//------------------------------// // Homeward Bound // Story: Forbidden Fruit // by Vargras //------------------------------// They made surprisingly good progress since leaving the fortress. It was only mid-afternoon, and already they had passed their old rock shelter and were continuing on towards the forest. Applejack felt good - no, better than good. She felt great. She had the fruit, conquered her fears, and now she was headed back home. And she couldn't have done it without- "Hey Applejack? Could we stop and take a break real quick? I'm getting kinda thirsty." "Sure thing, Twi." The earth pony picked out a shady spot under a tree and took a seat beneath it, and Twilight Sparkle soon followed. The unicorn's horn glowed as she pulled a water bottle out of her saddlebags, taking a quick drink before setting it upon the ground. "Ahh, much better! At least we've got some beautiful weather, right AJ?" "Mhm." She was right - they had been fortunate enough to have clear weather conditions for the past day or two, and it was certainly better than the storm they had to endure a few days prior. Still, she couldn't help but wonder how long it would hold out. Hopefully it would last until they returned to Ponyville, but that might simply be wishful thinking. "What do ya plan on doin' once ya get back ta Ponyville, sugarcube?" During the time it took Applejack to ponder over things, the lavender mare had already pulled out a journal and was writing in it once more. No doubt taking more notes about the wings. She soon put down the quill, however, and looked up at the earth pony. "I'll probably spend some time with the girls and Spike. Maybe send a letter to Princess Celestia about our trip too. I'm sure I'll figure it out. What about you, though?" "Well, I got ta thinkin'... we've been through an awful lot out here, so I think I might actually take a day off or two." Twilight couldn't help but laugh at that. "Applejack? Taking a break? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were some creepy doppelganger." "Hey now, I think I deserve it after everythin' th' two of us have done, ya know?" She flashed a grin in return and took off her hat, setting it on the grass in front of herself. "Besides, I don' think I've ever slept in at all. I kinda wanna try it." "Fair enough. It's nice sleeping in sometimes." The unicorn quickly returned to her notes, jotting down some more lines and leaving Applejack in peace. Soon, however, she spoke up once more. "Say, Applejack... Big Macintosh is single, right?" Her eye twitched. "Did... I jus' hear ya say what I think ya said? Yer honestly plannin' on askin' mah brother out on a date?" Twilight let out a snicker and had to hide her grin. "Nah, I just wanted to see the look on your face. You've been so serious the entire time we've been out here, that I've hardly ever seen you smile. Loosen up a bit!" "Loosen up, huh? Bah, fine." With a huff, she undid both of the bands keeping her mane and tail tied up, and it didn't take long for her hair to sprawl out all over the place. "There, ya happy?" The unicorn set down her quill and looked up, blinking at her friend. "...Applejack, that's... not quite what I meant by 'loosen up a bit'. I don't know why you don't let your mane down more often, though. It looks good on you!" "Twi, I keep it tied up 'cause I'm a workin' pony - keeps it outta th' way. Ya oughta know this by now." Applejack sighed and blew part of her mane away from her eyes. "I kinda... forgot it was this long, ta be perfectly honest. You really think it looks good, though? It ain't silly-lookin' or nothin'?" "Why would I lie about that, AJ? Are you just trying to make sure you look your best for that special pony?" Twilight giggled and took another sip from her bottle, and her friend did her best to hide a blush. "I ain't lookin' yet! I jus'... wanna be sure, is all." Applejack coughed and idly pawed at the ground with a hoof, then looked back over at the unicorn. "Hey Twi, you were jokin' about th' whole 'Is Big Mac single' thing, right?" "Maybe." "...Twilight." "Okay, fine." She rolled her eyes and grinned, peering over at the earth pony. "Yes, Applejack, I was joking. I don't think I'm quite ready for that just yet. But if I decide to hit on your brother, I'll be sure to have your permission!" Applejack groaned and laid her head down upon the ground. "Gee, thanks." "Any time!" ----- It was nightfall once more, and though they had made even more progress after their break, it was time to set up camp. The two mares already had everything set up - the tent, the sleeping bag, and a roaring fire. Surprisingly enough, Applejack had actually decided not to tie her mane and tail back up after the break. It felt rather refreshing to have the air blowing through it when it wasn't completely tied together. Twilight was in the middle of some more notes, no doubt about the wings. The wings wouldn't last much longer, and she wanted to document as much as she could before they disappeared. The unicorn set down her quill and glanced up at her. "Applejack, is the whole 'wild mane' thing starting to grow on you or something?" Applejack already had her harmonica out, and was in the midst of playing a song when her friend spoke up. The orange mare looked up and stopped playing, setting the harmonica down. "Kinda. I mean, I don' think I've ever had it untied like this fer this long - only time it's like this is when I'm sleepin' or takin' a bath. It feels kinda... funny, but in a good way, ya know?" "Yeah, I think I do know." Twilight glanced over her shoulder and watched her wings as she gave them a good stretch. "I think I might have to sleep behind you again, just on account of the wings and all. I would've switched, but... I don't know if you'd want to put up with these for an entire night." She gave them a brief flap, as if to prove her point, and the earth pony nodded. "There ain't any way ta make 'em go away? They're just kinda... there?" "Yep. Once they're there, they're there - at least until the three days are up, anyways. Sorry, AJ." The lavender mare picked up her quill once more and resumed her writing, and Applejack went back to her song. It was certainly much more cheerful than what she had been playing, as the song itself sported several high notes and a much faster tempo. She heard Twilight close her journal, but paid no mind to it and kept on playing, keeping her eyes shut and slowly rocking back and forth as she played. Her ears twitched as she heard the unicorn softly cough, and she stopped playing. "Ya need somethin', Twi?" "Yeah, um..." Twilight looked down at the ground and nervously tapped her hooves together. "I was wondering if... you could teach me?" The earth pony blinked at her. "Teach ya what? How ta play the harmonica?" "Mhm. I've always liked music, but I've never known how to actually play anything. I know the other girls can sing too - we all do, really. You're the only one I know that actually plays an instrument, though... aside from Pinkie Pie, anyways." The lavender mare looked at her with pleading eyes and a huge smile, and Applejack simply sighed in return. "Ah ponyfeathers... ya know I can't say 'No' to ya, Twi. Not when yer makin' that kinda face, at least. C'mon over here." The unicorn clapped her hooves together and hopped up, quickly walking over and taking a seat beside Applejack. The earth pony held the instrument in front of Twilight, letting her get a good look at it. "Alright sugarcube, firs' thing's firs' - this is a harmonica, but ya already knew that. This end here is all th' low notes, an' the other is all th' high notes." The lavender mare took the harmonica from her and eyed it curiously. "And you just... blow into it to play the notes? That's it?" "Yeeeep! Go ahead an' try it, Twilight." "Okay, let's see..." The unicorn took a deep breath and blew into the harmonica, playing a single low note. She gasped with surprise and quickly recoiled. "Ooh!" Grinning, she took another breath and played several notes in sequence. It certainly wasn't a song at all, but at the very least, Twilight seemed to be enjoying herself. The mare attempted a few more notes before passing the harmonica back to Applejack. "That was... surprisingly fun. Could you teach me a few songs?" "Oh, I dunno about that, sugarcube. Like I told ya before, I don't really know any songs. I jus' kinda... play whatever. Jus' sorta do what mah heart tells me ta play." She eyed the harmonica for a moment and glanced back up at her friend. "Still, I 'spose I could play somethin' for ya if ya want me to." Twilight smiled and nodded. "I'd like that, Applejack. Play whatever you want." "Good thin' too, 'cause I was plannin' on it." The earth pony chuckled and pressed the harmonica to her lips as she began to play once more, keeping the same lighthearted tone her earlier song had. She closed her eyes and began to slowly rock back and forth once more as she played, thinking of friends and family with every note she belted out. Twilight Sparkle soon caught on to the beat, softly clapping her hooves together in-time with Applejack's song. The orange mare couldn't help but smile as she heard her friend join in, and she continued on with the song, picking up the beat to see if the unicorn could keep up. When she managed to pull it off, Applejack decided to simply play rather than continually push it further, and the earth pony soon found herself tapping one of her own hooves along with the song. She played song after song, Twilight always clapping her hooves along with it, and Applejack actually found herself enjoying the company - though the unicorn's hooves technically weren't an instrument, it was still nice to have someone playing at her side. The earth pony finished off one last song and set down the harmonica with a sigh. "Whew. Haven' played that much in an awful long time. That was kinda fun, Twi." "It was, wasn't it? I didn't think the beat would be that catchy. It's like something Pinkie would come up with." The lavender mare took a quick sip from her bottle of water, holding it in front of Applejack after she finished. "You probably need this more than I do." Applejack smiled and took the water bottle from the unicorn, taking several drinks from it before placing the cap back on it and wiping her mouth with her foreleg. "Thanks, sugarcube. I reckon we should probably get ta bed or somethin', huh?" Twilight looked up at the moon and slowly nodded. "Yeah. Looks like it's starting to get late. Go ahead and get in the sleeping bag, and I'll move all our stuff inside." The unicorn stood up and slowly wandered about their camp, gathering up their belongings. Applejack had already made her way inside the tent and was nestled in the sleeping bag when she remembered something - she had never tied her mane or tail back up. She sighed and simply lay there, unable to do much about it now. Even as Twilight brought their belongings into the tent and sealed it shut, the earth pony glanced up at her. "Sorry Twi, I... kinda forgot ta tie mah mane an' tail up again. It's jus' kinda all over th' place now. Push it aside if ya need to." "Eh, that's alright. Not like it's gonna bother me much anyways." The lavender mare wiggled in behind Applejack once more, making sure to keep her wings neatly folded the entire time. She carefully blew Applejack's mane away from her face, ignoring her tail entirely. Without a second thought, she threw both forelegs around the earth pony and snuggled up against her with a sigh. "Night, Applejack." The earth pony grinned and gave a quick glance over her shoulder before settling down herself. "Night, Twi." They would both likely dream of the same thing tonight. Home.