A Trip to Remember

by Gallifrey

Applejack's Tale

The storm had blown itself out by the following morning and all four ponies had had less than a stellar night’s sleep.

“Right, I know we are all tired,” said Twilight as they ate breakfast, “particularly you Rainbow Dash, but you must be hurting all over too huh?”

“Only in my wing really, but I’ll be alright,” said Rainbow, stifling a yawn.

“Anyway, we’re all tired, but do we all agree we need to get out of these mountains today?”

They all nodded in agreement.

“Good, because to get to the bottom of the other side is only about six miles away, so we can take it slow today.”

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It was early afternoon when they reached the mountain’s peak. Twilight and Luna cleared an area of snow so they could eat, Applejack made some hot chocolate from a small fire and Rainbow Dash had a quick nap. Twilight looked around at the landscape: she couldn’t see Ponyville to the west, but she could see all of Whitetail Wood spread out beneath her. She turned around to look at the eastern horizon and she fancied she saw a thin band of blue at the edge of her sight.

Applejack appeared at Twilight’s side.

“Hey Twi, how are ya feelin’?

“Not too bad considering we both nearly fell to our deaths yesterday, how are you?”

“Ah’m good, ah’m good, glad to be alive an’ all.” She chuckled. “How’re you and Luna?”

“Much better now, she’s probably still hurt but she’s not letting it affect her anymore, which I think is good?”

“Well, she don’t wanna bottle it up, but maybe she’s over it already? She’s old and wise enough to get over it quickly maybe.”

“I hope so, I feel bad about it still.”

“Don’ feel too bad about it sugar cube, it’s jus’ the way things are."

She patted Twilight on the back and returned to the water she was heating, that was now boiling.

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They set up camp that evening in a sheltered, grassy hollow at the base of the mountain that evening. Despite only having walked six miles, mostly downhill, Rainbow Dash collapsed in a heap when they stopped.
Twilight and Luna were becoming quite adept at setting up the tents now, and after erecting them, Applejack hoisted Rainbow onto her back, causing the pegasus to open her eyes at what was going on.

“Hey, thanks AJ.”

I sure am glad she’s a pegasus. Very light indeed. Thought Applejack.

She set Rainbow down and wrapped her up in blankets.

“No problem Firefly,” said Applejack, giving her a kiss.

Rainbow giggled at the name. Applejack looked curiously at her, she rarely giggled like a little school filly.

“Applejack, remember the other day with the harmonica…”

Applejack sighed.

“Do you want me to tell you how my parents died?”

Rainbow looked startled.

“I-I was just gonna ask you the name of the song you were playing, but um, yeah, I mean, only if you want to of course.”

“Well, of course ah don’t want to, nopony would want to, but I guess, seein’ as how we’re together an’ such like, ah shouldn’t keep secrets from ya.”

Applejack turned around and looked out of the tent to see what Twilight and Luna were doing. They were making a start on dinner, which gave Applejack plenty of time to talk without being interrupted.

“Do you promise not to breathe a word to anypony? You’ll be the first outside the family to know.”

“I promise AJ, I am the Element of Loyalty after all.”

Applejack lay down next to Rainbow and took a deep breath.

“Well ah guess it all begins with my mama. Her name was Ariane. She was the sweetest, kindest pony I ever knew, and she loved us all dearly. I remember her always baking apple pies and leaving them on the windowsill. Me and Big Macintosh used to cook up schemes to eat bites of ‘em while she weren’t lookin’, she never told us off: she said that our burnt tongues were punishment enough.” Applejack chuckled at the memory.

“And there was Pa, Firm-Gold his name was. He poured his all into the farm business, he used ter work harder than me and Big Macintosh put together, which is sayin’ something because he wasn’t a big stallion like Mac is neither. He taught us the ways of the farm and all the tricks and knacks there are to it: he taught Mac how to do all the physical work right, and me to mainly run the business side, selling and what not.

“Then… one day, not long after Applebloom was born, Ma was setting up the new machine that was to mash up the apples so that we didn’t have to do it manually, but…”

Applejack choked up slightly. Rainbow stroked her mane until she was ready to continue.

“When me and Ma first set up the machine, everything was going good for a while; ah was eager to start playing mah harmonica for her to show her a new song I learnt, so we sat in there fer a time while she listened. But then everything went wrong, there was something up with the machine, Ma could tell… She glanced at the dials, she must have saw something was mighty bad because she picked me up and threw me out of the way… And that’s all I can remember, I think I was knocked out at that point. I woke up in Ponyville Hospital next to Ma. Pa told me the machine had exploded. He was a wreck, I’d never seen him cry before then, it disturbed me. Ah got out of the bed to see Ma, she… wasn’t good. She was covered in the most horrible burns and wounds. I- I couldn’t believe what ah was seeing, it was just too much fer me. She turned her head to me, touched my face,” Applejack raised her own hoof to her face, eyes glistening, “and I remember her saying:
“’I’m- I’m sorry sugar cube, I’m sorry I couldn’t be stronger for you. But you gotta be strong for me okay? Make me proud, my beautiful daughter.’
“‘Mama! What- what’re you saying?’
“‘Ah’m saying you’ll be the best gosh-darn Apple in Equestria, I know you will, I love you.’
“‘I love you too Ma.’
“And with that… My mother died…”

Hot, stinging tears began falling not just from her own eyes, but Rainbow Dash’s too.

“Ah often feel like it was all my fault: I reckon Ma could have easily escaped if I weren’t there.”

“Applejack, you can’t think like that! There was nothing you could do!”

“Ah know, ah know,” she said, her voice cracking.

Applejack rubbed her face wearily and sighed.
Rainbow held out her hooves to her and Applejack didn’t hesitate in throwing herself into the pegasus’ warm, loving embrace. The earth pony felt a profound sense of security and care through the hug as she wept into Rainbow’s soft fur. Applejack took a shuddering breath then looked up, determined to finish her story.

“Pa just got worse and worse after that, he fell into a deep depression, and from what Big Macintosh has since told me, turned to drink, though ah think he hid that from me at the time for my own good. One day we woke up to find a note on the kitchen table, saying goodbye to each of us, and that it was best that we all remembered him as he was rather than what he had become. He had left everything he owned to us, including his hat… which he left to me.”

Applejack removed her hat and looked at it in her hooves.

“This was your dad’s?”

“Yup, this is pretty much all I have to remember him by.”

“What, um, happened to him?”

“Honestly, we have no idea. I always hoped that after he ran away some kind pony might have took him in and that he’s still out in Equestria somewhere, but he most likely committed suicide… Ah can’t say I blame him, he lost so much, and after he left us for our own good, he lost everything.”

“Applejack… I don’t know what to say.”

“Tha’s why Granny risked the farm when Flim and Flam came to town: we haven’t used any kind of machinery on the farm since then, and we weren’t gonna be run outta business by one, not after we know what they can do.”

“I just can’t imagine how awful it must be for you to live like this,” said Rainbow, trying to comprehend the pain Applejack must have felt, and still felt.

“Aww, thanks firefly, though if ya wanna feel bad fer anypony, feel bad for lil’ Applebloom, she never knew her parents, at least Big Macintosh and I have our memories of ‘em.” She turned and sadly smiled at Rainbow, “They were the best parents I could ever wish for.”

“AJ! Rainbow! Soup’s on!”

They glanced at each other as they both hastily dried their eyes.

“Comin’ Twi!”