Applejack sighed quietly and slid down her back in exhaustion, leaning against one of the apple trees. She moved her hat to the side and stared up through the rich crowns of the tree, overgrown with ripening apples. Applejack didn’t mind those at all though and traversed her past instead.
It was that almost a year had passed since that unfortunate day when their parents died, and ever since they were alone for everything. Just her, Big Mac and Granny Smith. Until that fateful moment Applejack had never realized how much work there is hidden on the farm and in the orchard, but now, after her parents’ death, the reality hit her hard in the face.
While they were still alive, Applejack considered a warm dinner, made bed and tender goodnight kiss a matter of course, and now there was nothing left from that. She had to take care of everything herself. About the farm, the orchard, and also about her just one-year-old sister Apple Bloom.
Thankfully there was Granny, who’d had her best years long behind, but still tried her best to help out on the farm wherever possible. And then there was, of course, Big Mac, who took care of the most demanding work.
It was hard at first, but somehow they miraculously managed. However, Applejack started feeling it was too much for her. It was that she didn’t only have the farm to manage, she also had to go to school.
She still sat right next to her best friends, but she rarely hanged out with them after school now. There was no time for that.
Every morning she woke up before dawn and went to feed the animals with Big Mac. Then she made breakfast for everypony and right after that she went to school. Most of this time she was so tired that she snoozed through half of the lessons.
After school she had to run back to the farm again and start caring for the orchard. There was always so much work there. Was it not for Granny, she and Big Mac would have no clue what all was there to be done and no apples would grow, what would mean the end of their food supply.
Before she thought the apples were somewhat growing on their own, but it showed that she was terribly wrong. In order for the crops to be worth anything, there was so much to be done.
It began already in spring, soon after the last snow melted. The trees had to be carefully trimmed and fertilized. They were barely finished with that and the first trees began to blossom, so they had to watch whether the bees were pollinating the flowers properly, and if not, they had to help them a little.
Once even this was done and the trees began to lose the flowers and the first tiny apples appeared, Applejack had to watch the orchard day and night, fending off birds and other potential thieves attracted by the rich crops. Which was what she was doing right now.
Thankfully she had Winona, who helped her a lot with the watching, so she could lie down and take a rest from time to time. All the while Applejack began to feel that she was getting fed up with such life.
She wanted to be again that ordinary filly, who plays with her friends, but deep inside she felt that these times would never come back again. She missed their clubhouse that was now deserted for months and was slowly deteriorating just like her friendship with Rarity and Cheerilee.
Her two friends would love to help her out on the farm, but their parents weren’t too excited about that, so she got their help very scarcely. That’s when they managed to exceptionally persuade them. They both felt deeply sorry about that.
Applejack felt that if this would carry on for any longer she’d go crazy. She had to leave, away from the farm, away from Ponyville, and most importantly, away from the apples that she couldn’t even see anymore.
She’d love to talk to somepony about this suffering of hers, but she didn’t know with who. She was afraid that her family or friends would think she didn’t love them anymore and that was most certainly not the truth. She just needed a change.
And there, under the flower-dropping tree, she made the decision. She would leave to her auntie and uncle in Manehattan, try to find some job, and if she’d make enough money, she would return here and finally they’d hire some proper helping hooves. After that everything would be better again for sure and she would have time for her friends again.
Several weeks later
“Come on, Cheer, stop moving or I’ll never finished that costume,” complained Rarity and with the expression of utter focus with a stuck-out tongue she pinned another pair of pins that had until then been hovering in the blueish aura of her magic.
“But I’m standing here like for hours,” complained Cheerilee. “Can’t we have a break for a moment? My legs are all stiffened. And anyways, this costume is not for me, but for Applejack. Why don’t you try it on her? It’s too large for me anyway.”
Rarity suddenly froze and put all the tailoring tools she was using until then somewhat hesitantly back on the table. Then she spoke: “You know how hard it is for AJ now. And moreover it’s supposed to be a surprise for her. She’ll definitely be glad when she finds out we didn’t forget and signed up for the talent competition. At least we’ll be doing something together after a long time.
“Well yeah, I know,” sighed Cheerilee and drooped her ears. “I miss her so much.”
“I miss her too, Cheer,” nodded Rarity sadly. “That’s why I’d love to make her happy at least with this costume if we can’t be together so often. And because the performance is already in a week we’ve got to hurry a bit. Plus I can’t get rid of the impression that the costumes are missing something. I just can’t put my hoof on what it is.”
“Okay then. A bit more,” agreed Cheerilee at last. “But then we’ll have a break and go to the pastry shop for chocolate. Deal?”
Rarity smiled happily at her friend. “Deal! But the bill’s on me.”
Two days later
Applejack was standing in front of the school, digging into the ground nervously with her hoof. She was delaying the moment as long as she could, but her time had run out. Tomorrow she would embark on the journey to Manehattan and she couldn’t just leave her best friends without saying goodbye.
“Applejack!” the sudden enthusiastic call echoed from the school door and Applejack had to hold her will not to turn around and flee that instant.
“What are you doing here?” asked Cheerilee. “I thought you had to…” she stopped when she noticed her serious face. “Has something happened?”
“Hi Applejack. Hi Cheerilee,” echoed the voice of another filly right after. It was Rarity this time. “What’s the matter?” she asked, when she noticed the awkward mood in the air.
Applejack took a deep breath and spoke: “I h-have to tell you something.” Then she trailed off again, losing her courage once more.
“Are you okay, AJ?” asked Rarity caringly. “You don’t look the best.”
“Applejack closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. This was harder than she thought. When she spoke again, her eyes were still closed. What she was about to tell her friends, she couldn’t tell them in the eyes. “I-I’d like you to know that I have to leave.”
“What? Leave? Where?” asked Cheerilee, somewhat surprised, and Rarity just stood there with a surprised look and gaping mouth.
“Away from Ponyville. To a family in Manehattan,” explained Applejack fast, while she still had any will to continue. “I don’t know when and if I will come back.”
“W-what?” stuttered Rarity. “B-but we have the performance in a week. You promised to be there. I counted with you. I even have a costume for you. Did you forget by any chance?”
Applejack hanged her head. Rarity was right. She did forget. For all the work on the farm and troubles with the planned route away she completely forgot about her promise. She was terribly sorry, but she had everything arranged. There was no turning back.
“You really did forget!” said Rarity quietly with a shaking voice when she noticed the look in her face. She cared about the performance so much and now such a blow arrived.
Applejack managed just a silent apologetic nod.
“B-but…I…” Rarity started and a tear was rolling down her face. She felt alone and betrayed. And then her facial expression suddenly changed. It turned into stone. Suddenly there was no hint of any emotion. “Run away!” she said quietly. “Run wherever you want!”
This time it was Applejack, who opened her eyes wide in surprise. She didn’t imagine their parting like this even in the worst nightmares. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Not like this.
“Farewell!” she snapped in such a way that she surprised herself. She didn’t wait for a response. Instead she turned around and ran back towards the farm. Her eyes were filled with tears.
Cheerilee leaned towards Rarity and told her in a judging voice: “You shouldn’t have told her that.”
Rarity didn’t respond. Somewhere deep inside she knew Cheerilee was right, but the proud part of her “self” refused to accept it.
A week later
Applejack ran as fast as she could. She was returning home. She’d never have thought she’d be missing this place so much. However, now she knew that it was the only place in the world she belonged to. She wouldn’t exchange it for the world. She loved it here and she was incredibly stupid to ever doubt it before.
She missed Big Mac, Granny Smith and little Apple Bloom. She missed the life of a farmer even though it meant hard, sometimes even unbearable labor. But from all the things, she missed the apple trees the most. She missed how sweet they smelled and how the red apples glinted in the tree crowns in summer.
She was running and her heart was beating with glee. She could see them already. There in the turn, there were the first apple trees and the orchard was starting. She knew that in just a few hundred meters she’d be home again.
Looking around, all happy from being home again, she paid no attention to the road, so she only noticed the canary-yellow pegasus filly that suddenly appeared from a nearby bush and crossed her road, when it was too late.
Using her front legs she braked with all her strength, but it didn’t have the effect she expected. Instead of stopping, her entire body was propelled in the air at that speed and Applejack did a somersault against her will. She would normally bruise herself decently on impact, not being it for the poor filly, whom she landed on the back and knocked her down with her.
Once the whirred-up dust settled and Applejack recovered from that pretty unexpected acrobatic stunt, she noticed she was lying on something soft and canary-yellow. Her face was dug in a slightly pinkish mane and just a bit further she noticed her Cutie Mark in the form of three little butterflies.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to hurt you in any way,” a soft and quiet voice sounded from somewhere below.
Applejack shook the dust from herself and stood up. Then she helped the other filly stand up, too. “It was me who should have paid closer attention,” she apologized. “Are you okay?”
The filly laid her two blue-green and ocean-deep eyes. Instead of answering she just shook her head and then she lowered her look and dug her hoof nervously into the ground.
“I’m Applejack. And who are you? I’ve never seen you here before,” asked Applejack the other filly.
“F-Fluttershy,” peeped the filly almost inaudibly and kept looking to the ground.
“Well,” said Applejack after a while of thinking and scratched her head. “Glad to meet you. But now I’ve got to go. They’re waiting for me at home.”
The yellow filly just gave her such sad stare, but said nothing.
“So, bye for now, Fluttershy. I hope we meet each other soon,” Applejack parted from her and ran off further down the road.
“Hi, Applejack. Glad to meet you too,” muttered Fluttershy, when Applejack had already disappeared behind the turn and so quietly that nopony could hear her anyway.
Several hours later
“So that’s four carrots, a salad and five tomatoes. That will be five bits,” smiled at Rarity the mare, who always used to sell on the square in the vegetable stand.
Rarity counted five bits and finally added one extra. With a smile and a thank you she gave them to the mare.
“It’s been a pleasure, miss Rarity,” smiled at her the filly from the stand. “See you soon.”
“Goodbye,” parted and aimed towards home. However, then she noticed a scene at the bakery stand that caught her attention.
“I’m telling you, miss, that we sell bread for two bits. For one bit I can sell you just a half.
“B-but then I won’t have enough for me and my animals,” peeped the little canary-yellow creature that was guiltily crouching in front of the salespony. She was a young pegasus filly although likely older than Rarity.
“One bit for half a bread. That’s my last offer,” insisted the salespony.
“Okay then,” finally agreed the filly quietly and kind of sadly. She reached in her pouch for her last bit. I will have to somehow make do without food today.
“I will pay the rest for you,” smiled Rarity at the yellow filly.
“Eh? T-there’s no need to do that. I…I don’t want to be a bother to anypony,” stuttered the little filly nervously.
“Oh come on. It’s really nothing,” Rarity kept smiling, added a bit to the one lying on the table and watched as the salespony wrapped in paper a large loaf of bread that the yellow filly then stuffed in her bag.
“T-thank you very much,” whispered the filly and guiltily lowered her head to the ground.
“You’re really welcome,” said Rarity. “Are you new around here?”
“Y-yes,” she muttered shyly and kept looking at the ground. “I’m here j-just a few days.”
“And what’s your name?” asked Rarity.
“F-Fluttershy,” came the barely audible answer.
“Nice to meet you, Fluttershy. I am Rarity. Well, I won’t be bothering you anymore. The animals of yours are definitely hungry by now. And I also have to carry these goods home or mommy will get mad. It was a pleasure to get to know you. So take care now.”
“Bye,” smiled Fluttershy shyly and started off out of the town. Rarity kept watching her for a while and wondered. Where does this little filly live? And where did she come from anyway? She’d have to find out one day, but now she had to deliver the goods.
The evening that day
The sun was setting already and Applejack just stood silently and watched that house ahead. The house where, as she knew, lived with her parents and her little sister, her best friend Rarity.
She stood like this for hours, unable to move at all. She had so much to tell her about. About all she experienced in Manehattan and how she got her Cutie Mark, but first of all she wanted to apologize.
But it didn’t work somehow. Somehow she lacked the strength to make the last few steps and knock on the front door. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t overcome that strange fear in her.
Finally she just hung her head, turned around and ran off crying towards the farm. She felt terribly about herself.
The curtain that was slightly pulled aside all the time Applejack was standing there suddenly moved back in place and the little white blue-eyed filly that was hiding behind it all the time just sighed quietly: “Oh Applejack.”
• • •
Applejack was just running through the quickly darkening forest, when she heard quiet sobbing coming from somewhere in its depths. She stopped immediately, dried her own tears and slowly aimed in the direction of that sound.
It wasn’t long before she spotted the yellow filly she met on the road today, hiding in a bush. She was just lying there, shivering with cold and crying. Suddenly a flock of birds raised to the sky, scared by the newcomer.
“Wait, don’t go,” sobbed Fluttershy. Then, however, she spotted the two green eyes gleaming in the dark. She squeaked out in terror and hid her head between her hooves.
“Easy, sugarcube,” AJ started to comfort her. “It’s just me.”
“Applejack?” sobbed the poor pile, surprised.
“What are you doing here alone so late?” asked Applejack the question that anyone could come up with in that situation.
“I…I got lost,” started Fluttershy and stood up carefully. Now that she wasn’t alone she felt much better.
“Come with me then. I will lead you home,” Applejack smiled kindly at her. “And where do you live anyway?”
“There, behind the farm, at the stream, close to Everfree forest,” whispered Fluttershy, so quietly that Applejack could barely hear her.
“Really?” wondered Applejack. “I didn’t know there was a building over there.”
The yellow filly answered her with solemn silence.
“Come then, I will lead you there,” encouraged her Applejack and together they set off on the road. For all the time, despite Applejack’s efforts, Fluttershy wouldn’t manage a single word. Instead, every time she spoke to her, she just nervously looked at the ground and drooped her ears.
Fifteen minutes barely passed and they reached the place. Applejack was just looking around to spot some lights of the building, when Fluttershy stopped her.
“It’s here,” whispered Fluttershy nervously and pointed to a nearby hillock with a den dug in it. Her shyness was well visible.
Applejack was terrified. “This is where you live?!” It’s just an old bear den. Do you live her alone?”
Fluttershy stayed silent and with drooped ears and tail just stared to the ground.
Applejack sighed. “Okay then, you don’t need to tell me, but I won’t let you live alone in this hole. Come with me. There’s always spare space at our farm.”
“But…” tried protesting Fluttershy.
“No but, sugarcube! You’re coming with me and that’s it!” Applejack looked at her harshly and Fluttershy obeyed despite weighing it a bit.
Back at the farm with a plate of hot soup and a bit of apple cider, Fluttershy finally started talking about her fate.
“It all started when I first got on the ground,” started Fluttershy. “Actually, I kind of fell down.”
“It’s just that I spent my entire past life above in the clouds with the other pegasi, so I’d always seen the ground only from a really huge distance. I’d always wanted to have a look down, but you know, I’m not very good at flying,” blushed Fluttershy a bit, but resumed her story right away. “And when I finally got here a few days ago I couldn’t believe how beautiful it is over here. It was so awesome. So many colors, sounds and smells. It was blowing my senses. It wasn’t long before I fell in love with this place.”
Applejack smiled at her. She too loved the ground, nature, and all there was to it and she was really glad she met a soul mate.
“When they came to search for me then, I knew I couldn’t leave this place, that I wouldn’t want to leave and that I’d stay here. They persuaded me, but then, when they noticed my new Cutie Mark, they realized that this is how it’s really meant to be. And so I remained here and started caring for myself.”
“I don’t even miss it up there, maybe except Rainbow Dash,” sighed Fluttershy at last.
“Rainbow Dash?” wondered Applejack. “Who is that?”
“One filly I’ve befriended recently. She was very nice,” recalled Fluttershy.
Applejack didn’t ask her anymore. She just sat there quietly and gave Fluttershy a long, wondering stare. She hadn’t met a lot of pegasi in her life, so her story sounded somehow unbelievable to her ears. In spite of that, she felt she was telling the truth.
“Something should be done with that den of yours, though,” said AJ suddenly and even surprised herself a bit. “You can’t really live like this. If you help me here at the farm a bit, I could have a look at what could be done with that shelter of yours. You wouldn’t even survive winter like that. You would live here in the meanwhile. We have enough space and the rest of the family will also be glad to have a guest once again.”
Fluttershy looked at Applejack with her kind, deep eyes. She wanted to say something, but she felt that it would have no effect on the stubborn Applejack anyway, so finally she nodded lightly.
Applejack grinned and with the words “Very well, sugarcube,” she shook her hoof.
Two days later
“So that’s how she got here,” ended Cheerilee her version of the story of the events that brought Fluttershy to Ponyville that she learned from Applejack.
“Poor filly. Living in such a dirty hole,” pitied her Rarity. “We should help her out. I believe that Applejack will take care of here, but she won’t make it alone.”
“Maybe you should go apologize to her first,” interrupted her Cheerilee and her face had a strict look. She kind of reminded Rarity of their teacher by that.
Rarity was silent for a long time and just looked at the ground. Then she sighed. “I wanted to, but I’m afraid I can’t make it. I saw her as she stood here in front of our house that evening she returned. I knew she wanted to talk to me, but I could see how scared she was. In the end she fled and I didn’t even attempt to stop her.”
“I’m so stupid, Cheer,” she cried suddenly and tears burst from her eyes. “So stupid. And miss her so much, too.”
Cheerilee smiled kindly at her and nuzzled her face. “You just made a mistake, Rarity, and so did Applejack. Trust me that she misses you terribly, too, even though she doesn’t want to talk about it with me. Don’t you think it would be better if you made up again, so the three of us could be together? Just like before.”
Rarity looked at her surprised through her watery eyes. She didn’t expect these words from her. She always considered her to be the kind of filly who just makes jokes of all life situations. She looked at her a while longer and then she nodded.
Cheerilee smiled. “I will help you then, if it’s so hard for you, but you two have to take care about the main part.”
The next day
Applejack was just fully occupied by nailing two wooden beams together, when she was interrupted by knocking on the door. On the door that weren’t there yet that morning and that separated the new and just forming Fluttershy’s home from the rest of the world.
“Hey Fluttershy, can you go open it? I can’t right now,” she called back.
Fluttershy didn’t reply, but she put down the paintbrush and bucket with color and aimed to the door. That sufficed as an answer for Applejack and she returned to nailing. So she heard nothing of what Fluttershy talked about with the newcomer.
“Hi, Fluttershy,” greeted Cheerilee her just a few days old friend.
Fluttershy was just about to say hi when she noticed the other filly standing right next. Instead of greeting she managed just a nervous whisper. Then, however, she recognized her as the one who was so kind to her back then at the market, and at least smiled at her.
“This is Rarity,” started Cheerilee, “but as I’ve heard you already know each other.”
Fluttershy just nodded her head lightly and looked down.
“We came to help you out,” continued Cheerilee, “but first Rarity would like to talk to AJ.”
“Alone,” added Cheerilee, when she noticed that Fluttershy was about to rather shyly invite the in. “In the meanwhile we’ll go for a walk around to see what could be improved. What do you say?”
“Okay,” whispered Fluttershy, who felt that complying would be the best option, and together with Cheerilee she set off for a walking round. Rarity, who stayed alone in front of the open door gulped aloud and after a great hesitation she walked in.
“Hey Fluttershy, where’s the rest of the nails?” asked Applejack when she heard the snap of the door. She barely finished the sentence and the nails were there. Just instead of being held by a hoof, they were floating in a blueish magic glow.
She turned around slowly and looked in the well-known blue eyes. “R-Rarity?” she stuttered and the hammer she had been holding fell off her hoof out of surprise. With a thud it hit the ground, but neither of the fillies looked at it.
“I…I’d like to apologize to you, Applejack…” Rarity started with a trembling voice, tears glistening in her eyes. She didn’t manage to say anything more.
Applejack charged forward and embraced her friend in a crushing hug. She cried, too. Rarity still hesitated out of sheer surprise, but then she returned her embrace.
Neither of the fillies spoke. Not that there was anything needed to be said anyway. In that single beautiful hug, everything was forgiven forever.
After several long minutes they finally let go of each other and their young faces shone with smiles. It was so wonderful to be together again.
When Cheerilee and Fluttershy returned, they found the two indulged in conversation and continuing the work. Cheerilee smiled and wiped off with her hoof a tear of happiness, flowing down her face. She was glad that the three of them were together again. Actually, now it was four.