Chapter 4
Chapter 4
The day had been long, and as it had worn on a feeling of unease had been building gradually in Applejack. Now with the light fading, as she and Shining Armor made their way back towards the farmhouse, that feeling had grown uncomfortably.
She had spent all day working with Twilight's brother, and working well it had to be said. They had accomplished a great deal and as the hours had passed they had even begun to have fun. When Shining Armor had made the scarecrow dance 'The Navigator' Applejack had laughed so hard she thought she was going to pass out.
But all the while, in every job they did together, in the back of her mind Applejack had always been searching for the complaints, the whines, the refusals to do certain tasks on the grounds that they were beneath him. Anything she could add to the list. And the discomfort had grown.
It had taken her a while to put a label on what she was doing, and when she found it she wished she hadn't.
Because what she was doing was dishonest.
Having fun and laughing with somepony, especially a good pony, while secretly searching for ways to undermine them was the epitome of treachery and two facedness, and as soon as she realised that she wished she'd stopped.
But she hadn't. She had to add things to the list. She had to prove Big Macintosh was a better brother.
Didn't she?
She tried to console herself that at least she had not been vindictive or spiteful. Every task they had done today was a task she would have done with her brother were he here. Nothing added, nothing taken away.
But that thought didn't make her feel any better. She was still dishonest.
They reached the farmhouse – both of them quite exhausted after the day's intensive labour – and Applejack decided that was that. The day was over. Draw a line under it, and add nothing more to the list. Try and settle her conscience.
Supper was eaten in the same fashion as the previous night, though Shining Armor took a more active part in the conversation. Apple Bloom eagerly wanted to hear his stories and he told them happily. Well, the less scary ones, thankfully. Then they had all settled into the living room where they had continued the lively chatting until late into the evening.
Apple Bloom and Granny Smith tottered up to bed first, though Shining Armor wasn't many minutes behind. That left Applejack alone with her thoughts. She was tired, but she knew she wouldn't sleep while her conscience weighed heavy.
She removed her hat, the hidden pencil clattering to the floor somewhere, and extricated the parchment upon which were written all of Shining Armor's failings as a brother.
It was, of course, blank.
Shining Armor had done everything she'd asked of him with enthusiasm, spirit and good humour. He hadn't been perfect, but where he'd made mistakes he apologised, and where he lacked skill – memories of milking the cows brought an impromptu chuckle – he'd at least been willing.
She looked at the blank paper on the floor before her, and felt a sudden weight lifted from her. The contest was over. Twilight would claim victory and Applejack would accept it. And she realised she was okay with that. It didn't mean she loved her brother any less after all. Big Macintosh was special. So what if nopony else realised it?
The sounds of soft voices from upstairs brought her out of her thoughts and back to the present. It sounded like Shining Armor was talking to Apple Bloom in her room. When it continued for several minutes curiosity got the best of her and, leaving the parchment, she stood and carefully made her way up the stairs.
She reached the landing where a spear of light spilled from Apple Bloom's door, slightly ajar. From within, Shining Armor's voice could be heard as he spoke to the young filly.
Well, speaking wasn't quite the right word Applejack realised, now that she could hear him clearly. He was reading to her. A bedtime story.
Unbelievable.
He had put his back into it today so much so that by the time they'd reached the farmhouse he'd looked ready to collapse. And yet here he was, using some unknown reserve of strength to read her little sister a story before bed.
Applejack pushed the door open and nosed into the room. Apple Bloom looked up, surprised, and so did Shining Armor for that matter, but he quickly diverted his eyes back to the page and managed to keep his flow until the end of the paragraph before pausing and looking up once more.
Out of curiosity she clocked the title of the book. Daring Do and the Fate of Aquastria. From the snippets she'd heard outside it sounded like they'd reached a point where Daring Do had been captured and thrown into the salt mines by the evil King of Aquastria, and was in the process of meeting the rightful Princess or some such. No doubt there was about to be a tense, action-packed escape followed by an eventual happy, moralising ending.
But not tonight.
"Time for bed, AB. It's way past as it is, and ya'll've got school tomorrow."
"But sis," she pleaded, "we're just about to get to the excitin' mine-cart escape!"
"Shh!" said Shining Armor in a stage-whisper, glancing obviously-furtively at Applejack. "You're not supposed to know that yet."
Apple Bloom just giggled at him like a filly half her age. Then her attention was back with Applejack. "Please? At least let us get to the end of the chapter?"
Shining Armor held up the book and flipped the next two pages over so Applejack could see just how soon that would be.
She sighed. "Okay. But then that's it for tonight, y'hear." The statement was addressed to both of them, and they shared the same happy grin. Then Applejack turned and left the room, heading downstairs once more. She wouldn’t deny it any more – Shining Armor really was a good brother.
One of the best.
Coming to the front door, she stepped outside and gazed up at the sky. She had hoped to see the moon or stars, but she couldn't. All afternoon the weather team had been working to cloud up the heavens in preparation for an overnight deluge, and the sky was overcast and uniform. With no light it was like gazing up into a perfect void and she found no solace there.
The first, light spots of rain chose that moment to fall and Applejack stepped backwards inside before lying down again. She kept the door open though, choosing to look out upon the peaceful farm as it rolled away into the inky black distance.
A couple of minutes later, and to her surprise, she heard heavy hoofsteps descending the stairs behind her. She'd expected Shining Armor to head straight to bed.
"Sorry," he said as he entered the lounge. "She got me with those eyes of hers. I couldn't say no."
Applejack laughed. She knew exactly which expression he meant. Apple Bloom really could turn on the cute when she needed to. "Daring Do, huh? Seems like that's all anypony's readin' these days."
"Well, I brought it back for Twiley," he explained. "I used to read them to her when she was little, and this one was always one of her favourites. I think I might have accidentally got her hooked," he said with a chuckle.
"Well, I reckon Daring's got herself a new fan now." She looked back at Armor. "Reckon you do too. Family's taken a real likin' to ya. You'll always be welcome round these parts, y'hear?" She couldn't quite find the warm tone that sentiment deserved. Her conscience was still weighing heavy.
He looked back bashfully. Then he noticed the parchment on the floor. "Hey, what's this?"
It was a blank piece of paper. Applejack could have said it was anything. She could have said it was nothing. She could have told any lie she wanted and got away with it.
So she told the truth.
"It's a list. Of all the reasons you ain't as good a brother as Big Macintosh. I've...been workin' on it all day." She found she couldn't look at him any longer. Shame forced her eyes to the floor.
Appearing confused, Shining Armor turned the paper this way and that, trying to figure out what the trick was.
"Oh. I get it," he said at last. Then he brought it over and lay down beside her, placing the paper in front of him. "You need some help filling it out."
He ignored the surprised look she gave him, and using his magic he found the discarded pencil and poised it over the parchment. Then he gazed out at the sky beyond the door as though deep in thought.
"Hmm, let's see. Has your brother ever been brainwashed by an evil queen? Or failed to stop an invasion of a city he was sworn to protect?"
"Huh?"
"No? Well they both sound pretty bad, so we'll put those down." He began scribbling with the pencil. "How about nearly losing an empire to an evil king made of shadow?" More scribbling. "Or maybe failing to notice that the pony he loved had been kidnapped and locked in a cave? Yeah, I'm pretty sure a good brother would realise that."
"Those things weren't your fault."
"Did he never make time to come and visit you when you moved away?" he said morosely, his attention still on the parchment. "Did your brother ever forget to tell you he was getting married? Or yell at you when you've tried to tell him something he's too blind to see for himse–"
"Shining!" Applejack snapped as she snatched up the parchment away from him.
He looked back at Applejack with a sad expression before gazing once more out into the night. He sighed heavily. "I'm not the great brother she thinks I am."
Applejack looked back in sympathy. Then, softly, she said, "Yes you are, sugarcube. How many ponies can rule a kingdom one day, work a farm the next, and would still make the effort to read a filly a bedtime story?" She smiled and looked back out to the night. "You should hear the way Twilight talks about ya. Far as she's concerned you're the best thing since sliced bananas. Sang a song about you an' everythin’. And you know what? It wasn’t about her brother the brave soldier, or her brother the noble prince," she said with a subtle shake of her head. "Was about the brother who she grew up with. Who always made time for her. Who she could tell any secret in the world to, and who she could always go to for help. Because when she needed him, he was always there."
She paused, noting Shining Armor’s face seemed to be stuck in an expression of vague puzzlement, as though uncertain how to react.
“I ain’t singin’ you the dang song!” said Applejack with a mock scowl. Shining Armor tried not to laugh – tried to disguise a chuckle as a cough, but it was a woeful performance. Applejack’s face softened again before she continued.
"My little sis thinks yer pretty special too. And I reckon so does Big Macintosh, otherwise he wouldn't have let you come here.” She looked up at Armor again. “Those three ponies right there are some o' the best judges of character I know. You sayin' they're all wrong?"
Shining Armor looked back into Applejack's eyes. She just smiled. "Me? I've been tryin' all day to find a bad word to say about ya." She used her hooves to scrunch up the parchment she held, then tossed it over her shoulder into the room somewhere. "It was blank for a reason, ya big galoot."
Shining Armor tried not to smile. He tried desperately to hold on to some vestige of his manly despondency. Tried to maintain his distant, sacrificial moodiness, but it was no good. That darned orange pony had made him feel better. The smile came, and the magical aura around the pencil he'd been using vanished.
For the second time that day, Applejack realised she hadn't noticed it until it was already gone.
Wait a second.
She gave Shining Armor a quizzical look.
"Ya'll've done some great work on the farm today...why the hay have you been makin' it so difficult for yourself?"
"What...do you mean?" The look on his face told Applejack he knew exactly what she meant. But she pointed it out anyway.
"That thing." She pointed an accusatory hoof at Shining Armor's horn. "That right there's strong enough to magic up a forcefield over a whole city, and it stopped me from gettin' squashed by a lotta heavy logs – which I’m still grateful for by the way. So why didn't ya use it to pick those logs up afterwards, or shift sacks of grain, or stack hay bales? You coulda magicked away half the jobs we did today and given yerself an easy ride. Instead, you're exhausted. Why?" she asked. "You tryin' to impress me or somethin'?"
It was meant as a joke, but the tiny flinch Shining Armor gave told Applejack that she was closer to the mark than she realised. She gave him a look that suggested he'd better start talking.
"Well, it's more like trying to repay you. I guess it wouldn't have felt like much of a gesture if I'd made it easy for myself."
"Repay me?" Applejack was incredulous. "And just what exactly does Prince Shining Armor think he owes a farmpony like me?"
Shining Armor looked once more out at the farm beyond the door. Rather than answer her question, he asked one. "You know what the most afraid I've ever been is?"
Applejack shook her head. He'd had several recent experiences that would qualify, but trying to pick between them was a fool's errand.
"It was the day Princess Celestia sent Twilight to live in Ponyville." He found a spot on the floor in front of him and gazed balefully at it. “My little sister, moving away to a strange town full of strange ponies. Anything could’ve happened. What if they didn't like her? What if she didn't make any friends? I felt helpless. It was the first time I couldn't be there for her, and it scared me."
He looked back up and when he did there was a faint smile on his lips. "A few days later I got a letter from her. I almost didn't open it because I knew what it would say. That she didn't like it. That none of the ponies would talk to her. That she was lonely and wanted to come home. I didn't think I could take it.
"But I forced myself to open it, because if Twilight was in trouble I needed to know. Then I read it, and instead she starts writing about how almost as soon as she arrived, she'd met the warmest, friendliest pony who, without knowing anything about her had invited her to stay, introduced her to her family, and made her feel so welcome. She said her name was Applejack. She said she trusted her, and she hoped she'd be friends with her forever. You have no idea how relieved I was to hear that."
There was a moment's pause while he met Applejack's gaze. "She’d never had a real friend before you. So, I guess I wanted to do something to say thank you. Thank you for making friends with my sister. Thank you for trusting her. Thank you for being there for her and for keeping her safe. And thank you for making her happy."
Applejack scowled and glared back. By any normal measure that was a compliment, yet she wore a dangerous expression.
"Do you know why I'm friends with Twilight?" she said deliberately.
Shining Armor shook his head slightly, worried. This was a reaction he had not expected.
"I'm friends with Twilight because she's one of the smartest, kindest, most hardworking and most caring ponies I've ever met. Because she's the kind of pony I wanna be friends with. She’s saved me from losin’ my farm and my family, and there is nothin’ I wouldn’t do for her if she asked! That’s why I’m friends with her. Not for any other reason, and certainly not because I'm doin' anypony a favour!" Her tone still suggested she was angry, but she'd actually cracked a grin now." So you can thank me all you want your majesty," she gave Shining Armor a good-natured shove into the shoulder. "But if yer expectin' a 'you're welcome', you can forget it!"
They shared a laugh at that, and Shining Armor gave a respectful nod followed by a well-intentioned "Fair enough."
A few quiet seconds passed. Then Applejack asked, "Why couldn't ya ever come to visit? It ain't that far to Canterlot."
Shining Armor sighed. "Time off," he said simply. "It sounds dumb, but when you're a Captain you don't get much free time at all. When you're a Prince you get even less, and when you're a husband..." he laughed, as though the very idea was ludicrous. "So yeah, when you're all three at once, it's tough to get away for a second, let alone three days."
Applejack quirked an eyebrow. "How can y'all be a Guard Captain an' a Prince at the same time? Didn't you have to give that up?"
Shining Armor chuckled. "I tried. Celestia wouldn't accept my resignation. Said if she ever needed the guard for anything big, she wanted to count on me to lead them. Even after everything, she said she still trusted me. So yeah, it's kind of an honorary thing, but technically I still..."
Applejack was looking at him with a face covered in shock.
"What? My pay goes to charit–
"Three days?!"
Shining Armor just looked blank.
"You get three days to come see your sister, and instead of spending time with her..." She trailed off. Then she stood up abruptly, and with an angry glare and a stamp of her hoof, she said, "Pack yer things, mister. You're leavin'. I want you off'a my farm right now!"
It was Shining Armor's turn to look shocked. "I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"
Applejack's face softened, "Nope. But I did."
---
The rain had begun to fall steadily, though not yet heavily, and the constant white noise of raindrops falling onto leaves filtered faintly into the library.
Twilight and Big Macintosh sat comfortably opposite one another on warm, soft cushions, sharing a book, reading and exchanging thoughts and ideas quite happily. Ever since their conversation earlier in the day, Big Macintosh had opened up quite a bit. He wasn't shy anymore about expressing an opinion or a thought, and Twilight was eager to listen – because he had a lot of thoughts worth listening to. Yet somehow she knew that as soon as he left the library the spell would be broken. He would return to the same stoic pony he ever was, so she needed to get as many of those thoughts out of him as she could while there was still time.
Spike had returned too, and was pleased with the new vibe around the place, not to mention impressed with what appeared to him to be a totally refreshed library. He wasn't much for philosophy though, so he was currently busying himself in the kitchen, whipping up a batch of his famous cookies.
There was a sharp knock at the door, though Twilight didn't have time to make any move towards answering it before it opened, and in stepped a slightly bedraggled, but none-the-worse-for-wear pair of ponies whom she had been desperate to see all afternoon.
"Twiley!"
"Hey big brother!"
The stallion stepped into the library, shedding his saddlebags against the wall. Twilight rushed to meet him halfway and they hugged tightly and happily. Then she noticed Applejack still stood in the doorway. Finally! She would get to tell her about her epiphany. She would get to tell her how she understood–
"Alright Twi, I'm callin' it. You win. You can call your big brother the best ever and you'll get no argument from me. Don't get me wrong Big Mac," she looked past her at her own brother who hadn't moved from where he lay, "You're still number one in my book. But it ain't fair to let this go on any longer."
"Applejack," Twilight tried, "it doesn't matter anymo–"
But Applejack wasn't listening and cut her off. "I brought your brother back, and it's about time y'all spent some real time together." Once again she looked past her to Big Macintosh, who was about to get to his feet. "Don't you go gettin' up on my account. You look like you're havin' a good time so you stay here as long as Twilight can stand the sight of ya." She looked back at Twilight. "I ain't gonna stay and make things awkward, so I'll leave you be."
Applejack tugged the brim of her hat and turned. In the short time since she'd entered, the heavens had well and truly opened. Torrents of water bucketed down from the sky, making an almighty racket as they crashed into the leaves and ran off in streams. She made a face. The walk back home was going to be a lot less pleasant.
Twilight watched in horror as Applejack walked out of the door and into the downpour. "Wait!" She galloped after her and managed to catch her before she left the relative safety of the tree canopy. "Applejack, where are you–"
But Applejack cut her off once again. "I'm so sorry, Twi. I didn't mean to." Her face was suddenly anguished, her voice almost broken and Twilight couldn't tell if she was crying or if it was just the spots of rain on her face. "Your brother came to Ponyville so you could spend time together, and instead I took him away just so I could win the dumbest fight in the world. I hope you can forgive me someday, but right now you need to go spend as much time with him as you can before he has to leave."
She made as if to turn but Twilight caught her. Applejack wasn't being fair on herself. It wasn't as if she'd kidnapped him or anything. He'd gone quite willingly. Heck, it had – at least to an extent – been his idea! She couldn't let her friend walk away and leave with such a guilty conscience, and besides, she had an apology of her own to make.
"Applejack, I'm sorry too. I don't know what got into us. We were spending so much time arguing over who had the best brother, and they've been trying to show us that it just doesn't matter. All that matters is that you and I are friends, and I don't ever want that to change." Whether or not Applejack was crying, Twilight was certain that she was. "Of course I forgive you. But the fight was as much my fault. If I hadn't tried to prove you wrong just so I could have my theory..." With difficulty, she forced herself to look Applejack in the eyes. "Please...forgive me too?"
And suddenly there was a feeling of mixed dread and anticipation. She had gone out on a limb. She had forgiven Applejack because, how could she not? But there was no guarantee she would get forgiveness in return. What if Applejack was still angry? What if she said no, or said nothing and just left? What if this was the end of their friendship? She felt lightheaded and a little sick. She had no control. Everything rested on the reaction of the pony in front of her, and the moment before Applejack replied seemed to stretch into eternity.
But reply she did. With a hug and a whisper. "Course I do, sugarcube."
Twilight fiercely hugged her back. She cried into Applejack's neck, and in turn she felt her friend's chest spasm with quiet sobs. Slowly the roiling ocean of dread and anxiety in Twilight's stomach settled into a beautifully calm sunlit lake of elation and relief. There really was no other feeling like it. She was so happy. She had her friend back.
Applejack released her and wiped something from her eye. A raindrop, probably. Then she nodded toward the library. "Your brother's in there waiting." She turned once more to walk out into the torrent of water.
Twilight had to catch her yet again. "Applejack," she said with a smile, "A good friend once told me that you have the worst fights with the ponies that you care about the most..." She let the sentence hang and deliberately looked beyond her into the distance where the cacophonous rain made it difficult to see even the end of the street. Then back at Applejack. In a soft voice she said, "Don't go. Come inside where it's warm. Please?" She grinned. "Don't leave me here with three boys."
Applejack smiled at Twilight, not even trying to blink back the tears anymore. If the choice she was offering was getting drenched and cold, or spending time with her friends and family...well, it wasn't really a choice at all, was it?
She walked carefully inside as Twilight gently magically closed the door behind her.
Twilight felt such relief as Applejack walked inside with her. They settled themselves close together like the friends they were, almost opposite the two brothers who themselves had laid down side-by-side. She smiled as Applejack fixed Big Macintosh with a look.
"I hope you've been behavin' yourself, mister."
"Oh, he has," assured Twilight, launching the conversation. She told of stimulating philosophical debates, meticulous home-repairs generously undertaken, theories finally resolved, and the realisation she'd had that the stalwart crimson pony was far more than the sum of his parts. Applejack then tried to one-up her with tales of dancing scarecrows, milking cows in exactly the wrong way, and acts of impromptu log-based heroism on Shining Armor's part, topped off with a touching recap of him reading to Apple Bloom as she fell asleep.
As the two brothers listened to their sisters talk about their experiences, each gave the other increasingly respectful smiles and nods. If respect could be measured it was tough to tell which of them received the most. Certainly Shining Armor got a very healthy share for saving Applejack from being hurt. But Big Macintosh arguably got just as much for taking on Twilight in an intellectual debate and coming through unscathed.
While their sisters were distracted extolling their respective virtues, Shining Armor surreptitiously slid a hoof along the floor towards Big Macintosh. Seeing the movement from the corner of his eye, Big Mac smiled and slowly did the same.
Bump.
Smile.
Friends.
Brothers.
"So," Shining Armor asked his counterpart in conversational tone but conspiratorial expression. "Who do you think has the best sister ever?"
Big Macintosh deliberately didn't reply, choosing instead to look at Twilight even as she herself met Applejack's gaze.
"I think I do," said Twilight.
A lot of smiles adorned a lot of faces, and warm feelings flooded the room. The fight that had begun as an argument over who could claim to have the closest knit family had ended with the question itself becoming obsolete.
Because in the end, they were all family.
There had been lots of crying.
And they'd all grown closer together.
End
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Well, that was about 95.836% more adorable and brilliant than I expected it to be, and my expectations weren't exactly low!
D'aww.
This is stupidorable, and I love it.
Now stahp, before my feels can take no mor-
...there's an epilogue
Dawww.
Not to mention that their mom is the author....
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3524963
I always wonder where twilight mom is the author of daring do came from, can you . . . tell me more exactly where that notion came from. they say it from the MLP Comic but still can't find it
okay some people might find it cute with him reading her a story, but personally i think it's kinda stupid. you making ties that you won't be able to keep , plus leave that job to her real brother,i get your trying to 'win' but your shading her real brother. and that's not cool
Still punching me in the feels, still hurts like... well...emotions?
I swear these aren't tears, it's liquid pride.
3524963
SPOILERS: Well, she is not. :SPOILERS
Awwwww!
Only thing irking me was the difference between Shining Armor's portrayal (who's aware of his faults) and Big MacIntosh's (who didn't have any).
It's wonderful that Applejack and Twilight are friends again. Once again, you've captured the spirit of "My Little Pony."
You should get people together and make a fan made episode of this.
Oh my holy d'aawww, what a way to finish the story. All that built up to that final moment made it so rewarding, and so fitting – so believable. Well done; you've got me smiling just as wide as I'm sure Twi, AJ, Big Mac, and Shining are.
how does shining armor know the navigator? (sweet celestia, I doubt big mac will ever live that craze down)
Quite heartwarming story.
Though I am surpriced that Shining Armor held his ground against Big Mac without using his magic. I personally do not see unicorn's using magic as cheating or having an advantage, because while unicorns have magic, earth ponies have strength, and Shining Armor still managed to keep up with Big Mac despite not haivng earth pony magic that Big Mac had.
The only thing I found missing is that while Big Mac tell Twilight how Applejack often put herself into danger, there was lacking of Shining Armor expressing his fears that Twilgiht always had to risk her life facing villains while he, Captain of the Royal Guards was never there to protect her, but nice to see him feeling some guilt over his failures. Nice touch.
Well, that wrapped up quite nicely. And about as expected, with big brothers being awesome and everypony happy.
But screw that, Big Mac is best brother :p
3524963 Hasbro must be terrible at catching these things, because in the show, it was proclaimed that the author of Daring Do was Daring....Do....hm.
>>Princess Cadence Twilight's mother is not the author of the daring do books, and in fact was never stated to be. the daring do award is just a prestigious writing award.
Loved the whole thing, but I must admit I was kind of hoping for spike to walk in the room at the end and ruin the feel good mood. Oh well, you have written yet another amazing story!
That ended about as I expected it to, what with the makeup and AJ being right about fights and everything. And I think it was the ending the story wanted. Great stuff!
This had me crying. And I always say that if a story makes you cry, then it's probably a good one. This story is definitely good.
What the hay is "The Navigator" Dance ?
I'm just an earth pony with no idea of Earth customs.
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWW at the end!
7872808
Read the mlp comics.
You, dear 8686, have the honor of having written the very first writing on fimfiction to have made me tear up.