//------------------------------// // My Story 2 // Story: My Story 2 // by nutcase4real //------------------------------// My Story 2 Before Applejack's life had been blessed with her sister, all she had was her dad, mom, brother, and grandmother. She had the farm, but constantly dreamed of bigger things, of going new places and seeing new things, but she knew her place was there at the farm, and she would do anything to protect it and her family. Well, she had done it again. She had gotten into another fight at school and had to stay late, and at the worst time too. Her family needed her at the farm today. Now they would have to load up all of the apples and take them to the next county without her. 'Ah can't believe this.', she said to herself as she sourly watched the teacher work at ther desk, 'That other filly had started it.', she thought and a small smile appeared on her face, 'All Ah did was finish it.' She stuck out her tongue at the teacher and quickly pretended to do her homework when the teacher looked up from her desk. Applejack decided it would be best to just finish her work, and scurry home as quickly as possible so she could help her family. Half an hour later the teacher stood up from her desk and walked over to Applejack, "Okay Applejack, you may leave now." Applejack stood up and bolted out the classroom only to jog back in a few seconds later to retrieve her books and papers she had left behind. "Can't forget these now can we?", the teacher asked with a smile. "No, of course not Ms. Bookworm.", Applejack said as she forced a smile on her face. She grabbed her things, threw them into her saddlebag, and bolted out the door once more. She ran down the road to her home all the while thinking, 'Ah have to go faster. They need my help.' She sprinted for as long as she could, but eventually she had to slow down. Her tiny legs just couldn't keep the pace she wanted to go, so she began walking briskly. She took no time to enjoy the day, all she wanted was to get home. Soon Sweet Apple Acres came into view, and Applejack immediately took notice that something was missing, 'Where's the cart?', she asked herself. She started running again, and as she approached the farmhouse, she noticed a note was stuck in between the door and its frame. She grabbed the note and read it, 'Applejack, We have loaded the cart and have left already. We will be back sometime tomorrow. Please watch over the orchard tonight, and dinner is in the oven. Love, Granny' "They left without me?", Applejack said out loud with a pout. She didn't mind being alone sometimes, but she never liked the thought of her family being so far away from her, especailly after the time she went to Manehattan. She couldn't place it, but something told her that tonight was going to change her life somehow. That somehow being alone was a very bad thing. She openned the door and went inside to get ready for work. She came back out a few minutes later with her work saddlebag, which had everything she could possibly need for working on the farm, and her trusty hat, that her dad had given her for last birthday. With the cart being gone apple bucking would take longer, but Applejack didn't mind this. The thing that she couldn't shake was the feeling that she was being watched. She would constantly look around trying to see who or what was watching her, but everytime she found nothing. She worked until the sun set and the last glimmers of significant light had disapeared. She wiped the sweat from her brow and started headed back towards the farmhouse when she heard a twig snap. "Hello? Is somepony there?", she asked into the darkness. The only answer she recieved was the cool autumn wind blowing through the trees. "Hey! Ah know somepony is there. You'd better leave right now. This land is private property!", she shouted. Once again the wind was her only answer. She decided that she must of scared off who ever it was by this point, and began headed back towards the house. She openned the door and walked inside. She instantly scolded herself for not starting a small fire to warm the house earlier, but she was glad to be out of the wind. She warmed the dinner that Granny had left her, and sat at the empty table to eat. The house was eeriely quiet, and it was starting to bug her. She silently wished that she had some friends that she could invite over so she wouldn't be so lonely, but since the other five of the mane six hadn't moved to Poniville yet, she didn't have any friends. All she had was her family and the farm. She ate silently and washed her dishes after she had finished her meal. She walked into the living room, grabbed a book to read, sat down near the fire she had started, and began to read. The story was her favorite one. It was filled with action, danger, adventure, and even a little romance. She kind of wished that her life could be more like the main character's of the book, and began fantasizing about her chasing some evil villian who was trying to conquer Equestria, and defeating him with her wit and skills. Suddenly there was a crash coming from outside. Applejack's ears shot up at the sound and she began running out the door. She stopped on the front porch and listened carefully so she would know which way to run. Another sound came from the barn and she ran over to it, but as she approached she slowed down and began to walk quietly. She peeked through the open door and saw a black stallion inside the barn. In his saddlebags Applejack saw some of her family's apples and a few tools from the barn. She watch as he picked up another small tool and began to place it in his bag. "Hey! Drop it all you thief!", she called out. The stallion panicked. He went up on two feet and yelped loudly. When he did this his saddlebag slid off his back and he took off out of the barn's other door. "Yeah you better run! Next time Ah won't be so polite like!", she shouted to him through the darkness while shaking her hoof angrily. She cleaned up the mess the stallion left in his wake, and slowly returned to the house. She had his saddlebag and hoped that she could find something that would identify him. She went inside and entered the kitchen. She openned his saddlebag and poured it contents out onto the table. A few apples, some of her family's tools, tools from other surrounding farms, and few other odds and ends, but nothing that could indentify the stallion. She gave up after a short while and walked back into the livingroom to think. 'Ah haven't seen him before, and Ah can't go ask one of the other families, since Ah have to stay here in case he decides to come back.', she started pacing back and forth in front of the fire, 'And why was he stealing things from us? What did we do to him?', she stopped as a sudden realization hit her, 'What if he fights me? Ah don't think Ah could take him one on one.', she walked around for a minute and glanced at a portrait of her family and eyed her dad holding a pitchfork, 'That's it! Ah think Ah know where dad stashed it.', she froze and looked out the window, 'It's in the barn.' She ran the idea through her mind of going out to grab the pitchfork and the stange stallion would be waiting for her in the darkened barn. He would attack her and take her away from her family, and do Celestia knows what to her. She gulped down the small lump of fear and steeled her nerve. She walked out into the darkness of the night once again. She quickly made her way to the barn and openned the door. It was quiet inside the barn as she entered. She quickly spotted a pitchfork and walked over to it and picked it up. Strangely as she did so she felt a tad bit safer, and she allowed a smile to grace her lips, but as she spun around, it faded away. He was standing there, his brown eyes were locked onto hers, and she could swear that they gleamed went he saw the pitchfork. He was even sporting the spare saddle bag her dad kept in the barn. "Now now litle miss. What were you planning on doing with that?", he asked. Applejack couldn't answer. For the first time in her life she was truly frightened, and she didn't know what to do. She just stood there and whimpered. "Hey!", the stallion whispered like he was talked to a foal, "I just want my bag, and everything that was in it back!", he began to pace, "That's all, and then I'm gone.", he said with a smile. "All you have to do is give it all back, and say that you saw nothing. That's it. Easy right?" "Ah... Ah can't d...do that.", Applejack whispered. The stallion's expression changed to one of anger, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that.", he turned his head and openned the bag. He rummaged through it for a split second and pulled out a knife, "Now speak up dear, and choose your words carefully, or it won't just be a cat that has your tongue." Applejack saw the knife gleam in the darkness of the shadows and panicked. She through the pitchfork at the stallion as hard as she could, and turned to run. She sprinted out of the door of the barn and ran into the house. She locked the door and watched the barn through the door's window. She saw the barn door swing open again and the stallion walked out. He started to say something, but fell to his knees, and soon he was on his side. Applejack then took notice to the puddle forming around him. She openned the door and poked her head outside. She listened to his ragged breathes and decided that she had to help somehow. She ran out the door, but she brought a kitchen knife with her for safety of course. As she got closer to the stallion she saw that he still had his knife with him. "Toss yer knife to the side, and Ah'll help you, but you're going to jail after Ah stop the bleeding.", she shouted from a safe distance. The stallion tossed the knife and started laughing, which made Applejack ask, "What's so funny?" The stallion laughed harder and said, "I must have really scared you little miss. You couldn't tell the difference between a toy and the real thing." Applejack looked over at the knife again and walked over to it for a closer look. She kicked at it and realized that he was telling the truth. The knife was a toy, and stabbed him with a pitchfork because she was to terrified to tell the difference. She ran over to the stallion. She was furious with him. First he tried to rob her family, then he pulled a toy knife on her and threatened her life, and lastly he had the galls to blame her for what she did to him. She walked over to his motionless body and kicked him. "Hey! Wake up!", her expression softened when there was no responce. "Hey! Mr. Theif, are you okay?", she placed her ear to his chest after she saw he wasn't breathing. "Oh no! Oh no, no, no!" Applejack ran to her neighbors house and returned with as much help she could get. She even got one of her neighbors to go get an actual doctor, but it was all for nothing. The stallion had passed away, and he wasn't coming back. The doctor explained to her that it was amazing that he lived as long as he did. One of the pitchfork's prongs had pierced his heart and another had pierced his lung. Applejack sat in her room on her bed, and thought back to what had happened. Tears began streaming down her face as the sun rose over the orchard marking an end to the horrible night that she would never forget. At least she still had her family and the farm was safe, and that was all that really mattered. Her Family came home to this spectacle and her parents saw that their little girl needed them so they sent everyone away after the stallion was carried away. They sat with their daughter and talked for a while. They talked her into coming back downstairs, and the entire family gathered together for a family hug. Applejack finally, after a night like last night, felt safe. She felt truly safe, and full of sorrow for what she did. She knew she did what was concidered the right thing, but she felt like she had been to rash. This was going to be something that would haunt her for life, and she knew and accepted this fact. As long as she had her family, she would be fine.