Aftermath of a Fallen Star

by Rated Ponystar

Family Sticks Together (Big Mac)

Most ponies who think about us farmers have this wild imagination of us, thinking we lead some exciting kind of life. Truth is a farmer’s life is very repetitious. Most of the days in the year its the same process you work with from dusk to dawn. Sometimes different things happen or a sudden change takes place on your farm, but that’s usually a bad thing. Keeping things as they are, with little change, is the sign of a good day for a farmer. Now I’m not against change completely, sometimes it can be good like trying a new fertilizer or planting a new kind of food or even going out for a date.

Truth be told, I only just started recently doing the last one. Nice colts around, but nothing serious yet.

Anyway, it started like every day with a caw of the rooster and the sun rising up from the hills. Yet recently, the only difference was every time we looked at the sun we felt sorrow instead of joy. It wasn’t Celesta raising the sun at the time, it was Luna. The Solar Princesses was still in mourning after the death of Princess Twilight Sparkle, a mare I had gotten to know very well the past few years when she lived here in Ponyville. She, along with the rest of Applejack’s friends, were honorary Apples in our eyes. They were family.

Losing her was hard. Not as hard as it was for us when we lost Ma and Pa, but I think of it as a close second. Now, I’m not one to go around and say when a pony should and shouldn’t stop grieving. That’s not my business. However, Celestia hadn’t been seen in a month and a half and we’ve already got rumors going around here about this. Some say she’s dead, killed herself in grief. Others say she ran away in tears, but vowed revenge against her own subjects who she believed betrayed her.

Mush.

All of it a bunch of apple mush.

Still, one thing I could agree with was that Princess Celestia had to get her fanny in gear, pardon the harshness of my tongue. As completely sympathetic as I may be, she still has a responsibility, and while Luna had been holding the fort well so far according to the news, it was only a matter of time before things started to get chaotic again. The death of a leader, a hero, was something not to be taken lightly. Even a simple farmer like me could tell the wind was blowing from this incident, and in a direction that could lead to utter ruin.

But as much as I was worried about Princess Celestia, I was more worried about somepony else. Rising up from my bed, I walked to the hall where I smelled Apple Bloom making pancakes again. It was the only thing she knew how to cook on her own, but she was damn good at it.

Of course there was only one pony who liked pancakes the most, and it was for her that Apple Bloom cooked them for; hoping to get a single reaction out of her. My sister, Applejack, strolled out of her bedroom without looking at me. I could tell from a glimpse at her bloodshot eyes she didn’t get another good nights sleep.

Of course, if you knew my sister, the first thing you’d notice wasn’t her bloodshot eyes or emotionless expression. It was the fact that she didn’t have her hat on.

My sister never went a single day without wearing that hat. She won it at a game during a carnival with our Pa, a week before he and Ma died. She always wore it as a remembrance to him and their time together. After Twilight’s funeral was the first day I saw her go without it for a full twenty-four hours. And since that day, my sister has refused to wear it. I don’t know why. I’ve asked, Granny has asked, even Apple Bloom with her puppy dog eyes tricked had asked.

She refused to answer.

I followed Applejack down the stairs and into the kitchen. Apple Bloom was standing on a stool, making pancakes while a big pile of them were already placed on the full setted table. She turned to us and smiled, “Howdy, and good mornin’ y’all!”

“Mornin’” I replied in my usual simple tone. Applejack didn’t even bother to say anything. She just grabbed some bread on the table and walked away. We both heard the front door open and shut. A few minutes later, the sound of applebucking echoed from outside.

Apple Bloom bit her lip and lowered her head. “She didn’t even eat one this time.”

I walked over and nuzzled my little sister who wanted nothing more then her big sister to come back. Every day since Princess Twilight Sparkle’s death it had been like this. Barely a word from Applejack unless it was important. Work. Eat. Sleep. Work. Eat. Sleep. She hadn’t visited town, her friends, or anypony. My sister had close herself from the rest of the world.

Most ponies thought that Applejack was a tough and rigid pony. They were mostly right. My sister was strong, but she was still a normal pony. She didn’t take loss well, be it a friend or a family member, death was never Applejack’s strongest subject to face. It really all started when Ma and Pa died from the timberwolf attack on our farm that night. Ma and Pa went out to deal with the wolves while I hid with everypony else in the cellar. Applejack, young and foolish back then, ran up to see if she could help Ma and Pa.

By the time it was all over, we saw her crying over the bodies of our parents. I’ll never forget the look in Applejack’s eyes as her innocence was shattered that day. It affected her every being. Her work ethic, her morals, her stubbornness, her dedication to family. It was all born that day Ma and Pa died.

And now with Twilight gone.

“Ah’ll talk to her,” I said as I made my way to follow her.

“Granny said to give her more time,” said Apple Bloom, whimpering.

“And last week Granny thought the rabbits were mountin’ an army to take over her rutabagas,” I muttered, shaking my head. “She’s not always right.”

I didn’t want to argue with my littlest sister too so I made my way out to the apple field.

When I finally found her, Applejack was doing what she had been doing. Working without stop. Even if I applauded her for her work ethic, I couldn’t help but worry. She rarely took any breaks and there were days when she would limp on home into bed without any supper. I already had an emotionally broken sister, I didn’t need her to be a physical one as well.

I walked up to the tree she was bucking, noticing the extra anger she was putting in her kicks as I sighed. “Applejack. We need to talk.”

“We don’t need to talk. Just work.” With that said she knocked over the last of the apples into the basket. She was about to get them when I stood in front of her.

“We’re gonna talk now,” I said, firmly. She glared at me, but I stood tall. Applejack maybe a tough pony but I wasn’t tall and strong for nothing. I was the stronger kicker out of the both of us and she knew it.

Grumbling, she sat down. “What about?”

“Twilight,” was all I said which made her ears straighten her hears.

She lowered her head and growled. “What about her? She’s dead. End of story.”

“And its affectin’ ya. We’ve all seen it. Ya barely talk, ya barely do anythin’, and ya don’t even try to see how yer friends are handin’ this,” I point out.

She scoffs. “Mahbe it’s because Ah don’t want anythin’ to do with them anymore. Mahbe Ah wanna be left alone! Ya ever thought that!” yelled Applejack turnin’ away. “Just leave me alone, Mac! All of ya! It’s for yer own good!”

My head nearly snapped by her mentioning that and I quickly said, “What do ya mean by ‘our own good’, Sis?” Applejack stopped in her tracks, as if she had been caught red hoofed in a crime. She made sure to keep her head focus away from me. It didn’t matter, I now knew what this is about. “Applejack, she didn’t die because of you.”

“... doesn’t matter. She still died anyway... just like Ma and Pa...” whispered Applejack, a few sniffles.

“Applejack, what happened to them wasn’t yer fault. Ah know she was yer friend-”

“She wasn’t just a friend to me, Mac!” shouted Applejack, turning towards me with her eye full of tears. “Ah loved her!”

My eyes widened as she stomped on the ground. “Ah love her, Mac! Ah loved her the moment Ah saw her! She was like nopony Ah ever knew and Ah always stuck by her not just because she was mah friend, but because Ah loved her with all mah heart!”

She fell to her flank and shook her head. “Ah knew she would never love me like Ah did for her, but Ah didn’t mind. Ah loved her so much Ah wanted her to be happy. Even if meant never havin’ her, Ah’d live with it.” She then looked at me and I didn’t see Applejack, the Element of Honesty, but Applejack the little sister who lost her Ma and Pa. “And then she died, Mac. She died! Just like Ma! Just like Pa! Why does everypony I love die!”

I didn’t waste any time. I hugged her as hard as I could as she screamed and wailed. I felt a few tears leave my eyes as well as I let her continue to spay her waterworks into my chest. “It’s okay. Just let it all out...”

“Why do ponies I love die, Mac?! Who's next?! You?! Apple Bloom?! Mah friends?! Why can’t it just be me who dies for once!”

In an instant, my fury rose from the bottom of my heart as I growled at her. “Don’t ever say that?!” I shouted, making her gasp.

I rarely ever yelled. When I did it was because I was angry or I was serious. “Do ya really think yer the only one sufferin’ from loss?! Ya think Ah never felt bad about Ma and Pa dyin’?! Ah trained as hard as Ah could, got as strong as Ah could so Ah could protect y’all so that we never have to go through that again! Ah might not have been close to Twilight Sparkle, but she was a friend too! And Ah cried when she died just like y’all are doin’ now!”

Ah took a deep breath and continued. “And what about the rest of those who loved Twilight? Yer friends? Her family? The princesses. Spike.” Applejack put her hooves against her mouth. “That’s right. That dragon lost his mother. A mother whose first degree as a princess was make him her official son; despite the backlash that came. Do ya know that all he’s done is sit in that library, cryin’ and screamin’? Nopony but mahself and a few others have tried to help him. Even Discord of all creatures is helpin’. Where are his best friends? Where are those who were closest to his mother? Where is the one who has always promised to be reliable to all ponies no matter what?”

Every accusation I threw at her made Applejack lower her head more and more. She wasn’t crying tears anymore, but rather looked down upon her hooves as if she was ashamed. It was harsh what I said, but I had to say it. I put my hooves on her shoulder. “Applejack, yer not alone in this. It ain’t gonna be easy. It may never fully heal. But we are gonna get through this together. As a family.”

A few seconds of silence, Applejack slowly nodded. “Okay...” A rumble in her stomach made her blush. I chuckled. “S-sorry.”

“Why don’t we skip work today and get pancakes from Apple Bloom?” I suggested.

A small smile decorated AJ’s face. “Ah’d like the sound of that.”

“Good, cause yer gonna have to be the one to tell her she’s got to carry the family line with her since both of us are gay,” I joked.

For the first time, in a long time, I heard Applejack laugh.