When Applejack awoke, she had no idea where she was. For once, it was nearly pitch black, save for the moonlight. She blinked a few times to adjust her eyes and sighed in relief when she began to reognize the the familiar apple trees that inhabited the south orchard of the Acres.
She needed a drink. In the span of just an hour, she had managed to not only lose her mind, but she insulted her brother at his own funeral by running off sobbing like a foal. She ran a hoof through her mane and sighed. Apples don't cry. she remembered the words her dad had told her when she was young. She'd sprained a back hoof while bucking a tree. As the tears came, her dad had knelt down, put a hoof on her shoulder, and muttered those words. For years she followed those words, never letting a tear sneak past farther than her ducts. But today she had failed, the tears had come and they hadn't stopped.
With a groan, she got to her hooves, only to duck down again when she noticed a familiar lavender aura and the beating of wings. She looked up to see Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Their voices were too quiet for the tired Earth pony to make out, but she could tell they were scouring the area for any signs of her. She squeezed herself under one if the few bushes, silently cursing her wide hips, and didn't move after nosing a small gap between the leaves so she could see. She waited until the voices and the dim light of magic fully disappeared before emerging from her hiding place.
Applejack began her journey back to town at a steady trot, which soon turned into a gallop as the need for alcohol pulsed through her. Her mane was still loose from how she'd styled it for the funeral and her long dress made her stumble, but she pushed on. Her eyes shone with determination; determination she was ashamed to have. She shouldn't want more alcohol. As much as she wanted to turn on her heels and head back to the farmhouse, she knew she couldn't. There were far too many memories there. Her brother's presense lingered in every hallway, every room, every piece of furniture. It was like he was still there, mocking her and reminding her that Macintosh was gone and that he would never return.
Her only escape was a bar; the burn of whiskey as it slid down her throat, the punding headache from a hangover. To drown herself in beer until she couldn't see straight. She knew that it hurt her friends and family to see her like this, but something inside her kept her selfish. Applejack had been strong for far too long, it was time for her own break.
She placed her hooves against the trunk of a thick apple tree. She peered up at the sky to see a long pink mane followed by a soft voice. "Applejack? Applejack? Applejack, where are you? Please come back! Everypony's worried sick, please!" Fluttershy's words almost made Applejack turn back.
Almost.
Applejack carried on. Her beautiful dress that Rarity had taken extra care to make was now torn and riddled with holes. Her long flowing mane and tail were filled with dirt, leaves, and twigs. Applejack didn't notice any of these things, her cider-lust reaching it's peak. She'd finally reached Ponyville, and her green eyes narrowed as she saught out her trarget: Rocks' Bar.
Her mind raced as she contemplated on whether she should do this or not. Images of Granny Smith and Appleboom raced through her head. Her friends, Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy's disappointment, Rainbow Dash's anger, Pinkie Pie's hair deflation. All seemed small prices to pay to the needy mare. Applebloom's tears, however, snapped her out of it. Her little sister still needed her. She stood in front of the bar and pushed her way inside.
Just one drink.
"I simply cannot find her anywhere!" Rarity fretted. She made her way to Twilight, who had just landed deep within the south orchard. "I've scoured every inch of this town!"
Rainbow landed next to the Alicorn and frowned. "Well, Twilight and I just swept the whole orchard. If she's avoided us, then she's smarter than I give her credit for."
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Of course she smart, Rainbow."
"I wasn't saying that she's dumb!"
"I never said you did."
While the winged ponies argued, Rarity frowned and lit up her horn upon hearing something from above. She could see Fluttershy hovering above a few trees, drifting from here to there. "Applejack? Applejack! Applejack, where are you?" Rarity felt her heart break at the distress in the Pegasus' voice. "Please come back! Everypony is worried sick, please!" Fluttershy flew a bit more and sighed. She landed with a concerned squeak. "Oh, I can't find her anywhere!"
Rainbow Dash stopped her argument with the Alicorn before turning to her friend. "Don't worry, Flutters. I'm sure she's around here somewhere."
"Ohh, but what if she's hurt? What if she did something she'll regret? What if she's..." Fluttershy's voice faded as she realized she didn't have to say anymore.
What if she's at a bar?
Twilight felt her heart race as she thought about how long her friend had been missing. The funeral had lasted an hour, it had started at five, now it was eight...
Three hours. She'd been gone for three hours.
Rarity seemed to reach the same conclusion. "We have to get back to town and cover all the bars!"
Rainbow shook her head in disagreement, but took to the air all the same. "We're probably too late, but fine. You're right." She looked at Rarity. "You can take Frosty's, Twilight and I got The Saltlick, and Fluttershy can take Rocks'." She flew back towards the town after throwing "let's meet at the library in an two hours!" over her shoulder.
Fluttershy unfurled her wings and took off after telling her friends to be careful. Twilight took off after Rainbow Dash while Rarity stuck to the ground and ran towards town. Fluttershy raised her forehooves to the sky and kept her gaze fixed to the ground, just in case she might have missed her orange friend. She frowned and closed her eyes. Ohh, this is all my fault! If I had just kept a close eye on her, she wouldn't be missing! If only I'd gone after her! She shook her head, as if to clear it, and increased her speed.
Taking a deep breath, she lifted upwards, to where her wing tips barely brushed the clouds above her. Even though she wasn't much for flying, the sight of Equestria below her at this height still took her breath away. She could make out the squeals of laughter from foals as they played, and the mothers scolding them and telling them it was time for bed. She could make out the dim glow of a fire in the home of one of Ponyville's many residents. She smiled. Everything looked peaceful from up in the sky. Her eyes shifted to the bar she was supposed to check and her smile faltered. Almost peaceful.
Rarity kept her head low as she walked through the trees. The sound of Fluttershy's wings were steadily fading. Oh, how she wished she could fly! She snorted in disgust when she felt her hoof slip into something sticky and mucky. She held her hoof to where it was touched by the light of her horn and groaned. Mud, of course. She sighed and continued her trek, trying her best to sidestep any less-than-appealing obstacles while still keeping her objective at the front of her mind. She could just barely make out the lights of Ponyville and frowned as she realized there was no time to waste. She reared back before dropping back to four hooves and taking off in a full gallop. She swerved unsuccessfully to avoid a low hanging branch that draped over the path and let out a surprised "oh!" as she took the branch to her cheek. It stung, but she had a feeling that no physical signs of the blow would make an appearance.
Pinkie Pie trotted out of Sugarcube corner with a frown on her face. Applejack was still missing and she'd searched every building in town. She'd gone to Rock's just after the funeral to make sure she hadn't gone there and thankfully the coast had been clear. Now at about 8:30 pm, she was beginning to worry that perhaps Applejack was there now while the rest of her friends were scouring the Acres. She walked the two blocks at a steady pace to Rocks' and peaked her head inside, and to her dismay saw the familiar orange flank of Applejack.
"Oh no! Applejack!" She ran to her friend to see that Applejack was already pretty out of it. Her eyes were gloomy, her head was low, and her breath was sour with alcohol. A few abandoned mugs lay strewn about the bar. Pinkie felt anger rise in her. How could Rocks have let her drink?! "Rocks!" She called out. Instead of the Unicorn stallion, a younger Pegasus mare took his place as she walked up to the bar.
"Rocks isn't here. May I help you?"
Pinkie fixed the mare with a glare. She didn't know why, but she was furious with her, a mare she barely knew. She slid her head underneath Applejack's left forleg and hoisted her upward. "C'mon, AJ. Let's get you home."
Applejack started sobbing then and babbling, her speech slurred. "I jush wanted one drink. I-- couldn't stop, I jus'.."
Pinkie nodded. "It's okay, Applejack." She looked toward the door, wondering how she was gonna carry the bigger mare out of the bar. She didn't seem like she could walk. Her panic turned to relief when she saw a familiar shape at the door. "Rarity! Thank Celestia, help me!"
The alabaster Unicorn quickly took her place on Applejack's other side. "Applejack, sweetie, we've been looking everywhere for you!"
Applejack shook her head and allowed them to carry her out. "I'm shorry, I s-sorry, I'm so sorry..." She kept repeating the words over and over again. Pinkie frowned. She couldn't figure out if Applejack was talking to she and Rarity, her family, or to Applejack herself.