//------------------------------// // Reconciliation // Story: Applejack Through the Ages // by Paradise Oasis //------------------------------// "All right, all right... I'll go talk to her." After several hours of prodding by Surprise, Baby Applejack had finally agreed to go and talk to her mother again. The little filly was sullen and downcast when Surprise and Cheerilee brought her into the Satin Slipper, and the little filly barely looked up at her mother when Applejack the elder began to speak. "Apple Blossom, I know you really don't want to talk to me right now, but you just gotta listen to me. Look, I'm sorry about what had happened, I admit I'm might've... exaggerated some details here and there, but I told you everything that I can remember. All of those heroic things, and those brave deeds I told you about, they did happen.... I swear they did." The little filly simply stared at her, saying nothing. "You're a special little filly, my little apple blossom, who comes from a long line of proud and strong Apples. You're descended from a fashion model, a picnic planner, a business mare, and a saloon mare. You come from a heritage that includes the original harmony bearer, Applejack, and includes ponies who saved their whole town from the gizmonks, as well as a saloon girl who stopped a bunch of ornery ruffians in the old west. Wither these ponies were me or they were just my ancestors isn't the point- what is the point is they are all inside of you. Their bravery is your bravery, their determination is your veins. Everything they were, everything they achieved, it all lives in you. I'm not asking you to believe everything I told you, I'm only asking you to believe that I really do care about you. Because I believe you're the best thing to come out of all those apples, apple blossom, and I was only trying to make you happy by telling you of an exciting past. You'll always be my greatest adventure, Baby Applejack, and I only wanted you to be happy." The little filly turned to face her, tears coming down her eyes. Coming around the table, she grabbed the apple-farming pony in a tight hug. "No, I'm sorry, mama. Surprise told me the story about her grandma and the dragon, I never should've trusted mean ol' Cherries." "Ohhh, Apple Blossom..." The two ponies, mother and daughter, stood their embracing in the middle of the Satin Slipper, while Surprise, Cheerilee and several other ponies looked on. .... "... so Applejack, my mother, is descended from a long line of brave and noble ponies. And so that's the story of the Apple family- my family and where I come from." All of the little fillies and colts in the class clapped, as Applejack watched from the back of the class, a small smile on her face. As Cheerilee began talking to the class again, another pony parent who had been watching trotted up to the orange mare. "So, you finally told your daughter the truth, did you? Well, color me surprised." Cherries Jubilee snorted smugly, shaking her head at the other mare. "Look, Applejack... I'm sorry I tore you down in your daughter's eyes, and that I spread those hateful words to Lightning... but I just couldn't stand you telling lies to so many ponies like that, and getting away wi-" "Don't talk to me Cherries Jubilee." The mare told her angrily, scowling and turning towards the door. "Don't ever speak to me, or my family, ever again!" "You're being immature about his, you know, just like you always are!" Cherries snorted back, stamping her hoof on the ground, and yelling after the mare who had just trotted out. "Maybe I was a bit harsh, but I did the right thing in exposing your little lies! Ponies will thank me for this one day!" But as the class broke up and trotted out of the room, Cherries noticed her own daughter trotting up to baby Applejack. "So, it turns out your mama was a liar, after all." Baby Cherries sneered. "Good thing my mama made her tell the truth, huh?" You're mamma's a total witch!" Baby AJ spat, scowling at the other filly. "She's just as rotten as that fruit the two of you pick!" "You take that back!" Baby Cherries yelled at her. "It's apples that are totally rotten, not cherries!" "No, Cherries are rotten!" "Apples!" "Cherries!" "Apples!" "Cherries!" And as Cherries Jubilee looked on, she saw that, to her horror, her own daughter had taken after her, just as AJ's had taken after her mother. The whole cycle had begun anew.