Too Early, Too Late

by Inkarus

Ebb and Flow

Soon, Prairie was slinking back to PaintStain Studios, the place Rarity had helped him name two and a half years ago. His head sunk even lower as that little detail wove itself into his mind. She had done so much for him, on the basis of a lie.
It was nearly 1:30 am when he opened the door to his building, tears finally falling. He turned on the light only to find Rarity standing in his living room, a strange expression on her face. The green-maned colt nearly stumbled back on his haunches, stunned, but quickly remembered his manners; Wiping his face desperately to rid it of offending water, Prairie stuttered, "Rarity? What're you- I mean, welcome, but, what-"

She shook her head and shushed him. Suddenly, from the shadows separating his kitchen from living room, a large red pony- much larger than Prairie Fire remembered!- emerged. Even now, a piece of hay was between his teeth.
Prairie's panicky fidgeting stopped.

"Big Mac?" He looked to Rarity, confused. "What's going on?"s

"Darling, he told me the whole thing. I think it's time you two have a good talk."

Talk? Rarity, have you MET Big Macintosh? We'll have a good TWO WORDS and then stand in silence. And how in the hay did he 'tell you the whole thing'?

Prairie was speechless. Rarity smiled at Prairie Fire, nodded at Big Macintosh, and sauntered her way out of the building, clearly pleased with herself and her family-reuniting abilities.

Time ticked on in silence, and Prairie found his stomach wrenching a bit. He slowly retracted his head into a cower, and shut his eyes; Shame for his own past actions seemed to bubble up and almost overwhelm him; How could he ever apologize to Big Mac? What could he say? That he was too scared of being hated to face them? For TWO AND A HALF YEARS? He wasn't a newborn colt; There was no excuse for what he'd done! And to leave them in their time of suffering; He was such a mule, and-

Suddenly, a firm pressure was on his shoulder; He looked up, startled, tears still holding ground at the edge of his eyes, only to see Big Macintosh's understanding expression level with him. Prairie didn't hold back; There was a reason, he now remembered, why he'd once upon a time called Big Macintosh his "big brother." He rushed into the red pony's chest, and Big Mac embraced his little brother, a few stallionly drips coming off his own eyelids as well.

And just like that, neither of them needed to say anything. Two and a half years of pain had been forgiven. At least, by Big Mac.

As the hug ended, Prairie Fire felt some of the huge weight lift off his back, but he was also filled with a new determination; He still needed to make it right with Granny Smith, and most importantly, Applejack.

He met Big Mac's eyes one more time.

"Eeeyup."

Prairie smiled. "Yep!" He chimed in, feeling for an instant like that little colt, levitating Applejack's hat on his head and imitating his big brother with a tiny, high pitched "Yeup!" and a giggle. It was the time he most remembered feeling love, and feeling loved.

Prairie turned to the door, and soon he was off- To the Apple farm! Big Mac slowly approached the door, and stood in the frame. He wore a contented smile; His brother was okay.

Prairie's hooves drummed the cool moonlit dirt, wind sweeping his mane back; Just like his sister, though, his hat was never flung from his head. No sooner was Prairie at the door of the house in Sweet Apple Acres than he realized it was 2:00 AM and hardly the time to be confronting his sister, but it was too late to back out now. He knew if he did postpone it, he would take the chicken's way out, and be somewhere between Appleoosa and Baltimare by morning, PaintStain Studios abandoned, Rarity be damned.

His hoof was a few inches from the door, hesitating closer and closer but never quite knocking, when a hissed whisper nearly dragged a mareish scream from his throat.

"Prairie Fire! What in tha hay are y'all doin'? GIT OVER HERE!"

He stumbled back from the front porch to see an orange shape in the corner of his vision; Applejack, gesturing wildly from the barn. Further emblazoned by her urgency, he raced over to the barn.

"Applejack! I have something to-"

"Will ya HUSH?" She cried, closing the barn door behind him and barring it. "Yer gonna wake Granny Smith, and I ain't gonna let yah raise her hopes and dash 'em again!"

As she turned to face him, her eyes were red and angry from crying, and, well, being angry. His heart sank.

"But, Applejack-"

"What in Celestia's good name gives you the right to come down here?!"

"Applejack, I heard you out, now you gotta hear me out!"

"No!" She shot back fiercely. He stepped back, surprised. It seemed like earlier that was all she had wanted! But now she was saying no? "Rarity told me everything; How she found y'all living at the lease house, a week after our parents died. How ya got a house in town. Think it makes it better that y'all were livin' right here in Ponyville after all that happened?"

"I-"

"Well it don't! It makes it harder! Never lettin' us check up on ya, never droppin' by to tell us... Tell us you was alive...It weren't fair, Prairie... It just..." Her voice seemed to deflate, and a long, weary sigh befitting a mare as old as Granny Smith, and not one barely out of fillyhood like Applejack, flooded from her. "Just weren't fair." She dropped her head, and her piece was done. She had held it in for so long... Prairie tried to imitate his older brother.

Slowly, his hoof went around her shoulders, and finally, she accepted his comfort, and cried a little into his shoulder. Her muzzle was warm against him, and gave a tentative finality to their discussion. Prairie relaxed finally, feeling like maybe he could still fix things, but suddenly, the whole bucking door flew open.

"Confound it, WHAT in tarnation is goin' awn out here?" A wavering but shrill voice peaked out from the night air, and a shaky old green mare limped as fast as she could into the barn; Her hooves stopped, suddenly, and for a moment, the fiesty old mare was struck dumb.

There, in the middle of the barn, was the little yellow-green orfoal she'd taken in so long ago, hugging her oldest grandfilly.
The colt in question leapt up upon seeing her, looking stunned and a little fearful. He took a few nervous steps back, one leg involuntarily kicking at the dirt.

"Well slap me and call me a sickly sundried sausage." She murmured. Suddenly, her legs seemed unsteady, and she sank to the ground.

"Granny Smith!" Applejack called out, racing to her elderly grandmother. She lent a hoof to help prop up the mare, but Granny Smith expression was still distraught, despite the support.

"See?" Applejack pleaded, turning her eyes to Prairie Fire. "I told ya! Look what's happenin to Granny Smith?"

And then, the feeling was gone; Applejack was gone; All of it was gone. Seeing Granny just collapse like that.... Prairie found his legs moving backward before he even realized it.

Comments

[-Brutus]

:(, that last lines of this chapter. Hope he doesn't still chicken out.