“We’ll be back soon,”
That’s what they said 11 years ago, and they never came back. Applejack bucked a tree absentmindedly while contemplating this. She hit the tree a little harder than expected and her hat fell off. It drifted down and landed right on top of a small rock. She huffed and sat down next to the tree, keeping the rock and hat in front of her. For a few minutes she stared, not looking at anything in particular, just staring blankly into space. She wondered about her parents; where were they? Were they alive? Did they even remember that they had a family; probably not.
This continued for a few more minutes until a large shadow blanketed AJ. It was her brother Big Macintosh; he looked down with a hint of worry. Finally she looked up at him and said “Mac, do yah ever think that maybe, just maybe, ma and pa are comin’ home?”
Big Mac looked to the side with an air of disdain, “uh…no sis, ah do not.”
Applejack sighed and stood up, “Why do yah ask?” asked Mac quickly,
“It’s just…well, they did say they would be back soon,” said AJ, but before she could finish,
Mac interrupted, “Then there yah have it, they said they would be back,”
Applejack shot Mac a look of exasperation, “Yes, but that was 11 years ago Mac! 11 years!”
Mac looked up, took a deep breath, and then spoke, “Do yah remember where your hat came from?”
AJ looked at him, “Duh, I got it from…..uh…a store?” she said.
“No, that hat used to be pa’s. He would always hang it up above the mantel when he came in from workin’,”
“Yeah, so?”
“So, the day they left, you went into the family room and stared at the mantel for a whole hour.” Mac finished
AJ looked up, “Really? Ah don’t remember that,”
“Well yeh did, and then after that, yeh took his hat down and held it,”
“That it?”
“Well yeah, ya just held it, I was standing there the whole time. You were cryin, not sobbin’ or bawlin’, just crying, cause ya missed yer pa. I hate to admit it AJ, but I did too, when I saw yeh like that,”
At this point Applejack’s mouth dropped, “YOU?! You were cryin’?! Oh boy howdy, that’ll be the day!” she said with a laugh.
“AJ you don’t get it, ah knew why pa left, but I couldn’t tell ya then cause it would only make it worse,”
Applejack replaced her look of mocking joy, with a look deep sullenness. “Could ya tell me now?” she asked,
“I guess I have to,” sighed Mac
“Why didn’t you?” said a gray pony with a mustache and spectacles. “Why, Mr. Apple, did you not pay for this season's rent?”
Sweet Apple Acres used to be owned by a pony with the name of Money Bags, he gave the old bedraggled a pony a look of fake pity. It was evident the Mr. Bags didn't care one single bit about the farm, or its run down state. He was only there to collect the money that he so desperately DID NOT need.
Mr. Apple looked up and sighed, “Ah simply can't pay yeh this year Mr. Bags, our harvest was lowest we've ever had! I jus' can't pay yeh with the miserable sum we currently have,”
Money Bags turned and began walking, almost to himself but loud enough that the farmer could hear, “I guess I'll tear down the farm since you can't afford it...”
Mr. Apple's face dropped, the contorted itself into a look a pure loathing, “YEH DON'T NEED THAT MONEY FOR ANYTHING BUT YER OWN SELF-GAIN! You steal the from the poor and give to yourself, you pompous, snobbish, stuck-up little-” He cut himself off before he crossed the line.
Money Bags turned around, and glared at the farmer, and sucked his teeth “How about this, Mr. Cocksure,” he mocked “bring me the money or I run you out of town.”
Mr. Apple deflated, his moment of adrenaline high had come to a fast close.
“Bring me the money by the end of this week!” Bags said, “Or I tear down this farm,”
AppleJack looked at big mac, “Wait, so ma and pah left 'cause they couldn't pay fer the farm?”
Mac shook his head, “No…y-yes….just lemme finish,”
Later that evening, Mr. Apple trudged into the ramshackle farmhouse he called home. He slumped into his favorite leather chair and sighed. His daughter, a young orange filly clopped into the room holding a little stuffed horse. She sat down in front the farmer, and stared at him.
“Daddy, why do you look so sad?” the little filly asked.
“Grown-up matters, my little fritter.” he said.
He walked away as the foal stared in confusion. Mr. Apple walked to the kitchen where his son and wife stood, talking and making dinner.
“Hey sport,” he acknowledged towards his son.
The red colt looked up from a bowl of apple slices and nodded a short a hello. The mare in the room, a mare with a dark, auburn mane and light orange coat, like that of an autumn leaf, looked sullen and distraught. Mr. Apple turned to her and asked, “ Is everything alright?”
She snapped at him, “Is everything alright with YOU?!”
The farmer, taken aback by the sudden outburst, didn't say a word.
“I'm sorry honey, but I saw you with Money Bags earlier, and by the looks of your face when you came in and at the time, what was being said was not pleasant, I assume,”
The farmer's wife sank into a kitchen chair while the colt continued to stir the contents of the bowl.
"Blossom," said the farmer, putting a hoof on her shoulder "I may have to sell the farm,"
She jumped away, toppling the chair, "WHAT? What do you mean 'sell the farm'?!" The colt looked up and stared, but did not say anything.
"Money Bags said that if I didn't pay rent by this weekend, he'll take the farm. The only way I see it, if we sell the farm, we give him the proceeds and leave Ponyville," the farmer confessed.
"So, ma and pa left because they couldn't pay the landlord? We never actually owned the farm?"
Mac sighed an nodded,
"Then where did they go?" Applejack stood up as Mac thought of an answer,
" I dunno, they never said," replied Mac
They began walking towards their house as it was getting late. " Big Mac? Do ya think granny would know?"
A shrill voice piped up from the front porch.
"KNOW WHAT?" It was Granny Smith, blinking groggily from her rocking chair.
They reached the porch just as Granny stood up, "Would ya happen ta know where Ma and Pa went?" asked Applejack.
"Um, well, ah do know, but I don't think ah should tell ya," said Granny. Applejack sighed and Big mac only looked down at the wooden floor.
"But mah hat Granny! Why did pa leave it? Who was Money Bags?" pleaded AJ
Granny Smith froze, "How'd ya know all that?" she pried, Big Mac's ears flattened, "Mac, did you tell her?" Granny interrogated,
"Eeyup" said Mac with a sigh.
"Well then I guess I have no choice than to tell yeh, sit down a bit, I'll be right back,"
Applejack sat and waited, it was a full 5 minutes before Granny Smith returned to living room laden with pictures and albums and small envelope. "Alright, they went to Trottingham,"