple tree, of which you were currently sat against, slightly slumped and with one of your legs overlapping over the other. You haven't bothered to make a change of clothes since you were at Sugarcube Corner, and nor did you care to. However, that being said, it was getting a little chilly, but you didn't really pay much mind to it. The only thing on your mind was the gorgeous view in front of you. That and your family. And Pinkie.
You thought back on it, knowing that you probably did something that would otherwise be labelled as a 'taboo' back on Earth. You actually went ahead and kissed Pinkie Pie on the lips! Like, for absolute real! Nonetheless, she's a pony, and you smooched her! Man, ponies surely are adorable, granted, but that was just...no, you know what? There are no words to describe it. What made it even worse was the fact that you knew you liked her, and it took you over two years to figure it out. Well, if time has proven anything, it's that you're a naive genius. Congratulations, you berk!
Moreover, you were stuck in your own mind over the conversation you had with her about your family and your little...problem. 'Once a stupid teen, always a stupid teen', is what your grandmother used to say. Well, she wasn't entirely wrong, you'd give her that much credit, but you thought that she'd have a stronger set of words for someone as stupid as yourself for what you've done. Once again, you're an absolute genius. You deserve a Guinness Book of World Records title and a diploma from Oz the Wizard to prove your expertise on the idiocy you've displayed.
You sighed out heavily, lightly hitting the back of your head on the thick bark of the tree trunk as you closed your eyes and let yourself be still for a moment as you contemplated on your own life and the choices you've made to be where you are today. You couldn't help but think that if you didn't meet the people that you did in college, you most certainly wouldn't have ended up this way. Hooked on cigarettes, purple dragon and a variety of other harmful substances. The only thing you didn't really care much for was the little devil in a bottle known as alcohol. You can still remember your first sip of spirits. This 'friend', Jamie, a guy that had too much of an adolescent and arrogant mind to know how big of an idiot he is, decided that he'd try and turn vodka into a Skittle Bomb by ramming the sweets into the neck of the bottle and giving it a good shake like it was a cocktail before he took a large swig. The stupid tosser didn't even think that he should hold out on his drinking on his drinking, something he did quite frequently because he wanted to make himself look cool and 'one of the gang', and he got absolutely drunk out of his mind in no time as a result.
Unfortunately for yourself, he offered you the drink, to which you stupidly accepted and took a cautionary swig. It was only a small mouthful, but holy hell, the burn from the vodka infused with the intoxicatingly sweet essence from the Skittles that were dissolved in the alcohol, turning it into a sickly red colour and making it look like Strawberry Shortcake accidentally fell into a blender, were enough to send you into a coughing fit that very nearly sapped all of the air out of your lungs, causing you to fight to breath to the point where you were beginning to see black spots fill your vision from all sides, threatening to make you black out. It was truly revolting, and even when you caught a whiff of any type of spirit after that day, your stomach and liver both cringed and churned in tandem, threatening to make you throw up like there was no tomorrow. No more alcohol for you, you drugged up human chimney. At least there's one thing you didn't partake in, so there's that. However, before you could continue with your reminiscing on your college days, you heard what sounded like hooves lightly touching the grass and causing it to ruffle before you heard the most soothing voice you've ever heard besides Fluttershy's.
''Andy?'' The voice asked, and you slowly opened your eyes to face the orange earth pony you knew as Applejack. You haven't talked to or seen her much in the previous year, but you knew her well enough to know her name and that she was one of three siblings that help run the farm. You met her large emerald green eyes and spoke up.
''Oh, hi, Applejack,'' You greeted softly. ''You alright?'' You asked, and you saw her lips tug into a small frown.
''Ah was about to ask you the same thing,'' She said, motioning with a hoof to your eyes. Lightly touching them, you discovered that they were moist and had left what was obviously tear stains on your cheeks. ''Somethin' the matter, hon? Ah spotted ya out here a while back and noticed you looked kinda down. What's up?'' She asked sweetly, coming beside you and sitting next to you by the tree.
''Oh, nothing.'' You said, looking away momentarily to glance back at the sunset. You didn't feel like bothering somepony else with your feelings.
''Andy, ya'll know ya can't dodge the question that easily. Ah know when somethin's botherin' somepony, an' Ah can tell that somethin's definitely on your mind,'' Applejack said, albeit, with a small smirk. ''Now, come on, what's eatin' ya?'' She said, prompting you to tell her you tales of woe.
Damn, nothing goes by her eyes or ears, does it? Element of Honesty and all that, I guess.
Turning back to face Applejack's warm and inviting gaze, you gave a sigh and mentally prepared yourself. Here this mare was, Applejack, a close friend of Pinkie Pie and her other friends, and yet she is a complete stranger to you, despite meeting her only a handful of times and making friendly conversation. You both barely knew the first thing about each other aside from the obvious - you were a human and she was an earth pony. Those were literally the only things you knew about each other. Nothing else, and yet she was offering an open, friendly ear to hear what's on your very deeply troubled, wounded mind. Well, at least she asked and took the time to notice.
''Applejack, c-can I ask you something?'' You asked somewhat hesitantly. Applejack only maintained her smile.
''Well, sure. What's on your mind, sugarcube?''
''Applejack, I know we don't really know each other and we haven't talked much in the two years that I've been here, but...I was just wondering, what's it like to have a family?'' You asked, and you watched as Applejack's face went emotionless, like she was calculating a response to the question. Granted, it was a strange question that came from out of the blue, and it was obvious that the question had taken her largely aback. Eventually, she spoke up.
''W-Why do ya ask?'' She said with a raised brow.
''I miss mine,'' You said sadly. ''I miss my parents and my brother and my sister. I can't even remember their voices. I...didn't exactly leave on the best terms.'' Applejack looked at you quizzically once those words left your mouth.
''How'd ya mean? Ah'm sure they wouldn't be mad at ya'll or anythin', would they?'' She asked, and you faced her with a small frown. You could feel a tear roll down your cheek when you thought of your sister's mortified face when she confronted you about your rather habitual 'problem'. Looking at Applejack, you momentarily hallucinated that her face belonged to your sister. Applejack's blonde mane morphed into your sister's light brown bangs, ending at her shoulders, and her green eyes were replaced by gentle and kind blue eyes. Abigail's eyes.
''Abby...'' You whispered softly, reaching out to touch her cheek, and you could feel her skin for the briefest of moments, smooth and soft, just like it has always been. It felt so real, like she was right there in front of you, but you paused when you noticed that the hallucinated image of her face had transformed back into Applejack's, and her cheeks were a soft rosy colour as she gave you a surprised and uncomfortable expression at the contact. Upon realising what you were doing, you pulled your hand away and coughed nervously into your hand.
''Oh! Um, sorry, I...I don't know what just...sorry,'' You finished lamely, feeling your face heat up in embarrassment. Great, so now you've proven that you're delusional to one of Pinkie's best friends? Nice one. Bravo. Have a round of applause, Andy, you've only just gone and made yourself look like a total weirdo to The Element of Honesty.
''Sugarcube?'' Applejack asked, her tone low. ''Did ya'll just call me 'Abby'?'' You turned your head to her and nodded silently, trying to hold back the tears welling up behind your eyes. ''Is that your sister's name?'' She asked, and you nodded again. This time, her face grew a look of sympathy and she scooched closer to you before wrapping a hoof around your shoulders. You were surprised by how strong and toned she was, yet you guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise because you knew from Pinkie that she bucked apple trees for a living. It's bound to have some effect on her body, and it certainly showed. ''Oh, Andy, it's alright,'' She said soothingly. ''What about your brother? What's his name?''
''Liam,'' You said. ''His name's Liam. I hardly ever saw him much before I was brought here. He was too busy with university work to even respond to any messages I sent, so I doubt he found out about my problem.'' Applejack gave you another raise of her brow, wondering what you meant.
''Problem? What problem?''
''Applejack, I...I don't know if I should tell you. The only one I've told is Pinkie. Let's just say that I didn't exactly leave on the best of terms with my family, especially Abby,'' You said sadly before wiping your eyes and facing Applejack to look directly into her eyes. ''I didn't think I'd know what it's like to lose someone I care about, but then I lost my entire family just like that, and I never got to say goodbye to them. As far as I know, they probably think I'm dead by now. I doubt I'll ever see them again. Do you even know what that feels like?'' You asked her, and Applejack turned her head away, staring out towards the sunset as she drew in a deep breath and released a heavy sigh before responding with,
''Yes. Ah do,'' She said, closing her eyes for a moment, like she was forcing her emotions away to remain composed. ''My mother and father. Ah never had much of a chance to get to know 'em, on account of 'em not being around long after Apple Bloom was born,'' Applejack said with a sad sigh. ''Pa jus' couldn't bear to let Ma not be a part of his life anymore. It broke his heart when she passed. Never could stay away from her,'' She said with an amused smile. ''Ever since then, Granny Smith took care of us, an' both me and my big brother, Big Mac, took care of Apple Bloom until she was old enough to take care of herself. Ma an' Pa would be proud of her if'n they were still around.''
You just sat there and felt like you had been punched in the gut. You were practically two strangers, and here Applejack was, being as honest as ever with you over her feelings. You may not have known that much about her as a pony, but you could feel this twinge in your stomach that seemed to have a direct connection with your own emotions. In a way, you've both lost your parents, and that was enough to make you feel a strong wave of sympathy for her. You even found yourself to be holding a hand out to Applejack's shoulder, giving it a light rub. Naturally, Applejack became a little tense at the contact, yet you could feel how tough and toned her body was from all of the hard work she takes the burden of.
She turned her head around to face you and you offered her a sympathetic smile before you scooched over a little close to her so that you could wrap both of your arms around her neck in a hugging embrace. At first, her entire body went tense, but she relaxed and accepted the gesture once she realised what you were doing. After a moment, she returned the hug and you spent the better part of the next few minutes in that position until you pulled away and you sat yourself directly beside her, leaning back against the tree trunk like you were before she came up to you. She did the same, lightly tipping her hat slightly over her forehead so the brim partially covered her eyes.
''You know, Applejack,'' You began, catching her attention as you continued to watch the sun go down. ''Although we didn't talk or see each other much before, I already like you,'' You said, facing her. You saw her smile and turn her head slightly towards you. ''You seem like a great friend to have.''
''Aw, well shucks,'' Applejack cooed. ''Ya'll sure know how to make a pony feel flattered, don'tcha, Andy?'' She said with a soft chuckle. ''Ah wouldn't mind one bit if'n ya'll stuck around as a friend. Ah think Ah'd like that.'' At that, she held out a hoof to you, like she was asking for a high-five or something. Confused, you asked her,
''What're you doing?'' She only smiled.
''It's called a hoofbump, sugarcube. Both me an' Rainbow Dash do this as a sign of our friendship,'' She explained. ''Jus' tap your, um,'' She said, looking to your hands, clearly not knowledgeable about what they were. You caught onto it.
''Oh! Hands. They're called hands, Applejack,'' You said, holding one of them up and wrapping your fingers inwards to your palm to create a fist. Applejack gave a short giggle.
''Right, 'hands','' She said, trying the new and foreign word out on her tongue. ''Jus' tap it against my hoof, darlin'.'' Obliging to her gesture, you brought up your balled-up fist to hers and gave it a light bump against her hoof, the contact creating a soft 'clomp' sound as they connected, and she brought her hoof up to her Stetson hat, giving it a tip of appreciation as she smiled. ''Much obliged, Andy.''
You tried to tip your own hat to her, but upon realising that you didn't own such an item, you said, ''Well, I'd tip my hat to you, but I'm afraid all I can offer is this,'' You said before you brought your hand up to your head and you used your index and middle finger in a two-finger military-style salute. Back home, it was a gesture that some of your friends had opted the use for as a sign of respect. You weren't sure where it came from or why you thought about making it your sign, but it worked, so there wasn't really any point in not using it or complaining about it. It was better than nothing and it was quick and simple enough to use.
Applejack gave an amused chortle. ''Ya'll sure are a funny one, Ah'll give ya that!'' She said, and you soon found yourself joining in with her laughter as you both sat beside each other until the sun had fully disappeared over the horizon.