The Apple Family

by ladydestinae

Bad Timing, and Good Timing

The Apple Family

Chapter 3

Bad Timing, and Good Timing

It really shouldn’t have come as such a surprise that such an energetic pony could throw such an amazing party. It was truly huge, spectacular, and many other adjectives that simply didn’t want to occupy her mind. Applejack was thrilled at the surprise of it, and she was even more thrilled when she saw the size of the cake that was prepared. Granny Smith couldn’t remember asking for one, but that didn’t stop her from appreciating it all the same.

“I’m so glad you like the party!!!” she said, in a voice that saw its energetic presentation eclipsed only by its volume. It startled Applejack, actually that was an understatement.

“And look at that cake? Isn’t that awesome? Looks like you got some presents too!! Ooh! I wonder which ones are from your parents??!!” she was so overcome with excitement that she couldn’t stop herself talking.

Granny Smith’s eyes filled with alarm as she heard Pinkie Pie utter her last words. Applejack hadn’t really asked after them, and Granny Smith wasn’t even sure she understood that she had HAD parents.

Applejack felt her insides lurch uncomfortably south. She looked around the barn, at her family and at her celebration. It was for her and for Big Macintosh. She couldn’t hear anything; it had all just filtered into a strange murk. It was like she was far below the water, whilst somepony attempted to read her some clumsy bed time story. None of anything around her made a lot of sense.

“My…” she heard her own voice ring inside of her head. “My… parents…?” she blinked. She looked at Pinkie Pie, who looked quite concerned and suddenly less bubbly. She couldn’t face this; she had no idea what to do. It was a celebration of her birthday, her cutie mark, and for her brother’s cutie mark. She was feeling an uncomfortable ache creep up her chest and into her throat, threatening to strangle her and wrench every last bit of feeling from her eyes.

It was no good, she couldn’t stay here. She turned, and galloped out of the barn. She had no idea where she was going; she wasn’t paying the most careful of attention to that. It was moot though, at least to her it was. The whole point was to get far from here, nothing more and nothing less than that.

• • •

Granny Smith ushered Apple Bloom into the house, and gave Big Macintosh a sympathetic gaze. She didn’t want him out too much longer, but she certainly wouldn’t try to force him inside. She just couldn’t do that, she knew he had already lost too much. No, no denying him the right to search.

• • •

It was a cool night, the air was filled with humidity as the scheduled rainfall readied overhead. It was too cloudy to see any stars, and she wasn’t looking that way anyway. She had cast her gaze out over the open fields of grass outside of Ponyville. She had considered galloping across, and never stopping. She figured that with all her work at the farm, she must have developed some impressive stamina, but the thought of leaving her family behind gave her the necessary restraint.

She elected, instead, to rest on all fours as she continued her gaze over the field. It wasn’t much more than a lot of grass and small flowers just about as far as the eye could see, which meant less at night, since the eye could see a far shorter distance. With that in mind, she decided to close her eyes.

“Hi.” Spoke a voice, it was familiar but it seemed to lack certain energy.

Applejack kept her eyes closed, deciding to pretend she had fallen asleep.

“I… I talked to your Granny…” continued the voice.

“She told me about your parents… I’m so super sorry!” the voice pleaded.

She took a breath through her snout, and opened her eyes half way. “Ya didn’t know…”

“No, I’m sorry they’re gone.” Said Pinkie, her voice touched with a delicate sympathy that didn’t imply any pity.

“Ah can’t really remember ‘em…” she replied. Which, while true, didn’t make it especially easier to deal with.

“Granny Smith said you were really young when it happened.” Pinkie took a calming breath; it was never this hard for her to speak. Actually, it was hard for her not to speak.

“Ah… Ah dunno…” she replied.

Pinkie changed her mind about talking, it wasn’t helping at all. Instead, she moved closer to Applejack, and nuzzled her gently.

Applejack blinked, and continued to stare off into the distance.

Suddenly, more words came to her and she realized what needed to be said.

“Say… why aren’t you crying?” Pinkie asked.

“Wha…? Crying?” asked Applejack, caught off guard.

“Well, yeah. When you feel so sad, it really feels wonderful to laugh. But, that can be hard to do unless you cry a little first.” She had really only just begun her thought “I know you can’t remember them, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t mean something to you, right?”

Applejack sighed; this wasn’t a conversation she was ready to have with a stranger. She closed her eyes, and answered. “Ah don’t understand…?”

“Well…” she began “You have a little sister, right?”

Applejack nodded, wincing at the thought of what Apple Bloom will go through when she finds out. When she understands.

“Well, she’ll never get to know her parents. Granny Smith said that your mama died when she brought Apple Bloom into this world.”

“That means that you were around for a bit before your mom passed away… that you had some time with her… even if you can’t remember it.”

“So, you had a little time with your mom. I know that you don’t remember it, you were too little. But, if you think back… I’ll bet you can remember her smiling at you.” She concluded.

Applejack strained her mind, pushing as far back as her memory would allow, and she did find an image of something. An image of a cream colored mare with an apple red mane and bright green eyes looking down at her. She could remember something else too, there was a stallion there. He was enormous, and looked a lot like Applejack. She remembered this giant being very gentle with her, giving her rides on his back and playing games with her like peek-a-boo. It amused her, to think of this stallion in her mind acting like that.

It was as though the night air had lost all ambience and the wind was afraid to move as she heard a voice so clear in her mind that it almost caused her to open her eyes and look around. Almost. She drew in a deep breath, listening to the voice. It was tender and loving, like hearing it was akin to wrapping a thick warm blanket around herself as she lay near the fire place on a cold winter night. It caused her to smile. A brief smile, lasting just long enough to cover the sound of the dam crumbling.

”I love you my little Applejack…”

Pinkie was never one to worry about social cues so much as what felt like the right thing to do (or at the very least seemed like it would work). It was for this reason that, even though Applejack was still basically a stranger to her, she moved herself closer to the orange mare.

Applejack felt the warmth of Pinkie’s body brush against hers, and didn’t recoil. It was true that she hadn’t met this pony until today, but it was equally true she hadn’t met any ponies close to her age. She was never really a social pony; she had become too invested in her work. Somehow, that seemed to matter less now. Pinkie had gone looking for her, and found her, and talked to her. For a pony with such bad timing, she certainly had a way of doing things right.

• • •

If you had asked her three months ago whether or not she would have a friend who was in many ways a contrast to herself, it is unlikely she would have taken the question seriously. Today, she would tell you she was thankful for that friendship, and that those glaring differences were actually helping her grow as a mare.

Pinkie Pie had taken to showing up at random times on the farm, and far more unsettling was the vast number of unlikely spots she would pop out of. After awhile, Applejack (and the rest of the Apple family) resigned to allow the unexplainable to exist without scrutiny. Pinkie Pie deserved that much for how far she had gone to right her wrong.

Pinkie Pie, as anypony would tell you, was far from finished. Applejack couldn’t remember worrying too much about having fun from the time she got back from Manehattan. She had become so deeply invested in her work that she had lost track of her growing years. Pinkie Pie was determined to correct this, because her friend needed to have more fun.

The sun peaked in the sky, and this told Applejack it was noon. She used a hoof to wipe sweat that had begun beading on her brow and stifled a heart attack when Pinkie popped out of a bushel of apples that had just been bucked to capacity.

“Hiii!” she chirped. Pinkie Pie never sounded anything less than overjoyed, and while Applejack found this to be an endearing quality, she also found it impossible.

After recovering herself from the shock (which was taking less and less time every time Pinkie popped out of somewhere) she replied. “Howdy.”

“Whatcha doing?” Pinkie asked enthusiastically. It wasn’t as important to her as what she thought Applejack should be doing.

“Ah’m workin’” she replied, feeling that ought to have been obvious.

“You’ve been doing that every day since I met you!” she said with a mixture of shock and purpose.

“Yeah, because th’ fam’ly needs this done.” She replied.

“How can you go so long without having fun?” she cried.

Applejack blinked, and pulled her hat from her head in order to fan herself. “What in tarnation are ya talking about?”

Pinkie’s face shifted into a huge grin, and before Applejack had any opportunity to object she found herself being pulled away from the apple orchard and towards she knew not where. It could be downright frightening at times, but she had learned to trust Pinkie Pie to keep her safe. Mostly.

• • •

She breathed the air of nature and the aroma of creatures that surrounded her home. She’d been down here since she was small and had fallen from Cloudsdale. It suited her just fine to be this close to the ground and surrounded by all kinds of creatures. She loved them; and there was nopony she felt more comfortable speaking to than her animal friends.

She had just finished her start of the day rounds of feeding and nurturing, and was taking a break. A look up the path leading to town told her that it was going to be a very short break as a blur of pink moved to her house at speeds she knew only one other pony to be able to accomplish. This made her very nervous, and she promptly began to search for places to hide.

It was no use; nopony could really hide from Pinkie Pie. She swallowed, the nervousness causing a lump in her throat as the pink blur sped right up to her. As soon as Pinkie stopped, she noticed a somewhat nauseas looking orange mare had been dragged along with Pinkie Pie.

“Um… hi…” she said. She had a very quiet voice, which was ideal for her vocation but made her just a bit socially awkward.

“Hi Fluttershy!” said Pinkie Pie in her typically explosive greeting voice.

This caused Fluttershy to recoil, and take cover under her mane. She had known Pinkie Pie for some time now, and sometimes silently regretted the shopping trip that brought them together. That regret never lasted long, because Pinkie Pie really was a good friend, even if she was just a little loud for her tastes.

Fluttershy’s reply came across as little more than a whimper, and Applejack would swear she sounded like a kitten when she did it.

Applejack got to her feet after shaking off the dizziness one develops from Pinkie travel. She looked at the pink mane hiding the obviously delicate pony behind it. She had a coat that was just a bit softer in color than her sister’s, and she also had to note, wings. Applejack had never had the pleasure of meeting a Pegasus before, but she owed that more to being lost in work than not seeing any around Ponyville.

“Howdy.” She said. Fluttershy was no less timid than before in her response, and once again Applejack swore she sounded like a kitten.

“Fluttershy, this is Applejack. I brought her here to find an animal friend!” Pinkie chimed.

Now, if there was the slightest hint of introvert in Fluttershy, it had vanished the instant Pinkie uttered the words ‘animal friend’. Applejack was surprised at both Pinkie’s reason for coming here, and Fluttershy’s reaction to it.

Applejack felt herself being dragged off again, only this time by a pony she could only have described as overly timid just seconds earlier. It seemed like now it was all she could go to keep from bursting.

“Oh my gosh, an animal friend! How exciting, but you’ll take care of him or her won’t you? Oh you have to promise to bring them back too, so I can check up on them, and…”

Applejack found herself standing in what seemed like a carefully reconstructed wilderness that surrounded the delicate mare’s cottage. It was really something.

“Oh, now let me see… why don’t you tell me about yourself? That is, if you don’t mind… If… If you want to…” she began. It was a transformation she could hardly believe, how had that mare gone from sounding like a kitten to outright investigation? Well, sort of.

“Uh…”

“She works really hard on her family’s farm! You know Sweet Apple Acres?” came a familiar energetic voice from behind.

Fluttershy looked up at Pinkie Pie, hanging on each word.

“But she needs to have some fun now, she’s working waaaaaaaaaaaaay too hard!” she added

Fluttershy had gone into some deep thought, or at least that was how it looked to Applejack. Suddenly, she zipped away into her cottage, emerging moments later holding a little brown and white puppy in her front hooves as she glided gracefully back to Applejack.

Applejack blinked, looking at the puppy, then at Fluttershy, then at Pinkie Pie. She was starting to get confused.

“I think she’ll be perfect for you.” Said Fluttershy, as confidently as Fluttershy ever sounded in the few minutes she had known Applejack.

“Whoa, whoa… Simmer down sally!” she cried out. “What’s goin’ on here? Y’all got mah head spinnin’ yer movin’ so dern fast!”

Fluttershy was the first to speak, “Oh, I’m sorry… Were we moving too fast for you? I’m so sorry”

Pinkie Pie was less apologetic and more explanatory. “Oh Applejack! I thought that if you had a little pet to take care of, you would have a good excuse to take a break from the apple trees and just have a little fun! It’s important!”

Applejack sat on her haunches and contemplated this for what seemed like an eternity to the pink-maned ponies. It could be good for her, and for Apple Bloom too, if she got an animal. She could have some responsibilities and that would be good for her. Oh, but what if she and this animal don’t get along? Well, what critter wouldn’t like Apple Bloom anyway? Shucks, might as well.

Applejack looked at Fluttershy with her vivid green eyes and smiled a gentle and reassuring smile. “So, tell me more about this critter?”

• • •

Apple Bloom had grown into a pretty adventurous filly, still a bit too young to start school but old enough to work about the farm, or just explore and have fun. She often chose the latter, favoring her adventurous ways to the toil of the family business.

The farm, being so large it could easily accommodate Ponyville, was a great place to explore. Even with all of her previous exploration under her belt, she still hadn’t seen every part of it. It was her hope that she would discover some wondrous amazing secret that could change the fortune of the family. She had never found such a thing in all of her previous attempts, but somehow today felt different. Something was going to go her way.

She had drawn her best attempt at a map of the farm when she first started her amazing journey. It at least served her purposes, even if nopony else could possibly benefit from it. Today, it was time to explore the southwest end of the farm, just past the edge of the orchard where there was a conspicuously bare chunk of land. She had explored a lot of the farm, and up until then, she had never run into an area without trees. Certainly not an area that looked plenty fit to hold almost a whole new orchard.

There was nothing else to decide and she had all the supplies she needed with her in her saddle bag. She started her journey southwest, weaving through trees and feeling the crunch of autumn leaves beneath her hooves. It was actually a fairly mild autumn day, so she didn’t need any cold weather gear to protect her. The appearance of the leaves on the trees she passed told her that the harvesting season was going to slow down, which meant she would soon be able to play with her brother and sister as they found their schedule suddenly more open.

She always looked forward to this, it was important to her to have time with her siblings. She often found they were so busy working that it felt like they had forgotten she existed. Of course, she would remind herself that the fourth setting at the dinner table told a very different story from her imagination.

She didn’t really have a grasp of the family’s financial situation, partly because she was much too young to appreciate the value of a bit and partly because she was not kept in the loop on these matters. Applejack insisted on this, it was important that Apple Bloom was able to just enjoy herself and grow up without worrying too much about work on the farm.

So, Apple Bloom was doing just that. She was acting her age, and going on adventures and exploring interesting places and playing games. She never had much to worry about in her life, her big sister kept her shielded from the woes and lows of life.

Finally, she made it to the southwest end of the farm, and the open stretch of field lay there threatening to swallow up the horizon. As she trotted across it, carefully examining the ground underhoof, she noticed that there was a curious circular mound of dirt about every twenty feet. She continued to trot about the field, investigating each mound in the hopes of coming to some grand revelation about the nature of this part of the farm.

Granny Smith watched her granddaughter from the edge of the orchard that bordered this empty section of the farm. She wore a smile on her face, and though the rest of her body had faded, her eyes lost none of their fire. She was still just as tough today as she was as a young’n.

Apple Bloom carried on her investigation, until she noticed a pale green elderly mare resting on her haunches at the edge of the field and took off like a bullet to greet her. She greatly admired her grandmother, in part for how wise she was and in part for all the amazing stories she told about her life.

“Granny Smith!” she cried as she approached her elderly relation.

Granny Smith smiled, and nodded at the filly. In her winter years, she was becoming quieter and even more reserved than she used to be. She had begun to lose her mind though, nothing so significant she couldn’t keep track of her grandchildren, although names did escape her from time to time. Apple Bloom never seemed to care about that, this was still her grandmother, and she still loved her very much.

“Hello there silly filly.” Called Granny Smith, unable to pull the name of the filly from the depths of her mind. It was still there, she just couldn’t retrieve it just then.

Apple Bloom dashed up to her Granny, and nuzzled her gentle. Granny Smith smiled and patted her on the head. “Well, yer mane is a mess again I see.” Said Granny Smith, noting the disheveled state of the filly’s apple red mane, a state she found to be fairly commonplace. She had been considering a way of keeping this one’s hair tidier. She may have been a farm filly, but that was no excuse for looking a mess all the time.

“Granny, why is this field here…?” she asked.

“It’s the Zap Apple orchard.” She replied. Of course this immediately piqued Apple Bloom’s curiosity.

“Zap…Apples…?” she repeated slowly, attempting to piece together the mystery in her head before her Granny could even answer. No luck though, she wasn’t sure what that meant.

“Well sure, ain’t I told ya about ‘em before?” she asked, surprised at herself for not having done so. These were an important part of family tradition and the family business, and although she hadn’t seen a proper harvest in a number of years, she knew she hadn’t seen the last of them in her lifetime.

Apple Bloom shook her head, her huge orange eyes painting a clear picture of her wonder and curiosity. Granny Smith found this very amusing, and patted her on the head again, this time rustling her mane.

“Well then, let’s get to the story, shall we?”

Granny Smith explained that the Zap Apples were a magical fruit born of the Zap Apple trees, and that unlike the rest of their farm, these trees and apples were very particular about how the harvest was performed. There was careful timing to everything, and signs to keep you in the know. She explained how the Timber Wolves would howl just before the trees would bloom.

Now, these were magical trees after all, and so they didn’t work like normal trees. These trees grew in an instant, from nothing to a trunk aged more than fifty years in the blink of an eye. It was quite a sight to behold as the magic drew in a localized storm that caused a surge of blue arcing magic to stimulate the trees’ growth.

The signs were very uniform, always the same order and always meaning the same thing. The other thing about these trees and apples is yet another difference between them and ordinary apple trees. The fruit these trees bore was only available for one day, and if you didn’t harvest them all in that day then what remained on the trees vanished into the ether from which they came.

Still, this magical harvest time was only the beginning of the tale. Granny Smith mentioned Zap Apple jam, which she had perfected in her youth. It was a lot of trial and error, so it didn’t happen all at once, but she eventually learned how the magic of this wondrous fruit could be made into a delicious jam.

That, Granny Smith said, was a tale for another day though. She had a surprise for Apple Bloom, and needed her to return home right away. Apple Bloom was immediately excited at the prospect of a surprise, and did not hesitate to return with Granny Smith.

The house was looking very worn down, and old. It was, in fact, the oldest building in Ponyville. It housed Granny Smith when she was just a filly, and the farm was still without its vast orchards. If that house could talk, it would have quite a few stories to tell.

She led her granddaughter into the house, and had her take a seat in the living room.

“Now, I can’t rightly give ya yer surprise until yer cleaned up a bit.” She said.

“But Granny!”

“I ain’t hearin’ back talk am I?”

Apple Bloom looked at her Granny with two huge fiery orbs and smiled. “No, of course not Granny.” She replied as she trotted off to clean herself up.

Granny Smith smiled, glad of her granddaughter’s good behavior and cooperative nature, at least it was there today.

After a few minutes, Apple Bloom returned with her coat and mane cleaned and groomed. Granny Smith was pleased at the quality of her work, it was better today than it normally was.

“Good work. Ready?” she asked.

Apple Bloom nodded with enthusiasm, and Granny Smith beckoned her over.

“Close ‘em” she said. Apple Bloom complied and closed her eyes, more curious than ever what the surprise was.

With that, Granny Smith pulled a length of pink ribbon from the pack she had left on the table, and carefully tied it into a large bow around Apple Bloom’s mane.

She felt the ribbon weave through her mane, and tighten gently to hold it in place. She still didn’t know what it was, but now she knew what purpose it served. When she was told she could go ahead and have a look, she galloped up the stairs and into her bedroom to look into her mirror. She was delighted at the site of it; it looked like a ribbon that could really endure.

Granny Smith smiled, she was beginning to like the snowy unicorn from the dress shop, and after all, she had good taste.

• • •

Bark! Bark!

Applejack threw the stick far across the stretch of grass in Ponyville Park. Pinkie watched in amusement. She was glad to see that Applejack was taking the time off of work to have fun. Applejack was always quite thankful for it, but not very vocal about it.

Applejack had developed a whole new set of skills just from playing with this growing puppy. She could handle a lasso better than anypony out there, she had developed a very impressive land speed, and she had developed an extraordinary stamina to go with all of this. If there was anypony who thought they were better than her, they were welcome to try to prove it.

“Go Winona! Get it!” cried Pinkie, who was watching the entire thing unfold and feeling proud of Applejack for breaking away from the farm for even a little while. She amused herself with thoughts of Winona becoming a proper farm worker with Applejack. She supposed this wouldn’t really be a stretch, and wondered how long it would be until that actually happened.

A blue pony with a polychrome mane watched this scene from a lazily drifting cloud, she was curious about these two. She had even met the pink one once, but found her just a bit too annoying to spend time with. Still, she was friends with her friend Fluttershy, so she’d have to tolerate her existence. To an extent.

Still, she hadn’t been introduced to Applejack yet and that filly looked like she might be a worthy challenge. It couldn’t hurt to introduce herself, could it? Nope.

No more thought, time to move. She darted from the cloud to the ground with a single broad streak of colors illuminating her path. She landed next to Pinkie, with almost as much subtlety as Pinkie usually managed.

“Hey.” Spoke the blue pony. She had beautifully kept wings, in stark contrast to her unkempt mane that just hung down the back of her neck with little care taken to manage its shape.

“Hi Dashie!” cried Pinkie. Rainbow Dash winced at the use of this name, but no matter how often she asked Pinkie not to call her that, she didn’t seem know how to stop.

“Who’s the orange pony you’re watchin’?” she asked.

“Applejack” replied Pinkie, with a huge grin on her face. “She’s my newest best friend!” she added. She had lots of friends, all over Ponyville, whether they knew it or not. She considered her best friends to be those she spent the most time with and had the most fun with, and Applejack had fallen under that category a year ago now.

“Huh… Applejack…” she repeated to herself.

“Oh yeah! You and her should totally be friends! She’s like you! She’s athletic and she’s competitive! Ooh, you two should have a race someday! That would so exciting!” said Pinkie, in an uncharacteristically short sentence.

Winona ran the stick back to Applejack for the tenth time, and Applejack took it with her tail and threw it far into the distance once again. “Good job, girl!”

“She can’t fly though…” said Rainbow Dash, whose own passion was rooted in flight and speed.

“She’s still really fast and really strong! You should see what she can do with her lasso! It’s always so amazing to see!” Pinkie cried, there was no hint of frustration in her voice, just the intention to hammer as much of Applejack’s awesomeness into Dash’s head as she could.

“Yeah?” she said, some interest had sparked in her at the news of Applejack’s athletic prowess.

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically.

“Cool” said Rainbow Dash.

Applejack trotted up to Pinkie with Winona by her side after a few minutes, Winona was looking tired but Applejack seemed perfectly ready for another round.

“Howdy there!” she said to Rainbow Dash, lifting a hoof and tilting her hat as she did. She had been wearing that hat since the day Granny Smith gave it to her. It was the day after her birthday, because she had run out on her own party, and Granny Smith had declared that Applejack wasn’t a proper cowpony yet. Applejack remembered the disappointment that flooded her being as Granny Smith’s words dug into her head and her heart. How could she not be a proper cowpony yet?

Only after what felt like an eternity did Granny Smith present Applejack with the circular box that contained her gift. It took her by surprise to receive the hat, and she loved it right away. It felt just right, not too heavy and not too light, the material was durable and the hat itself was just the right shape and appearance for a cowpony such as Applejack.

“Hey, what’s up?” replied Rainbow Dash.

“Not much, Ah was jus’ playin’ fetch with Winona here.” She gestured to the pup.

“Yep, I saw that. You don’t even look a little tired!” remarked Rainbow Dash, who had a special place in her heart for long naps. She was, herself, one of the most athletic ponies in Equestria but she didn’t find that she could hold up for as long as this mare just did.

“Nah, I work on a farm… So, this is nothin’” she replied. It was the absolute truth, her farm work constituted a large amount of exercise and endurance training as she hauled massive loads of apples from the far ends of the orchards to the barns nearer the middle of the farm. It was a lot of work, but work she was always proud of.

• • •

The day drew to a close, and Celestia brought forth the night. The pale silvery light of the moon highlighted the farm in a dull shade of blue that seemed to defy the sheer brilliance of the lunar orb. There was still light in the Apple house, as the elderly matriarch of the family eyed her grandchildren. Admiring their growth and progress into their ever increasing years.

“You young’ns make me proud.” She said. “Mighty proud”

Each of them eyed her curiously. She had called a meeting of the family, something she hadn’t done in years. Not since she let them know that Applejack was going to be leaving for Manehattan. None of them had any idea why she wanted this meeting, or what she intended to tell them.

“I ain’t myself anymore. Startin’ to get tougher to remember things.” She said. It was a somber resignation to her age, although it didn’t sound like she was giving up, it did sound like she was done trying to act like nothing was wrong.

Big Macintosh was relieved to hear this, he had been correcting for mistakes that Granny Smith would sometimes make, and he would do so very quietly. He had to, he never wanted her to feel self conscious about herself, and he couldn’t accept that she wasn’t all of the mare who raised him. Still, she certainly wasn’t lacking any of her wits, that much was always clear. She was still wise, and still capable of teaching valuable lessons in all areas of life. What hurt him was that he couldn’t remember the last time she had called him by name, she always called him colt or pipsqueak for the sake of irony. He had, at first, chalked it up to Granny Smith being a mare who preferred to maximize time. He had begun to lose certainty as he witnessed her never using the names of either of his sisters, either.

The only comforting thought for him was that she was still as warm and loving as she had always been, never faltering in her responsibilities as their grandmother and guardian. She’d been the backbone of the Apple family since he was a newborn, and now she didn’t have a strong enough back to manage the heavy work on the farm. It made him sad to think that such a strong mare was reduced to this. He knew though, that if Granny Smith ever knew any of these thoughts went through his mind, she’d give him a proper talking to and remind him that she wasn’t helpless at all.

It wasn’t really a question of her involvement in the heavy work, ever since he turned nineteen he was plenty big enough to manage the very worst of the farm work, and pull the heaviest equipment on the farm. He was just worried about what her lapses in memory all meant; after all, what if that meant her time left could be counted in months? Or days?

He tried to push this all to the back of his mind as he gazed at her eyes, which had lost none of their luster and spark in all of her years.

“Ah ain’t fit to manage the farm no more. Last time I was in town to sell apples…”

“You’re fine, Granny Smith!” cried Apple Bloom.

“Easy now, easy.” She said. She hadn’t spoken that softly in a long time. It was never really needed; everything she ever said to them was full of love and understanding. It just went without saying that she cared, and she’d support them in whatever they wanted to do.

“Listen, I reckon it’s time I gave the farm to more capable hooves.”

The eyes of each of her grandchildren widened.

The farm going to more capable hooves? Who’s hooves? Big Macintosh did not like this at all. The farm belonged to the family, so how could Granny Smith have considered giving it up to somepony else?

She looked into the face of each of her grandchildren, and smiled.

“I’ve had this on mah mind for quite some now… It wasn’t an easy choice to make, but it was the right one.” She continued

“Now, I finally figured out who can run this farm the right way. Took some doin’, mind ya, but the farm’ll be just fine, I know it.” She took a deep breath, and looked at Applejack with intent in her eyes that nopony had seen before.

“Squirt..” she began “Ya been working this farm like you owe it yer life fer quite awhile now. You don’t owe it yer life, you owe it her best job at running it.”

He was dumbfounded. Granny Smith had just passed over him, and gave the farm to Applejack. How could she do that? He’d been working that farm ever since he could kick a tree, and Applejack didn’t even want anything to do with it at first. She had to run away before she realized what she was missing, but he already appreciated what he had and he always worked his hardest to keep things running smoothly.

She started losing her mind a long time ago, becoming ever more forgetful as the years went by. He had given everything to the farm, and now what did he have to show for it? No, this was too much. He’d had enough, he’d given enough. It was time to move on.

He took a deep breath, and stood from the floor. He didn’t say a word to either his sisters or his grandmother, and instead walked silently to the front door. He opened it calmly, and stepped outside, turning and pulling the door closed behind him.

• • •

The night sky had dominated the landscape for hours, for each minute of each of those hours Applejack had been searching Ponyville and the its surrounding areas for any sign of Big Macintosh. It wasn’t like her brother to up and leave, and it certainly wasn’t like him to run from the farm. He’d always been there, no matter when it was, and she couldn’t remember a single day she didn’t see that red coat gleaming in the sun as he bucked apples.

She couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing him there. He was her brother, he’d always been there. There for her, there for Apple Bloom, there for Granny Smith. He stayed in the background if he could help it, but he was the glue. She closed her eyes as she galloped, thinking back.

He had surprised her one particularly lonesome afternoon with a tree house he had put together in an isolated part of the farm. It was looking pretty good, if a little rickety, but she could see that it wasn’t going to fall apart. She was elated, it was a place to escape and just get lost in her imagination. She so loved her brother for her it, she didn’t know she could love him more than she already did, but to see how much work he put into something for her showed her how much he cared.

She could see the care in every detail of the place, there was a ramp set with carefully fastened strips of wood to make it easier to ascend. He had built a porch that covered two whole sides of the house, and made for a great place to see and watch nature. Even to take a nap would have been comfortable there. Every detail was thought out for her comfort and convenience. She couldn’t remember if she had ever even thanked him, or if he had given her the chance.

She took a deep breath, and proceeded to fall over as a bubbly voice chimed from right beside her out of nowhere.

“Hi!!”

She grunted, and got back to her feet. “Pinkie, why did you do that?”

“Do what?” she asked, puzzled.

Applejack opened her mouth to respond, and then thought better of the idea of trying to resolve Pinkie Pie with futile logic. She just looked at Pinkie Pie with pleading eyes.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“It’s Big Mac, he’s gone missing…”

“Really? We’d better find him!” she said.

Applejack blinked. Did she just say ‘we’d’?

“I’ll go see if Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy will help” she said, before zipping off in a blur of pink and confusion.

Applejack was relieved to hear about Pinkie’s plan, and glad to know she wasn’t alone in this. She told Apple Bloom to stay home and told Granny Smith that she wasn’t in shape to be galloping all over town. She had chosen to go out on her own, never once considering that her friends might be willing to help her. It was, to say the very least, a breath of fresh air.

• • •

The dampness of the ground was not related to the weather, as it was a dry night with a clear sky. The stars in the heavens flickered and danced an unnoticed cosmic show as he gazed down at the worn wood of the bottom of an apple barrel. The carving had faded as the wood aged and warped, but he had no problem remembering what it said.

He hadn’t spoken since he arrived, but he needed to say goodbye before he could leave. He wondered if she had had the chance to say it to him, although he couldn’t find the relevance of the thought. It was all very confusing to him. The farm was his life, it was everything he had ever done with his life. He never bothered to leave, to try to find himself elsewhere. He had never thought to. Applejack did, she thought about it so young that she needed family to stay with when she left for Manehattan.

Would Apple Bloom be the same way? Needing that adventure across Equestria just to realize she belonged at this farm? Why was he the only one who could see that from the start? Or, was he the only one who didn’t realize he could have a life outside of all of this? No, he wasn’t the odd one out. Was he?

He shook his head, trying desperately to clear his mind and find the words to say farewell. He wanted so badly for his mother to be there, to say something to him. To reassure him that he had done well, and worked hard, and he was worthy of thanks for it. He didn’t necessarily need the thanks, but he hated to think that he’d done all of that and no one noticed.

Granny Smith couldn’t have gone all that while without noticing. She had even praised him on many occasions. She even threw him a belated party to celebrate his cutie mark. So, why did she overlook him for the farm? It just didn’t make sense. He couldn’t work it out in his head no matter how many different angles he approached it from.

It was ridiculous to think that he didn’t have what it took to run the farm; he knew the ins and outs and all the details of every operation of this farm. He could run this farm in his sleep if he really wanted to; there was nothing about it he couldn’t handle. He was built like a locomotive, strong and durable. He could probably a move of house under the right motivation, at least the idea seemed plausible in his head.

He closed his eyes, and tears began to stream delicately down his cheeks and drip to the ground once again. At this rate, the night could go on forever.

• • •

Through the night sky flew a blue mare with a polychromatic mane. She carefully surveyed the landscape below her, looking for any sign of Big Macintosh. The trees of the Whitetail Wood were veiled in the dull blue luminescence of the moon. It didn’t make the scene clear, but gave it enough detail to expose any movement she might see.

He wasn’t here, or she would have spotted him by now. It wasn’t looking very hopeful anymore, she thought she’d find him in no time at all but instead she was having no luck at all. Perhaps she should go talk to Applejack about it.

• • •

It was an hour before they all met at Ponyville Park. It looked serene in the moonlight, like a somber poem that kept half its meaning hidden away while teasing the imagination with vague details that could just barely be perceived.

“Anypony see him?” she asked. She couldn’t conceal the alarm in her voice as she spoke, and that seemed to meet everypony’s expectations.

“No…” replied Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie just shook her head, hating to let a pony down.

“I’m sorry…” said Fluttershy, her voice trailing off into the night air. None of them could see very well, and they were all getting tired.

“Why don’t y’all head home? Yer lookin’ mighty tired…” suggested Applejack, who had no intention of going to sleep herself, but felt guilty keeping everypony else up so late.

“I’m not gonna leave ya hanging!” said Rainbow Dash, almost immediately. Pinkie had come to expect this of the rainbow racer, for she was certainly the most loyal pony she had ever met.

Applejack took a deep breath, and then exhaled it slowly before speaking again. “Ah appreciate that, ah really do… but…”

“Nothing doing AJ, I’m not gonna stop.” She asserted, interrupting Applejack.

Applejack sighed, “Alright”

• • •

She was galloping hard, almost afraid to breathe for fear it would break her rhythm. She couldn’t believe how long it had taken her to realize where he would be, and why. It made perfect sense in hindsight, but it bothered her a great deal that she didn’t know her brother well enough to get here sooner.

She raced passed the archway leading to the farm property and weaved through tree after tree moving through the orchard rather easily. Even in the dark, she navigated the place like she had placed each tree herself.

He had to still be there, he couldn’t have gone yet. Please be there. Please.