Looking down from the hillcrest, I noticed several structures of different shapes, sizes and colors. Most seemed to be made of painted wood, and as the first earth buildings I had ever seen in real life, they were quaint yet exotic. I couldn’t guess at any of the buildings’ functions, except for the centerpiece of the property, a large red building that had to be their house. It had a striking white trim, and every window had a box of flowers - real live ones, not made of ice crystals or cloud wisps. Even though I hadn't even gone inside yet, I couldn't imagine a more fitting place for my new earth pony friend to live. It was hard to believe that it had taken her so long to figure it out.
Granny Smith led us around the house, into a door on the far side. The inside was dim compared to the bright outdoors, but enough light filtered through the windows to see clearly. I identified the sink, cabinets, and kitchen utensils, which didn't look that different from the ones pegasi used. But there were some other appliances that were unfamiliar, such as a large boxy one against the wall.
Then, a woof resonated through the house, followed by a scrabbling, clicking noise.
Applejack grinned and trotted toward the doorway where the sound was coming from. A fluffy brown and white puppy scampered into the kitchen and licked the earth filly's face. Laughing, the filly rubbed the dog's back and neck with her hoof. The puppy's tail wagged so vigorously that it was a blur.
"I missed you too, Winona. You got so big!"
Winona backed up and spun around several times until she faced me. I reached out a hoof and instinctively scratched behind her ears.
"Aren't you adorable," I cooed. "You’re so soft and fluffy!"
Petting the dog, I remembered the creatures I’d left just outside the fence. I turned toward Granny Smith.
“Um, Mrs. Smith, can I ask you something?” I stared at the floor, unable to make eye contact.
“’Course ya can, child,” she said gently. “And call me Granny, everypony else does.”
I lifted my head, gaining confidence. “I made friends with some of the bunnies and squirrels out in the countryside, and well, I could tell they really wanted to come in the orchard, but Applejack told me you wouldn’t like it.”
“I sure wouldn’t! ‘Specially bunnies. They’re always stealin’ our apples!”
“Granny,” Applejack said eagerly, “Fluttershy’s special talent is talkin’ to animals. And they actually listen to her!”
“You don’t say! That’d be mighty helpful on the farm,” Granny said with a smile.
At that moment someone whimpered softly. I raised my eyebrows and looked around. Applejack stood up straight, her ears swiveling to pinpoint the pitiful sound. Then she broke into a gallop, shooting through the doorway.
"Applejack!" called Granny. "What in the world's gotten into you?"
"Apple Bloom's awake," McIntosh quietly informed her.
Apple Bloom? Applejack had never mentioned an Apple Bloom. Curious, I turned to Granny Smith.
"May I...?"
"Of course, young’un," she answered, heading out of the kitchen. "I better go too, Apple Bloom might need her diaper changed."
The doorway opened into a cozy livingroom. The couch and easy chairs looked just like the ones in Cloudsdale, except of course that they were made of fabric and wood instead of clouds. A staircase with railings led up to the second floor.
"You young'uns go on ahead. It takes these ol’ legs longer to climb the stairs."
McIntosh nodded to his grandmother, and climbed the stairs with Winona and me. The crying subsided as we walked down the hallway on the second floor. I began to wonder if we were going in the right direction until the colt stuck his head into one of the rooms. I peaked in below him, and Winona lay on the floor with her head just inside the doorway.
Inside the room was a crib, and standing next to the crib on her hind legs was Applejack, holding a tiny yellow foal with a mane and tail the same vivid red shade as McIntosh’s coat.
"There, there." Her voice shook slightly; she looked and sounded like she needed a hug as much as the baby did. "Poor little Apple Bloom. I promise I’ll never leave you again.”
Apple Bloom stopped whimpering as she poked Applejack's cheek with her tiny hoof.
"Appojack," she said in a matter-of-fact voice.
"You remember me." Applejack sounded quiet, almost awed.
"‘Course she remembers you," said Granny Smith, who had crept up behind us. "You're her big sister."
Startled, Applejack jerked her head to look at her. Her freckled cheeks reddened as she noticed that she had an audience.
"Well, it has been a month, and she's only a baby," she replied.
"But she's such a smart foal, as you can see," cooed Granny. She slightly pulled back Apple Bloom's diaper. "An’ wet, too. You young'uns go get the fixin’s ready fer the pie. I'll take care of Half-pint here an’ bring her downstairs."
“Let me change her, Granny.” Applejack held her little sister away from the elder pony. “She’s my responsibility now.”
Granny widened her eyes. “Well now, can’t argue with that. I reckon I like the new grown-up Applejack.” She turned and headed toward the door. “I’ll go downstairs an’ get supper started.”
“Eyup,” said McIntosh, walking back down the hallway.
"Wassat?" Apple Bloom pointed at me. I blinked, not sure how to reply.
"That's Fluttershy," explained Applejack. "Can you say Flut-ter-shy?"
The foal kept her gaze on me as she struggled through the word. "Fwut-toh-shy."
I smiled. "Yes, I'm Fluttershy. Hello, Apple Bloom. Applejack, why didn't you tell me you have a sister? She's so cute!"
She shrugged. "Oh, I didn't think you needed to hear my entire life story. You wanna hold her?"
“Goodness! I hardly know her and…What if she doesn’t like me?”
Applejack laughed. “Don’t be silly, she likes you just fine.”
Apple Bloom gazed at me with her button eyes. “Fwuh…Fwuh-shy.”
The earth filly held her sister out to me. I cautiously wrapped my forelegs around her, a little afraid that I would hurt her. Apple Bloom clamped my forelock between her front hooves and pulled.
“Ow! I-I don’t think she likes me!”
“She don’t know she’s hurtin’ you, sugar cube. Apple Bloom, we don’t pull ponies’ manes!” Applejack grabbed hold of her sister again while I carefully prized my hair out of her hooves. “Come on now, time to get that diaper changed.”
It was tricky, but the two of us worked together to pull the diaper off the foal and drop it into the pail next to the changing table. The hardest part was getting the clean diaper onto her. As soon as she was free of the old diaper, Apple Bloom wiggled around and almost fell off the table. Applejack expertly swished her tail up across her sister’s torso, holding her in place. Apple Bloom grabbed onto the blond tail while Applejack and wrapped a fresh diaper around her hindquarters. Then Applejack picked up a safety pin in her hooves and fiddled with it for about a minute until she finally got it open. She stuck it through the diaper fabric and tried to close it, biting her lip as it stuck her soft hoof.
“Dang it, how am I s’posed to work this?” she muttered.
“You mean you’ve never done this before?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I’ve seen it done plenty o’ times, but I’ve never done it myself.” Her brow furrowed as she muttered. “I can play classical violin, but I can’t close a stinkin’ pin?”
Wordlessly, I picked up another pin and stuck it through the other side of the diaper. I pressed and closed it on the second try.
“Here, let me get that for you,” I said, reaching for Applejack’s hooves as she struggled with the pin.
“Not that I need yer help or nothin’…”
I secured the other pin before she finished her sentence.
“…But thanks.
After Applejack and I changed Apple Bloom’s diaper and washed our hooves, we tramped downstairs to the kitchen. A strange, distinct smell drifted from the boxy appliance, which also radiated warmth. McIntosh pressed down on the black pleated attachment, and I heard air whooshing out of it.
“That’s an earth stove,” I said as realization struck me.
“Wood burnin’ stove to be exact,” said Applejack. “Apple Bloom what did I tell you?” she asked sharply. The baby was riding on her back and had her hooves tangled in her sister’s pale mane, tugging with all her might.
“I’ll help you,” said Granny Smith, trotting over to her.
“No, I can handle this.” My new friend reached her foreleg back and tried to lift the baby’s hooves out of her mane.
Granny disregarded Applejack, carefully lifting Apple Bloom away from her sister and placing her on a blanket spread on the floor. Winona padded up to the foal and poked her nose in her face.
Apple Bloom giggled and hugged the dog’s neck. “W’nona!”
The elderly mare walked to the kitchen counter and sliced some fresh carrots, holding the knife in her mouth.
“Can I help?” I asked.
“You can peel the potatoes,” said Granny, her voice muffled around the knife handle.
I picked up the peeler in my mouth and grasped a potato between my hooves, peeling the brown skin.
Applejack looked over my shoulder. “It’s been ages since I seen a whole potato! I can’t wait to taste some down home cookin’! Can I chop the celery?”
Granny finished slicing the carrots, and we each took turns cutting vegetables. Carrots, potatoes, celery, peas, and corn all went into a pot of vegetable stock, which was placed on top of the stove to boil. Granny explained that the vegetables take longer to cook than the crust, so they had to be pre-cooked. Then she opened the icebox and brought out a lump of dough, and she rolled it flat on the counter. She instructed me to rub the pie pan with a stick of butter, and then she pressed the sheet of dough into the pan and cut off the edges. Before long, the vegetables were ready for the pie, and we put it inside the stove to bake. I found that I liked working with my hooves almost as much as spending time with the animals. It helped me forget my troubles; flight camp had never seemed so far away.
Granny took the leftover crust and divided it into squares spread with rainbow striped jam.
“For dessert,” she explained with a wink.
“Granny, can I show Fluttershy round the orchard now?” asked Applejack.
Her grandmother nodded. “I’m fixin’ to make some mac’n’cheese, but it won’t take long. Ya’ll go on out.”
Applejack opened the door, and McIntosh and I started to follow her.
“Appojack! Mac!” Apple Bloom struggled to her feet and toddled after her siblings.
“Oh, I couldn’t leave you behind, sugar cube!” Applejack scooped her up and placed her on her back. Naturally, Apple Bloom tugged on her sister’s mane.
McIntosh sidled up to her and carefully slid the foal onto his back. Apple Bloom reached for his orange mane.
“Nnnope!” He was not quite yelling, but close to it. His sister blinked and lowered her hoof.
As we stepped outside, the bright sun hurt my eyes, but they soon adjusted to the light.
“Is it all right if we go get my animal friends first?” I asked, glancing toward the fence. “I don’t want them to think I forgot about them.”
“Sure we can,” agreed Applejack.
To my dismay, only three bunnies and four squirrels were left waiting on the edge of the property. Then, to make matters worse, Winona barked and raced ahead, scattering the poor little creatures. The bunnies hid behind the trees, while the squirrels scurried up into the branches and barked at the dog.
“Winona!” shouted Applejack. “Leave it!”
The puppy skidded to a halt and glanced over her shoulder at Applejack, and then back at the smaller animals.
I crouched down and cooed, “Don’t be frightened, little ones! We won’t let the dog chase you, will we?” I gave Winona a significant stare, and her tail stopped wagging as she lowered her head sheepishly. Turning back to the rabbits and squirrels, I continued, “You’re welcome in the orchard as long as you don’t eat the apples.”
The little button-eyed creatures peeked out from their hiding places. Cautiously, they crept over to me, and one of the squirrels climbed up my leg.
“Oh, you must’ve thought I abandoned you!” I lamented. “I know your other friends did.” I sighed. “I just got my Cutie Mark today and I’ve already failed at the one thing I’m supposed to be good at.”
“You kiddin’ me?” Applejack walked up alongside me. “Look how much them critters love you! I bet the others just decided to go back to their families. You didn’t fail them.”
The bunnies and squirrels pressed against me in agreement.
“Thank you. I guess you’re right.” I allowed myself a small smile, glancing at my Mark for reassurance.
“Vawmins?” asked Apple Bloom.
“That’s a rabbit.” Applejack pointed. “Can you say rabbit?”
“Wabbit. Fwuh-shy wabbit.”
“Right, that’s Fluttershy’s rabbit.”
All of us - ponies, rabbits, squirrels, and puppy - walked down the path toward a little house on stilts. Applejack walked up the ramp and ducked through the tiny door. I crept in after her. I pressed my wings close to my body to take up as little space as possible, because it was a tight fit with both of us inside the tiny house lined with shelves.
Plump birds with red combs sat in the straw that cushioned the shelves. They clucked softly and tilted their heads at me.
“Chickens!” I exclaimed. “They’re so precious!”
“Ain’t they the bees’ knees? This here’s our rooster, Rodney. He wakes us up every mornin.’” Applejack gazed fondly at a chicken standing on the floor. His comb was larger than the hens’, and his tail was longer. “He’s a good boy,” she added, scratching the back of his head. The rooster closed his eyes in contentment. “And the hens, they lay eggs for us every day.” She tossed her head toward the hens resting on their ledges.
One of the hens stood up, stretched, and flew onto my head. The squirrel who was still clinging to my leg scolded the hen.
Staying put, the chicken flapped her wings and let out a loud, “Buck-CAW!”
“Ssssh, it’s okay, there’s enough of me for everyone.” I scrunched up my face as I realized that might have come out wrong. Applejack simply laughed.
I held my hoof up to the chicken on my head, and she stepped onto it. Gently, I lifted her to the shelf where she’d flown from. She hopped onto the ledge, and I scritched the back of her head, feeling her soft feathers.
“Ready to see the pigs now?” asked Applejack.
I nodded, although I wanted to stay with the chickens longer. But I was certain that Applejack wouldn’t mind if I came back to visit the chickens again later.
We went to another little house inside a fenced-in area. The dirt inside was bare, with puddles here and there. When Applejack opened the gate, two pigs trotted out of the shelter, grunting happily. They stood as tall as McIntosh’s shoulder. One was pale pink and the other was a stormy gray color.
“Oh, my!” I said. “They’re bigger than I thought they would be!”
“Yup,” said Applejack. “They’ve grown a heap since I left.” She patted the pink pig’s head. “This is Piggington, and that there’s Hoggett. They’re gonna find mushrooms for us when they’re in season.”
I was beginning to see a pattern: each animal was kept on the farm to do a specific job, although they also no doubt formed a bond with the earth pony family. I stared at Winona, who bounded over to the pigs and bowed, vigorously wagging her tail.
“Does Winona have a job?” I asked.
“Eyup,” answered McIntosh.
“W’nona job,” murmured Apple Bloom.
“Her job is to herd the other critters and help keep out intruders,” explained Applejack.
Winona pulled back her lips in a smile and pawed at the pigs’ legs. She bounded away and turned around to look at them. The pigs made clicking noises at her and shied away. And suddenly I realized something. The dog wanted the pigs to play with her, but they didn’t understand. They couldn’t speak the same language.
I gazed at the pigs. “Piggington, Hoggett, Winona wants you to play with her.”
The pigs tilted their heads at me, then glanced at Winona.
“She wants you to chase her, if that’s okay with you,” I added.
The puppy leaped toward them, then sprinted away again. The pigs finally ran after her on their short legs, chasing her around their house. I smiled, happy to see them getting along so well.
“Amazin’! You can help the critters understand each other, too!” said Applejack with a grin.
I ducked my head at the praise.
“I bet you’d have no trouble talkin’ to the wild beasts in the Everfree Forest,” she added. “It’s just over them hills.” She pointed at the hillcrests to the south.
“You- you want to go there now?” I stammered.
Every foal knows about the Everfree Forest, the only part of Equestria that remains untamed by ponies. Many species of wildlife couldn’t survive in any other habitat. I’d read about Ursa Majors, Ursa Minors, timber wolves, giant serpents, cockatrices, and cragodiles. But although I knew much about the fierce bests and the ecosystem, I was not geographically inclined at that stage in my life, and I had no idea we were so close to the Everfree Forest.
“We don’t have to go into the forest,” Applejack assure me. “Just walk up to the edge and see what it looks like.”
McIntosh frowned and gazed at his sister with his soft green eyes. “You sure about this?”
Applejack drew a deep breath. “I ain’t been out that way since…since we lost Ma and Pa. But I’m ready now.”
Her brother shook his head. “Things have changed. See them trees down in the southern orchard?”
She peered intently in the distance, and I followed her gaze. A large patch of trees in that direction were dark and withered.
Applejack narrowed her eyes. “What happened?”
“Well…” began McIntosh.
“Never mind, I’ll see for myself.” She began trotting toward the grayish trees. “C’mon, y’all.”
Together we walked through the orchard until the leaves were noticeably wilted. The apples on the wilted branches were tiny and green.
Applejack’s pupils shrank. “They got some kinda disease!”
“Twees sick,” agreed Apple Bloom.
The orange filly wrinkled her brow. “Why didn’t ya’ll tell me?”
McIntosh scuffed the ground with his front hoof. “We didn’t want you to worry.”
“But this is important!” Applejack stomped her hoof. “The whole town depends on our farm for food! Did ya’ll think to ask anypony for help?”
“Eyup. Cousin Apple Rose says it’s fire blight. She can make an antibiotic, but it takes two days to make enough for just one tree. She can barely make it as fast as the fire blight spreads.”
Applejack shook her head. “Isn’t there anythin’ else we can do?”
“We tried trimmin’ the bad branches, but Granny and I…” He trailed off, looking away from his sister.
“Ya’ll have had a bit o’ trouble keepin’ up with all the work on this big ole farm,” Applejack finished for him.
McIntosh nodded, still averting his gaze.
The earth filly seemed more sure of herself as she squared her shoulders, then stepped forward and put her front hoof on McIntosh’s shoulder.
“It’s gonna be all right, Mac. Ya’ll shoulda told me about the fire blight sooner, but I’m here now, and we’ll figure this out together as a family.”
Her brother met her gaze with a hesitant smile.
Applejack turned to face me. “Are you up for seein’ the Everfree Forest?”
I glanced at the bunnies and squirrels to gage their reaction. They were indifferent; one of the bunnies casually washed her face.
“Okay,” I answered. “Just the edge.”
We walked among the sickly trees until we came upon a section of fence. Just beyond it was an undergrowth of various exotic-looking plants, some with tiny flowers that attracted buzzing insects. Trees rose from the undergrowth, their trunks mottled gray and green with lichen and moss. Leaves of all shapes and sizes made up the forest canopy, which blocked most of the sunlight a few feet into the forest. I heard the rustling of little creatures moving, but I couldn’t see them.
Winona whined softly. I turned and saw that she had her head on Applejack’s whither, and the farm filly was leaning against her brother. Even Apple Bloom looked subdued, resting her forelegs on McIntosh’s neck.
“This is just a small part o’ the Everfree Forest,” explained Applejack. “Our parents used to go through the forest to deliver food. Last time, they forgot their fireproof boots…”
I frowned, wondering if there was a forest fire, and if that was how her parents died. But I didn’t want to interrupt.
Applejack gazed ahead as if she could see far into the wilderness. “The townsfolk sent out a rescue party, but they were too late.” Tears hung in her eyes. “They found Ma and Pa in the Fire Swamp, with burns all over their bodies, and a dead chimera near ‘em. It’s…I…”
“Ssshhh.” McIntosh wrapped his forelegs around his sister, embracing Winona as well.
“Are you shushin’ me?” She leaned back and looked askance at him.
“Ssshhh,” he said again, smoothing her mane against her neck.
Applejack let out a sigh and hugged him back, closing her eyes. “Yer right. Ma and Pa wouldn’t want us to be sad.”
McIntosh nodded and withdrew from her. They seemed to understand each other on a level much deeper than words. I had met twins who shared the same kind of bond, but McIntosh was obviously a few years older than Applejack. I felt more like an outsider than ever.
The quiet moment ended abruptly when a bell rang in the distance. Applejack and McIntosh perked up, swiveling their ears.
“Supper’s ready!” Applejack reared up on her hind legs. “Let’s go!”
Together we galloped up and down the hills toward the house.