II
The air of the Ponyville train station was unusually heavy, as if laced with lead. The station itself was a five minute walk from all of Ponyville, and she was completely alone. Not that she minded. After what had happened that morning, she didn’t mind one bit. Spending all morning making out with your marefriend, she figured, weighed on the heart a little bit. At least, it weighed on hers.
Just, letting it all go like that... it felt amazing. She still shivered when she thought back to it, and even parting ways proved difficult for the farmer. She’d been a busy, nervous wreck most of the week, and having Dash there at the end of all of it was the best thing she could have asked for. They had gone out on dates, despite not really being able to do much in public besides talk, and they hadn’t ever come close to, uh, spending the night. Even the thought made Applejack blush, making her glad she was alone on that platform. That morning was probably the longest time they had ever had privately, let alone intimately. And it was on the day her mother arrived.
The whole thing still felt surreal. If she hadn’t seen the letter with her own eyes, and read it over what was probably fifty times during that week, she wouldn’t have. And besides that, pretty much all of Ponyville was glad to have her back. Mayor Mare, among some of the other ponies around or older than Applejack’s age, all remembered her fairly well. She had been more than just the pony who ran Sweet Apple Acres in her years there. She had helped in various public projects for the town, and was a crucial organizer, not unlike her friend Twilight Sparkle, and as such she had made many friends in Ponyville. Applejack wondered idly if her mother had any plans for the family. She was a pretty active mare, very excitable and easily enthused, but she had always managed to at least keep a list of chores up for the family when she was in Ponyville. A thought drifted into her mind that Pinkie Pie reminded her of her mom, which caused her to smile. She couldn’t wait for those two to meet.
All this brainstorming brought her to a worrying conclusion: she hadn’t thought of her mom in years. She may as well have not existed. But that letter reminded her that she did, and that she was coming back, even if it was only for a while. She didn’t know if everything would be better with her back, or if it would simply hurt to have her back, but she did know that if nothing else, she really did miss her dearly, and that was how she was gonna greet her: like a daughter who hasn’t seen her mom in years and misses her more than the whole world.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the approaching train, the engine turning the silence around her into mechanical ambience. Applejack gulped, and remembered the plan: try and convince her to go to Sugar Cube Corner. She figured she had any number of ways to convince her to as well: as she recalled, her mother had been good friends with the Cakes, and she was probably hungry on the train ride over.
Soon, the train had come to a complete stop, only a couple cars in front of the tiny Ponyville train station. Applejack gulped again as the doors opened. There was an eerie few seconds of silence, and then her mother stepped off of the train.
Applejack’s heart stopped. It felt like time had stopped as well. Any worries she had, any lingering doubts she hadn’t come to terms with, she felt them melt away, as if they hadn’t ever been there in the first place. She appeared just how Applejack remembered her: a faint, lime green coat and a light pink mane and tail. Her mane was styled differently now, worn down and slightly curled, but only long enough to reach half-way down her neck.
She looked at Applejack from the train, eyes glued on her daughter as she took two steps onto the platform, examining every aspect she could find of the mare. Her eyes went from studying to realization when she spoke. “... Jackie?”
Whatever walls held Applejack in place instantly crumbled as she dashed forward and threw her arms around her mother. “Ma!”
“Jackie!” The two embraced each other only as mother and daughter could, Applejack on the brink of tears as she held onto her mom as if she would fall away forever if she let go. After a few moments, she felt a hoof tab her head and she looked up into her mother’s face. “Sweetheart, lemme see yer face.”
Applejack complied without thinking, perplexed by the request. She looked up into her mother’s eyes, remembering how they used to comfort her when she was little. She always loved the color, just because it set her apart from the rest of her apple-colored family. Most of her relatives had anywhere from yellow, red, orange, green coats, all manners of colors related to their fruit-inspired name, but her mom was special. She had dark yet calming blue eyes, more like the ocean than the sky, and she still remembered those, and she felt those memories wash over her as she looked into them now.
“Ya’ve done a lot of growin’ up while ah was gone...” she finally said. “Ah... ah’ve missed all of it.”
Applejack wasn’t sure how to respond. That very fact was the only reason she was anything but purely happy to see her again, and her mom just brought it up. Her gaze shifted downward as she said, “Mama, it’s...”
“No. No whatever you don’t wanna say needs to be said. Ah shoulda never left for 10 years.”
Applejack pushed herself back from Apple Butter. “M-mama.” She realized she stuttered. She hadn’t spoken directly to her mom in... years. Half of her life. “Mom, it’s okay. Ah know that ya don’t hate us, and that ya miss us. Any mom would. So ah ain’t gonna have mah own mom guilt trippin’ herself into Tartarus before she’s even off of the station.”
Apple Butter nodded. “Right. There’s a time and a place for everythin’ after all.” She glanced around the station. “So where is everypony?”
“They’re busy at the farm, but you’ll be seein’ ‘em soon enough,” Applejack said. Somehow she had no issue lying to her mom about this. It was for a party after all. It served no purpose to spoil a surprise party. “But, why don’t we stop by Sugar Cube Corner? Ya gotta be hungry after that long train ride right?” Applejack started making her way down from the station and towards Ponyville, Apple Butter following right behind her.
“That bakery run by Mr. and Mrs. Cake? They still own that?”
“Yup! They had themselves some young’ns too! A matching pair, to boot.”
“Twins! Oh, I can’t wait to see the little darlings!” She squealed in utter excitement.
Applejack laughed. “I’m sure you’ll have time to catch up with everypony, ma. After all, this is your...” Applejack paused. The letter said visit. So what did that make it? A vacation? A week long stay? Checking up on the family? She didn’t actually know.
Her thoughts were cut off by Apple Butter speaking up again. “Ah don’t expect you to hold mah hoof all around town, but ah am gonna need yer help in catching up a little bit, hehe. But enough about me,” she stopped and turned to face her daughter and said, “Do you have a special somepony?”
Applejack stopped and blinked. “Uhm, what?”
“You know,” Apple Butter said, “A somepony in your life that’s... really special?”
Applejack gulped. “Uhm, ah wouldn’t exactly, uh...”
Apple Butter gave a laugh that interrupted Applejack’s stammering. “Say no more sugar, ah recognize a stutter like that anywhere. Ya’ll already got yerself a stallion, don’tchya?”
“W-well, uh, actually uh—”
“Oh, he must be a real good one if he has ya so speechless. So what’s his name?”
Now Applejack was just confused. She had plans to tell her mom about Rainbow Dash, but that was twice that her mom had specified that she was seeing a stallion. She normally wouldn’t think anything of it, except that this line of questioning had come out of nowhere, and that made her pause. Did her mom have some hidden expectation that she had to date a stallion?
It wasn’t that that was bad a bad thing either. She wasn’t ever one to think about dating or the idea of a relationship, but to say she had never seen what she considered a handsome stallion or a good-looking mare would be a lie. This was simply very much the last thing on her mind when she knew her mom was coming to visit.
Applejack decided she’d probe her mom’s mind a bit more, hoping to get a glimpse at what she was thinking about. “Why’re you pryin’ all of a sudden?”
Apple Butter giggled like a school filly. “Sorry sugar, just, ya know, havin’ a bit of fun with ya. Yer father and ah don’t get a lot of free time down in Hooveston, so we gotta make our fun. Ah’m sure it’ll come up sometime while ah’m here, right?” Her eyes glowed in anticipation.
Applejack could only giggle at her mother’s antics. “Ah’m sure the whole family will have time to talk, mama.”
The two continued their walk, Applejack never letting on what would happen at Sugar Cube Corner, and her mom probing her for as much information about the town or her family as she could. Their pace was meticulously slow, both ponies matching their progressively slower and slower speeds so that they could continue sharing each other’s company. Applejack almost felt bad for taking so much private time with her, but it would be a long stay on her mother’s part, and there would be plenty of time.
Eventually, Sugar Cube Corner came into view. Applejack knew the party would start as soon as they walked in, so she decided to figure out if her mom was even able to attend what would likely be an all day party.
“So, ma?” Applejack asked.
“Yes?”
“Yer not tired or nothin’, right? Ah haven’t really given ya a moment’s rest since ya got off the train.”
Apple Butter giggled. “Ah only woke up a bit before ah arrived, and seein’ you positively woke me up in ways ah never thought could happen again.” She gave her daughter a full on bear hug, something Applejack might have expected from Pinkie Pie. “So ah’m quite fine, and ah mighty appreciate ya askin’.”
Applejack nodded. “Just makin’ sure.” The two ponies reached the bakery, but Applejack stopped her mom from going in. “This is kinda a weird question, but do ya remember any of mah friends? From before you left?”
“Well,” she said as she brought a hoof to her chin, “Ah kinda remember yer little white unicorn friend. Rarely or something. Not really anypony else though.”
“So you didn’t meet Pinkie Pie?” Her mother shook her head. “See, Pinkie Pie was this little filly that came down to Ponyville from a rock farm. The pink one?” She shook her head again. “Well, then I think you’re in for a surprise, because she’s a very special pony to Ponyville.” She slowly pushed the door open, and motioned for her mom to step forward. After all, her special talent is parties.”
“What are you on about Apple—”
“SURPRISE!
Apple Butter jumped backwards out of fright, slamming into Applejack and then into the now closed door. The collective yell was the product of the lights of the entire bakery all coming on at once and ponies from every conceivable hiding place jumping out with a shout. Applejack watched her mom’s recovering gaze jump to and fro between all the ponies, and then to the banner, which said “WELCOME HOME APPLE BUTTER.”
It was then that Mayor Mare approached the two ponies in the entrance way. Apple Butter recognized her instantly, charging forward to grab her in a hug, the mayor raising her own forelegs to meet her, but a blur of pink threw itself between the two, Pinkie Pie appearing to shove the two aside, as if they had been fighting. “Sorry girls, but there’s no time! We have an emergency!”
“What is it?!” Apple Butter asked, looking somewhat confused that the mayor wasn’t in a similar state of worry. “Wait, aren’t you Pink—”
“Applejack’s, own, mother, is in town,” Pinkie cried, “and we’re just sitting here in Sugar Cube Corner, not doing anything! So let’s get this SHOW ON THE ROAD!” She threw a hoof in the air, and somewhere beyond the line of sight of Applejack, music started playing, and confetti shot into the air. Apple Butter looked back at Applejack, throwing her a sly smile, and all Applejack could do was chuckle in response.
The day had gone perfectly so far for Applejack.
While the initial party focused on her mother, even prompting her to give a speech which wowed what seemed like the entirety of Ponyville, she looked like she enjoyed it. Applejack figured her roles in Hooveston probably gave her some public speaking practice, and she figured her mother would like the attention. The food was great and there was even singing, all of which she took in perfect stride. Applejack felt like her mom was desiring such treatment, figuring that she didn’t get much in the way of parties or fun in Hooveston. Partway into the afternoon, it really turned into a town-wide celebration, though why it was so big Applejack wasn’t particularly sure. Her mom was a big deal, she’d admit that any day, but to give the whole town a day off to party? It was probably Pinkie’s doing and she decided to give it no further thought.
It was around then when Applejack lost all track of her mother’s whereabouts. She had a vague recollection of seeing her mom with her brother and sister, but that was it. Applejack had had an upwards of half an hour with her that morning, and figured she could, and should, leave her to her own devices for once.
Applejack was just leaving Sugar Cube Corner when she felt a gust of wind from behind her and instantly realized the cause. “Hey Rainbow,” Applejack said as she turned towards the pegasus.
“’Sup. Where’s your mom?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking back and forth for Apple Butter.
“Off with Big Mac and Applebloom, ah think. Ah didn’t actually see her leave, but it’s no big deal. Is there, uh, somethin’ up then?” Applejack asked.
“I was just wonderin’ when we’d tell the girls about us, that’s all,” she answered.
Applejack glanced back and forth. Seeing they had somehow come to found an empty spot in town, she continued unabated. “Didn’t ah tell you that we could to it tomorrow?”
“Look here, Applesmack,” Rainbow Dash said, “A week ago, you said we could tell our friends. Then you delayed it until your mom got here. Who’s to say you won’t delay it again?!”
“If there’s soemthin’ on yer mind Dash, just say it.”
“I just think you’re worried more about your mom than us.”
“You’re surprised? If Pinkie Pie was gone for ten years then came back, would you just ignore her until a couple days later? That ain’t fair.” Applejack sighed. “Besides, that ain’t the problem. When ah was leadin’ her to Sugar Cube Corner, she kept askin’ me weird question. She thought ah was seein’ stallion, kept asking about him.”
“Oh, so your mom cares who you’re dating now?” Rainbow Dash retorted, “You don’t wanna tell our friends because she doesn’t want you to date a mare?”
“That ain’t it, Rainbow,” Applejack said, but the pegasus seemed content in continuing her rant.
“We aren’t telling her, we don’t even have to tell her if you want. I just want our friends to know at least!”
“Ah’m tellin’ ya, that ain’t the issue RD!” Applejack yelled. The pegasus was still gritting her teeth, but she quieted down. Another quick glance around showed that nopony Applejack could see had heard her. She sighed, and said, “Ah ain’t gonna be choosin’ you or mom. Ah just wanna figure out what her side of this all is before ah do anythin’. Ah don’t wanna leave mah family in the dark about this, and if she finds out, ah don’t want it to break her heart or nothin’, okay?”
“Still sounds like picking her over me,” Dash snorted. “I mean, I’m like 20% more manly than any stallion in Ponyville anyway.”
“Just, gimme a day and ah’ll get around to askin’ her about it, figure it out,” Applejack said. “Ah mean, if she really wants me to date a stallion, heck if ah’m gonna change for her. Ah like you.”
“Glad to hear you say it, at least,” Rainbow Dash said.
Applejack ignored her snide attitude and continued. “Ah just don’t wanna ruin her stay here, all right? Ah still want us to be—”
“Look,” Dash interrupted. “Fine. Whatever. I’m not gonna say you don’t like me. I’m just tired of how we’re beating around the bush when you’ve already admitted that we’re cool. So I’m going to do like we originally planned and tell them TONIGHT.” She took a few steps away from the farmer and lifted off, hovering only a foot or so above the ground.
“Wait just a minute RD—”
“I’ll come by and pick you up sometime tonight. We can all go out to eat and tell them. I’ll even pay! I just want our friends to know because I’m tired of keeping them in the dark and tired of keeping us in the dark! I’m gonna hope you agree and hope you come with me and hope that you do the right damned thing.” With that, she sped off into the sky.
“RAINBOW!” Applejack called out, but it was to no avail, as the pegasus wasn’t even in sight anymore. “Consarnit,” Applejack swore as she threw her hat to the ground in frustration. “Where does she get off, cursin’ at me?”
Applejack put her hat back on and made her way for home, figuring she had gone there after the party started dying down.. Her heart was racing and her back legs were twitching, making her only hope she didn’t kick the next pony that spoke a word to her. What the hell was fair about anything Rainbow Dash just said to her? Applejack loved her, she sure as heck didn’t need to say it. That morning should have made it clear enough.
“Picking” her mom over RD? The thought made her gag. Rainbow Dash was her marefriend, and one of her oldest friends in Ponyville. Her mom... what was her mom, then? Just some pony that gave birth to her then left her to fend for herself and Sweet Apple Acres? Did the fact that she was her mother suddenly become so lost to her just because her marefriend didn’t like her? She knew that she couldn’t throw her mom under the bus so easily, yet she also couldn’t betray Rainbow Dash like that.
Whatever anger she felt in her chest now felt like it was rushing up to her head, as if her heart didn’t have room for it all. She found herself sitting down on the dirt path from Ponyville to Sweet Apple Acres, and wanted to scream. She loved her mom, but she couldn’t just ignore what she thought of her, could she? And where would that leave Rainbow Dash?
After nearly a minute, whatever feeling she felt passed, and she no longer felt like smashing through the ground and screaming into the late aftrernoon air. It was all made worse by the fact that she was probably worrying over nothing. Her mom was probably just assuming. No reason to think her mom was suddenly scared of her falling for a mare. She’d get home, find her there, ask what was up, find nothing wrong, and go tell all her friends. She was getting worked up over a ton of hypotheticals that wouldn’t happen, and she was delaying herself from finding her mom.
She had every reason to think it would continue being the perfect day.
“Hey, you okay AJ?”
“Ah’m fine Big Mac, why wouldn’t ah be?”
“’Cause you ain’t left yer room since dinner.”
“So?”
“Well, that’s also when our ma broke the news about how I might be headin’ to Hooveston soon.”
“That’s in a few years.”
“So it’s somethin’ else then?”
“Ah’m just thinkin’, all right?”
“Is it about Dash?”
Applejack spun on her seat on her bed around to face her brother, who stood in her bedroom’s doorway. “What do you know about Dash?
“I know I saw you and her, as Pinkie Pie might say, ‘face hugging,’ in the barn this mornin’.” Her brother wore a weak smile.
Applejack’s face immediately turned a bright red, much like the barn she had painted a week ago. She knew he didn’t wanna hurt her in finding out or asking her about it, but the fact that he knew before she intended made her feel worse somehow. Guilt, she supposed. “O-oh, ya saw that...”
“Ah didn’t see ya two hang out at all after ma got here. Is somethin’ goin’ on?”
Applejack shook her head. “N-not exactly. Ah mean, that’s part of it, but it’s just... everythin’. Ah mean, why the heck do ya have to go to Hooveston? We can barely keep the farm going as it is!”
“I don’t have to go, you know.”
“But ya wanna.”
Her brother remained silent.
“Ah mean, ah don’t blame ya. Ya’d be a great help, and ya’d be with ma and pa.
“AJ...”
“But yer right, that isn’t all of it. Part if it is Dash. She wanted to tell our friends today that we’ve been datin’.”
“Well, how long have you two been datin’?”
“Just about three weeks now. She wanted to tell everypony a week ago, but, ya know, mom’s letter came that day.”
Big Mac nodded. “So she decided to tell them today?”
“Yeah. Tonight, actually.”
“So why’d ya say no?”
“Cause ma was askin’ me weird questions. She kept asking me if ah was datin’ a stallion, and who he was, and stuff.”
Big Mac raised an eyebrow. “So?”
“What do ya mean ‘so?’”
“Maybe she just thinks ya need somepony and just took a guess that ya liked stallions.”
Applejack made a spitting motion. “Ah doubt it. She’s got plans for you, why wouldn’t she have plans for me?”
“Just ask her. Believe it or not, your ma ain’t gonna bite you if you ask her a question.”
“Mhmm.” Applejack turned around again, now facing her window. “Ah know yer worried about me, but it’s okay. Ah’ll get around to askin’ her, it’s no big deal.”
Big Mac shook his head. “Ah know you too well to know that you fully mean what you say. But I also know that you’re too stubborn to listen to me. So ah’ll leave you too it, cause I know you’ll do the right thing.”
“And what do you think is ‘the right thing,’ big brother?” She asked snidely.
“Just think about what’s important to you sis, it ain’t that hard.” With that, he left her room, gently shutting the door behind himself.
Applejack continued to stare forward, straight out her bedroom window. It was dark now, well past dinner. With Rainbow Dash’s promise of coming to pick her up, she hadn’t eaten much. It didn’t help that her mom had dropped a bombshell on the entire house: she was hoping that in about three years, Big Mac would come up to Hooveston to help them with planning the town and with some manual labor. Then, after who knows how long, they’d all come back to Sweet Apple Acres. So far, though, it was the plan to leave Applejack, Applebloom, and Granny Smith behind at Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville, maybe getting some help from another farm for a few years.
The news sickened Applejack. Yes, it was confirmation that her parents would be returning. But that paled in comparison to the fact that her brother would have to leave her family for a few years. Her parents had already been gone ten, and now her brother had to leave? Something inside of her burned, and she currently had no way of dealing with it.
Applejack had a temper, yes. But she normally had a way to work it off: work. Now, she was sitting in her room at six in the evening, waiting for her marefriend to pick her up, while she just learned that her brother might be leaving for several years. That another close member of her family might be leaving. At some point, she’d probably have a huge argument with him about it. She knew that her opinion wouldn’t change anytime soon, and that she didn’t want him to go, but she couldn’t force him to stay, and that burned at her core.
There was a sudden knock at her door. “Sugar, are you alright in there? Ya haven’t come out since dinner.”
“Everythin’s fine, Apple Butter.”
There wasn’t even a pause. “Can ah come in? Ah think we should have a talk.”
Applejack paused to think, and figured it was as good a time as any to try and figure out what was going on. “Sure, that’s fine.”
She heard the door open, her mom stepping through the door way, then the door close. Applejack continued to look out the window, mostly for any sign of Rainbow Dash.
“Jackie, sweetie,” Apple Butter started, “If ya aren’t going to address me as yer mom, then at least have the decency to look at me like ah’m another pony.”
Applejack sighed, and turned on her bed to face the mare she called mama. Her deep, blue eyes were a perfect portrait of worry and fear, two emotions she had never seen on her mom’s face before. Yet, somehow, in whatever anger she was feeling, she didn’t find herself caring too much.
“Ya... seem a little mad,” Apple Butter finally said.
“Ah think ‘a little’ is a big understatement.”.
“Is this... is this about what we talked about over dinner? With yer dad and ah askin’ yer brother to come up to Hooveston?”
Applejack waved a hoof. “Nah, how could that be the issue? Ah ain’t never had family leave me before. ‘tain’t no big deal.”
“Now that ain’t fair Jackie, and ya’ll know it.”
“No, mama, ah got it exactly right, so ah’m gonna tell ya straight.” Applejack pointed a hoof accusingly at her mother. “Ya left an eleven, a ten, and a two year old here, all to be taken care of by your mother, our grandmother, for ten whole years, with only a few farm helpers that lived here until Big Mac and ah were old enough to do all the farm work. That was hard. When we were old enough, we may have had our cutie marks, but we went from just buckin’ a couple acres we each had to do on our own, to doin’ the entire farm by our lonesome. That was daunting. Then, we figured out what we were best at. Big Mac was good at apple buckin’. Granny was good at workin’ the book and zap apple harvests. Ah had to work the farm, the market, marketing, and pretty much every other darned aspect of this farm, just to keep it alive, while also makin’ sure Applebloom had a proper upraisin’, good schoolin’, everythin’. Ah had to hold this farm, this family together. That was impossible.”
“And yet ya did it. Ya did it all so well,” Apple Butter said.
Applejack ignored her. “That’s why ah ain’t scared when mah friends and ah gotta go tackle some ginormous beast, or some kinda demigod. Us, living through everything ah just listed, is impossible. And ah’ve done the impossible. Ah took YOUR place when YOU left us. Ya were such an influence on me and ya weren’t even damned here to see me grow. Ah say ‘sugarcube’ all the time, ya know? Like how ya say ‘sugar.’ Ya’ve seen Applebloom, haven’t ya? She’s... she’s like a little me. It’s like ah was her mom, and she’s my little sister. Because ah had to raise her like she was mah own. Ah... ah had to do all of this. Ah had to hold this family together.”
“Jackie...” Her mother said, with an unreadable expression. Applejack couldn’t really see it; it was like there was water pouring all over her eyes, and she wasn’t quite sure why.
“When ah got mah cutie mark and came all the way back here from Manehattan, it wasn’t just about me realizin’ ah loved the farm. It was about us. It was about mah family. Ah loved all of ya and ah couldn’t stand bein’ apart from ya’ll, not even for a few days. And then ya just up and left. It was like ya tore out half of mah heart, and ah had to rebuild it here, with this little makeshift group of brother and sisters and grandma and somehow we made it through everythin’ that was thrown at us through all these years, and the day ya come back, ah hear that mah brother may have to leave? What do ah gotta take away from that, ma? That ya can’t do anythin’ about yer Family? That they all just up and leave and ya can’t stay do anythin’ about it?” Applejack was bawling all out now, her sheets already soaked with tears, but her words continued unabated. “What am ah gonna do without my family, ma?! WHAT DO AH DO WHEN YA’LL KEEP LEAVIN’ ME?!”
Applejack tried to leap forward at her mother. She had no idea what she was planning, but her body wasn’t in her control anymore. She moved forward, but she her hooves weren’t extended to land a blow. She tried to swat her away, but her hooves hit with about as much force as a fly landing on her shoulder. So she did all she could do, and cried against her mother’s shoulder like a new born filly. She didn’t care how loud or how long she wept, but wept she did, her mother not saying a single word as the farmer let loose every bit of caged up sadness, frustration, and anger.
After what had to have been a few minutes, Applejack said, “Ah don’t wanna lose ya again, mama. Ah don’t think ah can take any more of this.”
Apple Butter simply nodded. “Ah’m sorry Jackie, for puttin’ ya through all of that. But... we can’t come back now. Not yet.”
“But why? Why can’t... why can’t ya just stay?”
“Because that wouldn’t be right to Hooveston. Your father and I made very stupid decisions, and those decisions led us to responsibility, and we have a responsibility now to an entire city.”
“What do ya mean ‘stupid decisions?’” Applejack finally pulled herself away from her mother’s grasp.
“Well, that’s easy. We decided to have three foals and leave them to fend for themselves for a majority of their lives,” she said.
“So ya regret havin’ us the, is that it?!”
“Jackie, don’t even joke about such a thing. What ah regret is not thinkin’ too much about what it means to have kids. We just though we could take ya around with us, no matter where we went, like ya’ll were luggage, when ya’d need a caring family, a town full of support, everythin’, and we didn’t give ya jack of that.”
“But... that’s...”
“Everythin’ ya just said... nopony should have to do so much with so little. That ain’t right. Yer pa and ah ain’t done nothin’ right by you.” Apple Butter looked down in shame. “We knew we would go and help build a town—no, even a city—someday, and we decided that we could have kids anyway. Bring them with us. That it would be like an adventure.”
“Y-you could have!” Applejack pleaded, “Why didn’t you?”
“Because while we helped the city of Ponyville, we also didn’t have much on the farm. Yer father and ah basically ran it, just like you and Big Mac do now. No farm hooves, no nothing. Just us two and a whole lot of apple bucking. We didn’t even plan for when we left, we just... we very stupidly thought that if there wasn’t an orchard yet, and with an entire town of ponies ready to work, that maybe we wouldn’t be as busy as we were here. So when we found out that we would be planning the building of the city ourselves, and that we wouldn’t have any help with the orchard, and that Sweet Apple Acres needed ponies to run it, well, only one solution came up.”
“B-but... how could ya just toss us aside like that?!”
“Ya think that was easy for me to do? Just leave my kids in their hometown and go off without them? You were separated from us as much as we were from you!” Apple Butter shouted. “It was the only solution at the time, but... but I still regret it every day. Because like I said, ya were right. It left this family for the worse. I wouldn’t even consider your father or I a part of it anymore. Applebloom doesn’t even remember me.” She looked up into her daughter’s eyes. “Yer so strong now... ah can’t see how ya could forgie us...”
She leaned forward and hugged her mom, the older mare not ready for it this time. “Ah may be mad at ya, but yer my ma. Even after all these years, ya came back, hopin’ to see the kids ya left at the door, and we were there for ya. Family’s... what matters, and yer family, so you matter. So don’t be surprised that we’re willin’ to be so forgivin’.”
She heard her mom choke back a tear, and pull back to see her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Applejack... ah’m... ah’m positively thankful that ya don’t hate me, but don’t... be so eager to accept me back, all right?”
“Big Mac leaving was only half of the story, wasn’t it?”
When she nodded, Applejack found herself taking a deep breath, exhaling as slow as she could. “All right. Ah guess whatever else ya have to say is about me, right?” Another weak nod. “So what is it?”
“It... it isn’t a big deal, really. We only worked this out a few months ago, and given what ya told me this mornin’, you don’t have to do anythin’, ah promise.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow at her mom’s vague descriptions. “What are ya on about?”
“Well, here’s how we see it. If Big Mac don’t got much time for Ponyville, we figure that he also don’t got much time beyond makin’ friends, right?”
Applejack could already see where this was going.
“So that leaves you and Applebloom to continue the farm here in Ponyville. From the sounds of it, Applebloom may not exactly be getting a purely-apple related mark... which means that you may have to run the entire farm.”
And here it comes.
“So we thought that if ya had somepony... special, to you, that the farm would still be kept alive. That ya both could run it even.” Apple Butter breathed out as if she had been holding it in for minutes. “Ah-ah’m sorry, ah had that much better prepared in mah head.”
“So, what yer sayin’ is... ya wan’t me to marry somepony nice and continue running Sweet Apple Acres?!”
Apple Butter winced. “With... kids?”
Applejack felt her heart bottom out. Everything fell into place. She had basically been the head of the house for years now, and if Big Macintosh was leaving, that’d leave her and Apple Bloom to run the place, and there’s no way the two of them could do it. If she had a husband to help with the farm, having kids wouldn’t be an issue at all. She could ensure that Sweet Apple Acres ran for another generation, all by herself. Applebloom was too young to have kids, but Applejack fit the bill perfectly.
And her mom thought she already had a nice stallion.
With that thought, her heart crashed through the wooden planks of her chest, and deep into the sea of doubt. She didn’t need to ask to know how important this was to her—her mom had just finished telling her how she regretted not being there for her own family, how she had kids without thinking, leaving them to their own devices. Applejack was in the perfect position to avoid such a situation. She wasn’t leaving Ponyville anytime soon, for an entire myriad of reasons. Settling down and having kids... that’s not only the easiest thing for her to do, but it’s what her mom never got to do right. It’s what she failed at.
But she was already seeing a mare.
Applejack’s stomach was full of that sick feeling again, as if she wanted to throw up. How could she break it to her mom, who came crawling back to the kids she just basically admitted to abandoning, that she was hoping for grandkids to continue the family business, a business that Applejack herself loved just as much as her mom and her family?
Applejack sat back onto her bed. “You... you are seeing somepony, right?” Apple Butter asked. “You told me you had a special stallion already, right? If you don’t wanna talk about it, that’s okay, but—”
“Ma, ah don’t think ya quite understand.”
“Oh, it’s okay if you aren’t sure if he’s the one!” She said, chuckling. “I mean, there’s plenty of fish in the sea! Ponyville especially has some nice looking stallions, you know.”
“Ma, ah really don’t need you tellin’ me that. But that ain’t it.” Applejack started rubbing her temples with her hooves. “It’s... it’s more that he’s just... he’s really...”
It was then that an all too familiar gust of wind blew through the room, causing both earth ponies to have. Wherever Applejack’s heart had landed at the bottom of the sea of doubt, it now fell farther, consumed by the panic that was the sea floor, swallowing it up like a mad beast.
“Why am I not surprised that you need a reminder about how awesome I am?” Rainbow Dash said, hovering between the two ponies while she shook her head.
Once Apple Butter could breath normally again, she said, “And who in tarnation is this?!”
“Oh, you wanna know who I am?” The pegasus said as she turned to face Apple Butter. “I’m Rainbow Dash. I’m Equestria’s Number One, fastest flier, and Applejack’s marefriend.”
“Marefriend? Ah hate to break it to ya, but Applejack was just tellin’ me about the stallion she was seein’, right Jackie?”
“Tch, as if,” Rainbow Dash replied. “We’ve been going steady for three weeks now. Right, Jackie?”
Applejack looked up from her hooves, a complete blank expression on her face. Both ponies were staring dead into her eyes, and she couldn’t say a word. “C’mon, you aren’t gonna lie to your mom, are you?” Dash said.
“Mah daughter ain’t tellin’ no lies, and she sure as heck ain’t been lyin’ to me all day and evenin’. Go on, tell her ya’ve been seein’ a stallion, Jackie.” Apple Butter said, clear anger building in her voice.
“I think you need to shut up before you start filling her head with stupid ideas!” Dash said, turning to face Apple Butter, taking an aggressive stance.
She gasped. “The day ah believe my daughter is datin’ somepony as rude as you is the day this family stops carin’ for apples!”
“JUST STOP ALREADY!” Applejack yelled. Both ponies ceased all movement and arguing and looked the orange mare. “Just hold yer horses, okay?! Ah ain’t gonna have any fightin’ in mah room, ya hear? Just settle down now and let me figure this out.”
“I don’t see much to figure out. All you gotta do is tell us the truth.” Rainbow Dash leveled a glare at her, eyes fixed on her. “So, tell her. Are you seeing me or not?”
Applejack looked between the two ponies before her. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. The two ponies before her were possibly the two most important ones in her life, and she had to choose. She had to damn well choose one. Yet, after a few moments, she already knew what she was going to say. She was all outta heart, after all. And her honesty came from her heart.
Applejack got off of her bed, and started walking towards her mom. “Sorry ma... but...” she could already see the expressions forming on their faces. Dash’s glee, her mom’s surprise. She’d be cutting them so short.
Damnit, girl, just say it. Tell her what she’s been waiting all day to hear. Don’t let her down now, when she needs you the most.
Applejack gulped. “...but Rainbow Dash can get a little excited sometimes. She’s, uh, just over eager sometimes is all. Ah told her, ya know, we could try it for a while, but when I found him, it all just, well, as Rarity might put it, fell into place, ya know?” She threw an arm around her mother’s shoulder.
She looked again between the two mares. Apple Butter had a glowing smile, no longer seeming to care that there was a pegasus just floating in front of them. Rainbow Dash had...
She was utterly defeated. Her eyes were already leaking, and even her wing flaps weren’t consistent. “F-f-fine! H-have it that way! I g-guess you didn’t m-mean anything to me either! After all, what am I c-compared to your mom, right?” She said, almost fully crying now. Applejack reached out with a hoof, but the pegasus slapped it away so hard that if it had been another pony, it might have left a bruise. She, sloppily, flew out of the window, making carefully towards her home in the sky
“Ah’m glad that is over with.” Apple Butter slinked out from under Applejack’s foreleg. “That... tonight’s been rough on me. Ah’m sorry for... hey, you okay?”
Applejack gave a dumb nod.
“Are ya sure? Ya look... a little pale...”
Another nod. “Ah just... need some time to myself. Feelin’ a bit tired too. Ah’ll see ya in the morning.” Apple Butter was hesitant, but decided to listen to her daughter, leaving her room quickly and quietly.
Applejack stood there for several seconds, dumbfounded. What... what had just happened? Did she just lie to everypony in the room? Did she just toss her marefriend out like she didn’t matter? Because her mom had some high expectation of her to start a family?
Oh Celestia what was she doing?
Applejack fell to the floor and curled up into a ball, crying silently over how many bridges she may have just burnt down.