//------------------------------// // 8 // Story: The Truth // by Jet Cannon //------------------------------// It is commonly believed that, as well as the various different animals living in the Everfree, the forest is host to a variety of spirits and other such supernatural entities. Whilst most are assumed to be just as evil as everything else in the forest, there are ponies who claim to have been assisted by unseen benefactors when in dire need. If this truly is the case, and if such a spirit happened to specialise in providing lucky breaks to the needy, then it was clearly watching over the group of friends that night. When the Timberwolves had only a few more feet to run, Twilight and Rarity hastily erecting as powerful a shield spell as they could manage at such short notice, a loud clattering and clanging rang out behind the ponies. Everypony whipped around in fright, but fear turned to joy as they saw Zecora and Apple Bloom galloping towards them all, strange implements held in their mouths which they shook around with great vigour. This caused the bells and paddles affixed to their ends to all ring out and strike against each other, making a horrible racket that disagreed thoroughly with the Timberwolves, and whimpering they quickly turned tail and ran back into the forest in fear. Silence enveloped the friends for a short while as everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Dropping her noise-stick, Apple Bloom trotted over to her parents, who quickly grabbed her (and each other) into a tight embrace before having themselves a good cry. No words were necessary; their relief was tangible in the air around them. The others maintained a respectful distance, giving the family some much-delayed and much-needed time together. Twilight walked over to Zecora and hugged the zebra gratefully. “Thanks Zecora, you came just in time.” “Do not worry, my friend! It is what I am here for in the end.” Zecora smiled back at Twilight before frowning and looking back at the Apples. “But what has happened this night, I wonder? Is this family free from some great weight they were under?” “It’s a long story,” Twilight nodded. “We don’t even know the whole thing ourselves yet.” “Hmm. Whatever the tale, we must get ourselves in from this rain,” Zecora said, bending down to pick up Apple Bloom’s noise-stick and stowing it in a saddlebag with her own. “Much longer out here and we shall all catch a fever of the brain.” In her haste to aid her friends Zecora had forgotten to take protection against the weather, and she was just as wet now as Apple Bloom, her characteristic Mohawk hanging limp across her face. “Agreed. What are those things you used to scare away the Timberwolves anyway?” “A simple tool used to make noise and cause alarm. Against Timberwolves they are essential, to save one from harm.” The Apples were gently coaxed to their feet and the group set off for Sweet Apple Acres to tell Granny Smith the good news. Apple Bloom was placed on Applejack’s back beneath her cagoule and quickly fell asleep. Big Macintosh was just about prevented from falling asleep as he was propped up between four of the mares, Zecora and Pinkie on one side with Rarity and Fluttershy on the other, and they made slow progress through the puddles whilst Twilight conjured a barrier above them all against the rain. “Hey Fluttershy? How come those big nasty wolves weren’t scared of your Stare?” asked Pinkie, who was somehow bouncing along as normal despite the stallion leaning on her shoulder. “I don’t know, Pinkie. I’ve never had that happen before, not even with even more dangerous creatures. Do you know, Zecora?” But the zebra simply shook her head. Then she realised that not everypony could see her, and said: “I am not sure myself, so give an answer I can’t. Perhaps because they are not so much animal as plant?” As much as Applejack relished the distraction of the conversation, the damp weight on her back kept reminding her of just how close she had come to losing her daughter, and so soon after finally telling her the truth. It didn’t bear thinking about, so she shook her head and tried not to. Instead, her thoughts moved to her home and the story she would have to tell her friends. And so a new dread settled in her stomach, infinitely less than before but still unpleasant, as she thought about having to tell her story for the second time in one night. Or rather, the first time that morning, as it was certainly well past midnight by then. She knew her friends wouldn’t judge her for her actions or those of Big Mac, they had made that more than clear earlier, but she still hated thinking about the events of eight years ago. They should have been happy memories, even with the less-than-perfect way her pregnancy had come about in the first place, but her parents’ deaths had tainted everything. Life could be, and often was, cruel like that, ripping away its benefits before they could be properly appreciated. But it was not always thus, tonight had been proof of that. So much had almost been lost, but now everything was going to be alright. With that in mind, safe in the knowledge that she would have her family and friends with her to support her all the way, Applejack cleared her mind of doubt and gathered her resolve. Her story would hurt, but she wouldn’t let that stop her. Besides, Macintosh and Granny Smith could help her tell it again. Well, perhaps just Granny Smith: Big Mac looked just about ready to keel over at any moment. Fortunately they were soon back at the farm, where they were greeted with surprising alacrity by Granny Smith, who clearly hadn’t had a wink of sleep all night with her worry. Applejack soon reappraised her idea of having help with her story from anypony at all. Big Macintosh was helped upstairs to his room, where he was cleaned up and bandaged where necessary, as was Apple Bloom, before the two of them climbed into his bed and promptly lost consciousness, with Macintosh lying on his back and Apple Bloom held in his hooves on his chest. Granny Smith soon retired to her own room as well, leaving Applejack to attend to her friends who were gathered in the sitting room. Zecora had graciously accepted the offer of staying the night at the Apples’ home and had sat herself in a corner, where she was meditating. Twilight meanwhile had just teleported back from the library after telling Spike everything was ok, and Pinkie emerged from the cellar after apparently returning to Sugarcube Corner to leave an explanatory note. Nopony questioned how this was even possible, it was Pinkie. “So… Applejack…” Twilight said before yawning and causing everypony else to do the same. They all looked at the grandfather clock standing against the wall: almost a quarter to two in the morning. They were none of them sure when precisely they had all set out, but for all except Zecora it had certainly been several hours since, and by now their bodies had begun to lament the lack of sleep. Despite her lesser physical exertions that night, the zebra had herself been very busy all day beforehand, and hoped to soon return to the pleasant dreams of her homeland from which Apple Bloom had awoken her. Rarity could feel the beginnings of a migraine forming behind her eyeballs whilst she tried to maintain a ladylike composure. Twilight and Applejack had fallen against each other when they looked at the clock and were still shoulder to shoulder in a lethargic haze. Rainbow Dash was slumped in a chair, barely maintaining lucidity as her eyelids drooped. Fluttershy’s head bobbed up and down as she fought off sleep as best she could, whilst Pinkie had given up trying and was now snoring in a hastily erected hammock. Twilight and Applejack looked at each other, bleary eyed and wilting from their earlier exertions. “…inth mrrning?” Twilight asked. “…uh huh…” yawned Applejack in agreement, and the two gave up the fight at last and lay down where they sat, the others also succumbing just as the clock quietly ticked over to 1:45am proper. Applejack was sorry her story had to wait: putting things off was not in her nature, she much preferred getting a job done there and then. But, she admitted, neither herself nor her friends were in any fit state for story time yet. Better to wait until the morning (or rather, later in the morning) before starting. She would have her family’s help then, and any doubts anypony held could be seen to more easily, as well as trying to figure out a way of letting the town know without causing too much fuss. More than anything right then, Applejack just wanted to be able to get on with her life. No more lies, no more hiding, just getting on with things like how she should have been for all this time. Sleep took the orange Earth pony mare within seconds of closing her heavy eyelids, and as her focus left the room around her it shifted back through the years, flying back to happier times. Back to when everything made far more sense. Back to when she first met him.