//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: What If? 
// by BronyNeumo 
//------------------------------//

What If?

Author's Note: Ok, everypony, just like last time, each chapter shall contain a reference to a Coldplay song. For this first chapter, I've made the reference easy! Enjoy!

For new readers, it is ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE that you read the series "To Fix You", before undertaking this series. If you do not, this story will not make sense.


Chapter 1

Like many other small towns in Equestria, most ponies taking residence in Ponyville know one another. For anypony living in such a town, knowing one pony means knowing nearly every other pony. However, it has been said that the only pony to know absolutely everypony else in town is the resident pink party pony, Pinkie Pie. It is extremely rare, therefore, for a resident of Ponyville, Pinkie Pie in particular, to see somepony they have yet to make the acquaintance of. The comradery and friendliness offered by the small town ensures that the citizens of the town will always know quickly whenever there is a new stranger in their midst, for it does not take much for a few ponies to notice somepony they don't recognize, and it takes even less for the news to then spread by word of mouth until everypony knows it.

This was, as always, the case when he arrived. He came dragging his hooves, as if his journey had left them weary. He wore a long black traveler's cloak over his tall, lanky, yet muscular frame. His sinewy legs rippled in protest with every step he took, yet he strode into town with an air of determination and a steadfast gaze. His golden yellow eyes stared fixedly forward from deep within the confines of his hood. He was not the type of pony to blend into the backdrop. He stood tall, as tall as, if not taller than, any stallion in town. His high stature and stoic disposition commanded attention as he strode down the main street through town, even if he often stumbled over his own worn-out hooves.

Throughout the town, ponies dropped what they were doing to turn and stare at the newcomer. The bravest among them ventured out into the street to gain a better view, while the meekest opted to cower behind the shadows, off put by his powerful, if deteriorating, frame. No one spoke a word to him, but after he passed, words were exchanged liberally between them. Idle discussion of the mysterious stranger was passed from mouth to ear; excited gossip put forth between shoppers and store-keepers; hushed musings about his identity whispered between friends. Word of the newcomer spread through the town like wildfire.

Still the strange stallion strode on. The thatched roofs of homes and businesses alike passed him by at a steady pace as he made his way down the unpaved street. The gravel crunched beneath his hooves with each step, little puffs of dust rising whenever a hoof was lifted again. The rhythmic pattern of crunching created a forewarning to ponies ahead of the approaching stallion – telling them to either stop and stare or shrink back from the main road. In truth, the crunching of gravel was not altogether an uncommon sound for a city with loose stone streets, but few ponies in the town carried footfalls as heavy and loud as the stranger's, and of them, none sported the strange, rhythmic, steadfastly determined gait that he did. Like he himself, the sound of his stride was unfamiliar to most ponies, and so garnered him further attention.

A light summer breeze began to blow, whipping through the town and chilling the relatively hot afternoon. The stranger's tail was lifted by the wind, individual strands of blonde hair whipping gently in the breeze as he continued to walk. The rushing air would have done the same to his messy blonde mane had it not been covered by the hood of the cloak he wore over his brown pelt. He barely registered the intrusion of the breeze. A slight flick of his covered head was all the indication he gave of having noticed.

It was, in truth, not his first visit to the town. Those ponies of a certain age and of certain memories might remember him from a time when he was younger; a time when he had lived in their midst. The stallion had once called Ponyville his home. He had once laughed and chatted with his fellow citizens as a well-respected regular of the community. That time had been years ago, however. Most of those ponies who would have recognized him now sat inside their houses, shut up against the oppressive heat of the summer. Had any of his old comrades seen him, he might not have been recognized, anyway, for among those citizens who had known him, few remembered him, and fewer still wished to. The other ponies on the street were either too young or too ignorant to remember him, and so he went unrecognized.

He stopped almost as suddenly as he had seemingly appeared, halting in the middle of the road. He lurched as he brought himself to a stop. Before him, his options lay. The street he was on continued straight on ahead, splitting between dual rows of equine houses that extended to the edge of town. The cross street split it at right angles, stretching off to his left and right. The mysterious pony had shown no emotion since entering the village, no actions gave away his thoughts save for his steady stride. Now, however, with that stride broken, he seemed confused, uncertain, as if he didn't belong. The aura of self-assuredness he had carried previously began to dissipate, gradually becoming displaced by a sense of agitation towards a seemingly simple problem. This pony did not know, or more likely, did not remember, where to go.

It was in this moment of weakness that he was first approached by another pony. Pinkie Pie made it her mission to know everypony in Ponyville, and always tried to meet and greet every newcomer. With a blissful smile on her face and jovial humor in her eyes, she trotted up to him. "Hiya, stranger! Welcome to Ponyville! My name's Pinkie Pie and I'm super-duper excited to meet you! What's your name? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

The stallion lowered his head. His tired, yellow eyes carried no light in the dim shadow of his hood. He sighed down at the bouncing, energetic young pony before him. "You do not need to know my name."

"Oooh! A guessing game? I love guessing games! Let's see… is it… Bucky McSilversteen? Goldenmane? OOH! The Hooded Avenger?"

"I said… you do not… need to know… my name." He raised an eyebrow at the excitable pink pony, giving her a half glare which persisted until her mouth shut.

"Fine. You can be a Secret Secrety McSecret-pants." Pinkie Pie leapt into the air, eager to expend some of her natural energy. The stallion had still not moved from his spot, and she looked at him questioningly when she returned to the ground. "Are you lost?"

"It has been some years since I last was here. I do believe I have forgotten my way. Tell me. How does one get to The Apple Family Farm from here?"

"The Apple Family's farm! Of course I know how to get there, silly! That's where Applejack, one of my bestest best friends in all of Equestria lives!"

"You know Applejack?"

"Well, duh, she's one of my bestest best friends! Weren't you listening? Do you know her?"

"Never mind that. How do I get there again?"

Pinkie Pie bounced around and landed next to the strange pony. She stuck out a hoof and pointed rigidly down the cross-street. "You just turn right here and go down this street and then you reach the bridge and the road gets really really windy and then you walk for a long time and it starts to seem like forever but then you start to see apple trees so you know that you are close and…"

"Thank you. Thank you. That's quite enough. I believe I remember now." The large brown stallion began to gallop down the street, soon leaving Pinkie Pie well behind him. He kicked up further clouds of dust and startled more ponies as he went, finally slowing down as he reached the edge of town and the bridge over the stream. He recognized this bridge from a time long before. Slowly, he began to recognize his surroundings, and set out toward his destination, confident that he did in fact remember the way around his former hometown. Even as he got further away and slowed to a walk, however, he thought he could hear a rather loud mare's voice receding behind him.

"Okie Doki Loki! Nice meeting you, stranger!"

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Ponyville's library has most often been a rather quiet place. This is partly due to the diligent efforts of Twilight Sparkle, who, as the town's resident librarian, strives to run her inherited institution much like any other library, with an enhanced emphasis on noise cancellation. The truth that Twilight is not wont to admit, however, is that the major reason for the calm, serene tranquility usually experienced at the library is the sheer lack of traffic it receives. As such, the unicorn is often left with more alone time than would be expected at such an institution; time which she is aptly willing to spend reading, an action during which the true value of running a library, at least in her eyes, is displayed.

The high sun was beating down incessantly on the midday village, raising temperatures in almost every part of Ponyville, including the library. Inside, Twilight once again found herself engaging in her favorite pastime, having lounged herself out on the library floor with her snout buried in the slightly-worn pages of a book. The hot day had, as usual, been a slow one for the library, with nary a customer in sight throughout the morning. Safe in the knowledge of both this and the fact that Spike had lain himself down for another mid-day nap, Twilight Sparkle allowed herself to relax, fully engrossing herself in the words printed on pages before her, partly out of a desire to remain indoors and refrain from braving the heat of the day, and partly because the activity was innately enjoyable for her. She was so absorbed in her studies and so confident in the premise that she would have no clients and no visitors today, that she was startled into a particularly alert state when her ears were suddenly besieged by the sound of her library door being thrust open unexpectedly.

"Twilight? You home? Where are ya, Twi?"

Twilight, standing up and shaking herself to remove the shock of her thoughts being intruded upon by the sudden interruption, picked her book up in her magical aura and slid it into its space on the shelf before stepping out from around the corner and into view of the orange earth pony in the front doorway. "Oh, Applejack. What a pleasant surprise. Please come in."

"Thanks, Twi. Sorry about the interruption, Ah hope Ah didn't scare ya." Applejack stepped further into the library, allowing the door to close behind her. She grinned sheepishly at her unicorn friend and tried to wipe some of the sweat from her mane before approaching her.

"So, what brings you here today, AJ?"

"Twi, Ah've got a problem, and Ah think y'all can help me best."

"What is it, AJ? Is another fungus eating the apple trees?" Twilight's expression visibly brightened and her horn began to glow, her magical essence encompassing itself around the spine of a botany text on a high shelf.

"No, Ah got a different problem than that."

"Termites eating the wood of the barn again?" Her glowing purple aura immediately switched targets to envelop a new tome, 'Ingenious Index of Equestrian Insects'.

"No, Twi. This is more of a… a… personal… problem. Ah was hopin' for yer advice."

Twilight let the book slide back onto the shelf, the purple glow left her horn and she turned to face her friend. "What's wrong, AJ?" Twilight peered curiously at the orange pony, who opened her mouth as if to answer, but closed it soon after, remaining silent. For several moments, the two ponies stood a few mere feet apart, gazing wordlessly into each other's eyes. Twilight was stuck in place. She hadn't taken a good look at her friend's face since she had barged in; she had only caught a fleeting glance of her as she busied herself with her books. As she stared into Applejack's eyes, however, she could see that something was truly wrong. There was no sadness or tears there, but there was worry. There were the telltale signs of distress and a haggard sense of tiredness about her. Applejack's eyelids drooped drowsily even as she tried to keep up her strong, unfazed façade. "It's Rainbow Dash, isn't it?"

Applejack sighed, the expulsion of her breath seeming to carry away all the energy that the normally strong pony usually displayed. Applejack seemed to deflate as she sighed and hung her head. Twilight felt an instant pang of worry that Applejack had been overworking herself again, but said nothing as Applejack turned her gaze back up towards her, staring up at her out of her tired, green eyes. Applejack looked exhausted, but the look in her eyes seemed to show for all of Equestria that her stress was emotional, and not physical. "How obvious is it, Twi?"

"A little bit. What's wrong? Is she depressed again?"

"No."

"She hasn't gotten herself hurt, has she?"

"Nope."

"She isn't becoming distant from others or anything like that?"

"No, Twi. That's just it. She seems perfectly happy. She's been upbeat fer months, ever since she moved in with me, even."

"So what's the problem?"

"Ah don't understand it, Twi. She seems happier than ever, but Ah can't leave her. It's like she never wants ta be alone, she's always tryin' to be at mah side whenever she can. She works the farm with me every day, she sleeps next ta me every night, Ah even had to sneak outta the house and run all the way here just to get enough time ta ask you about it."

Twilight couldn't help but snicker. She brought a hoof up to her mouth in an attempt to keep her composure, but her action earned a glare from the orange pony anyway. "Let me get this straight. You're asking me for help because your marefriend wants to spend time with you?"

"It ain't funny, Twi. Ah think she's getting' too attached ta me, she wants ta be with me all the time. I don't like it."

"You don't like spending time with her?"

"What? No! O' course not! Ah love her, Twilight. Ah love her as much as a member o' mah family and probably even more. That's why Ah don't like it, it worries me. Ah'm worried about her. Ah love spendin' time with her, but Ah think she's becomin' obsessed. Ah don't think it's healthy for her. Ah'm scared, Twilight."

Twilight stared ahead for a few seconds, her mirthful grin having fallen almost immediately to a perplexed frown. "What exactly are you afraid of?"

"Ah'm scared she's still sick. What if… what if she really is obsessed with me? What if… what if she can't bear to leave me alone because she still gets sad when she isn't around me? What if she's just usin' me to distract herself from her own sadness?" Applejack fell to the floor, letting her body rest on her weary legs as she took deep, ratcheting breaths.

Alarmed, Twilight rushed over to her friend, kneeling down to look closely at her. "Applejack? Are you… are you Ok?"

"No. No Ah'm not, Twilight. Ah'm worried sick. Ah promised… Ah promised her after… after it happened that I would try to fix her. What if… what if Ah got it wrong, Twi? What if tellin' her Ah love her was the wrong thing to do? What if a relationship wasn't what she needed? What if bein' her marefriend is just givin' her a distraction? What if Ah'm wrong and Ah can't fix her?"

"Well… she must believe that you saved her life, AJ. And she loves you, doesn't she?"

"Yeah. Ah know she does, Ah can see it in her eyes every time she looks at me. It's just… It's just not normal, Twi. She just isn't actin' like herself, and Ah'm worried. Ah… Ah want the old Rainbow Dash back." Applejack's breaths were almost gasps, and Twilight could tell she was fighting back sobs.

Twilight reached out to embrace her friend, wrapping her hooves around her orange neck and letting Applejack rest her head on her shoulder. "We all do, AJ."

"Ah can't stand it, Twi. Why did she… why did she even have to… to… to try to… do it? Everything made so much more sense before she… before she tried to… to…"

"I know. I know, Applejack. Everything did make more sense back then. But… I guess… I guess what's happened has happened. If we dwell on it, we'll never fix anything. We need to move on."

"But Ah can't move on, Twi. Ah can't forget it. Every time Ah look at her, Ah can't help but see her lying there, broken, not breathing, in that field. Every time Ah look at her, Ah feel like there's somethin' still wrong with her, and Ah feel like it's mah fault."

"It's not your fault, AJ. An experience like will change anypony, you can't blame yourself."

"But Ah can't help it, Twilight. Maybe… maybe if Ah wasn't distractin' her all the time, maybe she'd be able to get over it. She doesn't act sad around me, but Ah think that's because she's still afraid o' bein' alone. Maybe if Ah wasn't with her all the time, she wouldn't be afraid." Applejack pulled herself out of the hug, resting her chin on her front leg contemplatively for a moment before standing up again.

"Do you think it would help if you spent some time apart, if you let her get more used to being without you?"

"Ah don't know, Twi. Ah just don't know. Ah get worried whenever Ah'm away from her. Ah can't stand ta see her sad, and Ah'd hate ta think that she'd be scared without me."

"Well, AJ. If you never do anything about it, the situation will never change."

"Ah know, Twi. Ah should probably get back there before she starts to worry." Applejack sighed again, suddenly looked very tired once more, before she inhaled deeply and seemed to gain confidence from seemingly nowhere. Twilight understood this at once. Applejack didn't want to appear weak outside. Just before she was about to put her hoof to the latch and exit into the summer air, Applejack turned to face her unicorn friend again. "Thanks fer yer help, Twi. It means a lot ta me."

"Come on, AJ. What are friends for?"

Applejack chuckled vainly at this, smiling despite herself. "Ah guess yer right, Twi… Oh, and Twi?"

"Yeas, Applejack?"

"Please don't tell anyone about this. Ah don't want the others knowin' and getting' worried too."

"I promise." Twilight half-smiled, watching as Applejack tipped her hat and made her way out the door and into the bright sunlight once more. Twilight sighed as the door closed behind her friend. For lack of a better idea, she returned to her book, settling herself back down on the rug, but she couldn't get absorbed into the story. She was too distracted. Thought of Applejack and Rainbow Dash swam through her mind even as she tried to block them out with her reading. It was no use. Sighing again, Twilight gazed up at the high ceiling and questioned the emptiness. "Why is it that your best friends can bring you the most stress?"

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The hot summer sun beat down upon her as she made her way down the back road that would lead her home. Applejack looked down at the gravel surface dejectedly, thoughts of one particular pony occupying her mind completely. She certainly didn't want Rainbow Dash to worry, so she knew it was important for her to return soon.

The sight of a familiar grove of trees, laden with unripe fruit, brought relief to her. She made for the copse of tress, which marked the very edge of the orchard on this side of her property. She knew she was close to home now, and she even knew a shortcut through the orchard. The cool shadows of the tall, leafy trees shielded her from the intense sunlight as she passed beneath them, sighing in relief for more than one reason.

The shaded space underneath the apple trees provided far more comfort than the open air, allowing Applejack to make quick time as she weaved her way through the familiar meandering pathways and clearings of the orchard. She trotted quickly; beating a path over the land she had known her whole life. Her intimate knowledge of the family farm gave her knowledge of every possible short-cut, and she made good use of it to get home as fast as she could. Sparkles of sunlight glinted through the leaves, cutting through the shadowy space beneath the groves. Finally, the shadows gave way as she exited the orchard, finally reaching the clearing her family's farm had been built in. Across the open space, sunlight could be seen glinting off the windows of the farmhouse. The cozy abode provided a sense of relief to the earth pony as she trotted up to the porch.

She slowed as she reached the wooden slat porch deck, stopping altogether before the front door. She removed her hat, pausing to wipe the sweat from her brow and allow her breathing to normalize after her long trot. Placing her hat back atop her head, she shook herself and smiled brightly before putting a hoof to the latch and opening the front door. The wood-lined entryway was darker than the outside as well as cooler, which provided welcome relief to Applejack as she stepped inside. The door clicked as it closed behind her, the noise sounding into the house proper. Applejack was immediately greeted by the sound of clopping hooves, immediately followed by a cyan face and rainbow mane, which poked around the corner from the kitchen and seemed to immediately brighten upon seeing her.

"Hi, Applejack!" Rainbow Dash rushed forward, smiling brightly as she approached her marefriend. She threw her forelegs around the orange pony's neck, hugging her warmly and leaning in to deliver a gentle kiss. Her magenta eyes shone as she pulled away. "I missed you."

"Ah missed ya too, Dashie."

"Where did you go?"

"Ah just had to go down and talk to Twilight about some farm stuff."

"Ok." Rainbow Dash gave her partner another quick kiss before they both walked out into the kitchen. "I woke up and you weren't there, I was getting a little worried."

"Ah'm sorry, Rainbow. Ah just had ta get a couple questions answered at the library. Are Macintosh and Applebloom awake yet?"

"Yeah. Mac went to work on something in the shed and Applebloom went out to play. I've been here alone." Rainbow Dash turned slightly away as she spoke, but Applejack clearly saw the pegasus cringe slightly.

"You Ok, Sugarcube?" Applejack reached up with a foreleg, laying a hoof across her marefriend's shoulder.

Rainbow Dash looked up. Her magenta eyes shone as she gazed into Applejack's green. Applejack smiled for the other pony, who reached out and embraced her, laying her head upon her shoulder and nuzzling affectionately. Applejack smiled at the display, but inwardly she worried. Something was still wrong with Rainbow Dash. There was no doubt about that in her mind now, especially after seeing the pegasus react to the word 'alone'. Still, Applejack patted her lover on the back, holding her gently and comforting her as she had done many times over the past few months. Rainbow Dash reveled in the contact, lifting her head to whisper into the earth pony's ear. "I love you."

"Ah love you too, Dash." Applejack smiled as they pulled apart, seeing a similar expression mirrored in the face of her partner. "How 'bout somethin' to eat, Sugarcube?"

"You haven't had breakfast yet?"

"Nope. You?"

"I haven't either. I was waiting for you."

"Well, Ah'll go make us some…" Both ponies jumped as Applejack was cut off by the sound of rapping at the wooden door. They turned from the kitchen to peer back at the doorway they had just left moments before. They looked quizzically at each other before both advanced upon the door, reaching out to open it before further knocking came.

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The wider road through Sweet Apple Acres is not as well-shaded as the interior of the orchard, and the distance covered by any pony moving from Ponyville to the farm is longer along the road than any shortcut through the orchard. However, for those who have not the experience to navigate the oft-unforgiving interior of the orchard, the road offers a clear path to follow to the farm. The same is true for those who may have had the experience to navigate the orchard before, but for whom time and repressed memories had shrouded that skill in the dark of mental remission. In the full heat of high noon, most of the ponies in town had retreated to their cooler dwellings, and only one soul braved the lonely stretch of path between town and farm. In the heat, the tall brown stallions movements were strained, but still conveyed the resilience of a body that had always been well-toned, even if it had been more so in his earlier years.

The worst of the sunlight was shielded from his face by the hood he had worn stretched over his head. Beneath that shadow, his yellow eyes focused on the trail ahead. He maintained his stoic pace forward, each hoof-fall sounding off the path surface. Gradually, the thick orchard became more recognizable, and he began to remember his way even clearer. Rounding a bend in the trail, he saw in the distance for the first time the complex of buildings that made up the Apple Family's farm. A fence now flanked him on either side as he continued on towards the structures. As he drew closer, they came more into focus, and he was able to read the words on the sign placed over the path at the edge of the clearing. 'Sweet Apple Acres'

"Well, that's new." The stallion chuckled to himself as he continued under the archway and towards the farmhouse. The rest of the buildings had not changed from his memories, and he found his hoofsteps falling into line along a path he had not traveled in many years: a path that led straight to the front door of the Apple Family Abode. He walked onto the wooden slat constructed porch, his hooves sounding distinctly as he did so, approaching the door. He raised one front hoof to knock, rapping on the wooden façade several times before stopping to wait.

It was not long before the door swung open inward. The stallion found himself standing face-to-face with an orange earth pony mare with piercing green eyes, a tied-back mane and tail similar in shade to his, and a familiar Stetson hat. She was a mare he instantly recognized, even if she was many years aged from the last time he had laid eyes upon her. "Hello, Applejack."

"Sorry, pard'ner, 'fraid Ah don't know ya. Can Ah ask how ya know mah name?"

"Come now, Applejack. I'd have thought that you, of all ponies, would recognize me." The stallion smiled from underneath the shade of his hood, before reaching up and removing it completely. The full light of the sun fell upon his messy blonde hair and pale brown face, his golden eyes glinting in the light as he fell into full view of the perplexed mare.

Seconds passed without sound as the confusion on Applejack's face turned form confusion to recognition before descending into incredulity. She appeared to shrink back from the doorway as she stared on the stallion before her, her voice quavering as she finally answered.

"D… Dad?"