J and AJ, Learning to Live Again

by Ron Jeremy Pony

That Summer

J and AJ, Learning to live again

Chapter 1 ‘That Summer’

(Lucky’s Tavern)

Jack listened to the sounds of the Jukebox in the corner. He looked at the unfinished hard cider in front of him and shook his head. It didn’t help any. He had hoped that drinking it would at least dull the memories. That he wouldn’t have to think about what happened; that he wouldn’t have to live with what happened, but instead every memory was there. He could still see David standing next to Twilight. The ceremony, the wedding day, and both of them excited to walk into the rest of their lives together.

It was gone now. There was no getting it back.

“Jack?” a questioning voice asked.

He looked behind him to see Applejack. She was just barely starting to show evidence of being pregnant. He almost chuckled at the words of Granny Smith. She wanted them to be married before the baby came.

“Hi Sweetheart,” he said.

“Yer not drunk?” she asked.

“I wanted to be, but it doesn’t work,” he replied.

She watched him put his head into his real and artificial hoof. She walked toward him and touched his shoulder.

“Sugarcube, this isn’t yer fault,” she said.

He shook his head.

“It is. I should have made them listen better. Two more cannons, just two more, would have been more than enough to stop that son of a bitch,” he said as he held his head in his hooves, “Two more would have done so much… Two more would have saved David… Just two more.”

She pulled him into a hug and felt him return it. She could feel him fighting to control his emotions. She had never really seen him cry yet, and to be honest she wasn’t sure she wanted to see it. Jack had proven himself to be so strong a thousand times over. The idea of something hurting him so bad that he would cry just hurt too much.

“It wouldn’t have mattered. Jack, ya can’t blame this on yerself. Ya did everything ya could to protect everypony. There are hundreds of foals and mares alive today that wouldn’t be if ya hadn’t been there,” she said.

“But… Applejack he was like a brother… He might as well of been my brother. We grew up together, hung out together… We even went to school and shared a dorm room together. He’s gone, and Twilight… she’s so lost. I can’t even stand to look her in the eyes because I know I failed her, and I failed David…” he said.

She pulled back a little and lifted his chin with her hoof.

“Sugarcube, this is not yer fault. It never will be yer fault. This was all Sombra’s doing, and right now that… that… Ah can’t say what he is if I wanna be ladylike. But ya know there was nothing else ya could’ve done,” she said.

He lowered his head. He wanted to believe her, he really did, but every time he closed his eyes he would see the battle, the death, and although he wasn’t there he would see Sombra killing David. He knew this had to be close to what David was going through when he had survived. He really didn’t want to upset David. He just didn’t want more people to surfer like he was suffering.

“I want to go home,” he said.

She nodded and lead him outside of Lucky’s. They began the trek toward the farm house and she leaned close to him.

“Jack, yer a good stallion, and Ah love you very much, but Sugarcube ya got to accept that what happened, happened,” she said.

“I know… Sweetheart I know, but… I don’t know how to let go of this. I’ve been on the other side of this. I’ve seen folks, including David, mourn for me, but I haven’t lost someone so close like this before. I just wish that I could have done more,” he replied.

She heard it. The first sniff of a set of tears. David had been gone for a few months now. Winter Wrapup had already happened, summer was quickly approaching, and time had moved on. It seemed that way at least, although she knew that Twilight had declined to organize Winter Wrapup this year. She hadn’t made any excuses, but instead said she couldn’t do it. Jack had recovered his ability to walk after losing half of one of his forelegs thanks to an artificial leg one of the royal engineers had designed for him, and Rainbow Dash had finally recovered enough to walk again without assistance. Her hips had healed. She had been there when her friend was told the terrible news though.

She could remember her normally brash, rough, and headstrong friend crying into her shoulder as she was told that she could never be a wonderbolt. Although her hips were healed the chance they could be broken again, and this cause her to be paralyzed from the hips down, if she did anything strenuous was too great.

It had been hard for Dash to recover from that. She had stood by her friend, helped her as she could, and finally Dash pulled through her depression. She felt guilty though. She had spent so much time helping Dash that she hadn’t noticed the pain Jack was going through. He was her coltfriend, her engaged to her coltfriend, and he had been suffering just as much.

She turned toward him as he stopped. Before the tears fell she pulled him to her. She felt his forelegs, the artificial and the real, hold on to her as it started. Her own tears began to stream down her face. She felt him tense up, his body shaking with each sob as he shook. She rubbed his back, trying to give him what comfort she could.

“Shhh, it’s all right Sugarcube. Ah ain’t gonna leave ya, and ah ain’t gonna let you go through this alone. Yer stuck with me,” she whispered.

He continued to cry for the longest time. She just stood there holding him. It was well after dark, and most of the businesses, with the exception of Lucky’s Tavern and the Oak Lounge, were closed. Finally his tears seemed to dry up, and he pulled back. She watched as he dried his eyes and then looked at her.

The bright green eyes of his, those eyes usually filled with mischief looked so lost now. She leaned over and kissed him. She hoped the love she felt for him would radiate through it. He felt the tenderness of it and kissed back. The two of them walked toward the farm. Both of their minds full, and both of them concerned for each other.

“Ah love ya Jack,” she said as they neared the farm.

“I love you too Applejack,” he replied.

“Comeon, let’s go inside,” she suggested.

He walked behind her, uncertain of what he did to deserve her. She was concerned about him, worried about him, and she loved him. They walked into the house and up the stairs. Applejack’s room had long since been abandoned as she took to sleeping with Jack instead. They explained to Applebloom that they were going to be married, and this was something Mares and Stallions did when they loved each other very much.

Applebloom happened to be up as they were walking past her, and she stopped Jack.

“Ya okay big brother?” she asked him.

He looked down at the littlest apple. Her eyes showed the same concern for him that Applejack had. He scooped her up and hugged her close to his barrel.

“I’m fine, but you should really be in bed,” he said.

He let her down and she looked up him. She could see the sadness in his eyes. It was something she had seen in there ever since they had come back from going to help Twilight. She watched him walk past her and she held her down.

“Celestia or Luna, Ah don’t care which, help my new big brother. There’s somethin’ bothering him awful bad,” she whispered before she turned around and headed back to her room.

Author's Note:

(Of course I had already written the preview for this on An American Werewolf in Equestria, but I do hope that all of you enjoy it. Unlike AAWIE this is going to be a slightly quieter piece. Mainly it will be focusing on Applejack and Jack’s relationship, their marriage, and finally their family. The other mane six will have small parts. I do hope that this turns out fairly well, and to be honest I’m looking forward to writing it. I do like doing a good slice of life story from time to time. I feel that this could be a really good story if I give it a chance. As for the chapters, I’m going to try to keep them around two to four thousand words per chapter after this first one of course.

Thanks everyone for reading!

LF)

Comments

[Twilight Best Pony]

whats this from?
is this sequel to something?

[Ron Jeremy Pony]

4091745

It is. It's the sequel to An American Werewolf in Equestria.