I awoke the next morning feeling more refreshed than I usually did. I thought about what I had done the previous day, spending it with Fluttershy and Rarity. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad to hang out with some friends every once in a while.
I crawled out of bed and stretched my arms towards the ceiling, being a good few inches away from making contact with the white surface. Yawning, I glanced down towards my nightstand, where I had left the white envelope.
I stood there, watching it as it glared back at me. I had to read it eventually, and it didn’t feel like there was much that could break my spirit, so I grabbed the thing, feeling it crumple a bit in my hand.
I brought it with me into the living room, where I decided to open it after breakfast. I poured a bowl of cereal and began munching on it as I clicked on the television. There wasn’t anything on, nothing good, anyway. That’s just how it was on Sunday mornings. It was all just a bunch of church shows, and I wasn’t a particularly religious person.
Turning the TV off, I stood to walk towards the bathroom to take a quick shower, dropping my bowl off in the sink as I did so. I noticed the small pile of dishes that had begun to pile up over my week alone, and noted to wash them as soon as I could. Stepping into the bathroom, I made the same note, as the bathroom hadn’t been cleaned in a while, and it was about time it needed it.
I shook the thoughts of cleaning away and focused on my shower, which I made especially warm that day. As I got out, the steam from the water fogged up the bathroom, almost to the point of blinding me. Luckily, it cleared up fairly quickly after I turned off the water, and I made my towards the towel and dressed myself.
“I’ll clean up in a bit,” I muttered to myself as I left the bathroom. I couldn’t explain it, but I was just full of energy that day, likely from the fun I had the day before, but at that time I had no idea what made me that way. It didn’t last long, however, as I caught sight of the letter I had set down on the small table in front of my couch. It was an eyesore, just sitting there, even more so than the bits of wrappings and trash I had left around the room.
I reached for it, but stopped when my phone went off. I turned to look at it. Still plugged into its wall-charger, it began blinking with a light, telling me that there was a message awaiting my eyes. I saw it as an excuse, and reached for my phone far more quickly than I had the envelope.
The message was from Applejack. It seemed she had finished her little bit of chores for the day and wanted to know if I wanted to hang out with her for the day. I happily accepted, reminding myself of the fun I had felt with my other friends.
I found myself wondering what we would spend our time doing, or even what she wanted to do. I never thought of her as doing much other than farm-work, and somehow the thought felt odd to me. But it was then that I remembered the oddity right in front of me: the letter.
I grabbed for it, ripped it open, and began to read:
Sky, since that is what you want to be called,
You’re almost a fully-grown adult, and I think it’s about time I’ve started treating you like one. So, I’ve decided to move in with my boyfriend, Mike. This is what you wanted, right? For me to leave, give you the respect you “deserve?” Well, now it’s done, and I won’t be coming back. Good luck fending for yourself in the real world, Sky. I’ve informed the land-lord of my leaving, and he will be going to get the trailer ready at the end of the month. You have until then to get your own place and leave, or you’ll be arrested for trespassing.
Don’t bother trying to contact me. I changed my number, so now you’re completely on your own. I just can’t deal with living with you anymore, and since you think you’re ready for it, good luck.
Just remember: this is what you wanted. This is what we both wanted, and you know it. I wish you the best...
Your mother, Jane
I read it, re-read it, turned it over, there was nothing. “She’s... gone?” First the sadness of being lost, all alone. There was nobody for me to turn to. My family was across the country, and now my mother was in some unknown guy’s house. I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. How could she leave me like this? Like some kind of animal she didn’t want to have to deal with anymore? Yes, we fought, who didn’t?
The rage hit me next, the unstoppable fury of what I had just read. I balled the paper in my fist, throwing it in some random direction. I didn’t feel better. I suddenly felt my fist come into contact with something. I looked down to where I saw my hand against the armrest of the couch. Nothing changed.
And nothing would change, just like when my mother put the hole in the wall. Just like when I threw a baseball though my window, it would never change the fact of what was just true. My anger, my fury, every ounce of rage that filled my being; it couldn’t change the fact that my mom abandoned me. No... Jane abandoned me. My mother would never do anything of the sort.
I remembered my mother. She was so sweet, so caring, so... loving, motherly. I remembered her reading to me before I went to bed at night, checking for monsters in my closet and under my bed. She was the greatest mother in the world, even after the divorce.
I couldn’t remember much of the divorce, except for fear of being alone. I remember thinking that neither of them would want me, but they would both tell me not to be scared. Each told me that they would do everything in their power to make sure I went with them.
My mother won custody, and I was so happy, until I saw my father walking out of the courtroom, tears filling his eyes. Not only had my mother gotten the right to keep me, but it was said that my father was to pay child-support, but I had no idea how much. My mother stopped him, barely keeping him there to listen to what she had to say. She told him that he didn’t have to pay as much as the judge told him, and that he would be allowed to see me every other weekend, for as long as he wanted to see me.
Not long afterwards, maybe a year or so when I had just turned seven, there was an accident. My mother was killed on her way to pick me up from my father’s home. A drunk driver, I was told, caused the accident.
Being so young, I didn’t entirely understand. I only knew that I would never see my mother again. I was sad, but I never cried for her. I never cried at all.
My father gained custody over me, he and his new girlfriend, Jane. Jane contrasted my mother in every way imaginable. She was cruel, commanding, and even hit me on occasion. Even still, she demanded that I call her my mother, and scolded me if I didn’t. Eventually, it became habitual to call her “Mom.”
My father did nothing about it, as he fell into hard drinking and gambling following my mother’s death. He stayed away from me as much as he could, leaving me to be with Jane for the majority of my time there.
Eventually, my father was diagnosed with cancer, about four years after I first moved in with him and Jane. Since he was considered unfit to care for me due to his condition, Jane officially became my guardian.
For six years, I lived with her here. I was neglected almost every day, either physically or mentally. We moved out as soon as my father was admitted into the hospital. Jane told me that it was because my father would likely pass away very soon, and she didn’t want any haunting memories of the house after he was gone.
But I wasn’t as stupid as she thought I was. I knew she had been looking for any reason at all to get away from him. She was heartless, especially to leave him like that. She took “her” things from the house when we left, which also happened to be some of the most expensive items in the house.
Years of working in the carpentry business had left my dad with a decent amount of money, which, luckily, he was smart enough to keep in his own bank account. So, Jane had no way of getting that money, which I have no doubts she would have gotten the first chance she found.
My father got better and worse at seemingly random times. Sometimes it would look like he was getting a little better, and others it seemed the cancer would go away completely, but it never did.
He tried his best to make it up to me for all the times he left me to drink or gamble. Every time he was allowed to leave the hospital, he took me somewhere. The mall, the movies, the zoo, it never mattered to me where we went. I was only happy to spend time with him. Every Christmas and on my birthday, he would ask me what I wanted. It didn’t matter what I wanted, he would always find a way to get it for me, until last year, anyway.
His condition had recently taken a turn for the worst. It was to the point where he was almost always on pain medication so powerful that he was barely conscious at times. The last time I had ever had a real conversation with him is when he gave me my iPod. I hugged him and thanked him, just like any kid would when he got something he really wanted.
I now regret that my last words with him weren’t more sincere. Jane, on the other hand, wasn’t as sorrowful. She made my father’s cancer seem like a joke, constantly showing up to visit, only to “cry” and take pictures with him, despite his constant pleas to not be seen by anyone other than me. I hated her, and I still do.
But now, she was gone, and I felt worse than ever before. I had never been alone before, but now I felt as though I was. My father was still alive, but his condition seems to worsen every day. I was certain it wouldn’t be long before I truly was all alone.
A knock on my door stirred me from my internal ranting. I looked at my surroundings. Broken shards of a lamp, glass from a broken cup, and random bits of furniture were scattered about the room. It seemed I had destroyed the room in my fit of rage.
Another knock. “Sky?” I heard from the other side of the door. “Are you here?”
I felt weak, and dropped back onto the couch, my head falling into my hands as I ignored the sound of the knob turning. Suddenly, the room was filled with light, and I heard footsteps. “Oh, sweet lord!” I heard through the muffling of my hands.
All was quiet, until I heard the crumpling of paper. “Sky...” I heard moments later. Then there was a sudden weight beside me on the couch. “Sky, it’s all gonna be okay,” I felt an arm wrap around me, and a warmth press against my right side. I looked up to see Applejack watching me with concerned eyes.
“She’s gone, you know,” I simply said. She gave a single nod.
“I’m sorry, Sky. She must have had other reasons, right?”
I decided I didn’t care anymore, and told her everything. I told her about my real mother, how my father fell ill, about Jane, everything. She sat in silence, listening quietly to my story. “And now that’s it. There’s no where else for me to go. I’m all alone, and I don’t even have a home anymore.”
Quiet. “That’s not true, Sky.”
I turned to her, my throat cracking a bit from the dryness of the air. “What?”
She repeated herself. “You ain’t all alone, Sky,” She was quiet for a moment again. “Tell you what,” she began, “You can move in with me and my family,” I sat there, motionless, unspeaking. “There’s plenty of work to be done on the farm, and I’m sure Granny Smith wouldn’t mind paying you a little something for your work.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. Was she serious? I just stared like a fool, unsure of what to do. Then it suddenly hit me: what have I got to lose? “So, what do you say?” She was looking at me with a smile across her face. She was completely serious.
I was barely able to stutter the words out. “You... would let me live with you? Why... why would you do that?”
“Well,” I still stared as she looked away for a moment. “I still kind of owe you for saving me last week,” She turned back towards me, a serious expression across her face. “And because we’re friends, and friends help friends, right?”
I was stunned, but I nodded. The next thing I knew, I was packing what little belongings I had. I had very few clothes, and what I did have was old and raggedy. Applejack helped me with what she could. “I hate to say this, Sky, but don’t you think these clothes are a little... old?”
I dropped a folded pair of jeans in a bag and turned to her. “Yeah, but I don’t exactly gave money, you know?” She nodded and continued folding the clothes I had piled up for her.
Once we were finished, I threw my couple of bags into the trunk of Applejack’s car and climbed in myself, awaiting her to get in the driver’s seat. “You’re ready to get out of here, huh?”
I nodded as I turned to look at the trailer once more. “You have no idea,” I felt the rumble of the car as Applejack turned the key and drove off, leaving the trailer to disappear behind the trees for the final time.
---------------
We arrived soon after at Applejack’s house. It wasn’t nearly as far away as I would have liked, but, as they always say, beggars can’t be choosers. “Here we are,” Applejack said proudly. “It ain’t nothing special, but it’s home.”
And, as she said, it wasn’t much that met my eyes. The was a large farm house, which happened to be a simple shade of a dull yellow, with a black-tiled roof. Across the yard, which was more like a small field than anything, was a red barn, which was only a bit smaller than the house, itself. A few wooden fences could be seen stretching across the field here and there, all connecting to the barn in some way. Each fence held a couple of animals; chickens, pigs, horses, everything one would expect to see on a small farm such as this one. Past the barn was what this family was known for before they moved here: apples. There were fields of trees, some fully-grown, others were barely older than a sapling, and others still were between these two ages.
“This is actually really amazing,” I said as I admired the landscape before me. “I’ve never actually been on a farm before, so I have nothing to compare this to, but from what I can tell, this is very cool.”
Applejack smiled as she stood from her car. “Well, thank you. But it’s nothing compared to the old farm,” She turned and headed for the pale house. “You coming?”
I turned back towards her and began following behind. “Are you sure it’s okay if I stay here?”
She answered without turning back towards me. “Well, there ain’t no guarantee of it. But I don’t think Granny Smith would mind if you helped out around the farm, at least until you get back on your feet.”
I smiled at her reply. I didn’t understand how people could be so kind. I watched the back of Applejack’s hair as it bobbed up and down as she climbed her porch stairs. “Applejack.”
She twisted around to me with her hand on the doorknob. “Yeah?”
I met her gaze. “Thanks. For offering to let me stay here, I mean. It means a lot to me.”
She smiled. “Don’t mention it. I’m sure you would have done the same for me.” That was the thing, though. I don’t know if I would have.
We stepped through the door and a pair of eyes met us. “Well now, Applejack, I thought you said you were gonna be gone for a while?” It was an older lady sitting in a rocking chair. Her hair was bright gray, almost white, and pulled up into a loose bun. She wore a bright green dress that hung down to about her ankles.
“I know, Granny Smith. But we kind of ran into a snag.”
Granny Smith turned her attention to me. “Well, who’s this? Is this that boy you were telling me about?”
“Granny Smith,” Applejack said a bit hastily, “this is Sky. He’s one of my friends from school.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Sky. I’m Granny Smith, and yes, as in the apple,” I hadn’t made the connection until she pointed it out to me.
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“Granny Smith, if you don’t mind, could I talk to you for a second?” Applejack wasted no time, I found.
“Of course! Go ahead, dearie,” Granny Smith then proceeded to simple sit in her chair, patiently waiting for Applejack to begin speaking.
“Uh, Granny...” Applejack motioned towards a nearby room, which, from the looks of it, was the kitchen.
“Oh!” Granny Smith suddenly rose to her feet, if with a little difficulty. “I see. Alright, then,” They proceeded to walk towards the room Applejack had pointed out. After motioning for me to wait there, they went through the door. I couldn’t help but peek through, and it was, in fact, the kitchen. I only had a chance to see the old, country-time stove, but that was enough proof.
After a few moments of waiting, I heard light footsteps coming from upstairs. Nearby there was a set of stairs, and rushing down them was a small girl who wore a pale yellow sundress. She also had a large, hot pink ribbon in her bouncing, red hair. “Granny Smith!” she was calling on her way down. “Granny Smi-” She stopped suddenly when she reached the bottom and caught sight of me. “Oh... who are you?”
I stood with my hands in my pockets. “Uh, I’m Sky, Applejack’s friend,” I wasn’t sure what else to tell her.
“Oh, you’re Sky!” She began smiling. “My sister’s told me so much about you!”
How much could Applejack have possibly told her? We only met last week. “Like what?”
“Like-” Suddenly a large hand found its way across her mouth.
“Nope,” A large man walked out from the corner where Applejack’s sister had come from.
“Oh, Big Mac,” she said as she removed the hand from her mouth. “You’re no fun,” She then began pouting, which I thought was adorable.
The man turned towards me. He wore a red shirt and loose jeans. His hair was blonde, like Applejack’s, but it was much darker than Applejack’s was. I made a note not to get on his bad side, as he looked like he could pound me into the dust with his massive arms. “I’m Big Mac, and this is Apple Bloom. Applejack’s our sister.”
“Oh,” I said simply. “Well, it’s nice to meet you both.”
“What’re you doing here, anyway?” Apple Bloom suddenly spoke. “Applejack said she was going to hang out with you at your house today, right, Big Mac?”
Big Mac nodded. “Eeyup.”
I stood as the two siblings patiently awaited an answer. “Well, uh... See, there’s a, um...”
There was suddenly the sound of a door opening, and Applejack stuck her head through the kitchen door to get a view of what was happening. What she saw looked to be an interrogation. “Big Mac, Apple Bloom, would you mind coming here a second?”
Luckily, they both nodded and went with her through the door. A sigh of relief left my lips as soon as I was sure they wouldn’t hear. I began to look around at my surroundings. There was some simple furniture nearby, a navy blue sofa, equally-blue reclining chair, and Granny Smith’s rocking-chair. There also seemed to be a set of tables around; two end-tables and a coffee table in from of the sofa. Their were several pictures around the room, both on tables and on the wall. I began to look more closely at some of the pictures, when I heard more footsteps rushing through the house.
I turned around to see a dog, no taller than my knees, walking towards me. It was covered in fur, which was mostly brown, with several spots of white. She was coming closer and closer as I stood there, showing her I wasn’t to be feared. I knelt down as she grew closer, holding my hand out for her to sniff, and she did. She immediately began panting and knelt down, as if I was to play with her. I had no mind to, and instead settled for petting her. “At least you won’t question me.”
It wasn’t long before Granny Smith re-entered the room. I assumed that the others would come out behind her, but they did not. “Sky,” Granny Smith began. “I understand what you’re going through, and that you’re lost right now,” I felt my heart sink into my stomach. “But,” I raised my eyes once more. “What kind of family would we be if we turned down someone in need?”
My eyes lit up and I stood there in awe for a moment. “Really? So you mean...”
“Yes, you can stay here with us Apples for as long as you need to.”
I felt the urge to hug her, and I nearly did, before Applejack and her siblings stepped through the door in enough time to see the massive grin across my lips. Applejack returned my smile.
I couldn’t remember a time when I felt as happy as I did in that moment; with my mother, maybe. They accepted me, a total stranger, into their home with very little prior knowledge about me or my past. I remember feeling comfortable, accepted... loved.
---------------
As part of the agreement to live with them, Granny Smith expected me to help out around the farm, just as Applejack had said she would. Of course, I didn’t mind. Heck, I was even grateful for the fact that she was even willing to pay me a little something for all my work, since I was a guest.
Just as I had finished unpacking my things into the guest room, well, my room, I heard a knock on the door. A moment later, Applejack peeked in. “Getting settled, Sky?”
I grinned. “Yeah, just finished unpacking.”
She smiled. “Good. Well, supper’s ready downstairs,” I nodded, and with that, she turned to leave.
I stepped down the stairs, not long after Applejack told me about supper. I was surprisingly hungry, but then I remembered that the last time I ate was the cereal I had for breakfast.
I walked into the kitchen just in time to see everyone finish setting up the dinner plates and pots of food on the dining table. Apple Bloom looked up at me and announced my presence. “You’re just in time! Granny Smith makes the best pork chops!”
Granny Smith brought over the final dish of food and everyone took a seat around the table, including me. I was on the end opposite of Granny Smith, just beside Applejack and Big Mac. I waited until somebody else got something first. I dreaded being the first to grab for food, especially being the guest. “Well, Sky?” I looked up at Granny Smith’s voice. “The guest always gets the first plate!” I smiled and nodded, grabbing for several different foods. Everything looked wonderful, and it all tasted even better.
I looked around. Everyone was smiling, happily talking to one another, telling each other about how their days went. It was different from what I was used to. I would always get my own plate and hide away in my room, only coming out when I was finished. This was strange to me, but I liked it. It felt... right, somehow. I smiled, and slowly began joining the conversation, which I was happily accepted into.