//------------------------------//
// Confidence 
// Story: A Family Holiday 
// by SaintChoc 
//------------------------------//

"So what's it like to fly, anyway?"

"Heh. You really wanna know? I always thought I should keep that quiet when I'm around earth ponies and unicorns. 'Cause… you know."

"Well, if you wanna make it even, I can tell you what it's like to lift more than two hay bales without decidin' I need a nap."

"Oh, man. I'm never helping you on the farm again if that's the sass I'm gonna get. Anyway, it's like... "

"...Yeah?"

"Gimme a second! It's like… it's freedom, I guess. It's being able to look just about anywhere and think 'Yeah, I can get there.' I don't have to worry about bridges, or ladders, or climbing paths…"

"Like us poor downtrodden ground-bound earth-huggers, right?"

"Hey, you asked!"

"I was thinking more of the actual sensation. What do you feel, when you're up there?"

"Well, there's the wind rippling against me… the sun beating down on me, usually… bugs splatting against my face, sometimes. That's not really my favorite part."

"Hah! I don't imagine it's Fluttershy's, either."

"Pff. She doesn't usually fly fast enough for that to be a problem for her, but, yeah, she's told me to slow down a few times for their sake.

"Well, that's it? Wind, sun, bugs?"

"I don't know what else to say. The feeling of freedom is way more powerful than any of that. It's half the reason I like going so fast—when I see somewhere I want to be, I want to be there. I love the feeling that nothing can stop me."

"Nothin'? Surely some weather's gotta make for a no-fly sorta situation."

"Oh, well, yeah. Thunderstorms you should probably stay on the ground for. Cold weather, too. Like if it's cold enough to snow, you really gotta have a good reason if you're planning to go very far."

"And if you've got one?"

"Heh. Get there fast, I guess."

"Well, it's almost that time of year. Gonna be downtrodden with the rest of us, I guess."

"Eh. Give me some hot cocoa and a cozy fireplace, and I make do. And, hey, as long as you're there—I don't mind being an earth-hugger."

"Aww. You can be real sappy when you wanna."

"And if you tell anypony, I'm totally flying you off a cliff."

"Ima tell Pinkie."

"Like one of those big ones, with sharp rocks at the bottom."





Twilight flapped her wings and lifted herself off the floor, circling around the room and straining slightly to get the lift needed to climb. Rainbow followed, her ascent more effortless.

Twilight flew next to the grand chandelier, slowly navigating the many dangling gems, each showcasing a significant memory. She moved to an area near the center. "Here, take a look at this. I still add to this, you know. Some of the ones around here are more recent."

Rainbow moved near her and held a purple gem in her hoof, peering into the center. She scoffed lightly. "The Crusaders getting their cutie marks? That's your idea of recent? Kinda been over a year."

Twilight laughed. "Alright, well, I don't add to this often. I did add that a good few months ago, though. Keep going. There's newer stuff."

Rainbow flew over to a green gem and peered inside. "This one's just your first day in Ponyville." 

"Alright, that's—You've drifted out of the new section. Just—" Twilight moved next to an orange gem and not so subtly nudged at it, looking away and coughing. 

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at Twilight, then flew over to the orange gem. She picked it up and squinted for a moment, before opening her eyes wide and blinking, her mouth opening slightly. In the center she saw herself and Applejack, standing in a corner of Sugarcube Corner, balloons and streamers decorating the walls. Applejack was saying something while the Rainbow in the memory smiled back, attempting to appear casual. Rainbow could see the excitement in her own eyes, even at this size.

She looked at Twilight, confused. "This is…"

"Where it began." Twilight nodded, smiling.

Rainbow gazed back into the gem. "But why is it…? I mean, how is this even a memory of yours?" She peered closer, seeing Twilight and Pinkie around a nearby corner, grinning ear to ear with their hooves to their mouths. "Oh. Welp. Never knew about that."

"Yeah, I'm… I'm suddenly realizing this might be slightly creepier than I intended." Twilight shifted awkwardly.

"I swear, this whole town's nosey. Okay, but seriously. Why is this here?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight smiled. "Why are the Crusaders getting their marks here?" She flew closer to Rainbow. "Because watching ponies I care about go through something life-changing is a memory I will always treasure."

Rainbow dropped the gem, looking away and rolling her eyes. "Twilight…"

"I'm serious. Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie—we've all been so incredibly happy, seeing you two so happy. And we can tell it's going to stick." Twilight put her hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "Applejack knows, too. She...

"Like I said before, everypony has a weakness. You know as well as I do that Applejack's family is the most important thing to her in the world, and no matter how sure she is, she'll always be scared when it comes to anything that could affect it." Twilight breathed out. "Look... you can't beat her family, Rainbow. You can never replace it as her number one." 

Rainbow turned to face Twilight, nostrils flaring, teeth gritted. "Well then what am I supposed to—"

"But you can be part of it," Twilight hurriedly finished. Rainbow's face softened. "She may not have it in her to pull you into her family... but you can push. She'll let you in. I'm sure of it."

Twilight hugged Rainbow tightly, then pulled back, meeting her eyes intently. "So if you want to make that happen... you're going to have to be the confident one. Just this once."

Rainbow looked back at Twilight, eyes glistening, then shifted her gaze to the window, watching the snow blow through the night air.





Granny Smith stopped between the two bunk beds reserved for the Apples, next to a window, wind whistling faintly through a seam that wasn't quite airtight. She opened one of her saddle bags, and began pulling out a large leather book. "Hoo!" she breathed. "All these old pictures of you—are they growin' up with you? Ah swear this wasn't this heavy last time Ah touched it."

Applejack blinked in surprise. "You brought the big photo album? Ain't exactly travel-size."

Granny hefted it onto the bottom bunk near her, then sat up next to it. "Well, this here's a big event. And Ah had a feelin' Ah might be needin' it." 

Applejack sat up on the bed, taking her hat off so it wasn't crushed against the top bunk, as Granny flipped through it. Years of old sepia-tone photos flashed by, before the color started to grow more vibrant. Applejack saw a flash of an infant Big Mac, before Granny stopped and flipped back several pages. "Shoot, too far…"

"There!" Granny said, pointing to a large photo, featuring dozens and dozens of ponies standing in front of the Sweet Apple Acres barn. Applejack smiled, seeing her mother and father near the back. "First Apple Family Reunion with yer ma and pa together. You know how long they were goin' out before she brought him?"

Applejack thought for a moment, then sighed and nodded. "A few weeks. I remember, 'cause Pa liked to go on about how surprised he was when she asked him to come. Blew him away how different this family was."

Granny looked at Applejack pointedly. Applejack huffed in exasperation. "But that's—There's always like a hundred ponies there! That's fine! You could bring an orthros and I bet most of 'em wouldn't notice until they started questioning the smell around dinnertime."

"Alright, ya stubborn mule. Look. You see him?" Granny pointed at a pony off of the center, with a light brown coat color and half-lidded, friendly eyes.

"Course, Granny. That's Uncle Hayseed." Applejack looked at Granny. "You never did say why you brought him up earlier."

"Can you tell me how he fits in the family?"

"Well, he…" Applejack thought back. It was always difficult to keep track of the many Apple ponies and all their familial connections, but Uncle Hayseed was one of her favorites. "...Huh."

She shook her head. "I can't think of any other relatives he showed up with… and I'm pretty sure I'd remember if he was one of my parents' brothers. He a cousin of a cousin, or something?"

Granny shook her head. "Nope. Used to go out with an Apple, and then we didn't let him leave. No blood relation to anypony in this picture." 

"Hmm… well, who was it? Someone who didn't show up a lot, I'm guessing."

Granny placed her hoof on the photo, pointing.

"...Ma? He used to go out with Ma?"

"That's right. They wanted different things, but he was still just the kindest soul you could ever rightly meet. He was the first pony to teach you how to tie a good knot, weren't he?"

Applejack chuckled. "Yeah, and then I was tyin' Big Mac to trees every other day when he wasn't payin' attention. Can't imagine Ma and Pa were too happy 'bout that."

Granny laughed. "Well, they loved him all the same. He was always welcome, and he always loved to be there. He was never hesitant to come 'cause yer Ma were there. Only when she..." Granny's eyes grew distant for a moment, her gaze lowering. "...weren't."

The room was quiet for a moment. Applejack placed her hoof on the page, stroking down the photo gently. 

After a moment, she spoke. "So is this supposed to be yer way of reassurin' me? 'Eh, even if it doesn't work out, she can still come to reunions and stuff?' That's what you wanted to tell me?"

Granny reached a frail hoof around and swiftly smacked the back of Applejack's head. "No, y'durn fool! You been listenin' to a word Ah been sayin'!?" Applejack winced in pain, then rubbed the sore spot, frowning.

"What Ah'm sayin'," Granny continued, "is that this family's a heck of a lot stronger than you seem to be givin' it credit fer. This family's built on acceptance and togetherness, and you seem to be thinkin' that you'll go wreckin' the whole thing if y'bring a bad mate to Hearth's Warming!"

"Well I didn't… I never thought I'd wreck the family or anythin', but—" Applejack protested, eyes focused on the photo.

"Yer parents raised a smart mare. A strong mare." Granny put her hoof to Applejack's chin, raising her head and making sure she was focused on her. "No matter what, the fact that you chose her to be yer partner, even if it's only been a little bit, makes her a very special pony, and this family will never regret havin' her be a part of our lives."

"...But the Pies…"

"Don't use that excuse. What the Pies think don't have a thing to do with this and you know it."

Applejack's eyes stayed locked on Granny's. She opened her mouth, then closed it. She opened it again, then closed it again. Her eyes grew unfocused as her expression gradually grew distraught.

She looked back at Granny. "I…"

The train blared in the distance, loud enough to come through the closed window. Applejack's ears perked up and her eyes widened as she looked out the window, seeing nothing but darkness and snowfall. Granny blinked in confusion.

Applejack leapt off the bed and dashed for the stairs. Big Mac swiveled around with wide eyes as Applejack raced down the steps and turned for the front door. "Hey, Applejack!" Pinkie Pie called. "Wanna get in on—Whoa!" Applejack clipped the game table, sending rocks spilling onto the floor.

Limestone grumbled loudly as Apple Bloom called out. "Sis! Sis, what's wrong!?" Applejack barged through the front door, leaving it swinging open as wind and snow poured in. 

Applejack ran through the night, gritting her teeth and squinting as the snow blew into her eyes, her legs moving with a desperate speed. She stumbled briefly, losing the path underneath the blanket of white.

She arrived at the lip of the Pie's land, the train station in view. A lone light hanging off the station's roof pierced through the snowfall, but the train blocked view of the platform itself, idling, smoke billowing out the top. Applejack stopped running and watched.

Eventually, the train moved on down the track. Applejack saw only two ponies from neighboring farms on the platform, getting back from a late-night supply run. She slowly lowered her flank until she was simply sitting in the snow, and she stared up into the night sky.

Before long, she heard the soft sound of hooves in snow, and turned to see Granny Smith joining her, bundled in a scarf. Apple Bloom and Pinkie were outside the front door of the house, heads cocked, frowning.

Applejack looked back at the train station. "All day… every time I've heard the train, I… I keep thinking maybe she…"

She looked at her grandmother, tears forming in her eyes. "I made a mistake, Granny."

Granny moved closer to her and wrapped a hoof around her, and they sat together, staring up at the falling snow.

"What was I thinkin'...?" Applejack said, quietly. "And what is she thinkin' right now...?"

"You'll make it right." Granny gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Now, c'mon, 'fore you catch a cold."

Granny started to walk back to the house, and Applejack sat there a moment longer, looking towards Ponyville. She sighed a deep and fractured sigh, and began to move.

And then she stopped. Something bright, right where her eyes lay, off in the distance. A gasp slowly escaped her throat as she realized what she was seeing.

"C'mon, Applejack. You can—" Granny turned towards Applejack, and saw it. "...Oh, my…"

Apple Bloom gasped as well. Pinkie's eyes widened, and she leaned back inside the house. "Mom—Limestone—Marble—Everypony! Get out here! You need to—Get out here now!" she screamed.

"For crying out loud, Pinkie, what are you—" Limestone said, before looking into the distance. Her mouth fell open as the rest of the Pies came outside, followed by Big Mac. "...Wow…"

The brightness continued to expand, a hollow ring gradually dividing cleanly into rich colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. The display filled up more and more of the sky, striking against the dark sky.

"That's what I saw," Pinkie Pie said. "All those years ago. That's what I saw."

Igneous Rock removed his hat, transfixed. "All those years ago… I thought it but a story."

Pinkie Pie's smile grew with the ring. "Who needs stories?"

Applejack was looking away, scanning the sky above her, only seeing snowflakes. She looked at Granny briefly, who was also searching the sky. Their eyes met, and Granny could only offer a pained shrug.

Applejack's ears twitched as she heard a soft thud. She turned around in time to see a blue figure sliding through the snow, a trail leading from an impact point. "Rainbow!"

Applejack ran over to the the slumped pegasus. "What are you doing!? You told me—You can't—" She leaned down, a hoof frantically traveling over Rainbow's head and neck. 

Rainbow began to cough, and raised her head weakly, her face covered in frost. "Jac—Applejack—" She slowly began to prop herself up on her legs, shivers coursing through her body.

Applejack gave her leverage to stand. "I'm right here, Rainbow." She tried to look into Rainbow's eyes, searching for some sign she was okay. 

Rainbow breathed in and looked back at Applejack, startling her. For a brief moment, Rainbow's shivering stopped, her eyes unwaveringly focused.

"I'm good enough. I promise." Her breath was staggered and harsh.

Applejack was already nodding, her eyes welling with tears. A laugh escaped her. "I know you are. I know."

The two ponies pressed together, Rainbow chilling Applejack and Applejack warming Rainbow. They each wrapped a foreleg around the other in a tight embrace, tears streaming from tightly shut eyes. Granny's hoof went to her chest as she smiled, her own eyes starting to mist. Pinkie Pie hugged Limestone tightly, her chin quivering, Limestone squirming in her grip.

Applejack broke away from Rainbow, an uncontrollable smile on her face as she lightly stroked the side of Rainbow's head. "C'mon. Let's get you inside."

Applejack supported Rainbow as the two walked slowly for the door. Rainbow sneezed, then sniffled, wiping her muzzle. "Erf. I think I'm gonna be downtrodden for a while." 

Applejack laughed. "Well, there's hot cocoa and a cozy fireplace. And, course, I'm here."

Rainbow looked ahead at the house, smirking. "Better be some good cocoa."

Applejack squeezed her tightly, grinning as one last tear flowed down her cheek. The Pies made way for them to enter the house, and then followed them inside. Granny shuffled in as well, giving Apple Bloom and Big Mac a firm hug, and the group closed the door behind them. 

Gradually, the residents of the surrounding farms filed back into their homes, still unsure what exactly they saw, and turned off their lights. The night became quiet and calm, only the soft whistle of the wind disturbing the peace.