"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal" -From a headstone in Ireland
The sun was shining down on Sweet Apples Acres this fine Wednesday morning. To most of the citizens, Wednesday was just another work day; nothing special, just the average middle child in the chain of weekdays. For the hardworking farmers of Sweet Apple Acres, this was no exception. It was only 6:30 in the morning, and yet the Apple family was already hard at work tending to their family farm.
Although it was still the winter time, there was still much work to do. Cows to herd, sheep to shear, plants to grow. There were a few golden apples still dangling from the many trees, waiting to be bucked. It was hard work managing a farm that supplied food to an entire village and beyond, but somepony had to do it. And nopony knew that better than Applejack.
The farm pony had decided to get an early start on the season, slamming the apple trees with her hind legs, letting the succulent fruit drop into the bucket on her back.
A tiny figure darted out from behind a tree, an apple dangling from her mouth. Applejack chuckled and told the filly, "C'mon, Applebloom. Put that apple back in the bucket."
"Aww, can't Ah just have one, AJ? What's one missing apple gonna do?" Applebloom pleaded.
"You know how it works, sugarcube," Applejack began, patting the filly's red mane. "We can't eat these apples, they're fer the town. Now come on, put it back."
Applebloom placed the apple back in the wooden bucket, but not without giving a dejected pout. Seeing her sister's sad look, AJ sighed and said, "Ah can't let you have the apples 'Bloom. But how 'bout we head out fer a bite to eat? Mah treat!"
"Right now?" the young pony asked excitedly.
"How 'bout after Ah-," the country mare began. But her younger sister ears began to droop in sadness once again, and Applejack couldn't take seeing her younger sibling sad. So she relented and answered, "Okay Applebloom, let's go."
The sister's found themselves strolling along Ponyville's main marketplace, looking for a good bite to eat. The streets were already bustling with the morning shift ponies, hurrying to wherever their job called for them.
"Can we go to that new Fiji Apples and Sushi place, AJ?" the little filly asked, trotting merrily alongside her big sister.
"Daw, you know I don't like seaweed, Applebloom. Besides, we're going to the same place we always do." Applejack replied.
The duo soon was standing in front of a round building in the shape of (big surprise!) an apple. It was a modest little eatery, located a bit away from the crowded streets of the square. Above the door hung a large sign saying "THE TELSTAR TAVERN" printed in bright red letters.
"Again, Applejack?" the filly asked in disbelief.
"Well o' course, Bloom!" the big sister exclaimed. "This place has always been mah favorite. Was ma an' pa's favorite too…"
The farm mare never liked talking about their parents in front of her younger sibling. It had always been a sore spot, a wound that would never quite heal. But the humble tavern that stood before them was one of the few places where Applejack felt it was okay to talk about her parents.
Finally, Applejack summoned up the courage to begin, "Say, did Ah ever tell you about the time when-." But when she turned around, she saw that her little sister was gone.
The honest mare was worried for a brief second. But after a quick scan of her surroundings, she saw Applebloom standing in front of a two-story building located off the beaten path. Although the sign in front said it was closed, the neon sign above still gleamed brightly in the daylight. "LUNA'S MOONSHINE AND COCKTAIL HOUSE".
It was a small abode that Applebloom hadn't noticed ever before. The glowing letters attracted the little filly, and she was still staring up at the colorful lights when Applejack came over. "Wow. Can we go in there, AJ?" the filly asked innocently.
The farm pony took one look at the sign and cringed, directing the filly away from the sign, saying, "Oh no, sugarcube. That place ain't fer honest, hard-working ponies like us."
"But why? The sign makes it look fun!" Applebloom exclaimed.
But the older sibling was far from excited. With a stern look, she told her little sister, "Listen, Applebloom. That place is full of bad ponies. You hafta promise me you won't go there!"
"But AJ-."
"Promise me!" The young filly shriveled under her sister's withering glare and she nodded slowly. Upon seeing this, the blonde mare's expression softened, scooping the filly onto her back.
"Now, how 'bout that lunch, huh?" Applejack asked cheerily.
The filly replied, "Sure, AJ." But in reality, she was paying no mind to her older sister's words. For her eyes were still trained on the structure behind them, and the bright neon lights that seemed to call her name. Why was Applejack keeping her away from it? Why would the building be here if it was only for bad ponies? These questions swirled in Applebloom's mind, and she couldn't help but wonder what was hidden behind those roped off doors.
And, being the compulsive young foal she was, Applebloom wasn't going to stop until she found out.
xxx
It was night time. The stars were out today, but dark clouds loomed in the horizon. But that didn't deter Applebloom from her little mission. She remembered the sign up front that said the lounge opened up at 9 P.M. sharp. Why it opened so late, she had no idea. But she still waited anxiously, the thought of those neon lights kept in the back of her mind, until the clock stuck eight.
The foal had successfully snuck out of her farm home. She had a close call with Big Mac, swiftly dodging into a crate. And once she ran into Granny Smith, who asked, "Where d'you think you're going, missy?"
But Applebloom was a skillful liar, and she answered with her sweetest face, "Oh, Ah'm just going out into the orchard, Granny. I'll be in soon."
Granny Smith, not wanting to stop the filly, creaked back into her old chair and nodded her head. It apparently didn't occur to the elder that it was almost 9 o'clock and that it was extremely cold outside. Instead, the old pony just leaned back and quickly fell asleep.
Applebloom breathed a sigh of relief before heading outside without any more trouble. The air was cool, and it was a good thing Applebloom had brought her sister's scarf, otherwise she would have been freezing to death. But the biting cold still couldn't stop the filly from her destination. "It'll only be for a few minutes," Applebloom whispered to herself. Then she set out towards the Moonshine House with admirable, yet misguided resolve.
Meanwhile, Applejack was just returning from some business in the barn, making sure the sheep and the cows were safely in their pens. As she strolled inside, she took of her hat and wiped her brow, saying, "Whew, 'nother hard day's work finished! Can't wait fer some rest."
The breeze outside gave Applejack the shivers, but when she went to check her chest for her trusty scarf, it was nowhere to be found. Weird, she thought. Ah always keep mah scarf in here. The farm pony was concerned, for the woolen scarf was one of the few mementos she had of her parents. And now it was missing.
"Big Mac?" Applejack called out from her room. "Have you seen ma's scarf anywhere?"
"Nnnope," was the reply. Her brother's monotonous tone always made Applejack sigh in annoyance. But there would be time to sarcastically reply later; for now, she had to find the scarf.
"Applebloom, have you seen ma's scarf?" No answer. "Applebloom?" she asked again still no answer. Okay, now this is just plain crazy, she thought. A missin' scarf is one thing. But a missing filly...
The farm pony went into the living room to find Granny Smith still snoozing in her chair. Tapping the elder gently, Applejack whispered, "Granny, have you seen Applebloom?"
With a series of loud snorts and drool, Granny Smith awoke from her slumber. The old pony said angrily, "Applejack, it ain't polite to wake up an old pony like that!"
With a chuckle, Applejack replied, "Aww you old coot, you sleep half the day anyways. The least you could do is tell me where Applebloom went."
Raising her crooked hoof towards the door, Granny said, "Oh, that little filly said she was goin' out into the orchard."
"That's funny," Applejack answered. "Ah didn't see her when Ah was out there." Concerned, the orange mare proceeded to the front door, calling out, "Thanks Granny!"
When the honest mare stepped out, the first thing that hit her was the chilly, moist air blowing in from the flatlands beyond. Dark clouds were looming in the horizon, a signal for the rain that was sure to come.
The second thing she noticed were small tracks made in the dirt trail leading into Ponyville. They were the tiny, stubby hoof prints of a filly trekking into the village. Applejack could see the top of a bright neon sign peeking over the tall buildings in the distance, and she knew where her little sister had gone.
Without hesitating, the older sister galloped into the dark night, following her sister's small tracks, praying that Applebloom was alright.
Meanwhile, a red-maned foal was slowly creeping through the empty streets. Gee, Ponyville sure is a lot spookier at night, she thought, tightening the warm scarf around her neck. Suddenly, a slightly familiar voice called out in the distance, "GET AWAY FROM HER!" Applebloom was startled at first, wondering if that statement was directed towards her. But after a few seconds of waiting, the filly continued on her little journey.
Finally, she found herself at the Telstar Tavern. Only a few meters away was the fascinating, glowing structure that was the filly's destination. It was a brilliant building, and unlike the daytime, it was now bustling with activity. There was a roped off line, where couples and groups of "performers" stood. Some visitors looked extremely bizarre; one stallion was dressed in a purple pinstripe suit and held a long cane tipped with a diamond. Surrounding him were what seemed to be countless mares wearing exorbitant amounts of make-up.
At the door was a buff stallion wearing a black suit and sunglasses, checking each pony that went in. Occasionally, he'd take a pony, mostly stallions, and throw them out of the line before smoothly going back to his duties.
Inside, Applebloom could hear cheering and music, and through the door was flashing lights and dancing ponies. The scene looked quite absurd, but it was this craziness that compelled the ignorant filly to proceed forward.
She made her way to the red roped that separated the line. She was so caught up in the activity that she didn't notice the black suited stallion standing in her way. Applebloom bumped into the stallion's trunk-like legs, and he glared down at her questioningly. Although his eyes were obscured by the black sunglasses on his face, Applebloom could still feel the intensity of his glare.
With a deep, booming voice, the bouncer said, "And where do you think you're going, you foal?"
"I…uh…well," Applebloom stammered, shrinking under the stallion's intimidating stare.
"Well?" he said. Applebloom didn't know how to respond. With all the flashing lights, the scary suited man, and the angry shouts of the ponies in line, Applebloom was extremely confused. For once, the shimmering building wasn't looking so fun after all.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp tug on her tail, and on instinct she lashed out with her hind legs. Her hooves grazed somepony's nose, but the unknown pony held tight.
Fortunately, it wasn't any random stranger. Unfortunately, for the filly anyway, the figure was none other than her elder sister. And Applebloom knew by the look in AJ's eyes that she was angry. Really, really angry
"You'd better watch yerself missy! Yer already in big trouble, don't you be knocking out any of mah teeth either!" Applejack said through clenched teeth.
"This filly yours?" asked the black-suited stallion.
"Yeah, unfortunately," Applejack replied, quickly scooping the filly up.
Before the duo could head home, one of the rejected stallions called out to Applejack, his words slurred, "Hey baby, I'd like to take a bite outta dat flank…hiccup… y'know?"
Without pause, the farm pony wheeled around and laid a punch right on the pony's face. The stallion recoiled in pain, clutching his snout. With a snort, Applejack said angrily, "You say that to me again, an' Ah'll buck you right into next week." Leaving the trembling stallion alone in a puddle of what seemed to be alcohol and vomit, the farm pony walked away with her little sister in tow. After seeing her sister's little display, Applebloom couldn't help but feel scared, not because of the creepy ponies of the Moonshine House, but because of her sister's inevitable rage.
xxx
The siblings were back in the warm safety of their house. But to the filly sitting on the couch, her home felt far from safe. Applebloom was sitting helplessly, looking down at the floor while her two older siblings stared at her furiously.
"What in the bucking hell gave you the idea to go to that darn building, Applebloom?"
Before the filly could answer, Applejack continued, "Ah told you that place was dangerous, but didja listen? No! Did you see those ponies, Applebloom? They wouldn't even hesitate to hurt you. And yet you still go!"
Applebloom tried to squeak out a response, but Applejack was on a roll. "You disobeyed me Applebloom. You had us worried sick, right Big Mac?"
"Eeyup."
Applebloom wanted to respond, to answer back to her sister's remarks. But Applejack beat her to it, scolding, "Our parents told me never to go in there, an' the same goes fer you too, missy!"
Finally, Applebloom couldn't take it anymore. The foal shot back defiantly, "Our parents ain't here, Applejack! If you hadn't noticed, THEY'RE DEAD!"
The rebuttal caused Applejack to pause. She was surprised by the intensity of her little sister's words, as well as the sudden mention of their parents. Even though her rage was deterred, Applejack made a feeble attempt at scolding. "That…that don't mean… you don't hafta listen to me," she said with less force.
On the verge of tears, the Applebloom screamed, "Yeah? WELL… AH WISH MA' AND PA WEREN'T DEAD SO AH WOULDN'T HAFTA LISTEN TO YOU!"
The sisters stood there frozen, each of them realizing what Applebloom said. A look of shock was printed on Applejack's face. Meanwhile, the filly had begun to tear up, and quickly retreated to the safety of her room.
Applejack stood in there in disbelief, watching her younger sibling run back to her quarters. Poor girl, she thought. Then the honest farmer turned to her brother, who had also been taken aback by Applebloom's outburst, and asked, "Ah' need to talk to her, don't I?"
Big Mac replied softly, "Eeyup."
With a sigh, country pony slowly made her way into her sister's room, where the young filly lay on her bed, crestfallen. She slowly sat herself down next to her little sister, who kept staring at the wall blankly. All the sisters' rage had subsided, leaving only sadness in its wake. "Ah want ma and pa back, Applejack," Applebloom whispered.
AJ rubbed her little sister's red mane and replied softly, "Me too, 'Bloom. Ah miss 'em with all my heart. Bad things happen to good ponies sometimes, sugarcube. An' that's why I didn't want you to go. Because I care about you, and Ah don't want you to get hurt."
"But why?" the filly asked suddenly.
A confused look appeared on Applejack's normally collected face. She inquired, "Why what?"
"Why do you care?" Applebloom answered solemnly.
The nature of the question hit Applejack like a sonic rainboom. She paused, contemplating how to respond to the seemingly innocent question. At first she was unsure, unprepared for how to reply. There were probably a million reasons and excuses Applejack could think of, and yet for once she couldn't put it into words.
But finally, Applejack took in a deep breath and started slowly, "Y'know, when Ah first got the news of the train, of the bridge collapsin'…the first thin' Ah thought wasn't about ma or pa… but for you. Ah was…scared—scared that you'd have to grow up without someone to look up to, without our parents."
The farm pony stopped for another unsteady breath, letting the story sink in. Then, she continued lovingly, "So…Ah went into yer room, where you sleeping so peacefully. Granny Smith was there, an Ah told her how I felt."
Giving the filly a playful poke on the snout, 'Jack said softly, "An' you know what she says? She says, 'Oh Applejack, she does have someone who she can laugh with, somepony that will lend her a shoulder to cry on, somepony to give her strength in times of trouble.'"
The mare gave a small chuckle and said, "And I, bein the naïve little filly I was, asked, 'Who's that, Granny?'
"Then she looked back at your crib, smiling, and then she looked back at me and said, 'You'"
The farm pony stopped, letting silence take over the room once again. This time, though, it was to wipe a single tear that had appeared on the country pony's face. Applebloom had never seen her sister cry before. AJ had always been the strong one, the one who could take anything that stood in their way. But this was a different Applejack now, a gentle one that she had kept hidden from her little sister until now.
Applejack's hoof still rested on Applebloom's warm back, and she managed to give a small grin, continuing, "It was then that I realized I had to be the best sister in the world. Ah had to make sure you were gonna be okay.
"Ah miss ma and pa, Ah really do. And yet… Ah'm also happy…happy that they gave me this opportunity to be the best sister Ah could be for you. Ah know Ah'm not perfect, and we may have our fights every now and then. But Ah just want you to know that Ah try. No matter what happens, Ah will always love you." The siblings stared at each other for a brief moment, grinning sadly at the other.
Then Applebloom took her sister in a warm embrace and whispered happily, "Ah love you too, AJ. An' Ah'm sorry I yelled at you before."
The honest mare answered her sister's statement with a kiss on the head and another tight hug. With a nod, she then proceeded to tuck her younger sibling into bed, making sure that Applebloom was comfortable.
Before she left, Applejack asked quietly, "Anythin' else ya need before you go to bed, sugarcube?"
The filly, complete with a meaningful smile and loving eyes, answered softly, "Why would Ah need anything else? I've already got the best sister in the world!"
xxx
The next day, four ponies, clad in black, stood in the Ponyville cemetery. Before them lay an apple shaped gravestone, engraved with the pictures of two farm ponies, both with large smiles radiating on their faces. Below the picture, inscribed in the stone were the words, "Parkland and Lindamac Apple: Forever in our hearts." Taped next to the words was a picture of the two ponies, holding a small bundle in their arms, surrounded by a red colt and a filly wearing an oversized cowboy hat.
Applebloom gently placed a golden apple at the base of the gravestone, and said, "Thank you, ma and pa, for givin' me the greatest sister ever." Then Applejack took her sister in a loving hug, and they smiled. Little did they know, somewhere far away, their parents were smiling too.
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So there is, fans. I hope you guys enjoyed it. And so, with that, this story is officially on hiatus. But don't worry, I'll be using this time to write some more chapters. Hopefully, you guys will keep watching. Until next time!!!