It's been a week since the "Field Trip" to Gardenia. My mom's been staying at Filthy's house while I've been staying with Applejack. Apple Bloom moved away with her cousin Braeburn at Appleloosa, Texas. I can't say I miss her, but it isn't the same without her; Applejack's more distant, Big Mac's been working harder, and Granny's been looking at old photos of the Apples back when they all were alive.
I've been helping around the farm since then, trying to take over Apple Bloom's chores. I was feeding the chickens with Applejack when I decided to start a conversation.
"It's been a rough time, huh?" I asked her.
Applejack looked up at me and back down.
"Yeah. It has." She said, her voice cracking.
I noticed how saddened she was. I took a breath and began forming my words.
"Look, I know that Apple Bloom was my fault. I just want to say that right from the get-go." I said.
"No. No, it wasn't. It was always there... I should've seen it. I did see it, we all did last christmas." Applejack said.
"Yeah, I heard about Anon-a-Miss. I'm surprised you didn't punish her more." I said.
"I felt sorry for Scootaloo. They dragged her into it because they were her friends. Sweetie Belle helped, but... the rest was Apple Bloom. She did the hacking, she wrote the blog, and she posted it. I was so stupid, Jason. I was..."
Applejack held me in an embrace, in which I gladly returned. She started crying slightly as she nuzzled into my shoulder.
"You should head inside. How many chores do you have left?" I asked.
"I... I gotta clean the yard for Winona, feed the cows... that's it." AJ said.
"I can do that. You go inside and blow off some steam, talk to your brother." I suggested.
AJ nodded and kissed my head, held me in a quick embrace, and headed back inside.
I'd be lying if I didn't say I felt my face warm up.
I then noticed that chickens were closing in on AJ's feed bag. I managed to grab it, while being pecked at, and set it out of the coop.
Clear the yard of drops, give the cows hay bales, shouldn't be so hard... I thought to myself.
I was so, so, so wrong about the yard being easy.
The yard smelled like a landfill, flies were scattered everywhere, and there was a big trash can filled to the brim of multiple bags of Winona's waste. I managed to clear... most of the yard and move the bag out to the road.
After that was done, I went off to find hay bales. As I closed in on the barn, I saw Big Mac over the side, chopping firewood in obvious frustration. I decided to check in on him while I could.
"Hey, Big Mac." I said, taking a step closer to him.
Mac swung the axe down, splitting the wood log in two. He dropped the axe and wiped his forehead.
"Hey, Jason." Mac said as he grabbed a bottle of cider from a cooler near him.
A short silence followed as Mac grabbed the axe and another log.
"Hey, there's, uh... something I should tell you about Apple Bloom." I decided.
"What, that you liked her?" Mac asked as he chopped the log in half.
I felt a bead of sweat fall into my eye as I thought no-one else knew.
"...Yeah." I said.
"Don't be so shocked. Everyone knew you liked her, even Apple Bloom herself." Mac said as he grabbed another log.
What?
"What do you mean by that?" I asked in total confusion.
"She... talks about how you help her, care about her. She took it all for granted, Jason. She knew you loved her, but she never loved you back." Mac said as he chopped the log.
If someone told me this 5 months ago, I would be in total shock and denial. But now...
"Makes sense. No offense." I said.
Mac stuck the axe into the chopping block and looked back at me.
"What're you doin'? Apple Bloom's chores never involved the barn." He said.
"Applejack wasn't looking so good, I offered to do her chores for her. I just gotta feed the cows." I said.
"Don't bother. I did it a while ago." Mac said as he grabbed the cooler and headed on back inside the house.
"You comin'?" Mac asked.
I looked at the barn and back.
"Yeah, just... give me a second." I said as I headed off behind the barn.
I went around the barn, and saw a large apple tree around back. I remembered that tree, me and Apple Bloom used to hang out under it back when we were kids. I went up to it, laid my back into the bark, and lowered myself to the ground. I tried not to have flashbacks, but I did.
"Come on, Jason! You should've caught me by now!" 7-year-old Apple Bloom said, skipping around the big apple tree.
"Come on, Apple Bloom! You know I'm not a runner." I said as I tried to catch her.
We jumped, and skipped, and ran until we ran out of energy. We then took a seat next to each other against the tree.
"We're going to be friends forever, aren't we Jason?" Apple Bloom asked me.
"Of course we are, Apple Bloom. What can happen?" I foolishly asked.
"What... what do you mean you're leavin'?" 10-year-old Apple Bloom asked.
"I'm sorry, AB. Dad's got a new job in a city on the other side of the state." I explained.
"Gaverial? He hates you! Why do you have to go?!" AB cried.
"I can't leave mom and live alone, Apple Bloom." I responded.
"Then stay with us! Please, Jason don't go!" AB said as she held me in an embrace, and starting to sob.
I quickly wrapped my arms around her and rested the top of my head into hers. She began trying to speak through the sobs, but failed.
"I'm so sorry, Apple Bloom. I'm so sorry..." I said as I began running my hand through her hair.
I was getting off the bus from Dimmsdale High as I heard yelling from outside the house. I went inside, expecting a normal argument...
But saw the end of a shotgun barrel.
"Gaverial! Get that gun out of his face, please!" Mom begged.
"Move over, bitch!" Gaverial knocked her in the face with the shotgun stock, knocking her to the ground.
"Stop!" I said as I threw a random punch at him.
I missed, and Gaverial grabbed my arm and twisted... hard.
"You don't get involved!" Gaverial hollered as he then grabbed my shoulders and threw me into the granite table, cracking my spine.
I began to attempt getting up, but failed. Mom started getting up, just as Gaverial got ready to shoot me, grabbed a glass jug, and swung it against his head, knocking him to the ground.
"GET OFF MY SON!" Mom screamed as she began to pound and bite him.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Gaverial screamed as he grabbed her throat and smashed her head into the table, cracking her head.
"NO!" I screamed.
"And now... you." Gaverial said as he pointed the gun at me, took the safety off...
And was stopped by a cop tazing him.
"Sir, are you okay?" The cop asked as I say mom get raised and set on a stretcher.
"I'm... fine." I managed.
BAM!
It felt like an intestine burst. I looked down and saw a large, bloodied hole inside my stomach, tiny bits and chunks of... something scattered around the carpet. Things began getting blurred as I turned to see Gaverial, shotgun in hand, and smoke coming out of the gun.
And a look that I'd never forget. A look of...
Accomplishment.
Everything went dark
All a lie...
It was all a lie.
I felt the tears stream down my face as I leaned my head into the big tree, alone. I felt more tears come down as I pulled out a locket I had on my neck. I opened it, and saw an old photo of me and Apple Bloom, back when we were kids. I tossed it to the ground and began sobbing, not even caring if anyone sees me.
I continued to sob until I felt a warm hand touch my back. I looked up to see Applejack, with tears in her eyes as well. She came down to my level and held me in an embrace. I continued to sob as Applejack joined me as well, tears coming down from her face into my neck and down my shirt.
"Shhh, Jason. It's okay... it's okay." AJ said as she ran her hand through my hair and down my back.
She kissed my head again and began to lower herself.
Was she enjoying this embrace?
Instead of breaking away, I adapted to her movements, slowly lowering myself in rhythm to Applejack, until she was completely on the ground, and I was leaning into her stomach. Soon, I felt my eyes grow heavy, from either Applejack's stomach oddly feeling like a cloud, or Applejack running her fingers through my hair. I soon shut my eyes and waited for sleep to come.
Instead, Applejack slowly moved me off her stomach and left for a second, only to come back with a pillow and blanket and lower them over us. Applejack soon wrapped her arm over me and her breath got really close to my face. I couldn't resist, I wrapped my arm around her back, which triggered a gasp, and simply a gentle moan, as she actually got closer to me.
Then sleep came, with the farm girl I knew for about 8 years right next to me and us embracing each other.