The walk back to Sweet Apple Acres was unsurprisingly quiet. Neither Applejack nor Twilight wanted to discuss their conversation by the gravestones. Twilight was still embarrassed about her attempt to make her friend feel better, and Applejack was still confused about her twin sister. The country mare was the one to break the silence when they reached the barn, "Well, here we are." She said awkwardly, staring at the red stained boards.
"Umm, should we go...?" Twilight faltered as Applejack gave her a pleading, begging look.
'I don't want to go in there.' It said, not wanting to face the dishonest family members that the house held.
"AJ, you're going to have to go in there-" The unicorn was abruptly cut off.
"No! Ah'm not gonna go in there! Ah'm not gonna go sit through who knows how long of guilt talk about mah dead twin sister!" She finished with a note of firmness, nopony was going to talk her out of this decision.
So instead of arguing, Twilight devised a second option. "How about I go talk to them? I could sit through the hard part for you, ask the questions you don't want to ask."
"Uhh... is that really a good idea Twilight?" She shot her friend a questioning look, "Ah mean.... what good is it gonna do me if you're asking questions?"
The librarian dropped her head, "Oh yeah, right." Her eyes suddenly brightened, a imaginary light bulb appearing over her head. "Ooh! What if I come in with you for support?"
Applejack smiled, "That's a much better idea sugarcube." She swallowed hard, "Ah just... don't know if Ah'm ready. What if they're mad at me?"
"Applejack, why would they be mad at you?" A confused look came across Twilight's face, "If anything, you deserve to be mad at them!"
The farmer let out a long sigh, "Ah guess, Ah'm just frustrated about this whole darn thing."
Twilight embraced her friend, " I promise it'll be alright, and I'll be right there with you the entire time."
Applejack smiled, an expression of relief on her face, "Thanks Twilight, Ah really appreciate this."
She trotted to the side entrance, beckoning with her hoof for the unicorn to follow her. As she opened the door, the deep voice of an enraged stallion burst from inside the house.
“Ah’ve reminded ya a million times and over, we shouldn’t have ever told her! Now mah sister’s gone!”
The two friends froze, struck with absolute shock at Big Macintosh's boiling temper.
"She was gonna find out sooner or later Macintosh!" Granny Smith's voice came into the picture. "If we hadn't ta told her now, think how much angrier she woulda been in five! Ten years!"
Applejack and Twilight crept slowly into the household, silently closing the door behind them.
"She'll never forgive us Granny!" The red pony's voice boomed from the kitchen. "Do ya expect her to jus' toss it over her shoulder like nothin' happened?! Buck, she's the Element of Honesty!! How long do ya think its gonna take before she trusts us again?!"
The unicorn peered around the corner of the living room, just in time to see Big Macintosh slam his hoof down on the dinner table. A few seconds later, Applejack joined Twilight by the doorway.
"You watch your tongue Macintosh!" Granny Smith shouted with a fire in her eyes that the orange mare had never seen before. "Ah'm still your grandmother and Ah deserve more respec-" She abruptly stopped as she noticed the two mares standing under the door frame.
"Um, hi y'all." Applejack said awkwardly, a nervous, cheesy smile plastered on her face.
"Dear Celestia AJ!" The earth pony stallion bolted over to his sister, giving her a bone crushing hug. "Ya had us worried sick!"
"Ah’m jus' fine Mac!" The mare choked, her face turning crimson, "now will ya please let go of me!"
"Oh, uh, sorry." He released the country pony, giving an embarrassed smile.
Granny Smith approached her granddaughter, her mouth slightly open, as if she were about to speak.
"Granny, Ah-" Applejack was cut off as the green pony burst into tears once more.
"Ah'm so sorry Applejack! Ah should've never kept the truth about Snow Apple from ya! I can't believe that I...I-"
The farmer pulled her grandmother into a hug, "Shush, it's alright Granny, Ah overreacted, Ah'm the one who should be sorry."
"But Ah'm the one who lied to ya all these years darlin', this is all mah fault!" Granny accepted a tissue from Big Mac and dabbed her eyes.
"It's neither of your faults." Twilight spoke for the first time since entering the humble little kitchen. The trio turned to the unicorn, expecting an explanation.
"Applejack, you were very upset and shocked, anypony would expect you to react as you did. Granny Smith, you were trying to protect and spare the emotions of your granddaughter. I would imagine it was killing you to keep it from Applejack, but you just couldn't bring yourself to confess to her."
The two mares smiled, Granny Smith went over to the lavender unicorn and placed her hoof on her shoulder, beaming. "Miss Twilight, wouldja like ta join us for lunch? We would be plum grateful!"
"Oh, thank you for the offer Granny Smith but I don't have much of an-" She was interrupted by a noisy rumble, the sound clawing at her stomach. Twilight sighed, "appetite."
"C'mon sugarcube!" AJ encouraged with enthusiasm, "yer the pony who gave me breakfast this mornin', so we owe ya one! Please stay."
The unicorn blushed, "Honestly, I appreciate the invite but Spike wanted to-" She paused, then widened her eyes in remembrance. "Oh horseapples! Where is Spike!?"
----
Five minutes of searching later, Spike was found sleeping in the Apples’ barn, snoring loudly on a pile of musty straw. Twilight smirked, lowering her head and igniting her horn. One zap and the lazy dragon was on his feet.
"Ok, so first you bolt out the door this morning leaving me clueless. Then you leaving me wondering what the hay is going on, and looking like an idiot in front of Granny Smith and Big Mac. Now, you wake me up in the middle of my nap! What the heck Twilight?!"
"Oh, you be quiet, you weren't even up until 8:15!" Spike climbed onto Twilight’s back as the group exited the barn, rolling the heavy door shut.
"Quit yer fussin' you two, " Applejack chided, "we got some lunch ta eat!"
"AJ, I already told you, Spike and I need to-" The unicorn glanced at the baby dragon with a confused look. "What did you want to do anyway?"
Spike rolled his eyes and groaned, "C'mon Twilight! I wanted to bring those brownies you made on Wednesday to Rarity, remember?"
"First of all, I'm the one who made those brownies. And second, we're not going to Carousel Boutique so you can try to win Rarity over with googly eyes and treats!"
The assistant sighed, "A dragon can dream, can't he?"
Applejack gave a smirk, "So if you’re not gonna take brownies ta Rarity... Ya'll might as well stay for some grub!"
Twilight took a deep breath and scoffed, "I guess we really don't have any excuse now do we Spike?"
Spike grinned, and with a perfect imitation of Big Macintosh he drawled, " Eeyup."
----
"...And so then when Applejack was helplessly caught in between two rocks, I very bravely chucked the stone into the the gigantic timber wolf’s mouth! Oh, and did I tell you guys about the time I saved The Crystal Empire?"
"Spike!" Twilight scolded, taking a bite of her crisp salad, "it's not polite to brag!"
"What? I'm only telling the truth! Right Applejack?"
The country mare chuckled, "I'm pretty sure ya didn't slash his legs off with a tree branch sugarcube."
"Ok, maybe that part was a little bit exaggerated..." Spike blushed slightly.
Granny Smith and Big Macintosh laughed. Twilight and Spike had been quite the guests, they even helped prepare lunch and offered to stay to assist them in washing dishes. By the time Granny had brought out her famous apple pie for dessert, Applejack had one question on her mind.
"Uh, Granny?" She asked, passing around a slice to Twilight, "what was... Snow Apple like?"
The room went dead silent, and the unicorn looked to her friend and nodded slowly, pride in her eyes.
"Well, " the elder mare said slowly, swallowing a bite of pie. "Snow Apple was a good filly, not unlike yerself actually.Ya'll loved playin' together."
"Did she have any hobbies?" Applejack pursued determinedly.
Granny shook her head solemnly, "Too young ta tell darlin'. It was not long after The Reunion where you ate all them fritters."
Applejack sighed, prodding at her dessert with her eating utensil, "I can't believe Ah don't remember her, it feels like Ah should."
Her grandmother looked at her kindly, "Ah'm sorry Applejack, Ah really am. But Snow's gone now, and Ah afraid nothin's gonna change that."
Twilight rested a hoof on the orange mare's shoulder, giving a sympathetic smile. Then her pupils suddenly shrank to tiny pinpricks, and just as rapidly widening, giving off a small twinkle.
Applejack glanced at her, confused, "You all right Twi?"
"Aha!" The student shouted loudly, causing the others to cover their ears.
"Granny Smith," she said excitedly, in an almost giddy tone. "When Snow Apple...wandered into The Everfree Forest, did you ever find a body? Or remains?"
The elder gave a puzzled look, then turned to her grandson, "I don't recall findin' anything youngin', Macintosh?"
The stallion shook his head, "Nope."
Twilight pursued, "Did you ever hear any sound? Like shrieking or screaming?"
"No...why are you asking us these questions Miss Twilight?" Big Macintosh glanced at the unicorn earnestly.
"Because," The lavender mare beamed upon The Apple Family, "There is a possibility, that maybe, just maybe, Snow Apple might still be alive."