//------------------------------//
// Applejack 
// Story: Lost in the Dark 
// by Silver Moon 
//------------------------------//

	“Ah wonder where Rainbow Dash is,” the orange mare whispered to herself. She was standing at the roots Rainbow’s usual afternoon napping tree. Come to think of it, the Pegasus should have cleared the sky already, yet the blue overhead was speckled with fluffy white clouds. The Earth Pony pulled her hat down over her face, trying to hide the blush rising to her cheeks. She shook her head, trying vainly to get her crush out of her mind. “Stop it, AJ,” she berated herself. “Ya shouldn’t know RD’s daily schedule. Ya can’t like her, ya aint no fillyfooler.”
But what if you are? a quiet voice asked her. It echoed in her mind, bouncing around, impossible to catch and refusing to stop. What if you do like Rainbow that way?
“I aint got no problem with that,” Applejack argued as she started to walk to the farm. 
Sure you don’t, the voice said, thick with sarcasm. 
“So what if Ah do? Ah can change!”
But will your family?
Applejack stopped walking. It was clear that her subconscious had hit a nerve. She shook her head and tried to ignore the voice as it continued its verbal assault. 
They won’t, will they? the voice asked in a tone that was far too sweet. They’ll shun you, kick you out of the farm. 
“No they won’t.”
Is that a fact? the voice questioned. It doesn’t sound like you believe yourself, how do you expect me to believe you?
“Ah’m the Element of Honesty, ain’t Ah?”
What does that mean, exactly? 
“Ah can’t lie.”
To others, yes. But it seems you know how to lie to yourself.
“Ah- Oh, be quiet,” AJ whispered. Head hanging low with the weight of her fears, she started walking again. The voice nagged at the mare the whole way home. Once she was back at the farm, Applejack busied herself as much as she would bucking trees and doing other chores. But soon, the heat of the sun and the exercise from farming became too much for the orange mare to handle.  
“Ah’ll just rest mah eyes here for a momen’ or two,” she said as she lay down in the shade of an apple tree. The humming of insects singing in her ears, it was not long before Applejack’s breathing slowed and she fell into a deep slumber.


Applejack: Nopony can know


Applejack woke with a start. A quick glance at the sky showed that day had passed. Cursing under her breath, she got up and trotted back to her house. 
“Sorry Ah’m late, ya’ll! Did Ah miss su-” the orange mare broke off as she saw the anger in the faces that greeted her. “Hey, what’s the matter?” she asked. No pony replied at first. They just sat staring at Applejack, silent. Granny and Big Mac wore expressions of anger and betrayal, hatred and rage. Apple Bloom simply looked confused, glancing from her brother to her grandmother to her sister and back again. She looked back to Applejack and cast her a glance that said ‘I’m just as lost as you are.’
“What’s goin’ on?” Applejack voiced her confusion again. This time she got an answer.
“You’re a fillyfooler,” Granny Smith said. The simple statement was full of impatience and irritation. 
“What?” AJ exclaimed, loudly cutting across her sister asking what a fillyfooler was. “No Ah aint!”
“Eeyup, you are,” Big McIntosh said, his usual placid demeanor replaced by one of agitation. 
“Well, maybe Ah am,” the mare finally admitted. “But-”
“What’s a fillyfooler?” Apple Bloom asked, trying to get noticed.
“-that don’t explain why ya’ll seem so mad,” the Element of Honesty finished as if her sister had not spoken.
“What’s a fillyfooler?!?” the youngest Apple demanded, jumping to the table in her need to be noticed. 
“Somethin’ sinful,” Granny sneered, her words directed at her youngest grandfoal but her eyes stayed on the mare before her. “Somethin’ Ah don’t welcome on mah farm.”
“Eeyup.”
“Now hold on a second, Granny,” Applejack said, taking a step back. “What do ya mean Ah’m not welcome on the farm?”
“Ah mean just that,” came the reply. Granny’s words were plain and simple, but they hit AJ like a buck to the face. 
“But- but- Ah can’t go! This is where Ah belong! Do you really want me to leave?” she stammered as she continued to back up. She watched in horror as her family started to walk menacingly towards her. “Please, no! Apple Bloom, you don’t want your big sis to go, do ya?”
“Maybe,” the young filly said, pausing her advance. The others paused as well, waiting for their comrade. 
“What d’ya mean, maybe?” Applejack asked fearfully. “This is either yes or no!”
“Well, Ah was thinkin’. If you’re a fillyfooler, then you’re sinful. And maybe if you’re sinful, then maybe you’re the reason Ah aint got mah cutie mark yet. So, maybe if you leave, Ah can get mah cutie mark!” The young filly smiled widely. “So yeah, Ah think you should leave.” A silent message passed between the three of them and they started forwards once more. As they closed the space between themselves and AJ, more members of the Apple Clan appeared behind them. The ghostly apparitions grew in number until every Apple the orange mare had ever met had joined the ranks. Even the ponies she knew to be dead. The horde moved forward as one, their eyes flashing dangerously. Applejack tried to discourage the advance, but to no avail. Finally realizing she could stay no longer, AJ turned tail and fled. She ran as fast as she could, but not swiftly enough to evade her grandmother’s parting words.
“Ya’ll don’t come back now, ya hear?” Granny called after the fleeing mare.
Tears fell from Applejack’s eyes as she ran. How could her family forsake her? And so easily! How? How? The cowpony ran faster and fast, trying to escape the horrible dream she was trapped in. But there is no way to flee from pain, not in a way that will last. Applejack galloped without paying any attention to where she was going, so it was not too surprizing when she crashed head-first into a tree. The sudden collision knocked her flat on her back and blasted the wind out of her lungs. She lay where she had fallen, unable and unwilling to get up, panting from pain and exertion. She was too tired to cry, too confused to figure out what was happening. She lay where she had fallen and tried to loose herself to sleep, but the relief did not come. Finally, Applejack could stay still no longer. Grunting with effort, she forced herself to her hooves. Her grunts turned to moans when she placed weight on one of her back hooves; she had sprained it during her mad dash. Balancing painfully on three legs, she looked around, trying to find her location. With a gasp of fear, she realized that she was deep in the Everfree Forest. 
“Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no,” Applejack whispered, turning around. “OK. Calm down, girl. Ya just gotta figure out how to get to Fluttershy’s place. One step at a time.” Closing her eyes, the mare took a few deep breaths to try and relax, but it was a futile effort. Enabling her vision again, she looked around. Even in the darkness, it was easy to see the trail she had left behind. In her terror, Applejack had crashed her way through the undergrowth with a terrifying ferocity. Well, she said to herself, at least Ah know what way ta go. With that thought, Applejack heaved a deep sigh and started forwards. 
Yet the night was dark and the mare tired and weak. Her bleary eyes smeared the path with the surrounding forest, sending her the wrong way. Hours passed and still the orange mare was wandering through the bush.
Almost there, just around this tree. The next one. The next one. Ah just have to keep going. Applejack tried to keep up a steady stream of encouragement to herself, but it was hard to be hopefully when the sun did not rise. Although hour upon hour had passed, the night did not give way to the day and the forest stayed dark. Although the mare grew weary, she could not stop trying to find her friends. They’ll find me. They will save me. Mah family may have abandoned me, but Ah just have to find mah friends.   
But even Applejack could not keep up the mental encouragement. Her thoughts lowered to nothing more than how to more as she became both mentally and physically exhausted. But she had to keep moving. She had to find her friends. Applejack had to keep looking, no matter how long it took. The farmpony kept walking through the forest. Forsaken by her family and forgotten by her friends, she wandered alone in the Everfree Forest. 
Forever.