“And you know the rest. There isn’t anything more to say.”
Those tears of fire kept flowing from her eyes as Green Field finished telling her story to Applejack. Applejack for her part also had misty eyes. The two ponies stood there for a few silent moments, Green Field taking a breather to clear her head and Applejack just giving her the time she needed.
Closing her eyes for a second, Green Field took a deep breath and exhaled. Opening them again she stared long and hard at Applejack. “Alright, that’s it. Time for me to finish things here.” She raised her hoof again and fire began to gather above it.
Applejack just looked on with sympathy and pity.
“Why?”
Green Field’s eyes narrowed. “Why what?”
“Why do you have to keep doing this? Can’t you just stop?”
“You know why!” Green Field angrily replied. “How can I stop and do nothing after that? It isn’t right, it’s not fair!” She lowered her hoof and pointed it at Applejack. “All of those ponies who refused to help us are getting what they deserve. My family, everypony, can’t rest in peace until it’s over.”
“Do you really think that?” Applejack said sadly. “Are they going to want to see you doing just what those other ponies did to them?”
A fire ball shot past her face as Green Field stomped forward, burning face an inch from Applejack, causing her to break out in sweat from the sudden heat.
“Shut up! You think I’m like those monsters?! I’m getting the revenge and justice I deserve!”
Applejack stood her ground. “No. You’re hurting others who don’t deserve it. What you’re doing isn’t right.”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Green Field shook her head and stamped her hooves on the ground, flames burning where she stood. “I have to!”
“But has anything you’ve done made you happy? Has it helped at all?”
Green Field stood still, head hung low. It seemed like nearly an eternity before she responded. “No.” She whispered almost too low for Applejack to hear. “It still hurts, everything just keeps hurting worse and worse.” She trembled as she couldn’t meet Applejack’s gaze, tears falling to the ground and sizzling.
“That’s because you aren’t doing what’s good. Instead of dealing with what happened you’re lashing out and spreading the pain and hurt to everypony.” Applejack consoled her, she even tentatively placed a hoof on Green Field’s shoulder, correct that it wouldn’t burn her this time. “Now tell me, honestly, do you think your parents, and Golden, and everypony else would want you to do this?”
Green Field shook. She raised her head to look at Applejack, tears flowing freely.
“No.”
Applejack smiled. “Is it really so hard to stop and make things right?”
Green Field’s mouth twitched, opening and closing a few times before she found her words. “But I don’t have anything left.”
Applejack’s smile took on a hint of sadness. “I felt that same way once.” Green Field looked at her in confusion, and maybe a bit of hope. “I’m not going to say I know exactly how you’re feeling, but when I was younger I lost my parents. I know what it’s like to lose the ponies important to you, that emptiness, that sadness that feels like it aint ever gonna go away. I was so upset for the longest time, and yes, seeing other kids with their parents made me jealous and even a little angry too. And if we’re being honest, I think if I was in your situation that I’d probably do the same thing you did.” Applejack’s smile turned into a knowing frown. “But that doesn’t make it right.”
Green Field started to choke up a bit, whimpering, she responded to Applejack. “But it’s not fair.”
“I know it’s not. But doing all this-” Applejack gestured to the burnt and destroyed forest around them. “Isn’t going to help make you feel better. It took time, but I filled that emptiness up inside me with the love from others. My brother, my little sister, my grandma and my friends.”
“But I don’t have anypony like that anymore.” Green Field scowled, a flash of anger returning to her eyes.
“Oh yes you do.” Applejack grabbed her by the shoulders and stared right into her eyes, still unafraid of the possibility of being burned. “Me. I can give you my love and understanding to help you now.” She smiled and released Green Field, taking a step back and extending a hoof out in friendship. “What do you say?”
Green Field’s composure broke, her anger disappearing as her whole body was wracked with sobs. Tears, of water, fell to the ground as she hiccuped and looked on at Applejack, she was barely able to force out a nod with how overcome she was.
“Yes!” The cry was that of a mewling dog that had just been adopted. A flash of bright light came from her body that momentarily blinded Applejack.
When the spots were gone from her eyes she saw Green Field for the first time.
That brown farmer with a frizzy chestnut mane and head of lettuce cutie mark. Rivers of tears pouring from her eyes and the Heart of Fire lying on the ground in front of her.
Applejack smiled, as soon as she did Green Field leaped forward and put her arms around Applejack’s neck. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m, so, so sorry!” She cried and wailed into Applejack’s shoulder.
“Hey, it’s alright, just let it all out.” Applejack hugged her tight and started rubbing her back to calm her down. “It’s okay, you’re okay.”
It was later in the day but the two farmers were now standing inside the sacred garden, the shrine ponies standing around them, smiling at the two. Temperance was especially proud and happy to see Applejack and Green Field back and okay.
Applejack reached up under her hat and pulled out the Hearts of Fire and Water, giving them back to Temperance who levitated them back into the chest where they belonged.
“I, we, truly can not thank you enough for this, Applejack.” She said to her, bowing her head along with the other shrine ponies.
“Aw shucks, you really don’t need to do anything like that.” Applejack blushed in embarrassment and rubbed the back of her head.
Green Field meanwhile was standing next to her, staring at the ground. She felt guilty being here after stealing the Heart of Fire, upset at what she had done with it, and still dealing with all of her jumbled emotions after everything. She didn’t even notice as Temperance walked up to her.
“Green Field, please, raise your head.”
She just shook her head and closed her eyes, she didn’t want to have to look at any of them. “I shouldn’t be here.”
She felt a gentle hoof at her chin, raising it up so she and Temperance could see each other face to face.
“Everything’s okay now.” Temperance smiled at her. “You don’t need to feel guilty, we all made mistakes.”
Green Field sniffled and started to cry again. “I’m sorry.”
Now Temperance shook her head. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s in the past now and you went through something horrible. We hold nothing against you.” Temperance glanced at the other shrine ponies before returning to look at Green Field. “In fact, we were going to offer you the opportunity to live here with us. If you wanted to.”
Applejack smiled while Green Field’s eyes widened in awe.
Her lip trembled for a second, she looked to Applejack, then the other shrine ponies, before finally returning to Temperance. Green Field took a step back and took a deep breath.
“I… thank you. But I can’t accept that.”
Applejack’s mouth opened in shock, she was about to step forward and say something when Temperance put her hoof in front of her.
“Why?” Temperance herself seemed a little surprised and disappointed but she wanted to listen to Green Field’s reason.
Green Field frowned as she looked between Temperance and Applejack. “This… isn’t my home. You’re all nice, and giving me more than I deserve, I’m really thankful that you would even offer that to me in the first place. But I don’t belong here. I belong back at the farms. Even with what little is left of them, I want to do what I can for my home.”
At that Applejack walked up and placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “I feel ya. Just remember that you’re not alone, even if I’m not around.”
Green Field smiled and held Applejack’s hoof. “Thank you.”
“And our shrine will always be open to you as well.” Temperance told her.
Applejack and Green Field hugged, holding like that for a minute until Applejack broke it off. It was finally time for her to leave.
“Well, I’m sorry to end this so soon but I need to start heading back home again.” Applejack sheepishly said. It might’ve been better to have brought her situation up earlier. “I’m glad I met you all but I’ve been away for too long already.”
Green Field wasn’t upset like she would’ve been just a little bit ago, she instead smiled at Applejack. “Safe travels.”
Temperance smiled and nodded down at Applejack as well. “Yes, safe travels out there. I hope you can find your way home soon.” She giggled and winked at Applejack. “Try not to let that good nature of yours get you in any more trouble.”
Applejack smirked and gave her own wink to Green Field. “I think my new friend here can tell you how likely that is.”
Now well north of the valley, Applejack began her slow climb up yet another mountain. The huge rock wall still dominated the land to her east and it was apparent from what others had said that there was simply nothing west so north was the way to go for now. Wiping a bit of sweat from her brow Applejack decided to rest for a second. She turned around so she could face the direction of the valley again and took a seat, the sun almost halfway hidden behind the horizon now. The black spots in the valley were still noticeable to her, especially the recently made one from when Applejack and Green Field had just fought, but they would heal in time. The ponies who lived there were probably already fixing things.
Applejack smiled. She wouldn’t mind coming back here and visiting all the ponies she had met again either. But home was still calling to her first.