White Apple, Red String

by Nom dePlume

Prolouge: Planting Seeds

Applejack waved a temporary goodbye to Miss Jubilee as the ranchmare went to go to other business. "See y'all this evenin', Ma'am," she called. "Thanks again for the tour!" The orange mare turned back to her work, examining the cherry trees that surrounded her. "Well," she said to herself, "no point in wastin' daylight." Without another word, Applejack pulled her old, beat-up hat tighter down around her ears and set to her task. One by one, a dozen cherry trees were stripped of their fruit in moments. Applejack paused to grumble at the scattered cherries that had missed the baskets. "Not quite like apples, I s'pose. Gonna have to learn how a cherry wants to drop."

A low whistle made her turn, interrupting her thoughts. A dark brown stallion leaned against a bucked tree, green eyes peering out from under a dusty white hat. "You must be the new farmhoof Aunt Jubie was tellin' us about." The stranger pushed off of the trunk and trotted up to Applejack, examining the now-bare branches. "You're really good. How'd you do all this?"

Applejack's face scrunched up. "What d'ya mean 'how'd I do this?' 'Bout like any other pony bucks a tree. Who are you, anyways?"

The stallion blinked, then pulled his hat off his head, looking chagrined. "Whoops. Sorry, Miss. My name's Black Stone Cherry, but you can call me Stone, if you like. I live and work here on the ranch, helpin' my aunt Jubilee and my cousins out with the ranchwork. My parents and siblings, too."

Applejack nodded and stretched out a hoof, smiling warmly. "My name's Applejack. Looks like I'll be here 'til at least the end of the season, so thank y'all again for havin' me."

Stone smiled back and took Applejack's hoof after replacing his own hat. "It's great to meet ya, Miss Applejack. And it's really no trouble havin' you around, 'Specially if you can keep up this pace! Now," he frowned and cocked his head at her. "How'd ya say ya did it again? By 'bucking' a tree?"

Applejack nodded. "Yup. I get the sense y'all do it a bit different 'round here."

Stone nodded and went back to his tree. He came back with a rakelike object in his mouth. Transferring it to a forehoof, he started to explain. "We call these here 'cherry swipers.' You rear up against the tree trunk and use it to pull branches down for pickin', or for knockin' cherries off high branches. It's a two-pony process, and it usually takes a few hours to do what you've done. I was sent to lend you a hoof, but I like your method better. Can you teach me?"

Applejack shrugged. "Uh, I s'pose so. It's real simple, but it takes awhile to master." She trotted up to a tree and turned her back to it. "Are ya watchin'?" Satisfied with Stone's nod, she rocked up onto her forehooves and slammed both hind legs into the cherry trunk. Shiny red cherries rained down, covering the spectrum from crimson to magenta. Most of them fell into the baskets Applejack had laid beneath the tree.

Stone's eyes widened. "Wow! I've never seen so many cherries fall at once! You're amazing!"

Applejack fidgeted, uncomfortable under scrutiny. "Aw, nah. You should see what my brother can do, he'd never miss or bruise a cherry." She glared at the wayward fruits, as if she could levitate them free of the dirt and into the wicker bowls.

Stone laughed. "Nah, it's fine if they don't all make it in. Takes some of the effort out of plantin' new trees for the groves next spring."

Applejack blinked, surprised. "Huh. I never would've looked at it like that. Might mean you'll have to move a bunch of saplings, though."

Stone shrugged. "Eh. We can deal with that when it comes. Now, can I give it a go?"

~*~

"So," Stone said, trying to watch both Applejack and his hooves as they walked trough the groves, "you mentioned a brother? What's he like?"

"Ya mean Mac?" Applejack laughed. "Oh, he's like most brothers, I s'pose. Big. Quiet. Protective. Stubborn as an old goat. But he's got a soft side to 'im too. Always stargazin', watchin' Luna bring the moon up. Says it makes him feel like part of somethin' bigger."

Stone nodded. "Sounds like a standup guy. I'd like to meet 'im, sometime. Is he folowin' you out here too?"

Applejack frowned and watched her hooves for a moment. "Nah. Nah, he's stayin' back in Ponyville with the rest of the family."

Stone's brow furrowed. "Oh." He paused, glancing around for a change of subject. "Y'know, I've got a cousin who sounds a bit like your Mac. Name's Cherry Tart. She's always studying the constellations an' stuff. Says somebody's gotta remember the stories behind 'em, so they don't just become points of light in the sky." He chuckled. "Maybe we could set 'em up!"

That pulled a deep laugh from Applejack's gut. "Oh, gosh. Sounds like one of Applebloom's harebrained schemes to get her mark!"

"Applebloom? Who's she?"

"Oh boy... Where do I even start...?"

~*~

Stone coughed, choking on a cherry pit as a laugh burst out. "Seriously? She ate all twelve pies?!"

Applejack nodded solemnly, sprawled beneath the cherry branches. "Yup. All 'cause we made the fool mistake of tryin' to tell Granny what to do." She grinned and opened one eye. "Never did that again, I'll tell ya. Heheh... Poor Rarity was so horrified at the state their kitchen tablecloth was in. The look on her face was priceless. Magnum and Pearl weren't too pleased, either." She paused. "I feel bad about that. I don't know Magnum too well, but Pearl's a sweet mare, and she's got some gorgeous tablecloths. Never saw that one at a school fair again, though. Or anywhere else, come to think of it. I hope it didn't get ruined."

Stone bit into his lunch, a cherry turnover, and carefully watched the tree above him. "Maybe you can ask her about it when you go back to Ponyville?"

Applejack sighed pensively. "... Maybe. Hey, it's your turn, now. Betcha can't beat mine!"

Stone swallowed and rolled over to face Applejack, a challenge in his eyes. "Okay, how's this one? Me, Fizzy, Strudel, Uncle Cormano, and my dad all were out on a four-day campin' trip out in the badlands. Just the colts, y'know? Then, just as we're settin' up the tents..."

~*~

Cherry Jubilee leaned against the porch railing as she watched her nephew and the new farmhoof walking towards the house. Beside her, Great-Aunt Sweetheart laughed and leaned back in her rocker, her frizzy faded-pink mane sticking out in a halo around her ears. "I couldn't 've planned it better m'self, Darlin'. It's only been a few days, and they're already seein' stars in each other's eyes."

Jubilee raised an eyebrow. "Why, Aunt Sweetie! I assure you, I have absolutely no idea what you're talkin' about. I planned nothing of the kind!"

Sweetheart snorted, shaking her powder-blue head. "Sure, sure. Next you'll be tellin' me you didn't set your sister Pendula up with that dashing young Sargent. Filly, there's more of old Great-Great-Granny Truly in you than you care to admit."

Jubilee harrumphed and returned her concerned gaze to the two young ponies. She couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but somehow, something seemed... Off-balance about the whole thing. Like a stack of laundry about to topple into the floor.

~*~

Stone lay on his bed, reading the note over and over again. Jackie, as he had started calling her, had taped it to his door sometime in the night. Morose, he drew a hoof across the carefully-formed lines:

"Dear Stone,

I'm so sorry I couldn't tell you in person, but something's come up, and I have to be moving on earlier than I'd planned. I just want you to know that the time we spent together were some of the best days I'll ever have. You're a wonderful friend, and I'm sorry I couldn't be better to you. I'm sorry things had to turn out this way. I'm sorry that... I'm just sorry. For everything.

Good harvests,
Jackie.

~*~

Applejack stared out the window of the train, watching the Equestrian countryside roll past. A deep worry gnawed at her, but she squelched it down and stowed it away. What was done was done. There was no going back now, no regret. She was headed home, and all was right with the world. She'd never leave Ponyville or her family again. Never.

Dash, seated beside her, watched with worried magenta eyes. "AJ? You alright in there?"

The orange mare snapped her head around, ponytail flying, and forced a grin. "Huh? Oh! Yeah, couldn't be better if I tried. Why?"

Dash nodded, satisfied. "No reason. You just looked like you were someplace else."

Applejack snorted. "Aw, Dash, ya sound like you're moonstruck. I'm right here, headed to Ponyville with my friends. Where else would I want to be?"

~*~

Stone knocked back another mug of cider, trying not to taste the spiced apples. Still, it flooded his senses. He smelled the lingering sweetness of her coat, heard her brilliant laugh, saw the sunlight glinting off her honey-gold mane... He dropped the emptied mug and buried his face into his crossed forelegs.

His friend wrapped a friendly hoof around his shoulders. "What's wrong, Stone? You look like you just bet your life savings on a lame race-hog!"

Stone groaned and picked himself up to look at his old friend. "It was a year ago today."

"What was?"

"The day she left."

"The day who left?"

"Her."

"Oh." The yellow-orange stallion was silent. "Who?"

Stone shook his head and stared at the bottom of his mug. "The mare of my dreams. She could clean a whole tree with one solid kick. Leap fences and haul windfall like nopony's business. She was strong and kind and sweet, always ready with a good story or a warm hug when you were blue. The best baker I've ever seen, and honest as the day is long."

"Huh." Braeburn took another swig. "Sounds a bit like my cousin."