Apple Bloom stroked the white fur of the sleeping Billy. She looked at the trees. She does that from time to time. The line of trees were endless, she began to thought.
Still, that didn’t worry her as much as the story of the troll the pony told them about. After all this chaos that occurred during their trip, after all the screaming and yelling, not once did she thought about the troll. Like Applejack said, it was just a tall-tale from Granny Smith. With the passerby confirming that he’s real, maybe it was a good idea that they do turn back. Knowing Applejack, however, she wouldn’t want to do that. Apple Bloom noticed the change in her sister’s tone when the pony mentioned the troll. Was Applejack trying to brave for her?
Not a sound from was uttered during the remainder of the trip. An faint explosion was heard from the sky, and dark clouds were over their heads, followed by another booming roar from above. It was loud enough to wake Billy.
“Thunder,” Macintosh said.
“Yes, I know,” Applejack answered. She was hostile toward him, but only to a small degree. She looked at the sky. It was going to be a matter of time before it rained. Probably a thunderstorm, and a really bad one, Applejack figured.
The wagon pulled forward, slowly, cautiously. The Apples noticed that many of the trees were gone as they got further, entering a wide open space full of green. More dark clouds formed. The silent air broke when Billy made noise.
“What is it Billy? Do you see something?” asked Apple Bloom.
Billy pointed his head. Apple Bloom looked and saw a wooden house. On the front yard there were two children playing, but their mother came through the front door to call them in.
“Applejack, there’s a house down there!” she exclaimed. “Maybe they’ll let us in!”
“I don’t know, Apple Bloom. We don’t want to disturb them. We best find shelter on our own.”
Thunder cracked through the dark sky.
“We ain’t gonna find shelter, not for miles!”
“We will if we keep moving! There’ll probably be an inn somewhere!”
The first raindrops fell from the stormclouds. It was building gradually with each passing moment. Applejack gazed back at the house. The lights inside were turning. She really had no intention of intruding on their evening, but she had no other choice.
Applejack shook her head, and on her lead she and Macintosh led the wagon off the path and into the yard. The rain poured at a fast rate, almost pounding the skin on their backs. They moved quickly until they were close to the house. They parked the wagon at a considerable distance, then the Apples, along with Billy the Goat, rushed toward the front. A mare answer the door after Applejack knocked. She was yellow, with long, almost curly, brown hair.
“May I help you,” she asked timidly.
Applejack removed her stetson. “I hate to be a bother, ma’am, but would you care to offer me and my family shelter? We just need a place to stay for the night, and we’ll continue in the morning.”
The young mare glanced at the two adult ponies, and looked over them to see a wagon outside. She looked down to see a filly and a goat with them. The filly was about the same age as her two children. It was raining heavily. It wasn’t right to leave a child out there.
“... Well… alright, you can stay. There’s a shed out back to put your wagon in.”
“Oh, thank you very so much,” Applejack said with relief. The mare opened the door to let Apple Bloom and Billy enter while the other two locked the wagon in the shed. Her mane was drenched, as was Billy’s fur, dripping water where they stood. The mare stepped away from the room for a moment and came back with towels. Billy merely shook himself dry.
The mare was hospitable enough to have the Apples join her small family for dinner. It was least she can do for weary travelers such as them. The mare had a piece of carrot for Billy to eat. The children, whom were twins, finished their plates they rushed to the floor to rub Billy’s fur and pat him on his head.
“Where were you coming from?” the mare asked.
“Ponyville. My brother and I are apple farmers, and we’re having a very hard time delivering cider. My little sister wanted to tag along.”
She pointed to Apple Bloom, who was with the twins as they watched and laughed at Billy leaping in circles.
“To what town were trying to get to?” she asked again, gathering the plates full of scraps. Applejack and Macintosh removed themselves from the table to help clean.
“Have you heard of a little town called Galloway?” Applejack asked.
The young mare stopped on her tracks. Slowly, without responding, she reached for the last plate and placed on top of the stack.
“You’re going to Galloway?” she asked, a tremor in her voice.
“Yes… “
“But, but there’s a - “
Applejack raised her hoof, although there was subtle quiver. “We know. Somepony told us, already. But we have to make it, no matter what. I said it before and I’ll say it again - I’m a pony who keeps her promises.”
The mare set her plates on the table and sat down.
“But nopony has entered Galloway in a long time, not even leave. It’s dangerous. I’ve seen the… the troll for myself a long time ago. He was huge, with sharp teeth and black eyes,” she said in a loud voice, but covered her mouth for the sake of her children. Then she continued with a low voice, “He does not discriminate. The troll eat anypony who dare cross the bridge. It’s not safe. Please, I beg of you, do not continue your journey.”
“We can’t do that, ma’am. Our family is too far from Ponyville to turn back now, and I don’t intend to give up. I will not rest until that cider is delivered.”
There was a pause. The room was silent, save the jovial sounds coming from the children and the goat. “Will you tell us the way?” Applejack finally asked.
The mare sighed, then nodded. “When you leave here, continue on the path you were on. About ten miles from here there is an abandoned train station. Once you arrive, follow the tracks. It will take you a very long time, but the tracks will lead you to Galloway. However, I can’t tell you how to cross the bridge.”
Applejack closed her eyes. “We’ll think of something,” she flatly said.
“... Yep,” Macintosh added.
The Apples stayed in a spare bedroom the mare let them use for the night. The mare let her twin children play games with Apple Bloom until it was time to go to bed. Macintosh, extremely tired from the events of the day, settled in early. Applejack sat alone at the dinner table, thinking about the journey, the bridge, the troll, her siblings. How can a simple business trip turn into this? She put her hooves over her face.
There was commotion coming from the other room. The twins were arguing.
“Stop cheating!”
“No I didn’t, you skipped two spaces!”
“That’s because you switched cards!”
The brother and sister raised their voices, shouting awful things to each other. The mare rushed downstairs to break up the quarrel, until something unexpected happened.
“Guys, please stop fighting,” Apple Bloom said, calmly, but at the same time with authority. “That ain’t the way brothers and sisters talk to each other.” This caught Applejack, and the mare, off guard.
“Well… he cheated!” the filly said.
“No I didn’t, I played fair,” the colt whined.
Applejack walked toward the archway and inched her head to get a peek. She wanted to see what will happen. Before they burst into another heated argument, Apple Bloom stopped them. “Come on, y’all. It seems to me that you both cheated, and I don’t like playing games with cheaters. Now apologize to each other.”
The filly and the colt had their arms folded against their chests. They refused to make eye contact, but they received an uncomfortable stare from an impatient Apple Bloom. The twins relented and apologized simultaneously. The twins were relieved when she finally smiled.
“That’s what I want to hear. Brothers and sisters don’t treat each other that way. Sure, one might do something that’ll make the other upset, but y’all two are supposed to the best of friends.” Her smile faded. “And when there’s no one else left, all you have is each other.” Apple Bloom thought about the turmoil her family faced during the trip, and how it essentially made Applejack lose faith in her brother. She smiled again, wanting to continue their game before lights out.
Applejack stood there, and a cloud of uncertainty hovered above her head. It was uncertainty for herself and her skills as a big sister. She felt the twins’ mother standing next to her, who also watched the scene unfold.
“Your sister has such a way with words,” she said astoundingly. “She’s very mature for her age.”
“Yeah… yeah she is.”
Morning came, and the Apples gave their thanks and their farewells to the family. Applejack was willing to pay for their generosity, but the mare wanted nothing. The young twins hugged Apple Bloom and Billy for the final time before they departed.
The mare took Applejack’s hoof, grasped it into her own. “I pray no danger comes to you or your family. Please be careful.”
“We will,” said Applejack. “Believe you me, we’ve been through much worse.”
The mare let go of her hoof. Applejack and Macintosh strap the saddles on themselves, and they were on the road once more.
Much like before, the trail was filled silence. Only the birds filled the air with their morning songs. Billy was eating a bag of oats the twins gave for the long trip. Apple Bloom placed a hoof on her chin. There was something about this trip she really wanted to know. She crawled to the front through the barrels.
“Applejack, there was something I was meaning to ask you.”
“Go ahead.”
“... Why is it so important that we deliver the cider to Galloway?”
Applejack didn’t respond. The wagon kept rolling, and a minute passed until she she finally spoke. “You should know by now. As I said before, I’m a pony who keeps her promises. If I say this wagon of cider is going to reach Galloway, then by golly it’s gonna get there.”
“But who ordered it?”
“... You’ll see when the time comes. There’s also another why the delivery is so important. You see…” Applejack took a moment to gaze at Macintosh, who had his head down. “You see, Big Mac and I made that cider from scratch with our very hooves, along with one special ingredient. Do you know what it is?”
Apple Bloom shrugged.
“The secret ingredient is love.”
“Love?” Apple Bloom asked in a flat tone.
“I know it’s a dumb thing to say, but like everything in Sweet Apple Acres, we put love in everything we make, from apple pies to apple strudels to apple juice, even applesauce. That’s why everything we make taste so sweet and good. If there ain’t any love, then it’s not a Sweet Apple Acres special. Ain’t that right, Big Mac?”
Big Mac raised his head to see that Applejack was smiling at him, the first time since this dreadful trip began. He nodded, then said “Yep.”