The Ballad of Big

by Broseph_Stalin

Into the Sunrise

Chapter Three – Into the Sunrise

>>---- (ɃɃ)---->

Ah really cannot believe what I’ve gotten mahself into. Confound it, Applejack, you crazy mare...

Applejack’s thoughts were punctuated by the crack of her cheap dresser opening and closing. Wrestling her meager belongings into her burlap sack, she cinched it tight with a tug of her teeth.

She stopped, however, when in the bottom-most drawer, she found the folded-up photograph that she had brought with her all the way from Ponyville.

It was her most cherished possession: the Apples of Sweet Apple Acres had gathered in the dog days of some sticky-hot summer too many years ago. There was a filly Applejack lying in the shade under a colt Big Macintosh’s hooves, while a little foal Apple Bloom sat blissfully on Mac’s back. Next to Big Macintosh was Granny Smith, either half asleep or blinking as the picture was taken. Applejack still wasn’t sure which, and it made her giggle every time she saw it.

Then of course, the moment that made her heart stick in her throat: both her parents were in the picture, as well. Her father, Calvados, and her mother, Apple Blossom, both stood quiet and reserved next to Big Macintosh with winning smiles upon their faces. With trembling hooves, Applejack re-enacted a ritual she had practiced devoutly every single time she opened the greying photograph.

“Hi Momma… Hi Poppa. It’s Applejack. Just, uh, checkin’ up on how ya’ll are doin’. Things here ain’t goin’ too smoothly, though I’m sure you’ve seen it all from…” Applejack choked on a tiny sob as a little tear dared to flow over the dam of her eyes, “…from wherever ya’ll are at right now.” She heaved a hot breath of a sigh and looked back at the picture.

From behind a curtain of a long blonde mane, her mother’s rust-colored eyes seemed to plead for her daughter to go on. Her father’s emerald eyes- oh, how Applejack always loved to have been gifted with her father’s eyes- looked up to her eager as ever, agreeing with his wife’s silent pleas, and waiting for his daughter to continue.

“You see, Ah’ve run in with some bad ponies— er, out of mah control, mind you,” she reassured with a glance, “and Ah think Ah’m in way over mah head. So, wherever ya’ll are, please, just make sure you watch over me and take care of me like you’ve been doin’ so well all these years.” A tiny streak ran down the corner of the glossy photograph. It wasn’t the first stain on the old photograph, and it certainly wouldn't be the last tear that fell on it, either.

“Ah jus' want you to know, Ah love you, and—”

With a start, Applejack jumped straight into the air as a knock rapped upon the door, quick and business-like.

“Applejack?” came a voice she didn’t quite recognize.

She didn’t dare move from her spot. With bated breath, she tried to figure out who in the hay would be rapping on her door. Another round of neat little taps rang out in the room.

“Applejack? It’s Horace. We talked last night? Remember? Are you in there?” More knocks.

At the mentioning of the mysterious guest’s name, Applejack sprang into action. With a deft movement, she folded the picture back up, slid it neatly in her vest pocket, and whipped the door open.

At the opening of the cheap wooden door, Applejack spotted the cream-colored unicorn. His face was a mix of surprise and nervous concern, and his hoof hung in midair, pulled back to knock upon the door once more.

“Oh, hullo miss.” His thin little moustache jumped around anxiously on his lip, and his mauve eyes darted around cautiously as he scanned the room behind Applejack.

“Just us in here, right?” he inquired hesitantly.

“Yes’m,” Applejack drawled back.

“Ah, okay, good. Almost ran into Big on the way here.” He pushed past Applejack quickly, and circled the room twice before deciding to sit down on the bed. He hesitated at first, acting as if laying something denser than a feather would cause its wooden frame to come crashing down. Finally, he scooted himself on the bed and turned back to Applejack.

“Uh, yeah. Right. ‘Bout that…” she replied, but trailed off as she shut the flimsy door. Horace’s face darkened dramatically, and he looked up and down Applejack discerningly. Applejack felt the oddest sensation of nakedness at the rancher pony’s piercing gaze.

“I know, I know. I heard ‘bout that run-in with him last night, too. It’s rather a miracle you got out of it with no more than a few scratches, but I think you ought to skip town, missy. It’s not safe out here for you, especially with the wrath of that bully cowpoke shufflin’ up and down the streets, looking for some hide ‘r’ hair of you to beat the spit outta.” A quick brush of his soft eyes across the room brought him a quick revelation. “Though, it looks like you’ve already gotten yourself packed up! Good thinkin’, my dear. I know there’s a train heading out east that’s leaving soon. If you hurry, you can probably make—”

“Ah’m teamin’ up with Big to take that herd of yours ‘cross the plains, Horace,” Applejack cut in, her voice plain. The unicorn’s eyes shot wide at this.

“Wh-what?” he cried out, disbelieving. “You’re not… serious?”

Applejack merely shook her head slowly.

“’Course Ah am, Horace.”

“…Why?” was all that the unicorn could come up with. Applejack merely sighed and retold the story of what had happened to her earlier today.

After a series of gasps and gulps from her captivated (if not thoroughly disheveled) listener, Applejack finally finished her tale up to where Horace had come knocking at her door. The unicorn’s face was contorted in an odd look as he glared over Applejack with a curious light in his eyes.

“I don’t believe it.” He shook his head slowly at the ground. “You’re really doing it. You realize what you’ve gotten yourself into--right?” He picked his eyes up off the floor and stared hard into Applejack’s own emerald facets.

“’Course,” was all she could come up with. The word was terse, and she doubted she believed it the second it came out of her mouth. Horace let out a deep sigh, and looked around the room once more.

“And when’re ya’ll taking off?” he drawled. His normally-proper parlance seemed to have dropped away as his voice grew husky. Applejack was more than a bit taken aback, and awkwardly shuffled a hoof. She felt like a little filly again, when her dad had yelled at her for bucking the wrong kind of apple tree; though, she wasn't quite sure why the feeling had taken over her then.

“Uh, t’morrah mornin’... around sunrise,” she replied in her usual bucolic manner, though it caught on her now-thick throat halfway up. Horace nodded curtly.

“Alright. There anythin’ you need, seein’ as how you’ll be taking my cattle across Jacheo?” Applejack shook her head, but then stopped to think.

“Er, well come to think of it… do ya have any camping supplies Ah could loan from you?” The mare blushed; she wasn’t one to borrow things from others if she really didn’t have to, and she figured all the gear she needed was pretty expensive. Horace stopped, a tiny bit phased at Applejack’s weighty request.

“Ah… yeah. Yeah, I do, actually. You can come pick it all up from my ranch later this evenin’. Howzat sound?”

“Oh that’s excellent. Thank you, that’s mighty kind of you Horace!” Applejack beamed down at the now-blushing unicorn who sat anxiously upon the bed.

“Ah, well, it’s no problem miss…” Checking his black leather-strap watch, he tsked quietly to himself. “Well, I’m needed back on the farm to prep those cattle.” Before jumping up, he paused mid-leap, and looked up at Applejack. “You sure there isn’t a single other thing you might need?”

Applejack laughed awkwardly, and squirmed a bit in place as she blushed once more. She had almost forgotten Midnight’s most important note.

“Well, uh, *ahem* Ah almost forgot somethin’ Ah'll need…”

>>---- (ɃɃ)---->

As the pre-dawn sky grew steadily brighter in Celestia’s premeditated ideal of a sunrise, a gaggle of variously dressed and adorned ponies stood around the street’s mouth of the western township of Buck City.

The group of some thirty or so ponies – almost the entire and immediate population of the whole little community – all stood around in the not-quite-darkness, whispering amongst themselves- though for what reason hushed voices were the norm, not quite anypony really knew. The fireflies that normally lit the town’s lamps had been displaced long ago as the soft rays of sunlight had begun to peek over the tops of the dusty wooden buildings, but there was not quite enough light granted by the sun to see clearly now, either.

Applejack, who shuffled about silently near the head of the sizeable group, shifted the heavy saddle pack that was stretched across her back. Feeling a little something slip with her minute correction, she rolled her eyes once more in the lifting darkness and stuck a hoof up to fix the displacement for at least the third time this morning.

Her hoof glided over a smooth, cool, leather sheath, and she shivered slightly as she nudged the hard metal handle of her long knife right back in place under her multitude of tins, pots, pans, slopping-full canteens, kindling, food, and other survival odds and ends. She remembered Midnight’s warning quite clearly.

Though, not a single one of the posse had even shown up yet. With a hot breath of annoyance, Applejack scanned the crowd once again, to the point that it had almost become the morning’s ritual.

Her scan of the murky light produced the same results: Horace stood some couple of feet away, bundled up in the pre-dawn chill, and with the same anxious and worried face that he had been wearing since he had given Applejack her camping gear last evening.

The rest of the town, it seemed, had gathered here too. Whether it was because exciting things were seriously lacking in the tiny little town, or that each citizen felt they had better be here to see Big and his posse off (or else), Applejack could not really be sure. She figured it was a close bet that both her hunches were probably right.

Just as she waved the thought away with another irritated adjustment of her pack, a whip’s crack and a shout could be heard from far ahead. The crowd’s mumblings died away as expectant eyes all shifted towards the sudden sound. From across the gently sloping hill that held the town, four figures- one of which was pulling a wagon- could be seen galloping hastily towards the crowd.

From behind her, Applejack heard Horace mutter darkly under his breath.

“Must be mad… He must be mad…”

When she looked back, all she caught was the unicorn shaking his head disdainfully. A chill shot through Applejack’s spine, though the cold was not suspect here. Hesitant thoughts- from the range of irksome to almost suicidal- shot through Applejack’s mind like a bullet, and took off like a runaway train.

The locomotive of anxiety slowed to a stop, however, as she looked up to see Big, who seemed even more mountainous with his supplies piled upon his broad back. Midnight and Dodger followed closely behind in the same fashion, while Bo grunted and heaved the big covered wagon up the hill behind the lot.

Big squinted in the murky darkness, pacing about, and finally called out in frustration:

“Where’s Applejack!?” A tinge of fire rode on his voice.

“Ah’m right here, Big,” Applejack replied as calmly as she could muster, and took a small step forward. She silently thanked Celestia for the dark as her back knees almost buckled under her as she took another shaking step forward.

“Aha, there y’are.” The stallion broke into a huge grin as he stepped forward. “You all ready, Miss Fire ‘n’ Ice?” Applejack grimaced darkly at the pony’s nickname for her.

“Just Applejack, okay, Big?” she said, her voice growing steadily more direct. She had been up before dawn and hadn’t slept well at all, to top it off. She wasn’t going to deal with this right now.

Big Jim, it seemed, wasn’t going to take her sass either. His smile twisted into a snarl, and he whispered harshly to his temporary posse-mate.

“Now ya listen here, mare, I—” He was cut short as Midnight smacked him hard on the flanks with a hoof and shot him a strict glare. Mouthing the words “Leave it,” she stepped back, but left her golden eagle-eye upon Big. The stallion turned back around.

“Sorry. Applejack. Are you ready to go?”

Applejack nodded to Big.

“Ah certainly am. Where’re the, uh, cattle?” she asked as she tried to glance around the beefy mountain before her. Her face fell in outraged annoyance as Big laughed arrogantly in her face.

“They’re over at Horace’s! Only reason we came back was tah get you—not to mention,” he said, laying a greedy eye over the crowd behind Applejack, “to give these folks a bit of a show. Big Jim Cooley always delivers, and with ample style, no less!” Giving her a wink, he put on his wide, winning smile and walked over past Applejack. Her face was burning-hot red as she stifled herself from shouting back at the stallion jerk for his idiotic egotism.

Ah’m doin’ it for the farm. Ah’m doin’ it for the farm. Ah’m doin’ it for the farm, she thought, over and over again, trying to calm herself with her peaceful mantra. For good measure, she threw in a similarly-comforting thought of coming home to her family with a bursting coin purse.

“Horace!” Big cried behind Applejack as he advanced upon the unicorn. “Thanks again for offering our posse the chance to handle your cattle for you!” He smacked a fat hoof with a muffled crack upon the nervous unicorn’s shoulder. Horace gasped out a reply through teared-up eyes.

“Y-you’re quite welcome, Big.” Blinking back tears, he tried to match the broad smile that Big Jim was holding not a foot away from his own face. He failed terribly, though, and Big merely chuckled to himself as he looked up over the bundled-up unicorn and addressed the crowd before him.

“Fillies and gentlecolts!” he boomed, and began walking backwards towards his posse, “It’s been a mighty fine time here in Buck City, but it seems duty’s gone and called me off to other places. Don’t ya’ll worry a single hair though,” he added. Joining back up with the rest of his posse, he tipped his hat to the addressed crowd, and did a modest little bow.

“I’ll be back, lickety-split.” Almost as if he had planned it, a creeping beam of sunlight arose behind him, illuminating his massive form, and causing the crowd to shield their eyes. Laughing to himself, he tipped his hat back up and moseyed back over to his cohorts that were waiting impatiently for him.

Applejack was furious at his exultation. How dare he act modest and address these townsponies like that! Her fuming was cut off, though, as the crowd called back towards them.

“Be safe out there, Big!” shouted a rose-colored pegasus mare, who had a little ochre filly at her hooves.

“Go get ‘em, Jim Cooley!” came a cry from a well-dressed pony with a gold-chain watch.

“Good luck to you, sirrah!” called a mauve stallion, all dressed up in cowpoke gear but lacking the usual ten-gallon hat.

Applejack was in shock at the crowd’s reactions. Big merely laughed at them, though; a deep, guttural and self-assured sound.

“Luck? I don’t need it!” he shouted back, and took off at a gallop down the dusty road, yipping and hollering all the way as his posse followed closely behind.

Forcing spiteful thoughts out of her head, Applejack merely kicked up her hooves as she followed along after the posse, off down the highway and straight into the blaring cool-blue light of the sunrise.

Ah’m just doin’ this for the farm. That’s it.

Comments

[MisterMoniker]

Best Western ever? You decide!

[The Descendant]

This was actually an enjoyable read. There's not many Westerns in the fandom, and this is a worthy addition to the genre. I'll be interested in seeing what you do with the character of Big, and how you'll use our Miss Applejack as it continues.

[MasterCombine]

An adventure fic with Applejack in the lead role?
Yep, I'm reading.

[redsquirrel456]

Another awesome Western type fic involving the best pony? I'm hooked!