//------------------------------// // Coming Home // Story: A Song of Ponyville // by PonyJosiah13 //------------------------------// The bike grumbled its way up the dirt path to Sweet Apple Acres, passing beneath the wooden gate with the hanging sign that bore a carved apple. Flash steered the bike up to the front of the house and parked, shutting off the ignition. Rara climbed off the back of the bike, her mouth held determinedly closed in order to keep the contents of her squirming stomach where they belonged. She walked up to the door and knocked; it was Sunday afternoon, so that meant that the Apples had to be home. Sure enough, the door opened and Big Mac peered out at her. His eyes widened slightly as they fell upon her, then his face returned to its normal stoic expression. “Rara,” he nodded. “Hi, Big Mac,” Rara said, managing a weak smile. “Is AJ here?” “Nope,” Big Mac grunted. “She’s at the Apple Pie?” “Eeyup.” Rara hesitated, looking down at Mac’s hooves. “Is...is she still mad at me?” she asked. Silence answered Rara’s question: Mac never hesitated or balked in his responses. Puzzled, Rara looked up to see that Mac was fixing her with a confused expression. “She was never mad at you,” he replied. A warm feeling like liquid sunshine flowed through Rara’s body, strengthening her body, dismissing most of her pain. Her smile became more genuine and she nodded at Big Mac. “Thank you.” “We were worried,” Big Mac said quietly. A pang of guilt ran through Rara’s chest, and her smile faltered. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know,” Big Mac nodded. “Go tell her that.” “Say hi to Granny Smith and Apple Bloom for me,” Rara called as she headed back to the bike. She climbed back on behind Flash. “Take me to the Apple Pie, please,” she said, strapping her helmet back on. “Right away,” Flash nodded. He kicked the bike back to life and performed a slow, tight turn, heading back up the pathway. Dirt flew in their wake as Flash rode back into town. The Apple Pie was bustling that afternoon, ponies heading into the tavern to enjoy the remnants of their weekend; even from outside, one could hear faint music and singing from inside, a guitar and violin backed up by a female voice. Flash parked the bike in the lot out front and Rara climbed off. “I don’t remember there being a concert scheduled for tonight,” she mused. “Maybe it was a last-minute thing,” Flash suggested, running around to the side of the bike to help his mother climb out of the sidecar. Pastor Sound extended her cane and tapped the ground in front of her. Rara walked up to the door of the Apple Pie and paused. The door suddenly seemed twenty feet tall, and the blue and yellow lights on the side were harsh and glaring, exacerbating her headache. “I...I don’t think I can do this,” she whimpered, backing up. “Rara,” Pastor Sound said gently, walking up and taking Rara’s foreleg. She smiled towards her. “What’s wrong?” “I…” Shame burned Rara’s throat, silencing her, and she looked down at the pavement at her hooves. She managed to swallow. “Rara, would it help if we went in together?” Flash suggested, taking Rara’s other foreleg. Rara looked up at him and at Pastor Sound, then at the door. On the other side was the mare that she still loved with all her heart, the mare that she had struck, lied to, and run away from. The mare that she had hurt so deeply, she was certain that it had left scars that would never heal. The mare that she was going to come to and beg for forgiveness that she did not deserve. She swallowed, then nodded. Flash reached out and pushed the door open, the bells over their heads jingling as they entered. As Rara had predicted, the tavern was nearly full, every table occupied. Most of the ponies were quiet, their focus on the stand. Rara turned and gasped. Standing on the stage was Caramel and Sassaflash, Caramel smiling broadly as he strummed his guitar, Sassaflash up on her hind legs, stamping her hoof to the beat as she vigorously stroked her violin. But between them was Steamed Carrot, her eyes shut, belting her voice out to Done. The beat of the music flowed through Rara, washing away every trace of her hangover; her hoof instinctively started tapping to the beat, a proud smile spreading across her face. Steamed was perfectly on the rhythm, hitting every note perfectly. “She sounds wonderful,” Joyful commented, tapping her cane to the rhythm. “She sounds perfect,” Rara said, locking her gaze on Steamed. “Way to go, girl.” "Rara!" a familiar voice squealed, and a moment later, the wind was knocked out of Rara's lungs as Pinkie Pie tackled her in a tight hug. "Ohmygosh, we missed you so much!" Pinkie Pie said, clutching Rara in an iron grip. "AJ told me you left and we were all wondering where you went and Steamed and I wanted to go look for you, but AJ said that you just needed some time by yourself and you’d be fine—” “Pinkie...can’t...breathe!” Rara gasped, her face turning bluer by the second. “Sorry!” Pinkie said, loosening her grip but still hugging her. “I’m just...I’m so glad that you’re back home!” “Me too,” Rara said, hugging Pinkie back. “I’m sorry I ran off, but—” “That’s okay now!” Pinkie grinned. “Later we can have a ‘Welcome Back’ party, just for us! I’m gonna go start planning it!” Rara got back to her hooves and looked up. From across the bar, her eyes met a familiar pair of green irides; AJ was behind the bar, her gaze on her, frozen in place like a deer in headlights. Rara froze as well: time seemed to stop around them, all noise fading into the background. Part of Rara wanted to turn and run away. But the rest of her knew that if she did that, she’d be running all of her life. She turned back towards Flash and Pastor Sound behind her. Flash smiled at her, and Pastor Sound gave an encouraging nod in her direction. She took a step forward. Then another step. And then more, all the way across the tavern to the swinging door that led behind the bar. Applejack’s eyes remained on her every step of the way until they were face to face. “Um…” Rara stammered. “Hi.” Applejack didn’t say anything. “AJ, I…” Tears stung at Rara’s eyes, and she was unable to fight them back. “I’m so sorry. I just...I was dishonest, and mean, and I know that I hurt you, and I don’t expect you to forgive me, and I…” But before her speech could fully dissolve into inelegant blubbering, Applejack flung her forelegs around Rara and hugged her close. Rara hugged Applejack back, burying her face into her long blonde hair that smelled of apples and freshly fallen leaves, her tears staining her coat. "I was so worried about you," Applejack spoke, her voice tremulous. A sting struck Rara in the chest and she let out another little sob. “There, there, sugarcube,” Applejack whispered, stroking her back. “Hush, now, it’s okay.” “N-no, it’s not,” Rara whimpered. “I…” “Shhh,” Applejack whispered, stroking her mane just like she used to back when Rara was still detoxing, when she’d lie awake at night shivering and moaning in pain. “Rara, you made a mistake. We all do.” Applejack paused for a beat, then pulled back to look Rara in the eyes. “I made a mistake, too,” she admitted, releasing her from her embrace and doffing her hat. “I treated you like a fragile little filly, but you ain't that. I got mad at you for things that weren’t worth getting my tail in a twist over, and I was just too harsh on you.” She twisted the stetson, looking down at the floor. “I guess I worried about you too much, and I made some pretty plumb stupid decisions ‘cause of that.” She blinked and looked up at Rara. “I’m real sorry.” Rara smiled. “I’ll forgive you if you forgive me.” “Deal,” Applejack smiled. As one, the two mares hugged once more. As they embraced, the final song ended and a loud chorus of cheers and applause rose from the patrons. Looking over Applejack’s shoulder, Rara watched as Sassaflash, Caramel, and Steamed all stepped forward to take a bow, then climbed down off the stage. Rara eagerly waved them over. Steamed trotted over quickly, exhaling heavily. “Whew...that was intense,” she sighed through an exhausted smile. “Having all those ponies looking at you…” “I’m so proud of you!” Rara cried, flinging her forelegs around Steamed. “You were absolutely perfect up there!” Steamed Carrot tensed up for a moment, then hugged Rara back. "Thank you!" “When did you get the courage up? I thought you’d never get to sing on stage!” Rara cried, glowing with excitement and pride. “Well, these two needed a singer, and nopony else was stepping up, and it would’ve been terrible if they had to cancel, so…” Steamed shrugged modestly. Rara laughed. “That’s wonderful! Don’t worry about the stage fright, we can work on that. Trust me, it goes away after a while.” She then turned to Caramel and Sassaflash. Caramel was smiling brightly at her, but Sassaflash was examining her with a small frown. Rara’s face fell. “I...I owe you two an apology,” she said. “I was...very unfair to you during rehearsal, and I stood you up when you needed me. I...there’s no excuses for what I did. I am so sorry.” “It’s okay,” Caramel smiled at her. “I understand you were under a lot of stress back then; I forgive you.” Rara turned to Sassaflash, whose expression had softened slightly into a more neutral face. “You both did great up there,” she said. “And I’m glad that you got your violin fixed.” “Thanks,” Sassaflash nodded. “Sassaflash, that day in rehearsal, it was pretty obvious you had something on your mind,” Rara continued. “Something that you were having a hard time thinking about. Something you were struggling with.” She paused for a beat. Sassaflash was suddenly having trouble looking Rara in the eyes. “You’re not alone,” Rara said. “We can help you.” “Babe?” Caramel asked, laying a hoof on his marefriend’s shoulder. “It’s nothing,” Sassaflash said quickly, turning her head away. “No, it’s not nothing,” Rara pressed. “And if you hold all that stress in, it’s going to get worse. Believe me, I know.” “Babe, talk to me,” Caramel said, squeezing her shoulder. Sassaflash’s lip trembled for a moment, and she sniffled. “I’m pregnant,” she admitted. Caramel’s jaw dropped. “Really?” he squeaked. “I got the test back last Friday,” Sassaflash continued, turning towards Caramel. “Babe, what do I do? I don’t know if I’m ready for a kid.” Caramel thought for a moment, then took Sassaflash’s hoof in both of his, smiling at her. “I don’t think anypony’s ever really ready for a kid,” he said. “But I do know that whatever happens, I’m going to be right there beside you every step of the way.” He reached up and gently wiped a tear out of Sassaflash’s eyes. “And...I think it’s time for me to ask something I should’ve asked a long time ago.” As the astonished ponies watched, Caramel dropped to one knee, still holding Sassaflash’s hoof in both of his own, looking up at her with his kind brown eyes. “Sassaflash, will you marry me?” he asked. Sassaflash stared at him for several long beats, her mouth hanging open. Tears welled up in her eyes. Then, slowly, a smile spread across her face. “Yes! Yes!” she cried, pulling Caramel up into a hug and kissing him full on the mouth. As soon as she did so, there was a sudden explosion of confetti from all around them, causing everypony to jump. “Attention, everypony!” Pinkie Pie declared, leaping up onto the bar as confetti rained down into her mane. “She said yes!” The tavern burst into cheers once more, everypony applauding the new couple. Sassaflash and Caramel both blushed furiously, but then Caramel shrugged and pulled his new fiancee into another kiss. “Engagement party!” Pinkie Pie shouted, pulling her party cannon out of nowhere and firing off a round of confetti and streamers that rained down from the ceiling. With a shout of joy, she dove into the festivities. Applejack chuckled and shook her head. “Sometimes, that mare…” “Well, it’s never a dull moment with her around,” Rara laughed. She suddenly glanced down and realized that at some point, Pinkie had slipped her a plate with a slice of her favorite dessert: fresh-baked apple pie. She only gaped for a moment before smiling; she’d long ago given up on trying to figure out how she did it. “Well, guess we’re gonna need to break out the extra cider caskets,” Applejack commented. Coloratura paused: the word “cider” echoed in her brain for a moment, and just for a moment, the sweet, sparkly taste tickled her tongue, the familiar fizz itching at her nostrils… And then it was gone. No burning throat. No itching tongue. No whisper of temptation in her ears. They’d come back one day, Rara knew. But she knew that next time, she would not try to fight them on her own. An uphill battle was always easier with support. For today, she was free. Setting her apple pie down, she turned to Applejack. “Hey, AJ?” “Yeah, sugarcube?” AJ asked, turning to her. Rara cupped AJ’s cheeks in her hooves and pulled her in for a kiss. Applejack hugged her close without hesitation, meeting her kiss with equal passion. “I love you,” Rara whispered as they separated. “I love you, too,” Applejack replied, nuzzling her. “I’ll help get those caskets,” Rara offered. “And Steamed, you up for a duet after?” “Really?” Steamed Carrot asked, looking like her dreams were coming true all at once. “Really,” Rara winked. “Don’t worry about the stage fright. It’s nothing we can’t deal with together.” She looked over to see Pastor Sound and Flash both sitting at the bar. Pastor Sound smiled in her direction while Flash gave her a salute with his wing. Smiling, Rara leaned against Applejack’s side and received a brief nuzzle on the forehead as the two walked through the swinging doors of the kitchen as if stepping through a barrier into a new chapter of their lives.